Visa
If you intend to stay in France more than 90 days, you need a Visa. My recommendation is to get your visa as soon as possible. Don’t delay it to the last minute, because the hassle in finding the documents and heading down to the embassy, can really take a toil. Also, remember to make an appointment with the France Embassy way ahead; as the slots for an appointment are not aplenty.
Essentials
My recommendation is to get a traveller’s wallet just like this. It would help a lot when you are traveling to places in Europe. You will not need multiple pouches to put your cards, and another pouch for wallet, and yet another pouch for your passport. A multi purpose one like this would work fine, and it keeps everything in tact, without you having to misplace it, as you will keep it constantly around you.
Packing
Remember to pack your sleeping wear in one separate and accessible corner of your luggage. Because it is where you would use it often. The rest of your luggage can be for clothes that you might use at a later date. Put your sleeping wear at the very top.
Beijing, Forbidden City December 2011
It was too early into December to snow, but it seemed almost heaven’s will or 天意 that it snowed so beautifully on the day we were to visit the Forbidden City.
Walking in snow, going through doors after doors, rooms after rooms, and thinking, just thinking how it would feel like to live here. Behind these thick brick walls, inside this city, one seems to forget that there is a bigger China out there. This place seems almost exclusive, and almost very majestic.
The deep red tall pillars, holding up the majestic buildings, contrasted with the snow-white backdrop, gives this place its splendor.
Everything that I see from Chinese serials on how the emperors live in this place, drowned me in streams of memories. This is it. I am finally here in the Forbidden City of China.
Majestic.
Distraction
An athlete at a SEA games blamed her bad shooting performance due to a photographer that was too close and his clicking was too loud and eventually affected her concentration.
Distraction is not an inadvertent, it is a design. I use to dread the distractions in my life, the people that stood in my way, the things I have to deal with even though I was so busied. Yet, I came to realize that the grander the athlete, the greater the distraction. The brilliant is busied, stalked by armies of people, their presence advertised. A colleague once shared with me this chinese term, 能者多劳. The key is to cope with polite demure admist everything that is going on.
Live a deaf life in a tunnel of focus. As basketballer Bill Russell noted, “Concentration and mental toughness are the margins of victories”. Tiger Woods’ father rattled loose change as his son putted. Distraction is hard, it is testing. Yet to be a talent in this world filled with noise and distractions, we have to learn to lose ourselves in another world. The brain is the best filter, best disciplined mind, best defense.
(Source: goodreads.com, via definitelydope)
(Source: flickr.com, via definitelydope)
(Source: weheartit.com, via picsandquotes)
(Source: goodreads.com, via definitelydope)
(Source: goodreads.com, via definitelydope)
(Source: beautyineverything.com, via picsandquotes)
(Source: goodreads.com, via definitelydope)
(Source: yanilavigne.net, via yanilavigne)
(Source: goodreads.com, via definitelydope)
(Source: Flickr / aloversdiscourse, via thedaintysquid)
