Well here we are again. It's been about a week since I've posted anything and I wanted to talk about my weekend. Work has been a real bear, great things are happening esp. on the e0learning front... stuff is getting done. But myself and a 'friend' decided to change our little routine of going into the capital city of Muscat and getting brunch (very limited options, and you al know how I feel about brunch) and we decided to take the drive to the UAE. So we crossed the border, and checked out this little resort type lace 15 into the UAE. It was really nice, the food was great, the place itself was really cute. I hit the 'non-muslim swine table' like three times, and the service was awesome. On the way out took some tourist-trap pictures with a out-to-pasture retired Bull0male. I'll try to make a picasa album and embed it in this post. It was awesome. Then we drove to the sands... the sands is the part of this region where the arid mountainous desert stops and the place you all think I live in starts... its very tatooine. Like sand-dunes and jawas and shit. Its weird it just like starts out of nowhere. One second there's brown rock and mountains, and it just turns into dunes. Got to 'see' Dubai. Form where we were it was maybe a half hour away. Great skyline... not NYC, but pretty impressive. Speaking of which, I'll be in 'Dubers' in a few weeks for a professional conference. Managed to score 4 days/3 nights in Dubai at a four star like 10 min. from the conference for like 625$ that's including airfare from Muscat... that's awesome can you say professional mini-vacation! SO I'm psyched about that....
Well if you've been following my 'status updates on facebook, you know that I've been doing alot of Indian cooking. Well I'm totally into it. I learned how to make a from scratch curry (the real thing)and its awesome. Not really hard either, you just need the spices... which are plentiful in this part of the world. I also fell in love with making Dal, which is an Indian lentil soup. Toatally tasty, and I love lentil soup. I never knew there were more than one kind of lentil. Here there are three main kinds. The green, yellow, and orange.. weird, I know. The best part about this is there's a tandori baker around the corner from me. You walk in, tell them how many peices of Nahn you want, and they make it right there in front of you and you take it home, still warm. man, there is something to be said for old world artisan type stuff. Next week after I've done some experimenting with my recipes, I'll drop a few on you guys see if you like them. We'll till next time...
'This is the way a blog ends... This is the way a blog ends... not with a bang, but a whimper"
So, it's has been a great long time. I had been putting it off for quite some time now... I was... getting ready. I wanted to, I really did. Blog that is. I had all these great ideas and revelations. Keen insights into the culture. Startling cross-cultural Epiphanies. How I would describe the world around me in vast detail. All of you could share my journey; live life through my eyes and not leave the comfort of your home. But in the end... I did nothing. I gave in to the monster known as procrastination. A tail eating its snake if you will. A seed that bears fruit in exponential number. I just couldn't get around to putting it off. It was bad. A lot of things in my life were getting like that. Just as weeds seldom stay in one corner of the garden. Procrastination snaked an oily tentacle out toward other areas... as I said, it was bad. And today as myself and 'my friend' were joking about this thing I keep saying... (I'd have this great idea and then I'd say 'and I'll blog about it'), I simply decided to do it. Not just here, nut in other areas. So, I also decided I'm not going to make any apologies... hey, if anone is reading this and you have felt cheated... well get some cheese for that whine. You won't get an I'm sorry. I'm gonna keep doing this in spite of my own laziness and put out something (at least an update n life here in the Gulf) once a week. If I miss more than one, PLEASE e-mail me at and tell me to get off my lazy ass and write something. Because I thought I was doing it for some imaginary audience, some crouching mass of e-geek awaiting with baited breath for my next post. I realize that this is a really disturbed kind of misconception to be nurturing. I know there is no such demographic, at most a group of old, dear and curious friends, just checking the 'blogosphere' to see if they won that 20$ bet on if I;d get arrested and end-up in a Turkish prison like in midnight express. I realize that f that group doesn't exist, I must be doing it for me, and being the selfish little prick that I am, I'm going to indulge in it once a week.
So here's my update. Work is a little hectic. But its pretty righteous. I am involved in this e-learning thing, and I really love it. Its a TON of work, but I;m learning a shitload and am really getting into bth the theoretical and practical side of things. Its quite cool. This is all sooooo new. Everything is changing by the minute, and is becoming exponentially quicker in pace as each new insight and idea causes 1o more to splinter off. It's all soooo up for grabs and probably will be for a great long time. So that's cool, but hectic. The really good news is that i think that I'll only be stressing out for another week or two. Then I'll be over the hump. I don't want to stay in Oman, or in the Gulf.... despite the money I'm getting paid. I'm setting my sights at Asia (probably Korea) really want to check it out. Ill keep you all posted on that one. But fear not, gentle reader. I do intend to be back in the states sometime aroundJulyish or something for a while. I do intend to stay in Boston most of the time and vegitate out there for the mainstay of my State-side jaunt. But more about that at a later date.
I got my truck back, yes... its true. Truck Palniuk rides again. Hopefully this time for a great long while (or at least until after I sell him at the end of my contract. He's kewl there's some pictures either on Picasa or facebook. He had been a real nightmare for a while. Though all in all I'm glad I went through it. It taught me a huge lesson about being an ex-pat in an emerging context: buy new, rent from a reliable company.. or if you have to buy, buy simple. If I ever do this again, it'll be a diesel, automatic, with power-nothing. Yes my Grand Cherokee is quite a sophisticated vehicle as far as off-road trucks go. But after fifteen years... the thing gets old and soon everything needs to be replaced or modified, fixed, rigged. So that's the scoop on the truck.
Seeing someone, that's really cool.. she's pretty great and I find her inspirational in a lot of ways. I learn a shit-ton from her. Well, I'll stop now because I know she's read my blog before. So 'whatever'! but yeah, she's a great chick... anyway
Oh, yeah! I got internet!!! Only took 5 months. Welcome to the third world. But it is a bitchin' connection. A little slower than what I'm used to in the States, but if its one thing this place has taught me is that everywhere can not be held to the same standards as the developed world. I picked up a wireless modem, so not only do I have internet, but wireless. I can also use my Iphone through the wireless network, which is pretty cool. I've got an internet cafe in my apartment... which puts me way up on the point scale as far as I'm concerned. So now I have all this catching up to do about all things web... which reminds me... I thin there's a way to link this blog into my facebook, which would be cool. I really like the mash-up concept of web 2.0 as you can probably see by the lay out of my blog... but yeah, I'll get on that,
Another thing I want to 'blog about' is my professional and intellectual interests. I am seriously playing with the idea of starting a professional blog, throug hwhich to examine some of my more obtuse academic interests... still in the planning stage. I like to have two months of blog topics nailed down before I commit and actually sign up for one.
Well.. now you all got the update.... its time for me to go now, I gotta go sleep.
This blog brought to you by secret agent radio on Soma (the soundtrack for your stylish, mysterious, dangerous life. If you like lounge and all things hip, with audio-clips from James Bond movies between clusters of songs check it out.
Oh yeah, since this blog started out with a little rant on procrastination, I'm giving the links of two incridible videos on youtube about the whole ridiculous matter
Hey all, how are you doing? I know, I know, I haven’t posted anything since the 8th of Oct. I know you are all very sad about this, but if it is any consolation, I have been very busy and preoccupied with work. I also hate to further disappoint you but this is not a post in itself. Just letting you know that I am going to start regular blog postings strting the beginning of next week. It was one of my “New Years Resolutions’, and as usual, I’m a bit late in seeing it into reality. Some updates, I bought a truck, and I am looking to leave Oman for the Emirates, Qatar or Asia next year. I will be in the States after a vacation in India. Sadly I will be in Boston, and not New York (Ok, I finally admitted it, I don’t feel like a New Yorker any more, and I miss the hell out the ‘Big Bean’). Oh, I will probably be looking to sublet a place for the a Month or so in the Summer, so if you know anybody… give me a shout. ‘Till then True-Believers. So, today no new blog, but stay tuned for next week (if you care at all) . To tied you over I have some pictures… so yeah, ‘Holla atcha Boiee’
