Back in the motherland...

Landed as scheduled. Abuja airport is a bit older but overall things seem to work, as in India there are more officials than people. Immigration were quite friendly, customs did not seem to care and we out of the ariport in 30 mins - Record time for most aiports I would say. Needless to say, elated parents are quite excited to see us and cannot stp parading us around. Everything seems very familiar, from the big Monitor lizards on the wall to harmattan dust that seems to engulf Kaduna at this time of the year. Kaduna seems very crowded now, very similair to many Indian towns and there is obvious wealth everywhere - I even saw a few Hummers on the road. Not much has changed, the same old familiar faces at parties however not a lot of nostalgia instead it feels more like a struggle to remember. The roads and the infrastructure seem to work but electricity is still an issue. Nigerian are the eternal optimists, ask them how life is and they will tell you its good and its getting better! The serpentine fuel lines have disappeared which in itself is a great acheivement because inspite being the 4th largest oil producers in the world there was not enough fuel for the local population. The refineries don't seem to be working yet but they will work in the future (clearly my nigerian colors are returning). At 50 cents a litre, its still one of the of the cheapest places in the world for petrol. We have a series of dinner appointments, this sort of social life we don't have in Munich. My introductions usually entail a five minute geography of Munich and why we are working there. I don't mention the name Siemens too often because the headlines of the New Nigerian listed proclaimed that the government would pursue and punish all the officials connected to the Siemens bribery scandal. We go check you later mai friend..

My Nigerian Brothers came through..

Yes, the passports have arrived and the scowl of worry the wifey was sporting has left. Now they just need to let us enter the country :) So we are off on thursday, in approximately 14 hours of travel time I should be back home! 2 weeks of golf, suya, safari, sleep, whisky (thats all my dad drinks) and home food - here I come! Gotta go, can finally pack now.

Book review

I found the Dan Brown series quite intriguing so when I saw one of the accolades on the book read ' The intelligent readers answer to the Da Vinci Code' by the Independent, I was hooked. Forty two Ringitts later, I am not so sure I will buy the Independent the next time I am in London. The book overall is quite cool, worth a read and consists of a simple diet of easy reading. The book has the usual double crossing, suspense and -I left all those clues for you to pick up- style of writing. Some archealogical facts that I did not know and I am slightly more knowledgeable on Jewish culture after the 700 pages. Not as well written as the Angels and Demons however the setting is different and potentially a more realistic one. The charm of Egypt and the wretched reality of everyday Isreali life comes across quite nicely. So if you have some extra Ringitts lying around and need a book to while time away on a beach, then this maybe the book for you. Overall 3 star rating (on a scale of 5). Big Book and took me a long time to read. I read some of the reviews on goodreads.com in which one the reviewers gave 5 stars for the book said it took her a year and 3 days to finish it. Its about a 1000 pages in very small font and excrutiating details about Bombay and the gangster psyche. Its very well written so much so that you take on the personalities of the characters in the book. The detailing in the book is spectacular and peculairities of translating certain Hindi Nuances into English is very well done, particularly the swear words. However I think this book is best enjoyed by someone who is an India-Lover or may have spent sometime there. Its not a really a book that explains India but more about how things tick in Mumbai for example how the Mumbai Police's corruption actually ensures that justice is served and decorum. Also explains the tight nexus between the underworld, food stalls, Bollywood, policemen and the slums in Mumbai. There are some missing spots in the book that make it difficult to beleive but prose and imagination make up for it. Overall a very nice book but not as good as Shantaram. Four stars! A pretty good weekend. Wanted to do some shopping but not sure if we are going or not Its Sunday night but no Passports yet and no news of them. Not sure if we will actually leave for Nigeria on thursday as planned!

Gourmet weekend!

Sent in our passports to get our Nigerian visa, all bets are on that if I don't get it back in a week I should start looking for it on Ebay. If all goes well, then we shall be zipping across to the African continent on German wings in ten days. Looking forward to some some authentic pounded yam and suya! My sister has recommended to Priya to pack lots of books (maybe a tinge of jealousy), I am going golf ball shopping and may go on a diet to make up for the excess baggage we will have to carry back! Do you think I am excited. For those of you care, I flunked the driving exam! After 14 years of practise, I still can't get somethings right! We were entertaining friday night, one sales guys vs 6 architects. Started the guests with some Margaritas but got tired of squeezing the lemons . Lesson - buy the Margarita mix next time. Lots of Parap Wadas, vegetables, chicken curry rice and mango mousse were on offer. Used the opportunity to open some more Chianti bottles. In my opinion the food was better than the wine I picked. Went to a friend's place for dinner saturday night for which she had arranged a champagne degustation. True to herself, she had organized a degustation manual, some reading material on how taste and rate, a box full of smells for those who did not know what a 'white rose' smelt like, excellent food and three types of Champagne and reviews of the Champagne. The nicest was the Bollinger Special Cuvee which we tried first and then I liked the Ruinart Brut Rose. It was quite a special affair. The food, Fois gras mouse especially, was also exceptional. Sunday was also a 'filling' day too, we went to visit the Dietterichs who entertained us with some Apfelstrudel and ceremoniously made Gluhwein. Inspite of foul weather and a heavy head, we went to Priya's Portugese friend's place for dinner. I must say he is quite the charming Latino - he digs the arts, knows how to charm your pants off and cooks like you will never forget. So if you are blond and like large quantities food, then maybe I can arrange a hookup. The Bacalhau was excellent. And thus ended our gourment weekend.. P.S. tonight was not too bad either, orange beef and vegetale mee. Of course I did'nt cook.

Blissful weekend

Last weekend was quite relaxing. No wife to nag and no life worth brag about meant I could catch up with life again. I walked around Munich for 5 hours on saturday and ceremoniously opened a bottle of wine, Chianti of course, and lulled myself to sleep. Slept to my heart's content late into sunday morning, kept some of the bosses happy by doing some work, fooled around on www, paid my respects at church and cooked a posh vegetarian meal for myself. Next in contrast is a busy one, party at home on friday, champagne degustation on saturday at a friend place and invited for dinner on sunday. Booked our tickets to go to Nigeria, looking forward to the break. Was hoping my nightmare project will come to an end but there is no end in sight. I maybe out of a job by the end of the year but I am certainly going to take my break. Waiting with everything crossed for my passports to come back from the Nigerian embassy. Also confirmed trip to India, need to work out plans in India for the coming months. So who is in India in December? There are some more updates to the Chianti list. Taking a leaf from my friend, I should organize a Chianti Degustation at home now that I have all these interesting bottles.

3 Euro Wine junkie back in town

Quote of the week - 'When in an economy seat on a transatlantic flight sandwiched between a large butterball and a 2 meter Dutchman who does'nt beleive in showering then think - How bad is my career?' After another week of alternating Indian, Chinese and Malay lunches I am back for some schweine in Deutschland. Yet to see the architect roomate, clearly trying to prove who brings the bread in this family. Blew up some of the hard earned moolah over some tasty north indian fare with some pregnant muencheners. More babies popping out, 2 winners from the UK since my last blog. Milan and Kavita had a baby, thankfully she looks like her mother and a very handsome one. Corpus Christi's Class 93 would like to thank nature for its kind graces. Angy and Ayeesha are also learning to be parents, I am still recuperating from the disbeleif of Angy commiting to marriage but now I am convinced that he is still drunk from a very long night of 'Old Monk'. Have you guys even been married for 9 months? As you can see I am green with jealousy and as a result a bit mean. Congrats guys and thanks for cranking up the pressure ( what else are friends for), now even the wife is grumbling. Went to a very vacant office today? One of my roommates at work calls our office the "Shining", half expecting to see an axe weilding Jack Nicholson to come rushing through the walls. It truly feels like we have shut down for the winter. A few well wishers were too decent to leave comments on my oenophile blog however delicately suggested to me via emails/chats that I should graduate from 3 Euro bottles of wine if I am going to continue pretending that I am connoseiur of fine Italian wine. Suggested that 8 Euros is a good starting point, else everyone will discover the real me i.e. Mr. El Cheapo. I say - God bless you and America!! Time for an image change or is it already to late? Many things to do this weekend, have a driving test to look forward to this week. Going by the last couple of classes, I should flunk with flying colors.