Personality Update!

As I read through my recent posts, I realize they are all about Baby Girl, her yearly updates or our amusing conversations, her antics and so on and so forth....so I can remember these details for posterity! As evident as it can be, my life, heart and mind is filled with thoughts of her, she is truly my life. 

I have changed so much as a person since I became a mother! You can often hear S commenting to BabyGirl that your mother has become so serious now, and add that " she was so wild, impulsive and really silly". My immediate response to that is that i can't impart discipline if I am not disciplined or serious myself! Interestingly, as I sit here, unable to sleep, introspecting how I have evolved over time, I am a changed person indeed. I worry a lot more, am really paranoid about everyone's health or safety, and often have sleepless nights over the tiniest details. Earlier, i would just sleep and not worry about anything and be carefree...not a good change, I know! But it is what it is...

I am blessed with wonderful parents and I have an amazing relationship with them. It has taken me so long to understand that its not a given. There are so many others who do not have the luxury of unconditional love like I do. I would always seek attention, want something especially emotional support from them all the time. Recently, I have begun to finally understand that they are getting old. I should be the one offering at least emotional support if not physical support. I am always missing them physically and long to touch them everyday. EVERYDAY. There's always something that reminds me of Amma or Appa. That will NEVER change either. That's how it should be. As time passes by, I have lost so many loved ones and the first thing that always comes to my mind is that the biggest disservice that you can do to a loved soul is to forget them. Always keep them alive in your happy memories. I always remember you and the good times, Balaram mama...

On the professional front, I have started yet again, from scratch in Hong Kong. I am working independently here, I am my own boss. I can't say i have reached my goal but i will get there, slow and steady. I have never been someone who gives up easily. thankfully, that has NOT changed. I juggle many hats with absolutely no help here and honestly, that's the way I like it too. It makes me feel accomplished, self-reliant and totally busy through the week. I like a routine to my days, not the kind of person who likes it to be a "weekend kinda day" everyday, for sure.

Life teaches you a lot of lessons along the way and you learn to appreciate, acknowledge and embrace both big and small blessings in your life. I have come a long way in that sense. I do not take any relationship, situation or possession for granted, especially considering all that I have today was a dream of yesterday. I have learnt it the hard way that these dreams do not come true for everyone. Its important to be thankful for everything you have, and also for everything you do not have. There is a reason for it, you don't know it YET.

Conversations with Baby Girl!

I have these really interesting or really funny conversations with Baby Girl and I want to put them down here, so I can come back here to smile later! 

Baby Girl: Amma, when I grow up and be a big girl, I will have a husband too!
Amma: um hmmmm...
Baby Girl: ...and then he can play with me all day, right?
Amma: ya...sure
Baby Girl:  then, my husband and your husband can be friends and you and I can be friends too.
Amma (amused): who is my husband?
Baby Girl: arre...my appa! 
Amma: (trying not to smile!)...of course, we will be friends with your husband. In fact, we will love him too.
Baby Girl: yes, I will not fight with him at all , you know?
Amma (stunned): !!!!!!!!

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Baby Girl: Amma, why are you doing your face like that?
Amma: My stomach is paining baby ( it's that time of the month and I feel like just lying down all day)
Baby Girl: why, Amma? you ate too much? 
Amma: ummm hmmmmm
Baby Girl: Oh Amma....don't be sad...Ummachi ( God)...make my Amma better soon ummachi....please ok?
Amma: all smiles despite the pain..
Baby Girl: wait Amma...I will get you manundhu ( medicine)....
runs off quickly and gives me one of her vitamins...
Amma promptly pops it into her mouth...or else she will sit on me and make it swallow!
Baby Girl: Amma, lie down in my manini( lap)...
Amma lies down....
Baby Girl smoothens my hair and face...
Amma is in heaven now, pain is all forgotten. Amma lives for these moments with the Baby Girl! 
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Yet again, we move!

...As we are moving to a new country (Hong Kong, this time) yet again, I think about how your life can change radically in a second - your home, your circle of friends, your "comfort zone"...but like C mentioned, your "comfort zone" expands and multiplies manifold.

I ponder over what an amazing time we had in Paris the last time we moved from familiar surroundings and the most amazing thing - Baby Girl happened to us there! Unlike a majority of people who detest change, I welcome change. Change for me, has always been positive( I am also someone who only remembers the positives, somehow the negatives don't stay in my mind!) and even if I welcome it initially with a little bit of anxiety and trepidation yet hopeful - all's well in the end. :) 

I strongly believe that if you think change is for the better - it will be. When you think positively, you attract positive vibes. Good thoughts and optimism always work, not immediately but it all works out in the end. 

I am looking forward to the new friends we will make, new places we will travel, new people we will begin to love and be loved, new culture, new cuisines...I love the smell of "new" which will slowly become something I am familiar with...I am waiting to adapt like a fish does to water, to sink into the new place and make a new home, in addition to all the other homes we have nurtured with love. 

Baby Girl turns four this August. She is a very lucky child. We have consciously stayed away from celebrating her birthday with huge parties until she asks for one. Instead, we have been exposing her to love travel, meeting new people, cultures and to develop an interest in wanderlust which we both believe is far more nurturing, and a practical way to experience all the goodness of life. 

Except for the first year, when she was still too young to travel - she has been to Andaman when she turned 2, Srilanka when she turned 3 and when she turns 4 - she will go to a new country as well! I hope she travels to all the beautiful places in the world and we can all have great memories together every birthday! Let's hope God agrees and helps us fulfill our plans too. Our birthday surprise for her, this year is a trip to Disneyland in Hong Kong! I know, she is indeed a lucky little munchkin.

So we did a recce to HK before the actual move and I must say I had minimum expectations and also went with a lot of trepidation. But it was a really pleasant surprise and it quashed all my pre-conceived notions. An extremely beautiful place with friendly people, very organized and I got a good vibe! 

Do think of us in your prayers and I pray to God to be healthy, happy and spread happiness in our new home, literally!

Staying true to your self!

is not easy! If you have been a regular reader of this blog, you would have noticed that my ambition in life seemed to be able to evolve into a mature, calm and composed self. 

Inherently, I am a free-spirited, impulsive, straight-shooter...as in I mean what I say...of course not to the point of being obnoxious or intentionally hurting someone. Just someone who is simple and easy to understand, what-you-see-is-what-you-get types - the type that is pretty rare exceedingly.

With the passage of time and added responsibilities, I have become more mature, not-always-eager-to-voice-my-opinion types who remain calm and smile at all times. Honestly, it freaks me out when I look at myself or evaluate myself as a third person ( yes, it is possible to do that!)...it feels like I am looking at a totally different person, not the real me.

Obviously, I feel trapped in this grown-up version of me that I have become and look back at my child-like, naive self who would look at everyone with rose-tinted glasses and think that this world and the people in it are all beautiful and good people. I really wish I could go back to being that innocent. Being mature makes you a cynic and someone who does not trust easily and I can't really relate to myself anymore...

Baby Girl is at home all day with me now and we are having fun together - playing hide and seek, running around, playing dress up ( after all I have a a live doll)....of course, partly she drives me up the wall too. When you spend time with that kind of innocence, you realize how flawed we become as we "grow up". 

Often, I have been warned by friends and family that I am too trusting and naive. It is probable that people can take advantage of my naivety. To this date, I have never experienced any negativity like that. EVER. In fact, occasionally when someone wronged me, they came to me and apologized later. So I guess it is better to stay true to who you are, follow your own instincts about life or people and you can be happy as you are :)

Idu podum enakku...vera enna vendum?

As I type this blog, Baby Girl is taking a nap and I am listening to some amazing music. Music transcends across anything and everything and makes me happy, calm and makes me realize how blessed my life is! I always feel grateful when I listen to music. 

It puts me in such a happy frame of mind and I always resolve to listen to more music everyday. I always think of my life - like Before Baby Girl and After Baby Girl! I had a lot of time to myself earlier. Now that my little "energizer bunny" is here, she has taken over my life like a whirlwind - I would never have it any other way! There is this song from the movie "Kadal" and the lyrics perfectly describe how I feel about her - idu podum enakku...idu podume...vera enna vendum...nee podum ( roughly translates to this is all I want, what else do i need? you are all I want! )

I always thought the greatest feeling is to be in love. I am totally in love, unconditionally with her - dare I say, I love her the most, more than anyone else - not even S! :)

I realize so often that we are so muddled in our daily lives and routine that we never stop to see how far we have come or maybe even realized or achieved that thing or milestone we have always dreamed of. Take a moment to enjoy this lovely moment in life, acknowledge it and cherish the contentment. It's a wonderful feeling. I am feeling wonderful right now and very thankful ...blessed! :)

Nowadays, I am obsessed with Pinterest and always browsing through some amazing inspirations and DIYs. We tried to make Baby Girl co-sleep with us in her crib. So we cut a section of her crib and attached it to our bed. Then, I had a great idea to personalize her room. 

So I asked the carpenter to make cut-outs from the leftover wood. He came up with a capital "A" and a small "a". I further accessorized it with some jute yarn and jute stickers. She is thrilled with the result.

Baby Girl is officially a toddler!

Time flies by not only while you are having fun...also when your baby girl is growing up at lightning speed and you wish you could freeze time! Nowadays, you will probably often catch me either engrossed looking dreamily at a beautiful luminous chubby little baby face or watching a video of Baby Girl creating havoc as a baby! 

I know it sounds cliched but she will be my biggest achievement whatever I do in life. She is such a dream come true, that when she arrived on earth and they gave her to me....I repeatedly asked " is she really mine?"!! 

I often describe her as an "energizer bunny" when friends or family ask me about her. She really is on the go from the minute she wakes up in the morning until it's time to snooze - that too is a big battle to make her sleep. 

Even as a little baby, she would never wake up crying...she would always wake up smiling, with a hint of mischief on her lips and to this date, she is like that. In fact, she will bring along her bottle of milk, any toy she has been playing with and ride the cycle and come to me for a cuddle or hug! I cherish those moments...a very loving child, always happy...she makes life so beautiful.

An angel with horns, always ready for mischief and never lets me sit down for a minute. I owe my slimmer self to her coz I always running around with her or behind her and if not cleaning up all the mess she is busy making all the time! Having said that, I would never have it any other way. I have always dreamt of an active child who is relentless, not some quiet child sitting doing nothing. You should be careful about what you dream of, eh?

She loves me no matter what, and that kind of unconditional love makes you realize how blessed your life is! Even if i discipline her or scold her, she will be upset with the next person that is present there...never me! While she readily apologizes when she wants me to cuddle her...she can be as adamant as a mule when she is not ready to! ...a very feisty personality, that girl! 

A brilliant child - she knows all the numbers, rhymes and can even recognize difficult shapes and she is not yet 3! She has such a quick grasp, will observe how you do something once, and master it the next minute. This smart young girl is going places, I tell you. 

My darling girl, 

It's your birthday today and we will be celebrating in Srilanka this year. Amma and Appa asked you, if you would prefer to cut a birthday cake and celebrate here or would you rather go on a plane to someplace? You clearly answered "Go on the plane" very firmly even when we repeatedly questioned you over and over. We are so glad you love travelling just like we do coz last year when you turned two, we celebrated in the Andamans. You just had a blast in the beach and ventured into the ocean with no fear absolutely like you belonged there.

You are a beautiful girl with the most gorgeous face, no doubt. However, we hope and pray you grow up thinking you are more than just your looks. We will ensure and try to imbibe good qualities like humility, kindness, empathy and most importantly, feel free and proud to be yourself, not mould yourself into something just to be accepted. (I have always felt strongly about these things, especially when it's my own little girl!)

May God bless you, my darling, my sweetheart, my happiness...and our very life...with all the love, happiness, good health, success and all that you dream of. May you always be surrounded by people who love you and care about you. May you grow up into a confident and good human being....everything else will follow suit.

Loads of love, hugs and Kisses,

Amma and Appa

The S-Factor!

S is away on work and comes back today evening. I am sitting here in the swing and thinking about him the first time we met. I was very apprehensive about meeting him for the first time, after all I had only seen a picture of him. But when I caught a glimpse of that child-like smile as he removed his footwear to enter our home...his eyes searching for me....a little smile crept on my lips. I can never forget his face from that moment or that day :)

He is a man of few words and very selective about who he gets close to, and I remember my Mother-in-law warning me that he is an introvert and takes time to warm up. Luckily for me, when I met him for the first time until today - HE is the one who talks more! We are always talking to each other - endlessly, continuously, ardently, passionately and about anything, everything, anyone and everyone! Of course, nowadays a lot of interruptions from Baby Girl - but we ALWAYS have loads to tell each other! I just realized that I talk to him just about everything without any filters. You have no idea how liberating that can be.

We have a special relationship and we are extremely lucky and blessed to have found each other. I don't mean the husband-wife thingy alone...we are each other's best friends, though it sounds like a cliche - it's absolutely what makes us work! I can totally be myself, just say anything and everything without a filter. We are always talking endlessly even after all these years. In fact, i remember on my wedding day, we were talking so much during the rituals that my Amma reprimanded me to keep quiet and at least ACT like a shy bride! 

We have come a long way - ups and downs, happiness and tragedies, understandings and misunderstandings, to love and to be loved, disappointments and frustrations, peals of laughter and high-pitched fights. I can safely say that he will always be my first priority above anything or anyone...except  maybe Baby Girl. She didn't come to me very easily
(in my defense). 

He is my best friend, the love and light of my life and I say this with all my heart. Proudly. Happily. Lovingly.

Baby Girl's Midnight Shenanigans!

It is really late at night, when you are in a comatose state and floating between your dream world and the real when I hear a loud "thwaaack!"! I don't really hear a reaction and I touch Baby Girl to check and she seems at peace, fully asleep. So I go back to my dream world from which I woke up half-halfheartedly anyway!

In the morning, while S and I enjoy our cup of coffee and tea respectively, I ask him if he heard the "thwaaack" too and what it could have been? Meanwhile, Baby Girl saunters in with her usual demands of a "huggie"( where she will cling to me like a koala bear for a full 10-15 mins and sleep on my shoulder or lap) or her morning dose of cartoons for maybe half hour, after which she needs to get ready for the bus to go to play group.

S relates to me about what happened, in reality. Since the A/C was on, he was trying to cover Baby Girl with the blanket ( she always manages to kick off the blanket and sleeps in the cold!)...to which she whacked him on his chest!!!! 

When we asked her why she hit appa, she says "He was taking my Amma's monkey na? isiliye maine maaraa!!! ( That's why she hit him!)...Her first blanket had a monkey on it. Since then all blankets are monkeys!!!

I laughed out loud and kept relating the incident to friends and family! She is such a nutty little child and fills our lives with a lot of fun, excitement and surprises galore especially for S! ;-)

When did my baby girl become a little girl already?

Come August, my precious baby girl will become a little girl, already! Where did the time fly, no just zoom? She has brought an immense amount of happiness and meaning into our lives. She is truly an amazing child, even if i sound like an indulgent mother....I honestly feel that way. In fact, I often tell S, that I consider having Baby Girl,the single most biggest achievement of my life. Even if i become super successful, very popular, very rich or receive the highest honor in some field....anything! Nothing can match the exclusive life-changing feeling of becoming a mother, especially to my little Baby Girl.

I was just looking at an old video of a chubby, bald Baby Girl saying 'tha tha tha...' continuously and I can hear myself encouraging her to talk more...and cut to the present, she talks non-stop and can understand almost everything...in all the languages we speak, be it tamizh, hindi or english. Where did my little baby go? Thank god, she still has the "mazhalai" intact ( roughly translated as baby language).

She can totally drive me up the wall sometimes, with her antics, non-stop mischief and the constant meddling with all my expensive cosmetics or knick-knacks that we have carefully picked up from different places during our travel. But the very next minute can be the most adorable loving child, who comes and asks me " Amma....why kochi? ( angry?)...I huggie you...ok?"...and give me the most loving hug and reward me with lots of kisses all over the face. How can you stay angry at all? :-) 

She is extremely protective and possessive of me. Even if S jokingly hits me or fools around with me ....she will scold him in her baby ways, its damn cute! When we go down to the park to play in the evenings with her cycle....and I hold a little baby....she will come running from wherever she is...and tell the child "She is MY Amma!" 

It is wonderful to wake up with a beautiful baby sleeping peacefully next to you. It brings an instant happiness in to your lives and fills up your heart with joy! I always wake her up happily, talking to her lovingly....it is OUR time and you can hear squeals and peals of laughter...warm hugs, smiles and kisses! 

We are truly blessed and thank you God for Baby Girl. She is my world and I am her world. Ideal, isn't it? 

What do I want to do this year?

Baby Steps at getting back to work:
I want to, plan to get back to full-time work when Baby Girl goes to "big school"....meanwhile, when she is at playgroup, I am working on some freelance assignments. 2015 has begun on a good note. Baby steps indeed.

Travel a lot within India:
When we lived in France, we traveled all over Europe ( almost!) but realized that we had not seen half of India, our homeland! Now that we are back here, I want to go to all the lovely places we missed so far. Baby Girl has begun to enjoy traveling and is always ready to go "doin doin" in the car or "jhoom-Jhoom" in the plane! A girl after my own heart! 

Spend some alone-time with S:
Since we became parents, our whole world revolves around Baby Girl, rightfully and it will always be that way. But I realized that we are so absorbed with her that we seem to catch up on conversations in-between and miss out on important stuff. 

Fortunately, we are each other's closest friend and often discuss and share anything and everything under the sun. We still do, but in installments. So we have decided to at least take one day off a month(reasonable!) - baby-free and just spend time with each other, talk or just enjoy the silence.

Patience
I am much better than I used to be, in the "patience" area but i can definitely do better. I really want to acquire this skill so I can be a better person, a pleasant daughter, wife and mother coz with everyone else in the outside world I am a vision of pleasantry and sunshine! ..and then I think to myself, should'nt i make an effort to be pleasant to my loved ones first? 

I also want to stop reacting to various things and people, often not pleasant ones. I know its impossible for me to just not react at all...but i can make an effort to react less.

What are you planning to do this year?

My neighborly artist and the little dancing people!

Many years back, I chanced upon The Mad Momma's blog (thank you mad momma!) where she had decorated her corridor with warli art and thought it was a brilliant idea to enliven a dull space like the corridor which is often ignored or left bare...we lived in a rented apartment then, and I didn't want to do that in someone else's home (technically!)

Incidentally, Warli art form is very popular folk painting among tribals in Maharashtra and is usually depicted only in white! (Since, my walls are already white, we decided to go with black!)

So I waited for sometime until we got our own home...alas, just as we started settling in....we moved to Paris! So finally the time has come and we are back home. But with Baby Girl and settling back in, I hardly found time! ( This post has been lying in my draft for a long time now!)

As luck would have it, my 12- year old neighbor R is fantastic and has an artistic bent of mind and comes up with very creative ideas and projects. I asked her if she would like to paint my wall with the little dancing people a.k.a warli art! 

She readily agreed and managed to complete it in a couple of days....its gorgeous and is a center of attention, especially for Baby Girl...she gets up from her nap and stares at the little people with awe! I am grateful for those 5 minutes of rest... :P

Its a strip on the corridor leading to the rooms....and apart from the art, has a collage of various paintings and memorabilia from our travels across Europe and its a nice walk down memory lane...

and that wall feels so complete now! I admire the people as I walk across looking for Baby Girl, numerous times through the day...:-)

...Leaving Paris with a contented heart!

...Oh Boy! Little did I know, back in 2009, when we arrived in Paris, that it would be a life-changing experience on so many levels - apart from the gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower from our living room of course! ;-) We arrived in Paris in Winter and I experienced hail and snow all at once...and while it felt super romantic at first, I am not a fan of winter anymore! :) I am a sunshine girl, I need all the warmth, literally too! The flip side being the fashionable winter coats and boots, for sure! :D

Paris will forever be special for me (not only because it is a romantic, beautiful city) coz Baby Girl was born here! She is our biggest blessing and God chose to give her to us in Paris! :-) The health care system in France is amazing and they took care of me and my precious child at every point and made sure she was healthy, happy and beautiful and gave her safely in our hands...I am ever grateful for that. They also ensure that the mother is well taken care of, and is able to spring back to good health. Serendipity??!!


I must admit, it was a quite a challenge communicating with the doctors and hospitals due to my limited linguistic abilities a.k.a French!

France is often known as the "land of cheese and wine" and it truly is....while I didn't really acquire a taste for cheese or wine, I did acquire the nation's obsession with fitness and exercise! In these 4 years in Paris, both S and I are a lot fitter and healthier - when you see people jogging at noon or even at 10 at night, we had to take it seriously too! I exercised throughout my pregnancy, even til before I was going into labour - and it made the entire process so much faster and easier...I will ensure that it continues even after we go back to India, the elliptical at home, for sure is an investment!

We have traveled to some absolutely gorgeous countries in Europe (I can't believe we have been to 16 countries so far!). S had told me long back that I should take him on a Europe trip on our 10th anniversary! I made it all come true even before that! :P
Jokes apart, we are truly blessed to be able to travel to so many beautiful places and the beauty is etched in our memories forever...we both love travelling and living in Paris gave us the access and comfort level to plan ahead and have a good time! ...and we had a lovely vacation ever so often, whenever we could get away...

I have acquired a few "forever friends" with whom I had fun times - learning new things, sharing our different cultures, thoughts, aspirations and I have felt as loved and understood as I would, with some of my best friends! Our different backgrounds didn't really matter - deep down, we all value the same things and seem to have the same common problems! We may be across different parts of the world - but I am sure we will stay in touch and visit each other often ( hopefully! - Catrin, if you are reading this, this is specifically directed at YOU!)

On a more serious note, I think I have also matured in my thought process - I have learnt to accept people as they are - I tend to judge someone instantly, I don't do that anymore! I have learnt that its unwise to judge someone unless you have experienced it yourself! 
When you live alone, especially abroad in a country where the language and people are alien....I have realized and feel grateful for all the love, family, support I have - both physically and emotionally - never take anything or anyone for granted! 

All said and done, "home is where the heart is..." and I am excited about moving back to India too and can't wait to take Baby Girl to meet all my friends and family, and we will all live happily together wherever we are - she will go to her own home and her own room - ALREADY! She receives a lot of love and affection across the globe, and she is truly a blessed soul in that sense :-)

9 years of...love and happiness(mostly!)

S makes his yearly visit to the blog...I have always maintained...he is a man of few words, but they are always profound and astute! 

I thought long and hard since J asked me to write another piece for our 9^th anniversary but wait…no, that’s not true at all! Neither did I have to think long nor very hard since it all came to me when…

I awoke early this morning to the soft pitter-patter of summer rain outside our bedroom window. Then, I was jolted awake by the rumbling of the washing machine (it hasn’t been installed properly so it makes a hell of a racket). Once that was fixed, I lay awake in bed listening to blissful heartbeats asleep next to me.  Soon (too soon), there was bright sunlight streaming through brushing aside the rain, only for the rain to make a sweeping comeback announced by rolling thunderclaps.

I mused at how these early morning minutes were like our partnership: serene, raucous, frantic, peaceful, dazzling and thunderous.  In our years together, we have had pretty much all of this and more. 

Of course, when you go to sleep, you know you will get up fresh the next morning and when it starts to rain, you know that it will be sunny eventually (even in these grey European climes!). But, in life, there is only love, hope and trust that take us through to “the other side” of whatever cloud we’re under.  I have always felt we are like the Sun to each other – you know that it is there always even if you can’t always see it. As time passes by, it’s like a piece of you that grows a little each day and you don’t even realize it’s there.  

9…2003…2012…numbers like any other but for us, they are all special...the last 9 years have been quite special (see my 2011 post to pursue this line of thought). Is it 9 years already? This is the first year in a very long time that we have not travelled outside of “home” in the first 6 months of the year as its been so busy since the start!   

This is the first time we are in a place that we have been before on our anniversary. We spent the day watching a movie (in a theatre after a long time!), shopping and just wandering around the city, which was a welcome change! This is the first time J lost a bet to me and actually admitted it (she bet on Djokovic). And it’s our first 9^th anniversary! Lots of firsts in 2012 and we’re not yet ½-way through the year!

2003 changed both of our lives in a way we would never have imagined, in a good way. There were so many pleasant surprises along the way: for example, before I met J, I could never have imagined a person calling me to say “can you come and pick me up? I’m out of gas and standing on the side of the road and there’s a tree here” :P . And little did we imagine then that we would spend our evenings gazing out over Parisian rooftops at probably the most famous monument in the world from our living room…

and 2012? it’s all change now again… Just like the number 9 is what you get when you add the digits of any multiple of 9, we will keep coming back to this year in many ways…

so, I look forward to getting up tomorrow and many more days after to the soft pitter-patte of summer rain outside our bedroom window knowing that, there is more to come…                             

P.S. - S writes some beautiful poetry on his blog, if you would like to read...click here! 

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!