The red umbrella

A few days ago, I don't know what I was thinking - or obviously, not thinking - I made the rookie mistake of going out without my umbrella. 

Kid in the baby carrier, bib in the pocket, keys in one hand and phone in the other. I had everything! Except for the umbrella. But well, it was ok! After all, I was only supposed to be out for a few minutes and those clouds were so far away! Or were they?

I wasn't farther than 300 meters from home when it started raining. Not a light rain. The real deal! The real tropical, drops like cherries, rain!

At this moment, I just looked at my son and sadly "covered" him with my hands. Yes, my two huge 10 cm hands! And I started running back home. Run? Well! Have you ever tried running with your baby on your belly (thank you baby carrier), your tiny hands covering him as much as it is possible, shoes soaked and almost no visibility at all? Well, let's just say it's hell on earth!

And in all this darkness, I started believing again! We were saved by the xerox lady and her red umbrella! 

At only 50 meters from our condo, a lady stopped her car in the middle of traffic, got off and came to me with this brand new, still in the plastic bag, red xerox branded umbrella and quickly returned to her car never to be seen again.

At this point, it could have just been a shopping plastic bag that it would have meant everything, just because it made it possible for me to protect my child.

I am so thankful!

That day, just like that, I regained faith in mankind! Faith in the people of Singapore. Faith in the men and women of our world. And even faith in Xerox!

Thank you xerox lady, you made my day!

Somar anos é somar vida!

Somar anos é somar vida!

Oportunidades aproveitadas e outras perdidas

Amizades criadas e outras não alimentadas

Sorrisos dados e sorrisos recebidos

Aventuras ultrapassadas e outras não atrevidas

Desafios superados e outros nem sequer imaginados

Ajudas oferecidas e apoios recebidos

Discursos assumidos e outros silenciados

Família amada e familia depreciada

Momentos aproveitados e outros escapados

Somar anos é somar vida! 

O importante é que nos orgulhemos do balanço, que nos faça feliz; e isso, está nas nossas mãos.

E se houve anos em que somei decepções e em que o balanço ficou aquém das minhas ambições, fiz sempre por não repetir erros do passado e aproximar-me tanto quanto pude do que sou e do que quero ser.

O meu primeiro dia da mãe

Ontem, em Portugal, celebrou-se o 'dia da mãe'. 

Como todo o bom emigrante, estamos a par destas datas importantes e assinalamo-las com a devida consideração, beneficiando assim duma dupla celebração - ou como no nosso caso, duma tripla celebração. Assim o dia da mãe assinala-se também a 10 (França) e a 30 (Singapura) de Maio. Mas este, é outro assunto.

O dia da mãe para mim este ano teve uma nova dimensão, sendo que já não sou "só" filha e passei a ser mãe também, com tudo o que isso acarreta de amor incondicional e de maravilhamento constante. Mas este dia traz também luz a 36 anos de vida e vida a um sonho tido e desistido. Este dia representa tudo o que sou e que pensava a sempre perdido. 

Eu, hoje, não celebrei só o dia da mãe. Eu, hoje, celebrei o dia da vida; o dia em que os sonhos se realizam e vencem as promessas de dias bons, em que os percalços da vida são vencidos e as provas superadas são esquecidas. 

Hoje, celebro-te a ti, peanut, a razão do meu ser.

Obrigada zowjee por teres visto em mim os sonhos e afugentado as sombras. 

Mommy! I'm hungry!

I've been a mother for 8 wonderfully challenging weeks. Yes, that's right, happiness is not an easily achieved thing, especially when we are talking about motherhood and children. I was used to control my life and have had to accept chaos and still, in my heart, I am over-the-moon happy to be a mom.

I know I have still so much to live and learn as a parent (as a human being as well but one thing at a time) but I have already experienced sooooo much! 

I came across this picture and article on facebook, this precious source of information and it seems it's been a huge buzz. 

I'll admit it: I am still unexperienced in the matter, but for some reason I can totally relate to what's shown here. Could it be because when my-most-precious cries his lungs out, I could do anything just to bring him some peace? Yes. Could it be because even though I wish I could be there for him every second of the day, sometimes it is just not possible and it hurts that I have to accept that? Yes. Could it be because the moment I knew he was growing inside of me I knew I would do anything for him? Yes. And I am sure there are many more reasons that I am not aware of still.

This picture is not shocking at all to me, what about you? Are you shocked? 

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3048548/Photo-mother-breastfeeding-daughter-home-sitting-toilet-goes-viral.html

Rendez-vous des bébés

Il est 9h30, je profite de la "fraîcheur" (30 petits degrés) matinale pour faire une balade avec mon bébé. 

J'ai la chance de vivre dans un cadre idyllique et j'en profite. Je ne serais pas seule, je le sais. À Singapour, la natalité connaît un grand boom depuis plusieurs années et des bébés il y en a énormément, alors chaque parent, à sa façon, profite de la douce chaleur et du grand air pour faire une belle balade. 

On se reconnaît, on se sourit timidement. Presque tacitement, on se retrouve chaque matin, au départ de nos activités. 

C'est le rendez-vous des bébés! 

Life happened

Almost 9 month to the day from my last post but it doesn't mean my mind was empty or that the world no longer inspired me; it is quite just the opposite! What happened? Life did! 

These past 9 months were just so full of life, so much full of life that I had difficulty finding words matching the emotions, and difficulty finding time expressing them.

Ok, I'll stop making excuses! Life happened and keeps happening and I'll try to catch up or keep up.

So yeah... life happened and a pretty nice one!

way neater in Singapore!

Miracle Garden, Dubai, UAE, April 2013

When people ask me why I left Paris, I tell them I couldn't stand the grey color of almost everything anymore, from the sky to the ground, everything is grey, even buildings and (sorry guys) the folks' pouts - By the way, I also think, Paris' crowd isn't a very smily one, but hey, it's only my opinion. - 

And the rain! Man, the rain! Worse than Paris, maybe only London... yuck!

And then I moved to Portugal. Weather wise way better for sure (not only weather wise actually ;) ), There, I finally realized blue skies weren't myths and they do exist from time to time. That felt nice. Or so I thought until life took me to Paradise, Dubai, the land where it never rains! ok, it rains like a four or five days a year, but when it rains, man, it's like the world's coming to an end, roads are floaded and life just stops. They really need to start thinking about sewers. For some reason, those, almost three years I enjoyed an amazing life there, didn't teach me how to love it though, not as people, there, love it when it rains. I don't know. Maybe I didn't stay there long enough to actually miss the rain and be glad to feel it when it comes, but this doesn't change my heart: rain sucks! Period!

But, this is different. This is Singapore. We are just between the tropics, around 120 Kms from the equator, so rain is very much in the picture here, at least that's what I am expecting. I've only been here for a month and a half, so my experience is not yet bullet proof, and I only speak of what I know. And what I know is: rain became a fantastic experience! Oh yeah! This is a whole different thing here: when it rains, it's warm, still a 25+ degrees temp' and you are in flip flops. From now on, when it starts raining in Singapore, I just feel like "singing in the rain" and I smile.

And I think: maybe, for us to like something we think is not likeable, we just need to see it from another angle (or another latitude)

PS... And, small note, that wasn't the only reason for my leaving ;)

steppin' in

Durante tantos dias e tantas semanas, este passo pareceu tão complicado, e tão difícil, mas hoje, dei-o e não custou nada. Bem, não diria "nada"; essa palavra até desvaloriza o momento que, em nada, - lá está, nada - se encontrou desvalorizado. Nada. Foi simples. Foi lindo. Tive as minhas perguntas, as minhas dúvidas porque não podia deixar de assim ser, pois eu sou eu, e eu pergunto e interrogo. Mas aí, com uma clareza nova que fez toda a diferença, respondi a todas as minhas inquietações, por assim dizer e assim, simplesmente, e se calhar porque este era o momento, dei o passo.

Hoje, tudo se tornou claro e simples. Hoje, tudo fez sentido sem questionar as razões.

Hoje, tudo mudou.