Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Greetings! I just wanna wish everyone a wonderful and Merry Christmas! Can't believe another year has gone past but here's to an amazing 2009! Anyway, I won't say much today. I'll leave you with some pictures I took yesterday that surprisingly managed to capture the magical spirit and feeling of Christmas. Enjoy!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
launch the lunch lunge
December is usually my favorite month of the year. But not this year. I've had a non-existent birthday. I crashed the car. Work has been really tough and I'm gonna spend Christmas alone in a country that bans Christmas. Yippee.
Well after a particularly tough day, I told my staff that I had enough of this shit and we should all go out and get some lunch. Bring me somewhere with good food I said. So they did. It was a lebanese place that specialised in lebanese cuisine and fresh fruit juice. Sounds pretty good I thought, until I saw the menu.
Sheep balls? What in the world? But the next page gets worse....
Yes I'll have a dish of brain please, but I can't decide which will go better with sheep balls, tongue or tongue fatta? No of course I did not order any of that. Its easy to be miserable in Saudi Arabia without the help of a lebanese chef. Just the chicken kebab and lamb BBQ for me thanks.
Well after a particularly tough day, I told my staff that I had enough of this shit and we should all go out and get some lunch. Bring me somewhere with good food I said. So they did. It was a lebanese place that specialised in lebanese cuisine and fresh fruit juice. Sounds pretty good I thought, until I saw the menu.
Sheep balls? What in the world? But the next page gets worse....
Yes I'll have a dish of brain please, but I can't decide which will go better with sheep balls, tongue or tongue fatta? No of course I did not order any of that. Its easy to be miserable in Saudi Arabia without the help of a lebanese chef. Just the chicken kebab and lamb BBQ for me thanks.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Go Honda!
I never thought the day would come when I would be saying this, but Honda is simply the future. Introducing the Honda FCX clarity. Sure its not exactly a Gallardo, 430 Scuderia or even an M3. Both in looks and in performance, the FCX is like a beached whale compared to the raging bull or prancing stallion.
But you know what? I'll take one anytime. You see, the FCX is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. In essence, that means all you need to do is put hydrogen into the fuel tank and the fuel cell will combine the hydrogen with oxygen to produce electricity. This electricity then runs the electric motors that drive the car.
Unlike current electric cars that need to be plugged in for their batteries to be recharged, this one just needs filling up like how we fill up with petrol at the pumps. Now before you write it off for having an electric motor, Honda has done a decent job coz the FCX has 140 bhp. Acceptable performance, and the only exhaust it has is H2O. Water!
So besides saving the environment, you also eliminate the reliance on petrol. Well its about BLOODY TIME I say. Currently, this car is only available in select states in America. Thats because only these select states have hydrogen pump stations. What are they waiting for? Roll them out and lets do this worldwide! And C'mon Honda! make more of the FCX and lets get all the other car makers in on it too! (Audi are you reading this??) Its time we said goodbye to oil and kick the oil producing nations back into the dark ages and their flying carpets.
But you know what? I'll take one anytime. You see, the FCX is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. In essence, that means all you need to do is put hydrogen into the fuel tank and the fuel cell will combine the hydrogen with oxygen to produce electricity. This electricity then runs the electric motors that drive the car.
Unlike current electric cars that need to be plugged in for their batteries to be recharged, this one just needs filling up like how we fill up with petrol at the pumps. Now before you write it off for having an electric motor, Honda has done a decent job coz the FCX has 140 bhp. Acceptable performance, and the only exhaust it has is H2O. Water!
So besides saving the environment, you also eliminate the reliance on petrol. Well its about BLOODY TIME I say. Currently, this car is only available in select states in America. Thats because only these select states have hydrogen pump stations. What are they waiting for? Roll them out and lets do this worldwide! And C'mon Honda! make more of the FCX and lets get all the other car makers in on it too! (Audi are you reading this??) Its time we said goodbye to oil and kick the oil producing nations back into the dark ages and their flying carpets.
Where are you sleeping tonight
As I lay in my bed last night, I could not sleep. I felt uncomfortable. It probably wasn't the bed. I've got a king sized bed here and I also have with me my luxurious micro-fibre pillow and bolster. The air-conditioning is set just right and the room is dark and quiet. The perfect conditions for a good night's rest.
But I could not fall asleep.
The discomfort I felt was familiar though. I've felt it before. Its the same feeling of despair and misery I felt as I lay on the floor of the tent that was pitched on uneven ground during a Boys' Brigade field expedition in Primary school. Its that same feeling of discomfort I felt as I tried to sleep on the ground sheet at my secondary school's leaders camp. The very same feeling of displacement as I tried to sleep on a concrete slab at the running track during my polytechnic's orientation camp, and then again when I went for the Orientation group leaders' camp.
In fact, as I lay there, I felt lost and my morale was low. Exactly the way I felt when I was sleeping in the bunks during my army days' basic military training phase. Not forgetting the many miserable nights during field camps. It felt exactly like that. Its probably how Frodo felt as he slept at the gates of Mordor while on his way to destroy the ring.
So, I guess I'm out of my element. Not in my comfort zone. I'm out here, in the wild. But I've been thinking about it, I've survived each and every one of those uncomfortable situations. In fact, I always come out a stronger and better person. I also look back at those challenges with fond memories. They were personal accomplishments that made me feel like I could take on life with renewed passion and tenacity.
I'll get through this. I have to. And one day I will leave this place and laugh in the face of the desert that could not claim me. Just another one of life's funny plans for me. At least I have a big comfy bed this time.
But I could not fall asleep.
The discomfort I felt was familiar though. I've felt it before. Its the same feeling of despair and misery I felt as I lay on the floor of the tent that was pitched on uneven ground during a Boys' Brigade field expedition in Primary school. Its that same feeling of discomfort I felt as I tried to sleep on the ground sheet at my secondary school's leaders camp. The very same feeling of displacement as I tried to sleep on a concrete slab at the running track during my polytechnic's orientation camp, and then again when I went for the Orientation group leaders' camp.
In fact, as I lay there, I felt lost and my morale was low. Exactly the way I felt when I was sleeping in the bunks during my army days' basic military training phase. Not forgetting the many miserable nights during field camps. It felt exactly like that. Its probably how Frodo felt as he slept at the gates of Mordor while on his way to destroy the ring.
So, I guess I'm out of my element. Not in my comfort zone. I'm out here, in the wild. But I've been thinking about it, I've survived each and every one of those uncomfortable situations. In fact, I always come out a stronger and better person. I also look back at those challenges with fond memories. They were personal accomplishments that made me feel like I could take on life with renewed passion and tenacity.
I'll get through this. I have to. And one day I will leave this place and laugh in the face of the desert that could not claim me. Just another one of life's funny plans for me. At least I have a big comfy bed this time.
Friday, December 12, 2008
The ride home after a long day
Thursday, 11th day of December in the year 2008. A really bad day in the office. Too many morons at work. It drains me. And my car is still in the workshop after all this time. Of course it is, this is Saudi Arabia.
I've had to resort to depending on one of my staff to drive me to work and back home again. So dropping myself into the passenger seat tonight, my staff was still wary of the fury I unleashed at the whole team earlier on. He cranked the car to life and we began the journey home.
"You want get something to eat boss?" Ayman asked, "Nah, I'm tired, I'll just go home thanks." Ayman then turned up the radio in his car that was tuned in to some "hip" station that played the trendiest arabic music. Everything sounded like crap to me. Some ludicrous arabic techno started blaring out the speakers. "oohhh, this is nice song" Ayman remarked. "are you kidding? I'd rather listen to sheep getting slaughtered." "You don't like?" he asked. "no".
At that very moment, a car overtook us at what felt like 2000km/h and as he passed, you could see that his boot was opened and there was a sheep in it. A sheep! "hey look at that, a sheep in that car boot." I said and Ayman proceeded to explain that the car was probably heading to Mecca for some sacrificial ceremony. Poor thing. As if the mad car ride in the boot wasn't enough to kill it.
"WATCH OUT FOR THE CAMEL!" I yelled as Ayman swerved the car and narrowly missed a camel that was walking at the side of the road.
Soon i reached my compound and Ayman dropped me off. "Goodnight Ayman, thanks for the ride." "No problem boss. Everything ok?"
Yeah, everything's fine except for this zoo of a country that I'm working in, I thought to myself. "Ya I'm good. See you tomorrow."
I've had to resort to depending on one of my staff to drive me to work and back home again. So dropping myself into the passenger seat tonight, my staff was still wary of the fury I unleashed at the whole team earlier on. He cranked the car to life and we began the journey home.
"You want get something to eat boss?" Ayman asked, "Nah, I'm tired, I'll just go home thanks." Ayman then turned up the radio in his car that was tuned in to some "hip" station that played the trendiest arabic music. Everything sounded like crap to me. Some ludicrous arabic techno started blaring out the speakers. "oohhh, this is nice song" Ayman remarked. "are you kidding? I'd rather listen to sheep getting slaughtered." "You don't like?" he asked. "no".
At that very moment, a car overtook us at what felt like 2000km/h and as he passed, you could see that his boot was opened and there was a sheep in it. A sheep! "hey look at that, a sheep in that car boot." I said and Ayman proceeded to explain that the car was probably heading to Mecca for some sacrificial ceremony. Poor thing. As if the mad car ride in the boot wasn't enough to kill it.
"WATCH OUT FOR THE CAMEL!" I yelled as Ayman swerved the car and narrowly missed a camel that was walking at the side of the road.
Soon i reached my compound and Ayman dropped me off. "Goodnight Ayman, thanks for the ride." "No problem boss. Everything ok?"
Yeah, everything's fine except for this zoo of a country that I'm working in, I thought to myself. "Ya I'm good. See you tomorrow."
Friday, December 05, 2008
29 years and counting
Phew! I've been around for 29 years now. 29 years, imagine that. God's been so good to me. As some of you might know, I almost did not make it to 29. For the first time in my 12 years of driving, I crashed my car. Fortunately no one was injured. In fact no other car was damaged. It was just me versus a concrete block.
It all started when I decided to head to a mall after work. Usually I do my shopping in the daytime and keep driving at night to a minimal. I should've stuck to my resolution. While trying to get onto the main road from a service road, I drove onto the filter lane and glanced over to check that there was no traffic. The next thing I knew, there in the middle of the filter lane was a concrete block the size of a washing machine! The road was dimly lit. There were no warning lights. The concrete block wasn't even brightly colored. By the time the honda's pissy headlights illuminated the concrete block it was too late. I had like an 18 word long expletive in my mind but as I slammed the brakes, I could only yell out "Wha.....". This was followed by a loud crash and the sickening crunching sound of car getting smashed up.
The impact felt like all my organs were pushing against my skin, almost bursting out. I also instinctively braced myself for the airbag to deploy but of course, my car did not have any airbags. Just as well I guess. The seat belts worked and left a nice deep bruise and abrasion on my shoulder and chest. The car stopped. I could taste blood in my mouth. Somehow, I managed to bite on my lower lip so hard it bled.
I was alive.
I got out of the car to inspect the damage. The bumper was cracked and twisted. The radiator was smashed up and there was radiator fluid all over the ground. The bonnet was bent and my fenders were pushed against the tyres. WHAT A STUPID PLACE TO PUT A CONCRETE BLOCK! I can't help but think that if I did not hit the brakes, and drove against the block (which did not move and inch) at full speed, I wouldn't be here typing now.
So here I am, car's in the workshop for at least the next 10 days I'm told. Not a good situation to be in but thank God I'm ok. 29 years old and still going strong.
It all started when I decided to head to a mall after work. Usually I do my shopping in the daytime and keep driving at night to a minimal. I should've stuck to my resolution. While trying to get onto the main road from a service road, I drove onto the filter lane and glanced over to check that there was no traffic. The next thing I knew, there in the middle of the filter lane was a concrete block the size of a washing machine! The road was dimly lit. There were no warning lights. The concrete block wasn't even brightly colored. By the time the honda's pissy headlights illuminated the concrete block it was too late. I had like an 18 word long expletive in my mind but as I slammed the brakes, I could only yell out "Wha.....". This was followed by a loud crash and the sickening crunching sound of car getting smashed up.
The impact felt like all my organs were pushing against my skin, almost bursting out. I also instinctively braced myself for the airbag to deploy but of course, my car did not have any airbags. Just as well I guess. The seat belts worked and left a nice deep bruise and abrasion on my shoulder and chest. The car stopped. I could taste blood in my mouth. Somehow, I managed to bite on my lower lip so hard it bled.
I was alive.
I got out of the car to inspect the damage. The bumper was cracked and twisted. The radiator was smashed up and there was radiator fluid all over the ground. The bonnet was bent and my fenders were pushed against the tyres. WHAT A STUPID PLACE TO PUT A CONCRETE BLOCK! I can't help but think that if I did not hit the brakes, and drove against the block (which did not move and inch) at full speed, I wouldn't be here typing now.
So here I am, car's in the workshop for at least the next 10 days I'm told. Not a good situation to be in but thank God I'm ok. 29 years old and still going strong.
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