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

Last Friday, the 15th of December, at around 6:45 pm, Tian and I, as well as the members of the Rafael family waited for the closing ceremony of the 15th Asian Games here in Doha, Qatar. I guess everyone else was expecting that the program would start at 7pm, the same time that the opening ceremony started. However, it never began until past 8:00. From then on, all activities were put to a halt as we all watched the closing ceremony unfold before our very eyes. We were definitely awe-struck from start to finish. I bet that everyone who has seen the ceremony would agree that it was fantastic. And I'm sure too that those who have seen both the opening and closing can't help but say that the closing ceremony is far better than the opening on all accounts. I liked the opening but I absolutely loved the closing. It was definitely "world class". The plot was indeed more coherent. The production design was richer and more colorful, the performers were more synchronized, graceful and confident. I loved the performances of the "circus" guys. Dimps and I couldn't stop admiring the very beautiful "lady on the moon". I wonder if she's a famous actress or celebrity here in the Middle East. I even heard the anchorman on tv, saying that it was the best closing ceremony ever. I'm sure that every Filipino watching, felt so proud as Lea Salonga rendered a song as the finale. Then there's no better way to end the ceremony than a magnificent fireworks display. The fireworks display during the opening pales in comparison. Although, we know that this and all the other parts of the opening ceremony which were said to had been deleted may be due to the heavy downpour during that time.  Thank God there was no rain last Friday, giving way to a very successful and boombastic closing ceremony. A big congratulations to Doha not only for the beautiful opening and closing ceremonies but for a triumphant Asian Games in general. I feel privileged and blessed that we got to experience this once in a lifetime historical event. Who knows, Olympics might be next in line and I sure hope we'll still be here by then.