Sticky in Chennai

Ian found this tacky figurine of a schnauzer at Spencers Plaza, South India's largest indoor shopping mall, and I am told for a time India's largest indoor shopping mall. It is air conditioned, has many floors and different sections which are called "phases". This mall provides one-stop shopping for all your home and personal needs. We have bought our television, iron and numerous other things there, that is until we were told where many locals go to buy their appliances. But Spencers remains an interesting cultural experience. Many Indians come just to hang out, use it as a meeting point, eat at the food court or people watch.

Ian bought this little statue, the type one would see at a card and gift shop and wonder who buys such crap, for us to remember Max our miniature schnauzer living in New York. Such ugly trinkets become meaningful because of their emotional, shall we say, power. Now it is a decoration adorned with flowers (malipoo) with the prominent position on the coffee table.

I buy these local flowers, "malipoo" almost every day. They are basically jasmine and so have a beautiful scent. I buy a few strands and leave them around the home under a fan and the whole place smells like a poo, which means flower in Tamil. Here I am buying some.

Here is an expression of missing Max. You can take it any way you want.