This birthday was a fairly magnificent event, which made me feel extremely loved, and made me also feel certain that the insanity and amazingness of the MPI crew means that such a birth-stravaganza will never be matched in the remaining years of my life.

Last year’s birthday (which I think I maybe didn’t blog much about?), was pretty friggin’ awesome. I got amazing presents and cakes, including hand-crafted Australian style cookies (thanks to the very talented Fabio!), and, due to the inspired gifting of Tamar and Gal, I spent a good part of the day walking around work with a crown on my pretty little head.

King Tegan!

Also, the heart flashes if you press it.

Also, cats and tea!

This year, when I arrived at work, I was greeted with this delightful cacophony of love and literal sweetness.

Yeha, I was pretty stoked!

Also there were cats.

Option 1) My friends are now working with Andy, to convince me that I don’t need a real cat, just some beautiful cat-styled china wares.

Option 2) My friends are working against Andy, and letting me fill the house with cat things until he caves and realises that maybe a real cat is easier.

You decide.

You decide.

Anyway, my friends also handed me a framed picture, filled with a propaganda-styled image of me, cats, cat-like Merkel, and dolphins being punched in the face.

At one point, Mercedes asked ‘are we just going to wait here until she figures it out?’

The it being this: http://www.teganwins.com/

I’ll give you a moment to click through to check it out.

I managed to spend the rest of the day running around, eating cake, and being completely oblivious to the fact that people were asking me if I planned to go home early.

Here’s why.

This is a non-photoshopped, actual real-life billboard.

It’s hanging around (for 10 days total) at Potsdam Park Sanssouci train station, which we travel through every morning and evening on the way to and from work.

Eleftheria managed to catch a quick snap of it going up in the morning:

It was pretty dark by Friday evening (because German winter), and the weekend was overcast, so we headed back out early on Monday, to get a couple of snaps with the Billboard.

  

^Hat and beanie as advertised on billboard.

^Iman and I are trying to look like Pau.

And then, with a different group of guys, we took some more snaps on Friday. Note that between Monday and Friday, Germany decided to drop it’s temperature by about 100 degrees. We’re now at full frost point.

^Matthijs is impressed by the poster, but also by Pau’s belly button! 

^Pau, Fabio and I are trying to look like Iman. Definitely in the ‘trying and failing’ category. Fabio looks hungry, I look ill, and Pau thinks she is Dr Evil from Austin Powers.

^Merkel pose. Fabio’s face is winning, but I think Matthijs is more Merkel-like. You can see more details of the Merkel-cat lady on the website.

Thanks to everyone who made it such a great birthday. I’m sure that I didn’t manage to thank everyone involved in person yet, but I love you all, I love what you did, and I will remember this with great happiness for ever!