Sunday brunch

We were missing a bit of the Jakarta lifestyle today after the events of last night and decided to go for a brunch, Indo style. The result was, well a little disappointing. We picked a (what we thought) quiet place near Zeil and ordered a brunch menu to the equivalent price as what we would pay for a brunch buffet at the Meridien in Jakarta and well this is what we got:

How sad :( (wow ok now I sound spoilt) but on a sadder note we ate it as we watched a marathon going on in front of our eyes. The finish line was close to our cafe so we stuffed our faces with food while watching tone-bodied athletes run right passed us. It made me feel motivated and ashamed at the same time.

Marken Gala 2011

I don't mind the occasional dinner functions here and there, but coming from Jakarta and its many dinner events, it gets a little tiring so tonight was a welcome change. Don't get me wrong, after a crazy few months, there is nothing I would love to do tonight than to curl up on the couch in my trackies on a cold winter's night but a chance to dress up a little was also a nice reminder of our former life in Jakarta.

We were invited to a Marken Gala at the Alte Oper where the big brands of the world come together and celebrate their brands (I'm told). And as far as we understood, it was where the socialites and celebrities of Germany come together and mingle. When we attended an evening similar to this in Jakarta, the women always dressed so glamorous and over the top, with big hair and sky-high heels. I was always so underdressed but this time it was the complete opposite. I still cannot get over the fact that the women here in Germany don't wear make-up (or very little), even to events such as these.

Even though we didn't win anything, we enjoyed a little dinner and dancing nonetheless so a great night all round!

Tailoring in Germany

As we are having an event coming up that requires the husband to wear a tux, and as we are no longer in Jakarta and have no access to Mayestik or a tailor. We hunted down a tuxedo store in Mainz and ordered one. While they do have a tailor on call, they were only required to make adjustments, as I suppose to custom make one would be beyond expensive. So first comes the tux, then the shirt and of course a bowtie! I mentioned to the salesperson (pictured here) that men are expensive (contrary to the saying). He laughed and said that the only reason the husband is buying all of this is to look good for me, so therefore, women are the more expensive gender. Men and their words!

A frosty morning

This is what I face just about every morning recently, frosty skies and the chilly fogs. Hmm don't know if I'm going to last the winter...

Some words to think about