The Winners Song

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

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

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

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

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

Been waiting to sing for so long
My winners song

Destination Unknown

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



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





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

Online Adverts

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



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

Wealth Creation – Time to wake up!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moscow

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

211 Things a bright boy can do

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

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

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

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

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

Russia – my first time ever!

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Great Angkor Wat

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

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

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

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


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

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

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



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

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

Sun & Sand – Shengoop

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

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

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

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

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

And ended up like this…!

Bratislava - the big small town!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Random Photograher at a street corner - smart & wily!

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


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

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

Play it again, Sam

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

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

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

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

Johannes Brahms, Wien (Austria)

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

Johann Strauss II, Wien (Austria)

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

Schlumberger Melodramatic 1930s

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

Glorifying the Piss

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

Manekkan in his usual naked pose, pissing of course

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

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