I'm married to someone named MAYIS

I am married to someone named MAYIS. When we moved to Bahrain, I was suddenly living with someone named MAYIS. Looking at her residence permit, it clearly says MAYIS. Her Medical card has MAYIS as the name. And now, her visa to Qatar states her name as MAYIS.

Darth Plagueis the Wise

My theory: It was said that Darth Plagueis was so powerful that he was able to manipulate the midichlorians and create life itself. Anakin on the other hand, was conceived without a father and was supposed to be the chosen one, the one who would bring balance to the force. Now, Darth Plagueis apprentice was Darth Sidious who eventually killed him. I think that Darth Plagueis foresaw his death to Darth Sidious and actually "created" Anakin to avenge his death. In so doing, moving past to Episode VI, it was actually Anakin/Darth Vader who killed Darth Sidious, avenged the death of Darth Plagueis, his creator, and eventually bringing out balance to the Force as prophesized.

The Final Exit

We went to Saudi yesterday to do our Final Exit, that means, our resident visas would be cancelled and we can never go back to Saudi again unless someone sponsors us. Paperwork was completed in the morning and we spent the day in Damman with friends. We had "Kare-Kare, a viand of beef tripe and ox's tail with peanut butter sauce, for lunch. Mavis and I were able to chat with Fe and Ranel, Xiane was able to play with Enzo and I also got to sleep after lunch. By 5:30 pm, we said our goodbyes and went to BabyShop in Khobar to buy Xiane some clothes and stuff then drove to the Saudi-Bahrain Causeway to get back to Bahrain. It was supposed to be an easy exit, but it wasn't to be. We got stopped on the Saudi Customs as the guy told us that we have to ride the bus to get out of Saudi? What? I was driving my car, now registered in Bahrain, and they want us to go back to Khobar, get on a bus to exit? This was their S.O.P. with regards to people exiting Saudi. I guess riding a Bus, typically a bus which takes you to the airport as you have a ticket back to your home country, ensures that you won't be staying in Bahrain without a valid resident Visa. I parked as told, my knees already getting weak, as I know this would be another one of those long battles. I asked the guy if I could talk to the Captain so I could explain to him my situation; I have a valid resident visa in Bahrain, my car is registered in Bahrain, and I can stay in Bahrain till 2007. He led me to the Captain and he spoke to the Captain in Arabic. The Captain said something and the guy I was talking to led me out and told me again, that I had to take the bus. I kept explaing to him the situation, which I don't think he actually understands as he spoke more Arabic and the only English words he spoke were "Bus", "Exit", and more "Bus". After 5 minutes of explaining and showing him the Bahrain visas, he decided to talk to another guy about it. I again, explained the same thing to the guy, over and over again, and I got the same response. So he took me inside to consult another guy and I had to explain the same thing again. This time, the guy understood the circumstances and talked to the Captain again. This time, the Captain agreed that we could go to Bahrain on my car. So I drove back to where you have to get the vehicle pass and then proceeded to the custom line for our passport check. Again, we were stopped, faced the same dillema and I had to go back inside the custom office to talk to the Captain again. It is really frustrating to explain things over and over again. I was escorted to the toll were we lined up and got our passports stamped. Whew. The whole ordeal took us about an hour. What can I say? I'm just glad that we're already here in Bahrain and that everything was resolved. ;)

Revenge of the Sith with Xiane

Do do do do do do do do do (Imagine Xiane singing Darth Vader's theme song) The plan was for me to watch Return of the Sith (RotS) on Friday next week while Mavis takes care of Xiane at home and Mavis watching the movie the next day while I look after Xiane in the Mall. Last Friday, we got to the Mall just to take Xiane out and let her see Darth Vader. Yup. A lifesize replica of Darth Vader was in Dana Mall, encased in plexiglass. Since Xiane came to know about Darth Vader through our DVDs (having all Starwars DVD's at home) and teaching her how to hum Darth Vader's theme song, she has been fascinated, albeit a bit scared, with him. That doesn't stop her from staring at the lifesize replica, humming his song and saying "dart vader","sword" (for his lightsaber) , "tormpooper" (for the other replica of the Stormtroopers which you can also fin in the Mall. So as Xiane was there, talking to Darth Vader, Mavis had an idea. She asked the ticketing people if we can take our almost 2 year old baby to watch Starwars. They said yes, we can. They were saying that other people even take their babies with them inside the cinema and it is not forbidden. With that, we immediately got two tickets (Xiane was free to enter) and prayed that Xiane wouldn't be too noisy while in the Cinema. we bought chips, popcorn and more chips to at least keep her entertained if she gets bored. She kept asking "wat dat" (what's that?) while pointing to the big screeen in front of us. Then the movie started. It was actually nerve wracking to watch the movie. Not because of the movie but because Xiane was there. Well, she was quiet most of the time, only when you get big scenes would you hear hear talk. It was good that some parts were quite loud to drown Xiane's voice while she kept saying "dart vader, "yoder" (for Yoda), "face" (closeup shots), "crying" (for the more dramatic scenes), "sword", etc... After about 3 hours, the movie ended. We survived our first movie in a cinema with Xiane! For those who were in the cinema that night, I can't help it, I am a Starwars fan and so is my toddler.

Lost!

We were looking for the Panasonic office last night to buy the GS400 that I ordered. I called a guy named Tanvir the other day ask where the offie is and he told me that it was just near the Gold City Building. I thought it would be easy to find since it's Panasonic and everybody knows Panasonic right? Mavis was trying to withdraw some cash while Xiane and I waited in the car. A few minutes pass, Mavis comes and says "Bad news". She apparently forgot her PIN number, tried it thrice, and never got to see her card again. I stepped down and tried to withdraw cash from the same ATM with my card. Voila! 500BD in just minutes. So off we went to Gold City. Parked in a tight space and walked towards Gold City. but where exactly? I forgot to note down the mobile no. of the guy I was talking to. We went walking around, asking for the Panasonic Office, got directed to a building, found Panasonic signages but not the office itself, walked back, asked some more and finally gave up after more than 30 minutes of walking around. Whew! and it was so hot and humid! Anyway, I called Tanvir again, asked for directions and got his mobile number. Hopefully, tonight, we'd get our hands on that elusive Video camera.

Resigning is not the easiest thing to do...

It all depends on where you're coming from and if legal circumstances doesn't prohibit you. I mean, if you are working for a really bad company, it is as easy as going to your Manager, giving him the resignation paper, walking out of the room with a smile on your face. But if you love your job, enjoy doing what you are doing, having fun at the same time, then it takes a lot of courage to walk into your Managers' office. I've been trying to hold it off for as long as I could but it needs to be done. I spent days and nights thinking of what to do, how would they react and how would I respond to their reactions, and if I'd come out of the Managers' office alive after I tell him and dissapoint him with my resignation. Not only that, my Direct Supervisor was in Rome, so it's either I wait for her to come back to Bahrain in a week's time or is it ethical enough to tell her by phone. Arrrgghhh! I talked to my Manager last Sunday and talked to my Direct Supervisor by phone yesterday. I came out alive. I did it. It is not easy, I tell you. Knowing that people expect something from you, that they depend on you and then tell them that you are leaving, is not easy especially if nothing is wrong with your job. But life is life, ces't la vie, life goes on, etc... My Manager even told me, if he found out that I didn't accept the job being offerd to me in Qatar, he'll fire me even. that made me feel a bit better, knowing that my Manager understands my situation and that he supports my decision somehow. Thanks. XXX

Qatar, here we come!

I decided not to post anything on my blog since the last time I updated it because of a reason. The title says it all. Qatar, here we come! I didn't want to spoil anything by blogging about the things that has been happening as it might affect the outcome of my resignation from my company and hiring from the new company I'm joining. I have been enjoying life in Bahrain, no doubt. I think you'll enjoy life anywhere else but Saudi. He he he. But really, when Mavis and I decided to move to Bahrain, it wasn't about the money. I was offered much less than what I was getting in Aramco. Aramco even upped the contract to increase the salary I was getting but I was already decided. We chose to go to Bahrain because we wanted to live a life with a bit of normalcy in a sense. Being an "open city", Bahrain actually gives you that feeling. We were able to take strolls outside the house, go to the mall and eat out without anybody staring at us, we can stay close with each other while walking, people are friendlier and a lot of them can speak English... all that stuff and more which you can't find in Saudi. Work is also great. The team is great! I've been the lead project leader for the upgrade of the company's internet site while also maintaining the current one. I have two (2) very competent guys in our team who needs little assistance with the jobs being delegated. Colleagues are great and Management has supported and listened to our needs since day 1. Then, I received an email and a phone call. I wasn't really that excited about it at first as I love my job and moving is very tiring. We've just been here for three (3) months. But Mavis pushed me to go have a look at it and see if it's something worth giving attention to. So off I went to Qatar, did medical exams and attended 7 interviews (more details in my next blog), all in one day! I got the offer, talked to Mavis about it, sat on it, slept on it, talked about it even more and decided. We are moving to Qatar. XXX

Video Camera

It's so difficult to decide what Video Camera I would buy. I've been holding it off since 2 years ago as I was hoping that a cheaper yet better option would pop up from manufacturers. Well, Panasonic came out with their "affordable" line of 3 CCD camcorders. On the top of the list is the PV-GS400. Next is the PV-GS250. The real difference between the two (2) is that the former takes better still shots than the latter. Plus the price of course. The GS400 runs to about US$1400 while the GS250 runs for about US$1000. Well, I've been researching again and found out the the Panasonic AG-DVC30 is a professional model with better CD than the 2. And it will set me back for US$1800. Why Panasonic? I think Sony is too hyped and high priced. JVC doesn't really put out excellent cameras. And Panasonic has been one to push the delivery of 3CCD cameras to the masses. The thing with me is that I'm an enthusiast in a sense. I do have a major in Film and Audio Visual Communication and my interest with film, be it moving or still, has never really faded. That is why I'm quite picky about this stuff. Anyway, since I'm in Bahrain, prices quoted above would be much higher here and that is also the reason why I was asking Ricardo to pick one up for me when he goes to the US next month. But that might not be possible for some reason. I already called Panasonic Bahrain and asked them of the availability of the AG-DVC30. I'm expecting a call from them today. Hopefully, the price comes close to the price in the US. Wish me luck. XXX

Monday Night

Mavis and I usually follow a schedule when it comes to televiewing. Our schedule would sometimes be so tight that you only have time to go and pee when the program finishes. The channels that we watch usually don't place commercials while the program is running. Monday is usually the tightest. You start off earlywith Extreme Makeover, then move to CSI: Las Vegas. After about 30 minutes, a movie is shown in another channel. However, Desperate Housewives begins in another channel followed by Lost. These two shows get the priority so we just forget about the movie being shown on the other channel. Then after Lost, we move back to the channel which showed the movie and wait for CSI:Manhattan/New York followed by CSI:Las Vegas. The other channel would be showing Band of Brothers but the CSIs are what we follow. Often times, I get to sleep before they finish as it would already be past midnight. And that is our monday night. This week though, they changed programming and would be moving Desperate Housewives and Lost for tomorrow. so we have about 2 hours of open time IF the movie they show on the other channel is not that good....(open a new browser window and researches...)... Murder by the Numbers. Sandra Bullock. Hmm..might be a good film. XXX

We lost!!!

Damn it! We lost at the Webbys! Anyway, it was a fun ride. Imagine all the people who visited the site (Pirates, Poets and Passion) and voted for us. Thanks! The guy who won for his site needs your help though. If you guys have mucho dinero... send him to the Webbys. I actually like his site. Basic HTML stuff, lots of creativity and imagination. Somehow, I knew that if we're to lose, it would be to him. Congratulations and goodluck on your campaign! XXX

No Flowers on our Anniversary

I asked our secretary a favor the other week as Mavis and I are to have our Wedding Anniversary. A bunch of flowers were supposed to be delivered to the Flat on May 5 to surprise my wife. It's been such a long time since I gave Mavis flowers and thought that at least, on our anniversary, I'd be able to give her flowers. As I was in the office the whole day, I was actually expecting her to call me once she gets the flowers as I know she'd be surprised. Well, the flowers never came. I arrived at the Flat at about 5:30 P.M. and was hoping they already arrived. They never did. I did tell her that I ordered the flowers for her and at least she appreciated that I did ;) XXX

No more Circuses, KFC and JLO

Mavis and I are never going to see animals in the circus again, eat at KFC nor buy any products from JLO again. And so should you! Go visit www.peta.org to find out how they treat the animals in circuses, or how suppliers of KFC brings you your finger-lickin good chicken, or how animals are stripped of their fur while danggling and still alive. I hate to be that graphic but sometimes it is what is needed to actually convince people to see. With regards to KFC and the likes, suppliers in the Middle East are quite different. For animals to be good for consumption, they must be "Halal" (lawful according to Islam) and slaughtered ( Zabihah) according to Islamic Rites. Well, it's not the religion issue which is the main concern but it is with regards to the way they have to slaughter the animals for consumption. In order to be suitable for consumption, the animal should be put down on the ground (or held it if it is small) and its throat should be slit with a very sharp knife to make sure that the 3 main blood vessels are cut. At least this ensures that the animal is going to die a short death and makes sure that the animal is really dead before anything is done to it ie. boiling, stripping or whatever. But though we're here in the Middle East, and suupliers are better than what they have in the US, eating at KFC here would mean supporting KFC itself. So Mavis and I decided not to eat KFC anymore. Go look at the videos in www.peta.org and decide for yourself. XXX