Eid

So i have suffered nearly 4 months in Doha and now it is Eid. I can’t really believe that i’ve been here so long with out respite. It wasn’t on purpose. I was supposed to have a training session in London with my company but this was moved to Doha… DOH! So i’ve been here that long. Now i’m going away for Eid to Germany to the Oktoberfest and a little trip to Salzburg. Oh and i’m getting married! Hooray! So this is my last entry as a “single” guy…

Apart from that i’ve been driven mad by staying here in Ramadan. Never again.

Tasty Bell

I got back from the gym just now but on the way home i got a bite to eat at “Tasty Bell”. I often go here for a snack or some light dinner. it is conveniently located at a petrol station that also has a veg shop, grocery store and bakery. So it’s now my new alternative to the pure hell that is Carrefour. Tasty Bell is run by a bunch of Indian dudes and it is surprisingly well run. I’m not sure why this place is so much better than other food places but they have it down to a tee. The menu has everything on it. When i say everything i mean literally any kind of meal you can imagaine. Thai, Chinese, European, Arab, American, and of course Indian and some random dishes thrown in for good measure. This does not however mean that you will be able to get the meal you want. Today i got my vegetable club sandwich but the last time i ordered a Shish Tawook. This is a nice Arabic BBQ chicken with a soft bread. Unfortunately (for me) they decided that i didn’t want this for dinner. No – what i wanted was some chicken nuggets in a sandwich. So this is what i got for my dinner. I was forced to eat it as i was runnign out of time. But I inquired as to why i was given this when i ordered something else. Was it some kind of mistake? Did they hear me wrongly? The actual reason was it would take too long to cook the Shish Tawook. So they Unilaterally decided that instead i would really like a deep fried piece of chicken intenstines on a stale roll. Nice. Don’t get me wrong this place is great. I’m still going there.

Doha Rage

I must admit i thought i’d finally got over it. Being here for 16 months, working in construction and getting to leave periodically I thought i’d mastered living in Doha without being angry 95% of the time. Infact since returning a month ago from California i lulled myself into a false sense of security and started to believe that living here was ok. Even when being brutally cut up by an insane Qatari Land Cruiser swerving through the traffic at 150kph i could almost let it go…

Well that came crashing down around me this week. I can’t really put my finger on the exact reason why but it started with not eating any breakfast and then mistakenly ordering a cesar salad instead of a chicken cesar making me ravenously hunger and therefore in a foul mood by 4pm. Then i discover that i can’t buy any food at work after 2pm because the canteen is closed. So after knawing my hand for a few hours i was eager to get back home. No. The biggest traffic jam ever and some of the most stupid, selfish and dangerous driving i have seen. I’m not talking about my driving either. Just imagine the foul mood i was in. Couple this with some monumental f*ck ups at work due to complete inactivity from someone or stupidity from another (all not my fault but sadly my responsibilty) the next two days and bang i’m back to full Doha hatred mode. Hopefully it will filter away and i’ll forget all about it.

Rental Car

This is my friend Matt’s video about handing back his rental car. It is fair to say this Nissan was less than well looked after. Filmed by yours truly, edited by Matt.
http://www.vimeo.com/5286325

Offski

I’m off to California for a couple of weeks. It’s going to rock. I’m going to have fun. I won’t be writing in this blog for a while. But thats cool because no one actually reads this anyway…

British MPs living it up

Is anyone else finding the dabacle of MP’s expenses as hilarious as I am? I can’t think of a better story for the media to have right now. Gordon Brown is forced to apologise, David Cameron smuggly says one of his MP’s expenses are wrong, then has to fork out for his own wrong expense a couple days later. I just find it terribly amusing. Perhaps because subconsiously i know i have the luxury of not paying tax right now. But on a serious and more disturbing note, the thing that worries me is the fact that these expenses were even paid. Who was looking at the reciept and deciding that it was reasonable for an MP to have his swimming pool repaired by the tax payer? The problem i think lies with the expenses system. I mean if you could get away with putting in such an expense (assuming you own a swimming pool) and get away with it wouldn’t you? After years of using and abusing the system and having no reprimand for doing so it’s no wonder that so many ridiculous expenses have been claimed. Anyway, its about time they were brought into line. It’s all the bankers fault anyway…

Ramada incompetence

Last night i was enjoying a few beers with my friend in the Ramada, Doha. At last orders i decided to have one more Guiness so ordered it from the waiter. About 5 mins later i thought, actually i don’t want this beer. So i go over to the waitor and ask him to cancel the order. I cannot sir was the response. Why? Already in the till. But you haven’t poured the drink yet so can’t you just cancel it? (something i know can be done from working a bar myself) No. Manager comes over. I want to cancel my order. No you can’t. Why? It’s already in the till. Well i don’t want it so i’m going to leave. You haven’t poured it yet so what the problem. No sir you must pay or i will “take action”. Which i presume meant get the bouncers to stop me leaving. After arguing for a few minutes one of the bar staff starts to pour the Guiness. Can you believe this? THis is something out of a Ukrainian strip joint in the Ramada Hotel. So i take my beer and drink it and pay £8 for the pleasure. After about 5 minutes the manager comes over to try and justfy why he did this. Already in the till he crys. Piss off and leave to drink this drink that i did not want in peace you complete idiot was the response from me.

Complaint is to be raised to the management.

Naughty Americans

It seems that the land of the free is not as free as you might think.  According to this article in the Economist America locks up 756 people per 100,000.  Compare this to Iran at 222, Britain at 151 and Japan at a very well behaved 63 per 100,000 and it makes you wonder.  Are Americans more badly behaved than residents of other nations?  Are people locked up for more minor offences?  Is this due to the high gun ownership level meaning offenses are more serious and require longer jail terms?  I would be interested to know the story behind some of these figures.

Reasons Unknown…

For some reason one of the biggest sources of visits (i’m talking about 3 visits a month which is a lot for this blog) to my blog is an Indian legal discussion blog.  I don’t know whether to be concerned or not…

Time Travel

Time in Qatar passes quickly. The first month seems like an eternity. The next 5 pass normally and then you start going into warp speed. Now i’ve been here over 14 months and it genuinely seems like i’ve been here only a few months. Very strange.

The main reason for this is my routine. Wake up 5.30am. Leave for work 6.20am. Start work 7.00am. Lunch 12.00. Finish work 6.00pm. Home by 6.40pm. Maybe hit the gym, shop or stay in. Bed at 10.30pm. Repeat.

Infact its so monotonous it’s strangely comforting. I just end up counting the days until my next holiday. Infact i can tell you its in 13 days… I often joke that i’ve been in Doha 8 weeks because each time i leave for a week it seems like only a week has passed since the last time i left…