Chocolate Fans

Some of my readers might know that I am a big connaisseur of - especially dark - chocolate. During the "good old Zwackelmann days" we used to host "chocolate tasting sessions" at home - a tradition I have continued in India (importing the some of the most exclusive chocs from Europe) and recently revived here in Wroclaw.

For those who share my weakness for this sweet temptation I have decided to write regular reviews of some of my favourite chocolates. Although, as mentioned above, my preference lies clearly on the darker side, I will also feature some of the very delicious milk chocolates from time to time.

During my last visit to Germany I have accidentally come across a very nice little Chocolaterie, whose owner is not only very friendly, but also extremely knowledgable. Since this place has recently been opened and I was very pleased with the service, I would like to recommend it to those of you living in and around the Rhineland:

Chocolaterie "Desir Noir"
Luminaden
Wiesdorfer Platz 16
51373 Leverkusen
Germany
Phone: +49 1577 254 38 43

It was the owner of this little shop who recommended the chocolate I would like to write about today: Michel' Cluitzel's "Hacienda Mangaro"


With a 65% cocoa percentage it's not too dark, so it might be worth trying even if you're a "milky" (if you're sure you don't wanna try, there's a milk version with only 50% as well). Michel Cluizel's chocolate is manufatured in the south of the Normandy in France and from previous tastings I was somehow (don't ask me why ...) not a big fan of his chocolate and thus was initially quite reluctant to buy it. However going by the recommendation of the owner has eventually paid off: the cocoa beans used in this "single-plantation" chocolate from Madagascar have been grown on a plantation which was formerly a mango tree forest, so the beans inherited a "fruity" flavour from the earth. I think one needs to develop a taste for this special citric something, which actually gives this chocolate a very exotic and distinct flavour, but once you have acquired it, the Mangaro is an amazing experience to your tastebuds :-)

A perfect chocolate for a warm summer evening ...recommends
Memonji

Viva Wroclaw!

Hurray - after the World Cup 2006 in Germany, more good news: Poland and Ukraine will be hosting the Euro Cup 2012!!!

Not sure whether I'll still be around, but with Wroclaw being one of the hosting cities, it would be a good reason to come and visit again ...

After Switzerland & Austria next year and South Africa in 2010 let's meet again in Poland two years later to cheer all of our teams ...


proposes
Memonji

A Room with a View

The last few weeks have been filled with administrative and organizational errands: bank accounts, registrations, phone numbers, and last but not least house-hunting.


After strolling through endless soviet-style housing blocks (see above), as well as luxurious lofts on the market square, I have decided to rent a nice 55sqm apartment in the very heart of the town. Overlooking a small park, a theater and the opera (see bottom of this post), it is just a two minute walk from the historic market square with a lot of other facilities like the phiharmony, cinemas, bars, cafes, clubs and shopping malls within easy reach.

The flat is semi-furnished, which means, that my landlord provided sofa, bed, desk and a bookshelf, furnished the kitchen and added some gadgets like washing machine, microwave and refridgerator. So yesterday and today I went on a big shopping trip of basic necesseties (kitchen, bedroom and living room utensils such as cutlery, pillows, curtains, etc.).

Very tiring (and expensive!), but it's also nice to just shop until you drop and furnish an apartment more or less from scratch ;-)

In addition to that I have located a unsecured wireless network at home, which I am happily using until I get my own dedicated internet connection :-))

All this brings me to the pleasure to invite you to my new home. Please feel free to come over and visit anytime - just ensure you let me know in advance (whether that is three months or just a day notice doesn't really make a difference).

Welcome to Poland ... at
Memonji's

Quick ...

Some of you might remember my business plans for 2010. Unfortunately, while taking a long Sunday's walk through the old part of Wroclaw, I realised that someone must have had the same idea and has started something similar here in Poland ...


I know this will send shock and horror to my friend "Willmes", but it just confirms that you better get your act together if you have a good idea.

Re-arranging the timelines to move to China...
Memonji

Perspective

Just a quick one - I have just seen this cool personality gadget on Tina's blog and thought it would be interesting to do the same thing for me.

So, if you do know me personally, I'd appreciate if you took five minutes and completed this little exercise ;-)

Waiting for the results ...
Memonji

First Days

Learn the language!

These three words have become my credo after being in Wroclaw for two days. In the office everyone and outside the office quite a few number of people still do speak English and - having been a German city for more than two hundred years until the end of WWII - some (still) even speak German. However, as I am still convinced that knowing the local language is the key in understanding a country, it's people and culture I have registered myself in a Polish language course at the office.

Ok, rewind ....

I arrived in Wroclaw on Monday evening and went straight to the office in order to pick up the keys for my temporary apartment. To my surprise the center was almost abandoned with the girl at the reception appearing to be the only person left working. When I inquired where everyone was, she told me that everyone leaves at around 5PM. "We start at 9 and leave at 5 - that's what we're getting paid for" was her simple explanation. So far - so good. Different from what I have been used to in the past, but sounds nice, doesn't it ? :-)

The apartment is just a few minutes walk from the office, directly at the market square, which isthe city center. Fully furnished and equipped with most of the kitchen gadgets one would need.



Tuesday was full of administrative stuff, HR forms to fill out, mandatory medical examination, opening bank accounts, etc. In the evening (yes, it actually did start at 5PM!!!), I got some groceries and started to cook my first meal after - what? - two and a half years? Spaghetti with fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic .. mmhhh ... yummmy ...

Today some more admin work - I still haven't gotten a Polish number, but hope to get this done by tomorrow or day after. Additionally, I have started my house hunt. A colleague, who's changing flats has showed me the one he's vacating, but I don't think it is really something I would be looking for. Too small and areawise not my type. Let's see, on the one hand it's just my second day, but you know about the early birds ...

I will contact some brokers tomorrow and hope to see more more places by this weekend. Can't wait to get myself a place ...

Currently I don't have internet access at the apartment I call home right now, so I am writing the posts at home in the evening, but publish them on the following day at the office.

I will circulate my new office and cell phone numbers shortly. Emails remain unchanged.

More soon... promises
Memonji

Metamorphosis

After quite a few dosas, kulfis, operational performance reviews, weekend trips to Bombay, baseline mappings, lazy Sunday's at the Leela's, escalation management and various other pastimes, fresh lime soda (sweet AND salty) becomes Zywiec beer, Tata Indica evolves to Skoda and Masala Tea miraculously changes to Zubrowka vodka.

Hopping from one emerging market to another, Memonji is moving to Poland - to be exact Wrocław (pronounced "vrotz-whaff"), where HP (no, NOT Hindustan Petroleum!!!) has another Global Business Center.


Am looking forward to be back in Europe, closer to the other half of my family, and of course closer to all my European friends. Adding on to this is the fact that quite a few of my international friends from Bangalore are also moving to Europe during this year, so 2007 promises to get quite fun-filled ;-)

I will be in Poland from mid March onwards, so once I have gotten myself fully set up, you're more than welcome to visit.

Anxious to move is ...
Memonji

Big Fat Indian Wedding

Ladies and Gentlemen,

first of all, my apologies for not having posted much during the last six/seven weeks. I hope going forward I will be able to resume my more regular posting activity.

Just came back from a friend's - typical Indian - wedding and thought, since it was a very traditional and colourful, it wouldn't be a bad idea to share his and his wife's picture with you.



Both of them are working have been working in the same department with me (that's also where both of them met...) and Amit (the groom) has now taken over my position.

More details on my future will follow shortly, so

"STAY TUNED" recommends
Memonji

Season's Greetings

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Another year is about to end and once more we are wondering whether the speed of time passing by is exponentially increasing with the sum of years that we are leaving behind us.



The grand theatre of 2006 staged innumerable episodes of the "clear and present danger" - starring (amongst others):

1.) the year's most efficient, and probably least expensive, pharmaceutical marketing campaign (Bird flu)

2.) the year's most influencial (but probably unintended) media marketing campaign; agitating thousands of people without being exposed to it (Muhammad caricatures)

3.) Germany's most emotional moment after losing it's beloved Deutsche Mark (FIFA World Cup)

4.) the year's most important unfilled vacancy (Pope's advisor - also respsonsible for reviewing his speeches)

5.) the year's most important filled vacancy (Robert Gates, U.S. Secretary of Defense)

and last, but not least

6.) ever fighting Tom & Jerry (this year disguising as Ismail Haniyeh & Mahmud Abbas)

But coming back to a more personal review of the last year, quite a lot has happened - good and bad. Putting it all in a nutshell, I can say that my personal motto "no risk, no fun" has proven me right, since without the will to risk something you cherish, you will not be able to progress. You might end up falling back where you were, or even further behind, but at least you can say that you have tried.

All this is only possible for me, because I know I have my friends - you!

Thus I am lifting my imaginary glass wishing you (-choose your wish-)

- a belated merry christmas
- all the best for the upcoming new year 2007
- eid mubarak

"See you next year"

hopes
Memonji

Coming Home

A glass of chilled orange juice, a bowl of cereals and a freshly brewed coffee can do wonders in the morning. The combination of vitamins, carbs and caffeine has been the only thing that is able to get me running at the beginning of the day. With Bob Sentosa on 102.10FM in the background I put on my coat, grab my laptop, the keys that are lying on the table and make my move. And yeah, ... not to forget to pick up the completely rainwater-soaked newspaper from the doorstep. Just another day.

Again major delays on the interstate - as usual. Why the heck does everyone have to get back home at the same time? Again I'm having this I-knew-it-but-still-wanted-to-give-it-a-shot feeling. I should seriously start thinking about taking the subway. There's a cute brunette chic in an white Altima next to me. She's singing along with the radio, so I try to find the same station, but to no avail. Finally I have reached home and am fiddling in the laptgop case looking for the keys - ah, got them. I insert the doorkey into the lock and turn. It doesn't open. One more time. The key wouldn't turn. I check whether I am using the right key and try again. Nothing. I peep through the kitchen window and realise that nothing appears to be familiar. And still I am sure this is the place I left this morning. I turn right to look at the place where I had put up my name, next to the doorbell. Nothing.




An empty space ...

instead of
Memonji

Driver's Seat

"What keeps us going isn't some fine destination but just the road we're on, and the fact that we know how to drive"

realises...
Memonji

eVil iTunes

Ladies and Gentlemen,

for quite some time it has been quiet at Memonji's - mostly due to the lack of inspiration of writing, if not interesting, at least funny posts.

But let's all thank the Allmighty for this fabulous thing called internet. The only place where you can find everything from the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes to the - until recently available - details on nuclear bomb making (published by the US administration).

My latest discovery, however, is a website that features - amongst others - a very concise list of "The Devil's Music". The laudatio includes "devout followers of the Satanists" such as Freddie Mercury, Led Zepellin, Michael Jackson, Beyonce Knowles and - guess who? - the King of Evil himself: Mr Elvis Presley!

So, please be aware and keep away from this dangerous stuff.

If you're interested in topics like "Antiichrist Slideshow", "Evils in America", "Public Schools are Evil" and "False Religions" - please enjoy it here.

"Welcome to Hell" at
Memonji's

Sunset in Newcastle?

Sometimes things happen entirely unexpected.

So was last week's business trip to Ireland that got me stopping over in Germany as well as the UK. A colleague of mine couldn't go, so I had to pack my bags and leave within 24 hours.

Apart from staying a week in Carlow (a small town an hour's drive away from Dublin) I spent a day in Newcastle as well as the weekend at home in Germany.

While taking a walk on the nice coastline of Newcastle, I was lucky enough to witness an awesome natural phenomenon: initially we thought the sun is setting, but after a minute we realised that it was actually the moon rising on the horizon (click and enlarge the pictures for better viewing).

"Quite amazing" ... finds
Memonji

The Papst* and the Furious

The entire Muslim world is outraged while non Muslims are failing to comprehend the cause for this fury. Again - knowledge as well as the will to respect and understand each other's sentiments and opinions is lacking causing yet another chapter of the - if you believe the prophets of the apocalyppse - upcoming clash of civilisations.

After having read Pope Benedict XVI speech at the University of Regensburg (English / German) two things become clear:

1.) The quote the Pope used and which has now become the center of attention does not in any way represent the opinion of Benedict XVI, but was part of a dialogue between the Bycantic emperor Manuel II. and Persian scholar, during which the similarities and differences in the two monotheistic religions were discussed. The Pope used this dialogue as an introduction to the main topic of his speech: the relationship of the Christian belief and the concept of reason.

Having heard or read extracts and parts of the speech this important fact was missed out, making Muslims around the globe believe that the Pope has directly attacked Islam and the Prophet. Under this pretext democratic peaceful as well as absolutely unacceptable violent demonstrations have been initiated and - to an extent - also misused to launch another campaign against the West.

2.) While the controversial quote is not really so controversial, it is rather the context in which Pope Benedict XVI uses it, which makes his statements objectionable to Muslims:

After explaining that the concept of Allah in Islam is not bound to anything (i. e. also not to reason) he continues with the rhetoric question "Is the conviction that acting unreasonably contradicts God's nature merely a Greek idea, or is it always and intrinsically true?" indirectly implying that the Christian-Greek concept of a "reasonable God" is always true.

For many non Muslims this might not an issue, because acting unreasonably by definition HAS to contradict God's nature, since God cannot be unreasonable. In Islam, however, Allah is not limited to any human definitions and concepts, therefore the concept of reason (which is doubtlessly a human concept) does not necessarily apply to Him. Man is not omniscient nor far from fail, thus man's "Logos" (reason) cannot be the guiding principle of Allah either. Therefore, in Islam, Allah can indeed be considered "unreasonable".

By implying the Christian logic into the rhetoric question above, Benedict XVI is indirectly discriminating other beliefs that do not accept the Christian principle of a reasonable God.

Considering the heated-up world we are living in, I would have expected some Muslims to be more "reasonable" in their form of protests and the Pope to be much wiser in his choice of words ...

May the Force be with you ... says

Memonji

*Papst = German for "Pope"

Weekend Wonders

Went to Hyderabad (another booming city of South India) last weekend and - together will a small group of friends - explored the magnificent medieval fort of Golkonda, roamed around the streets of Old Hyderabad, drank delicious road-side lassi (an Indian yoghurt drink), tried to make local jewellers understand that not everyone is interested in buying diamond-and-pearl-loaded-24karat-gold-necklaces, and discussed the similarity of mathematical axioms and religious beliefs.

"Good fun", thinks
Memonji