Saturday, May 21, 2011 | 4 Comments 
I've been very busy this last fortnight to even think about posting new material. I can't believe I haven't yet had a chance to look at my photos from Istanbul. Those should produce a few fun posts too. I hope to have them online soon. This weekend, I managed to tidy up these images of (and from) the Cathedral in Geneva.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 | 2 Comments 
Although I don't follow the rallies, the cars and the drivers, I had heard and read about this a few weeks prior. The Kuwait International Rally was a couple of weeks ago, and whether you know these supercars or not it was a wonderful opportunity for some action shots. For me personally, it fell on a weekend when I was returning from a business trip late Thursday night, busy most of Friday, all of Saturday, and flying off again the following Monday. I wasn't sure about timings, locations so I found myself surrendering to the I'll-do-it-next-time trap.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011 | 6 Comments 
The best description I ever heard of Beirut is 'an impossibility that works'. Contrast is description used for many cities, but here it is almost everywhere you look. It's not just the architecture, nor the fact that you can swim in the sea and ski on the same day; contrast is in every aspect of life here. I don't claim any special knowledge of Beirut or Lebanon, but any visitor would very quickly notice the many differences that seem to happily coexist - if a little warily. At one point during a short walk, I saw a church, a mosque, an old shop, a modern art gallery, a cafe, a pub, an ad for breast enhancement and a photo (admittedly on the other side of the road) of HizbAllah's Leader. All this was visible to me without having to move my feet. Where in the world can anyone claim the same?
Monday, December 6, 2010 | 11 Comments 
I'm off to Dubai tonight so this post feels appropriate. I will be there less than twenty four hours, but my last visit few weeks ago was a three-day trip - with a free evening. I packed my Nikon D300 instead of the usual business-trip companion: the capable little G11. I did that because I managed to include into my plan a stop at the tallest building in the world. I booked my ticket online in advance just to be sure.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010 | 112 Comments 
Some of my readers were expecting photos of the Lake District (Cumbria) by now, but my holiday was deferred a week and I ended up in London instead. The reason was an unplanned business trip for an urgent negotiation in Seoul. Work-wise the trip didn't go as well as we had hoped; but I was glad to use the opportunity to see the place. I only spent two days there, and they were enough to leave with a very positive impression of Seoul.
Sunday, July 11, 2010 | 11 Comments 
Two men, two meals, and two pastas - hence the silly title. A few days ago, while shopping for football snacks with one of my brothers, we came across some fantastic king prawns. We were sick of takeaways and decided to have a home-cooked meal for a change. We added some fresh pasta to the basket and headed to the check-out. I picked up some mince meat and penne for the following day.
It all starts of with the same step as almost every dish I make: hot pan, onions and a bit of garlic. The prawns have been cleaned and are at this point soaking in Lemon. When the onions are just starting to brown, the prawns are thrown in. A minute or so later, the tomatoes follow; and finally tomato paste is added for colour and flavour. As the heat is reduced to allow the mix to settle, chopped green chilli is added. It competes with the other flavours but at this late stage, it doesn't overwhelm.
Fresh tagliatelle worked beautifully in this dish. Two minutes in boiling water before it's drained and ready. The only addition apart from salt during cooking is black pepper. I have to mention here that Peogeot make the best black pepper mills ever. I bought ours in France three years ago and it still pretends to be new...
The whole process took less than twenty five minutes, and it tasted even better than it looks. Tislam eedik, Bu Ali.
I'll be trying this myself next time, for the family. My personal expertise is in pasta with roasted minced lamb. The process is similar to above, but I don't use chilly. For this dish, I find that penne or fusilli work best. We have spaghetti occasionally but always with a bolognese sauce, which is my wife's specialty. I'll close with a few images of the second dish. Enjoy.
Saturday, July 3, 2010 | 15 Comments 
I took this photo last year when we spent the day at an animal park just outside London. I posted this, and a few other images, on the National Geographic website soon after. Earlier this week, I received an email from them asking me to add it to their stock website. It's a great feeling to get recognition from an organisation that I respect and admire - even if it's only for one image. It's like a pat-on-the-back from a close relative.
I like National Geographic. I don't tend to watch much of their channel, but I love their magazine. I even managed to subscribe electronically earlier this year - which has been fantastic. Recently I saw their advert for their back-issues from 1888 to 2008. When I mentioned it to my dear father, he kindly offered it to me as a gift. We'll be ordering it soon.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 | 4 Comments 
During a short trip to Cairo, I did two long drives for meetings in Suez and Alexandria. We returned the same day on both occasions. Last time, I managed to drive around Alexandria - to at least see it having done the drive. This time, I had a chance to see the Suez Canal, for about ten minutes, after our meeting. Ships are kept at either end and released in groups. We were lucky to arrive at a time when ships were sailing past.
Opened in 1869, it's nearly 200km long, 24m deep and about 200m wide. All I knew about its history was the the Suez crisis of the 1950s. Read its Wikipedia entry here to learn more. I was not surprised to learn that it was dug by forced labour. It made me laugh how the British opposed this - taking the moral high ground - only to seek to buy a large share a few years later.
To get a feel for the scale, have a look at the life-saving-tube thingy in the photo below. It's a bout a quarter of the way from the right.
The thing that impresses me most is not the way this place looks; nor is its rather horrible (and predictable) history intriguing in any way. What I do love about it is how simple it is, and how much it has changed the world.
Monday, May 17, 2010 | 10 Comments 
Yousef and I went to Bahrain over the weekend to watch my brother compete in the Middle East IKO Dojos Karate Tournament. I have a transparent belt in Karate, so I had no idea what to expect. This was the first event of its kind in the region and participants were mainly from Bahrain and Kuwait.
I was pleasantly surprised by the turnout. A lot of family support for the young men and boys. There were even five-year-olds competing!
The fights were short and sweet, but the number of contestants was high - so things took a while. The venue was good, but the organisation lacked experience. Overall a very good event with a nice atmosphere.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous when my brother's turn came. He started off on the defensive for fifteen seconds or so, then he changed his tempo and took control. He won this fight which went into an extra deciding round.
He finished the night with the silver cup, coming in third place for his weight bracket. Congratulations M.
Monday, May 10, 2010 | 11 Comments 
The last of my Scotland posts comes to you from Sumburgh. It's not a secret to anyone who knows me that I like birds. In fact I love birds, always have done. Puffins are a special case for me. Ever since I was six years old, I saw a picture of one in a book and kept it for years. Every time we visited a zoo, aviary, or if I came a cross a book, I would seek them. I even bought a tacky Swarovski model of a pair of puffins - which I probably like a little too much.
When I did some reading about the Shetlands, I discovered the clear association with Puffins. It was therefore one of my first non-work-related questions to our host at the terminal, and he recommended a visit to Sumburgh Head, specifically near the old lighthouse. It sounded fantastic, and it was. It was the perfect place to view these - and other - seabirds. I had an hour to spend there; but it didn't stop raining for one minute. The shots are not the best, but I include them to show you the potential this beautiful place has, on a perhaps warmer dry day.
The photo above may help you scale the place, with my car visible on the left. The location is maintained by the wonderful RSPB. Click here for more information about Sumburgh on their website.With a good lens and reasonable weather, this place would be amazing for capturing some truly wild shots of the many birds that call this place home.
