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

The other week, I asked a friend of mine to take me to the building/area where shops sell computers and peripherals. I was planning to look for a WiFi card for my laptop. The area is called Sofitel area because of the Sofitel Hotel that was beside the building before. Now, the hotel is the Mercure Hotel but they still call the computer building Sofitel. The building has 2 floors full of computer shops. It is difficult to find parking in the area so if you find one 2 to 3 blocks away, better to get that parking and walk than go round and round looking a for parking near the area. Anyway, I found out that prices of most computer peripherals are quite expensive here. I guess that is true for the Middle East except for UAE as they have a duty-free port. Plus, most companies have their regional offices there. I was looking for a Wifi card for my laptop as I’m planning set up a wireless network at home once I get my ADSL connection (applied on 30/9 and got the schedule on the 8th of November… Argghhh). This means that Mavis and I can surf the net anywhere in the house without wires, that is if we use the laptops’ battery. I was able to buy a DLink DWL-G650 PCMCIA card for QR190 which is as comparable to cost in the US. Some shops were selling it between QR 200-230. The wireless router costs QR 290 which was quite high considering that it only costs between US$40-55. With most small items that you buy here, you only get limited warranty, usually 3 months. You can buy your usual stuff of web cameras, CD media, hard disks, MP3 players, networking items, laptops, desktop PCs, etc in this building. It can get real busy during the night and shops are filled with customers. If you want some high-end stuff, you can go to Jarir Bookstore near the Ramada signal as they also sell branded computers and peripherals.

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There are 2 options for expats wanting to watch their favorite television shows and programs in the Middle East. Either you pay to subscribe to a Satellite Pay-TV service of your choice or get Free-to-Air Satellite and watch shows for free. If you’re on a budget and would note necessarily need the channels you’re paying for with the packaged set, your best bet is to get someone to install a satellite dish system for you. Some apartments in Doha already have satellite dishes installed on their rooftops, provided by the owner of the building. If you don’t have it in yours, you could get someone to install the whole system along with the dish for about 600-700QR. With this, you get the dish, 3 LNBs (Hotbird, Nilesat, Arabsat – these are the only satellite available in most of the middle east), cable, and the receiver. You can go to Mergab Street near Al-Sadd (near Doha Clinic) to look for the shops that install this for you. What channels are free-to-air (you can watch them without paying for subscription)? Well, for those wanting English shows/programs, you get the Middle East channels One, MBC 2, MBC 4 (they show some old and new seasons of Gilmore Girls, Smallville, Las Vegas, Survivor, House Swap, Extreme Make Over, Oprah, Martha, Friends, etc. along with English movies). Of course, most would be repeats after a day of watching or two. For news channels, you have BBC News, CNN, and Euronews. You also get Arirang from Korea, Fashion TV, and other channels that show bits and pieces of English programming like Bahrain 55 and Alrai. However, some shops and installers sell a “special” receiver in which you can view some subscription-based programs by inputting their code through the remote of the receiver. You can get new codes, if they change, on the internet. With this, you can watch European channels like Multivision 1-6* (see below for more info on codes) showing Western movies. You also get Eurosports 1,2 and Classic. You get channels from SF DRS and TSR which shows blockbuster movies, classic movies, newer seasons of western series (Lost, Desperate Housewives, Smallville etc.). You have to select the right audio channel to hear the original English track. Some shows don’t have it so you have to settle for French, German or Swede. You also get BBC Prime but not the other BBC channels. If you’re the one who wants to pay for such, here is a rundown of paid TV services. You can visit their website for more details.

• Showtime – www.showtimearabia.comDepending on how much you really want to see some of the latest western TV series and shows, Showtime may be your answer. It might cause you an arm and a leg though! Their TOTAL PACKAGE would cost you QR2640 per year and their MOVIE PLUS for QR2388! However, it is fair to say that they have the best programming there is. They have E!, BBC Food, TV Land (24, Friends, CSI, Smallville, Alias, David Letterman, Nip/Tuck and even Desperate Housewives), Turner Classic Movies, Hallmark Channel, Disney Channel, Cartoon Network channel, etc.

• Orbit – www.orbit.net“The Orbit Satellite Television and Radio Network is the world’s first fully digital, multi-channel, multi-lingual, pay television service”. Mid-priced subscription at QR150/month for their Mega Package. They have Super Movies, Cinema City, America Plus (Everwood, Nip/tuck, cold Case, Smallville, Dead Like Me, ER, Las Vegas, Carnivale), Orbit ESPN, Disney, History Channel,etc. They have Arabic channels like Al Riyadiyah, Cinema 1, Series, Fann, Alsafwa and Alyoum. They now have a Filipino package (PinoyPlus) with syndicated shows from GMA 7, Philippines!

• Art – www.adduniverse.comThis mostly caters to Asians (India, Pakistan, etc.) as they have exclusive channels for them and they have the cheapest packages too. They have the Firstnet, Art and Pehla bouquets. I’m not sure of what they have right now since I can’t access their site so you have to see for yourself on their website.

• The Filipino Channel (TFC)They provide 6 exclusive Filipino channels from ABS-CBN, a media network in the Philippines. They have News Channels, Movie Channels and general entertainment channels packaged together. It is quite expensive and even Filipinos are complaining that for 6 local channels, QR2200++/ year is not worth it. But if you really want to catch Filipino shows, this is your only option. * Codes: For more info on codes, you can visit this forum or view the codes here. For Multivision, usually it requires a firmware/software upgrade for your receiver so check out this forum and see if your receiver supports the upgrade.

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from Gulf Times:

With only six days remaining for the launch of the country’s bus service, an official of the Mowasalat, the government’ transport company, yesterday reaffirmed that buses would hit the road on October 23 itself as announced earlier. The Mowasalat officials had announced at a press conference on September 28 that buses would run from October 23 onwards.Talking to GulfTimes yesterday, the company official said things are being worked out at a faster pace and ‘temporary’ bus stops would be built in the next few days. “Buses will run from the Main bus terminal near Alfardan Centre to both the Industrial Area and City Center from October 23,” he said. As per the present plans, while the bus number 33 would operate to the Industrial Area, bus number 76 would run to City Center. At least 10 buses would run on each of the two routes, the company officials had announced.

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Gilmore GirlsI’ve been able to follow Gilmore Girls on TV the past 2 weeks as it has been entertaining. It’s not really that funny nor too cheesy (maybe a bit). It is basically a girlie show as the main protagonists are a mom and daughter tandem, the Gilmore girls. I don’t even know what season it is I’m watching (freshman year of Rory) as I haven’t been following it before. I just find it amusing how Rory Gilmore speaks. She has this monotonous tone of speech and it’s like she doesn’t take breathes in between sentences.

Seinfeld Mavis and I just discovered how good this show was early this year. It’s funny and witty. Kramer is hilarious! Probably the best among comedy shows I’ve watched along with Friends, Spin City (Michael J. Fox edition), Perfect Strangers (who could forget Cousin Larry and Balki Bartokomous), and Full House (first TV show for the Olsen Twins).

Tru Calling (season 1) Still watching some reruns from the first season. We found out about this show last year and was hoping to see the 2nd season this year on satellite ( I just found out that Fox cancelled it this year after having filmed its first 6 episodes because of some dumb Drama series). We really love this show. I find Eliza Dushku’s way of running weird (she runs almost every episode). It has a great concept and although the middle episodes of the 1st season were becoming repetitious, it became engaging before the season ended. We were left asking for more after the season ender! For Tru followers, you can read the blog of one of the writers on what they could have done for season 2. It really is a loss.

Desperate Housewives (season 1) Part comedy and part drama, Mavis caught about 10 episodes before they went packing to the Philippines. I’m not sure if it’s being televised there but it’s on every Monday night here! I don’t have a favorite Desperate Housewife though. Funny at times but the thing that makes me watch it is how the people in Wisteria Lane interact with one another.

Smallville (season 3) This is a retelling of the Superman mythos in an interesting way as it deals with Clark Kent’s high school life and how he was shaped to be the greatest hero there is. Miles Millar and Alfred Gough are excellent storytellers. Lois and Clark can’t even compare a bit. I’m still waiting to see season 4 as Mavis and I have already seen season 3. I’m still watching it 5 days a week!

Lost (season 1) We finished the season just before Mavis left but they’re having reruns of it. This is the best of all JJ Abrams (Alias, Felicity) series. It’s a must-watch series. Each episode is a revelation; about the characters and about the island. My favorite character would be John Locke and Hurley.

CSI (Las Vegas, Miami and New York) Las Vegas is best, followed by Miami and then New York. No one can beat Grissom and his silent charisma among CSI followers. Mavis and I both admire Marg Helgenberger for looking the way she is for her age. Las Vegas has the right balance among its characters and how they show the whole process of criminal investigation. Miami is ok but with more drama. New York is a bore for me and it’s Mavis who usually stays awake to catch it (they show it at midnight).

Charmed Yup. It’s still here. Things may have changed a bit; Paige (Rose McGowan) became a sister, Piper has 2 kids while her Whitelighter husband, Leo, is now human (again), and the season ender was they changed their appearances to lead new lives. I wonder how that would turn out. They already are showing the fourth episode of their 8th season in the US. Love the girls, love the show!

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I’m going back to this topic as someone emailed me about it asking some more information regarding the buses that are to be seen on the roads of Doha this month. First, people are still hoping that they do get the buses running this month. Being used to the Middle East and its ways, launch and deadlines are just that. You’re lucky if the supposed to be launch date gets followed. They already moved it once so I hope they don’t move it again. But since the school buses are already going round town, I’m confident that they would launch this month. However, don’t keep your hopes up. As this is the first time that they’ll have the buses, it might get chaotic. I haven’t seen any bus stops on the road streets yet nor have they given leaflets regarding these stops and so forth. I’ll keep you posted if I get any news. Now, if you’re going to visit Qatar and would like to go around, Taxis are your best bet if you don’t want to rent your own car. 3 months ago, the cheapest day rent would be 130 rials (costs keep rising in Qatar!). Plus, if you want to rent, you need to at least have a Middle East license or an International license. Karwa taxis would cost you between 15-20 rials per trip around Doha. If you are planning to go from one shopping mall to the other, limousine service (I forgot the name of the company) is available for a flat rate of 20 rials, anywhere in Doha. You may have to wait for 5-15 minutes to get a limousine if one is not readily available. But it might be your only option for malls on the outskirts of Doha and even for City Center and The Mall. But let’s say you got a Karwa taxi to pick you up, you may ask the driver to drive you around town for an hour for about 40 rials (that was the rate asked by the driver when we had to go by taxi). Or if you’re new and want to get to work and be picked up everyday, you can ask the driver to do that for you and he’ll charge you with the rate on the meter. That was what I did when I was starting here instead of renting a car. It was just a cheaper choice although you’re not as mobile as when you have a car. We said to ourselves that we have all the time in the world to explore Qatar when we get our own car. For those who are here for a short vacation, consider renting a car or riding a taxi. I’m not to keen about the buses yet. You may also want to consider the worsening traffic when making your decision.

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I just wanted to expound on my thoughts on Saudi in relation to the previous article. It might have appeared that our stay in Saudi was all that bad. Honestly it’s the opposite, we’ve spent 4 wonderful years and had a lot of good memories there the best of which is conceiving and giving birth to my daughter in Saudi. So why leave? It’s for the simple reason that Saudi is not an open country and given the choice to live in an open free country, I think anyone in his/her right mind would choose the latter. There are just so many things that you can’t do in Saudi. You cannot practice your religion as Islam is the only religion. Although people esp. from Dammam and Khobar are lucky enough to attend mass or religious services inside Saudi Aramco which is situated in nearby Dhahran. But this too is a problem as you have to have a sponsor from Aramco to be able to get inside. So for most people, they end up not going to church. At worse some hold special services at home at their own risk.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS. Yeah what about it? Is there such a thing in Saudi? In a society where women are not allowed to work except in the medical field, where women are not allowed to drive and not allowed to wear the clothes they’d like to wear in public, you would definitely agree that women don’t have rights in Saudi. Yup, you read it right, all women have to wear an “abaya”(a black long dress with long sleeves that looks so much like a toga, all that’s missing is a cap) the whole time their out of the house. In some areas women are also required to cover their hair as it is customary in Islam that the hair of a woman should only be seen by her immediate family and her husband. As for Saudi women this extends to covering even the face which leaves the eyes as the only part of the face that should be seen. For the most conservative ones, you’re lucky if you’ll even get a glimpse of their eyes. So Beyonce and all the independent women out there, don’t you dare go to Saudi! But it can’t be all bad, after all women, including expats, always come first in queues even if everyone else has lined up before them. Ain’t that great!

NO PORK! Obviously being the center of Islam, pork is definitely banned in Saudi, even if it’s only for personal consumption. At the airport your baggage will be checked for it just like any other contraband. Luckily it will only get confiscated. You will never find it in any of the stores if you really are that “hungry” for pork, there are ways to get it if you are willing to spend you hard-earned Riyals for it. Or go to next-door Bahrain!

NO ALCOHOL. This was not really a major concern while we were in Saudi as neither one of us really drink. But in comparison to an offense related to the possession or peddling of pork, this one is considered to be more serious. Anyone who is caught possessing alcohol will definitely have to face the consequences; being jailed with accompanying lashing of the back and at worse deportation and being blacklisted from Saudi forever. Just to give you an idea how serious the Saudi authorities are regarding alcohol, you won’t find any store selling isopropyl alcohol, even mouthwash and wipes don’t have them.

THE MALLS. The malls in Saudi are merely for shopping. There are no cinemas to speak of and as we all know cinemas are an integral part of a mall. So people just visit the malls for a stroll and to shop esp. when there’s a sale.

SALAH. Salah is what they refer to as prayer time. In Saudi you will find a mosque in every corner at the top of which you’ll find a minaret that has megaphones around it which serve as a PA (Public Address) system. In Islam, believers pray 5 times in one day and when it’s “salah” the “imam” or the priests in each mosque start to sing to call people to pray. The singing goes on for about 10 minutes. For those who hear it for the first time esp. at around 4 or 5 in the morning, it could feel a bit creepy. Imagine the sounds coming form all the mosques simultaneously. For some, going back to sleep becomes a problem after having been woken up by the singing, but for most people it’s just a matter of getting used to. Salah in itself is not a problem. If you think of it, it’s actually good that they pray many times a day and that they’re being reminded to pray. The bad part is that during prayer time, all the stores, businesses and offices have to close. It’s just a complete hassle when you have to rush your shopping because it’s prayer time. That’s why most people just go out after the last prayer which is around 7 or 8 in the evening just to avoid being caught in the middle of it.

NO PDA. Public Display of Affection is a definite “no,no” in Saudi. Couples even married ones are not even allowed to hold hands . There was this one incident in the market when Tian was reprimanded by one Saudi guy for holding my arm, telling him that we were in an Arab nation and we’re not supposed to blah...blah… blah. Another one is not being able to kiss your loved one (husband or wife) goodbye when you’re being sent off to the airport. That was why back then, Tian and I would say our goodbyes even before we leave the house. I guess I could go on and on but I’m sure after reading what I’ve enumerated, you do see why we chose to leave Saudi.

 

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A lot of people have asked me how I got into the business of Web Design. They think that since I’m into IT, I have a degree in computing or engineering. I wish! I then have to explain to them how I became a web designer. I spent my first 2 years of college life taking up Journalism at the University of the Philippines (U.P.) in Baguio. I love writing but then, it was also becoming boring for me. I thought of shifting to the more interactive segment of Mass communication which was Broadcasting, but that meant I had to move to the U.P. Campus in Diliman. I found out, as I was applying, that my grade average was about .2 below the cut (thanks to Spanish 10 and 11) so my next option was Film and Audio Visual Communication which needed a 2.0 average (1 was highest in our grading system). Yup, you read it right. I have a B.A. in Film and Audio Visual Communication. It is a 4-year course. I took classes in Directing, Script-writing, Cinematography, Film Editing, Photography, Experimental film and even Acting (I’m not that of a good actor… he he he). The thing is, I didn’t even know how to start a computer in 1995. Then we had courses in Film animation and Digital Editing and that started it. I got introduced to the world of Photoshop and Premiere. Instead of becoming a Film/TV director, I became more involved with graphics. I got my first PC on 1996 and spent late nights with Photoshop. I got hooked to the web on 1997 and just used it to learn more of computers, the web and web design tools. I didn’t even have a book on Photoshop then and online tutorials were not many. By 1998, I was working part-time as a graphic artist/web designer for a local company and working full time as Head Graphics Artist for a desktop printing shop. Then everything just fell into place. I was offered a job in Saudi as a Web Designer in 1999 and now I’m here! I’m sure a lot of universities already have a specific course for Web Design. The thing is, Web Design is both technical and artistic. You have to deal with the design itself, colors, graphics, elements and then you also have to deal with user-functionality, compression and code. You just can’t say “I want to be a Web Designer” but not deal with the elements of design or not deal with the technicalities involved. Although in a scale, it pays off better to have the inclination with the arts. Companies usually have a dedicated Programmer/Developer to the hard coding for you. Still, you need to know how to code, what the code means and what the code can do. For me, I may not have a degree in computing or engineering, but some things you just to learn outside of the University and excel in it ( at least I think I do).

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