A stolen moment at the Heinrich-Heine-Straße train station platform in Berlin, Germany. It was close to midnight and my classmates and I had come from a show. The stations were under repair so some trains weren’t following their usual schedule, which upset a lot of the by-the-book Germans that we were with. Bored and restless while waiting for the trains, we started dancing and singing to “Jai Ho” on the platform. Silly, exhilarating and priceless.

…and so was my birthday!

I promised myself a birthday treat yesterday, so after a delicious lunch, I went shopping at H&M. (On an unrelated note, I love it that I can get away with numerous layers and boots while I’m in Berlin). I saw a pretty, ruffled camel-hued dress (nude tones + ruffled chiffon = me), but as it was one of the key pieces in the Fall 2010 collection, all the smaller sizes were understandably taken.

The only ones left were huge enough to fit in two anorexic models; I checked five—count it, five—H&M stores just to be sure. A little crestfallen, I went back to the first (and biggest) store I visited, and picked out a sensible-but-trendy gray blazer to wear for the office and other events.

When I looked at the rack of the ruffled nude dresses again, I blinked and looked more closely. There, right on the racks, was a lonely size 34 nestled among the 44s and 48s. Someone had apparently tried it on and returned it; I snatched it up and went to the dressing room, where other women surreptitiously checked out the frilly thing draped over my arm. I held my breath (quite literally, because it’s a tight 34; the dress has a built-in corset) and looked at the mirror. It was pretty and impractical—something that I can’t really wear a lot—but it was the perfect birthday dress. I headed to the cashier feeling like a winner.

My birthday had a couple of surprises as well; I can’t say anything yet, because whether those surprises will turn out to be gifts or not will still be decided in the next few months (also entirely up to me). Still, my first birthday abroad, which was spent in complete, glorious solitude, turned out to be a lot more fun and productive than I thought. Even managed to hear mass at St. Hedwig’s Catheral, which is apparently the seat of the bishop in Berlin.

Looking back, my 25th year (still can’t fathom than I’m 26), entailed a lot of drama. But it also brought a lot of things that I never dreamed could happen. Most of it was spent gearing up to face something more challenging, and I’m guessing that my 26th year is only part two. I’d like to think that I’m ready and willing to take on almost anything.

It’s a little weird being “back to school” again, sitting in lectures the whole day and being sent out of class to do activities. The photo was something we had to take outside the building (photos with people in them were not allowed) in order to test our skills at composition. I’m not a great photographer, but I do know what a good photo looks like. This photo isn’t great; heck, it’s just ordinary. But I liked the bear sticker on the trash can, and that blue blob in the back is a statue of the Berlin bear. Good times. I’m looking forward to learning a lot more, because I’m finding out that I really know so little.

After a 13-hour Manila-Amsterdam trip, plus a connecting flight to Germany, I’m finally in Berlin. I’ll be here for the next three weeks for a workshop on advanced multimedia and online journalism, so I’ll probably be updating a lot anyway. The weather’s nice and nippy, and I’m really excited to be in Europe at this time of the year, since I don’t usually find myself in other countries during autumn.

Can I just say, I’m really looking forward to learning and keeping my own place again. My apartment isn’t as roomy as the one I had last year, but it’s nice and quiet, with pinewood furniture, a small kitchen, and a huge lawn outside. Photos to follow soon! For now, I need to catch up on some sleep so I won’t waste my time on jet lag in the coming days.

Tulips on my window at Buckower Damm, Berlin. By the way, I didn't edit the colors of this photo.

I remember Valentine’s Day last year. It was a cold winter day, and I was alone in Berlin. I went out, passed by a flea market and watched pigeons pick up crumbs left by tourists, and took photos by the riverbanks. On the way back, I bought a bundle of tulips the color of fire, poured a glass of wine and made myself some dinner. It was one of the more memorable things I did back then, as I was so enthralled with the novelty of living on my lonesome.

I was a pretty responsible person when I lived alone. My flat was clean, my fridge contained mostly vegetables and dairy, I rarely ate meat, and I always went home early. My lone indulgence was eating chocolate pudding (or chips) while watching marathons of Chuck. I talked to my family on Skype almost every day and did my work diligently. Not saying that I’m lazy here, but it’s much easier to rely on the comfort of drivers and domestic helpers. I think I’m a much better person when I’m abroad alone because I’m forced to be one; there’s no one else to rely on but myself, so I always do the best I can.

Just got some great news that may mean that I could experience that feeling again soon. I can’t wait!

P.S. I’ll announce the winners of the Promod contest tomorrow!

(Day 14, 30-Day Blog Challenge)

I just got bored with the scrapbook layout and went for something cleaner. Karlo, my website designer, hopes to finish everything by this week. Looking forward to that!

Delegates at the Berlin Reichstag

In other news, it’s been a year since I flew off to Berlin, Germany for the Multimedia and Online Journalism course. Sentimentality comes up in leaps and bounds when it’s time for anniversaries. I found myself visiting the Facebook site of this year’s delegate, a journ batchmate from UP Diliman. My heart literally hurt, knowing how much fun he was already having (particularly because I think it was his very first trip abroad), and because I was envious of what was in store for him. Weird, because I already went through the same thing.

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