La rentrée

In France this time in September when you go back to school is known as 'la Rentrée'. Since I've left school and uni I live in a more timeless world and sometimes I don't even realise la rentrée is passing by. It used to be synonymous with going to see which class you would be in and which friends would be in the class with you, whether you had good or bad teachers, buying new notebooks and pens, picking what to wear on the first day and a general sad feeling about the end of the long summer holidays...

But this year I'm feeling it again. Maybe it was talking with my little sister on the phone about her rentrée, maybe it's the fact that I've moved to a new flat, maybe its that the sunny travelling season is over for now (I've used up all my holidays), maybe it's the fact that on 1st of September the weather here switched undeniably from summer to autumn with cold wind and regular showers...

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Yesterday as I went to make my omelette I found a perfect egg with a beautiful feather on it! I see it as a positive sign linked to my moving in my new home :-)

Busy times...

These are busy times. I've just been on holidays in Turkey for 2 friends' wedding. It was wonderful to catch up with them and see them wonderfully in love and saying 'Evet' to each other. Seeing my other friends was also great and I realise we haven't changed that much in the last years.

But at the same time I do feel that things have changed and are continually changing with me. I've become much more aware of my role in deciding my happiness in the last year or so. It has changed my way of seeing many things and approaching relationships. It has pushed me to live in the moment more, to be less passive, to 'go get it!', to be grateful and much more. I feel like my mojo is alive and kicking lately.

I am about to move to a new appartment where I will be living alone. I can't wait and at the same time it will be a great change. I feel like I am moving forward, upwards...

Simple pleasures of life: Yoga

Yoga has been accompanying me in my self discovery trip I have been on in the last years. On arriving in Amsterdam a friend took me to the yoga school she went to, to try out a class with her on a saturday morning. I loved it, it was weird, it was intense on a physical level, the teacher would go on talking for long spells, we had to breathe funny through our noses, we even had to sing... I've been going to that center for over 3 years now about once a week. I love the feeling of anticipation I have when going there. I now make time to go to the 1/2 hour silent meditation before the class.

These classes have taught me many things, in particular that it's important to make space for the things in life that make you feel good (even if it takes a little energy to motivate yourself in the first place). Practising yoga has helped me to slow down and prioritise, regard my body as a temple and soothe my mind.

I've also learned to push myself a little more. Last week for the first time I managed a position Id been struggling with forever. It was such an amazing feeling and a wonderful reward for keeping on trying. These are lessons to apply to every aspect of life.

Unexpected arty projects

All over internet people are writing, sharing, expressing themselves, through blogs, youtube, websites... Blog hopping is a never ending occupation. I love spending free time going from a blog I like onto links it recommends and getting lost from there until I dont even remember how I got to the wonderful links I discover.

Whilst busy in this activity I fell on this.is.home.project and it had just started. The idea is to have people participate, by sending first a sentence about what HOME is for them, and then in a second stage illustrating these sentences. I love the concept of collecting all these sentences from people all over the net, and seeing the recurring themes and original or unexpected ideas. I'm looking forward to seeing the illustrated results!

My sentence: At home I don't need to be anyone other than myself.

* Cryptic message in spanish

I went back to get a better look at the cryptic message which turned out not to be so cryptic, but rather poetic. First I wrote it down in my notebook, then I kind of looked over my shoulder to see if people were watching, then I photographed it because I liked the hand writing and the near invisible girl with ear muffs in the picture.

As I put away my camera, a voice called out to me in Dutch 'so what does it say?'. I looked up around and up, and sitting with his feet hanging off the roof of the building on the opposite side of the street was a man who had probably been watching me the whole time.

So I translated it for him: 'To forget a very big sadness, I will kiss you in a spiral... when no one is watching...'. And the man said 'that's very nice' and smiled. I agree with him, its beautiful.

When the BFG lost his watch

In Barcelona they are big on their mozaics. Gaudi laid them all over the place in colourful and wonderful ways, I couldn't stop taking pictures of them. But looking down you can also see amazing things, like this mozaic made from metallic wheels. It looks to me like a giant watch just exploded and lost parts all over the floor (spotted in the Parc de Montjuïc). A sweet reminder of the importance of looking around us and seeing the beauty in simple things.

The joy of receiving postcards

Good news for those who miss receiving good old postcards, handwritten post and mail that is not just bills. We are no longer obliged to send ourselves mail like Mr Bean. I love sending and receiving letters and postcards. A few days ago I received my first postcard from a complete stranger! This wonderful card was waiting for me in the entrance of my house, sent by a German man who used to be a drummer in a band.

I discovered the Postcrossing website whilst surfing the net, it is a site where you can sign up to get in touch with thousands of other people who miss receiving interesting post and want to introduce some randomness in their lives. To me it's like the couchsurfing of mail, you never know what you're gonna get but it leads to wonderful surprises:-) Try it out, it's great to create interaction with perfect strangers and colour your day and their day with an unexpected postcard.

Things that caught my eye

Last night after having a drink with a friend it was too warm to stay inside, so I decided to head out for a walk along the canals. It was so relaxing and peaceful to be walking alone in the twilight hour, and some special things caught my eye.

1. A saying written on a beam in a dutch house 'Een glimlach is een goedkope manier om je uiterlijk te veranderen' (a smile is a cheap way to change the your outer appearance) - very wise reminder of the power of simple things

2. Four large wooden golden letters with serif that spelled F L O W in a window

3. A blue and red space invader

4. A naked man watching TV in his appartment a newspaper covering his private parts (admittedly it was a very warm evening)

5. A cryptic message in spanish written at the foot of a building*

Surprise

The other morning cycling on the way to work I saw some people making a giant street painting on the Prinsengracht (corner with Tuinstraat). When I passed again it was finished... Here it is:It looks great on the corner of these 2 streets. I looked it up cos I was curious. Apparently The London Police were commissioned to paint on this wall that was previously covered in ugly scribbles. They did a great job. I like the 2 guys in the graffiti machine, and the cartoon character is so smiley. Look out for these guys they are busy all around the world!

Overheard

Whilst blogsurfing I found this pearl of a blog. Each day the artist draws comments overheard and chooses one to post on the website. Some of the things said are wacky in themselves, but the drawings to illustrate them are really clever and add a whole other dimension. I really admire the creativity, productivity and regularity of the postings.

Stumbling on that blog reminded me of Overheard in Amsterdam which is the same principle, short discussions overheard around town (most are in Dutch) with a funny title added by the eavesdropper. It is really fun to read through a few.

Both these sites remind me of how many absurd things we say everyday and how that is communication, which is vital to human interaction. It also reminds me of the importance of not always having an mp3 player in my ears and listening to what is going on around me.