I did it! i drove to Eindhoven without Hardy sitting next to me for the very first time. my first time driving out of town, long distance, on a highway! after worrying for quite sometime on my first ever long distance drive in the NL, i finally did it! (Sittard to Eindhoven Airport slightly over an hour's drive)
Hardy left for Riyadh yesterday early in the morning, 6.30 am to be exact. and i sobbed like a kid. the taxi came right on the dot. he's away for a whole week. this is actually the first time he's gone for such a long period of time. the most was 3 days, 2 nights. i can sense there's plenty of long trips yet to come. its not that i'm not happy he got this chance to shine, i am, i trully am. its just that i'm gonna miss him oh-so-so much.
For the past one month, we have had the pleasure of the company of my nephew (my cousin's 20 year old son), Faizal. he's currently on his well deserved europe tour (i will write more on him and include some photos in my next posts). and yesterday, we had to say goodbye to him as well, as he was on his next destination - Dublin.
And since Hardy's away, who else is to send Faizal to the airport? he can take the train, of course, but i didnt have the heart to let him be by his own, on the train. i know it'll do him good in gaining his confidence etc but i want to make sure he gets there safe, cheked in and everything. i remembered telling Hardy "i cant, i cant, i cant drive to Eindhoven" in the beginning, and i remembered Hardy telling me "of course you can!" i dont know why i was so afraid. perhaps it was due to the 2 'incidents' i had prior to this, not to mention its left hand drive here, and the fact that our car is a very long one. i doubt myself easily and quite frequently when it comes to driving.
With the help of our Ms. Navigation in the car, i found my way to the airport. it is so so reliable to have one. we travel a lot as a family, and for work (for Hardy). having such system in the car has made travelling much more enjoyable (i dont have to flip through those maps), stress free (no arguing who's right or wrong), and informative as well (learning the shortest route, as well as the detour). we simply cant make it without them! our car's navigation system covers only the Benelux Countries. its simply not enough if we plan to travel beyond Benelux. and so we bought our TomTom early last year.
We've travelled quite a bit for the past year. seriously we did some serious travelling.. and this thing is simply amazing! how modern technology can simplify your journey, your life!
What would i do without you? i'd certainly be lost without you... that's for sure.
2 goodbyes in 1 day, what a weekend! but i did it! i drove back home with Aidan at the back. reached home and straight away thanked God that it was a safe ride. took Aidan out of his car seat and gave him a big huge hug. might be nothing for some of you lot, but this has certainly boost up another 5% of my confidence level!
And since we're on the topic of "lost", here's our current favourite song for winter. enjoy!
To Papa:
It was a beautiful day today. almost like spring! we went to the park and fed the ducks today! and mama brought me to the playground where i met 2 girls, they were twins! they kept saying i was "lief". we miss you lots and cant wait for you to come home.
From Aidan.
Z
12 comments:
Congrats Zaza... The navigation system does come in handy... Wah, seminggu takde darling, mesti boring, kan..???
Hip hip Hooray for Zaza! I know the feeling Z exactly. I'm not much of a driver too and driving scares the shoot out of me especially in KL. I applaud your bravery for driving all the way to the airport. I must also do the same by trying to drive to the centre of KL one day, one year, one time, not naming which year here,(laughs)
zaza, well done. which tom tom did you get? there's a few colours and am not too sure if we want to get the most expensive one. would hardy recommend garmin? (the other version of tomtom)
Hi za.....
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!I told u, you could do it. The first time would always be the hardest and you managed to carry it out.So lepas ni insyaallah senang kacang!!!! heee...heeee....wish we had more reliable navigation system in kl. pakai nokia, by the time nak dpt info dah sesat almost half of kl! the traffic here is getting from bad to worse. Take care..
Kak Shasha
U drive!? wow thats one big deal Zaza, B drives to work daily to get the practise he needs to pass his final exams! I hv a phobia getting behind the wheel, gabra = ) so i think i rather be drivena round lah. Congrats on making it on the big roads. Z nak tanya, we r looking at buying a tom tom too, how much do they cost these days?
Hugs for a great week ahead babe, before u know it, Hardy will be back!
well done.. kami kalau nak kemana2 di German dulu mmg kena guna navi.. kalau tidak sesat barat semua...
gefeliceteerd! i ni kat miri pun tak berani sgt drive on my own.oooo..i know the feeling when hubbs travels. granted iz only goes for a couple of days at most...i dread it so much!
Thanks a lot for taking care of Faizal while in Holland....and for Shasha...i have used the Garmin mobile XT software on my N95 and E90..it works well on my recent trip to KL...do check the settings and the routing...or get a pda with a satelite detactor so that u can install the MalSin Map or Mapking.
Hey Zaza ... so where are you & Aidan heading out next, now that you have done it once? I can feel the excitement through your words. Bravo, dear!
Seriously, you have also just given me confidence to drive with my left foot. I have been struggling with the fear for two weeks now, refusing to even get into the car. I need to drive myself to physical therapy and was just this morning thinking of paying one of my neighbors to shuttle me. Having read your post now, I will try it. Thank you, Z for the inspiration.
Maybe I should increase my insurance coverage to include the whole neighborhood, huh? Haha ...
Take care, Z and hope the days of missing Hardy gets easier.
Za.
Tahniah. Should contact us coz we are in Riyadh...its boring for a single man to be around coz malls does not allow them in.
We could have shown Hardy around.
guys, will promise to reply your comments this weekend k? a tad bit sleepy after writing the new post. hardly have the time to write back. hopefully this weekend, hardy will be home and i'll have a few more mins to spare in blogworld!
love always,
Zaza
cat: memang boring! i go to bed at 10.30 almost every night! nak crafting pon tak ada mood. apatah lagi nak makan!!! hehe..
wiz: yes i can imagine kl is even worse! but before moving here, i dared myself to drive in kl. back and forth ampang damansara, fetching hardy etc... you can do it wiz!!!! the first step is always the hardest.
ann: kalau la baden tu dekat eh, i'd probably drive there to visit you guys! garmain is good for the states (i heard), but tom tom is good for europe. my sister got herself the new slim one, it helps, coz its not too bulky! ours berbontot tonggek sikit. but we're gonna change it to the new one (with the insurance policy, dont know how orang DIXONs tu kata boleh!), try asking them with insurance and see what it'll cover, then maybe in 6 months you can upgrade yours to the newer version!!
k.sha: you're absolutely right. the first time is the hardest. now i feel ok to drive up to eindhoven. jangan soh gi town centre sudah. banyak simpang. hahha!!
mush: tom tom is quite pricey mush. one would cost around 300euros or more. tengok budget you all how much and work within your budget. what we did was we bought ours at dixons and we can pay by installments. so it helps. dont take up to a year. try 4-6 months installments. and dont forget to ask for insurance!! ask them lots and lots of questions, they'll tell you everything! nanti bila ada tom tom, singgah lah sini! ;)
ajzie: i dare not go into germany! even with our tomtom! haha..
anzed: traffic terok ke in miri? banyak keta ke? first time is the hardest, once you'll get pass it, it'll be ok. just be extra careful! i have to be extra careful when reversing and i have to look out for poles! hahaha...
uda: you're most welcome. it was so nice to have him around. it was so much fun. pandai bawak diri and he's ever so helpful. send him here on his next holidays!
rita: if only you are near, we'd probably go visit you and shuttle you to the physio. dont be scared dear, be careful but dont let the foot put you off. you'll do great, if not fine. it'll take a while, the first time will always be slightly difficult, with the fear and all, but you'll get past that. you know what, after having a clean driving licence of 10 years, datang sini, i bumped into a car while reversing, police came and had to do report! i was so scared to drive after that! but hardy laughed it off and kept telling me the incident should give me more confidence, and i should drive with extra care and be more alert! a month later, langgar tiang! lucky no police. the car is so long! and it was dark!!! now car is in workshop. have to replace whole door! apaa la zaza ni...
rita dear, here's sending you all our love, and all the confidence back! hugs and kisses.
swahili: that's very kind of you coo. but he's on work and after work he's got dinners. next time hopefully i get to follow him and you show me around k?! ;)
Z
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