Experiences

Completed One year in Shell Must say working in the oil and gas industry or rather the Energy industry has been a learning experience. Its reach is global, so many players involved, the scale is huge, the impact is far reaching and the investments/profits are mind boggling.

Customer service is something an Indian misses when he visits Europe and more so Holland. So when a personnel of the supermarket offers his help “Are you looking for something?”, you wonder. He is a nice guy.

I was looking for Makkai/buttha and asked him if there is any corn on the cob in the stocks. With some enthusiasm he asks his colleague and then rushes off to fetch a pack. He returns in a hurry and I thank me. He has a question on his face. I pause and he asks, “are you from Pakistan”. “Sorry , I am from India. And why”. This is what intrigues me. He says,”If you would have been from Pakistan, I would have thanked you for helping us against Armenia” (He was Turkish. I google and read about the past tensions between the two nations). I thank him for helping me and take his leave.

I enjoy cultural exchanges. I like the frankness and the honesty.

Experienced the thrill of a free fall from 60 m over the north sea. Thats Bungee jumping at Scheveningen. You smile, look around then look down, spread your arms and let go yourself.

Weekends!

It is customary to enquire from colleagues starting Thursday if they have any plans for the weekend and till Tuesday on how they spent their weekend. On Wednesdays you work!!! By some measures the weekend mood builds up when we report to work on Friday morning. Within hours, what could be an apparently relaxing weekend at times turns into an exciting and hectic one.

I accept the “meeting request” for a 40 km cycling tour to Alkmar planed for Saturday. You browse through your late morning news and are pleasantly surpirsed to know that the Amsterdam Arena is playing host to Arsenal, Inter Milan, Sevilla and Ajax in the LG Amsterdam tournament. Quick meeting on the Microsoft Office communicator + a phone call to Ticket box has plans for Saturday evening Soccer confirmed.

The weekend starts early, Friday at 17.00 hrs. I collect the tickets for the soccer game and head home. Plans firm up to watch Singh is King on the very first day. Much to everyone’s surprise, all the tickets are sold out. Loads of Indians, Surinami Hindustani and Sikhs at the Pathe. Ended up watching You don’t mess with Zohan (You don’t return from the Cineplex without watching a movie), a lousy movie with only toilet humor and pelvic thrusts by Adam Sandler.

Surprisingly everyone is on time for the train to Alkmar the next morning. A beautiful day with lots of sunshine and good breeze. It was pleasant to cycle around the Dutch villages and through the lush green fields. And Da with his antics makes the trip fun.

I do not have a “To do list before my Intekaal”. But if I ever had one, I sure ticked one “to do thingie”. Saturday evening at the Amsterdam Arena was an experience. Arsenal played Sevilla followed by Ajax, the home team playing Inter Milan. The first match was a bit dull 1-1 draw with Arsene Wenger playing with the junior team and Fabiano missing chance after chance. The second match was better on skills and crowd enthusiasm. Mourinho had fielded Ibrahamovic, Adriano, Figo, Zanetti, Burdiso and Stankovic. Sadly though, I couldn’t celebrate the only goal by Inter. I did raise my hands but in a snap realized that I was sitting amidst the Dutch supporting Ajax The risk could prove costly. It felt good

I have spent 8 months in The Netherlands.1 month during onboarding last year + 7 since January. And I finally saw Why Amsterdam is famous for what it is a famous for. Another tick on a “Must visits in The Netherlands”. But I must say it was not an overwhelming experience. At 00.30 hrs it was a crowded tourist spot with loads of drunk men and curious women.

A relaxing Sunday rounded up with Singh is King at the cinema screen and OSO at the Home Screen

The coming weekend starts tomorrow, Thursday evening. Friends coming over for Rajmah-Chawal in dinner, Celebrating Bharatiya Swatantrya Diwas at the Indian Embassy the next morning, Gulmira coming to the Hague so an evening with EP00 friends, Iron Maiden concert on Saturday and tennis tournament on Sunday (fingers crosed for a fit ankle and clear skies)

Quirky Tag

Sid tagged me to blog on my six unspectacular quirks. 

The Rules:

1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them. (Tagged 5)
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1. I do watch movies regularly but I would fall short of being a movie buff. That said, I have not watched a few movies which almost everyone in my age group has seen atleast once, namely Matrix Trilogy, Godfather, Harry potter and LOTR.I am sure there are a few more movies that can be added to this list. I am not fascinated by animations either, hardly seen one or two. So no The incredibles, Monster Inc., Kung fu Panda,Wall E, Fighting Nemo, Toystory, Cars, Shrek and the likes.

2. I am Still adicted to “Friends”. Have watched all the 10 seasons atleast 8 times. I made a conscious effort to not copy any episode on my hard disk. To my surprise and pleasantly so, Friends is aired on a Dutch channel(in English though) every weekday at 19.00 hrs. I enjoy it over a cup of tea

3. I do not ride on Motor bikes. My Mom has made me promise that. Though I had to break her promise on a couple of occassions where I had absolutely no way out(There was a speed limit in that case, an insult to the driver). My mom has a phobia for bikes. She has seen way too many accidents, mostly fatal involving two wheelers.

4. Having stayed 4 years in an IIT hostel, I have watched movies, TV shows, documentaries, and listened to songs on my PC/laptop and continue to do so. However, I am a lazy downloader, infact I have never downloaded any such file myself.

5. I can either follow a meticulously drawn plan/be very neat and organized or be impulsive, nothing in balance.

6. I have got into this habit of reading and analyzing people. My love and understanding of human psychology and the fact that we are all pre-conditioned makes me look at things so very differently.