Our son, the performer! 

Did any of you here in Oman go to the Mommy & Me exhibition in Noor Plaza yesterday?  We did and we picked up a lot of great stuff, helpful info and most importantly, our son had a fabulous time! 

The organizers were very wise to set up all kinds of play stations for kids to draw, play, think, make music, learn and enjoy their time at the exhibition!

This is an example of one of many tables set up at Mommy & Me.  Zainab, on the left, runs a company called 99% which sells stickers, toys made of paper that kids can color (comes with markers!) and other products.  www.talbatk.com

There are all kinds of educational models at the exhibition like this doll to explain to new mothers how to feed a newborn and the benefits of breastfeeding.

A sad reminder (from BMV) of just how many parents in Oman do not have child seats or insist that their children wear seatbelts.  I hope that such exhibitions as Mommy & Me will slowly educate the population and make them take the safety of their children more seriously.

Bread talk is in full force at the exhibition with a yummy display of some of their fancy cakes.  My wife was sure to buy a few things from this display!

One example of Breadtalk’s cakes – Circus Train Cake for 36 rials.

For all you coffee lovers out there, Second Cup is at the exhibition.

There is so much to see and do in the exhibition.  It’s not only for parents of newborn babies either.  There are plenty of kindergartens and playgroups that are advertising and available to answer the questions of parents of older kids as well.  You really have to start them young.  Some of these playgroups accept children as young as 14 months old!  If you wait too late to enter your kids in some educational group in Muscat at ages 3 1/2 or 4 they may get left behind!

This is Marianne, the smallprint franchise owner in Oman.  She specializes in the cutest souvenir gifts in which she can place the fingerprint of your baby (or even handprint at 4 months old or less) on silver jewelry as a keepsake. She works out of her home and can even travel to your house anywhere in Muscat to have it done.

Check out the website for more info: www.smallp.com (email: marianne.olsgaard@smallprint.com ) We’re thinking of getting some jewelry with our newborn’s fingerprint on it when she arrives in mid April, God willing.

Expat Woman (www.expatwoman.com ) is a great resource for anyone living in the Middle East.  Check it out for yourself and see why I’ve added it to the blogroll.  Expat Woman is the online partner of Mommy & Me.  A couple of other online resources you may want to check out are: www.MuscatMoms.com and www.pregnantinoman.com .

Well, I’ll end this post back at the beginning – the entrance to the Exhibition in Al Noor Hall.  The gentleman seated there is none other than Oman’s famous blogger/twitterer (what do you call someone who tweets exactly?!), Muscati! His is the twitter account to check out if you want to get an idea of what the tweeting community in Oman is like.  His wife happens to be one of the organizers and Muscati did his part in warmly greeting people as they entered.

If you didn’t go yesterday (Wed. Jan. 25th) I highly recommend you go there today (Thurs. Jan. 26th) and enjoy a few hours supporting local businesses while enjoying some great entertainment and fantastic deals (and plenty of freebies!).  It is well worth the 2 rial entrance fee!  Great job to all the organizers and volunteers of Mommy & Me!  As I mentioned on twitter, our son cried all the way to the car after leaving the exhibition.  He was having such a great time that he just didn’t want it to end! 

From left to right: Akram Al Yasiri (Kameramann/Cinematographer), Daniel Riegler (Camera Assistant), Nadja and Stefan who were working on administration/planning for the orchestra and Dr. Michaela Lehmer (TV journalist).  Dr. Lehmer emailed me before their arrival asking me if I’d like to meet up and give an intimate impression of the country I’ve called home and have come to love over the past four years.  It was my pleasure and it was great meeting up and chatting with such lovely ambassadors of Austria.

Just a quick example of how lovely the ORF team is…They gave me this lovely gift of Austrian chocolates.  Thanks, Michaela! We enjoyed these very much!

Whether you speak German or not, you may be interested in watching the lovely 10 minute news report (10:46 to be exact) they did on the Sultanate of Oman and the Vienna Philharmonic’s performance/visit here on January 16th, 2012.  Just click on the following link to see it for yourself:

http://tvthek.orf.at/programs/1303-Kulturmontag/episodes/3478673-Kulturmontag  (If you have problems finding it, just look for “Wüsten-Reich: Das Sultanat Oman (10:46)” on the right side and click it!)

The Vienna Philharmonic (“Wiener Philharmoniker” in German) is known worldwide as the finest orchestra in the world.  It’s no surprise that they were well received here and all the papers I have read had nothing but great things to say about the performance at the Royal Opera House.  Here is one such report from the Times of Oman.  Many of us are already looking forward to their next visit to Oman as the tickets to their first performance in Muscat sold out fast!!!

If you ever get to Musandam, make sure to check out this fantastic public beach in Khasab.  Bassa Beach is located immediately on the right side of the Golden Tulip Hotel there.  The water is a gorgeous milky-white near the shore and is of the same color one can find at the beautiful Fins beach on the way to Sur from Quiryat.

Here’s a short 2-minute video I took to try and more adequately capture the beauty of Bassa Beach:

My wife and I were in Muscat City Centre today and decided to have lunch at the noodle house.  Just our “luck” they started their new menu for the Chinese New Year! 

As our waitress explained if you order 1 appetizer, 1 specialty and 1 dessert on the Chinese New Year Menu you’ll get a gift voucher which you can use on your next visit and must be used before the promo ends on Feb. 22nd.

The Crab Topped Shrimp Dumplings were quite good! (Hard to see in this pic but comes with 3 pieces.)

We enjoy just about any of the roasted duck dishes at noodle house and the Roasted Duck and Mandarin Salad pictured here was no exception.  DELICIOUS!

On the waitress’s recommendation, we chose the Steamed Snapper with XO Sauce.  When asked, she told us “XO” stood for “extra ordinary”.  What she should have told us is that the dish is ”extra-ordinarily spicy”! Yowzers!  Make sure you have plenty of water in your glass when you order this! 

I thought the Sticky Plum Doughnuts with Mango Sauce were very tasty and a lovely way to finish the meal but my honey was “not into them”.

As promised because we ordered at least 1 appetizer/speciality/dessert, we received a gift voucher.

Overall, it was a lovely lunch.  It’s nice to have restaurants like noodle house in town that offer up different promotions from time to time.  Our bill only came to 18.4 OR for shrimp dumplings (3 rials), snapper (5.2), plum doughnuts (2.5), roasted duck (5.2), 1 pepsi (.9), 1 small water (.7), 1 diet pepsi (.9) with prices already including tax and service charges. Pretty good!  www.thenoodlehouse.com Muscat  City Centre, Al Seeb Tel:+968 2455-8488 

You guessed it! His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said.  Did you check out that expiry date?!  Imagine the trips down to the Immigration Office that would save you! 

Here is an interesting video (in Arabic) of HM Sultan Qaboos giving information for the registration of his ID card: his name, his tribe and his age.

Not a bad view, huh?!  Anyone know where this is?

It reminds me of the command to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  May all who love this city prosper.” (Psalm 122:6)

This article and many others like it seem to suggest that unemployment remains one of the biggest concerns for Oman in 2012. This was in the Business section of Muscat Daily on Dec. 31, 2011.  An interesting part of the article that stuck out to me was the statement by the IMF that solving this problem requires “resolving the wage and benefits differentials between the public and private sectors and between Omanis and expatriates.”  I think there is a good point there.  I’m not exactly sure why it’s considered alright that the minimum wage for Omanis is 200 rials but only 60 rials for expats.  Just a thought.  I wonder if protests by Indian/Pakistani workers will continue to grow in 2012 as they see Omani employees’ demands being met and while they seem to be ”left behind”.  Since the protests of 2011 there are stories of Omanis grouping together in certain workplaces asking for higher salaries than their expat workers doing the exact same work.  Again, I don’t understand why people doing the same job should be paid different wages based on their nationality/passport/race.

What is the actual unemployment rate in Oman?! Here’s another thought-provoking article from Muscat Daily.

24.35% unemployment sounds amazing, doesn’t it?!  33% being illiterate would definitely contribute towards finding employment, I would think.  I was surprised to read that only 6.2% have a BA and less than 1% an MA or PhD.  Education and training are obviously extremely important in “reforming the job market“.  Click here for the full article from Oman Tribune.

“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8)

What joy my son brings to my life!  I love hearing him calling out for me as I come home or as he looks for me in the other room.  “DADDY!”  It really is music to my ears.  I love how he gets hyper just having me around (especially just before bedtime much to mommy’s chagrin!) and if I could only find the words to describe the effect his giggles and hysterical laughter have on my soul!

His vocabulary continues to grow by the day.  He loves crying out letters of the alphabet he recognizes even as I’m circling around the carpark for a spot…”A!” “O!” “E!” “M!”  Love it!  I love the unpredictability of when or what he will cry out next.  “WOW!”  “Circle!”  “Amen!”  “My Daddy, My Mommy!” “Star!” “Car!” “Baby!”  I thank God for giving me such an incredibly beautiful child.  I couldn’t ask for a better son than Gershom and it’s such an adventure to have him in my life.

I couldn’t ask for a better background for 2 gifts from God that make my soul sing! 

I shared a link to Michael Kaiser’s 1st article about Muscat’s Opera House last October.  Here is his more recent article, “Another Visit to Oman“, which was written January 9th, 2012 (just 5 days ago).  The best quote from this article comes at the end, “Such an experience reminds me that there is truly no Eastern art or Western art or Asian art, etc.  There is only art.  And great art has the power to move us because great artists speak to us no matter what the language.” Hear, hear!

Just 2 days until the 1st performance of the new season (The Vienna Philharmonic) at ROHM!  The Program is to include:  Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1, D major, op. 25, “Symphonie classique” Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1, Bb minor, op. 23 Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Suite from the Opera “The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya” Rodion Schtschedrin: Concerto for Orchestra No. 1 “Naughty Limericks“. (from their official website)

Chowlane is an inexpensive Chinese take-away or dine-in shop that opened up in July of 2011 in the foodcourt of Bareeq al Shatti Mall.  We went there with Entertainer 2012 coupon in hand to check it out.

As you can see, it really doesn’t look like much.  Don’t let appearance fool you, though, as the food is good and cheap!

The Spring Rolls were fantastic, especially at the price of only 1 rial! Just as good as the more expensive spring rolls at some of the 4 or 5 star restaurants!  Most things on the menu are only 1 rial including all the side orders: Noodle in a box, Honey Chilly Potatoes, Spicy drums of heaven and springrolls.

Spicy Drums of Heaven is quite a dish for 1 OR! So tasty.  You can even ask them to make it not so spicy, as we did, making it simply “Drums of Heaven”.

Noodle Soup – which is also known as “Big Soupy Bowl” on the take-away menu.  You can choose your vegetables or they’ll do it for you. (1 OR)

Sweet Corn Chicken Soup – a steal at only 1 rial!  Again, just as good or even better than some of the expensive restaurants we’ve been at.

The gentlemen at Chowlane are very helpful and patient in explaining all the options.  The 1st step is choosing which size bowl you want. (Entertainer Coupon is for 1 complimentary small bowl when you order 1 small bowl. Value of 1 OR)  Small is big enough, especially if you end up getting a few side orders or soup with it.  I chose the medium bowl and had to get a doggy-bag because we ended up ordering too much.  Step #2: Choose your vegetables.  Step #3: Choose your protein: Chicken, fish, marinated steak or shrimp.  Step #4: Select a sauce: chilly garlic, dragon, ginger citrus, sesame honey, kung po, red curry, sweet and sour, szechwan sauce, black pepper, black bean or almond sauce.  Step #5: Select your starch: fried rice, steamed rice or noodles.  You can skip steps #2-#4 (as I did) by selecting a “Signature Bowl” of which there are 12 choices.

This is one of their Signature dishes – “Fish Pepper Fry“.  (Fish in black pepper sauce)  My sister-in-law enjoyed this.

My wife and I are real suckers for seafood so we both chose the “Deep Sea” Signature Dish.  (Shrimps and fish with green onions, broccoli and mushrooms in dragon sauce.)  Other signature dishes include: Steak Broccoli, Ginger Beef, Classic Chilly Chicken, Sesame Honey Chicken, Chicken Schewan, Thai Chicken, Monk Bowl (Tofu, broccoli, button mushrooms and spinach in black bean sauce), Stir Fry Vegi Bowl, Vegetable Manchurian and Sweet and Sour Vegetable.

With all the food we ordered (and only 5% tax), the bill still only came to 8.665 OR!  And we had plenty left over to heat up the next day at home.  I guess they do live up to their motto of “Chinese Food at Chinese Prices“! 

A quick plug for our friend’s 1st ever childrens book.  There’s a great description of it on the back cover.

You can order her book from Tate Publishing by clicking here.  It’s $9.99 for paperback and $7.99 as an E-book.

Gershom at our church with the author of the book, Sheena Sarker!  This book would make the perfect gift for any kids who are disabled or sick.  As Gladys Staines (international speaker) wrote in the foreword: “In this story, you will see that there really is Someone to listen and understand when you are alone, in pain or confused.”  I love what Sheena wrote in the inside front cover for Gershom, “Taste and see that God is good, how blessed is the child who trusts in Him.” Thanks, Sheena!  I pray that God continues to bless your book writing ministry.

Anyone know when Chowking is scheduled to open?!  We all know that ”soon” can often be translated to “don’t hold your breath” over here, haha!  This pic was taken in the food court of Qurum City Centre.  I was first introduced to Chowking during our nice long summer vacation in the Philippines last year.  Delicious! And super cheap food as well! Of course they’ll probably sell it at slightly higher prices than those in the Philippines.  I just hope it tastes as good!   I wonder if Qurum City Centre will be overrun by Filipinos once it’s opened, haha!                      www.chowking-me.com

Here’s a video that is being passed around facebook by Christians.  The reason so many love it (including myself) is because the man in the video speaks plainly about what sometimes gets lost as Christians trust in Christ and strive to follow Him.  We do not hold ourselves out as “perfect people” or “better than others” as many like to claim.  One of the worst adjectives that people could ever use to describe me or any Christian is “religious” and so this video really spoke to me.

Great video even if you don’t enjoy cycling.  The beauty of Oman’s coastline, desertland  and mountains is captured brilliantly in this video from Tour of Oman.  Check out more of their videos on youtube here.

Get all the info and latest updates of Tour of Oman 2012 off their official website, www.tourofoman.om .

We decided to do it right this year by purchasing our Entertainer Oman 2012 book in the 1st week of the year.  Last year we saved quite a bit of money (and enjoyed some fabulous restaurants) even though we waited until May to purchase the book.  My advice is to buy this book (if you’re living in Oman) now and use as many coupons as you can throughout the year.  The price has gone up from 19.5 OR last year to 25 OR this year.  We still think it’s a pretty good deal though as we often saved at least 5 rials with each coupon as the restaurants we went to and sometimes up to 15 rials!  On one visit evening out with friends at RBG Grill (in Park Inn) we used 2 coupons and saved more than the price of the book at only one evening out!

Highlights of the 2012 edition:

• over 50 new outlets!
• Register your book online at www.theentertainerme.com and as an Essential Member, you receive even more 2 for 1 offers each month straight in your inbox!

Fine Dining Gold:  Sumhuram Restaurant (at Salalah Marriott Resort), Al Bahar (at Millennium Resort Mussanah), Asia (ShangriLa’s Barr Al Jissah), La Mer, Shahrazad (ShangriLa), Trader Vic’s (InterCon)

Fine Dining Silver:  RBG Grill (Park Inn), Arayans (Al Falaj), Left Bank, Samah (The Platinum), Samba (ShangriLa-best buffet we’ve had so far!)

Family & Casual: Shang Thai (at the Wave or in Al Khuwair), Al Diwan (Ramada), Al Ghazal (Safeer), Al Sabla (Sifawy Boutique Hotel in Sifah), Al Shams (Safeer), Al Tajin Grillhouse (Radisson), As Sammak Seafood Restaurant (Sifawy), Bamboo Kitchen (Al Araimi Complex), Cafe Barbera, Dibba (Golden Tulip Khasab Resort), Hot Pot & Grills (Bareeq Al Shatti), Jeans Grill, Khasab (Golden Tulip Dibba Resort), Kobe Sizzlers, Lemongrass, Majan (Safeer Plaza Hotel), Meji’s Aroy Thai, Musandam Cafe and Terrace (InterCon), Mydan (Millenium), Nando’s, the Noodle House, Olivos Coffee Shop (Radisson Blu), The Palm (Park Inn), Pane Caldo, Pearl (Safeer), Pizza Express, Senor Pico (InterCon), Tomato (InterCon)

Cafes & Nightspots: Second Cup, Al Fersan Cafe, Al Ghazal Pub, Cafe Arabica, Caffe Vergnano 1882, Captain’s Bar & Lounge (Sifawy), Caribou Coffee, The Cove (Salalah Marriott), Darts English Pub (Golden Tulip Khasab), the Deck (Millennium), Golden Bean Cafe, Mirbat Arabic Cafe, Nirvana, Sama Terrazza (Park Inn), Trio Cafe, The Wharf Pool Bar (Salalah Marriott), Zebra Bar (Golden Tulip Dibba)

Informal Dining & Take Away:  Domino’s Pizza, Baskin Robbins, The Bollywood, BreadTalk, BurgerKing, Chowlane, ColdStone Creamery, Cowboy Grills, Dunkin’ Donuts, Fruitesca, Magic Wok, Marble Slab Creamery, McDonald’s, PizzaHut, PizzaInn, Santino’s, Shamiana, Smokin’Joe’s

Sports, Pleasure & Leisure:  Adventure Zone (ShangriLa), Al Masa Bowling, Bluzone Watersports Diving Centre, City Cinema (Sur & Sohar only), Global Scuba Dive Centre, Kite Surfing Lessons, Magic Planet, Marrakech Fitness Gym, Marriott Resort, Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club, Omanta Scuba Diving Academy, Sky Club (Park Inn), The Platinum Health Club

Superior Spas: Chi Spa (ShangriLa), Al-Lilac Spac

Beauty, Hair & Nail: Tips & Toes Nail Spa (Bareeq Al Shatti/MCC), Afnan Clinic (Bareeq Al Shatti), Al-Lilac Beauty Centre, Dr. Fish (Bareeq), Joanne Louise Hair & Beauty Salon, Silver Senses Salon, The Platinum Massage Therapy

Hotel Accomodations: (complimentary night when a night of equal or greater value is purchased. Not including service charges & taxes.)  In Oman: Crowne Plaza, Desert Nights Camp, Millenium Resort, Salalah Marriott, ShangriLa Al Bandar, ShangriLa Al Husn, ShangriLa Al Waha.  In Abu Dhabi: Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Grand Millenium Al Wahda, InterCon Abu Dhabi, The Westin Abu Dhabi Gold Resort & Spa.  In Dubai: Banyan Tree Al Wadi Beach Club, Desert Palm Dubai, Fairmont Dubai, Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel Dubai, Media One Hotel, Melia Dubai, Pullman Mall of the Emirates Dubai, Qamardeen Hotel, Radisson Royal Hotel Dubai, Taj Palace Hotel Dubai, The Meydan Hotel.  In Egypt: Fairmont Nile City Cairo.  In Qatar: Grand Hyatt Doha, InterCon Doha, InterCon Doha The City.

Quite a few places to save money at!  Let the games/eating/good times begin!  If you want to order online (and get a 10% discount) go to www.theentertainerme.com .  We bought ours at Borders at Qurum City Centre.

“Lucky room“?  Does this person mean that if someone has had “bad luck” in the past that somehow renting out this room will ensure that all your dreams will come true?  Maybe they mean that rooms are so hard to come by in the CBD area that this room being offered is a “lucky opportunity”.  ???   Perhaps I’m looking at this the wrong way.  Maybe they are renting out Rick Taylor’s CD “lucky room”. ???  A quick google search of “lucky room” would leave one to assume that this is a poker or gambling room.  Is there a gambling room now available for rent in the CBD area?  So many questions! One thing is for sure.  An advance deposit is a must when being offered ”a lucky room”.  It’s the least one would expect. 

It’s a shame that this is how Kalboo Park looks today.  Why doesn’t Muscat Municipality clean this place up, especially the Corniche which would be so sweet to walk along?  Instead the best (waterfront) part of the park is blocked off with huge boards and nothing has been done to restore this once gorgeous seacoast park.  The park is often named as a major place for tourists to visit as reported in the Oman Observer during the last Eid: “The Muscat Municipality has taken all necessary measures to ensure maximum amusement to park visitors, many of whom are visitors from neighbouring GCC countries. The hub of activities could be seen in Kalboo Park, Riyam Park, Naseem Garden, Al Sahwa Park and even in a small park like Lake Garden.”  They should either remove Kalboo Park from that list or the words “taken all necessary measures “.

“It very easily could be me or my loved ones” – That’s exactly why I wish they would do more than just put on another “campaign”.  I wish they would give hefty fines to those:

• texting/talking on cellphones while driving
• driving with kids not in child seats
• passing on the right side (over the yellow line) because they’re too lazy to wait in line like other cars 
• driving without seatbelts
• driving without a license. (Parents who give their car to their son knowing full well that they don’t have their license should be several punished, fined and the car confiscated.)

Something more serious needs to be done.  It’s like you’re gambling with your life everytime you get on the road in Oman! 

 www.accidentfreeoman.com

I LOVE this pic from CTV news showing the hug of gratitude after the rescue.  It makes you think, even if only briefly and naively, that somehow goodwill is possible in the world.  It’s a break from the madness to show you that one can in fact care for those who seek your utter destruction.  I’m guessing that that must be like the ultimate insult to Tehran, but hopefully such a gesture can soften positions on both sides.  There are quite a few haters  out there (conspiracy lovers!) who are already trying to twist this into some “manipulated public relations stunt” but how on earth do you plan that!?

My favorite part of the story (in several articles such as here in yourmiddleeast.com) is when one of the rescued Iranians says,”It is like you were sent by God.” (Fazel Ur Rehman, 28)  If they were sent by God, maybe they’re not “Big Satan” or “Little Satan” after all, but simply another nation in this world trying to survive and thrive.

Another beautiful move towards reconcilation and tolerance by the US is the creation of their Virtual Embassy of the US, Tehran, Iran.  Wow! Imagine this-Their embassy is attacked contrary to all civilized diplomacy and workers are held hostage for 444 days.  All around Iran are official billboards saying “Down with the US” and “Down with Israel” and the US is demonized daily.  So what do the Americans do?! Rescue their sailors, feed them and care for them and return them safely. In addition, they create a virtual embassy ”aimed at enhancing outreach and dialogue between the American and Iranian people“. 

“We consider the actions of the US forces in saving the lives of the Iranian seamen to be a humanitarian and positive act and we welcome such behaviour,” foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told Iran’s Arabic-language broadcaster Al-Alam on Saturday.  “We think all nations should display such behaviour,” he added.

“On the contrary: as the Scripture says: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for by doing this you will make him burn with shame.  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:20-21)

Iran is indeed ”burning with shame” and are strangely silent on the entire rescue operation. No matter the reaction or outcome, Americans should be very proud of the conduct or the sailors in this case.  A real class-act!

Was just reading this intriguing article titled “A Poverty Solution That Starts With a Hug” from Nicholas D. Kristof, an American journalist writing for NY Times.  In was published yesterday, January 7th, and there’s a lot of interesting data to sift through in that piece.  Anyone with kids would do well to read it because it discusses how toxic stress can harm a child for life.  Anyone with the responsibility of raising a child  would hopefully wish to avoid “harming their child for life”.

The saddest parts of the article are the parts which focus on the effects of neglect.  “It (toxic stress)  might derive from chronic neglect — a child cries without being cuddled. Affection seems to defuse toxic stress — keep those hugs and lullabies coming! — suggesting that the stress emerges when a child senses persistent threats but no protector.”

As my friend, Min Hwang, (executive director of Women’s Hope Center (WHC)) who pointed me to this article stressed, “Affection. Lots of hugs and kisses. Lots of cuddling and carrying. Always responding to their cries with loving attention. Can’t spoil a baby. And the short time (too short) of sacrificing sleep, etc. is WELL worth it. It doesn’t matter if a parent is “successful” in other areas of life (profession, ministry, education, etc.), if he/she is a poor/absentee parent, he/she loses (in my humble opinion*^^*).” AMEN!

Please read the article for yourself.

“As Frederick Douglass noted, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.””

They are currently running a promo of 99 rials/night  for residents of Oman for 1 night, inclusive of breakfast and dinner and taxes.

There’s also the deal for 135 rials for the same conditions but also coming with 2 spa treatments.

We really loved the executive room we stayed in.  They are quite spacious.

                                                                                                                                 There sandy seems the golden sky And golden seems the sandy plain. No habitation meets the eye Unless in the horizon, Some halfway up the limestone wall, That spot of black is not a stain Or shadow, but a cavern hole, Where someone used to climb and crawl To rest from his besetting fears. I see the callus on his soul The disappearing last of him And of his race starvation slim, Oh years ago – ten thousand years. (Robert Frost – “A Cliff Dwelling”)

This pic is from one of my Omani friends who wrote,                                                                               “Our guide, Mr. Adbullah from Jaalan, explaining something about the Bedouins here: The Ministry of Health found it hard to track them for vaccinations, so the government built a compound for them to live in and provided them with everything: beds, cupboards, air-conditioners, heaters, all kitchen supplies, satellite TV…but the Bedouins gave it one look and said, “Ha! No WAY we live in these! They think we’ll live in prison? Who would ever do that to their families.”  A month later the ministry officials come by to check up on them to see whether they need anything for their new homes and were shocked to see the Bedouins still outside in their tents and shacks…and inside the houses were: sheep, camels and goats.  The Bedouins decided the houses were of good use to keep their livestock away from the sun.”  In the picture on the right, the Bedouins shacks and tents.  On the left, the compound/barns.  As my friend said, “It makes sense.  Who would want to sleep between four walls and a ceiling, when they’re used to seeing the stars as they fall asleep?” 

Susan Mubarak, a journalist writing for Muscat Daily, is someone you’d do well to follow as she shares deep insights into life in Oman in her bi-weekly articles based down in Salalah.

Her latest article, “Things We Don’t Talk About“, is no exception. (Please click it and read it for yourself.) Susan tells it like it is like no other.  She is, without a doubt, my favorite journalist in Oman!  Keep up the great work, Susan. You’re a beautiful human being!

I was not surprised that there is such a high rate of AIDS in Oman.  What surprised me is that the figures were printed in the paper (Muscat Daily, Jan 3rd, 2011).  Some countries (particularly in Africa) do not want any realistic figures put out about the number of AIDS cases in their country for fear of “stigma”.

According to this Middle East Report, ”HIV infection in Oman is reportedly concentrated among injecting drug users.  Prisoners are often designated as an at-risk group because of prevalent drug habits, tattoo practices and overall health conditions in the prisons.” Tourists, migrant workers and transport drivers are both transmitters of the disease to locals as well as those who contract the disease from risk groups like female sex workers.”

Another good job on the part of Muscat Daily for publishing realistic concerns for all of us living in Oman!

The pic above captures the excitement of Mission Impossible 4 which my wife and I had the pleasure of watching at Markaz Al Bajha Cinema.  Non-stop action from beginning to end.  My favorite parts were the scenes filmed in Dubai with Cruise on Burj Khalifa (Burj being Arabic for “Tower”), the tallest building in the world.  Tom Cruise did all the scenes himself without the aid of a stunt double. Cool as cool gets!  Cruise may have pretty nutty religious beliefs, but his acting is rock solid and there’s never a dull moment in MI4.

If you haven’t seen it, here is the trailer (which basically gives the whole movie away):                                                                        

This pic captures one of the funny lines/moments in the movie.  Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is told by one of his team members, Benji, when explaining how to use the gloves to scale Burj Khalifa, “Now remember, blue is glue.” Ethan then asks, “And what is red?” “Dead“, Benji replies.

I’ll try not to give anything away but here’s the official synopsis of the film, “The IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization’s name.”

The car in the move is sweet, which has a few people saying that MI4 is nothing but the world’s most expensive car ad.  It’s a lot more than that though.

Read about some of the cool “trivia” on MI4 here at IMDb.

It’s currently playing at both Al Bajha Cinema at Markaz Al Bajha mall in Al Hail (7pm, 9pm & 11:55pm) (Tel:2454-0855) and at Al Shatti Cinema in Qurum (4:30pm, 9:15pm & 11:45pm) (Al Shatti Cinema film enquiry: 24831358)                                                                             

The Week (a popular free weekly English paper read by thousands in Oman) did a great year-end review of 2011 on Dec. 28th. (Read their year-end review for Oman by clicking here.)

Hi weekly (another free weekly English publication in Oman)  also had a fabulous year end issue that was published Dec. 30th.  Of the two, I have to say that Hi weekly’s is the best as they include a number of fascinating lists such as: “Our 12 Best Local Stories“, “12 Thoughts for the Year Ahead“, “12 Reasons to Storm the Cinemas in 2012” for movie lovers (such as myself!) out there, “12 Things to Do and Have in 2012“, “11 Buzz Words of 2011” (great list!),  “Last Farewell” (small writeup about famous/infamous people who died in 2012), “2011 Top Images“, 10 “Around the World Events“, “The Year in Numbers“, a 2-page article on “The Year in Review“ and finally, “Top Sports Images of 2011“.  Fabulous edition that I “hi”ly recommend (Get it! “Hi weekly” “highly recommend”…) if you haven’t already done so.  On a sidenote, I really wish Hi Weekly would consider going online as the Week has!

Every person probably has their own list of “the biggest events that shaped the year” depending on where you live, your worldview, interests, hobbies and beliefs.  Here is the list of moments or events that stood out in my mind that will forever define 2011 for me.

• Our 2nd Wedding Anniversary! (Jan. 22nd)
• My son’s 1st birthday! (Feb. 26th)
• The Arab Spring Revolts (of course!).  I remember that they got out of control in Sohar but am thankful that the minor incidents in Oman were nothing of the scale seen in other Arab countries.
• Earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Feb. 28th
• Earthquake, tsunami and meltdown fear in Japan March 11th and onward
• Marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton (April 29th)
• Raid on Osama bin Laden’s “secret hideout” (that showed collusion or incompetence on Pakistan’s part), his execution and the bizarre “sea burial”
• IMF chief Dominique Strauss Kahn’s arrest (May 17th) and the he-said-she-said cycle as well as so many other sex scandals around the world
• South Sudan became the world’s newest nation in early July.
• Norway shooting by lone madman (July 22nd) leaves more than 90 dead.
• Somalia’s drought that put millions in need and at the same time Somalia continues to be the centre of pirating activities
• The best and longest vacation I ever remember having.
• The worship-like reports of Steve Jobs that came out after his death Oct. 5th as if he was some beacon of light or saint on the earth. (Unforgettable!)
• The opening of Royal Opera House Muscat that really put Muscat on the map in terms of music and arts!
• The capture and brutal killing of Gaddafi (Oct 20th)
• Wife and I visit our newly constructed home outside Manila for the 1st time!
• The riots and utter hooliganism in London in early August
• World population is said to have reached 7 billion in October.
• The 1st time ever attending a ballet at an Opera House
• US troops leave Iraq after an expensive (in money and lives) 8 years.
• Death of Kim Jong-Il on Dec. 19th (Unforgettable to me as someone who lived 9.5 years in South Korea.  This family dynasty is as evil as they get.  No one seems to care about the hundreds of thousands of political and religious (mostly Christian) prisoners in WWII-like concentration camps.  That nation is the world’s largest cult with people worshipping first the grandfather, then the son and now the grandson.)
• The threat to close down the Strait of Hormuz by Iran (like the situation in North Korea) is something to keep your eye on that has the possibility of effecting the world in 2012.
• The slaughter of the Syrian people by the Assad regime is in the thousands and continues into the New Year with no real action from the Arab League.  One of my greatest prayers for 2012 is the fall of the current Syrian regime.
• Typhoon Sendong kills over 1,000 on Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines. Just before Christmas. Heart-breaking.
• The 1st time ever attending an opera. (Carmen on Dec. 21st)
• The first time we had friends over for Christmas dinner and my wife and sister-in-law’s first time (successfully!) preparing turkey!

2011 has been quite a year!  To see the disasters, want and misery around the world makes me all the more thankful to God that we are still breathing, have shelter over our heads and I have a job that God uses to provide for us daily.  What are some other events that stood out to you in 2011?

Here’s an excerpt:

The Louvre Museum has 8.5 million visitors per year. This blog was viewed about 220,000 times in 2011. If it were an exhibit at the Louvre Museum, it would take about 9 days for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

I wonder why the stats are off for WordPress.  They say “about 220, times” but it’s actually very easy to get the exact number by simply adding the totals for each month from January to December.  That’s easy enough to find by by clicking on “Site Stats” and adding up each month’s hits.

The views for each month break down to: Jan-18,816, Feb-20,272, Mar-19,506, April-14,842, May-16,524, June-15,502, July-13,575, Aug-15,818, Sep-19,799, Oct-30,406, Nov-32,841, Dec-30,708 for a total of 287,697 views. WOW!  I remember when I started this blog that I’d be happy to see 100 views in a day.  I’ve now received more than 30,000 views per month for the past 3 months.  That’s an average of 1,000 views each day! (Not including my own!) Thank you to each viewer for visiting the site! 

A big thanks to Muscat Mutterings, Dhofar Gucci and Angry in Oman who have sent traffic my way! (and others!) 

Highlights of my blogging experience in 2011 include:

•   reaching 250,000 hits in June
•   Being invited to media events such as the launching of Merge 104.8 FM, launching of the Women’s Sailing Programme by Oman Sail, the opening of Chedi’s Spa, invite and free facial at Kaya Skin Clinic, the announcement of ROHM’s Second Season and a number of other events I was not able to attend.
• Meeting up in person with several bloggers this year including Mr. Sythe from Muscat Mutterings, Riyadh from Blue-Chi.com, the delightful MumoftheAnimals, Susan Al Shahri – Canadian-Omani journalist (and blogger) from Muscat Daily, Victoria from SultanateSocial, Rummy from Rummy’s Scriblings (and Rummy’s Doodles), Maria of Maria’s Chronicles, and last but definitely not least, Maurizio of Oman Collective Intelligence. Sorry if I’ve missed anyone.  That’s my memory for you!
• Got my friend Jess blogging! 
• The dozens and dozens of people who approached me to tell me they enjoy my blog.  Thanks, folks! I am quite shy but I do appreciate such moments. 
• One of the big highlights of blogging in 2011 was being “Freshly Pressed” by WordPress on Nov. 1st for my post on Don Quixote at Royal Opera House Muscat in which I received 2,706 in one day! (87 comments already on that post!
• Reaching 400,000 hits on New Year’s day! (technically part of 2012 but a highlight nevertheless and close enough!)

Thanks again to you, the viewer, for continuing to read this old blog of mine! God bless each and every one of you throughout 2012!

Friday’s sermon by Pastor Barry (our RCA pastor at the PCO) was based on Isaiah 61:10-62:3 and Luke 2:22-40, with more focus on the NT passage.  A lot of our congregation were missing due to vacation break, so I thought I’d put this up for any of you that missed it.  It’s an appropriate sermon as we come out of the Christmas season and head into the New Year.

Christmas Day 2011 is history. over. done.  It’s sad that the joy of Christmastime for many is over.  By the time the gifts have been opened, the tree put away and dinner is done, we are exhausted.  Many have truly forgotten how to truly celebrate and savor the excitement even after the day of Christmas is over.  Let’s look at what we might do to keep the flame alive.  One good way would be to look at the story of Simeon and Anna for clues as to how we can respond.

Simeon’s response is still used in Christian worship in liturgy as an “attitude of gratitude”.

Anna was married only 7 years and then widowed for many years.  She didn’t just lose hope but trusted in God and rested in His hope.  Sorrow and suffering are indeed a part of life.

I’m glad that the Pastor mentioned the significance of Joseph and Mary presenting a pair of doves or two young pigeons.  This quote from Leviticus 12:8 shows that they were actually poor! (I’ve heard crazy sermons on the so-called “God TV” saying that Jesus’ family was rich due to the gold brought to them as a justification of the health-wealth-prosperity false gospel going around these days!)  God not only humbled Himself in coming as the Christ infant and living life for 33 years as one of us, He was born into a poor family! Not in a golden palace to live a life of comfort and ease!

Simeon and Anna do not look back nostalgically to the past but instead they recognize in Jesus the fulfillment of their hope.

“Leaning into the future with hope“…I like that!

True Hope is not just wishful thinking or naive optimism (just as “sending positive vibes” is not quite the same as ”prayer”!) but based on the promises of God!

Wait, watch and hope.  It is not over.

Happy New Year, everyone! To those of you who’ve had a fabulous 2011, all praise and glory to God!  To those of us who’ve had major obstacles, all out defeats, and serious struggles, please don’t lose heart.  Keep your eyes fixed above.  God is NOT done with you (or me) yet!!!

If you had told me 4 years ago when I first came to Oman that I’d be watching the world famous Swan Lake in Muscat, I would have told you that you were out of your mind! First of all, who would have ever thought that there would be an opera house in Muscat, Oman on the Arabian peninsula?!  And me watching a ballet?! haha! I never would have guessed that my wife would have me so easily hooked.

Each corner, inside and out of the Opera House, is a real sight to see due to the extensive use of Marble as well as Omani Desert Rose limestone for the walls.

Even though it was our fourth evening at the Opera House, the beauty of the building continues to astound me on each visit.  There is always something new about the artwork, structure and design that I hadn’t noticed before.

This was my first time walking upstairs to see the upper level of the Opera House.  Gorgeous!  As in the main lobby, there are antique musical instruments on display upstairs as well, including these French pieces (all from the 19th century) that you see in the glass display behind the chairs.

The beautiful arches on the Level 1 colonnade contain concealed airconditioning in the arch soffits.  All of the beautiful interior finishings were produced in Oman!

Scenes of Omani life/culture/traditions by the talented artist, David Willis, can be seen throughout the Opera House.

It’s nice to go upstairs and get a bird’s eyeview of the Main Foyer!

The beauty of the Main Foyer is brought out in brilliant combination of marble floor, teak wood screens and beams and towering white pillars.

The lovely ladies (and gentlemen!) working at the Opera House make wonderful ambassadors for the Sultanate of Oman.  They are ready to assist you in finding your seat, will answer any question you may have related to the building and services there and are more than happy to have a photo taken! 

Act 1 was 70 minutes long and consisted of 2 scenes; the 1st was “The Park of a Castle” and the 2nd was “A Lake in the Forest in the Middle of the Night“.  From the synopsis in the Programme, scene 1: “Prince Siegfried and his friends are celebrating his coming of age at a private party.  The guests drink to his health and the jester entertains them with his antics.  The Prince is warned that his mother, the Princess Regent, is approaching.  She is displeased with her son’s behaviour and he presents her with a bouquet of roses to pacify her.  After the Princess has gone, the partying begins anew.  Twilight falls.  The guests depart and the Prince is left alone in the park.  High above, Siegfried catches sight of a flock of white swans and the sight stirs the hunter’s urge in him.  Seizing his bow, the Prince makes his way off into the heart of the forest.”  The costumes were so beautiful in the first act.  It took time for me to warm up to the story and characters, but one thing that was remarkable to me during this ballet is how the dancers know precisely when to make certain movements, choreographed precisely to exact notes from the Orchestra.  Such timing and skill can only come from a lifetime of practise and devotion to dance.  Scene 2 was incredible!                                                                                                                                       Scene 2: “White swans are swimming near the shore; they are beautiful young maidens who have been transformed by the evil magician, Von Rothbart.  Only at night can they assume human form and the only power on earth which can break this evil spell is devoted love.  Siefried appears.  He sees one of the white birds come to shore and draw his bow to shoot it.  The bird suddenly turns into a beautiful woman-it is Odette, Queen of the swan-maidens.  Odette’s beauty enthrals the Prince and he tries to capture her.  She, however, is afraid of the evil magician and as she avoids Siefried, she disappears in the midst of the swan-maidens.  Siegfried runs after Odette and vows eternal love and fidelity to her.  Odette’s heart responds in the same way to Siefried’s passionate love.  Dawn breaks.  Odette bids Siegfried a tender farewell and the white swans glide slowly away across the lake.”  The 2nd scene was the most magical (as well as the 4th scene in the same dreamlike lakeside setting) with “white swans” and “black swans” dancing with such unity and precision.  At one point, I counted 22 white swans and 8 black swans and the leading male dancer dressed in white as well; all 31 dancing indeed like graceful swans across the stage.  I was really impressed with the dancing, acting, makeup and evil-bird-costume of the evil magician in the 2nd scene.  His performance and air really brought realism to the entire scene.

After a 25-minute intermission, on with Act 2!  After enduring a 70-minute 1st act (the longest act we’ve experience so far in the 4 performances we’ve seen at the Opera House), the 40 minutes of Act 2 seems to zip by so fast! Act 2 (or Scene 3: A Ball at the Castle): “Siegfried must choose a bride from among the well-bred maidens who have been invited, but he remains indifferent to them all because he has given his heart to Odette.  Only at his mother’s insistence does he dance with any of the prospective brides.  He must, however, choose one of them, and as a token of his love, he must give his chosen bride a bouquet.  As he faces this dilemna, however, a fanfare of trumpets heralds the arrival of new guests: the magician Von Rothbart and Odile, his daughter.  The Prince is struck by her resemblance to Odette.  Von Rothbart wants the Prince to fall in love with Odile so that he will break his vow of eternal love and fidelity; Odette will then remain in the sorcerer’s power forever.  It is for this reason that he has given his own daughter Odette’s form and features.  Odile seduces Siegfried, who is fascinated by her charm.  He announces to his mother that the beautiful Odile is his choice.  The wicked magician is jubilant.  Suddenly, Siegfried sees a vision of the true swan-maiden outside the castle window and realises that he has been deceived into breaking his vow.  In despair, he rushes to the lake to find his beloved Odette.“  This royal scene really brought out the energy and talent of the Mariinsky Ballet, especially that of the 2 leading roles.  At one point, the leading female dancer twirled around 20 times in a row without even a hint of imbalance or fatique, causing an Omani man seated directly in front of us to shout out, “BRAVO!”  According to the program, it should have been Viktoria Tereshkina but there was a quick announcement at the beginning of the evening (in a muffled voice) that there were 3 changes to principal roles and so we’re not 100% about any of the exact dancers’ names that evening.  The truth is, they were all brilliant!

The 2nd intermission was 25 minutes as well.  The 3rd Act, or 4th Scene was only 20 minutes long and a beautiful ending to an incredible evening. “The swan-maidens stand dejected and sad.  Odette has told them what has happened.  Siegfried rushes in.  He begs Odette to forgive him and he professes his undying love for her, but the enraged sorcerer summons the black swans and commands them to separate Odette and Siegfried.  Siegfried grapples with the magician.  Fearless in the encounter, he breaks Von Rothbart’s wing.  The enchanter collapses, his power gone, and he dies.  Love has broken the evil spell.  The run rises and shines radiantly on the Prince and Odette, and on the maidens whom Siegfried has rescued.”  The fight scene was well done as was the impressive “dance of death” of the magician.  This was the first ballet performance/story we’ve seen that ended on a happy note without someone committing suicide which was nice for a change!    It’s easy to see why Swan Lake is one of the world’s most famous ballets.  Truly an enchanting and memorable evening at the Opera House!

Those of you fortunate and wise enough to have bought yourselves tickets for the New Year’s Eve Ghala Event (sold out! ) are in for a real treat!  For us, our best evening out so far at Royal Opera House Muscat was with Mariinsky Ballet!

This is Al Sabla restaurant looking from the marina just in front of Sifawy Hotel.

Traditionally, “Al Sabla” is a term describing the social center of an Omani village: a place where people gather in the evenings, celebrate special occasions and other social events.

If there aren’t too many flies, sitting outside is always a great option.

We found the prices on the menu to be quite reasonable.

For lunch, they have a la carte selections, including the occasional set meal like the one posted above.

Like everything else on the menu, the complimentary bread they bring to the table is nice and fresh.

Pina Colada (2. 14 RO) and fresh Orange juice (1.71 RO).

The fish and chips at Al Sabla is very good! (4. 7 OR)

The club sandwich was also a good choice (3.59 RO). Including 17% tax, our first meal there came to 14.2 rials.

When you stay the night at Sifawy Boutique Hotel, breakfast is complimentary.  If there are less than 20 occupied rooms (like on our first time there), they will offer you one of these breakfast set menus:

I went with the “Marina Breakfast”.

Muesli…Mmm!

If there are enough guests (more than 20 rooms), they put up a complimentary breakfast buffet which is comparable to any at the 5-star hotels in Muscat. 

Plenty of staff members on hand ready to whip you up anything you desire: a waffle, pancakes, omelette or fuul.

Lunch buffet:

The lunch buffet is only available on weekends and costs 12 OR + 17% tax. On weekdays, lunch is a la carte.

Now remember, you don’t need to be a guest to enjoy dining at Al Sabla! If you are coming for the lunch buffet on Thursday or Friday in a larger group, you may want to call ahead and reserve seats just to be sure!  (Tel: 2472-9111)

Dinner options, like breakfast, depend on the number of guests at the hotel.  IF there are enough guests staying there, they put on a dinner buffet at 14 rials + 17% tax.  If there are less than 20 occupied rooms, they stick with the a la carte menu.

We enjoyed the Noodle & Mango Salad (3.33 RO).

Bolonaise Pasta (3.25 RO). No complaints here!

My Carnivoria pizza was quite good (4.44 RO).

Of course a 3rd dining option is to enjoy room service with all of Al Sabla restaurant’s options from the comfort of one of their fabulous suites! 

A big thanks to Daniel, the general manager who went out of his way to ensure that we were comfortable and taken care of at the hotel during our stay.  One of the greatest assets of Sifawy Boutique Hotel is the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff! (Tel: 968-2472-9111) www.sifawyhotel.com

Today from 11am to 12pm there was a special event for the “Announcement of the Second Half of the Inaugural Season” at Royal Opera House Muscat.  (At least that is what the email I received from the Opera House stated but now it seems they are changing it to simply a new season. Talk about confusing!  )  I was flattered to receive an invitation as a member of “the media” because of my humble little blog here.  Unfortunately I have a daytime job (haha) and was unable to attend.  Info is now available online at the official Royal Opera House Muscat website.

• Performances start January 16th.
• Inaugural season discount holders can no longer avail themselves of the 35% discount for the 1st half.  The only discounts now available are for students (with ID), children and grouprates (15%).
•  Group and package sales start January 1st.  Go/click here for a clear presentation of ticket packages and special offers.
• Single ticket sales start January 4th. (starting at 3 OR!!!)
• Students, kids and groups cannot get discounts on Tier E & F seats as the ticket prices are already so low at 3 to 15 OR.

Highlights of the New Season include:

• The Vienna Philharmonic on January 16th, 7:30pm
• The Prague Symphony Orchestra, Feb. 23rd, 7:30pm
• The opera “La Trovatore” on March 1st and 3rd at 7pm.
• Tango Metropolis,  an Argentine classic on March 8th and 9th.
• The Hungarian National Opera performs “The Abduction from the Seraglio” by Mozart  on March 23rd and 25th.
• The South African Ballet Theatre is coming February 10th and 11th!
• Performances seem to start earlier this season – some at 7pm and most at 7:30pm!!!
• Click here for a list of all the performances.
• (Sorry for some wrong info I posted for a short while! Updated now.  Thanks for the corrections, Susan and others!)

Be sure to follow Royal Opera House Muscat on facebook here. You can allow follow them on twitter (as I do!) at http://twitter.com/#!/ROH_Muscat (And click “like” while you’re there! )  Click here to go directly to their calendar with dates of each performance.

Christmas in Oman is so lovely.  Believe it or not (for those of you reading overseas), Christmas decorations are in most of the malls and giant Christmas trees adorn many of the 4 and 5-star hotels across Muscat.  Another local blogger, mumoftheanimals, wrote a great description in her post, Christmas in Oman, of how one might get the wrong idea about Christmas here in Oman. (I had the pleasure of meeting her and her husband at the Opera House this week at the opera, Carmen! )  The Omanis are very comfortable and warm in their Christmas greetings to expats at this time of year.  To give you an idea of the tolerance here, here is part of an email I received from my boss:

“Dear colleagues,
Some of you might be celebrating Christmas Day (December 25). Merry Chrstmas to you. There are colleagues among us who would want to celerbrate this occasion. I just want to inform you that this is not an official holiday in Oman. If you are a practicing Christian and would like to attend Church services or other functions during the day you may take part of the day off after making arrangements with your students and informing your program/course coordinator. This comes as part of our understanding of one another’s religions and beliefs.”  Sweet, huh?!

Thanks to the flexibility of my workplace, we’ll be able to attend church services tomorrow.  FYI, there are 2 PCO church services on Christmas Day in Muscat this year.  Ghala Church service in the Bosch Hall at 9am (which we will be attending) and Ruwi Church service at 7:30pm.

Looking forward to celebrating Gershom’s 2nd Christmas and watching him open his gifts tomorrow morning! 

A new church banner from the PCO banner ministry gives a sweet reminder not to forget the true significance of the season which can be lost in a sea of tinsel, trees, gifts and good food! 

Merry Christmas, everyone, from Andy in Oman & family from the bottom of our heart! Wishing you all peace from the Prince of Peace who entered our world to bring us hope. Now THAT’s something to celebrate!

Here’s an interesting video I noticed from twitter from Greg Laurie about “Why Red is the Color or Christmas“.  Good stuff!

It was sad to notice tonight that MJD (Muscat Jet Driver) decided to shut his blog down.  I was subscribed to his blog and noticed his last post titled “Thank You…” and was somewhat taken aback to notice his parting words.  Not only has he stopped his blog, but he seems to have deleted all previous posts he has ever written.  In addition, there is no option of leaving a comment on his last (and now only viewable) post and thereby leaving his readers with no option of protest.  To take a break from blogging is one thing, but to delete some of the epic posts he’s written over the years is a shame.  I know a lot of bloggers out there would probably feel the same way.  Here’s a post “Muscat Mutterings” posted almost 2 years ago when MJD went “by invitation only” and included one of MJD’s epic pics with one of the bouncers at Rock Bottom.

I hope it’s not too late for him to reconsider.  I understand that some of his later posts were nothing personal and that he was just getting some dialogue going.  But to delete a legendary blog in the Omani blogosphere is going too far I think.  If he doesn’t reconsider, let me at least take the time to thank you for all the interesting reads over the years.  You have a way of seeing things that was often refreshing and humorous.  And as his own description of his blog read, “Expat Jet Driver. Love Oman to bits. Best place in the world to live, with great people and lots to get out and do. But like anywhere, it has its eccentricities, which I hope I shall be allowed to comment on without too much interference.”

If you feel MJD should reconsider, comment here and let him know!

My wife and I had the pleasure of seeing the Opera “Carmen” at the Royal Opera House Muscat this past Wednesday (Dec. 21st).  What made it all the more exciting was that this was our first opera!  We weren’t sure what to expect really except that it was going to be LONG. 4 HOURS LONG!  Our 2 previous trips to the Opera House were the ballets Giselle and Don Quixote which were not quite as long at around 3 hours I think when you include the intermissions.

Here are some of the details about this particular opera that was commissioned by the Opera House.  No pics or video are allowed during the opera itself, but I was permitted to take this pic of the stage before it started.

This was basically just an outer covering that after a few minutes at the beginning of each of the 4 Acts would be rolled back to reveal such beautiful set design that the audiece was moved to applause each time!  Actually the last tragic scene was performed in front of this scene as well.

Each seat has one of these screens in front of them which allow the audience member to be able to see the lyrics in the original French language or a number of other languages simultaneously as they were being sung!  What was really cool was that the woman to my right had French on her screen right next to mine, so I was able to see English and French translations at the same time.  It was a great review to a lot of French I learned during my 5 years at College Militaire Royale de Saint Jean that has become mostly passive over the years.

Some funny lines I remember (translated into English) from the opera include:

“Ah that woman…if there is such a thing as a witch, she is certainly one.” (Showin us how the poor Don Jose was slowly becoming charmed by the free morally loose lady character, Carmen.)

“The spell is working…”  Carmen’s rose does seem to have been charmed as Jose is lured by her charms.

“The weekend has come.  If someone will love me, I will love him.”  (An attitude shared by many s0-called ”free” ladies in today’s world!)

“I resist fire, knife and heaven itself.” (Showing Carmen’s impudence and lack of any moral compass.)

“When it comes to cheating, thieving, you need a woman around.  Without them, nothing good can be done.” (What a line!)

This is the cover of the programme for the evening.  This one was bigger than the last 2 we got at the ballets, explaining the slightly higher price of 3 rials.  Well worth it! I definitely recommend anyone going to the Opera House to arrive early and buy a programme/program from one of the Omani gentlemen in the main lobby at the small counters on either side of the Grand Staircase.  It not only provides you with vital info about the principal performers, but it also lets you know all about timings for each Act and the intermissions. Plus, they make great souvenirs! 

2 of the impressive set designs, designed by Gianni Quaranta! It was nice to see him come out on stage to be cheered on by the performers and audience during the curtain call.  It’s hard to describe the beauty and detail of each scene.  My favorite was definitely the bull-fighting arena of the 4th Act, with the colorful costumes (especially the most impressive matador costumes) and live horses on stage! Wow!

I was not quite as close to last time, so I wasn’t able to look down into the orchestra pit, but here’s a pic of La Verdi Orchestra from the programme.  I had to laugh at the emotional, passionate conducting of the conductor, Patrick Fournillier.  The main reason I chuckled to myself while seeing him “get into it” was because I was reminded of Muscat Muttering’s description of him here.

Well, it was quite an evening!  The performers, the conductor (Patrick Fournillier), Director/Set Designer/Costume Designer/Creative Designer (Gianni Quaranta),  Chorus Master (Erina Gambarini) and everyone else who came forward to be applauded during the curtain call, definitely deserved all the applause they received.  As tired as the audience members must have been after 4 hours, the applause was long and heartfelt.  Maybe mores0 as it was their last night (of 3) performing at the Opera House.

I’ll post this now but a little more on this tomorrow…

Redemption Songs:                                          Here is an incredible rendition of “Stand by Me” that is sure to get your toe tapping unless you’re made of wood!:                Higher Ground:                                                                   War / No More Trouble:                               Click on this link to their website to read more about this group.  Seeing how we’re just 4 days away from Christmas, why not listen to ”Playing for Change” sing “Feliz Navida“?:                      

“Feliz Navida“, in case you didn’t know it, is Spanish for “Happy Christmas“.  This reminds me of something I was asked to share on my website by a new congregation of Spanish believers who have started meeting in Muscat.

Beautiful family, right?!   This is Omar Guerra and his lovely family who I had the honor of meeting during Christmas Joy 2011.  He wanted me to get word out on the street that there is now a Spanish worship group in Muscat that meets every Monday night from 6 to 7:30pm in the Zwemer Hall (back of Good Shepherd Hall) at the Ghala Church Compound. There are a number of families from South America meeting there each week.  If you’d like more info, feel free to email Omar at oegf@hotmail.com .

I hope you’re all enjoying the Christmas season out there! “Feliz Navidad“!

Full story here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/story/2011/12/03/mb-sean-quigley-drummer-boy-video-111203.html

Another story on him here: http://www.winnipegsun.com/2011/12/01/winnipeg-teen-drums-up-viral-hit  A more honest report about His major influence and inspiration.

When I was in Canada considering taking a job here in Oman, I knew nothing about Oman.  I was a bit hesitant to come, not knowing if there was a church to attend or what life would be like here.  This was one of the many reasons I decided to start a blog in Oman.  I wanted westerners to know that there is nothing to fear about coming to Oman; that it is a wonderfully tolerant land with some great people and a lovely place to raise your children.  I’ve met more than a few people in church (and out) who told me they were encouraged to come to Oman specifically because of my blog.  Now it seems that people (almost always atheist expats) want to put words in my mouth and twist my intentions as if I am doing something malicious.  When they start to involve my family, they have gone too far.

One of our families lighting last week’s Advent “candle of joy”

The kids do such a fabulous job every year!