In a presidency or at a new company they will tell you that the first 100 days counts that it sets the pace of what to come.
Well not sure what it is telling me about what’s to come because I haven’t spent the first 100 days in any way how this new chapter will be and also I’m still not settled. Since I left Singapore I have slept in 13 beds in 6 countries, flown 3,000 kms and driven 5,000 kms so I guess I’m looking forward to maybe slow down a bit as I finally made the move to Paris.
For the first time in the last 25 years I don’t have a set end-date to this posting, that is not really a posting since we are “back home”. However I will treat it as one, by looking for opportunities to meet new friends, reconnect with old friends, (re)discover old and new places, and finding a new daily commute, weekly outing and favorite spot before it ends in a year… or in a decade.
As I said in a previous post (the “100 days before departure” one) “𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝙝𝙖𝙙” because “𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦”
In preparation of Singapore National Day tomorrow and because Singapore prepare for their National Day weeks in advance, here’s a small video of the rehearsal of the flying of the flag I caught before leaving Singapore mid June.
Sunday Sound of Singapore – Doors are closing… Be happy happy
Sound on 🔈
I now know it doesn’t say Be Happy Happy but for the longest time I thought it did and that made me happy that I was wished a good day.
I now know it’s the Malay version of the English Mind the Gap. First in Chinese 請小心空隙 (qǐng xiǎoxīn kòngxì), then in Malay Berhati-hati di ruang platform (be careful at the platform area), and finally in Tamil (I had to do some research for that one!) தயவு செய்து தளம் மேடை இடைவெளியை கவனத்தில் கொள்ளவும் (Tayavu ceytu taḷam mēṭai iṭaiveḷiyai kavaṉattil koḷḷavum)
And the doors are closing… on my (last) Sunday Sound of Singapore.
~~Every city has its own color, smell, sound, and vibe. While I can share the colors through photography and sometime the vibe too, I thought I would try to share with you the sounds that are so specific to Singapore. ~~
Because moving back to your own country after living abroad for so long (24+ years of expat life in my case) is also an adventure.
Bring it on Paris, I’m ready.
Well the summer house in the French Alps first, then a bit of Switzerland for daughter’s graduation, then a bit of traveling in Ireland to visit the American in-law spending the summer and then the Netherlands for son’s university settling in but for sure Paris right after summer!
On a side note… if you plan to visit us, rather do it sooner than later, we don’t tend to stay put very long, even more so in France 😉
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~~~ Just a little FYI So for my last 200 days in Singapore I have decided to reblog, in no special order, a post from the 6 years I will have spent on the Little Red Dot. I have excluded pictures of our trips because I have already reposted them while we were stuck on our Little island during the past 2 years (& you can find them here!). PS: you will then get 2 posts a day!! ~~~
The first drive out of the airport.
Definitely not in Beijing anymore.
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18-Jun-2022: D-1 before departure
It seems like yesterday we were landing in Singapore 14 hours (and a good night sleep in the plane) after saying good bye to our summer house in France and start yet a new chapter in yet another country.
Initially it was for 2 years (so our daughter could complete HS and her IB diploma), we were hoping for 2 more years (which we did) and I got a 2 extra bonus years.
Singapore has been the country I have called home the longest since I left France in 1990!
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~~~Just a little FYI So for my last 200 days in Singapore I have decided to reblog, in no special order, a post from the 6 years I will have spent on the Little Red Dot. PS: you will then get 2 posts a day!!~~~
A Total TaiTai Tale 