The zero degree take over

The white beauty

Currently Geneva is riding over the Zero and below degree tram and it is brrrrrrrr. Since last week I am regularly travelling on 3 weekdays, I have even started using the cold creams which I did not last winter. The lip balm is a life saver too.

I keep sulking about why god decided to test my surviving skills by pushing me into extreme climatic conditions all my life. I know there are lots of issues with the winter but I still have things that make me happy about it too. 

This winter is so special since it snowed much better than last year. Snowing in Geneva is almost like raining it is gone before touch down but some days become much more merrier by letting a sheet of snow stay alive. I get to play with them and throw them at the completely surprised mama.  

I got three pair of boots :P ya it must be the first on list but there you go, flaunting on any order. One pair of snow boot, one pair of rain boot and one extremely sophisticated pair of leather black boots. I LOVE WINTER. 

Then there is this need to make hot food and eat them hot hot. The glee has no limits. I do forget the weight factor here but winter is to eat and summer is to BURN. Did I tell you about the fondue I ate last weekend. I have sinned :(

Where did all the leaves go???

I know I am being extremely positive about the weather that is making everybody else mad. May be in two years I will join the hate club, may be I wont. 

A friend who is from UK recently remarked how cold Geneva is all the year in comparison with UK. All I could do was smile back and tell her if you are from Tamil Nadu anything below twenty is cold :P 

Much to my own surprise I have been surviving here much better than anticipated. 

The bus pass

Babbi and Me during 150 Ans celebrations

 
Oh! I finally own a bus pass , yay!!! really it is my first. This is crazy for someone coming from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.  Amma would never let me travel by bus on regular basis until I was 19 or so. I learnt to travel in bus by myself only during the second year of my college. It was Boo who traveled with me all the time. She would wait till I get the particular 147b to reach mogappair. It was real fun and I would beg my mom not to come and pick me up in car, believe me it was that boring. Once Boo got a scooty it was oosy (free) ride almost everyday. How I miss those college days!!

TPG TPG TPG 

Past is all past now lets meet my new TPG ( Transport Publics Genevois) pass, my LOVE other than mama. he was really surprised to read the fact that this is my first bus pass and my  LOVE, oh he peeps from my back and reads the moment I type the word MAMA. This is not exactly a bus pass it is a monthly pass. I get to go on tram, bus and boat for one whole month. yay!! jolly!!.  Myrin, cern, palletes, onex city here I come !!

I am supposed to SMILE , aghh What happen ??

TPG is the BEST ever public transport in the whole wide world. I even sent them flowers in a postcard after the 150 year celebration last year. They run in big time profit for starters and they gave free rides for almost two days during the 150 years tram festival celebration. They even give a one hour free ticket for all the passengers who fly down to Geneva almost all the locals will go stand for the bus which is world class luxury.  We do it when there is no luggage in hand. I never missed our Ford Ikon even once since we moved in here. until Babbi is six we don't have to buy a ticket for her. A person can take 8 children below six years of age along with him or her and just pay for them(the only adult). How funny is that? but it is true.

The CEVA PLUS

In which country will they (who? I have no idea too) provide a bun, chocolate, black tissue and a notice to celebrate the  ceva plus ?

Long Live You :)

Pick your options 
1. Switzerland
2. Switzerland
3. Switzerland
4. Switzerland

Answer: any of the above 

You win!!!

I am very sorry if your country does that too, please do tell me if so and I will add a note of praise below.
thank you.

 P.S : You would have received the above said only if you were standing/sitting in the Bel-Air stop, Monday morning ( 7-1-2013) at 9 AM exactly. I was there and I know but there is a possibility of it being given at Gare Cornavin too, probably they did. 

I wish ceva plus my best wishes. Whatever you are, May you live long :P

  The bun and the chocolate found solace in Babbi's and Babbi's amma's tummies right after we caught bus 3 which luckily came two minutes LATER. We were hungry you see and buns are best when ate warm (it was warm and fresh). Chocolates need no time and day. 

As for the crumpled black tissue and  Ceva Plus notice (printed in french) see below. 

Ah!! Blurred :(

I LOVE Switzerland and I love GENEVA. This is definitely not the bun talking. It is gone(digested) a long time ago!! 

Scary Santa

This is will be the first post for my project Geneva and it has taken ages to appear. A simple story of our Christmas this year will hopefully pave way for my writing spirit. This is Babbi's second Christmas and she still has no idea what it means, no 15 months old can I suppose? We (me) are Hindus from India who believe in giving importance to every other religion we come across and celebrate the festivals in our own fashion. Christmas being the first best thing in the the list.

Back home I would bake cake for Christmas and celebrate the holiday watching TV. After the holy matrimony happened things have moved an advanced level. Apart from baking cake we also decorated our front door with a huge star and we also had plans for a Christmas tree the next year. Yes, it is a bonus to marry a man who is an almost-atheist but will never say no to such things if it does not hurt him and make me happy. Since 2011 Christmas became Babbi's first Christmas and we had moved to Geneva the plans for an extravagant Christmas was put on hold.  It will take us at least 3 more years before we can plan for a proper tree and let Babbi decorate it with us. It involves extensive Christmas decoration shopping in INDIA first :) Until then the Christmas spirit will live with the arrival of Santa Claus and roast chicken. 

A few weeks back mama brought Santa clause costume for 10 francs in maxi bazaar and surprised me. His idea was to dress up like Santa on Christmas and show Babbi what she must expect for Christmas in few years. He is really not this fun type but rarely he becomes NORMAL. For most of the days I did not believe he would do anything like dressing up.

Fortunately the man was in no mood to work on Christmas morning and so he got into his Santa dress. Guess what happened?

SCARY SANTA

 The picture speaks for itself. Mama had to remove the costume in order to bring down the tears and get a real hug from our baby girl. He has promised to make her smile the next year. Until then the costume stays happily tugged inside the wardrobe. This time he did not have a proper gift to give her next year he must have one before he gets going as Santa.

THE CITY I AM IN LOVE WITH : PROJECT GENEVA

Everyone has a persona, an aura about them which makes the person unique. This aura can be anything and mind you I really am proud of what I am made up off. I live in the present and I never care about the past but I save it for future references. In simple terms I am this 'souvenirs' person, I believe in carrying bits and pieces of tiny things that I 'wish' to remember and enjoy it somewhere in the future. They are mostly write-ups like a diary entry or printed copies of proofs or photos.I cannot explain in words the amount of pleasure i get when i see my school badge, its priceless. The ID cards for instance, they had no value those days but now it takes me back and i get to relive those moments.

GENEVA  LAKE

This particular post and the few more that will follow this is like that. A memory I wish to live years later. I know how they make me feel. Believe it or not its the best thing about past, you have a chance to remember the good, forget the bad and learn from everything. Even mama believes in this (surprisingly) and helps me collect all those small things that will be big few years later

TYPICAL FRENCH

Geneva, Switzerland is my current location and there are so many things about this city that I will want to remember years later. So many little things that make me happy is from this place and I wish to honor every one of them years later. The present is tedious and I am quite a busy mother but I never forget to enjoy what god has given to me. To live in a place like this means world to so many and I am one of those very few lucky ones. The honeymoon country is much more than what it is known for.

This one is for you Geneva!!

PS : Any posts that will follow is about the Geneva that I see and experience through my own eyes. This may really not give you an insight as a person who is willing to explore the city.  This is mostly a personal diary os things that happened in Geneva.

As you might have seen the photographs are not of a good standard that's because I am not much of a photographer or use any fancy DSLR camera.I use a normal sony camera which works wonders for me. :)