Bali , island of the gods

Bali

Such a beautiful island but I didn't see much of it because most of the time my visits were work related which meant spending most of my time at the airport and the hotel and sadly that was it.

Yes there were a few times that I came with my family for vacation but since the kids were still very small we were very contend to spend our days on the beach.

Then last year a friend asked me to join her to spend some time at several places in Bali.
Little did I know how big this island actually is.

At the beginning of my trip I viewed my options on how to travel.
By bus...naahh that would take me more then 24 hours and with my condition that wasn't quite an option .

Ok then maybe just maybe by train ?!
Mmmhhh Jakarta - Surabaya on to Banyuwangi but arriving at around midnite with a waiting time of 4 hours for my connecting train ... Me a woman solo traveller... Naahh also not an option .
So plane it was then . My friend would pick me up and we would go by car to Pemuteran.

When the day arrived and we were on our way , man did I just realise how big this island actually is.
And stupid me didn't realise either that coming from Banyuwangi was much closer  then coming from Ngurah Rai.
Ufff better planning next time !!

Anyway , Pemuteran is a beautiful place with its coral reefs ideal for diving and snorkeling .

Unfortunately I couldn't enjoy my stay since I'd forgotten to bring my calcium tablets. And I wasn't feeling OK.

Ok , next stop Tulamben another beautiful spot for fanatic divers.
This time I just had to try
( I felt more comfortable doing so because I had been doping smoothies and salads )

In I went with a friend who actually has asthma... Guys , can you imagine going snorkeling with her ?!
Me prone to muscle spasms, hypothermia and her in danger of having an asthma attack while snorkeling... Now who was looking out for whom *lol

But I forgot about all that when I saw 'Nemo' swimming beneath me...in my excitement I wanted to shout look at them aren't they beautiful.
But then oh jaa I couldn't because of the snorkel mouthpiece.

Btw , did you know that fins , mask even the wetsuit comes in matching colours ?! Yeeesss in pink you know ;)

Anyway , back to snorkeling...
It's pure envy seing those divers swimming in the depth of the ocean so close to all those beautiful fish , almost touching them ( aaanndd selfies with their go-pro )

Then I saw my asthmatic friend signaling me to come to her...OMG she's not having an attack , right ?!

Oh OK ...she had been following the divers who had swum to the ship wreck.
But I couldn't move... Shoot , I had been in the water too long and hypothermia set in.
I almost panicked but then reminded myself to stay calm and swim towards the shore.
I was really really cold , a minute later and I wouldn't have made it back.
( the downside of being middle-aged and 'thyroidless' which really sucks )

But enough of that...on we go to spent I few days in Ubud.
And when you are there and love yoga you HAVE to visit the yoga barn.
It's an exotic , tranquil place tugged away amidst rice fields where you can trully relax far away from dailly stres.

And there are sooo many yoga classes for beginners to expert from yoga nidra to vinyasa even dance classes !

And if that is not enough you simply book one of those relaxing massage therapy.
Tell me what else do you need :)

Oh ja the food and drinks are all wholesome and organic...

Really my kind of place to relax !!

early morning yoga on the beach

Pola makan, stres , thyroidectomy

Life was good...a loving husband , cute kid and the best job ever even though stres level was high but with perks like being able to travel...mmmhh who could resist.

The only stupid thing ...I didn't take care of myself.
You know there is a saying you are what you eat. And I ate a lot of junk , didn't like veggies at all.
A recipe for disaster !

And then we had another baby and I still ate junk :(

What shocked me was when this cute little bundle was diagnosed with autism.
Our rollercoaster ride began and I still ate junk .

Until I noticed a bump in my neck but I still ate junk and didn't do anything about it

Yes I went to the docter and got diagnosed struma with cold nodule.

Then my dad got diagnosed with cancer and that scared me

So finally after nursing this bump for 7 years I had a near total thyroidectomy.

By the grace of God I was clean , no cancer .

But then something else happened... Due to my year long negligence eating healthy wholesome food I had a stroke like attack due insufficient calsium and kalium. I think I almost died hadn't it been for my fellow train passengers who took me to the ER.

While my whole body was in spasm unable to move , to breath I thought to myself please God don't let me die yet my son still needs me.
That's when I promised to turn my life around and eat healthier.
So now I start my morning with a healthy smoothie and finish the day with a glass of juice.
In between I throw in a bowl of raw or cooked veggies.
And of course I try my best to reduce my stres level.

So guys , remember to take good care of yourself wether you still have a thyroid or not.

Cheers

smoothie anyone :)

Being a mother

Being a mother is not only about changing diapers and breastfeeding...
It's also about being a motivator , an inspiration ( hopefully ) , a friend in need who listens to what happened at school , who you had a fight with , which teacher totally messed up your day by giving such a load of papers to do , who cheers you on at your football game , a friend who you can confide in , whom you tell about your first crush.

Then there was this time when you made this utterly stupid mistake , but I couldn't tell you that.
I had to swallow my worries and stand tall to give you moral support whilst on the inside I was shedding so many tears of sorrow and worry.

And then it broke my heart to see you disappointed by the fact that you were underage to work in this foreign country.
You had your hopes up high when you were signed up for this job but all came crashing down in an instant.

Finally after so many month of waiting you were signed up for another job abroad and now I wait patiently each day by my phone for you to call to tell me all about your days work.

So , here I am forever your loving sometimes irritating mom who will love you no matter what !!

And then came along your brother , this cute little bundle of joy who turned our world upside down.
My world came crashing down by the diagnosis the doctors told us , undeniable facts that this cute chubby baby was on the autism spectrum.

My peaceful bright world became darkened by this hard fact.

Hours and hours stretched into days into years of therapy filled with tears of heartache and sorrow until there were no more.

You my eldest even protested 'mama dah gak sayang abang '.

But I couldn't hear you because I only had eyes and ears for your brother.

But finally after so many years of rain , the sun broke through to burst into this eyeblinding beautiful rainbow.
And I'm grateful for that.

So , here I am for the first time practicing my writing skills which actually needs some serious practice.

Akhirnya tertarik juga utk belajar menulis blog berkat ajakan teman2 hebat di group Pita Tosca.
Ternyata gak melulu tiroid yg dibicarakan...seru deh pokoknya.

Dari makan sehat ala food combining sampai wiskul ke Surabaya.
Belum lagi banyaknya seniman seliweran di group itu...mau belajar nyani ayoo :)

Ada juga lho teman yoga tapi malu akh secara saya masih perlu latihan banyak dibanding teman baru itu.

Anyway I'm so so happy to have found my new big family.

Muaahh love you guys