Life, the Universe and Jaffa Cakes

I am about to reactivate this blog. However I would like to point out it is to soothe the ego of a friend of mine, who might be under the illusion that she is moti. I say may because she might be sensible enough to see through my chatter. In case she doesnt though, and to be clear, I think she is, well, very pretty. There. You reading this Misbah (aka bodyguard) - please dont come and beat me up. Pretty please.

However that raises the bigger question. What do you say to someone who you think is actually gaining weight? Do you try to gently hint to them? Can you be honest? Can you perhaps make constructive criticism?

If you read the above and go "Hmmm" in your head - HA! There is no right way. After 30 seconds of deep intense thought, here is the solution - STOP THINKING. You WONT win. EVER. Just let someone else do the job.

Its a difficult world :(

pretty, picturesque, and sunny (except for the next day when at one point i felt like i was in a carwash without the car!!!)

i like this photo. not sure why the belgians would want a giant hand in the middle of thier town, but there you go.

clockwise, starting with me, indian/irish/omani ;), philippines, india, russia, netherlands, usa, russia, malaysia. how cool is that :)

I have now entered week 3 of my training course in Shell, and I never realized time could move by so quickly.The first 2 weeks prior to the course were deadly dull, but now that everyone is here and things are in full swing its difficult to get any time to myself! Tonight is the first night I have had free since 14 Sept, and it looks like the only free one for the next 2 weeks. Life is hectic but exciting :)

SO what have i done lately? The course started with an outdoor course in Belgium, which was awesome! We went absailing, zip lining, diving in a freezing lake, my team even walked 15 km through rural Belgium when we got lost and couldn’t find any public transportation to take us where we had to be. But rural Belgium is fantastic - definitely recommend a holiday through those parts.

The best thing about the course is the diversity. There are 24 of us, and we have 12 different nationalities. English, Irish, Indian, Russian, Argentinian, Malaysian, Chinese, American, Dutch, German, French, and Togo-nese (dont know what the adj form of being from Togo is).

The weekends as such have been awesome. Trips to Paris and Berlin are on the cards. The trains run (usually) so well here, its so easy to move form one place to another. The other great thing is the ease of flying to London, 80 euro round trip :D Who needs to work in the city ;) Work for Shell I say.

Last weekend I went to Brusells, as well as visiting Antwerp and Bruge. Fantastic weekend, so pretty and great nights out. I could go on and on but will post some pictures on facebook, check them out! oh and Belgian chocolate and Belgian waffles RULE!!!!!!!!!

We also went to a THREE storey go karting track here. (Here is RIjswijk, outside the Hague. 40 min train to airport :) and will be moving to aberdeen in end of october). 3 storeys!!!! Its incredible! i was sliding across hairpin bends, coming oh so close to losing control but still managing to handle well. I was third out of 12 of us, and given the first 2 are dutch and have come here before, i think i did well. :)

right, i am now going to try and do some washing and laundry - its incredible how easy it is to ignore mundane tasks. darn.

thats what i would look like. :) a kid clutching his lollipop. yay.

Click here to make yours now!!! :)

So there I am Amsterdam airport, and I am trying to get a train to my hotel in Rijswijk. Time is 7.16. I ask the dude at the information desk and he says that there is a train to Rijswijk, 8.46. Ugh. Long wait. So I am pottering about when I decide I should ask if it’s a direct train or not. So off I toddle off (time stamp is 7.35) to the information dude again, to check. And he says no, I need to change at Den Haag HS at 8.33, and that if I don’t hurry I am going to miss my train. And then realization dawns on me. Not Rijswijk 8.46, Rijswijk AT 46 (7.46)!!!!! Had to sprint down some escalators, and made it in time. But honestly. How did I ever make a mess of that :S.

And its not the only train problem I had. On my way to the airport, I am stuck again Den Haag HS, I am on a direct train and listening to my mp3 player. The train stopped for a while, and eventually I twig theres a lot of people with suitcases going off (despite this not being the airport station)....And then, through Californication, I realize theres also an announcement being played out repeatedly. Yup, you are right – there was a problem with the train schedule so I needed to change trains. Yours truly had to jump off quite snappishly. So yes. Not the best train weekends for me. Maybe next time I should consider sitting next to really old people – the kind who ask everyone at every station which station it is and whether they should get off. Might help.

Check out this snapshot of the BBC news. Obviously some editors really like Tom Cruise :-)



Crazy world.

See all us facebook users (slash addicts) have really not liked the new Feed/Mini-Feed feature. To the point where there were protest groups, petitions, you name it. But I never thought it would be that news worthy an issue. Until today, when I checked out the BBC website.....



Damn. Facebook is big, and its here to stay. Whats the betting on a partnership with Google anytime soon? :)

So some links. Have fun!

And this is awesomely cool – DNA goes fashion-conscious.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5318028.stm

And my digital equivalent? I hope not! :-)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5303126.stm

So lots happening this week! But first a moment to try and wipe from memory the terrible nightmares I had last night, courtesy of ms purple going where no man of sane mind should ever go!!!! (click here to read the post, if you dare).

This weekend I head off to jolly old London to visit one of my best friends, for, and hold your breath:

- her 21st
- her sisters 18th
- her dads 50th
- her parents 25th anniversary

Phew. I would investigate the dates akin to Ms Purples lines of thought, but I am still too traumatized. :-)

Anyways, Sony announced that they would be postponing their European launch of the Playstation 3 by another 4 months to March 2007!! I mean, what??!!? They are gifting the console wars to Microsoft in a nice giftwrap. I think we are starting to see the beginning of the end of the Playstation dominance in our living rooms. Xbox Live itself is something Sony will never be able to beat, so large and extensive is the former already. I think we are seeing the nail being hit into the coffin, and hit hard.

Anyways, a news round up coming up. The world has been incredibly interesting this last week (or maybe my life has just been that boring!)

Andre Agassi lost after losing to Benjamin Becker in the US Open. It was a great match from the former number 1, and he played some incredible shots to show why he has lasted so long. Alas, his back was unable to keep him company. Watching him retire, in a way, reminded me of how old I am slowly but surely getting. I used to be a big Sampras fan (still am), and I remember those heady days watching Sampras vs Agassi finals – thrilling contests. So passes yet another milestone in my life. Wow.

Also this week Steve Irvin died. That’s a shame, because he really was the ultimate Wizard of Oz. However, curiously, a debate has been stirred up – should the footage showing his final moments and death be aired? Some argue yes, stating the educational value. However, I am firmly opposed to it. Why do we wish to treat death so flippantly? No matter how public his life may have been, its still weird to want to watch something as intimate as his final moments. The BBC has a great article on this, where 2 medical ethicists debate it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/5326802.stm

Politically, the worlds a mess, just read the BBC to get an idea. I wont go into details here because that’s just way too serious, and I am more happy-go-lucky. However do make sure to check out the Middle East conflict – Israel is clearing its blockade and I think we might be on the verge of peace again. Finally.

Though one significant zany political event this week was the birth of the Japanese male heir to the Royal family. It’s a significant step because it now gives the royals a clear cut heir to the throne. You see, Japanese law does not allow females to inherit the throne – which seems a little bit archaic don’t you think in todays world? :-)

Right, I think I should so something productive as the lunch break is up.

So the funniest thing in the world happened today. I talk a lot (bet you are going to all go "nawwww really?!?") and I was meeting a couple of new people for the first time in the hotel bar....

[yes I was bored, I basically wandered up to this group of complete strangers and started talking to them....]

So anyways, we are getting along great, when this new dude arrives (new to me, the others did know him) and I launch into "Hi, I'm Waz, whats your name, where you from? Are you a new starter" etc etc. I then hear giggles behind...

So I like to ask questions. Not a bad thing right? Well, maybe. Turns out, everyone is amused at my ability to ask 20 questions on the trot.......... and I thought that would be kind of normal...but no. I am now “database guy” since I know everyones past. Embarrassing or what! :S

But I am now close to finishing my first week in the Netherlands, have worked for a grand total of 3 days. Scary. The first day already seems like a lifetime ago! I am now up to my ears in training packages, most of which are designed around IT – how to use a computer (they even show me how to turn one on!), and so on and so forth. Riveting stuff. And I get paid for this! :-)

I also saw a recap of some the more amusing conversations I have had on Ms Purples blog. I think the msn food fight was the most fun I have had on msn…….. trust me, they are awesomely cool.

And as I write this, I am also watching this really really old Jackie Chan movie … I don’t know the name but its wicked….its got cars crashing everywhere and Mr Chan doing some insane stunts on a motor cross bike (you know the ones with lots of suspension and no saddle used in insane stunts)……wow so much fun!!!

how awesome is that idea. still makes me laugh!

now that was my dream car :D

whoever was costume designer for this show clearly did not like Robin.

Robin, Batwoman and Batman

anyone remember the 1966 Batman and Robin series? :) Definitely the best tv for 10 year olds.
--> Holy Cow, Batman!
--> You don't say, Robin. Quick, to the Batcave!

Oh and talking of jobs and YouTube, visit this link!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjhi_FHxY8k

Another must see link is this amazing text to audio converter I found. For all those of you with Asian names (yes ms purple definitely try yours) the pronunciation is incredibly amusing. The US accent got my name “Wasim” perfectly, however the UK one was terrible. Go figure.

http://www.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php

Hello everyone!

Wow so my first day at work. I am officially a grownup now (as those on my msn would also know). Its crazy! 18 years ago, I entered primary……………sooo long ago.

Hell this is what I looked like 18 years ago (I am the dude on the right) I want to be that again!!



Anyways, the first day of work was a bit of an anticlimax – lots of forms to fill! Mobile, email, passcard, the works. I did get a company laptop though :-) LOL. I am amused easily.

Unfortunately though, the rest of my workmates are over 25. The other new starters only arrive here on 15 September, so that leaves a looooong time before I start doing anything fun. Till then, its TV, books and the occasional walk around the town.

Rijswijk is amazing. If I was 40, had a wife and kids and my biggest worry was about the double chin I was starting to acquire. However, given how young and energetic I am, it’s a little bit boring. However all the new starters will arrive in 10 days time, so its not that long before I am back to my usual antics of singing Aladdin and retelling really funny jokes badly (or is that really bad jukes funnily?)

I also discovered YouTube on the internet, and have spent countless hours reminiscing on all the clips I have found. I thought I would take a walkback in time, and listen in to some old favorites – Captain Planet, Centurions, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Thundercats, Danger Mouse, Power Rangers. Yay !!!!!! I like cartoons. Especially the corny corny lines! Speaking of corny, do any of you remember BATMAN & ROBIN – the TV series? You know, POW!, CRASH!, BAM! WHAM!, etc etc :-)

I have also decided to expand the number of songs I can sing – add on “I can show you the world” and “Under the sea”. Happy days.

the street my hotel is on is called the GranD Winston Churhillaan. How wierd and random is that? Not to mention that my hotel is called the Grand Winston, and they have this massive 2 floor high picture of the old man. Distinctly odd.

And so I am here on my second day in this hotel. Riveting stuff. Although I must admit my language has imporved no end. No more "Thanks". No sirree, its now all "Thank You". Similarly, all the "hi!"s are gone and now are "Hello." I am all grown up way too quickly. Though most of you might enjoy this new me. Pity we will have to wait awhile before we meet.

PS for those of you who did not guess, I was talking about Winston Churchill.

thought of the day.

life has to be a little bit nuts. otherwise it would feel like a bunch of thursdays strung out together.