Happy New Year!

Well, 2011 was a strange year, I think it was better than 2010 for me, but it started off horrendously with a string of bad news for me, but as the year progressed, things got better - well, for me anyway!

On the blog it's definitely been a big year, here is a few nuggets of the year on the blog:

• More than 345,000 hits
• Gave away 22 tickets to 10 events worth RO 558
• Covered the protests in February
• Had my outburst about HSBC in May
• 971 of you "liked" my Facebook page for this blog in 2011
• 1493 comments made on 209 posts published in 2011

Thank you everyone for reading and commenting upon my mutterings, I honestly never thought so many people would enjoy my little hobby.


And now we're into 2012, when according to Hollywood, the world will come to an end. ;)

Happy New Year everyone - have a great time tonight and enjoy the day off tomorrow!

le fin.

The Experiment Countdown 2012 @ Zouk

This is an interesting way to advertise an event here in town, it's been done before of course but I think this is a well put together advert, its only 40 seconds long. Did you spot yourself from Hed Kandi?

VIP Tickets sold out, couples RO 40, singles RO 25. Free welcome drink & bubbly @ midnight.

One lucky winner, picked by a raffle draw at the venue, will be treated to the entire celebration on the house.

FIRST 10 GIRLS TO ENTER FREE

For Ticket bookings and Packages, call - Zameel Ameen 92369801


le fin.

My top 5 songs of 2011

Well, in a departure from my normal blog posts, but regular followers of me on Twitter will know I like to listen to music, I thought I'd make a top 5 list of my favorite tracks from 2011. Now some of these tracks were released before 2011, but I've generally only discovered them in the last 12 months, and have been listening to them this year.

I'm not going to list them in any particular order of importance, that's too much effort for me to decide upon and ultimately I dont think I could ever truly be happy with the order, but here we go:

1. Linkin Park - Burning in the skies - from the album: A Thousand Suns

2. The Black Keys - Lonely Boy - from the album: El Camino

3. Foo Fighters - These Days - from the album: Wasting Light

4. DJ Fresh Feat. Sian Evans - Louder

5. Martin Solveig Feat. Dragonette - Hello

Well, thats my selection of tracks from 2011. There were thousands and thousands and I'm sure I could come up with a totally different top 5 tomorrow, but there we are. I hope you enjoy my list, and the weekend.

le fin.

The last weekend of 2011

Well here we are, weekend number 52, the last of 2011. The biggest party of the weekend got cancelled (the Gorillaz thing at Zouk), and as far as I can tell, most venues are not doing anything special ahead of Saturday night which is of course New Years Eve.

There is, however, one party tomorrow night at the Ruwi hotel, Black Gold, promoted by the amusingly named events company: Stantmastaz Entertainment. The party is free for women, RO 7 for couples and RO 10 for single guys, paid admission gets you a free shot of vodka, and groups of 6 people get an entire bottle for free, so says the facebook event page. I imagine the Vodka will be terrible! I have to admit I'm kind of curious to see how sick people will get on that much free cheap vodka.

In other news today, local Twitterati Muscati shared this picture that he snapped from the paper today:

I wonder what the Muscat City Centre mall rats are going to wear now?

Thats all for now, have a good weekend!

le fin.

Royal Opera House Muscat announces new events & prices

Today the Royal Opera House Muscat has announced the new dates for it's second season commencing from January 16th, 2012. The new dates amount to 26 performances of 20 different types - a few performances run more than once. It has also been announced that there will be an additional encore month, April, which performances have not yet been finalized but will be announced once they have been. Tickets will go on sale on January 1st for group bookings (between 10 and 24 tickets) and January 4th for individual tickets. If you buy your tickets in a group, you can get a 15% discount. Now, for those concerned that large companies will just block-buy all the seats and prevent people from buying seats in smaller groups, well this has been accounted for and blocks of seating reserved for individual purchasers have been set aside.

Here is the program of events for January, February & March:

Interestingly, it seems that this second season has a stronger focus on education and accessibility - on the 28th January, there is the Carnival of the Animals, which has the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, a large projection screen with live animation and is to be narrated in Arabic (with English subtitles). This is followed on the 29th January with the Tsar Saltan, in the same format. Tickets to these two events start at RO 3.000 per event, eg RO 3 per person per night. Both of these events are family and children orientated, and are being priced in a way that will hopefully allow access to more families that might otherwise have skipped going. There is also an initiative to start guided tours and back stage tours for school groups, and there is a planned open house on the first Thursday of each month starting in February, which I understand anyone can apply to go on. I can't help but wonder if this is in response to the Grand Mufti's outburst in November that Muslims should not go to the Opera House? heh.

I overheard a comment that tickets to other events (other than the two family ones noted above) will start at RO 5.000 but I've not had that confirmed yet. Pricing will be released on the website in January, and yes I did ask a few times but they were all tight lipped. I imagine the premium seats will become more expensive, and the cheaper seats will become... cheaper? I guess it'll depend on the shows themselves.

The Mall is touted to be opened in April, but we shall see.

So there you go! What do you think about the new line up?

le fin.

Noodlez from The Gorillaz this weekend

UPDATE: THIS GIG IS CANCELLED!!!!!

Well, the promoters Meisan Events are at it again, after their last effort with Shaggy in November, they're throwing a party at Zouk this Wednesday 28th from 9pm. The main draw is Noodles from the band Groillaz - think Electronic Rock music and thats the sort of genre you'll get. Now, I'm not entirely sure who exactly this Noodles girl is (because all 4 characters from the band Gorillaz are made up), seeing as Noodles was a character created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, so I'm just going to assume it's going to be Miho Hatori who sings the vocals for the character Noodlez.

Tickets are RO 20 on the door according to the Facebook event page, and the party runs till 3am - the latest licensed venue in the city that I'm aware of (most cut out at 2am).

More tomorrow!

le fin.

More from Al Mouj golf club

Well it seems that the people at the Al Mouj golf club have decided to launch yet another new type of membership: The 5 days a week annual membership, rather cunningly named: The annual five day membership, but really it's the 260-day membership... joy.

Ok so here's the deal:

Play on the course in a working week [Saturday – Wednesday]

• 6:30am – 10:00pm
• No Restrictions
• Joining fee waived for anyone who signs up between December 21st 2011 to January 31th 2012

Existing members who would like to change their memberships should contact the Sales and Marketing Manager directly.

Now, the price for a full annual membership (7 days) is RO 1750 (or RO 1575 if you own/live at The Wave), and there has been some grumblings that it's on the high side for what is effectively a 9 hole golf course (yes the other 9 holes are reported to open in "Q2 2012"). The price for this annual 5 day membership is RO 1250 (or RO 1130 if you own/live at The Wave) - and so to the serious golfers amongst you, this maybe a more palatable option for you to consider. Below is a table showing all of the various membership pricing levels for the Annual 5 day membership for you to have a look at.

Click to make this bigger

Much more tomorrow!

le fin.

Oman's 2012 Public Holidays schedule

Now, as we all know, Public Holidays in Oman is never something that one can completely count on being announced until usually a few days before, so the dates I've put below are strictly guide dates for you to work with when planning your vacations for 2012.

Dont get mad at me if the dates are wrong!

1 Jan New Year’s Day
4 Feb Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet)
17 Jun Leilat al-Meiraj (Ascension of the Prophet)
23 Jul Renaissance Day
19 Aug Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
25 Oct Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)
15 Nov Islamic New Year
18 Nov National Day and birthday of HM Sultan Qaboos

Enjoy!

le fin.

Merry Christmas

Just a little post to wish you all a Merry Christmas, if you celebrate it, have a great day, and if you dont, well enjoy the day anyway! As I did last year, here's a lolcatz for you :)

le fin.

Another comedy show

Alive events have planned another comedy show for January 18th, this time with Sean Meo and Gordon Southern being the main draw.

Here's the blurb from the Facebook event page:
--
Sean Meo a former Time Out Comedian Of The Year and is widely acknowledged as one of the finest performers and writers on the UK comedy circuit. A former professional snooker player, he turned to a career in comedy in 1989. He has performed all over the world including festival appearances in Montreal, Melbourne, New Zealand etc, together with extensive shows in the US. Sean has made numerous TV and radio appearances including The World Stands Up Series, Comedy Central/BBC America USA, The Clive James Show. I'm Glad You Asked Me That - Presenter - BBC Radio 4; The Now Show - BBC Radio 4;Loose Talk - BBC Radio 1; Comedy Network - BBC Radio 1; Breakfast Show - Heart FM.

Gordon Southern is a brilliant observational and imaginative comic veteran of more than 10 years at the mic, Gordon was the star of both Weekending on Radio Four and The Cheese Shop on radio. He has also written and appeared on numerous other TV shows, including the 11 O'Clock Show, The Big Breakfast, The Sunday Show and The Gallagher Brothers. Southern is a comic who delights in leading audiences along a certain, familiar path and then taking a sharp U-turn to reveal an even more satisfying vista. In his hands, even a moan about jet lag, or a seemingly mediocre rant about novelty T-shirts gets skewed into something pleasantly, or (even better) unpleasantly, surprising.

Another night of great comedy that should not be missed. Tickets are available at Crowne Plaza Muscat and OUA retail outlet in MQ at OMR12. Doors open at 8pm (show 9pm).

Contact +968 95555699 for more information.
--

And that's on January 18th, and not a bad price either!

I really should go and do some Christmas shopping now.


le fin.

One last option for Christmas and NYE - Sifawy

Well here is one more option for Christmas, it may be a little late but some of you may be trying to decide what to do, and the NYE option certainly looks attractive down at the Sifawy hotel.

Christmas Eve (tonight) - RO 35 for dinner with a variety of accompanying beverages, not free flow then! Santa will also be making a brief stop on his round the world jaunt to say ho ho ho. Tomorrow see's a bubbly brunch with free flow of sparkling wine for RO 25.

And New Years Eve, unlimited selected drinks and a Gala dinner along with a live band, for RO 45 - the comparable prices from InterCon, Hyatt & Barr al Jissah is RO 75 - RO 98. I guess you'd have to book a room as well though.

I should probably do my Christmas shopping now.

le fin.

More options for NYE

Well, here are a few more options for New Years Eve:

Barr Al Jissah 

(I just copied their press release because time is tight today!)

24 December, Christmas Eve
Take pleasure in the lavish festive buffet of international culinary fare in a friendly setting.
Samba and Al Tanoor, OMR 18.500*
6:30 to 11 p.m.

The fresh harvest from the sea coupled with the soothing sound of the waves promises a romantic dinner affair.
Bait al Bahr, four-course menu, OMR 32.000*
7 to 11 p.m.

Indulge in an Italian fare and extensive beverage list.
Capri Court, four course menu, OMR 28.000*
7 to 11 p.m.

Mark the occasion with a five-course menu and selection of fine wines.
Sultanah, OMR 45.000* (set menu only)
7 to 11:30 p.m.

The four-course menu with a north African influence makes for a unique dining experience.
Shahrazad, OMR 32.000*
7 to 11:30 p.m.

25 December 2011, Christmas Day

From starters to desserts, take part of the hearty celebrations and joyful gathering in the hotel’s buffet restaurants.  The bountiful spread of international favourites includes traditional roast turkey, seafood station, carving station and sensational sweets.

Christmas Lunch Buffet
Samba and Al Tanoor, OMR 15.500
12 noon to 3 p.m.

Christmas Dinner Buffet
Samba and Al Tanoor, OMR 18.500
6:30 to 11 p.m.


31 December 2011, New Year’s Eve

Usher in the New Year with a gastronomic celebration.  A four-course dinner will be served in at Tapas at Al Bandar hotel from 8 to 10:30 p.m.  Arabic, vegetarian and children’s menu options is also available. The set dinner with a selection of beverages is priced at OMR 98.000* per person. Children from six to 12 years old enjoy a 50% discount.

After dinner, the revelry continues with a countdown at Turtle Beach.  Australia’s most versatile band, Big City Beat, is sure to set the mood to celebrate the coming of the New Year.  Party on with a cheese buffet and free-flowing beverages.
11.30  p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

Based in Melbourne, Australia, Big City Beat performs across the world with shows that embrace all ages and culture. Having a well-received performance last year during the New Year’s Eve countdown, the group was engaged again this year during the occasion.

The 11-piece showband with commanding presence on stage will render an impressive repertoire of party favourites, popular rock classics and today’s top 40 hits.


01 January 2012, New Year’s Day

Start the year with a bountiful gastronomic indulgence at the resort’s two buffet restaurants. 
New Year’s Lunch and Dinner Buffet
Samba and Al Tanoor, OMR 15.500
12 noon to 3 p.m.



Well, RO 98 for the NYE bash, I think that's the most expensive event of the lot, and I'm sure it'll be excellent.


---

Next up, Zouk club are the venue for a House night arranged by The Experiment for New Years Eve:

Countdown 2012


Featuring Matthew Charles, who has had residencies at both Trilogy and 360 in Dubai, as well as Cafe Mambo in Ibiza, and regular slots at Pacha. So he's not a no-body, and will be worth seeing, even though he is, unfortunately, Scottish. We can't all be perfect.

Tickets are on sale now at Zouk, and cost RO 25 per person, or RO 40 for a couple. Drinks are extra, but you get one with the cost of your ticket, and also a free drink at midnight.

---

Now, tickets are already sold out, but the Royal Opera House are putting on a Gala performance by the Mariinsky Ballet troupe. It starts at 8pm and lasts a little under 3 hours, so the cultured among you that are going can still go out and hit a NYE party :)

More coming soon! Have a great weekend.

le fin.

Carmen at the Royal Opera House

Last night I went to watch Carmen at the Royal Opera House. It was the first event that I've attended there and by no means am I even remotely experienced in the world of Opera to give a critique of the show, but I'll let you all know my thoughts of it, my first ever opera to attend, well because it's what I want to write about today.

I arrived with Mrs Sythe at 7pm, having been forewarned by people experienced from previous events there to get there an hour early. There was a security scanner at the door and no one was allowed to bring in cigarette lighters, so smokers among you, beware.

There were programs on sale for RO 3, which are actually very nice, and there were RO 5 coffee, sandwich and cake combo's to purchase, as well as juice, water or coffee at RO 1 a pop. It seemed weird to be drinking coffee in such a nice location out of a paper cup.

No food or drink is allowed into the auditorium, obviously! On the back of each seat in front of you is a small dim-lit tv screen with subtitles available in a variety of languages so you can understand what they're singing about, a definitely much appreciated piece of technology seeing as the entire thing was sung in 135 year old French.

The set's were quite simply amazing, it turns out they were built in Italy and shipped over, and I understand it is the intention of this production to go on tour - one would hope they do because the set's really were quite amazing, and it'd be such a waste for only a 3 day run!

There were 4 acts, each with a 25 minute intermission, which is why the show ended up lasting 4 hours. I noticed that after Act 3 a quite noticeable number of people had left, presumably to go home as it was by that time 11pm. Perhaps not a great choice for those people with young children. The orchestra were conducted by this French guy who, for me, entertained me the most - but probably for a bad reason. This guy was really into his conducting, and his mannerisms had me smiling in no time. At points he'd get excited and start jumping up and down while conducting - presumably this is the done thing, I just thought it was funny - but then again Opera is not my first choice for live entertainment and so I'll respect the fact that the guy did seem to know what he was doing and was very well applauded, so he must have been good.

The attendants were very well drilled - they closed the doors and that was it - no one in or out till the next intermission - something I know other people had previously complained about - people entering or leaving in the middle of a performance. So they have learned and adapted. The same thing with getting out in your car after the performance - there were guards on hand directing traffic, it took me all of 2 minutes to get out and onto the highway home.

I happened to bump into a friend of mine that had a press kit, and learned that tickets for the next season of the ROH will be announced later this month and due to go on sale in early January - so for those of you keen to snap up some tickets for the next season, stay tuned for more announcements in the press in the coming weeks.

More soon.

le fin.

Christmas & NYE events round up

It's once again that time of year, so without further a do, here's a look at what's going on in the hotels this year:

The Grand Hyatt

They have room deals including breakfast, early 10am check in and 6pm check out starting from RO 85 available on dates between Dec 23-25 and Dec 30-Jan 1. The Safari Bar will be having a RO 25 all you can drink (of selected drinks) event on Christmas Eve & on New Years Eve its the same deal, but RO 40. At Tuscany on Christmas Eve, you can have a set price menu, including a free glass of wine for RO 45. Christmas Day offers the choice of either Tuscany for RO 40 or Mokha Cafe RO 35.

For New Years Eve, the Hyatt are once again offering child care in the Afrah ballroom for RO 15 per kid, and the Ball in the hotel gardens this year is RO 80 (40 for kids). The Safari rooftop grill is RO 55, Tuscany is RO 80 and the John Barry bar is RO 50. There is also a take away menu set to feed approximately 8 people - Beef, Ham (RO 175) or Turkey (RO 135).

The Chedi

The Chedi are offering 3 different deals for 3 different days. Friday the 23rd see's a Brunch with live music, prices starting at RO 23 (dry) and RO 30 (unlimited prosecco) RO 45 (unlimited bubbly). On Christmas Eve, there is a set price dinner for RO 40. Christmas day see's a set price Christmas lunch menu for RO 28.

InterContinental

The InterCon as usual have a 5 million page book for all of their events that they have going on for Christmas and NYE. I'll give you the cliff-notes version and then you can click the images to read all of their events, because there's so many.

 

For Christmas Eve, all the adult prices are RO 24 no matter where you go, except Traders, which is RO 30 for set price menu's or buffets. There is no mention whether this includes free drinks or not. For Christmas day, the only option is the Mussandam Cafe brunch, for RO 28. New Years Eve see's the Safari Pub once again put on it's open bar for RO 25, or the Gala ball dinner outside is RO 75.

There is also a take away menu, below, which may appeal to some people wishing to host their own Christmas parties without having to actually cook :)

The Crowne Plaza

The Crowne Plaza has thoughtfully put all of their events onto one single page which I thought was very kind of them! Click the image below to make it bigger (and readable).

In summary, Christmas Eve at Tropicana is RO 30 with a glass of wine, Come Prima is RO 35 with half a bottle of wine per person, and The Edge is RO 30, also with a half bottle of wine per person. Christmas Day, the options are: Tropicana or Come Prima, both are RO 35. NYE see's Tropicana hosting the Gala dinner for RO 40. The Shriaz restaurant is offering a 5 course menu with a half bottle of Champers, along with free entrance after dinner to the Dukes bar for RO 50, which is also the exact same deal with Come Prima (RO 50 and entrance to Dukes). Dukes bar are charging RO  10 on the door and standard bar prices all night.

Also, local promoters, The Experiment are putting on a house party night at the Zouk club, more information on that as it comes.

The Radisson

RO 25 per person for Christmas Eve or Day all you can eat / drink at Olivios - Christmas day is already booked solid, but Christmas eve is still available if anyone is interested. For NYE, the Lazy Lizard has an open buffet and free flow of bubbles for RO 35, the cheapest of all the outdoor events covered on this round up.

The Park Inn

The Park Inn have two main venues: RBG and the rooftop Sama Terrazza. For Christmas the RBG is offering a fixed price menu of RO 35 including half a bottle of wine. For NYE, RBG are charging RO 45 with free entrance to the rooftop bar. Alternatively access to just the Sama Terrazza is RO 20 with a welcome drink.

The Millennium Hotel

Based up in Mussanah, the Millennium hotel might be a nice break from the city, and they have a package for both Christmas and NYE. Christmas is a night, dinner and breakfast for RO 60. Christmas Dinner on it's own is RO 18, and Christmas lunch will be RO 20. For NYE, it's RO 75 per person including accommodation.

The Left Bank

While not a hotel, The Left Bank are offering a special Xmas menu for RO 17 (for a 2 course dinner) or RO 22 for a 3 course dinner. For NYE the prices are RO 22 (2 course) and RO 27 (3 course), to boot, it's a 20's themed party, with era-themed cocktails and the party runs till 3am. Free bubbly at midnight, and a DJ from 10pm till 3am.

Nuts & Bolts

This Thursday the 22nd is the Grease night at Nuts & Bolts in the Al Falaj hotel in Ruwi. Couples are RO 10, ladies are free. Couples get 2 free drinks on entry.

And that's all I've got so far. The people at Barr Al Jissah didnt get back to me, and I intentionally ignored Rock Bottoms' because their bouncers are assholes. If anyone knows of any other parties going on, please let me know and I'll update this!

le fin.

Its Wednesday, so here's some videos

Phew, I thought this week would never end, but here we are again on Wednesday, as some of my twitter friends like to say TAIW. I'll let you figure it out.

Well, there's the comedy show Who's line is it anyway? at the Crowne Plaza tonight from 8pm which will make you roar with laughter, guaranteed, so if your looking for something to do tonight you could give that a look in. Also, ladies, don't forget you can get yourself a free, as in totally free, margarita in Club Safari and free Cosmopolitans in the John Barry bar from 6:00 to 10:00pm.

Tomorrow from 3:30pm see's the Muscat Rugby Clubs annual Chairmans Cup game, typically over 30's versus under 30's, followed by a few cups of tea in the Rugby Clubs adoptive home, the Habanna Sports bar at the Hyatt. The generous people at the Hyatt are putting on free turkey dinners for those that join us for a few seasonal beverages in the bar tomorrow after the game... so around 5:30 tomorrow evening for those interested. Remember, 40% discount in the bar until 10pm, and it's a Thursday, so it'll be a good laugh I'm sure.

And now for 3 amusing video's to share with you:

1. HMS Ocean's All I want for Christmas.

Some back history to this: HMS Ocean was deployed on a 7 week tour way back in May, but then got extended because of Libya and a spot of Pirate hunting and other things. Muscat Rugby Club hosted these great people twice in recent months and had some cracking games of rugby and boat races with them. Glad they are finally home from their tour, and to celebrate, they made this video and posted it to You Tube. It's become a bit of a sensation with over 2.3 million views.

2. Sophie & Gracie hit the red carpet

This video was sent over to me by a friend earlier and made me laugh.. it's 2 really young girls from the UK on the US Chat show, Ellen, and they were on the red carpet at the American Music Awards.. it's pretty funny.

And finally, number 3.

Jack Rebney is quite possibly the most hilarious angry man to ever be captured on video. This video is full of swearing and so if that sort of thing offends you, dont watch. But I think it's hilarious. Could you do me a kindness Tony?

Enjoy the weekend!

le fin.

Bits & pieces

It's once again a slow news day but here's a few things that caught my eye:

The Times of Oman are hiring Sub-Editors.

What really made me smile was one of the requirements for the successful applicant: must be a passionate user of the internet! The post is open to National's only, and if interested contact the email address on the link to the story above.


What else?

Ah yes, the purveyors of peri peri, Nando's, have rolled out a rewards program for regular visitors to it's restaurants. Basically spend RO 5.5 and you get a stamp on a card and get some rewards after every 3 visits. And I just visited their facebook page and have learned that a new menu item is available:

Personally I'll probably stick to the chicken & chips myself, but great to see more options!

More soon!

le fin.

Oman-USA FTA being tested.

Now, this is interesting. Do any of you remember the story earlier this year about US-based investor Adel al Tamimi? In a nut shell, this guy (who is based in Boston) had two of his companies (Emrock and SFOH) enter into 2 25 year lease agreements with state-owned Oman Mining Company back in 2006 to develop a quarry in the Jebel Wasa region (very close to the UAE border, between Buraimi and Hatta). Anyway, so the story goes: al Tamimi spent a lot of money on infrastructure at the site including access roads and accommodation as well as plant equipment purchases and hires in 2007. Come 2009 he was arrested and thrown in jail for 3 months for the theft of rocks & sand and violations of environmental regulations(!), and of course his mining operations were shut down. In June 2010, he was acquitted of all charges, but not before his mining operation was confiscated and sold off! The land was taken back by the government, the equipment was sold to competitors and workers were dispersed thus effectively destroying his ability to conduct his business.

Quite understandably, al Tamimi was a little bit hacked off that all his investments had been flogged by Oman Mining Company and so in April of this year he formally filed notice to request international arbitration (a very firm part of the Free Trade Agreement between Oman and the USA) to resolve his dispute with Oman Mining Company. Now the process seems to work with a 90 day notice, and then the case if not agreed is allowed to be referred to an international arbitrator who will make a final ruling. Emphasis on international. Anyway, Muscat Daily today reported that al Tamimi's lawyers formally filed last Friday a request for arbitration. The amount in dispute is considerable: US$ 560m

Now this is interesting because on the face of this story, it looks like Oman Mining Company failed to hold up it's end of the agreement and did not secure the appropriate permits and licenses to conduct the works. If the arbitrator rules in favour of al Tamimi, it'll be very interesting to see how Oman reacts - if they don't pay up, the investing world will surely notice. First the debacle with Blue Circus City, and now this, another half billion dollar snub by Omani companies.

I look forward to hearing the outcome of the arbitration, hopefully it'll be reported on locally - and good job to Muscat Daily for covering this today.

le fin.

Whose line is it anyway?

Well it seems that whose line is it anyway is back again this Wednesday night from 8pm. I went to the last one and had a great time - I especially enjoyed the complete-the-sentence game :) Anyway, here's the details ripped from the Facebook event page:

Muscat sees the return of this hilarious show of improvised comedy - it is the only show of its kind to cross quick witted improvised comedy with a game show.

Steven Frost, Steve Steen, Andy Smart and Ian Coppinger from the official British TV show create characters, s cenes and songs on the spot, based on audience suggestions. These comedians have been making people laugh all over the world with their very own brand of improvised comedy. You shout it out, they act it out, no safety nets, fast, furious and funny! Watch the comedy unfold before your eyes with this truly amazing comedy TV show brought to life on stage.

All comedians are regulars at the Edinburgh and Glastonbury festivals and have just returned from a sell out tour in New York – these comedians are not to be missed.

The doors open at 8pm (show 9pm).

Tickets are available at Crowne Plaza Muscat and OUA retail outlet in MQ at OMR15 each or for more information call 95555699.


More soon!


le fin.

Tim Hortons in Oman, and a few other things

As blogged excitedly by Nadia over on Dhofari Gucci, and detailed in The Times of Oman by Canadian journo, Sarah Macdonald today, Tim Hortons are looking to open up it's first branch in Oman in early 2012. I would point out that I blogged about this all the way back on February 5th earlier this year so it's not exactly new news, but exciting all the same that things seem to be gathering speed. Originally Timmies were supposed to be opening a location in Muscat City Centre, but that specific location in MCC where that was pegged to happen now has been occupied by another store.So it's good that there are still solid plans afoot to punt their coffee & baked goods here.

Above is a picture I snapped at Toronto's airport on arrival, its just part of the immigration procedures: Welcome home, here's your double double, you can collect your honey cruller from pickup aisle G (for great!) :) Tim Hortons in Oman should be opening an outlet at the Muscat Grand Mall next year when the mall opens. I remember being assured by the leasing agent for MGM in September that the Mall would absolutely be open by November, guaranteed. I thought then he was in dream-land then, and am sad to see I was right as we're into December and still no opening on the radar for the mall. Hopefully it'll happen in Q1 next year, it is definitely a very nice mall on the inside, I can assure you all of that!

In other news, Oman and Saudi have signed an agreement for Galfar to build a border crossing point in the Empty Quarter. I can imagine that getting posted to that location would be fairly un-appeasing to any of Oman's finest. Presumably this will speed up the movement of goods between KSA and Oman, as well as allow more people to drive between the two countries without the need to transit via the UAE. Dhofar may see increased tourism as a result, which I guess is a good thing.

Now some of you, I hope, will remember my outburst about Melamine in local meats back in October. I chased this up with the local representative of the WHO (World Health Organization) and this was their response:

"Reference is made to your below email regarding Melamine in local meats, please note that we have forwarded your concern to the Director General of Health Affairs, Ministry of Health. Unfortunately we have not received any reply till now."

Now the amusing thing is, the WHO representative's office here in Oman is actually inside the Ministry of Health's offices here in Muscat. Heh. I'm guessing we won't hear a reply either, ever. It just beggars belief that this information has not been made public. More on this if I hear anything.

More soon.

le fin.

The Wave's new Golf Course: Al Mouj Golf

Well, as local blogger Andy in Oman already posted his pictures from his visit to the links style PGA championship Al Mouj Golf course earlier this week, I thought I'd add a few more pictures to the mix, and share some more information about the golf course with you all. The pictures are not mine....

The first 9 holes are now open for business, with the following 9 holes anticipated to be completed by "Q2 2012" - but no exact date yet (one could say that this was "par for the course", heh). The 9 holes that are open currently are Par 37, with a length of 3,695 yards. The full 18 hole golf course is 7,342 yards, Par 72. There is also an open and functioning clubhouse with a bar and restaurant (not yet licensed - but operated by Oman Air in the interim) at the venue.

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In the image above, you will see the membership price list for various types of members. The standard price is RO 1,750 for an individual golfer, but if you live at The Wave, or own there, the price is RO 1,575. Now this is for serious golfers only, as its obviously a significant sum - there is also a joining fee of RO 600, which is waived for the first 100 applicants this month only. I understand that a large majority of the 100 free waivers have already been granted, meaning that if your serious about your golf, and interested in joining Al Mouj golf club, you better get your skates on if you want to avoid the RO 600 joining fee.

If, like me, golf is more about the beer cart and corporate golf days, you can just pay green fees of RO 37 (or RO 34 for Wave residents) on the weekends, or RO 31 (or RO 28) in the week. The cost includes rental of the golf buggy. Clubs and shoes are available to rent, as well as purchase from the Pro Shop as well.

Access to just the driving range is just RO 2.500 with a bucket of 50 balls, which I think is pretty good value, and the course & range are open until 10pm with flood lights.

More soon!

le fin.