Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Brief update before an update...

We are pretty busy at the moment but all is good in our world. Thanks for asking :)
Note to self: If I get a chance over the weekend I should write about the following -

* My birthday bonanza = FAB!
The Chedi is amazing & the staff were great (thankfully it was the weekend before Cyclone Phet). My 3 hour spa treatment left me thinking I was a celebrity AND feeling as good as Thandi Newton & Ashly Judd look.
FYI - they are my favourite actresses, hands down, no cigar. I'm not gay but for them...pause.





* We have a new addition @ work and it feels like I'm back in HS. Ever seen the movie Mean Girls? Ok so you can't really compare American HS girls to working women in abayas - maybe I need to stop watching Gossip Girl because it is numbing my brain?

* I wanted to buy a juicer for summer = we bought a juicer + 32" LCD for the bedroom.
Did we need it? No.
Was it because of the World Cup? No.
Was it for the NBA finals serious? Hell Yes ;)
Boston all the way baby!


* My deferred Arabic classes.
Alas I was defeated by the Sudanese 'Master of the Gab' who kept (kindly) demanding that we all give more effort. Abdul Rahman is a lovely man.
Result? I quit, period. Khalas (see - it didn't all go to waste).

* I attended my 1st (but insha'allah not my last) Omani wedding. WOW.
I even had a friend do my eye-makeup Arabic style.


* Our fridge & freezer have been broken, which is not good when its 40+ degrees and you are trying to eat healthily. Fingers crossed it is fixed today, so I can buy carrots, celerey, fruit, ginger & mint to juice up a storm.

* Duma is off to Taipei in mid July for a basketball trip. It is well earned I can assure you!!!

* I was invited to play in a 'friendly' basketball tournament in Dubai - all costs covered - but bloody work & the different Oman/UAE weekends got in the way. Again.
#Prays to HM Sultan Qaboos# Pretty please change our weekend to Friday & Saturday. Calls back home & trips away would be SO much easier if this was the case...

And thats all for now folks, hopefully I will have some time to add more details on Thursday. Masalaama!

Monday, June 7, 2010

Qurum traffic

Does anyone know what the frick is going on in Qurum business district? Traffic has been backed up for days and the area opposite QCC and Muscat International School seriously brings me to tears. I don't even get road rage, but seriously the number of douchebags out there who cut across multiple lanes OR taxi drivers who have the nerve to cart passengers and risk their lives is beyond me!

Normally it would take me 5 mins to get home from QCC after grabbing grocery items or heading home from the gym...but the past 2 days it has been 30+ mins in traffic each time, where I have had to daringly stare down anyone who thinks they can squeeze into my lane IN FRONT OF ME from 2 lanes over. The hardcore Maori in me wants to start doing the haka mid traffic, but I live in a country where you can supposedly be arrested for "giving the bird" (did I tell you that one time [at band camp] I was pulled over for having a dirty car?). True story.

Anyway, this was the result of having a fly young Bvlgari-blinged out lass in front of me who wouldn't let the beamer chick in front of her = the age old Muscat battle to merge.



The picture doesn't do the situation justice at all, I'm ashamed but hey, I never professed to being Ansel Adams or Salim Al Harthy.

This was repeated by every frickin' driver out on the roads in Qurum today - Lord help me if I have to come home from that direction for the rest of the week.
THE GYM CAN WAIT!!! Roll on Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred @ home dvd*.

*After tonights meal of homemade hamburgers, washed down with Peroni that is ;)

Cringeworthy?


As someone who hires & fires, reading the newspaper here never ceases to make me cringe.

Probably THE worst one I have seen here read like this:
Executive Secretary - must be non-married, preferably Philippino or Sri Lankan, attractive and personable, with 5+ years experience.

And enough with the hotmail, gmail & yahoo domains for work email addresses. It ISN't professional at all people! Get a domain already!!!