Day 5: Antagonistic Surprises From Slovenia to Austria

Must give myself a pat on the back for my efficient financial management skill. I managed to spent down to the last cent of my Kuna currency before we headed to the musical land of 'Sound Of Music'. A toast to it as we crosses the border.

En route to Austria, we stopped by Ljubljana in Slovenia for lunch. The weather was a bit warm here and the town is special in its own way with different architecture buildings of different styles evolving from it's own history.

There was this bus moving parallel to our coach where there was some kind of party going on inside. Everyone looked so high and there were even some naked lap dancers inside. WOW! And that's in the broad daylight. I wish we have that here too!

Lunch was superb and they served some wonderfully delicious Panna Cotta. Boy, how I love this dessert( not just Panna Cotta, I adored desserts!).

We continued our journey to Austria after wandering around this beautiful Slovenia town for a while. The weather was getting chilly as we are getting near and I've started layering myself with warm clothing. It was raining as we reached the town.

The musical ' The Sound of Music' is in our itinerary this evening accompanying our dinner. Remembering every words to the songs and singing along to them. It was fun.

The fun stopped when we reach the hotel. My luggage was locked inside the coach and I got trapped inside the elevator. Worst of all I saw something vividly dark moving above my bed in the middle of the night and I still don't know if it real or it was just a nightmare. Its not human, that I'm sure of. My room mate witnessed first hand how I screamed like one of the character in 'Pyscho'.

Eerie...creepy..scary...you name it, all rolled into one.

The hotel looks nice and the bed looks very comfy though...

4th: Back To Nature At Plitvicka

We headed to Plitvicka Jezera National Park in Croatia. It's consider one of the most beautiful natural site in Europe consisted of 16 interlinked lakes and a forest complex and not forgetting the numerous waterfalls around. There are variety of flora and fauna that made this beautiful place their home.

We hiked along the trails while enjoying the best view of this place has to offer. It was very tiring at some point but the lure of this place made me go on and on. I could have go back again and again if I have the chance again. Never been so close to Mother Nature in my love. This place is simply captivating.

Looking back while I'm blogging this almost one year too late, it seems worth all the hardships that I've been through.

Say Cheese!

It's something people avoid like plague during their slimming phase but it's something that I always go for my slimming phase. I love cheese! It's full of protein and protein is crucial for my current phase. A few of my favourites:

Goat cheese : Great for bread spread. Toss out the mayonaise and butter replace them with this wonderful creamy delight.

Parmesan : Grate it over the greens!

Chedda r: Good for heating. Melt it over some vegetarian burger or something.

Ricotta : A low-cal savior for the pasta lover like me.

Provolene : Goes well with deli meat.

Mozarella : My breakfast staple. I put them in my omelete and also my rolled oatmeal porridge.

Agave For My Sweet Tooth

I've been missing my daily coffee fix after being diagnosed with hyperthyroidism ( I do sneaked in a cup or two after some improvement on my condition). I maybe able to have it now and then but it's kinda guilt inducing with all those sugar being dissolved into it until I found out about this wonderful nectar from the agave plant. Feel so good to be able to indulge myself with coffee again and I read it somewhere that coffee can me go longer in the gym. And that's killing two birds with one stone

I found that agave nectar is a really good alternative to refined sugar and honey due to it's low GI value. It won't cause sudden insulin spike in our body, good for my slimming phase. It's taste is not as strong as maple syrup which makes it easier to pair with variety of food. The only thing is I can't use it in my baking as it will burn pretty fast compared with granuled sugar.

How to Get Past Emotional Pain

Everything we experience--no matter how unpleasant--comes into our lives to teach us something. To move on from something difficult, look for the lesson. Start by asking yourself: "If this is the way things are supposed to be, what can I learn from it?" Think about how you may have contributed to the painful experience, or if there was anything you could have done to prevent it. Often we don't realize the lesson because we'd rather avoid reliving the pain. But once you allow yourself to reflect on the sadness, anger, guilt, or shame you've been hiding, those feelings will begin to subside. Yes, someone hurt you. Once you've forgiven them and let go, you can move forward and begin creating the life you desire.

Stings

'I think there will come a time when it won't sting so bad...But I'm not quite there yet.' ~ Jennie Garth

I'm still way behind her. It still stings like hell for me...

Incomprehensible

In spite of whatever I might have gained during these few tumultuous months, I have yet to comprehend it. I admit that I'm a failure when it comes to this.

I found myself trying to pull myself out of my wondering thoughts from time to time even though I've been occupied by my daily tasks. It's like being pulled deeper and deeper into the abyss each moment.

Feeling so sorry not only for myself but to those who love and concern about me. They had done all that they should have done within their capabilities. They comforted me, they analyzed the entire situation for me and they reminded me that I deserved better. Time and time that they checked with me if everything is fine with me. My answer was never yes but maybe and through that they knew that I'm still pinning for it deep down inside. Even if I laughed louder than usual or smiled often than usual, I can't hide my pain from them. I'm feeling so guilty for not able to bounce back sooner and making them worried like that. I felt that I've let them down in spite of all those supports that they gave to me and all those hope that they have in me. Sometimes I couldn't even bring myself to see them in the eyes as I am too ashamed of dissapointing them.