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! :)

Spoils from our Berlin Trip!

S's funky watch and my chunky flower ring - a match made in Heaven! ;)

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!

No itches or glitches...7 glorious years!

Instead of rambling on, like I do always, I will keep it simple, S! I must have done SOMETHING right....to have YOU in my life! Happy 7th Anniversary, S! You ARE the best thing that ever happened to me...

Keeping with our tradition of celebrating our anniversary every year in a different place, we are going to Spain all of next week!!! Yayyyyy!!!! See you all on the other side of the holiday! :)

Has it been SIX years?

...Often, when people ask me how long you have been married and I count the years, I feel like it can't be THAT long? My darling S, I can't remember how life used to without you ( sounds filmy but true), every happy(iest?) memory has to do with you. Every little gesture of yours shows your love for me...

• When we are both tired from a long trip, and my legs and back ache, you offer to cook and bring warm food with the cutest smile, I am all mushy and feeling so warm
  
• You are so kind, warm and generous that I feel guilty for not missing Amma ( my Mom). I remember telling my mother in the early days of our marraige that he takes such good care of me, 10 times better than you do! ( she smilingly reminds me). That has NOT changed a bit, in fact your love has got stronger over the years...
  
• When we cuddle up and watch a movie and there are loving scenes of happy families, happy tears well up in my eyes coz I have YOU!
  
• You make everyday birthday and anniversary memorable for me, in fact you always remember all the dates and seem a lil hurt if it doesn't ring a bell!
  
• Though we argue a lot about who loves each other more, I secretly revel in the fact that your actions speak louder than my words.
• You were my strong PILLAR of strength during our tough times, holding me together when I was emotionally wrecked when in fact you were equally shattered. My rock-solid support in every sense!
• You have indulged me with all my dreams and fantasies and more...
• You are very romantic ( I never thought you would be!) and even written poetry for me, which i could actually understand
  
• While my geography and topography sucks, you patiently teach me how to read maps and conduct impromptu geography quiz, I am amazed at your patience while I sulk or act high and mighty when you show me how to!
• You revel in my little achievements and proudly proclaim to people about my creativity, cooking, home decor skills like a mother who is proud of her child!
  
• Unlike most men I hear about, you keenly observe my clothes/jewellery and appreciate how smart or pretty I look and it makes me all confident!
• We are a perfect example of 'Opposites attract' and we complement each other perfectly!
• You always manage to bring a smile on my face, whether I am upset or sad or generally 'blink' as you call it.
  
• I like the fact that you know what I am thinking or going to say without uttering a word, which makes me very predictable, you say!
• I like the tickling sessions and the way we play like kids with each other, laughing silly and enjoying ourselves like we have no care in the world...
  
• Above everything else, you are my best friend with whom I can just about say anything without being judged, knowing fully well that you understand me better than I do, sometimes!
  

These are just a few of my favourite things about you :-) ....most of all, I see a big change in you....I see so much of me in you now...and would like to think you see a bit of you in me!

Dear S, I am so glad we are following our tradition of nice, fun and romantic holidays this year too. I am so excited about out trip to Austria/Prague this year, albeit in August, its 2 weeks of just you and me!! How awesome can life be? ;-) I wish you on my blog too so that as we grow old together, we can look back with good memories and smiles...and it's a constant reminder of how lucky i am to have you!

I hope and pray we constantly compete with each other about who loves each other more...every year, our bond gets stronger....Happy Anniversary, my darling S!! :)