My Super Mom (Amma!)

I feel there is a lot of beauty in calling her "Amma" in my mother tongue rather than calling her "Mummy" or "mom"...hence the revised title!

On my way back home yesterday, I could'nt help feeling emotional as I kept thinking about my teen years. When I became 'sweet 16', my mom did the sweetest thing for me. She went to Hyderabad with her friend before my birthday for some occasion....and came back and gifted, not one or two, but 16 dresses!!!!! She was like, I wanted your 16 to be very special for you! :-) I was so touched by her thoughtful sweet gift!


My mom/dad have always been really loving and thoughtful, despite being strict most of the times. I remember when i was 13 or 14, my mom got transferred to Bangalore, and she had to go due to circumstances. My brother and I, stayed with my dad and he took very good care of us. I would cry everytime she came visiting over weekends and when she had to go back...So my dad surprised me the next morning. I woke up to my mom fondly waking me up lovingly with endearments and calling me her sweet little baby....I was thinking I must be dreaming...Amma is in Bangalore, so how can i hear her voice? Actually, my dad had recorded her voice and she spoke to me like she was right there with me...and every day he would wake me up with that recording...When we got back from school, he was very thoughtful and engaged us in learning the 'Hanuman Chalisa'...my brother and I sang the whole shlokas in some time to my Mom in a few days time and her face lit up with happiness....it was worth the effort. Appa did everything he could so that we did not miss Amma too much.

I remember staying with my Perima ( my mom's elder sister) one weekend and crying to see my mom...she was like 'Come to me, darling! I will hug you!" I was such a mean thing and said 'But your sari does not smell like my mom's! I want amma...'!!! She (my perima) is no more but I always think of her as a person with genuine love and affection for me.I think about it now and can't stop feeling bad about my behavior. But at that point, i could'nt fully understand why Amma had to be away from us. She must have been miserable already staying away from her husband and kids. To top it all, if i cried everytime she left, I am sure she would go back to Bangalore very miserable too...I wonder how she coped with it all and remained cheerful and happy, it would make me insane to be in a situation like that. Amma is a very strong woman.
That kind of selfless love, only comes from a parent, I guess!! :-) I feel so blessed when I think of my awesome parents! I am what I am because of them...( I turned out pretty ok, me thinks!) ;-)

Edited to add: Amma in her stylish avataar when she visited us in Paris in 2010!

www.shopo.in

P.S - I WON the contest! Yay!! 

Indian jewellery with a twist!

...my newest acquisition...after the neli ring, is this pearl beauty! I love it as it combines the traditional kundan pendant with a cluster of pearl strings - which makes it really modern yet ethnic! :)

I am a pearl junkie and have a variety of jewellery in pearls, including multitude of traditional pearl strings (thanks to Amma!)...to contemporary pearl strings in grey that can be paired even with western outfits - which I do tend to wear to work sometimes!...and I am very lucky in the fact that they are ALL gifts from family or friends! ;)
  

...here's adding another treasure to my kitty, and for once something I did BUY! :)

Have I changed?

...of course I have...we all change over a period of time! Some of us change drastically - I would like to think I have changed for the better...I always observe that I react differently to a situation now, than I did in the past...I don't waste my time or go out of my way to ponder over something that is not within my control anymore , and this is something I have to learnt to let go consciously. Especially, with people or "friends"! Its impossible to please EVERYONE - PERIOD. I have realized that its not absolutely essential that every single individual should like me or vice versa, and agree with my point of view or vice versa. Finally, I understand the phrase " agree to disagree"! :)

My mind is never free - I am always thinking about something or the other...and since I moved to Paris, I realize that I enjoy the silence and the quiet times here a lot more now. Initially, I missed the hustle-bustle back home and missed all the familiar noises. Now, it irritates me when someone talks loudly on the Metro or when a group of people make a lot of noise. While, I have been guilty of all that sometime back... I no longer feel, I need to voice my opinion or views all the time, any longer! I feel that I need to talk or be heard - selectively! Of course, I am still close to the people I love and am very vociferous with them...except I don't feel the same way with everyone...in that aspect, I have indeed changed! :)

As I read through this, I have to admit that I feel I am slowly removing all the clutter in my mind - slowly but steadily and its definitely a good change! Its been very busy since the beginning of this year - and I have not written much on the blog this year...here's to making a start with something...

I feel sLOVEnia!

...this is the slogan for you guessed it right, Slovenia! ....and what a beauty she is! :) S and I, didn't really plan our holiday too well and on a whim decided to head eastwards! While all our friends were very surprised about our choice, we can't imagine why the country is not a popular travel destination! People are very friendly, the country is gorgeous and blessed with tons of natural beauty!

As always, I brought along something to remember the lovely times in Slovenia! I have been eyeing this ceramic drawers on various sites and wondering how to get one, for myself! When I saw this...in a store and fell in love instantly! Its a unique piece, just like I am! :P

Each drawer is very colorful and is BEA-U-TI-FUL! S gets his share too, maybe one draw? :)

I love the ornate wood carvings on top and it holds all my little , pretty bottles of heaven - which by the way - are ALL gifts! I have never bought myself a perfume in a long time! :)

 

I love chimes and the soft clink-clank of it as the wind blows! Its very pleasant and calming. Though, here the weather here does not permit us to open the windows right now - back home in Pune, the balcony with the swing was filled with chimes of all kinds - all around and we were referred to as the house with all kinds of bells! :) I remember S taking a conference call from home once, and everyone asked him where the lovely sounds came from? 

...This is my first post this new year, and I am all excited and filled with wonder and hope, that it is filled with loads of love, happiness, good health, peace and everything warm, bright and motivating as these lovely tea-light candles! :)

The year that was...2011!

It's nice to go back in time and reminisce how the year passed by...and the first thing that comes to my mind is that it whizzed by....whoooosshhhh!!

Though the year began with uncertainties about where we would be living, work and all other important things that affect our lives, by God's grace, things settled down favorably and S and I, both happily settled in our respective jobs. God has been kind to us, just that it takes time to understand and acknowledge his blessings. Human, that I am! :)

We did a lot of traveling this year too and visited some gorgeous countries - birthday in London, wedding anniversary in Berlin (Germany), a reasonably long trip back home for a big milestone - brother's wedding, weekend getaways to Bruges, Ghent, the French Ardennes, and a lovely year-end holiday in gorgeous Slovenia ( this country needs a lot of marketing for its gorgeousness, which calls for a new dedicated post altogether). I must say, we are super blessed to visit and experience the beauty of gorgeous places, nature and the lovely people and culture everywhere...we are indeed thankful.

I was so excited about my brother's wedding throughout the year that when it actually did happen, it was all over in the blink of an eye and we were back home too! :) I am so excited and happy that he is a married man now. The highlight of this year, for sure! After several years, we managed to see my SIL and her family and the adorable kids - and it was an awesome reunion of laughter, love and good memories for S and I, short and sweet! :)

We have found a lovely friendship in C and P, and they bring a lot of happiness and love into our lives and we are very grateful to have met them! They are such a lovely couple, bless them...In fact, last year, C was here spending time with many others, and it was good fun! Good times...

Wishing you and I, a very beautiful beginning in the new year - of new memories, new friendships, abundance of love and happiness, excellent health and may all our dreams come true! Looking forward to some wonderful new beginnings in 2012! Godspeed! 

For the blog, I am going to start 2012 afresh - with a new template! :)

Itching to be creative...

I miss working on glass painting that I used to freely work on - one after the other, back in India! In Paris, I am not sure where I can get slabs of glass from...Anyway, this weekend, S and I were busy rearranging the furniture, cleaning and clearing all the clutter from the busy weeks we had....when I found a pile of pebbles I collected from NICE, in the south of France!

I coloured each pebble in a vibrant colour and put them together in this clay Uruli, Amma gifted me when she came to Pune! :)

Its difficult to grow plants as its winter, but I don't give up! Actually, the coriander-hoarder in me does not give up....so I built a space on the balcony around the colourful pebbles. I have loads of little coloured pebbles and small knick-knacks that I have collected over the years...and never really get rid of!

...Slowly, I added the Rajasthani men too....along with the christmas pinecones!

....and now I have something to cheer me up....as I look along outside, with a gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower and sip coffee, read a book or talk to S!

Third Consecutive Diwali in Paris!

I celebrate Diwali every year, here and here in Paris...I realized its high time I stopped moping that I miss home ( read India!) and start celebrating Diwali in its true spirit this year too! So this year I prepared in advance and decided to make the most of it, though its a regular working day here in Paris.

I must admit, in all these years of being married, this Diwali was the first one, I actually made sweets at home and it turned really well, and it was done in less than 10 minutes! I hope to share the doodh pedhas with some of my friends here.

Nowadays, we buy clothes ALL the time and don't really wait for a festival to shop nowadays. So its our own little diwali tradition to buy  something new for our home, every year now!

For better posture, we  swapped the low-lying couch for the flexible bed-cum-couch for frequent use.The advantage with this one, is that I can change the "upholstery" as much as I can change the numerous curtains in our home and it is a welcome change, for sure! This time, I bought a beautiful set of satin duvet and pillowcase covers as our "upholstery" for our living room furniture.

The deal breaker was the red pintucks and the lovely purple detailing on the duvet! :)

We went grocery shopping over the weekend to the Indian area in Paris. S had brought along some watches to replace the batteries in them. There is a jewellery shop who also does this for us. So I was just looking at some earrings there - but of course! I loved this cute little ring and have been wanting some thing permanent that I can wear all the time for my second piercing! We got this for me, and well its something new for Diwali too! :)


There is an interesting background to my second piercings. I wanted to do three things after I got married and I told S that its something I have always wanted to do...When he heard it, he smiled and said "of course" , coz I guess he thought they were simple wishes or he just wanted to indulge the child in me?

I wanted to colour my hair, have another piercing in my ear and wear coloured lenses. I never really did the last one, even i felt they were silly! Amma would not allow any piercings coz she thinks it looks like a kurathi ( gypsy?). I find it really feminine and very cute!

I got it done in Bangalore earlier as soon as I got married, but it hit some nerve badly and I had terrible headaches - so I let it close. I got it pierced again in Paris sometime last year and it was much better - it was with a surgical needle and there was hardly any pain. I often think if I want another one? ;-)

I came back from work to quickly light up the diyas and candles at home, and then later, was going to meet my lovely friends for dinner at Saravana Bhavan ( our only source for some comfort food, when we crave authentic south indian food, and i don't want to cook!)...

Wishing all of you a very happy and prosperous Diwali! May the sparkling lights drive away all the darkness from your lives, and light up your mind, body and soul with positivity, happiness and lovely thoughts!

I have cheerful company, as I cook!

After "this" ( click on the text "this"), I have pretty much changed it up quite a bit, going along! ...and my kitchen window is very pretty with knick-knacks, cheerful flowers, spice and everything nice! ...even if i say so myself! :)

Winter has come upon us, and for someone who loves sunshine, its quite a dampener! I am not someone who stays gloomy too long ( noone should, actually!)...so I bought these winter flowers in the market below and Voila, they sit pretty and cheer me up, sunshine or NOT!

....the "hotness" quotient of my window has increased exponentially, with some fresh and green entrants! :)

On a whim, I decided to try my luck by just planting a few coriander seeds or kothamalli verai, as we say in Tamizh...and wow! I do have a very green thumb! ;) I was so excited to see sprigs of coriander!

I must say I have a strong fetish for coriander, it has such a lovely aroma that I tend to put coriander in almost everything! Divine rasam is virtually impossible without coriander leaves! If my cooking tastes good, the secret ingredient is coriander!

...It's my dream to live near the sea or have a beach house someday! ...while we wait for that to happen, we can still have sea shells, right? Right! I have this really cute hanging full of chozhi ( Patti used to play pallankuzhi with this!)or sea shells and I find it really cute...at the end hangs a bell !

I might have mentioned earlier that I collect random coloured glass containers in different shapes and arrange them like this....or paint them and make it into a pretty vase....Like?

Attempt at fiction - 2!

After this, here's my second one...let me know what you think?

Thoughts go on a Relay Race!

Bhairavi, is fierce and strong as her name suggests - her personality had an air of regality and her confidence was always mistaken for arrogance by strangers! She made heads turn wherever she went and everyone felt she had it all, to the point of envy...

Today, she was feeling depressed and low and really needed a push, she thought to herself! She smiled to herself, as she drove to work. She was recalling her dream earlier this morning...in her dream, she was having a splendid view of the sea from the top of a hill when two giant birds came along, and swooped down to carry her along with them...and just as she was enjoying the ride, she saw lovely colors everywhere as she looked down...the lush greens, the deep blues and among all the landscape little white dots of buildings everywhere...she saw a distinct red dot of a bindi. The fierce red light brought her back to reality and she screeched just in time to stop at the signal!

 The red dot or bindi was such a hot topic or conversation starters with her Non-Indian colleagues. On her trips abroad or when the westerners visited India, they would often ask a lot of questions about India and Indian customs. The ever-popular question was about the significance of bindi. At first, Bhairavi explained that its a sign of being married but later did a bit of research, and googled, isn’t that what everyone does these days? She found that there was much more to it than just being a symbol of her relationship status, it had a much deeper meaning like many other Hindu customs!

It is believed that the area between the eyebrows, where the bindi is placed, is said to be the 'departure' area for kundalini energy and the bindi helps to retain energy and increase concentration. Her mother explained that it is also a way of warding off bad luck. With her new-found wisdom, Bhairavi felt that it actually made sense to wear a bindi with pride!

Talking of pride, hasn't it gained undue importance recently, especially in a totally misguided sense? Most people she knew seemed to revel in their material accomplishments which was good as long as they didn't gloat and compare with friends and peers. Bhairavi was beyond such pettiness but a victim herself - in a different sense. She did not share her misgivings or disappointments even with people who were close to her. Pride stopped her. She liked to pretend she lived a perfect life!

Perfection! Alas, can it be defined? To seek and attain perfection in anything and everything is like an act of finality. Bhairavi strongly believed that being perfect or perfection is a relative term and it was an illusion, yet akin to hope at the end of the tunnel! Maya…

Maya was her best friend who brought out the best in Bhairavi. She was everything Bhairavi strived to be; compassionate, spontaneous, free-spirited and most importantly, non-judgemental! Bhairavi felt free in the company of her friend, who loved her unconditionally without making any demands of her; Maya made Bhairavi feel pure and sort of ethereal like babies…

Have you ever smelt baby skin? It is reminiscent of purity, innocence and absolute joy; everything that you want to believe exists in this wonderful life…Bhairavi felt invigorated in the presence of babies. It gave her a feeling of utopia as she raced ahead in the car, zooming ahead towards a new world after meandering through her thoughts, what a journey!

Don’t we all know that the journey is more important than the destination? Bhairavi realized it today…

Indian Fashion, this time!

I have been away for quite some time, for good reason! I was in India celebrating my brother's wedding. I did most of my shopping and research for the clothes, jewellery and such like online so that we could focus on my brother's shopping when we got to India! While most of my friends and my folks were not very confident of my choices online, I totally was! I am often very clear about what I like and never have regrets or doubts.

Though I could actually see the actual product only when I got home to my folks in India, thankfully, all of them turned out really great and I loved it. This is not a plug for any of the websites, but the idea is to help others find things easily if they are away from home, or prefer doing things online, like me to save time and effort.

Sarees:
I picked up two contemporary Georgette sarees from www.cbazaar.com . They have a huge variety of sarees and you need a lot of patience to browse through their collections. I had about 4 months to decide since my brother's engagement to the wedding. I found that they drape really well and most importantly, are unique and one-of-a-kind! :) Here are the sarees I picked!
( P.S - The women in the pictures are not ME! ;))

 Saree for the Engagement - from the same website!

For the rest of the various events in the wedding, I wore my own wedding sarees, for the second time since the wedding! I love wearing sarees and feel it really suits me. However, as I live away from home, there aren't too many opportunities. I wore the traditional 9-yards for the muhurtham ( the important ceremony where the groom ties the mangalsutra on the bride!) which made so many of my folks really happy! :)

Blouses:
I don't like ornate decorations or elaborate embroidery on my blouses. But I love stuff that looks different from the usual styles and very well-fitting blouses. Most people wear the same-border blouses that come with the saree. Though I had the same ones, I decided to buy brocade-like materials for my wedding sarees. It turned out to be really expensive or too blingy for my liking! Finally, I bought materials used to stitch salwar kameez in Kumaran Silks in T.Nagar, who had exactly what I wanted, and at a reasonable price.

The salesman looked at me strangely when I said I am stitching blouses from these materials. Common sense tells me it can work, coz a blouse is just one-fourth of a kameez and it can work! It did!! I gave Amma a lot of grief over the tailor, but he really did a good job of all the blouses. Amma heaved a sigh of relief! :)

It was silk-cotton and let me breathe in the sweltering heat!!  As for my hair, its a different story altogether, the humidity made it a disaster and looked like cotton-candy!


Jewellery:

I loved this style of the necklace (as seen above), its a gift from my brother for Rakshabandhan. Its my choice, but he paid for it! :)
 
I have a wide variety of jhimkis, thanks to Amma, my wedding and I can open a shop! Yet, I added another one to my collection - these are the kashmiri style jhimkis! :) Actually, it is a set of 3 - another longer jhimki hangs to this! I wore only two, as I thought all three together would look over-the-top! :)

If you like the jewellery I am wearing, I bought them from Chaahat Hyderabad - look for them on Facebook. I have bought quite a lot of stuff from them and the jewellery is really pretty, prompt delivery and their customer service is pretty good too. They ship worldwide.

I also bought these bangles from www.99labels.com 

I won the second prize for this entry and I used that credit to buy a saree and these bangles. They also gave me a gift voucher for my birthday! ;)

Mehendi:

I love mehendi or as they say in Tamizh, marudaani! :)  Apart from the fact that it looks beautiful on your hands, it cools down your body temperature. and boy! I am HOT! ;)
I got this done on the streets of T.Nagar, and I must say they did a great job. There are a group of boys and men from the North, who sit there on the road with umbrellas and you can sit there and get it done! :) They also come home and do it for a group of people. There weren't too many girls at home, people were directly coming to the wedding venue mostly. So I decided to get it done there - quick and easy.

Pretty, isn't it?

P.S - I am not being paid to write to this post by any of these vendors or websites. It is just my way of helping people looking for information or as a point of reference.

Happy birthday Madhu Paiya!

That is how my mother calls him lovingly ( sometimes!)...and it has stuck on! It's my darling brother's birthday today...this year is really special coz he is also getting married this year...and I am just counting the days to go to India and enjoy the celebrations, food, fun, laughter and cherish all the good memories I am going to savour for the rest of my life...I have looked forward to his getting married for a long time now...and I think I am more excited than he is! :D

We are very close to each other, and when he got engaged, I decided to go surprise him in India (though the decision to go was really last-minute)! S insisted that I go and I am really glad I did...I want to be there for him for all the important events in his life, just like he has always been there for me...

I remember when we were in school, and as both parents were working, they trusted him to bring me home safely ( though he was a lil kid himself!) ...and gave him specific instructions and to never let go of my hand...ever! :) He took it upon himself to literally never let go of my hand and even if I wanted to itch, I wasn't allowed to! :)

We were in the same school and I would run to him for EVERYTHING! If I forgot the vegetables for lunch, my skirt came off, my ponytail came off....god! I was such a pain in the ass...and when I think about it now, he was a teenager stuck with a little girl and it embarrassed him too...there are so many such incidents that come to mind....and I must admit I thought he was very bossy sometimes and hated him(sometimes!) while growing up...but he was always wonderful, very protective of me....and I always turn to him for everything next to my parents! ...or we plot together to escape my parent's wrath! We look out for each other... In fact, S often tells me that I spoke ONLY about Madhu when we first met! ...I am glad they get along very well now and they gang up on me and tease me about things....I am very happy that they are good friends now and it is very important to me.

We don't talk to each other every single day but often find ways to communicate every other way - be it offline messages, the photoblog, facebook, skype calls on weekends....and I am updated about everything and everyone all the time! I feel like I am never away from him....in that sense! :) He has a great sense of humour and keeps me updated about all the wonderful things I miss about India, Chennai - movies, music, good eat outs, gossip, fun stuff - I catch up with everything as and when I can!

So dear Madhu Paiya, here's wishing you a wonderful year ahead filled with loads of love, happiness, success and good health. You are the most wonderful brother I could have ever had...and I am so glad I have a sibling like you! :)

Change is all things sweet...

It struck me, a couple of days back that this is the longest we have stayed in a home, since we have been married. I like to change it up every now and then, and by now, most people know that I change the curtains and cushions obsessively and periodically.

Though, it seems like an insignificant aspect to most people, it is the single most factor that is not just practical but also shows a radical change in the decor!



Our couch or the sofa has been used up a lot since we moved to Paris, that we refer to it as the "basement"! Anyway, most guests seemed to have a problem getting up and as we both developed backaches, we moved it to the other end of the living room, that we don't really use! But who says, it can't look pretty anyway? :)

I love the Vincent Van Gogh painting in my home, which was put up by my sweet landlady there...I picked up a copy of the same and another lovely piece by Van Gogh and have stashed it safely, to be framed and to be decorated!

...Have finally moved on from the psychedelic black rug to a more summery lime green....I love the colors and vibrance when I get back home...or lounge at home...

Déjà huit, trop vite...Eight already, so fast?

S* makes a "special appearance" on this blog, and describes our relationship in his unique style and with all honesty? ;) ....

i'm not a "romantic" in the traditional parlance of the word and my darling wife would vouch for that. however:

1. …i do remember the day i met her (some 3000+ days back) as if it were this morning…
2. …i do remember the quick smile as we were introduced (from across the room)…
3. …i do remember the ambling walk to the beach and the wide-ranging chatter (mostly on her part, as would be obvious to our common friends)…
4. …i do remember THE DECISION itself (not quite a movie-style climactic crescendo, i like to believe that by the time we came to that point, all that was left was the “formal” question and answer – that we had each individually already decided)…
5. …i do remember that we’ve lived in 5 different houses (only some of them count as “homes”) in 3 different cities in 2 different countries…
6. …i do remember that we’ve visited 11 countries (not counting the two we’ve lived in)…
7. …i do remember that today is our 8^th anniversary (i can almost hear the cliché shattering)…
8. …i do remember we’ve spent each of our anniversaries in a different place (by choice, its one of our customary annual vacations)…

that’s a whole lot of numbers that would not really mean much if not for what we’ve learnt from each other:

1. …how to let another person totally, completely and uninhibitedly into your life…
2. …how to recognize each other’s alter-egos and not to think you’re dealing with a different person…
3. …how to argue, debate, fight, nag, hassle, pester and badger each other without getting annoyed or irritated…
4. …how to stand up for each other without realizing it or acknowledge that you’re doing it…
5. …how to understand each other without speaking a word…
6. …how to completely misunderstand each other and laugh about it later…
7. …how to feel totally at ease doing things that you would otherwise never do…
8. …how to spend a majority of your waking hours with another person and never feel bored…

none of this would be possible without the things we have in common:

1. …love of travel, seeing new places and people (see above!)…
2. …the conviction to take things as they come (trust in God but lock your door at night)…
3. …sloth (our common favourite pastime is to curl up on a comfy sofa with a book)…
4. …F.R.I.E.N.D.S. (we have the entire series on DVD and have watched it a zillion times)…

to name only a few.

…or the ways in which we are totally different:

5. …she can’t stand my Formula 1 obsession and i loathe her fashion/ shopping fetish…
6. …she jabbers incessantly and i enjoy the sounds of silence…
7. …she loves the sea and i can’t get enough of mountains…
8. …she has tons of friends and i’m a “closet introvert”…

again, to name only a few.

what does this all mean? 8 fruitful years and a truckload of good times for starters…and 8 more years for you to wait for my next post…

see you same place, same time in 2019!

* S refers to the wonderful man I am married to! ( if you didn't already know!)

My historical trip to Berlin!

Keeping with our tradition of celebrating every anniversary in a new city, we decided to celebrate in Berlin this time! On our to-do list for a long time, we thought it was high time we planned this trip...with this, we have almost covered all of Europe! Whoop!

We stayed in this lovely apartment (http://www.all-berlin-apartments.com/en/berlin-apartments/ref_1519/)...and we made our own breakfast and the odd dinners too...felt right at home, fighting over who would wash the dishes ;)...it was on the 4th floor with no elevator, so we got some free exercise too after the long walks around the city everyday! But we always prefer an apartment or a B&B to a hotel, it is economical, homely and very convenient! If you are planning a holiday in Berlin, I would highly recommend staying here...

It was unbearably hot, as much as it would be at "home" aka India...though I expected it to be sunny and kind of summery, it was scathingly hot! I have to put this down here, we found this amazing bubble tea promoted by a company called BoBoq ( http://boboq.de)...the "bubbles" are tapioca pearls and I could not stop dreaming about the drink all day! S would very thoughtfully plan our day to include a visit to Boboq and left to me, I could have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Try it, its amazing! It was the highlight of my holiday, indeed! :D
I love watching people and when you travel, it is so much more fun - you see a wide variety of people, clothes, behavior, trends, smiles, food, life, culture....the list goes on! Here's my personal observations in Berlin!

• Every single person in Berlin has a tattoo - the most popular places being the nape of the neck, ankles, chest and shoulders! If there was someone who didn't have one, it must have been a tourist or "outsider"! S felt at home coz he has one too! I want to remain untouched...
  

• Women are very tall and well built, no petite women there....mostly!
• People are pretty friendly and try to be helpful, even if they could not speak English, sometimes!
• I don't understand a word of German except for the usual "Guten Tag" or "Danke", but I felt as if I understood the language. Weird, right?

• The city is very very clean and people are very disciplined. S and I were pleasantly surprised to see that every single person makes it a point to buy tickets on the metro. There is no check or a checkpoint to stop people from simply taking a free ride. Pretty impressive ethical conduct!
  
• Brimming with history, there are so many historical monuments and things to do...we were spoilt for choice! The "story of berlin" was very informative and very very interesting...would have been great if the commentary was in English too!

• We managed to go see the "Berlin Wall" and I got a mini-history lesson from S! What? I learnt Social Studies in Hindi...so am kinda weak in History and Geography and add topography to that, while we are on that topic! ;)

• In the midst of a super-hot day, as we roamed around the city, we found this lovely fountain and I literally jumped into it with all fervor....like someone ravaged in a desert who found the oasis...
• Of course, we did a little bit of shopping...found some interesting stuff in a market filled with lovely artsy pictures, knick-knacks and other pretty things for your home! I did bring something back for our home, will post pictures later on a different post, maybe?
  

S ( I know, he is the BEST!) got me a DSLR for my birthday and I am like a little kid with the best new toy, full of glee...I can't stop clicking! :) Will be posting lots of pictures on the photoblog!

Life isn't a matter of milestones, but of moments...