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February 28, 2008

Qatar Total Open 2008 - A Recap

Posted by xtian001@gmail.com at 01:30 PM
The past week was just as  hectic as it could be and too tiring but well worth it. We went to Khalifa Tennis Stadium 3 days straight, from Wednesday to Friday, to watch the girls play some real good tennis at the Qatar Total Open 2008 Tournament. We were lucky to have been able to get West Side Down seats on Wednesday although our tickets were for the Upper Seats. Photos from those matches can be seen on my previous post as well as from our GALLERY here and here. I have hundreds of photos just for that day but decided just to post some of the good ones. Anyway, Mandy, arrived late that Wednesday night and instead of us fetching him from the airport, he just took a taxi. Since I stil lhad work on Thursday and Mavis had to do something in the morning, we met up with him in Khalifa Stadium on Thursday afternoon.  We didn't get any lower courtside tickets though we arrived at 3 PM at the gates. Apparently, they were giving out tickets in the morning and before the morning ends, all lower courtside tickets would  have been given away. There were Season Tickets which sold for 200 Rials before the whole thing started, which we didn't know about. These Season Tickets would seat you on the middle lower courtside and of course, assures you of a seat. I think the capacity of the Center court was only 5,000. Anyway, once we got inside, Mavis was able to talk to a Filipino who had extra lower courtside tickets which he gave us! Thank you! Mandy, on the other hand, had to tell the "escorts" that he came from Saudi just to watch the matches. They let him in. We enjoyed the games and taking photos. The thing is, if you are taking photos, you really wouldn't be able to concentrate on the match. But it's a thrill all together as you have to get the proper timing and luck to get the photos you want. Xiane was kept busy with the Nintendo DS. It was a saviour! Oh, by the way, it was freaking cold!!! COLD! COLD! FREEZING COLD! The temperature was reading at 14 degrees but the wind was just to harsh. I'm sure it lowered the temperature to less than 8. The players were having a difficult time controlling the ball. We got home late on Thursday since we finished the matches.
 
On Friday morning, Mandy and I decided to go to Khalifa Tennis Stadium at 8:30 AM to line up for tickets; if they were really givng them out. Sure enough, we were among the first to arrive and line up. They opened booth at about 9:30 and we got the tickets we wanted.
 
After having lunch in Applbees', courtesy of Mandy, we went to Salam to buy some camera stuff but found out they only open at 3. It would be too late to get good seats if we wait for Salam to open so we decided to just go to Khalifa. By now, a long line has already formed as people were trying to get tickets. We got seated at the East Down 3 (Center Court) which was just perfect. The game themselves weren't that good but again, it doesn't matter when you're taking photos. We had to leave by 9 PM since Mandy was to catch his plane at 12 midnight back to Bahrain. Poor guy had to drive to Saudi once he reaches Bahrain.
 
Mavis and I decided not to watch the Saturday and Sunday matches anymore since we were just too tired. Besides, we already got to watch Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Ana Ivanovich, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Jelena Jankovic play so I think that's enough to satisfy us.
 
I'll post more phots when I get the time...  

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February 26, 2008

Valentine's Date (Post Valentine Post!)

Posted by mavisrueda@gmail.com at 02:01 PM

It was just a simple dinner spent at Beijing Chinese Restaurant.  The night before, Tian already asked me to decide where we'd go for our Valentine's date.  I wanted something oriental, something Chinese for a change.  We've always had Mexican and Italian most of the time so I thought it would be nice to try something else.  I asked friends what is the best place to go to for Chinese food and it's unanimous, they all said "Beijing Restaurant".  So after Tian's work, we had to wait for 2 more hours since the restaurant won't open until 5:30 pm.

Well there is one Chinese Restaurant which I heard was also good at City Center but we didn't want to bring Xiane  there as we might just have ended up eating at Applebee's.  Well, we love Applebee's but as I've said I wanted something different for Valentine's Day.

We were at the restaurant as soon as it opened its doors.  We placed our order and the food was served in a matter of minutes.  Suffice to say, the food was satisfying enough although I have nothing to compare it to except for Orient Express.  I would say between the two, Beijing has an edge when it comes to the taste and quality of food. 

When we finished, we left the restaurant so full and headed straight home.  My husband gave me a bouquet of red roses and 3 mini-cakes.  Of course I was so touched to have received a bouquet of flowers from him.  The last time I got one was on my birthday in 2005.  On my end, I gave my husband a card.  That was how we spent Hearts Day, nothing spectacular nor extravagant but it sure meant a lot to us.

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February 21, 2008

Qatar Total Open Photos 1

Posted by xtian001@gmail.com at 01:42 PM

Qatar Total Open 2008, a top-one tier WTA event, is taking place in Doha, Qatar. Don't miss out the opportunity to see the WTA girls live in action! Head to Khalifa Stadium!

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February 17, 2008

Happy Pizza

Posted by mavisrueda@gmail.com at 01:58 PM

We’ve had the chance to visit our favorite Pizza joint, Papa John’s, in town recently.  This time we ordered the “Meal for Two” and extra pasta since there were three of us.

As expected, the pizza was superb.  We also liked the hot and spicy pasta that we ordered.  Xiane ate pizza the breadstick that came with the pasta dipped in melted butter.  The manager who’s a Filipina took Xianelle to the kitchen.  She has always been fond of Xiane and this wasn’t the first time she was taken to the kitchen to take a look.  On the same visit, after Xiane finished her food, the manager took her again and introduced her to the boss.  When she came out we had to wait a bit longer for her specially-made “happy pizza” compliments of the boss.  Indeed it was a pizza with a happy face.  Xiane was happier to have her very own happy pizza.  Thanks Papa John’s!

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Ice Skating

Posted by mavisrueda@gmail.com at 01:52 PM

Last Monday, Xiane had the privilege to go ice skating at Villagio Mall.  Thanks to my friend who invited us to join them that day.

The children had lunch at the food court.  The skating rink does not open until 2pm so we had to stay at the food court.  Besides, we also had to wait for a friend and her kids who originally planned the skating thing.  Of course, we came prepared.  I wasn’t planning on skating myself but I had to be ready.  I brought a pair of socks and gloves for Xianelle and I.
 
At first it was just Xiane whom I got ticket for.  But when my friend and I saw that our children were having a hard time we both decided to join them, as if we knew how to skate.  We just thought that joining them would somehow give the children some encouragement.  By gosh, by golly!  It was much harder than we thought.  We spent a very long time just standing close to the walls, holding on to our dear lives.  The children were crawling on ice since it was very hard for them to balance being first-timers.  My friend was braver than I was and she was able to move on one step at a time.  It took me a while longer before I got back to the ice again.  I had to change the shoes since the first pair that I got was killing my feet.  When I got back I finally had more guts to walk, not skate.  But there’s always that fear of falling at the back of my mind that’s why there wasn’t much progress.  I actually looked stupid but I guess that’s just how it is for now.
Thank God the Filipino who works as a skating coach there got a hold of Xiane and my friend’s son.  He taught them some basics, walking like a baby, bending on one’s knees when out of balance and spreading one’s arms, also for balance.  Just after a few minutes with the coach, Xianelles was already walking by herself.  She may not be gliding yet but the important thing is she’s overcome her fear and she can already balance.

I was so happy to see my daughter’s progress in just a matter of minutes.  I can’t wait to see her glide on ice in the near future.  It was a truly fun afternoon spent with friends.  We look forward to doing this again.  It would be really nice if Xiane learned how to skate.  In fact, we are interested in enrolling her into skating lessons when we come back from our annual vacation.  It is actually Xiane’s dream to be able to skate and hopefully this dream will soon come true.  As for me, well I can only wish that I’d be a good skater someday.

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