Life on the Spot! Life and Leisure in Doha, Qatar

My theory: It was said that Darth Plagueis was so powerful that he was able to manipulate the midichlorians and create life itself. Anakin on the other hand, was conceived without a father and was supposed to be the chosen one, the one who would bring balance to the force. Now, Darth Plagueis apprentice was Darth Sidious who eventually killed him. I think that Darth Plagueis foresaw his death to Darth Sidious and actually "created" Anakin to avenge his death. In so doing, moving past to Episode VI, it was actually Anakin/Darth Vader who killed Darth Sidious, avenged the death of Darth Plagueis, his creator, and eventually bringing out balance to the Force as prophesized.

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Do do do do do do do do do (Imagine Xiane singing Darth Vader's theme song) The plan was for me to watch Return of the Sith (RotS) on Friday next week while Mavis takes care of Xiane at home and Mavis watching the movie the next day while I look after Xiane in the Mall. Last Friday, we got to the Mall just to take Xiane out and let her see Darth Vader. Yup. A lifesize replica of Darth Vader was in Dana Mall, encased in plexiglass. Since Xiane came to know about Darth Vader through our DVDs (having all Starwars DVD's at home) and teaching her how to hum Darth Vader's theme song, she has been fascinated, albeit a bit scared, with him. That doesn't stop her from staring at the lifesize replica, humming his song and saying "dart vader","sword" (for his lightsaber) , "tormpooper" (for the other replica of the Stormtroopers which you can also fin in the Mall. So as Xiane was there, talking to Darth Vader, Mavis had an idea. She asked the ticketing people if we can take our almost 2 year old baby to watch Starwars. They said yes, we can. They were saying that other people even take their babies with them inside the cinema and it is not forbidden. With that, we immediately got two tickets (Xiane was free to enter) and prayed that Xiane wouldn't be too noisy while in the Cinema. we bought chips, popcorn and more chips to at least keep her entertained if she gets bored. She kept asking "wat dat" (what's that?) while pointing to the big screeen in front of us. Then the movie started. It was actually nerve wracking to watch the movie. Not because of the movie but because Xiane was there. Well, she was quiet most of the time, only when you get big scenes would you hear hear talk. It was good that some parts were quite loud to drown Xiane's voice while she kept saying "dart vader, "yoder" (for Yoda), "face" (closeup shots), "crying" (for the more dramatic scenes), "sword", etc... After about 3 hours, the movie ended. We survived our first movie in a cinema with Xiane! For those who were in the cinema that night, I can't help it, I am a Starwars fan and so is my toddler.

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I decided not to post anything on my blog since the last time I updated it because of a reason. The title says it all. Qatar, here we come! I didn't want to spoil anything by blogging about the things that has been happening as it might affect the outcome of my resignation from my company and hiring from the new company I'm joining. I have been enjoying life in Bahrain, no doubt. I think you'll enjoy life anywhere else but Saudi. He he he. But really, when Mavis and I decided to move to Bahrain, it wasn't about the money. I was offered much less than what I was getting in Aramco. Aramco even upped the contract to increase the salary I was getting but I was already decided. We chose to go to Bahrain because we wanted to live a life with a bit of normalcy in a sense. Being an "open city", Bahrain actually gives you that feeling. We were able to take strolls outside the house, go to the mall and eat out without anybody staring at us, we can stay close with each other while walking, people are friendlier and a lot of them can speak English... all that stuff and more which you can't find in Saudi. Work is also great. The team is great! I've been the lead project leader for the upgrade of the company's internet site while also maintaining the current one. I have two (2) very competent guys in our team who needs little assistance with the jobs being delegated. Colleagues are great and Management has supported and listened to our needs since day 1. Then, I received an email and a phone call. I wasn't really that excited about it at first as I love my job and moving is very tiring. We've just been here for three (3) months. But Mavis pushed me to go have a look at it and see if it's something worth giving attention to. So off I went to Qatar, did medical exams and attended 7 interviews (more details in my next blog), all in one day! I got the offer, talked to Mavis about it, sat on it, slept on it, talked about it even more and decided. We are moving to Qatar.

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It's so difficult to decide what Video Camera I would buy. I've been holding it off since 2 years ago as I was hoping that a cheaper yet better option would pop up from manufacturers. Well, Panasonic came out with their "affordable" line of 3 CCD camcorders. On the top of the list is the PV-GS400. Next is the PV-GS250. The real difference between the two (2) is that the former takes better still shots than the latter. Plus the price of course. The GS400 runs to about US$1400 while the GS250 runs for about US$1000. Well, I've been researching again and found out the the Panasonic AG-DVC30 is a professional model with better CD than the 2. And it will set me back for US$1800. Why Panasonic? I think Sony is too hyped and high priced. JVC doesn't really put out excellent cameras. And Panasonic has been one to push the delivery of 3CCD cameras to the masses. The thing with me is that I'm an enthusiast in a sense. I do have a major in Film and Audio Visual Communication and my interest with film, be it moving or still, has never really faded. That is why I'm quite picky about this stuff. Anyway, since I'm in Bahrain, prices quoted above would be much higher here and that is also the reason why I was asking Ricardo to pick one up for me when he goes to the US next month. But that might not be possible for some reason. I already called Panasonic Bahrain and asked them of the availability of the AG-DVC30. I'm expecting a call from them today. Hopefully, the price comes close to the price in the US. Wish me luck. XXX

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