Valentine's day and beyond ...

This year marks our first valentine's day as husband and wife.  However, unlike initial plans to do the routine romantic dinner out (if there's ever a chance of when everyone's doing more or less the same), we found ourselves after toasting glasses of kir royale too sloshed to go out.   Rather, I was too sloshed.  That's the effects of drinking on an empty stomach.  So, what we ended up instead was finish our our bottle of bubbly Cava, eat 'keropok' and be merry.

We slept at 930 pm.

So much for a romantic evening out  ... having said that, it was fun regardless.  I've learnt when plans don't pan out as you initially planned, go with the flow.  The alternative is just as good (given the half drunk circumstances we were both in).  Besides,  we both needed those Zzzz.  Me especially after having witnessed a suicide, being unable to sleep after that and having to work the following day.  And BFL is still recovering from his annoying bark of a cough.

Friday was exciting because my brother was finally 'released' from his tech conference in the sticks was finally free to stay with BFL and I.  However,  we had a bit of a sticky start to begin with.  We found ourselves waiting at different exits. We couldn't' contact each other because his 'roaming' wasn't working.  By the time BFL had appeared at CJ - having returned from work (45 minutes into waiting) my brother was still no where to be seen.

All's well, end's well. He finally got roaming signal.  Called us.  We raced home (in taxi).  He had on walking route to our place had navigated up the rise while it was still light and had a chance to see our neck of the woods.  Having finally 'got him' and settled his bags we still had some time left to do some last minute shopping before dinner with old family friends.

It was good having him stay with us even if it was only for a night.  We had a chance to yak catch up after before he caught the next flight out (down under) in the morning.  We both had similiar experiences in a sense that in a short span of time we have had some major changes in our lives.  One of which is having to move country of residence.  Yet in and amongst the upheaval and uncertainty laid a sense of peace ... that we both knew this was where or what we were meant to be doing.

My brother has seen me in my worst.  Unhappy. Tearful. Angry.  Struggling to make sense of what was.  Finally to see me here. Happy. Contented.  With BFL. This made him recognize that I too had found my peace at last.

We both summed it all up as having 'come back to God'.  It's not like we've become unbearably religious.  It's having being taught the hard lesson of life's priorities.  What is truly important and striving to achieve that balance.  We have both experienced that when one makes materialistic ambition a master, some how or another when life goes awry, you lose your way.  

Having said that, that doesn't mean that life has stopped being challenging.  It still is. And will always be as it is it's nature.  But I guess the difference being having being anchored into what truly matter.  That somehow helped us steer our way amidst life's upheavals and uncertainty.