Your yellow shoes…

They were your very first pair. You were a late walker, starting at 17 months, but you have used them until the sole became very thin.

Normality is good

As far as I remember, I have always wanted to be out-of-the-ordinary. I am posh and annoying that way.

Holidays in Spain lounging on a chair in the sun, sangria in one hand and a book (or a cigarette) in the other ? No thanks, give me cycling in Myanmar or rafting down a cold river.

Ode to excellence

A few weeks ago, I attended a presentation from one guy in the office.

He showed up in a crumpled outfit, with a piece of paper folded in 4 that he proceeded to unfold and that contained his notes. He spoke in a hush tone, none the TED talker. He repeated himself a lot. He had no justification for some of his assumptions. In one occasion, he could not even remember why he had recommended a particular course of action so he simply said so and skipped to the next.

To doing it my way

Yes, I am a nice girl. I tend to help people. I assume good intent. I like to connect, share a laugh or a coffee. I am liberal and accepting. I smile a lot.

The problem is, people take advantage. Not everyone of course. The political ones. The competitive ones. They equate kindness with lack of character. Simple terms with lack of expertise. Friendly conversation with laziness.

“Mama stop looking at your phone”

Instead, ask me how was my day. Ask me if I saw some ladybirds in the park. Ask me how long I had to wait to get on the swing in the playground. Ask me what I had for lunch. What story my nanny read to me at nap time.

On second chances

Me ? I try to seize them. Growth mindset, learning from past mistakes, believing once more. Trying with all my enthusiasm, my eagerness, my ethics.

Others ? Quick judgement. Unfair gossip. Success is fleeting but failure is sticky.

Ever had one of those days ?

Those days when you wake up blue for no particular reason.

When mood is morose, smile is discreet and eyes don’t sparkle .

When your work seems useless, inconsequential. Like it doesn’t matter.

Feeling you are not where you should be, but unsure where that actually is.

Review of May 2019 : To 3 or not to 3, Travelling again and Discovery of potential career path

As promised, I am back in the swing of things and very timely for the May update – big pat on the back to me ! Now for the past month highlights…

2019 resolutions : how am I doing ?

Apparently, most resolutions that people take a New Year are abandoned come February. To try and avoid this, I have published my resolutions for the year here to hold myself accountable. At almost the 6 months mark, how well (or not) have I acted on my list.

7 morning routine tips for working mums (self-care only, not kids !)

I am not a beauty blogger but I do put some attention into my appearance, mostly for myself and partly to project a professional and high-standard image at work. At the same time, I refuse to spend hours getting ready in the morning : sleep and time with my family is much more important and so is getting to work early. Over the past 4 years, I have become quite efficient in my morning routine so I thought I would share my main tips with you. No rocket science, simply tips for regular working mums who just want to look a tiny bit good without spending 1 hour getting ready.