Chocolate Waffles

Banksy versus the Bristol Museum

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:29:00 +0000

Wiki Intro: Banksy is a pseudo-anonymous English graffiti artist. He is believed to be a native of Yate, South Gloucestershire, near Bristol and to have been born in 1974, but there is substantial public uncertainty about his identity and personal and biographical details. According to Tristan Manco, Banksy "was born in 1974 and raised in Bristol, England. The son of a photocopier technician, he trained as a butcher but became involved in graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s." His artworks are often satirical pieces of art on topics such as politics, culture, and ethics. His street art, which combines graffiti writing with a distinctive stencilling technique, is similar to Blek le Rat, who began to work with stencils in 1981 in Paris and members of the anarcho-punk band Crass who maintained a graffiti stencil campaign on the London Tube System in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His art has appeared in cities around the world. Banksy's work was born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations between artists and musicians.
Banksy does not sell photos of street graffiti or mount exhibitions of screenprints in commercial galleries. Art auctioneers have been known to attempt to sell his street art on location and leave the problem of its removal in the hands of the winning bidder.

Banksy versus Bristol Museum
June-13 to August-31 2009
Bristol Museum,
Queen's Road, Bristol

Open Daily 10AM to 5PM
Free Entry

Watch Trailer:

Group reservations @ Absolut Ice-Bar

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Tue, 26 May 2009 04:33:00 +0000

Dear Andy,

Thank you for your interest in our venue.

Please call us if you wish to make a booking. Reservation lines are open seven days a week; we are currently taking bookings up to 28 days in advance, reservations for July 04th will open on June 06th.

It is always advisable to make a reservation as we can become fully booked, especially at the weekend.

The belowzero Wolf bar is open daily from 12:30pm, 3:30 on Sundays and Mondays. The belowzero Moose dining room + Reindeer Lounge are open Tuesday to Saturday from 5:45pm for dinner and drinks. ABSOLUT ICEBAR LONDON is open from 3:30pm Sunday to Friday and 12:30pm Saturdays. A new timeslot in ABSOLUT ICEBAR starts every 45 minutes. The latest slot during the week is 11pm, on Thursdays, 11.45pm and Friday and Saturdays 12.30 am and on a Sunday 10:15pm. Each timeslot runs for 40 minutes.

Maximum party size is 25 guests at any time for ABSOLUT ICEBAR LONDON, dependant on availability. We require full prepayment for any party of 4 or more guests, to guarantee the reservation. For groups larger than 25, please call us to speak to our events department.

Larger groups of 8 to 24 guests in belowzero restaurant + lounge can be seated for lunch or between 6 and 7pm or after 9pm with a set menu. Please contact our reservations team for more details.

The cover charge for ABSOLUT ICEBAR is £12.50 on a Sunday to Wednesday and before 18:30 Thursday to Saturday. Sessions beginning from 18:30 on a Thursday to Saturday are charged at £15 with a reservation, £16 for last minute walk-in availability. The cover charge to the ABSOLUT ICEBAR LONDON includes your entrance, hire of your cape & gloves to keep you warm and your first ABSOLUT vodka cocktail served in an ice glass. Alcoholic refills are £6, non-alcoholic refills are £3.We also have premium time slots in the ABSOLUT ICEBAR London at 20.00 only, Thursday to Saturday with a cover charge of £23. This includes complimentary ABSOLUT cocktails for your 40 minutes.

Dress code is Smart Casual (smart trainers are acceptable, at the discretion of management).

Minors are welcome to join us before 7pm accompanied by an adult (latest available ABSOLUT ICEBAR time slot is 6.30pm), after that the age limit is strictly 18 and older. Valid ID may be required; we accept Passports, driving license, and National ID cards, no photocopies.

If you wish to be kept informed about any upcoming events at belowzero & ABSOLUT ICEBAR LONDON, simply sign up for our newsletters and e-shots: www.belowzerolondon.com/signup

For further details, including copies of our menus, please visit our website www.belowzerolondon.com.

Kind Regards,

“Winner of "Best New Bar" at the London Club + Bar Awards “

Reservations Team

T: +44 (0) 207 478 8910
F: +44 (0) 207 287 8844
E: res@belowzerolondon.com
W: www.belowzerolondon.com

Within You Without You

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:59:00 +0000

We were talking - about the space between us all
And the people - who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth - then it's far too late - when they pass away

We were talking - about the love we all could share - when we find it
To try our best to hold it there - with our love.
With our love - We could save the world - if they only knew...
Try to realise it's all within yourself, no one else can make you change

And to see you're really only very small
and life flows on within you and without you

We were talking - about the love that's gone so cold and the people,
Who gain the world and lose their soul.
They don't know. They can't see. Are you one of them?
When you see beyond yourself then you may find,
peace of mind, is waiting there

And the time will come when you see we're all one,
and life flows on within you and without you

Giving has never been more convenient

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:05:00 +0000

Not so long ago, it was a commonplace to come by excuses like - "Oh, donations are not transparent. You never know where your money goes", "I want to give, but I'm just too busy to spend the time and put in the effort" etc. A powerful synergy of technology and an innovative business model gives a straight forward solution - a seamless, integrated, transparent, easy-to-use, global philanthropic tool.

Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world. The way it works is simple:
1. You give money to a NGO anywhere in the world
2. NGO collects the money from you and others who loaned
3. NGO gives all the money to the local poor entrepreneur who needs it
4. Entrepreneur makes the investment and repays the loan to local NGO
5. Local NGO repays the loan back to you - you may withdraw or re-invest the money back to another entrepreneur!
All you do is actually login to a website, choose an entrepreneur, make the loan and carry on with your life - can it get simpler?!!

One of my friend had mentioned -

Kiva is creating an impact. This week alone Kiva lent out nearly $800,000, and 7000 more people started lending. The default rate is 2.85 percent and the delinquency rate is 2.21 percent. Incredible. I looked at some interesting benchmarks. The average Kiva lender has lent $134 to date and received $75 back through 3.6 loans. This isn't the total amount lent out. It includes all the loans through money that was recycled. $59 is still in the system and in June there are 400,000 lenders, which means Kiva has $24MM in the system right now. One billionnaire could increase that amount 50 times. Even at a 2-3 percent delinquency rate, that is a 25 percent better return than the Nasdaq. The personal social return is priceless.

Now that makes not just personal satisfaction, but even a rational business sense!

Kiva was founded by Harvard and Stanford graduates and the management & administration team cannot be more qualified or experienced - this is a sharp contrast to most NGOs I've come across. Social Entrepreneurship, Community Service organizations, SHGs, NGOs are professional business organizations and have to be run with a discipline of any business organization. It took a Kiva to make the world understand this. In short, if you are not pretty damn good enough, you just cannot be a part of a community initiative no matter how noble your thoughts are. Kiva is here to make a difference to this world and has people who actually can do that, not just anybody. Kiva is supported by most of the Fortune 100 companies of the likes of Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Paypal, Intel and even companies that touch your everyday lives like Starbucks, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube etc.

Giving cannot get simpler or more transparent. Visit Kiva by clicking on any of the Kiva banners on this post and I bet you will spend at least half hour just WOWing at the numerous things you can do with Kiva - from lending to volunteering. Anything you do with Kiva has a measurable impact. Visit my Kiva lender page to know what impact I made, how much, when and where - everything!

Angel in the Night

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:04:00 +0000

You are my light in the dark
You are the beating in my heart
But that is not enough
Will I ever be by your side

Your hair is dancing in the wind
Your eyes are burning off my skin
And I'm so happy when I see
That you are smiling back at me

You're living burn marks on the ground
Thank you God for what I've found
I don't know how, I don't know why
That you're my angel in the night

You are my light in the dark
You are the beating in my heart
Let me hold you now
Just like days before you start to cry

You are my light in the dark
You are the beating in my heart
But that is not enough
Will I ever be by your side

I try my best to satisfy
But all you do is where we make it right
I don't know what I'm gonna do
But I'm so crazy about you

Even if I don't know where to start
Even if my love is tearing me apart
I just know that you and me
We were always meant to be

You are my light in the dark
You are the beating in my heart
Let me hold you now
Just like days before you stopped to cry

You are my light in the dark
You are the beating in my heart
But that is not enough
Will I ever be by your side

You're my angel in the night

NewYear 2009 - Indonesia!

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 12:23:00 +0000

NewYear is like a birthday for planet earth. Talking of birthdays, I never gave a damn about them ever - at least not for my birthdays. I've always wondered why, to some (especially girls that I know) it is a huge deal - the cake, the gifts, the party, the surprise of a birthday. To me it is just another day, a reminder that you are getting old.

-----> Sunset in Kuta Beach

Going by that ideology, the new year day (earth's 2009th birthday) should have been just another day to me. This time around, it felt different. It felt like a day to reflect on the past year, look forward to the year ahead and reason out to myself what is it I'm going to do differently to make this a year of progression overall.

-----> Balinese SunSet

It is my family tradition to spend the 31st night on sharing each other's New Year resolutions. Those days when I used to cuddle around with my parents and sister, trying to propose my own resolution as if I'm an adult are a distant memory now. Thanks to boarding school and a job that takes me around all corners of the world, it has been years since I spent new year with my family.

-----> Pool Volley Ball @ Hard Rock Hotel

This time around, I made a concious effort to revive that tradition of resolutions for the new year after an honest retrospection of the passing year - which resulted in the following:
* Travel to a new country for every new year!
* Stay more organised at home and work
* Try not to be too lazy
* Eat healthy and work out regularly
* Stay in touch with all my friends and family
Realistic and achievable they are, I'd hope to do some justice to them.

-----> Steep Fall into the Ocean at a South Bali temple

This new year took me to Bali, Indonesia. With this I have technically travelled in 30 countries in my life. The following are those 30 countries from North America, Europe, Middle East and finally Asia.
1. USA
2. Canada
3. UK
4. Rep. of Ireland
5. France
6. The Netherlands
7. Belgium
8. Luxembourg
9. Switzerland
10. Spain
11. Italy & The Vatican
12. Austria
13. Hungary
14. Czech Republic
15. Slovakia
16. Slovenia
17. Croatia
18. Poland
19. Turkey
20. Russia
21. UAE
22. Oman
23. India
24. Malaysia
25. Singapore
26. Thailand
27. Cambodia
28. Laos
29. Myanmar
30. Indonesia

-----> Stroke of the NewYear @ Hard Rock!!

Most to whom I've told about my travels think travel might not be so adventurous as it was the first time I went outside of my country. They can't be more wrong - from India, Britain (where I've spent considerable time of my life) to Myanmar (where I spent a total of 12 hours by accident without visa) I have distinct memories of all those 30 countries, all colourful with a flavour of its own. Indonesia, the country I went recently is no short of things that made me WOW! Following are a few glimpses of this beautiful country:
* 1 USD = 10,400 IDR (Indonesian Rupiah)
* Shopping Malls and High Streets have tons of D&G, Polo and the likes - all FAKE!
* You can buy an Indonesian/International driving license in a day
* You still have to bribe the corrupt traffic police
* Temple domes are called Pagodas
* Hinduism is the major religion of Bali Island
* The girl in a hair salon said, I look like an Indonesian cinema actor [LOL]
* Bintang = Star; Pintu = Door; Selamat Datang = Welcome; Apa Kaba = How're you
* 99% of tourists in Indonesia = Australians + Russians
* I bought 2 ice-creams at Haagen Das for 100,000 (ahem in IDRs)
* You can't go to temples in shorts; if you end up in a temple in shorts you will have to rent an Indonesian batik!!
* Monkeys are common in Indonesian temples

-----> Elephant Safari Park

-----> Elephant Safari Park

-----> Pagodas of Balinese Hindu Temple

-----> Entrance of a Balinese Hindu Temple

-----> Volcano!! [the first one I saw in my life]

-----> Ocean View from Tanah Lot Temple

-----> Ocean View from Tanah Lot Temple

-----> Elephant Safari Park

The Winners Song

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:45:00 +0000

I started with nothing
Now I have something
I proved them all they were wrong
So glad I kept fighting
And I never stopped trying
Been waiting to sing for so long
My winners song!

I couldn't carry on
I thought my chance had gone
I was ready to stop and give in
I thought I'd give it one last try
Look this moment in the eye
Then maybe who knows I could win
I dreamed about this for a lifetime
But I could not imagine
What it feels like standing here right now

I started with nothing
Now I have something
I proved them all they were wrong
So glad I kept fighting
And I never stopped trying
Been waiting to sing for so long
My winners song!

This journey's been incredible
Now standing in the light
I hope this last for more than one night
ONE NIGHT

I started with nothing
Now I have something
I proved them all they were wrong
So glad I could find it
And I never stop trying
Been waiting to sing for so long
My winners song

Been waiting to sing for so long
My winners song

Destination Unknown

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:43:00 +0000

I've been partying too much of late in Edinburgh and there is a list of songs I keep hearing in the clubs. My favorite of them all is the one below - Destination Unknown :)

My favorite of all the nights are Wednesday nights at Opal Lounge :)) They call it the Chambles and i've been going there for the last 3 weeks straight!

Woohoo, can't wait until tomorrow.. Coz its wednesday night again and I'll be in Opal Lounge again, so its Destination Known known known.. hehe!!

Online Adverts

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:14:00 +0000

Google revolutionized online adverts by coming up with a patented relevant-ads algorithm which actually places ads related to what you are actually using the internet for. Google started it and Microsoft, Facebook, Yahoo and all the other internet companies followed suit. By now, it’s no more a topic for discussion.

But what is, is the level of insanity of some of these online adverts – I was using facebook today and see the ad that was placed on my profile page :)

Wealth Creation – Time to wake up!

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:12:00 +0000

There are only 2 flavors of opinions about Wealth Creation –
Category 1: I am not materialistic; all I want is a simple yet content life, doesn’t get better
Category 2: I want to create wealth, lots of it; life opens up every time I thinks this is it

You must fall in one of the above categories of people. I am opinionated and have to give my thoughts however idiotic they might sound on every thing I lay my hands or mind on. So flows my thoughts on wealth creation..

Category 1 – I’m not materialistic: Excuse for being incompetent and lazy I reckon; it is fuzzy and interchangeable to say – how much more you want AND how much you don’t want. If a person says, I don’t want to create wealth coz I have enough and I’m contented – then how much is enough? There is a fine line between capacity (the lack of it, I mean) and satisfaction; in most cases the former leads to the later. But the good thing is capacity is expansive in nature; the only impediment to this nature of capacity is mere laziness. Summarizing the intentionally philosophical afore-mentioned statements: LAZINESS -> [shrinks] -> CAPACITY -> [leads to] -> SATISFACTION. It provokes anger and shame to find the result of the wonderings about the Category 1 people leads to identifying something as silly as “laziness” being the root cause of making the world’s majority the way they are – over spoken & under achieving.

Category 2 – I want to create wealth: They are normal people according to me; I belong to this category myself. So I can talk about my life instead of giving opinions. At every stage of my life I had dreams. Eventually when I either achieved or got closer to a dream, the dream got bigger and I didn’t achieve it or got farther from my dream -> a pull-push sort of phenomenon; but never have I got complete satisfaction as there is always something out there. I can’t explain better, try and imagine this: Let’s say living a life is to reach out to the circle around us, then you do it only to realize there is a bigger circle behind it, you reach out to the bigger circle, an even bigger circle that makes the previous big circle a small circle – this continues endlessly. I call it the “Life Opening Up” phenomenon. Creating wealth is not bad for those of you who just didn’t get what I said – it is good. In fact it is so good that in the process of creating this wealth, it is almost imperative that 2 great things happen – a) you create value (b) many more people around you create wealth and in turn create value and make even more people create wealth and so on. Fortunately, this is like a chain reaction massively compensating for the thoughtlessness of the Category 1 majority in this planet.

What Category 1 think about Category 2? I don’t know if Category 2 is special, may be to Category 1 people it might seem like it. Some Category 1 people might even think the wealth creators are greedy and bad people, without fun, a happy life and peace of mind. Consolation - for what they could not achieve. Excuse - for not drifting out of their comfort zone of “laziness”.

This is not to show off, but to emphasize my point –
I traveled in over 30 countries
I have a swiss watch, iPhone, Gucci wallet, Prada shades, 2 cars
I enjoyed operas, ballets and concerts around the world
I bank offshore in 5 different currencies
I missed intl flights just because I was having a good time with friends
I donated thousands of dollars on charity
I traveled continents just to meet up with a friend and have a coffee
I have been to many great museums, appreciate world art and music
I am 24 and
I think I have done nothing!

You think I am a show-off, bad and greedy, you could just do so. I don’t care. But what you read are things many people even after retirement could only dream of. Think again! You think it is all worth losing just because of something as silly as “laziness”, I’d say TIME TO WAKE THE HELL UP!

Moscow

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:50:00 +0000

I'm randomly posting photos and videos from Russia for quick view - I will edit the post once I go back to London. For now, just take a look at the pictures and videos and enjoy :))

211 Things a bright boy can do

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:09:00 +0000

This is one of those books you discover from an old pile of crap on the loft of your childhood home or something. This one though, I found in the middle of dust lined stock of reservoir engineering and geology books in my office. I was convinced it has something to do with predicting hydrocarbon formations with better accuracy – until I opened it!

That and 210 other equally interesting tricks which is quintessential for boys of all ages could be found here. I am not even sure if this Tom Cutler’s (whoever he is) masterpiece could be found on book stores or Amazon – but this is just one of those books you discover.. bla bla bla.. or something; I’m lucky to have found this. Now that I have it, it is only a matter of time I become a bright boy.

Just like all amazing things, this one doesn’t go without a caveat – I checked it on google; so far there are no books by the name “211 Things a bright girl can do that expose the bright boy tricks and make him look like an idiot”. But the girls can always buy a copy of this book and be aware of the tricks; that will spoil everything.

So I strongly warn the boys to keep this clandestine from the girls and earnestly request the girls to forget about this whole post, pretend not to know anything and be genuinely impressed with the boys who put some of these tricks into play. Cheers to all of you who will soon become bright boys – woo hoo :)

On the picture - Vladimir, Margarita, Viktor, Elena. We already had a 211 things party up here - hehe!

Russia – my first time ever!

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:59:00 +0000

Woo hoo! I’m going to Moscow on 07-SEP and I’m excited & nervous at the same time. I have read quite a bit about Moscow and St. Petersburg on travel forums – overall I find the people friendly and some have even offered to help me while I’m there. Recent war with Georgia and language problem still makes me nervous. Vladimir, Elena, Viktor, Margarita – they are all close friends & colleagues of mine from Russia. The last week I’ve been partying big time with them and this is what I found:

1. The people in Moscow complain about St. Petersburg and vice versa. Vlad is from Moscow and Margarita is from St. Petersburg and you should see them talk :)
2. Vlad & Elena asked me not to travel long on the Trans-Siberian; Moscow to Vladivostok takes a week and it is not very safe. But I still want to explore a little bit of it.
3. Viktor advised me not to go clubbing alone in Moscow – which I will not. I would be with my friends and other people from training.
4. Tim & Veronika, friends from Hospitality Club advised me to bring jacket, swim suit and umbrella to Russia – I hope the weather is not too cruel in September; but hey, it can’t be worse than Britain hehe!

I’ll have to wait until I reach Russia to really comment on those. But I’m doing my own homework as well – I just received my Amazon order of books on Russia [look at the picture above]. I’m excited and reading all of them here and there.

I’m flying Swiss Air and reach Moscow on Sunday afternoon – I would stay at the Holiday Inn Suschevsky until the 13-SEP where I’ll take a training to be a good manager (LOL) and then my plans are really open. I intend to take a train to St. Petersburg on the 15-SEP and spend a week there and then visit some villages on the Trans Siberian later on before flying back to London.

Visa Tip: For those who want to travel in Russia and needs a visa; please keep in mind that you have to apply at least a month before you intend to travel. The procedure is different and complicated – but simple if you apply on time. You have to apply for a business or tourist visa in Moscow and after processing your application you will receive a Letter of Invitation (LOI) by DHL – this takes 20 working days. Then you take this original LOI and file another application at the Russian embassy in your resident country along with your photo, resident card, insurance policy and a cover letter from the employer – the visa is issued normally on the same day that you apply.

This would be the first of many posts to come on Russia and my experiences there – watch out for this space and wish me good luck in my travels there.

The Great Angkor Wat

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:25:00 +0000

I went with a colleague for a holiday in Thailand last year – after a week in Thailand, she had a flight to Melbourne and my flight to London was 4 days later. During our flight from Phuket to Bangkok the in-flight magazine had an article on the great Angkor Wat temple ruins in Seam Reap, Cambodia. It was an experience of a famous French photographer who made as many as 10 trips to Cambodia in the 90’s to take photographs using an infra red camera, of one of the greatest temple ruins on earth. His pictures show-cased on the magazine were breathtaking and the infra-red camera shots resembled the ones I take on Sepia mode of my camera. He used an infra red camera for 2 reasons – a) it completely eliminates the effect of tree leaves that might come in the way (b) taking a picture using a color camera already puts a date to the photo; IR/Sepia pictures suggests something antique. Take a look at some of the Sepia-mode pictures I shot in Cambodian Angkor to know it yourself. On arrival at Bangkok, I saw her off to Australia and took a $40 Bangkok Airways flight to Seam Reap, Cambodia – I had no idea what I was in for!

Hindu God of Creation – Vishnu at the entrance of the Angkor Wat main temple. Angkor Wat is a set of 30 temples (many more unexplored, they say) on the outskirts of Seam Reap – a town on the Northern part of Cambodia. You can buy a 3 day temple visit pass for $40 and a 1 day pass cost you $20. You’d need at least 3 days to explore the Angkor and there are tourists that rent apartments to stay in Seam Reap for longer periods and explore the ruins in leisure.

Angkor Wat – the main temple and its reflection on the pond in the front. There is a strange phenomenon that happens only in this part of the world. The ocean floods the forests surrounding the Angkor during the rainy months and recedes in summer. The locals say that’s how they managed to build these massive stone temples in the middle of nowhere – the stones must have arrived on boats when the forests flood.

The Face temple – the faces represent king Jeyavarman whose face meant terror to the enemies. This temple was actually scary in broad day light!

There are lots of eerie trees all around Angkor and for tree watchers this place is a paradise. Observe the ones above, where the trees and the temple form a single formation.

Cat Temple – of course that is not its name; but the shape of the series of temples resembles a cat sitting down.

Stone rubbles are a common scene in this age old temple ruins. Some are really worth taking a close look at. The greenish tinge on the black rocks on a green background makes a good contrast and is pleasing to the eyes.

Kids kids kids – you will find them all around the temples and in Seam Reap town. Most bug tourists for money selling T-shirts, bronze figurines etc. Some like in the pictures above just play, swim, fish, randomly walk and enjoy their childhood in one of the most stunning works of the yesteryears. Angkor – I’d say is the mother of all hindu temples in the world.

There is plenty of opportunities for tourists to do community work in Seam Reap. When you still have time and energy after exploring the Angkor, you can consider visiting the following –
* Artisans D’angkor is an French organization that encourages and helps talented Angkor sculptors to continue the khmer art & tradition - http://www.artisansdangkor.com/
* The National Museum has been renovated and looks great
* There is a famous landmine museum [Cambodia has a deep landmine history – google to know more]
* Every night performances of Apsara [heavenly dance girl/charmer] dancers in Seam Reap restaurants
* Floating forests – definitely a must-see; you can even canoe in the thick forests [mind your head - take care there could be a branch or a root right in the front]
* Hiking Spots with plenty of waterfalls with stone sculpture ruins
* Army Shooting range – you could try AK-47, Mortar bombs, Pistols and other artillery that you fancy for dirt cheap price!

Sun & Sand – Shengoop

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:10:00 +0000

Middle East indeed has quite a lot of either and more – a unique culture. During the times that I’ve never traveled to that part of the world, I had a very different impression of the Arab world – mostly from travel channel shows of Morocco and Egypt. The problem with those shows is they are taken in Morocco & Egypt and they cover mostly tourist places which are not many and definitely not mainstream.

So visiting the Middle East was easily a culture shock to me and it took quite a bit to understand a lot of things there. Few other things still remain a mystery. On the above picture is Shengoop, me and Ali Mussalem in Oman that is trying to mobilize a Schlumberger unit for a job on a land rig involving secondary high explosives to perforate the oil well. Shengoop meaning “crap” is the nickname for Seif – I wouldn’t be surprised coz on our drive from Fahud to Sahmah, Shengoop was narrating his experience of getting lost in the sands and ending up over a border police check-post in Saudi Arabia with radio-active sources, which was originally sent to a rig in Oman – hehe!

Frequent break of journeys to sit around in a circle and enjoy the sunset with frequent shots of Omani coffee & fresh-picked home dates is commonplace in this country. Business and people in Oman is pretty laid back – fair enough for an oil rich country with population less than most metropolitan cities in the world. Observe the Oman Chips carton (I kind of have a thing for this chips, very different in taste & flavor), 1.4 D Explosives placard (the 1.4 D is a universal explosives classification code – in this case referring to a Secondary High Explosives, which are the most deadly of all) and the nothingness of the background! The desert in Oman is not like the usual ones with sand dunes you would imagine (though Oman does have some places with dunes) – they are mostly granular sands and rock formations.

That is Shengoop at a closer angle – it was fun working with him during that job; he just lost the key for the pick-up truck during that job – but hey, at least we didn’t end up in Saudi Arabia :-)

Back in the Petrogas camp in Sahmah, we got to stand-by for a day before they wanted Schlumberger crew in the rig. I stole (really) a bike from the camp and was so excited to ride it on the camp corridors.

And ended up like this…!

Bratislava - the big small town!

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Brat, as it is lovably called it is the capital city of Slovakia. The Slovaks are very friendly people and the city is too small that you can walk all over the city within one day. Brat, despite being small is charming and there are too many little things that capture everybody’s attention. It was a welcome break in the middle of my euro trip at a point I was inundated with museums, art galleries and cathedrals. I have compiled below some random scenes in Brat that made me sit and stare. I love Brat, muaah!

Sitting in the front side of the Danube restaurant for lunch!

This is a famous monument of the waterworks man climbing up the man-hole. It is there in some random street and comes up before you all of a sudden.

I love this one, on a park bench in some major square in city center.

This is what I love about Brat, look at this one - completely random in the walking lane of a shop street!

Cute kids playing a game around the tree. I was trying to understand how they play, but its difficult. As far as I remember, its got to do something with running round and round the tree and one kid gets kicked out for some reason. Umm, something like that i guess..

My favorite activity while backpacking - visiting the local post office and sending out cards to friends. This one is not a postoffice but a random post box in a random street - again so Brat'ish!

Random Photograher at a street corner - smart & wily!

This is heights of randomness - an alien space ship shaped restaurant on top of the suspension bridge that goes on top of river danube! It is supposed to be Brat's millennium monument.

This is a just a famous clock tower in city center - not too Brat'ish (or random)!

I would visit Slovakia again, but not Bratislava. I want to explore the hill side villages on the northern part of Slovakia bordering Poland. I want to also visit the border district of Zakopane in Poland. Ahhh, can't wait to go back :-)

Play it again, Sam

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 06:37:00 +0000

“You must remember this; a kiss is just a kiss...
Unforgettable standard...As time goes by…”

Indeed, it’s got to be Woody Allen’s master piece created in 1972 that took Casablanca to an all time great romantic work. That has nothing to do with this post. Just got reminded of when I was hand picking some pictures I shot in Central Europe of monuments erected for great musicians whose work are so immaculate that it impacts even today’s ipod generation! I always assumed one needs to have a taste to enjoy classical music – but there are works of some (you will see their monuments below) that just blow your mind away, period. I was so wrong. You do not have to be a classical music enthusiast to appreciate their work. I wondered what makes their music so special. As I kept going to more concertos and visited more monuments, slowly it dawned to my mind. In order to enjoy a genre of music (hip hop, RnB, Electronica, Classical, Folk etc.) one needs to have a taste or like – else you will not enjoy it. The works of the following people cannot be classified as a genre of music – they are more like music itself; in its natural, original, pure, universal form straight from the heart influenced more by nature, human moods & sensualities rather than society and pretension. I enjoyed every bit of the 5 or 6 concerts I went in Vienna, Paris and Budapest and clearly understood what is it in such forms of music that brings tear drops to the listener.

Antonín Dvořák in front of the Rudolfium in Praha (Czekh Republic)

Ludwig van Beethoven, Wien (Austria) Please note he was able to conduct and perform even after becoming completely deaf!

Johannes Brahms, Wien (Austria)

Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wien (Austria) - Yeah, that's his full name!!

Johann Strauss II, Wien (Austria)

Golden Hall of the Musikvierin - Wien (Austria) - take a look at the costumes and the wig of the concerto performers!!

Schlumberger Melodramatic 1930s

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:20:00 +0000

I do not come from a family that has a background in the oil world. It is hence safe to assume none of my folks got any clue about my job or industry in general. The video is a melodramatic version of the first resistivity log done by my company in the US. The b/w movie is taken in 1932 in California - since then both the industry and Schlumberger have come a long way and look very different.

Glorifying the Piss

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:58:00 +0000

What is in a piss? But Europeans somehow find great passion in creating works of art related to a pissing man and glorifying it to unfair proportions. Although there are too many examples of pissing man fountains in Europe (i can count at least 10 that I have seen myself), the most famous one of all is the Manekkan's Piss of Brussels, Belgium. It is so over-rated that everybody who visits Brussels is so excited to see it; when they do see it the first reaction would be "Oh, is that it?"!! Reason being, the statue is way too small and nobody is sure why is it so famous - there is even a museum with a whole collection of outfits for the usually naked Manekkan who never stops pissing.

Manekkan in his usual naked pose, pissing of course

I was very lucky to get hold of the same Manekkan in the same pissing pose, but with a costume on!

Other not so famous examples of Glorifying the piss tradition of Europe - these 2 pissing boys with an especially vivid expression of relief on the face, is on the front side of a restaurant on the way to the hrad (castle) in Praha, Czekh Republic. I'm not sure if people actually ate in that restaurant, but definitely took pictures with the pissing boys or took a piss themselves - haha!

My Random Shoots - A Series!

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 14:41:00 +0000

Victoria Train Station, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam - Bikes are very much a part of life in Holland, special lanes, beautiful nature makes it ideal!

Charles Bridge from river Danube, Praha, Czekh Republic

Cigar Shop, Golden Utika (Street), Praha, Czekh Republic

Restaurant, Praha, Czekh Republic

wafflebrugge - what is that?

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:57:00 +0000

wafflebrugge is the name of my blog – I’m sure it would have occurred to some why I chose this name. I think I had the best moment of my recent life in a town called Brugge (pronounced as brooooh) in Belgium. What was the moment? Sitting by a canal and enjoying freshly made, hot waffles with chocolate syrup with a sweet companion bought from a €1 a piece road-side vendor. Hence the name wafflebrugge for my blog address and chocolate waffles for my blog title. Whenever I see/type/hear wafflebrugge I get reminded of those few minutes in Brugge and it makes me feel great instantly! Ok, time for some pictures: all of the following are taken in Brugge, Belgium this summer, except the last one in Amsterdam, Holland –

You can still see the waffle vendor in the background from whom I bought the tastiest chocolate waffles in the world.

Windmills are very characteristic of Holland and Belgium; and many works of the Dutch genius Vincent Van Gogh find inspiration in these ancient windmills.

Tiny streets lined with old stone houses and stone roads that makes a funny noise when cars go past them – found in many towns all over Europe, especially in Italy.

Canals flaked by typical Dutch/Belgian style houses (characterized by steps/curves triangulating upwards, small width and no gap in between). I took this picture standing on a canal bridge which is also a common scene in Holland, Belgium and the sinking city of Venicia (Italy). Also one of the major Van Gogh inspirations.

Since I already mentioned his name twice, I had to put up this picture taken right outside the VV Gogh museum in Amsterdam, Holland – that houses world’s largest collection of VVG’s works. Please visit this website for more info – http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/

North Pole

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:58:00 +0000

What does a boy with some pounds on the wallet, plenty of holidays and infinite desire to travel the world (and beyond) do on a laid back Sunday after noon? Look out for backpacking destinations! Having traveled in over 25 countries so far, I am not an amateur when it comes to traveling. In the past, I have considered – Euro trips, Olympics vacation, African safari, Cheap Asia tour, trekking in Himalayas, Learn Spanish in Spain, GAP holiday in S America and other popular ones. The thing about the “off beaten destinations” is, everybody talks about them, some even manage to get there and in the end they are not off beaten enough.

Then I reached out to my freeze box to grab my Irn bru when it hit me – North Pole! To be frank, I thought North Pole is an exclusive zone for scientific researchers and environmentalists. Then I wiki’d North Pole and the page I got turned out to be the funniest wiki page I’ve ever read. First some random facts and then some random funny facts from the North Pole wiki page.

North Pole Wiki Page-link - http://wikitravel.org/en/North_Pole

Random Facts:
1. Nobody knows who reached the North Pole first
2. Latitude-Longitude: latitude 90°N (longitude not applicable)
3. There is no official marker or flag or monument marking the North Pole (may be someone should build one)
4. Yes, there are Arctic tour operators  woo hoo!! You don’t have to be that strangely bearded scientist to be in the North Pole.
5. How to get there? By air ($ 13000) or By Sea ($ 20000) – I personally feel the 2 week expedition trips on ice-breaker vessels are the best way to get there.
6. There is only 1 protracted sun rise and sun set each year!

Random funny-facts: [these are quotes from the Wiki Page – I told you]
1. Tour operators stick a sign pole into the ice, but that's unofficial and purely for photographic purposes
2. Each year, there is a marathon foot race called the North Pole Marathon organized by Polar Running Adventures
3. It is impossible to buy anything at the North Pole; you should bring everything you might need [how unobvious - hehe]
4. Adventurous types may try searching for Santa Claus but it is highly unlikely you'll be able to locate him [Jesus Christ..!]
5. Most visitors to the North Pole head south next [I can believe that, coz I am already finding it hard to make a choice between the poles]

To be fair you should read a bit about the South Pole as well – I found an interesting organization acronym’d as IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) http://www.iaato.org/

Smile that lingers

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:24:00 +0000

There are times when you meet someone, get influenced so much in a sweet way and end up smiling irrespective of what she says. Rarely, there are times when this smile lingers on long after she had gone; it takes a while before you realize you are still smiling and end up shrugging yourself off saying "oh silly me" :)

Those are actually amazing moments and the person who caused it is usually an amazing person. There is always a lot to read in the following -

A smile you give for a tiny bit of extra time
A hug that goes a little longer than it usually should
A hand shake with a tiny bit of extra stress
An extended moment of silence on the phone before hanging up
One extra bye, before parting
When in a group, an uneasy eye contact for no reason

Many think it is a crush, but I guess it is a bit more than that – may be an overly sweet form of it that could happen only between a boy and a girl, kind of made for each other.

Bachelor Cooking

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:49:00 +0000

That is my flatmate cooking stupid food in the disorganized kitchen in our disorganized house - haha! We have experimented so many things in the name of cooking. I guess now I could call myself an expert bad-cook :)

My house!

noreply@blogger.com (wafflebrugge) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:18:00 +0000

This was a video of my house in Scotland I took a long time back. I probably look like an idiot towards the end of it, please do not mind.