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Finally Nando’s Sauces are available in Eindhoven and I can resume munching on my fave sauces
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Beer: Apple Bandit cider is very recent entrant into the world of Ciders from the House of Heineken. Apple Bandit is a cider with good balance between sweet and sour and is available in two variants, Apple Crisp and Juicy Pear,
Brewery: Heineken
Strength: 4.5% ABV
Review: In a shootout between Strongbow and Apple Bandit, i will go for Strongbow any day but considering the fact Strongbow is not as easily available here, Apple bandit does not feel a let down
More info: Apple Bandit
During my visit to Oslo, i discovered Oslo was pretty unremarkable as city owing to its small size or it is just like almost every other European city excluding its Ski Ramp. However, there is so much to see and do if you use Oslo as a base point for start of travel into Norway.
Oslo can be a starting point to get on to the Scandinavian trains running through some picturesque spots. Or to get to Trolltunga with its jutting rock or to get to Bergen for its promise of Aurora Borealis or to get to Gothenburg in Sweden. One of the smaller excursions from Oslo is the Bærums Verk
Bærums Verk is a small tiny village nestled in the mountains near Oslo with a population of 8000 but was a source of national pride and self-reliance for many centuries as it was a major source of Iron for Norway and used to contain Iron Foundry churning out Cannons to Ovens. Even today, Bærums Verk is reminiscent of the same and not much has changed in the appearance of the place except for shiny shopping centers.
Bærums Verk is also a very nice place for a small hike through the woods in summer when there is a bit of sun and warmth in the air. So if you start off from Oslo towards Bærums Verk via the 168 bus then getting of Bekkestua is a good starting point for the walk. the 7 km walk through the smoothly rising mountains is both amazing and exhilarating. There is not much in terms of being able to get any food or water until you reach Bærums Verk so be forewarned. But the scenic walk is its own reward. At the top, there are nice cafes and restaurants by the river for relaxing and take in the sights and sounds
Nik
We all indulge in instant gratification wherein we do a lot of impulsive purchases or scratch an itch which might be small or not as big as we would have assumed. This behaviour is well exploited by all retailers of all sorts. From supermarket to movie theaters.
In supermarket, there is always candy near the checkout counter to tempt you into buying that one little extra thing during checkout. Or at movie theaters, which screen nice food images during intervals enticing you to step out and pick up that nachos pack which is jacked up 1200%. The list is endless
However, this is not always bad for us, the consumers/customers. Because this very behaviour can be turned against the retailers. The whole point of enticing the buyer is to make a purchase leading to more revenue per customer. Thus if a customer is not making a purchase it means money on the table but not in the retailers bank. If a retailer gives you a nice little nudge in that direction by giving some additional discount or a few bucks worth coupon code, there might be a few who will convert. This behavior of trying to get the retailer to push the price down or provide a different incentive to make a purchase by putting off buying by a small period of time is delayed gratification
Delayed gratification, or deferred gratification, is the ability to resist the temptation for an immediate reward and wait for a later reward. Generally, delayed gratification is associated with resisting a smaller but more immediate reward in order to receive a larger or more enduring reward later.
Source-Wikipedia
This can be observed in ecommerce sites where if you are intend to buy something and buy it in the first go, you might find price tag of X but if you go till checkout and stop before payment, thus abandoning your cart, you might see the same guys, sending you emails or notification advertising additional 5% discount of drop in prices etc
I also used the same behavior to book my Iceland tickets today wherein I had set my ticket price track on Google flights (which if you don’t use, you are wasting time searching through numerous booking websites for the best priced tickets). The ticket prices were initially priced at 168 euros climbing to 178 the next day. Over the weekend, it rose 184 and then to 194. I kept putting off buying tickets as I was determined to wait a while. If I was going to buy, I was going to buy irrespective of the price. Yesterday, I got my price track email informing me it was 168 again. I was determined to wait out one more day to see what would happen. Voilà!!! Today my price track informed me that it was 131 and after booking directly on the airlines site, I was able to snag the tickets for a cool price of 125 euros which gives me a few more euros to indulge in Iceland. Yayyyyy
Nik
When I am travelling, I am not a very picky eater. Veg/Non Veg all become game and depending on what is available, start gorging
And with all things in this world, there are exceptions
Aahaar, when I am in Antwerp, is that
Aahaar is a non assuming sort of place where everything else takes backseat to the food on offer. At 10 euros all you can eat meal being offered, the expectation is somewhat of a not good enough food on offer but that is where Aahaar gets it right. It not only offers a hearty sumptuous menu for its buffet but also very tasty, enough to satisfy hunger and taste cravings at the same time.
Aahaar also offers a wholesome South Indian and North Indian menu to go with the Buffet. The street food such as Sev Puri, Bhel Puri etc is very authentic and delicious. The Buttermilk and Lassis are perfect heat-beaters. The staff is courteous and good.
Overall, too say, Aahaar is highly recommended for lunch and dinner. Just make sure, you are aware of the Opening Time
Nik
I have always wondered why do we make so many decisions all the time. I mean like really, people take too many decisions and some even enjoy making decisions. I have massive problems against decisions especially the inconsequential ones. Those are the ones I consider mundane, soul sucking and beyond a point absurd, unwarranted. The decisions that are inconsequential are one off, short lived and with very small payout. If you want to out a lot of thought in making a decision, make sure it is for something good, new or experiential
To just give an example, all the jeans I buy are wrangler jeans, shoes that I use everyday are puma. I know the fit n feel for the jeans and the shoes are perfect for the size I order in. Now trying to go for a new brand in either category means a whole lot of trying out new stuff, expecting a good fit and still when there is an issue trying to sort through solutions. Imagine the amount of time wasted!!! Criminal and pointless. The time which could have been used to do other interesting stuff. I could have put a lot of thought into buying shoes, but then I am not usain bolt and having the right kind of shoes is not going to help me shave a hundredth of a second. Putting that much thought in buying shoes will only be considered pointless by me.
I am not like Steve Jobs or Zuckerberg or even Obama, who wear same or similar clothes everyday of their life but for the Joneses and Janes who lead a pretty ordinary life like mine, I have the same question. Don’t we have enough indecisions and decisions regarding so many other aspects of life, that we add a decision point for everything in life and in doing so complicating an already complicated life
Nik
Ringnes Pilsener was the true Oslo/Norwegian beer i had during my Oslo trip. Oslo is very expensive for enjoying a good beer as it can cost up to 120 NOK (13 Euros) for a beer.
Beer: Ringnes Pils is Norway’s leading pilsener beer. It gets its golden colour from the use of pilsener malt. The taste is clean with a light and dry malt sweetness, a slight note of fruit and well balanced amount of hops.
Brewery: Ringnes AS is the largest brewery in Norway, employing 1600 workers. The brewery was founded in 1876 by the brothers Amund and Ellef Ringnes.
Strength: 4.5%
Review: Nice and Clean pilsener
More Info: Ringnes
Nik
I had Kingswood Cider when on a train from Budapest to Bratislava which is about 3 hours and passes through scenic countryside
Beer: Kingswood is a dry cider brewed in the Czech Republic
Brewery: Plzensky Prazdroj
Strength: 4.5%
Review: Pretty much a very average cider and very refreshing
Nik
Unbelong to Belong 