the way i am

excuse the blog vacation, but the weather here at the moment is glorious and i'm taking the time to soak in all the warmth i could, to thaw my cold frigid body from the long winter. i'm a tropical girl and i miss the sun.

yesterday, i started my marathon training too (credits due to my husband's coercion). i walked with kj on his way to work, which was about 2 Km away. it usually takes around 20 minutes to cycle there, but with brisk walking, you'll get there in 45 minutes fine. brisk walking is when you have short legs and you have to keep up with the long ones beside you, intent to get to work on time. on my way back, i jogged every 50 meters or so and my legs felt so old. this morning was much better, and we saw a beautiful sunrise to boot.

i was feeling so good that i learned myself the song, the way i am by ingrid michealson. soon as kj arrived home yesterday, i made him a cup of tea, served him a slice of his favorite apple pie, and asked him to settle down nicely on the couch while i scanned my playlist for my new song. as the intro played, i kicked off the fluffy bedroom slippers i was wearing, ruffled my hair a bit and grabbed a pen for a microphone. my husband can only watch in awe, like he's seeing me for the first time. or perhaps he was thinking why i like wearing his oversized shirt for a dress?

in my sultriest voice (as i swayed to the best my two left feet could muster), i sang:

If you were falling, then I would catch you.
You need a light, I'd find a match.

Cuz I love the way you say good morning.
And you take me the way I am.

If you are chilly, here take my sweater.
Your head is aching, I'll make it better.

Cuz I love the way you call me baby.
And you take me the way I am.

I'd buy you Rogaine when you start losing all your hair.
Sew on patches to all you tear.

Cuz I love you more than I could ever promise.
And you take me the way I am.
You take me the way I am.
You take me the way I am.

when i was done, kj was clapping his hands while shouting applause! he looked genuinely pleased, really. or amused. whatever. what was lacking in the quality of my performance, i made up for him with a thousand kisses. that should have sufficed.

to be honest though, i felt a sense of freedom after my show. i have never felt that ridiculous too ever in my life. i have never let go of myself that way before, because i know my singing is worse than a frog's croaking, and my dancing couldn't be any better than a frog's either. now i feel a bit ashamed, but at the back of my mind, i am singing colbie caillat's bubbly. ahem, we'll see.

being 30 is dangerous. i'm singing and dancing now. (i was that boring before)

what next?

what was the craziest thing you've ever done?

a blessed easter

to everyone!
God bless you!


-----
flowers from kj last friday....
i asked why?
(dutch men are not romantic, at least not the mushy kind)
he answered...
to thank you for taking good care of me these last few weeks.
i was blown away, still am.

thanks palangga, that was a sweet surprise!

home alone

my husband went back to work today, and it feels lonely to be home alone again. so i dug up this picture, which i took two weeks ago when we were playing a game of Mens erger je niet! (People, don't get annoyed). i could not remember the last time i ever played a board game, until then. kj bought an old dutch board game over at ebay, and arrived in time when he was grounded at home. it was a good diversion from the computer, and made us giggle like little kids whenever one beats the other.

i went to my volunteer job yesterday, and missed the bus home by 2 minutes. one rare occasion when i actually wanted to pull my hair out. i saw the bus leave while i was stuck with the stop light, fidgeting. missing that particular schedule means waiting for 40 minutes for the next bus. i tried to forget i was annoyed, and enjoyed the sun warming up as i stood motionless in the bus stop, while a pigeon hopped carefully around me to feed on some crumbs on the pavement. just when i was enjoying a zen moment whilst surrounded by the noise and chaos of the city, the guy next to me flicked his cigarette butt to the road when less than 10 feet to our left is a bin. i looked away and chanted "don't get annoyed" over and over again like a mantra, as i still have 20 minutes or so of waiting time left. 15 minutes later, the same guy spat out his gum straight to the curb. if a thought bubble could be played from my head at that moment, i would be seen picking up the cigarette butt and the chewed lifeless gum from the concrete and shoving them all back in his mouth again. where they rightfully belong. thankfully, my bus arrived before i had any further chance to contemplate on more unpleasant thoughts. i know it's awful to write something about this, but i find it disturbing to see people totally ignore the trash bin.

on a happier note, my mother-in-law is coming over on the last week of may because she's joining me in the mini-marathon! yay! i spoke with her last weekend, and she told how she went to play badminton for hours that morning, and then had a walk in the woods for 4 hours in the afternoon with her friend. i know, i am so eating her dust in the marathon. yesterday, the manager from the charity gave me the t-shirts we are wearing for the big day, and i'm picking up our race numbers at the RDS in ballsbridge on the last week of may. i'm not scared anymore. there's an octogenarian from our charity who's also joining in. sure i can't do worse than her. i hope.

enjoy your week everyone!
kj gives his thanks for all the prayers and well-wishes!
{{{hugs}}} to all of you for the nice thoughts!
♥♥♥

thinking out loud

{ picture via }

i'm using our trusty mr. toshi laptop in our dining table, messy with my crafting stuffs strewn about. i can't remember the last time we ever used this table for our meals. since kj's accident more than two weeks ago, drinks and meals were served and wolfed down in our couch. the tv was our primary source of entertainment, with the laptop sitting beside us for occasional checking of mails and reading de telegraaf. i did all the grocery shoppings by myself too, the closest stint i got to weight training.

two weeks after the accident (thursday last week), we were back at the hospital's day ward so the doctor can assess if the tubes can now be removed, if kj's body is ready to be on his own again. i can still remember how we both didn't get to sleep well the night before, tensed from the anticipation and what could be this imminent prognosis. at forty minutes before our appointment, we were the first to arrive at the reception room. the next hours were a blur of more tests, doctor checks, and i was sent out of the ward for more than once while the tests were done.

just after lunch time, kj was discharged from the hospital, with only dressing instructions for the next five days. kisses and hugs flew as we laughed and sighed in relief. yesterday, i removed the old dressing and changed it to the waterproof kind so he can take a shower. in all his life, never did a long hot shower felt that good.

the weather has never been as good as last week. we basked in the glorious sun for days, and it felt good to wear my old denim skirt + t-shirt around the house. good weather equals good mood, perfect formula to sign up for the women's mini marathon. i registered at the walkers category, the only category i am confident of. no sense in pushing myself too hard to potential disaster.

i woke up late yesterday and found the husband doing the dishes. it was the sweetest thing in the world. i was very tired the night before that i hopped on the bed without cleaning up the kitchen. it feels good to have someone do your chores! i even got served with a hot cup of tea to boot. ^-^

only in the second year of our marriage and our vows gained more meaning already. it was sure easier said with hearts blooming from our eyes, but it takes more courage and faith to actually live up to it. nothing has made me feel more alive, more aware of my very existence than going through pain and fear. nothing has made me and my husband closer than those days we held hands in the hospital. nothing has made kj appreciate the tiny little things in life than when he was dependent on me. nothing has made us deeply realize how important the other is until this accident.

all things happen for a reason. and with my foregoing statements considered, i can truly say, all things work together for good.

happy sunday everyone!