The Hague - Day 1

Well well, it as been hectic since I returned from Congo, this is the least we could say. (For latest adventures see Yilin's post, I'll take it from there.)

Just back from Switzerland where I went to see Florian, a friend I made in Congo. Went skiing a bit, just enough for me to acknowledge that advance in ski technology allowed me to retain my level over the years. Hadn't been skiing since 7 years.

Presently I write you from The Hague where I just moved into our new apartment, Yilin and I. Checked out WIFI connections available and found one with up to four bars at my window which was not encrypted.

I rent a car for the third time in three weeks and managed to bring the necessary to squat my own apartment until I buy a mattress. Signed the rental contract and met the plumber who will ensure the bathroom looks like a bathroom. Otherwise all other things go well. Heating is fine and electricity and water run proper, kind of a change for me.

The place is cool. Yilin will tell you I'm trying to sell her The Hague. But frankly I like the place. Old and modern center, a city at men's size, actually. Lot's of green and room to bike. And no governmental crisis like in Belgium at sight. Where we (will) live is quite popular and international. Reminds me of other places I lived: Brussels of course, but also Vienna.

In our consumerist societies it is very easy to get the basics you need when you move in a new town. When I entered my apartment, there was lots of advertisements for anything and everything which awaited me at my doorstep. No welcome from the community, but definitively from the supermarkets where maybe I will get to know my neighbours.

Tomorrow I will only get the necessary to sleep well and will then wait for the actual move to take place, probably next week. Until then I will relax and rest, which means I will read and spend time discovering The Hague.

Will tell you more after few nights here...

Good Karma - Instructions for life

These are hooking long on the Internet. They are said to be Dalai Lama's mottoes. When I read them today again, I did strike a responsive chord...

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R’s: Respect for self, Respect for others and Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Happy New Year

This Xmas was probably the most exciting and tiring for me. Christophe's return (I mean not going back to Congo again) definitely added on more to celebrate. Our schedule was full with activities that I hardly found a moment of break in between. Sitting on bed reviewing my last two weeks, it was more a march than a holiday. Am I complaining? Oh, no, I enjoyed it too - except the moments we rushed here and there :)

My flight to Brussels was on Saturday morning at 6:40. Strangely my alarm clock didn't ring that morning. Without the ring of a friend at 5:15, I would have missed the flight. It was the start of my rush hours.

The first weekend we went to De Haan with Chris' father and his wife Bernadette celebrating his 60th. I had my first walk along the seaside in winter. Beautiful but cold - what a surprise. In the evening we had a superb delicious dinner, though it was also impressive in terms of price. As Christophe had been in Africa for three years, it was the first chance after these years that all could be together for a weekend. His father was very happy that all his kids were there accompanying him. The evening was cozy and snug. Nevertheless at the end the birthday-child felt pity for turning to be 60. What shall I say? Perhaps he felt the same as when some women turn over 30 :)

On Monday Chris and I visited a friend in Namur. A cool guy I haven't seen for two years. At the beginning I was even wondering if I could still recognize him. Tuesday to Thursday we were in Den Hague looking for apartment. (Uhm ~~ somehow I have to move too sooner or later!) These three days were the toughest for me. The weather was freezing cold. We went with several real estate agencies, seeing apartments one after another. Somehow didn't find one fully satisfied us. The one we liked most has a kitchen and a bathroom that are badly built. As we don't want to invest too much in a rent apartment, we do expect the landlord will contribute to rebuild them. Till the moment, the real estate agency hasn't yet responded us.

Our trip to Christophe's mother started on Saturday early morning. We arrived her place in Monsistrier, middle of France, at 8 p.m. She has a little house in the Alps. We went every day walking in the mountains or visiting small villages. I had a bit alcohol overdose at Christmas eve, red face plus unclear mind. Beautiful nature, nice food, kind people, everyone rejoiced at being there for Christmas. We returned Brussels one week later, and met Christophe's friends. As some of them got babies, Christophe urged me to have our own.

We spent the New Year's day with Christophe's father and Bernadette. Christophe sorted out the stuff he wanted to take with him to Den Hague. Actually almost everything he stocked at their attic. In the evening Bernadette invited her family for a dinner party. It was comfy. Her family has amicable relations. We had to go to sleep in time because of our early flights the next morning. Now Chris is with a friend in Switzerland and me in Vienna. As always we have lots of photos from the last two weeks. I posted some on Flickr in De Haan and in France.

Just went shopping and bought food to fill my fridge, which was completely empty after I came back. Having been in bed for two days, I feel recovered from tiredness and sickness. I made myself a real Chinese dinner tonight, the first meal of the year at home. I want to take the chance to wish you (although a little delayed) - my friends, my family, or whoever you are - to have a Happy New Year , stay healthy and delightful, enjoy everyday and every moment you spend, let's Cheers for our lives and the coming New Year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM YILIN AND CHRISTOPHE