Delhi Digest

Not So Sure....

2011-11-10T07:19:00.001-08:00

There I was eating my frozen yogurt with Natasha and Nikhil on a mezzanine floor of the DLF Promenade mall in Vasant Kunj.. (Our local mall) looking down on the shops. Everything has become so expensive since we got here 6 years ago. Now I don't think I mind that if the quality has also got better but unfortunately I don't think it has. I went into one of the shoe shops in DLF Promenade recently. The shop was fanastically decked out and very large also. The shoe designs were varied and pretty good. So good I picked one out to try on. The design is a classic lace up ankle high boot type shoe. The price for this pair of shoes was Rs 8000 that is over 100 British pounds....In India.!!! I am willing to pay that much if the shoes are comfortable. I tried them on and they were most uncomfortable! These must have been amongst the worst/cheapest made shoes I have ever tried. I asked the store staff where the shoes were made and they said "China".!

So this is what appears to be happening in this instance..... Make the shop look great so that passers by think they are walking into a western shop. Make the designs good also......but..... make them as cheap as you can and sell them for as much as you can!! A classic rip off in other words. There seem to be a few people falling for this nonsense.... Happily though, today, while eating my frozen yogurt (yummy it was too ;) I did not see a single person walk into that shop. I do hope that they have been runmbled :)

Below is a photo of Nikhil tucking into some quite sizeable prawns in Goa.....

It's a hard life !

Peace and love

So much happening !

2011-10-10T06:57:00.000-07:00

Running your own business really does mean that one does not get a moment to themselves. The toothbrushes thing is starting to take hold at last. We are still not paying ourselves out of it yet but looking at the simmering potential orders and deals we cannot be far off from starting to pay ourselves back even if only modest sums to start with.

I had a very enlightening experience in the form of being invited to the Goa Institute of management (GIM for short) to deliver a short introduction to my business and then a question and answer session that was supposed to last 40 minutes but went on for one and a half hours !!! This sort of exercise helps to recall all aspects of the business and some that I have overlooked and need to re-visit. The day was so successful that the professor of marketing (a very nice man) asked me if I could give him a job !!! He wanted to be a salesman for us!! :)) hehe.

Of course while in Goa we managed to find ample time to just sit on the beach and go wave bashing. Outstanding beaches in the south of Goa. The sand was soft and powdery and hardly anyone there. Below is the proof.

That's me with Roochi and Nikhil trailing. The photo credit goes to Natasha who is starting to take a very keen interest in photography :))

Peace and Love

Much needed

2011-09-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well.... after a long break from writing this thing... I have decided to put finger to key again. For the first time in 5 years the 4 of us went on holiday together somewhere far off and by a beach.Thailand to be precise. Bloody marvelous!! We met lovely people and did the things we like doing best. Roochi learnt all about planting rice with Natasha and actually went out and did it. She also weaved baskets. Nikhil and I went fishing AND caught something. Lots of water and swimming involved. All of us went out snorkelling which has to be one of the things I like to do the most on holiday. Of course last but not least ..... eating. Oh the food. I also ate spiders and dung beetles that were foraged for by Nikhil and Natasha and some local vilaagers in the a village that we stayed in for a few days and then the lady of the house cooked it up for me to eat. The Spider was actually not bad. The legs tasted of roast pork and the body tasted of mild chicken liver !! The dung beetles I could have done without. If you don't believe me....... here is a photo ;)

I was not kidding :)) !!

Peace and Love

Will it ever end ?

2011-03-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

We seem to be living in a time of endless wars and fighting. It is spreading around the globe. Or..... is it just that there is more reporting that we are more aware of things going on in the world. I do not know the answer. What I do know is whenever I land up in Doha to do some work I seem to end up in a shitstorm of work. I have not been here that long but in that time there has been a huge earthquake in Japan, Bahrain is undergoing violent revolution, Western countries have decided to get involved in the violent revolution in Libya. Those are just a few of the major events going on that we are covering.
I have noticed that I am not as quick off the mark in MCR these days. I think I still pull my weight however.
Have been in the gym alot which always makes me feel better. I am overcoming the battle in my mind about whether I should go to the gym or whether I should just go to bed. The gym is winning the arguement I have with myself everyday. :))
I miss home :((
Peace and Love

DD News CWG Studio

2010-10-07T22:43:00.000-07:00

Shameful. Shameful. Shameful.

I am sat here downlinking DD news and the lady presenter looks aweful.!!! This..... is no fault of her own. The completely amateur look is obviously due to the usual casual approach to anything that seems to be all pervading in Delhi especially. In all my years of working in TV I have never seen a national broadcaster put out such a shoddily set up studio. Overexposed, Not white balanced very low res Graphic of the Mascot... so low res it looks blurred.

DD Please tell me what the hell is your problem when you cannot be bothered to sort out the most basic of setups. You put Delhi and India to shame. People are laughing were I am..... What should I say ???

Thanks

2010-09-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

Thankyou for you kind word about the photos. I really do appreciate it. Nicola..... Lovely Nicola how are you ? Unfortunately my answer to your question is not a glamorous one. I was actually in Varanasi on business. I have been there a couple of times but I always make sure I get up early in the morning for the early morning prayer by the river. Although I am not a religeous person I do enjoy observing. That in itself is a kind of meditation for me. I prefer the photo of the "Sadhu" He was packing up after having done his prayers and I got lucky with this because at the same time to the right of frame someone was readjusting their clothes. I got this particular photo blown up and now have it framed in my house :)))
Things have been tremendously busy for me and building up this toothbrush business has taken alot of my time. I am very positive and hopeful about it as we continue to see sales grow.
Delhi still remains a love hate relationship for me. I do firmly believe that I am in the right place. Time will tell and the next 5 years will be the judge.

Peace and much love

Photography

2010-08-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share a couple of photos of my trip to Varanasi. I have got out of the habit of doing this blog regularly but it always plays on my mind to do it. This in a way is to appease the playing on my mind.

Peace and Love

2010-07-19T01:05:00.000-07:00

I am finding that these days I am bashing India a hell of a lot when just generally chatting to people. India does deserve a good bashing. I have also made sure that I balance the bashing by higlighting the positives.

More so than ever though, I am worried that the Commonwealth games will be a debacle. Even staunch Delhiites who up until a few months ago were confident that Delhi would put on a good games are now doubtful. Just today there was an article in the Hindustan Times about how one of the venues has "Collapsed". It is one of the shooting venues and with less than 3 months to go how the hell is that going to be fixed in time.... that during the monsoon as well. ?? It is time that the people responsible for this mess stood up and held themselves accountable. Still in this so called modern India people in power take money and that will be the undoing of these Games. Why Why Why can things not be properly planned. India has such a wealth of intellectual talent but that talent is squashed by the bureacracy.

Now to balance that..... only a couple of days ago we were priviledged to be part of a tree planting ceremony just near our house. There is a programme to plant many hundreds of trees where we live. It was attended by many Professors of Delhi university who only cared to do the right thing. They were well informed and helped to motivate us to do the right thing. Below is a picture of one of the professors with Nikhil planting.

For the professors who were there, money had nothing to do with this event they spoke clearly and passionately about the benefits of what we were doing that day. Had this project got into the hands of the beauracrats they would have found a way to extract money. We need more of these protected initiatives.

Peace and Love

T3 theory

2010-07-07T05:17:00.000-07:00

Delhi is getting a brand new international terminal soon >>> WooHoo. It looks big and is being hyped up alot.
Just a few days ago it was formally inaugurated by the Indian PM with all the fanfare. They announced on that day that it would be open to interenational flights on the 14th July.
Then just yesterday that date has been put back until the 28th July. Seems a bit short notice to me... I wonder if the heavy rain that we have had over the last couple of days has leaked through the roof into the main terminal??? They have not told us yet what the reason is.

I wonder.....

Peace and love

Football has finally Arrived

2010-07-05T01:04:00.000-07:00

It looks like it anyway.
I was out a couple of nights ago to watch Germany v Argentina in the quarter finals at a restaurant cum bar in a mall just round the corner from me. What greeted me when I entered was a sight I did not expect. The place was absolutely packed with people wearing football shirts most of whom were there to support Argentina.!! The noise was deafening and the atmosphere was actually quite fun, especially as I was supporting Germany ;) hehehe. What I did notice which made me laugh was as the game went on and it started to become a possibility that Argentina were going to lose some of the supporters there started to change their loyalties. So these people in Argentina shirts were now cheering for Germany. Glory hunters ;) I reckon that this particular bar should theme itself on football as I am sure by the looks of it they made a good profit that night. Up until then I have not ever seen it so busy and in fact I had wondered how much longer it would survive. At least football has had another winner out of this.

Peace and love

Bollywood Beckons

2010-04-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

I am telling you .... we rocked. The dance was brilliant. Apart from me messing up the first few steps ;) It was the most fun I have had in ages.

So that bit is over and it is well and truely back to the grind. Have to go to Mumbai in a couple of weeks and maybe Hyderabad before that. The word of TePe is spreading and our client base is ever growing. How to keep track of it all is a problem. I was going through some paperwork today and noticed that we had not been in touch with a couple of dentists for 4 months. They bought from us and liked the stuff but they are too busy to go out of their way to contact us.... we have to contact them. I have worked out that we need 4 interactions with a customer before we are able to secure orders. I tell you what though..... there are some really smart surgeries here in India. If you fancy seeing one go here . It is a swish place and run by a very elegant lady. She has just started to order from us. Hopefully it will be a long and fruitful relationship.

I Will try and get a copy of the dance. I know it was recorded somewhere. This could be one for Youtube ;)

Peace and Love

The Battle for Supremacy.....

2010-03-31T05:59:00.000-07:00

These days I am on high battle alert. It is tense I can tell you. At any moment they can attack and cause much angst and irritation...... yes the enemy is the dreaded mosquito !!! Dan Dan Daaaaan.
There are already so many mozzies that I have got through 2 cans of repellent this year. If you don't kill them they WILL bite. There is nothing worse than a mozzy buzzing around your head while trying to sleep. I quite often have to slap my own face so that I can kill what I think is a mozzy!!!

Peace and Love except to Mosquitos

BaggieandLucy.com

2010-03-28T01:47:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful.

If you wanna take a look at a fantastic family blog that is www.baggieandlucy.com.

It has been 8 months since I did any writing on this thing. There is a good reason for that. It was at the beginning of August that my new company sales started. It has been and will continue to be the hardest thing I have done in my life but alongside that it has been the most fulfilling. I actually enjoy being a toothbrush salesman !!!

I have also lacked the motivation for writing and it was only when I went and had a good look around Baggies blog that I realised I needed to get back on. There has always been loads to write about ..... it is a case of disciplining oneself to actually get down and do it.

The fact that the weather here in Delhi has gone from being one of the coldest winters to already being one of the hottest summers and we are still in March alone is good enough reason alone to put finger to keyboard.!!

Something that may amuse you is that Roochi and I are having dance classes!! Not that I need them of course ;) Reason for this..... ? One of my friends daughters is getting married here in Delhi and the father of the bride, my friend and business partner, has decided he wants all family and friends to partake in a mass Bollywood dance for the reception. I must admit that I was most apprehensive at the thought of doing this but.... I must say that we all had a bloody good time at the first rehersal, alot of laughing contributed to this. I will keep you updated as to how this pans out. We have another practice session tonight !

So while I go and dust off the keyboard a little more please rest assured I shall be back to bore you some more soon :))

Peace and Love

How things change….

2009-07-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

Times are definitely changing for me right now. Can you believe it….. I am a toothbrush salesman !!! Yea that’s right. I am doing an exhibition right now in Delhi that caters to the dental fraternity in India and I have a stand there that is showcasing toothbrushes amongst other things.

I tell you what it is a far cry from being in Vienna enabling the transmission of football matches to the UK for ITV.

I think I am enjoying it though. The appetite for getting things….. anything in India is huge. Not like back in blighty where when ever you meet a salesman one groans and thinks “here we go”.

In India I have found that generally people have shown a great deal of interest in what I have to offer. It also does help me that the product is really well made and I can comfortably use the words “The best in India today” as part of my sales pitch and know that I am not telling porkies.

I must admit I have not been actively looking for TV work but from what I understand there is less and less freelance work which means that this change could have come at the right time. Time will tell but if the first day of the show is anything to go by and if we diligently follow up any and all inquiries this could definitely be a goer. It had better be otherwise I am buggered !!! :)

How things change..

Peace and much love

Federer and Wimbledon !

2009-07-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Wow..... what a game. It is late in the night here and Roochi the kids and I have witnessed the best Wimbledon final I can remember..... Stunning. Well done Federer. Sport needs more stars like him. Immaculate yet modest.

In contrast though I feel that the All England Tennis Club are not so in tune with the times. Roochi asked me how much the winners get.... ? Naturally I went straight to the internet and discovered that Federer will recieve GBP 850,000. He deserves it certainly. It looks like they have harmonized the winnings so that the ladies winner gets the same amount, they have been getting the same amount for the last three years. ( but for less work....fact !!) What you may not know is that in the year that has seen the worst recession in living memory the money paid out has gone up in real terms more than any other time in the history of wimbledon !!! Not only that.... they are pleased to announce it on their website.

Anyway that was just a little titbit for you.

Below is a picture of a bee I managed to capture doing its thing on this flower. One of my best photos even if I say so myself ;)

Peace and much Love

So little but so much...

2009-07-04T23:26:00.000-07:00

So little MCR work seems to be out there these days...... well.... for a decent rate anyway.

I have been home for nearly seven months now. I still cannot bring myself to work here in India. The woking culture is not conduicive to the way I work. So as you may or may not have have read in a previous post I have started my own business..... Actually I am in the process of starting a second business also. Some of you may know that Roochi has been doing a bespoke rug service. Well the relationship that we have built up with the manufacturer over the years is one of warmth and trust. I mentioned to them in a meeting some months ago about the possibility of clearing unwanted stock. At the time they did not seem interested but a couple of months ago they got back to me asking me if I was still interested in doing the sales work for them. I said only if we can offer the cusomer a fantastic deal...... he said he will give the rugs at cost less 50%! Now we are talking. I am going to do it as a B to B business. Basically I have the keys to the warehouses of the best rug makers in India which makes them amongst the best rug makers in the world !! It is an exciting prospect. I am going to put up a website as a shop window and deliver door to door. The site should be up in September as there is alot of photographic work that needs to be done first. Wish me luck.

Otherwise the summer here in India has been blistering. The monsoons are late which has compounded things. The kids and I have spent lots of time going to the cinema watching movies. In the last couple of weeks we have seen...... Star Trek, Wolverine and Terminator Salvation. All were good but I would say that Star Trek was particularly good. I have to also add that the cinemas here are just fantastic. the seats are most comfortable there is loads of legroom the seat will cost no more than GBP2.50 popcorn around GBP1.20. If you should be feeling extravagant you could go for gold class were the seats are just like business class seats with chairside service , blankets and such like for around GBP4.00. during the week !

Anyway....to end this entry below is a photo of Roochi, Natasha, Nikhil, me and my aunt in Mumbai on the waterfront. We had a great time going to Mumbai and Pune and hope to get back there again some time in the future.

Sonam Kalra

2009-05-11T09:22:00.000-07:00

Last night attended a small, intimate concert in Connaught Place...... I and Roochi managed to get a great table near the front so that we could listen to the live Jazz vocals of a young lady called Sonam Kalra.
I had met Sonam a couple of times before and knew she could sing which is why this was quite an eagerly anticipated performance for me.
The venue was comfortable enough if a little too cold with the AC on full blast but it did not take long to warm up when Sonam started singing. The first track was "What a Wonderful World" I love that song. She sang it so beautifully that I realised we were in for a treat that evening.
Sonam is not a tall lady even less tall when she kicked her shoes off but when she sings on the stage she really has a presence. It is not a presence that commands you, it is one that welcomes you and wraps you up in the really quite blissful tones. If I sound all bloody soppy about this it is because I was genuinely moved by this performance. I have seen loads of bands and singers before and this lady ranks among the best I have seen when it comes to connecting with people during the performance. All of the songs were covers. A few I could mention are "Summertime and the living is easy" this tune was sung with such a wide vocal range and not a single note went wrong. Amazing. Also "Imagine", "Fever", "I got you under my skin", "Sway" and many, many more. Sonams confidence and enjoyment could be seen just through the way she sung. This lady has Panache. I wish I could have the words to describe a bit more. I think we need to get her over to the UK to do a stint at say Ronnie Scotts or something like that. She really is that good.
Thanks Sonam
Peace and Love

TePe

2009-05-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

Yup...... TePe is the name of my new venture. I have at last decided to venture into the world of business....... in the worst recession in living history !!! I must be mad. The way I look at it though is if we ( Me and my 2 partners ) can make this work during these difficult times then things should start to really open up for us when we all emerge from these dark economic times.
Tepe is a Swedish company that makes really top quality Oral hygiene products. The first product that we are going to start with are the interdental brushes. Basically they are miniaturised bottle brushes that one can use to clean in between the teeth. They are bloody good as I have been using these particular brushes for some years now. The trick is going to be how to persuade the Indian consumer to part with their money. The fact is that only 5%of the British population uses these particular brushes......my understanding is that they are a dedicated bunch of people as they will buy 1 packet of 8 brushes per month. 1 pack costs 4 pounds. Thats 48 pounds per year. Multiply that by the number of people buying being 5% of say 60 million is.....err.... 3 million. 3 million multiplied by 48 equals. 144 million pounds. !!! The distributer takes about 20 percent of this....28.8 million pounds !!
My point is that in India if we can even penetrate just 1 % of the population we are talking in excess of 10 million people !!! The figures are astounding. I gotta get this one right and the potential is limitless. !! Lets see how it goes.

peace and love

Terry's Chocolate Orange

2009-04-14T00:07:00.000-07:00

Natasha says to Nikhil and I while I am peeling an orange...

"Ohh Dad that smells like Terry's Chocolate Orange"

Nikhil then says to Natasha and I....

"Who's Terry ???"

Made me laugh and laugh :) A Classic moment.

Peace and Love

Hollywood vs Bollywood

2009-04-13T23:57:00.000-07:00

A right royal corporate punch up is brewing out here in India. It is all to do with the famous Bollywood film industry. The arguement is between the multiplex owners and the Indian Film distributers. Basically the disrtibuters wnat a bigger cut of the multiplex owners profits. The multiplex owners obviously say no. The result of this fight is that the distributers have stopped distributing films to the multiplexes !! This means that only Foreign films mostly Hollywood are being broadcast on screens in the Multiplexes. Amazing ! The multiplexes have shut down 60% of their screens. It will be interesting to see how this one pans out.

Peace and Love

Music

2009-03-31T05:06:00.000-07:00

Have been revisiting some old.....really old tunes recently.
The Louis and Ella Duets in particular. The Nearness of You has to be one of the most romantic songs of all time. My hair went on end when I heard it again. Have recommended to Natasha that she puts the whole album on her MP3 player. Also the Prince album "When Doves Cry" If I remember rightly that album is about 26 years old !!
It does of course mean that I really need to buy some new stuff........... :)
Peace and Love

Just pondering

2009-03-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

Again it has been a while since the last post. I am always thinking about things while I am here in India but never seem to put them down on the blog.
I have had a few experiences recently that have made me think that really we, mankind, have gone in the wrong direction when it come to how things are done.....on the other hand it is so refreshing to hear Barack Obama actually stating this. It is by constantly hammering away that things can change.
I was recently in the offices of the DDA or the Delhi Development Authority. I was there with my father in law Dharam Vir Mallick as a witness to the handing over of the freehold of one of his properties. (DDA handing it to him !) The process was long and corrupt. There were many layers of vetting going on. These layers were to firstly check that all the paperwork was in order. Secondly these layers of people were there to assess how much bribe money can be extracted from the applicant. In this case my father in law. They unashamedly ask who the agent is who arranged the freehold as that agent has to pay the officials in the DDA. If you do not make this payment then the process of getting the freehold is long and tiresome. This payment of course being the bribe. So my poor father in law who is 72 years old was made to wait for the whole days while questions were asked and assessments made. There is a lack of seating so he could not always sit. Just when we thought the process was over I noticed someone else picking up the paperwork and taking it away. I questioned him and he then and there asked for more money before the paperwork would be sent. We explained that we had already paid but they had obviously looked at us and decided that they wanted more. We were now in a situation. I was ready to deck the guy but then I would have got arrested as there are an inordinate amount of police in this office.... no doubt they are there to protect the officials who in turn pay them a bit on the side also. The common man does not stand a chance. It is a criminal enterprise that is going on in this place. They are nothing short of a mafia. An official mafia. They had absolutely no compunction about asking this tired 72 year old who had done and paid for everything they had asked for even more money and openly said that he would not get the paperwork should he not pay the extra !!! BASTARDS. Anyone from that place reading this should realise that you are a shameful bunch of scabs on the face of humanity.
Well.......at least I have got that one out of the way:))
Back to the wankers now... oh sorry I mean bankers of course :)) And yes they are still trying it on. Even though they have now got yours and my money to help prop up their failing businesses they are still paying themselves stupid amounts of bonuses and pensions. With our bloody money ! I just find it incredible. Let me put my own very simple persective on this. I run a car making business ... for example. I have borrowed billions which I now cannot pay back. I then ask the government to give me money which they do. In the mean time I lay off lots of hard working low paid staff and then pay myself millions and then bugger off !!! That is about the sum of it. Eh Mr RBS that is about the sum of it isn't it.
Good... another one off my back.
Had a storming day on monday at the Neemrana Fort. There is a zipwire set up there. Have a look at www.flyingfox.asia will tell you more later.
Peace and Love

A TV A TV My Kingdom for a TV......

2009-02-19T02:26:00.000-08:00

Hehe. Yes I have got a Television ! It has been 10 years that we have not had a television in our house and I have now bought what I feel to be the best tv that money can buy !! So yes I have given my kingdom for a tv.
I bought a Sony Bravia X-series 40 inch LCD. Woo Hoo. I have also got a DVD player with an HDMI output so even my standard definiton DVD's look amazing. The kids don't know what has hit them. Nikhil my son does not undersatnd what it means to have a tv in the house. He was not even born when we got rid of our last one !
Roochi is not very happy. She wanted to keep our house a TV free house and I do understand that but at the end of the day we do need one in the house. I need one in the house.....
Peace and Love

The weather ........ hehehe

2009-02-02T01:18:00.000-08:00

I am sorry about this but I believe that it is snowing in London right now. ? Could someone please tell me.....is it a lovely scene or is it miserable? I have no doubt that it is miserably cold.

My kids are asking. They seem to miss the snow. I however do not, unless of course it means that I am on the slopes of Val D'isere or something.

Peace and Love

The Deception Continues...

2008-12-30T02:47:00.000-08:00

Are we ever going to be honest about things in the financial world .... ? Methinks not. I was just reading the BBC's business pages and they have replaced the word "Bailout" with "Recapitalisation" It makes it sound like this is a normal thing in financial circles ! For goodness sake... Say it as it is. Bailing out the companies that spent all their money on bad investments because they really did not have any clear idea of what they were buying into as the calculations were so complex. As it turns out the calculations were so complex that the people who made them up did not even know what they were doing coz if they did the world would not be in so much trouble financially as it is............... OR did they know what they were doing ..... ?? So that they could just go ahead and pick up their multi million bonuses....???. You know what... In alot of cases I favor the latter arguement. In the mean time the hard working small shop owner actually.... forget just shop owners.... its everyone apart from the few greedy buggers ... who are struggling and do not get any bonuses for that hard work will not receive a penny in "Recapitalisation".

There you go.... Another rant !!

Peace and Love
Stop the seige of Gaza !

The Best Places in the World to Eat Steak ....

2008-12-16T18:25:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy good food and am quite good at finding it also.

I love a good steak and am going to list the best steak restaurants that I have visited. Note that I do not use the terminology "Steakhouse" I would not want you thinking that I am going to recommend something like the Angus steakhouse on Oxford street or anything like that :)

So on to the list.....In no particular order

1) Binions Ranch "Steakhouse". Ah ..... have had to use the word already, never mind. This place was one hell of a find. I cannot for the life of me remember who it was that recommended it to me but for sure a most memorable evening. Not only was the steak of the very highest quality and cooked to perfection...... but..... the view was unmatched. The restaurant is situated on the 27th floor of this hotel and it is in the downtown area, so at one end of the famous strip. This means that you have the most incredible view of the city of Las Vegas in all its energy wasting glory ! If in Vegas one not to miss.

2) The Gaucho Grill. A much favoured haunt of mine. It is one thing to cook the meat well..... it is also another thing to get high quality meat.....but for me this place has the tastiest steaks of all. The cows have been brought up simply, grazing freely on the famous Pampas grasslands of Argentina. The meat is then flown in fresh to London where it is served up. There are a few branches in London. I usually opt for the Sloane Street branch as it was the first one I visited. The prices are high if you ask me and the staff really push you to order expensive wines which can be a little annoying but apart from that service is good and food always excellent.

3) The Exchange Grill. Now..... you want plush/posh... this is the place. It is in the Fairmont Hotel in Dubai. If you don't know about this hotel all I can say is that it is Funky. They have thought about this one right down to the smallest detail. The chairs are most comfortable....high backed leather arm chairs. The arms of the chairs are just the right height so that you can be cutting into the really very excellent steaks and still be resting your elbows !!! I suppose it has the air of a gentleman's club, without being as stuffy. A great atmosphere ...... a most agreeable place in which to dine on steaks.

4) Bentley's Grill. This place is in the Ramada Hotel in Doha....of all places. One has to say though....these guys have consistently performed. I have been there several times now and not once have I had anything to complain about. Again a little like a gentleman's club I would also say that it is a little highly priced but for the quality of cooking and service there is no better place in Qatar and as I have been to Doha alot in recent years it is a saving grace to have a steak place of such a high calibre to visit.

Well... there you have it. I am reserving the right to add a 5th place but as yet have to decide between a couple of contenders. What I can assure you of is that if you go to any of the places I have mentioned you will have a night to remember.

Let me know your best steak places.

Peace and Love

The Economy

2008-12-15T17:07:00.000-08:00

I did a post recently about my theories on how the general public have actually been duped when it comes to the economy. I had a couple of very interesting and intelligent replies from Rick and Sheel. I still however feel duped. This chap Madoff has got away with a 50 Billion.....yes BILLION dollar fraud !! How on earth does someone get away with that. I will tell you how. They have the air of knowing what they are talking about which therefore gives them authority. They then can get away with corporate crime. Simple. This guy got caught. How many people out there are perpetuating the same fraud but getting away with it. With figures like these no one can tell me that this does not have an impact on the common man. It does ! So we come back to my initial thinking. The economy of the world has been built in part ( how big that part is will never be known but in my reckoning I'll bet its a big part.) on pure deceit. I remember telling my in-laws some time ago when they invested heavily with Merril Lynch and lost a greater part of that money that Merril Lynch were using their money to pay off losses previously incurred. Can someone please tell me why the assets of these people/companies cannot be seized and then used to help the economy out. It seems to me that the common man is paying for the economic bailout. It is not affecting the cheats at all. In fact I'll bet they are laughing !!

A bit of a rant I know but comments would be greatly appreciated.
Peace and Love

You Give Me Fever

2008-11-02T16:58:00.000-08:00

Fever...... in the morning .... Fever all through the night.

Yes the US election fever is certainly reaching a crescendo. This time round I am looking forward to it for one good reason. The end of the Bush reign. The reign of a leader that even if he tried could not have messed up the world more than he has.

It has been a very busy time here in Al Jazeera in the run up to the election. They have 27 live positions set up for election night .... and counting ! I strongly urge anyone who reads this to check out the coverage on election night starting from 22.00 GMT on the 4th Nov. If all goes to plan Al Jazeera will blow the competition out of the water !

Of course Al Jazeera are at an advantage in that I am sure that there is a virtually limitless supply of money being poured into the election project but it is not all about money. You have to have the right people involved to make this kind of project come to fruition. I am quite excited to be here in the Master Control Room of the news station that will bring the best coverage of the election to the world ! Not bad methinks :) And I get paid too ;)

I have just read a most critical but honest and insightful entry on the blog of a friend of mine. www.kgbfiles.blogspot.com . Please do try and read it.

Also ... for a most amusing and well written view on life as a father to 3 kids (one of whom is brand new) goto www.cooldadsyndrome.blogspot.com .

Peace and Love

A Great Blog

2008-09-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

Highly Highly recommended for a great read and an insight into the family life of the MacDaddy please do go and read http://www.cooldadsyndrome.blogspot.com/

I know that again it has been a while since posting. It's simple.... I just do not feel like it sometimes !!

I have so been meaning to post about my favourite steakhouses in the world, About those greedy mother f&^%$s on wallstreet, about Ladakh, about how I do not think that Delhi will be ready for the commonwealth games in 2010. Plus loads of other things.

I am now in Doha so shall collect my thoughts and start to put a few things down on the server.

Peace and Love

Oh yes another good blog is http://www.kgbfiles.blogspot.com/ she has been writing about her travels in India some good some bad.... mostly bad I am sorry to say.... Oh well, will India ever be up to being a civilsed super power ??

some pics

2008-07-19T23:30:00.001-07:00

Peace and Love

13 ......?.......

2008-07-11T04:22:00.000-07:00

It's official ! I am now a father to a teenager !
Natasha is 13 years old today. Woah. Hold on there .... I was only a teenager recently..... Wasn't I ? :) Anyway. She is out on a shopping trip with Roochi. We are having lots of family round tonight for dinner to help Natasha celebrate. All of her friends are on holiday at the moment so she will do a girly thing in the new school year when all her friends get back.
For now though... I am still coming to terms with it all. I will post a picture of my 13 year old blowing out candles once she blows them out.

Peace and Love. And happy birthday Natasha xxx

So here we are !

2008-06-28T04:09:00.000-07:00

This is it. Spain vs Germany in the final. Come on Germany ! If it was not for the fact that I have 10 pounds that I will lose if Spain wins, I would have supported them.
I managed to get over to Salzburg last weekend. What an absolutely stunning town. Small easy to walk around and loads and loads of history. The Museum of Modern art is perched up on a hill at one end of Salzburg and so it makes having a drink on the terrance of the museum a quite special moment. Photos are below.

Above is the view from the museum.

On the right is a meditative Buddha.

More pics to come

Peace and love

The Cup

2008-06-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

The European Cup came home yesterday !!! Alright maybe it was not the real one but it was an exact replica. Very heavy indeed. We used it to take a picture of the whole of the ITV team that are based in the IBC.

Of course I could not resist getting one of me holding the cup up ;)
Peace and Love

No Brainer

2008-06-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

Have just finished watching the Netherlands vs France game...... errrrrr I think we watched the champions. The Dutch were absolutely amazing and played the game in such a way that it was such a pleasure to watch. They were immaculate. If anybody out there reading this thinks that another team will take the title and is willing to put money on it .... let me know !!!

Peace and Love

It is Beautiful....

2008-06-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

Vienna is quite a place. The buildings are beautiful. Anywhere you look there are examples of constructions that date back hundreds of years and yet they stand out amongst the modern day architecture, holding their own in a proud and secure manner knowing that they can never again be replicated.

Peace and Love

Found it....

2008-06-12T06:03:00.000-07:00

At last. I was looking in the wrong place by going to the museum quarter but have now found where the footballing atmosphere is to be had. I was outside St. Stephens church right in the heart of the city. As Austria are playing Poland in Vienna tonight there was a large presence of supporters and I am happy to say virtually no police !! The Poles definitely outnumbered the Austrians and were very vocal indeed. Everyone was having a great time and the opposing supporters were all shaking hands with each other and having friendly banter. Now thats what it is all about. The photos below were taken earlier when I was there. I particulary like the one with Dath Vadar holding an Ausrian flag, me, a couple of Polish fans in front of the church. Just a bit of contrast all in one photo ;) I also went to the world famous Sacher cafe to have some of their world famous torte.... Delicious :)

Peace and Love

Postcard

2008-06-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

It is quite difficult to come to Vienna and not get a good photo. Here is an example of one I took just walking around. I quite like the tram. Looks like you are in a different era.
The photo is of a place called the Volkstheatre. I have the good fortune of having to walk past it everyday to get to the station to get to work. I believe opera is the order of the day there..... every day !

Peace and Love

Atmosphere ..... ?

2008-06-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

Si asked what nthe atmosphere is like in Vienna. ? Well.... it does seem a little subdued. Of course there are a lot of Croatians about singing all the time but I have not seen that from supporters of any other teams.

At the match yesterday... the Austria vs Croatia game, in the stadium the atmosphere was fantastic. Clapping and chanting in unison, a whole lot of noise being generated and no waning in that for the whole match.

I went down to the museum quarter today and to be honest apart from a few posters and giant football boots you would not know that there was a tournament on !!
I managed to get to the Kunts historisches museum today. What an overwhelming place. The inside of the building takes your breath away. You certainly know that the Austrians once had a great big empire when you see that kind of thing. Did not spend long there ( had to get to work !! I am working honest :)) but saw some paintings by Rembrandt and Rubens. Rubins certainly painted them big... I mean really big !

The artist that made me smile though, was a chap called Arcimboldo. He painted still life. Mainly of vegetables and fruit in bowls and stuff like that. What's so good about it ???.... why did it make me smile.. ??? Well as nice as still life is it is pretty boring.... well in my books anyway. What Arcimboldo did was paint it in a way that if you turned your head upside down (or the painting of course !!)you would see a kind of portrait of an unusual looking person. Very clever ! Below is an example try it.
Cool Huh. This guy was painting these in the 1500's !!

Peace and Love

My First Football Match...:)

2008-06-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

Wow.... Today I had the opportunity to go and watch my first footy match. Austria vs Croatia at the Euros in Vienna !! The very nice people at ITV gave me one of their observer tickets which means that I got to sit amongst commentators and other footballing luminaries. The atmosphere was ..... loud !! I took a few photos. I am posting 3 of them. The photos of the chap sleeping by a tree is of an Austrian supporter who was there before the game ..... asleep !! He was also there after the game..... asleep. Except after the game we noticed he had put his shoes back on..... must have got a bit chilly..... bless :))) He was probably the only Austrian supporter who enjoyed the game as he would have been blissfully unaware that his team lost 1 - 0. That too right outside the ground. Hehehee. Classic !!! The other photo is of me with the highly rated BBC presenter called Adrian Chiles.

Peace and Love :))

Here I am again !!

2008-05-21T00:40:00.000-07:00

Yet again I should say. Bloody hell if I leave it any longer to write something hell might even start to freeze over. 2 months ..... 2 months to write .... and I haven't even been working ! Thanks for your mail Sheel ;)

Talking of hell freezing over. The weather in Delhi has turned distinctly weird. The temperature outside today at 11am was about 28 degrees centigrade. Thats a good 8 degrees below what it would normally be. Last year at this time it was about 43 degrees ! It is really nice. Not too hot ... not too cold.

India still surprises me........ take today for example. I had to attend a cremation ( no one close but needed to be there ). Normally in the UK if attending any funeral generally, there would be a formal but subdued atmosphere (Of course you say !! ) there is too in India. The difference being that in England if your mobile goes off in the middle of the proceedings you will get everyone turning and giving you the look of death. Today however in Delhi..... there were about 4 or 5 different mobile phones that went off and nobody batted an eyelid ( not my mobile I would hasten to add !). I like that.... I even found it amusing as one of the ringtones sounded like the theme to the Mario Brothers nintendo game :)) Imagine ... just as the body was being pushed into the fire and some prayers were being said.... the theme tune to the mario brothers went off. To me you can only smile at that sort of thing as there is no point in losing it with that person and upsetting yourself and maybe several other people too !
Sorry if this posting was not to your taste but I had to share it with you.

Peace and Love

A nice pic !!

2008-03-31T09:24:00.001-07:00

Peace and Love

The SENSEX !!

2008-03-31T08:56:00.000-07:00

Somebody really needs to help me out here.... Is it me or is the stock market and in particular the SENSEX in India the craziest stock market in the world ?I mean virtually everyday we are witnessing either a drop of 5 percent or a gain of 5 percent.....in one day !!! You should read how the papers deal with it here. Actually they don't really deal with it anymore. There is no logic. If you ask me it is actually quite simple. There are some big boys involved here. They are manipulating the market. When the market goes down they buy in and make it look like things are going well. Midway through the day those desperate brokers at the midsize investment companies with alot of local Indians on their books and their backs think they can get in on a bit of profit. Later in the day individual investors come in thinking "hey things are getting better we can make a buck or 2". But.... by then it is too late. The next day, first thing after breakfast the big boys sell up and walk away with a tidy 5 % in one day !! Everyone else .....well....everyone else has lost again ! It is brutal out there I tell you. I must tell you that as yet I have not invested in the stock market here. It is no better than betting on black or red at the roulette table, for the small investor anyway. I wish I had a bit of play money just to see if I can catch the wheel in my favour.
I feel for the people who have put in money in the last couple of months. Not only have they seen their money shrink but worse still there are people making a ton of money on the back of their investments !!!

Peace and Love

Dunno Really !!

2008-03-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

It has been a couple of weeks so I thought I had better write about anything just to keep this up. I must mention all the important people who have had or are having or are about to have birthdays. They include Tiana ( my niece ) 5th March. Gita (My sis) 10th March. Bobby ( my bro) 15th March.
Also congratulations Jay on getting your new flat in town. Does this mean you will be walking to work every day ??
I would also like to commend Rick for his interesting comment regarding queues. I do disagree with you Rick. Long may it not continue I think you mean when people push and shove to get to the front of the queue. If you were out here for a bit longer you would see a change in peoples attitude. They no longer put up with queue bargers and those queue jumpers are now regularly banished to the back of the queue. I really do not feel that that is a bad thing.
That all for now.
Peace and Love

Delhi - Gurgaon Expressway !

2008-02-15T22:40:00.001-08:00

For those of you in outside of India this will not be of too much interest. Or.... maybe it will.

Delhi has now got a new highspeed road connection to a town on the border of Delhi. Gurgaon is the name of the town and it is very important to Delhi as there are alot of BPO setups there as well as an affluent population.

The road itself is very smart. It has turned a 40 minute minute journey into a 15 minute journey !! Excellent you may say. I would agree it is excellent.....except there is a problem. To get onto this "expressway" one must pay a toll. I have no problem with the toll, one must pay for progress. The problem is the traffic jams that have built up to get to the toll gate to pay for the toll. I noticed that the Times of India website was running a poll as to whether the use of the highway should be made free or not. !! ??? I find it somewhat hard to believe that such a high profile newspaper organisation has even thought about running a poll like this let alone actually do it !! The whole focus of the poll was ill thought out. The poll should have leaned more towards something about fining the ill diciplined drivers who are causing all the jams in the first place. The road sense in the capitol city leaves much to be desired. It is the thoughtless drivers who decide that they can use the smartcard gate to pay cash that are holding up the system..... not the system itself. We in India need to be more thoughful about our driving. Having new roads like this is a boon for India yet this poll tries to denigrate what has been done. Would somebody please tell me what is going when this kind of progress is being critisized so vehemently when really we should be looking at ourselves and how we conduct ourselves on the road. Surely this is also a reflection on our society which is supposedly going to be a world leading power in the very near future.
I look forward to your comments.
Peace and Love

Is It Just Me ???

2008-02-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

Or is time totally flying by at the moment. At a time when I am desperately trying to hold on to my thirties sods law says "This year will be the fastest year on record".

Also.... the news we are getting about the UK here in India suggests that Facism in mainstream politics is the order of the day. What with banning of doctors from India and all that. Some elements of the UK population also seem to have the nerve to be able to vandalise important memorials to crimes that should never be condoned like the death of Steven Lawrence.

Perhaps someone could also clarify something for me..... Is it true that you in the UK are being further ripped off on your basic foodstuffs now ?? OH Boy !

I think the year has gone fast for a couple of good reasons though. We have had a death in the family. My fathers elder brother died. The cremation was a very somber affair. He did live to about 70 though. The rituals that were performed were quite heart rending at the time and when I think back on it it still moves me. One example of this is when the body of my uncle was laid out at the front of the house after having been bathed and clothed my aunt was made to stand over the body and a priest broke off her bangles one by one onto the body. You would not liked to have been there for that. Poor thing was weeping and weeping. It was symbloic to say.... you are now no longer married. Personally I did not like that bit... it seemed very harsh.

On a brighter note though we have also had a wedding in the family. My cousin sister got married last week in an epic 10 hour wedding !! There was plenty of audience participation though so that was good. The whole thing lasted for 4 days. We did get to sleep at nights though :))

We have another wedding next week so are currently getting ourselves ready for that. One common theme about Indian weddings is that generally the food is reaaly good. Now if you know me then you will know that this is fatal for me. At the last wedding there were fresh Dosas being cooked. Straight from the Tava onto my plate. Man I had 3 of them plus all the other food that was on offer. Just as well that I had been exercising alot in the 2 weeks prior to this event.

I will post a couple of photos when I have uploaded them onto the computer.

More soon.

Peace and Love

Great Acts...

2007-12-13T16:16:00.000-08:00

What is it that makes people sacrifice ..... or ..... what appears to ordinary people like me sacrifice so much in life in order to chase the greater good ??? I do not think that the people doing these things think that they are giving up much in life...... It is what they do !

I am talking about ordinary people. In a time where the growth of materialism seems to have gone hand in hand with the growth in worldly troubles the people who make a difference for the good, generally, have shunned that materialism.

For one to become financially rich would mean that somewhere in that business someone is being taken advantage of ? Generally ! Here we go again... I am mumbling :)

I suppose I am thinking about these things so that I can find some kind of inspiration to make a difference. There again .... what is making a difference ?? In my mind it is doing anything at all that can alleviate the struggles of a fellow person who may not have had the luck to be born into the world with the tools it takes to get by in this world. Can I truely say that I have helped anyone less fortunate than me..... ??? Yes absolutely I can. I just feel that I need to do more to justify having had a decent existence in this world. What and how ... only time will dictate.

Peace and Love

Where am I ???

2007-12-04T03:23:00.000-08:00

The answer to that question literally is easy.... I am in Doha.

I have been travelling a little too much recently and am starting to feel the pinch emotionally hence the question.

Roochi was telling me yesterday that Nikhil needed me to be there as he is not feeling well and has been crying alot. He does not cry easily.... the fact is I too need to have Nilhil around me. We kind of hold each other up when one of us is down.

Natasha with her level head is also a great person to have around when feeling blue. She so empathises with people and is sensitive to their feelings. I was very pleased to also hear that she was the only person in class last week to stand up to a teacher who was unneccessarily critising the children in a most crude manner. Natasha stood up in the class and politely told the teacher that what she was saying was out of order. You go girl !!!

It is with all these things going on at home that makes me think is all this travelling worth it ??? I enjoy the people I work with and I like flying all over the place ..... but.... I want to be at home too. I know that lots of people are in the same situation but if I try hard enough I am sure that I should be able to find something in India to do that would pay reasonably well and also allow me to be at home. I suppose I have been reticent to do anything work wise in India but I think the time has come for me to do something for myself there.

I am arriving back in Delhi on the 1st Jan 2008. It is a new year and I will pledge to establish something in India before the year is out. I hope this is no idle pledge. I can be lazy about things sometimes and quite often am ready to sit on my laurels and let things come to me. I have been lucky up until now.... It is time to shake things up a bit.

Peace and Much Love

As it is Halloween

2007-10-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

Nikhil showed me this great table tennis game. Called Creepy Pong

This is the link..... Try it!!

Creepy Pong

See how many Halloween ghouls you can beat at table tennis!

Play this free game now!!

You will be hooked for life

Peace and Love

AAAAAaaaargh !!

2007-10-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

I did just write a really good blog entry...... Honest. BUT I lost it before could publish because of those useless buggers at MTNL !!! (my isp)

Bollocks !!

Peace and Love ....... NOT to MTNL however.

Always good !!

2007-09-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

The Supperclub in Amsterdam....

I am always impressed how every year we visit the supperclub seems to maintain its "je ne sais quoi".

The guys and I have been going for several years now and although quite costly (as we always manage to imbibe an inordinate amount of alcohol!) is worth it (Just !) Atmosphere, music and quality of food is the order of the day. Couple of pics to try to give you an idea of the feel of the place.

All in all another successful tour. I feel that I should have been up in the morning a bit earlier to keep up with the likes of Bobby and Baggie who really did fly the Baggie and Lucy getting married flag on the last day by having about 8 pints before lunch. Boys I salute you !!
While writing this I found a few tunes on the computer that I am listening too. "She Sells Sanctuary" The Cure

"Gangsta Party " Tupac and Snoop.

"Lifes what you make it" Talk Talk.

Gonna miss the family when I am away. Am heading off to Dubai for 2 and a half weeks. Just as well I have had a few drinks. :)) This particular entry seems to have alot of references to alcohol :)))

Respect to The Dam Gang !

Peace and Love to all

www.ckplingerie.com

2007-09-17T02:01:00.001-07:00

It is online at last. What should have taken 2 weeks has ended up taking 3 months !!!! This is India you know :))

All of Roochis hard work is now coming to fruition. I had a hard morning toiling away too. I had to dress up a mannequin in saucy lingerie and take pictures of it !! It is so that we can keep adding to the pictures available on the site. Honest !
Now.... we do not have a studio at home. The best place for lighting is out on the terrace. I did let my concerns be known to Rooch that the neighbours might see and all that. She just wanted the job done and that was that. I was out on the terrace dressing the mannequin in different lingerie and snapping pictures. If anyone did see they would have wondered what kind of a weird fetish dungeon we run in our house. :))
Heheheheee.

Check out the site and give me some feedback. We have not started to sell yet as we are now gearing up for a marketing campaign which should kick things off nicely.

Heheheee

Peace and Love

Well.......

2007-09-14T06:31:00.000-07:00

It is a habit Jay ! Like all good habits they are so difficult to nurture and keep..... and oh so easy to stop and just let go of. Bad habits on the other hand....I like those. Easy to start and very hard to break. Smoking for example. Drinking for example. Here is a good one..... lazing around all day doing absolutely nothing that remotely relates to being constructive in any shape or form. Now that one does not even need nurturing !!! I took to that one like a fish to water

It is like the battle between good and bad within you. You know you should be doing it.....but can you be arsed ???? The Darth Vadar in me has meant that I have not written this blog in 2 months or so. It is the Aragorn in me that has made me get to it at last !!!

Anyway I shall certainly be attempting to get back on the blogging wagon again and with it I shall be posting a few pictures of the summer along the way. Enjoy !!!

Peace...... and Much Love

Thanks for nudging me Jay :))

45 !

2007-06-03T04:50:00.000-07:00

It is hot man !!! Yesterday and today the temperature hit 45 degrees c. If you have ever wanted to find out what it is like to be a donner kebab being cooked on that rotating thing then come to Delhi. I felt like I was being roasted !!

Nikhil and Natasha have been learning how to play Monopoly in readiness for their London trip. Nikhil has taken to it really well. He hates losing thats for sure. The problem with playing monopoly in this heat is that all the money flies around as you have to have the fan on. I now have a new use for my mobile phone.... that is to make sure all the money that goes on the middle of the board ( the money you can win if you land on free parking ) does not fly away. It all sits under my phone. :))

Saw Pirates 3 yesterday. To be honest I found it lacking in the interest department. I nearly fell asleep in the first half and I never fall asleep in films. Still the kids seem to enjoy it ..... even that rather surreal bit when Jack Sparrow was in Davy Jones's locker.

Peace and Love

And the Photos !

2007-05-14T22:19:00.000-07:00

Peace and Love

Life as I know it has ended

2007-05-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

Well..... I did write a blog about Nikhils birthday yesterday and about how he got a PSP for his birthday and that I was going to use it during the day as his school does not alow these things. But when it came to publishing it I lost the whole thing. So this is the short version.

MTNL get your F*&king act together and sort out my internet you crap bunch of lazy B$%^*£$ds!!

I will post this and then put a couple of photos up later if this is successful.

Peace and Love (even to MTNL)

and thanks all for the good wishes to Nikhil

MOS....... In Delhi ???

2007-05-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

Not only has Simos Moss visited Delhi this week. The Ministry of Sound has also opened up too. Woo Hoo. A decent late night club to go to in Delhi. Up until now the licencing laws have been very strict in that no matter what day od the week and no matter if you are a nightclub or a bar you have to chuck people out by midnight. BOO I say. I am not sure how but the guys have managed to wangle a later drinking licence and do not have to throw people out until about 4 in the morning :)) This by Delhi standards is almost unheard of but most welcome.

The club itself is also a marvel. It is a mini Luxor (Pyramid hotel in Las Vegas) A fully glass pyramid which has been built as a dedicated party venue. All the good and the great of Delhi have started going there and I must say I was most impressed. For those of you that know me you will know that I have been to a club or 2 in my time. Those that know me have probably been to a few with me..... :)) I can safely say ..... that as far a dedicated party /club spaces go this has got to be one of the most impressive I have seen anywhere. So..... even more reason for any of you guys to visit. :))

Otherwise things are plodding along nicely. We seem to get the odd day of respite from the heat. When the heat is on though there is one drink that I cherish...... an ice cold glass of water. I just now had one and it is about 10:30 pm over here. I loved every sip. Weird how one appreciates these simple things...... :))

Peace and Love

I know ..... I know

2007-05-01T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yup I officially acknowledge..... I am rubbish at writing this thing regularly !! I keep meaning too .... there have been several times I have been at the computer started writing and something or the other happens to distract me.

Anyway. I am home. It is good to be home. The last few weeks have shot by. I cannot believe it is May already. My son is going to be 8 already!! It only seems like a couple of years ago that I cut his cord and freed him into the world !!

There is so much I want to write, I just don't know were to start. I shall gather my thoughts for the next entry and give you something slightly more interesting to read. So in the mean time have a couple of photos instead. Again they are of the wedding we went to a couple of weeks ago.

Peace and Love and Peace ....... Please George !

Oh Yes

2007-04-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

And here is one of me with my beard !!! Since shaved off I might add :)

Peace and Love

Home

2007-04-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

Made it ..... I have made it home. Boy is it hot as well. Have just been up to Doon for a most impressive wedding and am now trying to settle back into things down in Delhi. Nikhil is quite sick at the moment and has had a full day of vomiting. I think it is partly due to all the excitement of the wedding having died down and also sheer exhaustion. He did look smart though :) Below is a photo of Nikhil next to the groom, Nimit. Nikhil was doing his duty and taking all the money which I think he rather enjoyed as you can see. Not so sure if Nimit is enjoying himself judging by the photo ;)

Below is a photo of Natasha and Nikhil taken just before all the wedding stuff started.

I hope you are all well.
Peace and Love

Me........At the Golf club.. ???

2007-04-09T02:06:00.000-07:00

Well Laa-dee-daa. I have been playing golf don't you know. I am not very good at the moment but I am starting to get the taste for it. Doha golf club is open to the public and has a very nice 9 hole academy course which includes a par 5 hole. The company was great, the weather perfect and we had no one behind us to tell us to hurry up !! :)

Below is a photo of the full crew at AlJazeera MCR. It is not often we are all together so I jumped at the opportunity of getting a photo taken. Thankfully Richard had his camera on hand.

Clockwise from the back left is Brice (France), Ahmed (Egypt), Anne (Scotland), Richard (Shropshire), Matthew (Wigan), Fredrhenn (Philippines), ME,
Saud (India) and Srinivasa (India). A great crew and a fantastic bunch of people to boot. I shall be sad to leave. We are missing one other person in this photo ... and that is Mohamed who was a strong member of the crew but has sadly left the department to go to engineering. Your spirit is in the photo Mohamed !!!

Peace and Love

2007-04-03T05:13:00.000-07:00

Just a night time view of Doha from the Intercontinental for you courtesy of Mr Matthew Pryer.

Peace and Love

Beardo Beardo !!

2007-03-29T03:14:00.000-07:00

More like Weirdo :)

Yes I have grown a beard...... I think I like it. It is not the first time I have grown a beard but it has been some while since I last grew one. It is the first time that I have had so much grey hair sprouting out of me though:( Oh well grow old gracefully eh.
Speaking of beards..... the film 300. The story about the 300 spartans who defended Greece against a massive Persian army in something like 400 B.C. BRILLIANT. It is not the first time this story has been put to celluloid but it is definitely the best. Dunno if anyone has seen it but if you have not ..... it is a must see. I think it is made by the same guy who made Sin City. The only problem I had watching it here in Doha is that it was heavily censored. They seemed to keep in all the bloody violence ( of which there was loads ) but cut out all the other bits that are associated with the rather debauched times that were also to be had. Oh well !! Having said that.... I still really enjoyed it. Movie of the year for me so far.

Peace and Love

That's My Boy :)

2007-03-24T04:13:00.000-07:00

I have not posted a picture if Nikhil recently and as I have one to hand I might as well share it with you.

I am missing being around the kids at the moment.

Peace and Love

Nicola :))))

2007-03-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

My dear dear Nicola,

It is always so good to hear from you. For anyone who does not know Nicola and I were at Ravensbourne together and also lived in Gipsy Hill together as flatmates for a while.
It has to be said that you were very patient with Rick and myself Nicola :)) Thankyou.
To answer you question regarding the Photo of "The Bandlish Boys". Going from the top and going anti-clockwise. Top is me Dad..... to the left is Bobby.... at the bottom is little ( or not so little :)) Jay and to the right is ME :)))

When I hear from you Nicola it does give me more motivation to carry on the blog. Thanks for reading.

I am currently back in Doha..... AGAIN. I have started to lose count at the number of times I have been here but it has to be said it is a very good freelance job here so I would be silly to say no to it. Roochi and the kids are herewith me for a few days as well so it is quite a nice little holiday for them.

We also get to see some amazing cars here which Nikhil in particular enjoys.

Peace and Love

Bloody Hell !!!

2007-03-04T07:41:00.000-08:00

Time is flying !!! Even Natasha and Nikhil agree..... and they are at school !! We have been in India for 15 months now. I do not know why but I am finding it a little hard to get the motivation to write on the blog. I have been quite busy over the last few months but at the same time I have alot of periods at home.

I am doing the kids school runs and all there coordination for school and feeding them and all that. "Where is Roochi" you might well ask.... well she appears to be picking up some momentum with the business. It seems that the word has finally got out that there is a woman in Delhi who knows how to fit women for bras properly :) You know I still cannot believe my luck. I just hope she continues with building the momentum so that I can retire and be a consultant to a lingerie company ;)

I have made many good friends in Doha since I have been going there. I have been reflecting on my experiences there and I think the most positive thing about it is the multicultured department that I work in. Never have I worked with so many people from different backgrounds. MCR in Aljazeera is by far the best department there based on that fact alone. Of course we are the best at what we do too :)

Below is Natasha looking fab...... A little too fab actually. :)) I am going to have to start watching out for boys trying to chat to her and all that.

The next one is of THE BANDLISH BOYS on tour in Goa :)

CHEERS !

Peace and Love

I had no idea !!

2007-01-14T10:23:00.000-08:00

I think a little pat on the back to myself is in order. I did not notice until today that my last post was my 50th !!! Wey hey. !!

Am still in Doha but only have a couple of days left before I go home. It has been pretty busy at work for one reason or the other. A good thing I did was paid a visit to watch the Qatar Masters Golf this morning. It is the first time I have been to watch golf live and found it to be quite entertaining. I think I got lucky though..... I was the only spectator at the first Tee !!! Well me and my fellow spectator Anne. I could not believe that I was watching golfers such as Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Darren Clarke and others and there was no one there!!! I mean no one??!!After a little while a few people turned up but the most number of on any one hole was ...... ooooh errrrr 20 !!! Hmmmm I wonder if I got on the telly ??

Peace and Love

HNY

2007-01-06T20:29:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year....... 2007 !!!

Last year was probably the fastest year of my life. No sooner had it started ..... it ended !!! Whats more we have now been living in India for 14 months now!!! 2006 took me to Doha a place I never thought I would ever visit. It has, however, been a great experience. The weirdest thing about it is the fact that I knew so many people when I walked into the facility. In Doha....the middle of the desert ???

This year is going to be another tumultuous one. The Honourable Richard Bagnall is to wed his fair lady Lucy.... an event I am so looking forward to. Roochi's nephew Nimit is marrying in April in the north of India. My cousin is marrying in Feb in a city called Chandigarh, A new town partly designed by the architect Corboisier ( Spelling ??).

My apologies for not having passed on festive wishes..... but let me now take this opportunity to wish everyone a successful, loving, fruitful and peaceful new year.

More very soon :)

Peace and Love

Doha Part II

2006-11-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

The food.... oh the food is great. Grilled meats, warm breads, homous and taboulei are the staple diet of the Qataries... and me for that matter :) For a full meal consisting of grilled lamb, bread, salad, yogurt and a drink ( non alcoholic of course ) will set you back about 20 riyals or about 2 pounds and 50 pence or about 200 rupees. So all in all good value for money. You can get hold of any kind of food here. (apart from anything to do with pork of course ! Ohhhhh sausages ...... baaaaaaacon.:))
There are some really good all american burger joints, adequate indian food, steaks, chinese, japanese, korean. Basically anything. It is all good value for money.
You can drink alcohol in the hotel bars here. I am hoping to get to one tomorrow night. :) Much needed I might add.!!
The nice thing here is that cabs are very cheap indeed, if you can get one that is. There are not enough authorised cabs on the streets of Doha so there is a thriving business in unauthorised cabs, they too are cheap but not as cheap as the authorised ones. Quite often when I have been walking home people will stop and ask if I need a lift and will not ask for any money !!! Lovely :))

I am ashamed to say that I have not yet walked around the famous corniche here. The Four Seasons is at one end of the Corniche so I think a walk around the Corniche and then a visit to their famous Friday seafood buffet is in order. Soon.

More Later

Peace and Love

What is Doha Like ???

2006-11-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

A very interesting question...... Doha...Qatar is undergoing a huge change as I write this. The fact that they are hosts to the Asian games which starts in 10 days time has helped contribute to the redevelopment of this once sleepy backwater of the middle east.

I don't think I have ever seen so much construction in such a small place !

The Qataries are having to deal with a culture change probably not seen before here. Yes the hijab and indeed the burka are still the standard wear for the local women as is the ""Dish Dash""( Dish Dash being the long white almost robe type garment) for the local men who compliment it with rather impressive head dresses. ie the sheikh look.

When I walk around I have noticed that there are a hell of a lot more Indians and Philipino's than there are Qataries. Most of them doing low paid menial work.

I do feel very safe here. There does not appear to be any crime at all. Having said that the one thing that I do get nervous about about is crossing the road. Over here, it seems, every local owns at least one landcruiser and also a high performance car of some kind. Now....as the roads are very well maintained and straight and wide, interrupted only by roundabouts it makes for a fantastic place to race cars.....and boy do they. There is absolutely no regard for pedestrians. Worryingly, I can see a few visitors who will be making their way over for the Asian games getting knocked over.

To be continued...............
Peace and Love

What do you think so far ??

2006-11-17T02:40:00.000-08:00

Al Jazeera is now 2 days old. Today is the third day of broadcasting. It has been an interesting journey getting to this point. I would be interested in hearing your comments on the output of the channel if any of you have managed to watch it.

Peace and Love

No Posts

2006-11-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

Hi.... Sorry about the lack of posts but things have been moving a bit quickly and I know find myself in Doha Qatar. Al Jazeera are due to launch an international service soon and I am here short term to work in MCR.
The Asian Games are coming up so anyone who might be coming out here please do let me know and we can meet up. I am here until 19/12/06

Peace and Love

To Zaki :)

2006-11-05T07:27:00.000-08:00

Dear Zaki,

A Very Very Happy Birthday to you. I think that today is a special day and all those close to you will be there. I am sorry we cannot be there but Nikhil Natasha Roochi Aunty and me are all thinking of you.

Much Much Love
Sandy Thaya

More Pics

2006-10-31T08:25:00.000-08:00

Jodhpur Pics

2006-10-31T08:15:00.000-08:00

It's Diwali !!! AND Eid !!

2006-10-21T00:04:00.000-07:00

Wow,

Diwali and Eid together in Delhi. Bloomin' 'ek it is buzzing like mad here. The roads are packed all the time the shops are doing a roaring trade, everyone is visiting everyone. It is so difficult to tell you what it is like.

We went to Chandni Chowk yesterday which is just near Lal Qila and is where the Jama Masjid is. A heavy muslim population is here and as it is Ramadan the nights here are alive. The smell of the lamb and spices that has been cooking all day called Nahari just makes your mouth water. We settled down into a well known eatery there called Karim's and enjoyed a feast of meats the taste of which you simply cannot get anywhere else ..... that I have been anyway.

Above is a scene from there ... this was taken at 1 am !! we walked for about 3 km after our meal and the crowds did not lighten anywhere along our route. Amazing.

Wishing you all a very very Happy Diwali and a Happy New Year

Peace and Love

I don't believe it.

2006-10-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

It has already been 1 year since we moved to India. I think this has been the fastest year of my life !?!?

Peace and Love

More Photos

2006-10-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

Peace and Love

Time Flies

2006-10-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it is already over 10 days since I last posted. Mind you myself and the family have just got back from a short holiday in Shimla. We had a lovely time there. People in Delhi were warning us that it is overcrowded and spoiled now. I suppose they were trying to tell me it was a little like Margate except this one is in the hills. We did alot of driving around and were in awe at the natural beauty of the landscapes in Shimla and the surrounds. Photos do not do it justice but here is a couple that might give you an idea. We stayed at the Oberoi Cecil which was the first Hotel to be founded in the Oberoi empire. Very Regal it was too. I managed to scout a great deal for this unashamed luxury. For 2 rooms for 2 nights (which of course meant that the kids had there own room Wooo Hoooo ;)) was Rs 12500 or about £145.00. Now that is a deal.

As you can see a great time was had. Nikhil really took to horse riding so I reckon I may have a future polo champ on my hands... he cannot wait to get back on a horse;))

I hope you are all well

Peace and Love

9/11...What else...11/9 perhaps ?!!

2006-09-11T10:02:00.000-07:00

Today sees 3 very significant anniversaries, all of which hold great importance to me personally.

The one that is obvious to all is that terrible day 5 years ago. Everyone in the world knows what happened that day. Just under 3000 innocent lives lost.

The second anniversary is that of Satyagraha : the art/practice of non violent protest. Satyagraha was born this day 100 years ago and was started by a man the whole world should know. Mahatma Gandhi. It could and should be argued that the number of lives saved by Satyagraha throughout the world means that today should have been a day of celebration. Why do we dwell and stew over events that have darkened the history of mankind, when we should be looking to the light that Mahatma Gandhi and the 2 other great icons of peaceful protest, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King have given to us. Unfortunately it is again, a sign of the times where revenge is actually the reason for actions taken, although it is hidden under a veil of righteousness.

Although I do mourn for the innocents, I am also celebrating today. The fact that men of calibre and will such as Gandhi, Mandela and King have even existed is cause for celebration.

The third anniversary is that of my mother and father. This day 39 years ago they were married. No, they did not hang around as I have just turned 38 :)) Mum, Dad very many happy returns for your day. I am thinking of you.

Peace and love

Revenge is mine :))

2006-09-09T10:41:00.000-07:00

And boy does it taste sweet :) For those of you who may have read about the thrashing that I was on the receiving end of in squash back in June...... well hehehe I played that very same chap today...... Yes I thrashed him. In his defence he had lost a great deal of fitmess during the summer but I still think I am perfectly within my rights to gloat a little. The fact that I have put this on my blog for the world to see should they wish too may seem to some not to be gloating a little.....hehehe.
I hope you are all well wherever you are... and thankyou, Bobby for you birthday wishes.

Peace and love

Back In Delhi

2006-09-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

Corrr. It has been a long time that I have been away. Thank goodness I am back in Delhi. I need some RnR. They say that a man thinks of sex every 6 seconds.......that may well be true but I can tell you that all that consumed me towards the end of my stint in London was being back with Natasha and Nikhil and Roochi. This was the longest time I had spent apart from my family. Roochi dealt with it very well and used the time to make a few changes in the house like getting a new garden terrace built so that we can have winter bbq's. Lovely :)

Peace and Love

Amazing Video

2006-08-22T16:58:00.000-07:00

Have just stumbled accross an online video of the 2004 breakdance olympics. I have never seen such athletisism. It is about 15 mins long but you will have never seen anything like it before.

Peace and Love

Health and Wealth

2006-08-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

I am trying to strike a balance here. My time in India was spent getting fit and healthy. I was able to do it because I had all the time I needed to do that. Now I am in London earning money in order to give me that time in India but I am getting a bit unhealthy again. I have not played squash since I left Delhi I have not been for a swim since I left delhi.

I think it is worth it but I am not sure.

I have got a game of squash booked with Nelson tomorrow. He is bound to do me over big time but it is always a good run around. It will also make me feel alot less guilty about not having done any excersize since I have been here.

Carnival is next week. Can't wait.

Peace and Love

Go Kofi Go Kofi

2006-08-12T00:43:00.000-07:00

Kofi Anan. Now he is the man. Somehow his voice although soft and gently spoken is able to tear into the gloss and self congratulatory bullshit of the other nations who have gone out of their way to help delay any possibility of a cessation of peace earlier in the Lebanon/Israel conflict. At least it is there now and Mr Anan made sure he put those responsible for elongating, and in my mind even aggravating the situation, in their place.

If it was not for the smear campaign that was waged upon him last year when his son was accused of corrupt practises his voice may well have been heard earlier. What was on the agenda of the powers that be when they decided to smear him as much as they did. I remember it being a virtual free for all. Shameless behaviour......absolutely shameless.

Natasha, Nikhil and Roochi.........

LOVE YA :))

Peace and Love

Yes it is Ugly

2006-08-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

War War War War ad infinitum. That is all we are hearing about.
I would like to draw you to Bobbys Blog where an intelligent debate is going on regarding the goings on in the middle east. I have not got involved as I do not want to get drawn to any one side but I have read with interest what is being written. I urge you to read the comments especially.

As for this airport business..... can somebody please explain to me why....if the security services had been keeping tabs on these "cells" had the authorities not subtly upgraded security at the airports over a period of time. It seems that they knew something was going on so why make a huge song and dance about it all of a sudden.....I will tell you why. To scare people.....just like they have done to the american public, they are trying to do the same here. The anti war lobby is growing and the case for war is being broken down. Events like this help scare people back into submission and acceptance of this sickeneing war for power and oil. Let us not be deluded. Agreed, Israel has a different agenda and that is of self preservation and they know they are wrong they know it, to take so many innocent lives. BUT....... when it comes down to it they don't have much land and they are protecting their own. I know they cannot stand the fact that they have to kill loads of innocents. I am already starting to vere off sorry.

The powers that be must really think that we the public are stupid. I am so happy to have moved to India to be away from all this rubbish. While I am in the UK I will have to put up with it.

I miss my babies.

Peace and Love

Life in London

2006-08-07T16:27:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have not posted in a while. I have been in London for the last 6 weeks. Roochi and the kids are back in Delhi now, which means I am on my own :((

I am starting to feel quite himesick. I miss the kids and Roochi. I am putting on weight again.....bugger. But looking at it when I go back I will seriously be able to kick back. I cannot wait !

It has been good spending time with Dad and mum and seeing Jay every now and then.....he seems to have a really busy schedule these days too. Bobby and Gita and the kids have gone away on holiday so have not seen much of them.

I am still hoping to get to play some squash soon. I should be getting my racket back tomorrow.

It appears that "Love Island" is still not doing very well in the ratings. I agree it is not a format that I would watch but I am sure it will build up more of an audience when big brother finishes. There are people who I know would not watch the program but when they happen to stumble across it while surfing do stick with it for a little while.....so....I think the bait is working for ITV. For what it is worth I am glad Chris is still in but I wish he would stop saying "Shet" instead of "Shit" I like Brendon too, he is very upfront. Out of the girls Kelle and Colleen are the coolest, Colleen being the most sexy by far :))
I think that putting 6 single guys and 6 single girls from a normal background, ones who would go to Ibiza for a holiday would make better "shag tv" if that is what ITV are looking for. You would definitely get more relationships building and I am sure a couple of weddings out of it, which would make for good TV audiences and follow on programs. I have got lots of ideas on this kind of thing if any ITV execs are reading this ;)) Especially as Mr Allen is leaving soon :))

I went to a wedding in Krakow over the weekend. Mark and Danusia the bride and groom truely laid on a most memorable day for all those who attended. Thanks Mark.
I highly recommend Krakow to anyone as a most romantic of destinations. You have to stay in a hotel called the "Pod Roza" translates to under the rose. It is magical !!

Love you and miss you Roochi, Nikhil and Natasha

Peace and Love to all

Rafting Pic

2006-06-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

Back in Delhi now and frantically packing for London.
Now that I am by my PC and have my camera canle I can post a photo from Rishikesh where we went white water rafting. Bloody good fun it was too. The weather was warm and the Ganges cold. Took a dip in it every now and then to wash away my many sins :)) The view was also something that needs to be seen. In case you are wondering. The young lady with me in the photo on the right is Natasha. Yes.......... she is growing fast.

Peace and Love

Pillum !

2006-06-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

Had a great cinema experience the other day. Went to see a "pillum" in an old style cinema hall in Dehra Dun. Huge it was. About 1000 people in the stalls and about 300 in the Balcony or circle. Packed to the rafters. Whenever the goodies in the movie would come on screen the stalls would errupt with clapping. Whenever a good looking girl appeared wolfwhistles could be heard. The cinema itself was filthy but the atmosphere was classic. At 40 rupees for a circle ticket ( I believe stalls are 20 rupees or about 25 pence) you cannot complain. The movie.....well it was a comedy lifted straight from "Lock stock and two smoking barrels" but in Hindi so catering for a hindi audience. It was fun enough.....but no where near as good as the original:))

Peace and love

The Mountains.

2006-06-09T22:37:00.000-07:00

I am currently up in a town called Dhera Dun. It is in the foothills of the Himalayas. We (Roochi the kids and I ) are being so well looked after by Roochis cousins family. I am eating so much that I have to force myself to do a mountain climb every day otherwise I shall ballooon with the amount I am eating. I say mountain climb.....I suppose it is more of a hill climb really but at the top of the climb the view is spectacular. I did bring my camera but I did not bring the software or cable to connect to this computer so apologies for the lack of photos. I am thinking about doing a bit of trekking ! Trekking is something I would never have considered before now as it seemed too much like hard work but now I am really looking forward to doing one. Hopefully I can get a one day trek sorted out before our stay here is done.
We had a debate about god and religion today....... Despite quite a coherant arguement in favour of religion given by our host I find myself to be an entrenched cynic. I have yet to come accross anything that has remotely persuaded me that religion is the "Way to go."
Lead a good life. Be good to the people around you. Help others when you can. Be courteous at all times. (after all it costs nothing). Try not to knowingly hurt anyone. These are the ways to go on in life.
I am still considering starting a cult :))) I know my friend the Archbishop Andy Toms is also interested. I hope your trek in Tibet is going well Archbishop am looking forward to seeing you in London.

Peace and Love

The Shutout :(

2006-05-28T00:13:00.000-07:00

I have managed to find a regular squash partner in Delhi at last. Sarvjit Dhillon (Sarv for short) he is the dad of one of Nikhils friends at school. We are quite well matched but he has the slight upper hand as he has a couple of great killer shots. Our matches, if best of 7 will be 4-3 to him or 5-2 to him. best of 5 would normally be 3-2. BUT, yesterday I was feeling good..... he had been out on the liquor the night before and not feeling well. I offered not to play as I did not want any excuses for his first loss against me. " No " he said I wanna play. Cool I thought. We got onto the court and played. What happened next was totally demoralizing. He beat me 5-0 !!! F*!K, S**T, B!$%&*KS, W*&K. I cannot explain what happened, I reckon I just got complacent. In at least 3 games I was 5 or 6 points in the lead and I have a tendency to try and catch a breather before trying to finish off.....big mistake....I should have, at that moment.....sueezed harder to finish him off. The fact is I didn't. To give the respect due to Sarv I am not sure that if I had squeezed harder I would have won. I cannot leave Delhi now until I have had a chance at retribution.
Sarv WATCH OUT :)))

Peace and Love and War...(on the squash court that is ;)

World Cup

2006-05-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

It is fast approaching. The best sporting tournament in the world. There is no better simple pleasure than to meet up with the guys .....crack open a few cans of beer ( actually in my case it is going to have to be a couple of bottles of wine as I am trying to keep off the beer for fear of the dreaded beer belly :) and watch some special football. I cannot wait to see how the African nations will get on this time round.... I think they will surprise. Alot of people reckon that England have their best chance to win it this time round.... I am not so sure. Of course I shall be cheering them on ....but who can resist the spectacle of Brazil...I know I cannot. Enjoy it :))

Much Peace and Much Love

I knew it

2006-05-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

Thats it. Crystal Palace are officially a championship team for the next few seasons. Dowie the most inspirational manager we have had in years has gone. Andy Johnson (Gawd bless 'im) is probably off to Wigan. So the end result is that the 2 most inspirational people of this era in the life and times of Crystal Palace football club have gone........ BUGGER !!!!! Still at least we can have another crack at the Baggies eh ! ;)

I bloody had to sack the driver today aswell. I am not often put in this situation, but the fact is he has a wife who is pregnant and yet he still could not help himself and tried to have it away with my maid !!! It just does not say much about his character. So to be honest with you it was not difficult to do the deed. I think it is the first time I have ever sacked anyone.....I think.

Peace and Love ?

Simple Pleasures.

2006-05-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

One of the things that being in India had helped me to do is to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. I will give you an example. In this heat ( it is hot! ) The feeling I get walking around the house in bare feet on the cool marble floor is delightful. It helps to cool my whole body without being artificial like an air conditioner is. It is a simple pleasure. I am told however that in some parts of India even the stone floor is heating up to the extent that you cannot even walk on it. The only way to cool it down is to splash cold water over it.......but then you are at risk of slipping. What to do eh :)
Anyway below is a photo of Natasha just before she got up on stage at school to perform a dance routine. I think she looks reasonably cool about it :)

Peace and Love

My Dad

2006-05-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot to post this picture. It is of my father. I met him in Mumbai over the weekend..... we were attending the wedding of one of my cousins.. Akshay.
I like the photo alot as it reflects the fact that he is enjoying live and looks good for it.
Love ya Dad :))

Peace and Love

Nikhil's Birthday

2006-05-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it.....Nikhil is already seven years old. ! We all went to a place called Nirula's. I think most Indians have heard if it. It is a place where you can order Tandoori chicken or a hamburger or a pizza all off the same menu. There are several in India but there is only one branch that serves beer. So obviously that is the one I booked for Nikhil's birthday. The picture below shows you how well he looks. Alot of people have commented that Nikhil looks much healthier here in India than he ever did in the UK.
Natasha however is still strong and always has been.
By the way... I have at last found a good Yoga teacher. He now comes and teaches us as a family 3 times a week. I can do a pretty good headstand now and can also do a convincing plough. If this is all double dutch to you don't worry I will show you when I see you :)))

A Crying Shame.

2006-04-29T23:51:00.000-07:00

My sympathies to all the Baggie supporters out there.
As far as I am concerned the best teams are the ones with character and spirit NOT the ones with all the money in the world to blow. Teams who have to battle it out throughout the whole season just to survive don't always have the dedicated support they deserve.
In my experience Baggies supporters are the most decent and dedicated of any ( barring the odd dickhead of course :)). My hats off to you all.

Perhaps you could now put your valuable energy into supporting the Eagles in their quest for promotion in the coming weeks.

I sincerely hope we don't see the Baggies in the Championship next season. I fear if we do Crystal Palace may be headed for a long few years in that league.

COME ON PALACE !!!!

Peace and Love

The heat is on.

2006-04-08T22:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry to be boring but I have to mention the weather again. It really is bloody hot out here. During the day time the mercury is definitely touching 40 degrees C. We started up the air conditioners a couple of days ago and that does provide a good form of relief from the heat. It is set to get hotter still. People are talking about the temperature going as high as 50 !!!!

The hot weather has given me a still deeper appreciation of something very close to my heart.
COLD BEER :)
I have found myself necking an ice cold beer on my own in the house and literally saying out loud after it has gone down "Yea baby" or something like that. I don't think there has ever been a time were beer has given me so much pleasure. :)

Peace and Love

CKP Lingerie Boutique

2006-03-30T07:34:00.000-08:00

It's open for business. Roochi's Lingerie Boutique is open for customers :)

The week has started immensely well and we are hoping that the word will spread fast. So far all customers have left with goods in one hand and a bunch of promotional materials in the other ready to spread the good word. It has been a slog to get this far but she is finally there.
Alot of guys are saying to me " you lucky bugger" and stuff like that, but believe me, when there is a gaggle of ladies in the house waiting to be sized up I would much rather be somewhere else. Preferably a nice quiet pub with a cold beer in hand and some good company. Honest ;)

I will keep you all updated as to how Roochi is getting on with the business.

Peace and Love

Trying to work it out ?

2006-03-24T01:59:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to make sense of how things work here. It is not as easy as it may seem. There are the beneficial things such as maids and drivers etc. (actually our maid just left us ( On the big corporate front such as mobile operators and airlines things are actually quite good. You can book tickets and hotels online. You can get yourself a mobile with very little hassle. Restaurants are getting better and better, the service is good on the whole. BUT when it comes to getting something like a tube light fixed in the house it seems to be alot more of a problem. The bloke will come once and say he has fixed it. The next day it won't work.... he will come again and then he will say it is fixed but again it will not work. It is not coz he is trying to rip me off.....I think that he is trying to do the job really quickly so that he can get to the next job and therefore makes mistakes. In England electricians and plumbers usually have a few jobs on the go but they seem to get the job done and get rewarded quite handsomely for it. In India they have to have a few jobs on the go because they get paid so little. I would like to say I will pay more for a better job .... but I am not convinced that I will get a better job done. It is little things such as this that will and maybe is starting to hamper real progression through all the classes living in India. I think it is a lack of pride in doing the job. But hey like I said I am still trying to work it out.

Anyway here is a photo

The above was taken at the National Rail Museum in New Delhi. Highly recommended if you are looking for a day out with the kids. There is not much of this sort of thing in Delhi so I reckon we may have to visit this place a few times. They both enjoyed it and that is what counts.

Problems !

2006-03-19T23:10:00.000-08:00

I have been trying over the last couple of days to post a couple of photos without much luck. Sorry for not having posted for a while. Me old mucker Baggie is in town at the moment and we have had a very pleasant time. He and his good lady Lucy over the last 2 and a half weeks have been to,

Delhi,
Bhopal ( attending a big wedding )
Dehradun (Chilling)
Haridwar (Religious observations)
Rishikesh (White water rafting.....it was wicked :)
Missourie (The views of the mountains)
Agra ( The romantic/soppy bit)
Ranthambore (Tiger spotting)
Jaipur. ( Palaces )

Not bad :)

Peace and Love