Where have we been?

Well, since Mavis and Xiane arrived, we've been quite busy especially that it's going to be Xiane's 3rd birthday tomorrow. We've been preparing a bit since we're going to invite some friends over for dinner. Mavis and I have been staying up late and going to sleep at 1 AM the past couple of nights. We were supposed to have the food catered but then last week, Mavis decided that it was better for her to cook so that she has more control on the taste of the food and not leave it to the chef who was to cater for the dinner. Xiane's been excited about her birthday too. We already bought her a LeapPad Learning book which she has already tried (just to make sure it was working correctly before wrapping it and losing the 7 day warranty). She already has a dress which she'll wear tomorrow plus a crown and a scepter to boot. Hopefully, everything would turn out ok tomorrow.

Click to Activate

As Microsoft (MS) rolled out an Internet Explorer update (KB912812) months ago, you might notice that websites which uses Macromedia Flash or those which uses ActiveX controls now show a bounding box around them and on mouse-over, asks users to click on the content to activate it before you actually get to interact with the ActiveX control. This modification comes as part of an ongoing patent dispute with Eolas Technology and the University of California. How does it affect IE 6 and Websites: The update changes how it handles active content viewed in certain Adobe products, including Macromedia Flash Player, Authorware Player, Shockwave Player, SVG Viewer, Help Center and Adobe Reader, as well as Sun Java, Apple QuickTime, RealNetworks, RealPlayer and other ActiveX controls. Active content that is embedded in HTML pages in certain ways may not be able to receive user input (for example, keyboard or mouse events) until the user clicks to either activate or continue loading the control. Recommendations: Solution 1: Revert back to previous version of IE6 with a Hotfix published by MS themselves. However, this is a temporary fix as MS rolled out the fix for enterprise users to have enough time to prepare their sites for the changes and make sure that all deployed applications which interact with IE can be tested and be recoded to the new way IE handles ActiveX controls. The hofix is only valid till this month as MS would permanently impose the changes soon after. The hotfix can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/917425 . Solution 2: If you are developing a website, remove the user activation requirement for active content. Developers need to go back and review all their websites which use ActiveX controls and modify and create an external the script to automatically turn on such function. Microsoft provides a guide into activating ActiveX automatically: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/workshop/author/dhtml/overview/activating_activex.asp Adobe/Macromedia also provides a JavaScript Fix on their website and an explanation why one should use the Adobe Solution: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/activecontent/articles/devletter.html http://www.adobe.com/devnet/activecontent/articles/why_adobe.html And My Concern This whole thing is currently messing up our deployed websites which uses Flash. The first time our IT rolled out the update, some of out flash content went invisible. We had to change some navigation elements on some websites and recode them again. Even then, we still got the "Press SPACEBAR or ENTER to activate" tab on these elements. We got to solving this by using the methods above but since we have about 40+ items we need to fix, we're slowly doing the upgrade as we also need to test everything again. This is ok for websites as we know we have a fix but for third party applications which we use ActiveX, Java and IE, it poses a big headache for us. Either the software maker comes up with a license agreement with Eolas or go back to their code and o the changes. A sample of this is our EDMS (Electronic Document Management System), Filenet IDM web interface. We now have to click twice for each tab that pops up. Talk about minimizing user clicks! And the thing is, the local vendor says it's the first time that they encountered this on Filenet. We're trying to get hold of a username and password to get access to the FileNet's support center. Hopefully, we'd find a way to get this thing solved or else, I'd die clicking away as I update about a 100+ documents and files which I need to upload on EDMS. Argghhh!!!

They're coming!

Mavis and Xiane are coming back to Qatar tomorrow! Yup, after an extra month long stay in the Philippines since I returned to Qatar, they'll be flying in tomorrow night via Qatar Airways. I'm excited! Now, I just have to finish some chores like cleaning the bathrom and kitchen. XXX

Of Parcels, Mail Forwarding, and Buying from the Net

Since eCommerce became an option for expats (esp. in the middle east) to buy items from the US/UK and have these delivered through mail, more and more has it made using the internet more interesting at the least. Now you can surf the net and look for your favorite book not found in our local bookstore, order it and have it delivered right at your doorstep (or in our case, cubicles). I have ordered comic books, dvd's and other stuff from Amazon and got them in Saudi without any hassle. Sometimes though, you find yourself trying to buy that elusive item on the net, only to find out that the internet shop doesn't deliver outside the US or UK. The solution? A mail forwarding service which gives you an address in the US/UK so you can have anything delivered locally and forwarded to your address in Qatar.Aramex now have a service called Shop & Ship which offers you that exact service. Basically, you have to sign up with them and pay a one-off setup fee of $35.00 ( SR127.75) to receive your address in the US/UK. Once you get the adress, you can now use that address when ordering any item that is not available for international shipping, for a service fee of course. If you're in Qatar, the first half kilo would cost you $8.00 (SR29.2) and succeeding half kilos would set you back for $5.50 (SR18.25). Let's say you ordered that glorious looking, souped-up laptop from Dell USA (with a discount voucher of $750) and have it sent here in Doha, you pay Aramex a total of $53 (SR193.45) for that 5 kilo package (probably 3k for the laptop and 2k for packing... he he he). With the savings you got by buying it in the US, shipping fee of $53 is just peanuts. You can even have them ship your stuff at a specified date so that all the items you bought can be shipped at the same time. The service is also available in Saudi and other middle east countries. About customs tax? Well, I know someone who actually did what I illustrated above by buying a laptop from Dell USA and having it delivered here and was charged tax at all. However, you can find the following on the Shop & Ship Terms and Conditions page.

Aramex is not responsible for any customs or duties incurred on any Mailbox contents. Furthermore, Aramex is not responsible for penalties, loss or damage of Mailbox contents while in possession of customs.

Hope this helps!

Doha School Terms and Fees

I've tried to compile some of the Schools Terms and Fees for each school and placed them in a Word Document. All terms are for school year 2006-2007 except when stated otherwise. Schools included in this document are: Cambridge School Doha English Speaking School Doha College Park House English School Philippine International School (SY 2004-2005 terms) Qatar International School You can download the file here. (94kb) *close the internal pop-up after timer finishes

Schools in Doha

A lot of people coming to Doha are interested at looking for schools for their children. So here is a list of schools in Doha and the links to their websites. This is not comprehensive to include ALL of the schools in Doha as others don't even have their own website. American School of Doha http://www.asd.edu.qa/ Doha Academy http://www.dohaacademy.com.qa/ Doha College http://www.dohacollege.com/ Doha English School (Doha) http://www.dess.org/ Doha English School (Al Khor) http://www.akdess.com/ Dukhan English School http://www.bsme.org.uk/schools/more.asp?id=34&sch= Qatar Academy http://www.qataracademy.edu.qa/ Qatar International School http://www.qis.org/ Cambridge School Doha http://www.cambridgeschool.com.qa/ Al Jazeera Academy http://www.aja.edu.qa/ Cambridge International School for Girls http://www.cisg.edu.qa/ Middle East International School http://www.misqatar.com/ ParkHouse International School http://www.parkhouseschool.com/ Philippine International School +974 4821923, 4821924, 4820158 Philippine School Doha +974 4364148, 4364150

The Hippies on Amazing Race 9 (spoilers!)

I've never watched The Amazing Race that much. I only get to watch it if I do catch it on TV but that's very seldom. I think I only got to watch 3-5 episodes out of its 8 season glory until I decided to watch The Amazing Race 9 (thanks to torrent!). The Race was quite amazing indeed. Contestants were made to ride a helicopter, bungiejump, dive into a pool of ice water, eat fried grasshoppers and locusts, and travel around the world with just their backpacks behind them! Cool! The more memorable teams were MoJo, The Nerds, The FratBoys, The Dentists, The Pinkies and The Hippies. I liked MoJo the most just because Mo was really very competitive. She looked lke Reese Witherspoon! But when MoJo got eliminated, I began to root for The Hippies. I thought that the FratBoys would win the race as they were very lucky with theirs tasks. In the end, The Hippies proved that brains is needed reach to the final mat first, winning the 1 million dollar prize! It was fun to see people of different attitudes doing their tasks and interacting with one another. With the pressure of doing your tasks, teammates often argue, shout at each other, and loose temper. The teams usually get lost as they try to find their way through the new country they're in especially if the navigator of the team isn't that good in reading maps and directions or if they get wrong directions from the locals. At times, teams get to misread the clues and loose valuable time or get penalty for such. It would be exhilirating to be in such a race around the world but also scary. Most of all, it would prove to be a test to one's relationship with your teammate. Then I wonder what Mavis and I would do if we were in the same predicament. Would we be fighting with each other as we go through the cobbled streets of Italy or would we as cool as ice riding the monstrous rides in Japan? What would the other teams name us? The Pinoys?

Dancing Xianelle

Did this on 2004, I think, with a 3d program and using Xiane's photo for the face...

To Fly or not to Fly

If you're flying to Qatar from the Philippines, the only option for you is to fly Qatar Airways (QA). Unless you want to stop over at Bahrain or Dubai, you can probably take Gulf Air or Emirates. However, if you want a straight trip, QA is the answer. Coming to Qatar, you're allowed 20k of baggage. That's why it is always a challenge for me and Mavis to pack our things cause we don't want to exceed our baggage allowance. I'm not sure how much you pay per kilo if you exceed but I've hear that it's like $30-$50. So to be safe, we always get our baggages weighed before leaving for the airport. But that 20k would never be enough if you're travelling with 2 Xbox machines, books, food stocks and clothes. That's why you need to be a member of the Privelege Club. It's their frequent flyer program which entitles you benefits like additional baggage allowance. If you're on their Burgundy Tier, you're allowed 15k more, 25k for Silver card holders, and 30k for Gold status members. Of course, there are more benefits the higher your tier level is. So for those flying to Qatar, I do suggest you enroll in their program as it would help you a lot. I've flown with Philippine Airlines, Saudia, Gulf Air, Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways and I can say that QA is probably next to Cathay Pacific when it comes to quality service. My only complain about QA is for a long haul flight to the Philippines, you sometimes get to ride on a plane without personal entertainment system. You pay a huge amount of money for your trip (even costlier than going to Europe) that lasts 9 hours and what do you get? Nothing. But the worst would be Gulf Air. Imagine, the first time Mavis and I travelled with Gulf Air, they didn't have toothbrushes! But they had toothpastes! So when we we're coming back to the gulf by the same airline, we were ready with our own brushes. But alas, this time, they didn't even have a toothbrush, neither toothpaste! I don't want to fly Gulf Air again. I have never been scared of flying in an airplane. I think I was 12 years old when my family and I went to Hongkong from the Philippines to have a Christmas holiday there. If you think of it in a positive manner, what are the chances of your plane crashing? The odds of being killed on a single trip is 52.6 million to 1. That may ease some of your worries then. Still, if it does happen that your plane crashes, what are the odds of you surviving? That, I don't want to think about.

Filipino Statistics in Qatar

Here are some statistics from Gulftimes:

76 Women Facing Deportation

THERE are 88 Philippine nationals, 12 males and 76 females, at the deportation centre, official sources said.In addition, a baby was born at the centre. Ten of the detainees have been there for more than a year. Though they have served their sentences, they are awaiting tickets and salary arrears from their sponsors.At the Central Jail, there are two Filipino men and 24 women, including 18 who were involved in “love affairs”.Six are being held for theft and fights with their sponsors. Besides, a baby was born to one of the inmates.At the Umm Salal jail, there are seven Filipino convicts serving terms while four men and one woman are held by the Capital Police, sources said.Out of the eight Filipinos who died in Qatar since the beginning of the year, four were killed in road accidents and the remaining died of cardiac arrest.One of the deceased was Maria Concepcion Suarez Aresta, a 46-year old woman who was reportedly run over by a speeding car near City Center on January 27.Meanwhile, the family of Filipino worker Bernaldo Sampang (38), who died in a work site accident, received QR127,500 as blood money. The rest of the amount, QR22,500, went for the lawyer and other legal fees, sources said.

Imagine that! I'm not actually surprised at how many are jailed for whatever reasons but more of the number of deaths by road accidents. The more one should be careful when driving the streets of Doha.

I'm Back!

I am back! I know I haven't been able to update our blog for months but vacation is vacation. And what a vacation that was! Mavis ans Xiane are still in the Philippines for their extended vacation, as usual. They would be arriving on June 1 which is just less than 3 weeks from now. Back to Doha means back to work and in this case, alone at work since the other designer is on leave as he got married in India (Congratulations Bala!) while the other one...well, she decided not to work anymore for personal reasons. That leaves me with a LOT of work. But that's ok since it keeps my mind off loneliness. By the time I get home, I'm already tired and would just want to rest and sleep. There's not much change in Doha since we left last March. A lot of roads are still undergoing construction, which means diversions, which means traffic. Although it has significantly lessened asI think drivers got to find better routes instead of congesting to using 1 major road. It is starting to get hot, though I don't really get to feel it as I'm always in the comfort of an area with airconditioning, either I'm in the car, in the office, or at home. Hopefully, I'll be able to answer all emails that were sent to us while on vacation once I really get settled in. That's it for now and more in the coming days... XXX

Still Alive and Kicking

Sorry for all those who emailed us the past month as we have yet found the time to answer your emails. Vacation is vacation so we are finding it difficult to actually respond to our emails...I'll be back in Qatar on the 29th of this month so I'll be able to answer all emails by then...Mavis and Xiane would enjoy more than a month in the Philippines after I leave. Anyway, got to get back to the pool! He he he he.... XXX

We are Family

The San Juans (Xtian's side) The Ruedas (Mavis' side)

The Big Grin

The big grin

Food!

We love eating! While in the Philippines, we tried to our best to go to local restaurants that serve local delicacies and foreign dishes not typically found in Qatar. We've also had our share of cookouts and barbeques so you can imagine all the poundage that we've added since. Here's a sampler of tasty and yummy food we've partaken in...

Arabiatta Pork Steak Mussels with Garlic and Butter Grilled Fish Mocchacinno Grilled Pork Lumpia/Fresh Spring Roll Grilled Chicken Adobo Pizza Green Mangoes and Shrimp Fry Paste Breakfast Cereals

GMA 7 and GMA Pinoy TV

There is a vast growing number of Filipinos all over the world. Here in the Middle East alone, the Filipino community is ever growing. Furthermore they do not come just as individual overseas workers but more importantly they come and bring their families along. Hence there is a great demand for an entertainment that is truly Filipino. A little birdie has informed me that the Philippine-based GMA 7 would be able to launch its satellite programming in the Middle East on the first week of February. Last year, Orbit launched a Pinoy package which showed several syndicated shows from GMA 7. However, a lot of people complained that they thought they'd get the whole GMA 7 channel only to find out that it was not the case. This time around, it is the real deal. Filipinos would get the 24 hour programming of GMA 7 as what they get the Philippines, live and real-time. This time around, Filipinos would have an option. Are you a "Kapuso" or a "Kapamilya"?

Jetlagged

Jetlagged Function: noun: a condition that is characterized by various psychological and physiological effects (as fatigue and irritability), occurs following long flight through several time zones, and probably results from disruption of circadian rhythms in the human body - jet-lagged /'jet-"lagd/ adjective The 3 of us have been waking up early at since we arrived. I myself have been waking up at 3 in the morning and finding it difficult to get back to sleep. Xiane and Mavis wake up at about 4:30 or 5 am. Since the time difference between Qatar and the Philippines is 5 hours, 3 AM here is equivalent to 8 AM there. While in the Philippines, we would start our busy day at about 7 AM or even much earlier if we have made plans to go to the park or if we need to take long travels. Usually, we would get sleep at about 1 or 2 AM the following day only to wake up at 7 AM. A friend tells me that your body recovers and adjusts 30 minutes of each day from the time difference between two places. Say, if the time difference between 2 countries is 5 hours, it would roughly take your system to fully adjust. Hopefully, everything would get back to "normal" by next week.

We're Back!

We're back! After all the hassle of taking such a long trip, placing all luggages in and out of conveyer belts and xray machines, we got home to Qatar at 8:00 PM last night. It's 11 AM in the Philippines right now so all of us are awake but still wanting to sleep though not that sleepy. Jetlag! Hopefully, we could get to updating this again soon! We have lots and lots of photos to show you guys! More to come!

The Flight and Arrival

My flight to the Philippines was at 11:15 PM. Kutch, who was sharing the same flight with me, wanted to check-in early to avoid any problems we were sure that a lot of people booked for this day. He picked me up at 7:30 PM. For employees in Qatar, one has to have his office fill out a document, Exit Permit, which you had to have stamped by the immigration office at the airport. Before, the office was located right before you enter the airport which was easy enough for you to have the paper stamped. I found out that they already moved offices and I had to walk half a kilometer (to and fro) to get my stamp. Kutch already had his stamped by his office. We checked-in without any hassle by 9 although the queues were getting longer and longer by the second. We decided it was too early to wait for our fill once aboard the plane so we ate at the canteen on the second floor after going round the Duty Free Shop. By 10:30, we were already lining up for the buses to take us to the designated plane. Most, if not all, of the people taking the plane were Filipinos wanting to spend Christmas in the Philippines. I’m sure everyone was excited. I was even able to meet another acquaintance from Saudi who rode the bus to Bahrain, took the flight from Bahrain to Qatar and now seating behind my seat to the Philippines. Our problem started right after we got seated on the plane. After 30 more minutes waiting, the pilot announced that we have to wait for some passengers that were still not onboard. We waited for 15 more minutes till 4 passengers came. Again, the pilot announced that we had to wait for some more time before take off. By now, people inside the plane were almost ready to curse at the pilot and crew for the delay. Another 15 minutes came and the last set of passengers took their seats. The late passengers were actually coming from other connecting flights that were delayed. We were hoping that the pilot would make up for the time lost and fly faster. But that was not the case. A day later (Dec. 23), we landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at about 2:30 PM. Mavis, my sister and Xiane were expecting our plane to arrive at 1:30. By 3:15, I was standing on the arrival area when I heard someone say “There’s Daddy!”. I turned and saw Xiane running towards me. I knelt down to greet her with a hug and carried her. Ahhhhh, after all the delay, nothing can beat the feeling of being home.

Our Holiday Schedule

Dec. 22 - Xtian takes Qatar Airways flight at 11:15 PM to Manila, Philippines. The trip is about 9 hours long! Dec. 23 - Xtian arrives in the Philippines at 1:30 PM (Philippine time: +5 hours from Doha). Mavis and Xiane would be waiting at the airport along with Xtian's sister and her daughter, Yiyi. Take a 2 hour trip north of Manila to Angeles City (Google Maps). Dec. 24 - Do some cooking and prepare the whole day for the gathering in the evening. Xtian's relatives and friends would be spending Christmas Eve in the his parents house. Dec. 25 - Wake up early for the trip to Manila to spend Christmas with Xtian's grandfather in Manila. Buy lechon (roasted pig) along the highway. Take part in a mini-program for the kids in the family compound. Later in the afternoon, check-in at Astoria Plaza Suites. Do some shopping in the evening. Dec. 26 - Do post-Christmas shopping and take Xiane to one of the Kiddie Parks inside a mall. Drive back to Angeles(2 hour drive). Dec. 29 - Take a 5 hour trip to the mountainous City of Baguio. Strawberries here we come!!! January 1 - New Year in Baguio! Jan. 3 - Take the 5 hour trip to go back to Angeles City.