Getting better …

Ta ta ta tara ra ra … I am happy. I have participated in the Sdu The Hague Royal Ten again. This time my goal was to run under one hour and here we go 58:56. The weather was good for run, not to warm, not to cold and the rain stopped just for hour. The first kilometer I was fighting with my iPod. I have prepared exact 1 hour play list with the Tiesto’s “Escape me” as the last song… It started with the last 300m but because I was messing up at the beginning I didn’t know exactly if it was enough … but it was! I am always amazed about the number of participants and their age. There was even a man with a dog. I wish I could do such a competition with Fuyo, maybe one day, now I would be torn apart when she would see a cat, a rabbit or something else moving in a different direction ;). It was a bit a shame that A. had to work maybe my result would be even better.
Over two weeks the Ladies Run in Rotterdam, the run against the cancer. I will be aiming for better time, of course!

The plan…

Sometimes, suddenly I have the story in my head, story for a blog, but eventually nothing is written… I have started to carry small notebook and a pen just in case I want to write the line, keywords or anything that pops in to my head. This was/is a plan but like hundreds other plans stays in the planning box.The same box as go for run, not eat sweets, drink more water, clean the house, learn Spanish or maybe better German, call this or other person, make appointment, learn excel, practice baking, safe money, read this book, buy new clothes, bag, shoes, shampoo, go to hairdresser, visit friends, invite them here …………………………….. plan, plan, plan.
Anyway, I have started about the story, yes, right I baked the cheesecake, very good one, the receipt of A’s mother (confidential). The cake does not exactly help in my preparation for 10K next Sunday, running is going worse than the baking. On top of all I just watched last Brothers and Sisters episode (episode 23 season 4) … crucial STORY and have to wait one week for continuation…. Annoying!!!!

I know that this post is chaotic … maybe I need a good plan to write something better.

Long weekend …

Finally I took all the courage together and decided to drive to Poland. For the first time I was driving alone (with P. as my navigator, kook, entertainment center and Fuyo as my … dog). A. was a bit freaking out, reminding me to drive safe, rest, be careful, make enough stops, do not crazy and many, many other warnings. We left at 6:15 after good night sleep, full of energy and bags with food and drinks. We reach my mum place (834km further) at 15:15 without any problems, with 2 stops to relax and one for the petrol… I do not know how does it work but without A. next to me I am much more relaxed and have been not that tired after the whole trip ;).

Poland is still the same. My family busy with work, from morning to evening, most of them 7 days a week and happy that there is a work and business is rolling. When I come back to NL, I am being “home” sick for 2-3 days and thinking how nice it would be to have all my closest family here. After this few days when becoming busy with the “usual stuff”, my “homesickness” is gone with the wind and it’s good again.

The way back to NL was far from nice. We had the traffic jam before, in and behind Hamburg.
It seemed that all German nation went for the long weekend to the sea side and on Sunday everyone wanted to go back home. Scheisse stau!!!! Anyway, it took us 12,5 hours to reach Voorburg … I was so tired that I could not fall asleep. It was definitely a long weekend.

AUPAIRANOIA …

I was like a flashback from 8 years ago. Despite the fact that the book “ Aupairanoia” by Nicky Huisman en Leonie Verbeek (in Dutch only) had been written from the host-mother perspective, still has brought a lot of memories from the time that I was an Au-pair. 4 small kids, dog, busy schedule, nice and less nice people around, mothers that care and those that do not, people with the money leaving in completely different world. For a girl that comes to live with the family it’s a big cultural shock. It is not easy but if you lucky you can have great memories …

I was thinking that I would have enough material for one book too but then from the Au-pair position ;)). Maybe I should talk to A. and start writing. The stories are just there.

Bitter melon…

For my birthday few years ago, I have got a nice Thai cook book. I am using it from time to time if want to try something new. Last time I have made a bitter melon omelet . Nice surprise. The fruit looks like a thick cucumber is rich in calcium, iron, carotene, vitamin C and B. The recipe is quite simple.
175g bitter melon, 4 eggs, soya sauce, sunflower oil, salt, white pepper, garlic, rice or bread.
Wash the bitter melon, cut in half and take out the seeds (white inside with the seeds actually). You can use only the hard, green side, cut in to pieces app. 2 cm and put it in to the bowl add the salt and mix. Let it for 30 min. The salt will take the bitterness out from the fruit. Mix the eggs with soya souse to get the mix with a bit of foam. Put the oil in to the pan, add garlic, bitter melon and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the prepared eggs and cook for 1-2 minutes till the omelet will be light brown.
In the meantime prepare the rice or bread.
When ready, put the omelet on the rice or bread, add a bit of white pepper and sweet chili sauce.

Book from Dublin…

Few years ago I went to visit my friends in Dublin. Together with A. of course. We had a very good time despite the rain and the buses you have to wait for ages. We visited not only the pubs but also some historical monuments, prison, churches and … the shops. There, in one of the bookshops, I bought a book “The Pompeii Syndrome” written by Irish writer David Rice. Since I always buy more books I can ever read, I came across this book in my bookshelf two weeks ago and I have finished yesterday.

Well it is quite frightening story. I think it would have a more impact if I would read it back when I bought it, when the impact of 9/11 in 2001, London bombing in 2005 and the whole terrorism situation was more “fresh” than it is right now. However, despite the time, the story in the book makes you wonder “Would it be ever possible” . I don’t know but when I read page after page and came across the examples in the book, I thought it is quite realistic even though it is fiction. We are not aware what kind of power some people have and what they are able to do. Actually, we think we know but still for most of us some behaviors and some beliefs are “not real” , are simply unthinkable.

That’s exactly what the Pompeii syndrome is, a situation that people do not want to think about even when a lot of facts, information, predictions, signs point that something will or can happen. People still assume “It could never happen to us!” like in Pompeii, when the people ignored the erupting volcano which eventually buried the whole city under the 20 m of ash and pumice. People knew that it may happen but could not believe that it will … same in the book … but what if… read for yourself.

Hopscotch…

I have borrowed a book from K. She is well known from having a “non-standard” books, interesting, well written, funny, exciting but always with more than one dimension. What I got now is “Hopscoth” (Spanish: “Rayuela”, Polish: “Gra w klasy”), a novel by Argentine author Julio Cortázar. One book, two stories.

The first story you can read as usual, starting from the 1st chapter and ending on the 56th, the second you start with the chapter 73 and follow a specific order... 73-1-2-116-3-84 (…) 131. I thought, for a change I will play with this book and went a unconventional way. I am not sure if it would make any difference. I started the book but not finished yet… while reading I feel … stupid. I do not understand the plot. I have to go through the worlds as: hedonism, anachronism, antagonism, transcendentalism, penelopism, and many similar ones, I read the long sentences once or twice to understand and I am really tired after one chapter (the chapters are not that long). I have not been working so hard on a book since my high school when I had to read the obligatory books for Polish lessons.

I am stubborn and I will finish the book over my dead body (brain) and maybe, just maybe I will have a deeper thoughts afterwards which I won’t miss to share with K.

Ivy…

My mum is lovely. Two months ago I have accidently discover a very good literature magazine called “Ivy” ( “Bluszcz”). I have immediately sms my mum and asked her to buy me a current issue. This morning I got two, shipped from Poland. They are lying next to me, new, untouched, waiting to tell many interesting stories. Interviews with the writers, actors, producers, books reviews, short fiction stories, pieces of the interesting books, 170 pages of an different world… I love it!

People can write, damn, people can write in interesting and passionate way … people have imagination and gift to change world in to the text so brilliant that makes somebody like me to lose the grip of reality, what’s written matters, rest is less important.

The title of the magazine is so well matched with the feeling you get while reading … you are snarled with the stories like the a tree with Ivy branches.

Friday evening…

… 20 min walk with the dog, one pizza and one glass of wine later … the weekend can finally begin. I have no plans for coming two days … sport only … good, I need it. We have like 20 films to watch and also waiting for Brothers and Sisters Season 2 to be ready … for once in a while it is nice not to do and not to be …
By the way I have just finished a new, old book (1961) “Solaris” by Stanislaw Lem now I want to see the film with George Clooney despite the fact that a lot of people think the film sucks….

Krimml 2010 (Austria)

First you plan, then you wait, later you go, then you come back and after one or two weeks you don’t even feel that you were gone.
It was one week of great fun, more than 1000km from home, 13 people, a beautiful chalet with a fridge than 2 people can fit in, almost endless amount of beautiful slopes and good weather for most of the time. Just week before D day we need to buy the winter tires, prepare the car and install the ski box ….. One “old” member of our group could not go and since he has always the biggest car, we had to organize two other instead.
The trip there was good planed by A&S, maps has been printed out, stops for lunch and dinner fixed, TomToms set and ready… off we go…first crossing, everyone goes direction Utrecht , we direction Breda, of course why not… shit, shit, shit will we meet them eventually? Highway almost empty , speed within allowed, small misunderstanding with TomTom in Eindhoven but still we reach the first meeting point two hours before the rest. Apparently the A3 was full of traffic and unexpected events. Rest of the trip went ok, snow and darkness was a bit freaky especially when you go up the mountains and the way is one big turn festival. We managed to pick up the key, find our “Herders hut”, unpack the car and prepare some thee before the rest reach the place.
Sunday, first day of skiing … I love it, Armin, Tiesto, Above and Beyond on my iPod, sliding down, finding the best way and try not to break anything… A. had less luck though. First day he was injured and could not snowboard until end of the holidays. Bummer but next year we will go there again… Zillertal Arena with Zell am Ziller, Gerlos, Königsleiten, Gerlosplatte has in total 166km of slops (10 km black, 114 km red , 42 km blue). There is a lot toexplore especially when you start the day early in the morning and be outside at 9 ‘clock, when the lifts are just open and the slopes are fresh prepared. The party can begin… still 11 months to go…