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.

Transformers

Last evening I went to watch the Transformers (3D) with a couple of friends. This is the first time I have been to a 3D movie and I must say I quite liked it. The first few minutes gave me a slight headache and ear pain but then after that initial discomfort it was much better. The movie is produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Michael Bay. For all those transformers fans it is a must watch. The movie was not too "fast" nor too "slow". I thought it went at quite the right pace. I did get lost a few times in between but cars changing to machines! - I loved it! It was a long movie though - ran for a good two and a half hours. So keep that in mind if you want to go for a late night show. 3D is the only option right now at the Shatti cinema as the non 3D runs only in the morning and afternoon - it's impossible to catch it during the week.

More later!

lamb chops

Yesterday my family and I enjoyed a single plate of lamb chops. It was a nearby "shawarma" joint...a barber shop next door. My brother decided it was time for his (yearly?) haircut. I didn't want to go alone to place an order but when I got out of the car, my brother was no where in sight. I marched boldly to the guy who was neatly scraping out delicious meat from the skewer like thing which holds it all. I said I want one plate of lamb chops. He didn't seem to understand. Of course, because I said it in Hindi, thinking he was an Indian. He looked confused so I repeated slowly...laaammmb chopsss onee platee. He nodded and I went back to the car. After a good 15 minutes I went back (lest my borther should point out that I couldn't even order a plate of lamb chops). I said "Lamb Chops ready?". He nodded again. I took the parcel with great pride. It felt like I passed an interview of sorts. My brother came out at the same magical time. We drove home. I warned him that the lamb chops could turn out to be fish (briefing him on my communication or rather lack of it with the "shawarma guy"). It turned out - they were lamb chops - 4 pieces - along with salad, hummous, quboos and french fries. All for RO 2. I loved it.

Oh and the "shwarma guy" .... yea he was Indian!!

weekends fly...

So we had a 3 day weekend (30th June, 1st and 2nd July). I say 3 days because my weekend is on a Friday and Saturday and Thursday was a public holiday; so there, I get 3 days. Now what was I upto in those 3 days...it all went by so quickly. It's like one moment its a Wednesday and you can't wait for it to be 6pm so that you press that favourite button on your pc - "SHUT DOWN" and the next moment you're back in the office at 8am pressing a not so favourite button - "START".

Wednesday - I went over to a friend's place for dinner and a movie. The movie we saw was titled "The Warriror's Way" and for those of you who like japanese (could be Korean?) kung-fu and what not, this seemed to be pretty good. It was a bit slow but I did like the "action" scenes.

Thursday - 6-9pm; a Hindi movie titled "Delhi Belly" at the Shatti Cinema, Ruwi. The movie was again slow and not up to all the hype that surrounded it. Now for those of you who are not avid fans of Bollywood movies - this one was produced by the very famous Aamir Khan, so of course we expected it to be a great movie. I must say it didnt quite meet my expectations. We did enjoy a few laughs here and there though.

Later in the evening I went for a dinner party at Pavo Real.  We were celebrating a school friend's wedding (yet to take place).  My other very good friend was also enjoying the last few days of his "independence". He will be married on 14th of this month. I  am very happy for him and at the same time sad that another friend is hopping on the wedding train (only because I feel friends move away once they are married and things inevitably change). The dinner was great and we went for drinks and dancing to Copa Cabana at the Grand Hyatt. The club was crowded but not to an extent where you have people breathing down your neck. The dance floor was apparently only for couples or single women. It was not open to single men. If this a good idea I can't say because I noticed a lot of single men almost ready to cross that thin line on to the dance floor, and if not that then ogling their way to heaven at the few women who had the courage to take the floor...

Friday - Was a quiet day for me.

Thats all for today folks!!

starters...

So here goes. My first blog ever. I wonder if anyone out there will read it. But I was really inspired after reading a couple of local blogs here, like Muscat Mutterings which is my absolute favourite. To start of with I am not even sure if I am someone who would blog on a regular basis. I never really understood the concept. My life here in Oman is pretty much straightforward. I work in a law firm (let's call it "office"). I think we work long hours and I envy people who wind up at 4 in the evening and start at 9 in the mornings. I envy the people working in Ministries even more. I believe they get to go home early. Why couldn't everyone work for 6 hours a day. We would have so much time to do everything else. Luckily I do not have to cook when I go home. I have mom for that :).

Got to go back to mundane work...