Eve Teasing at Qurum Beach Road??

My friend and I decided to go for a walk on the Qurum Beach Road (the one where Japengo and Tche Tche are located). It was around 8.30pm. There were a few women and men walking too. I was really upset that we got a lot of unecessary comments from men and one of them even walked right into my friend on purpose. On the other hand I noticed a woman walking alone by herself. Wasn't she getting any of these annoying comments? Was it only us? We were decently dressed in track pants and tee shirts. If this is the case we are really  re-considering going there for a walk again. Why can't men mind their own business and not remark at women who just want to enjoy a walk on their own?

Goa and marriages!

I'm back from a 2 week vacation. I had gone to Goa and Bombay (Mumbai). Let me take this opportunity to say that I am getting married next year on Jan 8th 2012 in Goa. My fiance is working in Dubai and I will be leaving Muscat in December to join him. My trip to Goa was to sort out all pre-wedding formalities. I must say they don't make it so easy. Incase there are any Chrisitians wondering what they are required to do I will list a few things you need to get in order - 

1) Ensure you have a "Confirmation" and a fresh "Baptism" Certificate (by fresh I mean you will need to ask for an extract from the church where you have been baptised, a few months before you tie the knot. As far as my understanding goes they ask for a "fresh" copy because - a baptism certificate extract is only needed in order to get married. Extracting a recent copy shows that you have not been married previously.) 

2) Enroll for a marriage preparation course at your present Church. Once you have completed it, they will hand you a certificate. Once you have this certificate ask the Church to give you a "No Objection" certificate - which states that you have not been married previously in that particular church and they have no objection to you getting married.

3) Once you have these certificates in hand you will need to do a civil marriage (this is how it's done in Goa - I am not sure about other states in India). You will need to visit the marriage registrar's office (make sure you go before to take an appointment) and complete a few forms he tells you to. The normal procedure is that he will call you back after 2 weeks to obtain another set of signatures. Incase you do not have time to go after two weeks (say, you are living abroad), show them a copy of your ticket and visa and ask him to give you an exemption. You will need to pay Rs 2000 or so. He will then hand you over a provisional certificate, the final which you can ask anyone to collect on behalf of you after a period of 2 weeks. This can then be couriered to wherever you are.

4) Make a trip to the local church where you wish to get married in Goa and meet the priest. Ask him to do a pre-nuptial enquiry (different priests insist of having it done differently. Some states allow you to do in the country where you are residing). For my fiance and me the Goa priest insisted we do it in his church, which we did. He told us we will need a final "No Objection" certificate from him before the wedding date. So we have set an appointment to meet him again in January.

It is very important to meet the local priest (where you are getting married) so he can advise if your set of documents is complete.

I think that should complete it all. You can start this whole procedure 6 months before you tie the knot. If you do not have a "Confirmation Certificate" as mentioned in step 1 then maybe you will need to visit the Church where you reside and inform them that you wish to appear for the ceremony (this might have to be done a year in advance).

I may have missed something out. It sounds simple now that I'm putting it down but when I went about it I had no prior information. I had to go around asking various people. Everyone seemed to have a different opinion of how things were done. 

This trip to Goa had indeed been successful. By the way I am now legally married :)

on a serious note - must read!!

Guys please check out this link - http://www.squidoo.com/female-circumcision. Also please check out my fellow blogger's post at http://howtolovedavey.blogspot.com/2011/09/why-all-dhofari-girls-will-go-to-heaven.html. 

It is very informative.

Aches for cakes

People if you are aching for some delicious cakes/cupcakes please check out this facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/#!/achesforcakesoman. I am sharing it as it is definitely a motivation and inspiration for all of us that we can do anything we want.

PS - I am yet to place an order and I can't wait to do so soon.

Cheers

some more...

I read a post on Muscat Mutterings that HBSC were giving out voucher booklets to their credit card holders. I was quite pleased because I immediately contacted them for mine. And I must say it has lots of vouchers for hotels, restaurants and spas and the like. To name a few - Grand Hyatt/Marriott Salalah/Trader Vics/Bollywood Chaat/Al Ghazal Pub/Rock Bottom/Hannah's parlour and there are many many more.

So if you are a HSBC credit card holder please go and collect your vouchers as they expire on 30 December 2011. I dont know why they didn't extend the validity for a year. The only clause is that you must pay for all the services with your credit card. So it may not be possible to transfer these vouchers to your friends.

Last week I checked out O Sole Mio. It was lovely. There was live music, the ambience was lovely and the food was amazing. We were three of us and we ordered one pizza, one pasta, a bottle of water and one coke and it was enough between us. Infact the pizza was left over. We paid a total of RO 15. The waiters were very polite and the manager was making rounds to ensure all diners were comfortable.

This week its Hot Pot and Grills :)

Eid

I'm a bit late to post this blog as Eid has come and gone but nonetheless - Eid Mubarak to everyone!! We had a 5 day holiday announced in Oman which was a welcome break. A couple of relatives flew down from Dubai hence the 5 days passed by in entertaining them around Oman. We went to Nizwa (Tanouf); it was beautiful.We also camped at Jabal Al Shams and the temperature was colddd. At night it was pitch black. It's the first time I have camped out in Muscat and it was a good experience. We slept in the car and the guys took the tents. Next morning was sunny and we drove almost 10 hours both ways. Apart from the long drive it was fun. We went to Zouk (Crowne Plaza) on Friday 2nd November for "Bollywood Night". There were some great Hindi tracks played and the crowd started to pour in only after about 12 midnight.

All in all a great longgg weekend.

Looking forward to some more...

Back to the Desert!

So I was in India for the past one month...I visited Goa and Bombay (Mumbai). The weather was a welcome change; it was raining cats and dogs in both cities. I am a bombay lover and I can't imagine staying anywhere else. It's a mad rush, the city. There is absolute chaos on the roads - filled with humans, animals and vehicles. There are lanes filled with street food (vada pav/dosas/pani puris/bhel etc etc). You can find clothes that cost a 100 Rupees (little less than a Rial), ofcourse there is no guarantee how long it will last. But if you're really lucky it will. You can also bargain with the vendors to bring the price down a bit, but I never go below 100 Rupees. It's somewhat embarrassing to go that low :). There are a few "must see" places like the Gateway of India (which I have never been to myself), the famous "Leopold Cafe", "Fashion Street" etc. The city is divided into the "town" and "suburbs". I spent most of my time in the suburbs (you don't get rickshaws once you cross Bandra - you are allowed to take only cabs and they are more expensive.) and somehow I prefer them since I know my way around. The other side is a bit more posh but apart from that I dont really see any difference. Bandra is a popular part of the suburbs and most Bollywood stars reside there. It's a shopping heaven too; a perfect place to spend your day. 

I didn't do much in Goa as I had gone for some work. But it is another must see citiy in India. It's laidback and perfect for lazing around at the beach sipping on cold beer.

Well I am back to the office and it's a drag. I miss the holidays. They always seem to pass by so quickly.