Searching for perfection

The word, "perfection" derives from the Latin "perfectio", and "perfect" — from "perfectus." These expressions in turn come from "perficio" — "to finish", "to bring to an end." "Perfectio(n)" thus literally means "a finishing", and "perfect(us)" — "finished", much as in grammatical parlance ("perfect tense").

Why does one strive for perfection? As I read recently, it gives people a sense of order & control and is an attempt to stave off criticism and avoid reproach. For a perfectionist, mistakes are painful. They are exaggerated in their negative importance and expose the fear of inadequacy and incompetence.

Sometimes, we create goals for ourselves that are unrealistically high, unreasonable and most often not aligned with who we really are as a result of beliefs acquired during chilhood or from a person of significance who might have held these expectations of us.

The need to be "perfect" carries with it a heavy weight. On the one hand, it magnifies the importance of any mistake one makes. On the other hand, it magnifies the perceived difficulty of any step one takes, at best resulting in stress and at worst resulting in inaction and eternal insatisfaction.

Instead, we should take the time to think about what we really want. It's easy, we know that we are on track when the thought of what we want gives us a sense of well being.

Then we just need to take the first step in faith, we do not need to see the whole staircase.

Crash

Thought you had all the answers
To rest your heart upon
But something happens
Don't see it coming
Now you can't stop yourself...

Now you're out there swimming in the deep...

Life keeps tumbling your heart in circles...till you let go
Till you shed your pride and you climb to heaven
And you throw yourself off

And now you're out there spinning in the deep...

In the silence all your secrets will raise their weary heads
Well you can't pin yourself back together
With who you thought you were

Now you're out there living in the deep...

Lyrics from "In the deep" Bird York - Soundtrack from L.A. Crash (One of my favorite movies)

J'adore cette chanson, elle reflète l'état du moment et c'est très bien comme ça...

La vie est belle!

Dog shit nightmare

Following my stay in perfect Singapore "the Asian Switzerland" , I was shocked coming back to Paris by the noise, the pollution and the speed at which people are living their lifes.

After over 6 weeks, I still cannot get used to the pace of living in Paris.

As I headed toward the Metro to go to work early April, I was first welcome by the smell of the sewer, the filth of parisian public transport...As I went from the metro to the RER I was shocked by the number of dog shits lying around!!! I had never paid much attention to those things before probably because I was so used to them.

Having lived in Singapore has changed my perception quite dramatically and I realise now how dirty Paris really is and how uncivilised many Parisians are when it comes to managing their best friend's droppings!

I arrived at work after 1 hour spent in the tube/train/bus, totally exhausted and stressed.

For those who know me, this will sound quite unbelievable but I have decided that I want to move out of Paris. Even though I still enjoy the city in many ways, it is time for me to find a bigger place, closer to work, with a decent kitchen, in a more quiet area where my plants are not going to die within minutes of being put on the mini balcony. I'll keep you posted!

Before I go, I wanted to share with you 2 videos on the subject mentionned in the title...
http://www.linternaute.com/video/paris/campagne-de-proprete-de-la-ville-de-paris/
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/248391/dog_shit_on_bed/

I hope you are all OK. Bonne semaine à tous :-)

April's gone already

Time flies when you live in Paris ! I cannot believe that I have been back 4 weeks already...The weather has been fantastic so far, it feels like summer.


As my stay in Singapore ended, I was so much looking forward to seeing everyone, travelling to places in France, eating French food, drinking fab wines and just enjoying life !!


I have spent the past 4 weeks travelling the country and more, from Paris to Marseille, to Vienna, to Poitiers, to Cozes, to Royan back to Paris. What joy to see my family and friends again , to debate (politics is a hot topic at the moment = ) ! The market, the smell of fresh bread, roast chicken, the taste of my Mum's cooking (hé oui) , cheese wine and champagne!






Yet, I do miss Singapore and the way of life over there. As I came back to France as thought that I would be able to jump back into my life...It has become clear that it is impossible and beside the joy, I have felt quite disorientated and realised that my life could never be the same again.

Although it is unlikely that I will drop down everything to go back to Asia, there are many changes ahead. So what's next ? To be continued...