A-ha - 'Take on me'

Is it just me, or is this one of the finer music videos ever made? Did any one else like this one? This was one of the earliest ones I remember seeing as a kid and I just loved how the medium is used. Pretty cool 80s video, although it does seem a bit cliched watching it now.

"Take on me" by A-Ha

Hampi Dumpty - my fall

That's a small gash I had from my bike fall. Not seen in the picture - I had bruises on my arm, knee and shoulder, which took a couple of weeks to heal. My most livid memory was the emergency trip we had to make to the only doctor in Hampi - the temple doctor. She didn't have real bandages - they had to tie pieces together, and the only medicine available was a strange raw tincture. My gash on my left arm wasn't deep, but had sheared away quite a bit of skin. When her swab of tincture hit my arm, I was shrieking madly in agony.
Lesson learnt the hard way: Traveling? Carry some Savlon wherever you go.


Monami and I by the Virupaksha Temple, adjacent to the Hampi Bazaar.


Make sure you visit Mango Tree if you visit Hampi.


Mr. Batman arrived unsolicited, flying blind, nose diving and passing out on the ground right by where we were sitting. Yes, we freaked out.


On the second day we were there, the dam gates had been opened, and the water level of the Tunghabadra river had risen over 30 feet, leaving the little teashop by the Ram temple underwater. We were there just the day before, enjoying a cuppa and the view.


The rise of the river water pushed the zillions of the bugs by the bank into the Mango Tree restaurant waterfront area, scaring away several tourists, but offering some fine pictures.

Well, there's a lot more to write home about my Hampi trip, but I'll save that for a separate post later.

I got a tattoo too

On the last day of our trip to Brussels, I and my colleagues visiting from the States made a trip down to the nearby town of Ghent where a large festival called Gentse Feesten was organized for their national day. There were several live music concerts happening at the same time - reggae, latin, rock and beer festivals along the way. Ghent is a pretty city with a medieval past, and retains the old world charm with little canals, old forts, and churches with spires. In particular, the tall belfry and the Gravensteen castle were noteworthy.



After a few hours of walking around, we chanced upon a henna (mehendi) tattoo parlor off the sidewalk. Quite promptly, we all decided to get tattoos. Jeff & Jeff got some lovely macho tattoos of a lizard and a bull, while Susan got a pretty little ornamental one on her back.



I was a wimp and simply got one on my palm, and so I was the Indian beggar walking around on the street with an open palm until the mehendi dried an hour later. I scribbled a little design of my own which the artist rendered beautifully. On top are two of my passions - tennis (racquet) and writing (yes, its just a pen), with a two button mouse connecting me to work (my company logo).

It lasted a week before fading slowly away.

My Brussels trip

Travelling again, but this time on work, I was in Brussels during the last week of July. Although I’ve been to Europe a few times before, I had never gotten around to visiting the picturesque Belgian capital and it was nice to get around and see things. We stayed at a Marriott in the heart of the city. Now, how American does that get? Almost like a cliche, there was a McDonalds right next door. On the other hand, the hotel was a stones throw from the central Grand Place, the cultural hub of the city with a lot of cafes, pubs and chocolate shops all around.

Here's a picture of the Grand Place at night, when they have a sound and light show. Crowds gather in summer and laze around in the middle of the beautiful plaza, watching the splendid display.



Like in many other European cities, there's a statue which people rub and make a wish as they pass by for good luck. That's Jeff Jarvis, Jeff Wilhelm, Craig and I rubbing the reclining bronze figure. Oh, all of us except JeffJ.



Every street in the city center seems to have a cafe, a pub and a chocolate shop. Why chocolate shops? Belgium is home to some of the best chocolate manufactures in the world. I came back to work with over a kilogram of Leonidas chocolates all of which disappeared in minutes! I also brought back some Neuhaus and Côte d'Or. Here's a picture of a little chocolate shop which had 'tennis chocolates'! Yes, I bought some of those too. :)



My cab ride from the airport to the hotel was quite interesting. My cabbie was Schumacher, or at least he sure drove like him, weaving like a maniac through the dense traffic at 160kmph. Since I enjoy thrills, I cant complain since it was a fun joyride and felt like being with a Delhi taxiwalla. While I was all belted up in the back, Schumi was quite comfortable, one hand on the wheel and a cigarette in the other, snaking his way through while his seatbelt dangled on the side. Locals later told me that cab drivers arent required to wear belts since its the middle of the summer and it can get uncomfortable since they are driving in the heat all day long. Now, driving all day long would seem to be a good reason to belt up since it increases the chance of an accident. But then, I'm sure they know better.