A Thousand Miles From Nowhere...

Star Dancer / Papua New Guinea : First Interlude

2011-04-30T17:54:00.002+09:00

I've been up to so much in the last month since reaching Australia that I'm way behind on my reports. I'm working on it! :)The 10-day exploratory excursion on the Dancer Fleet’s Star Dancer in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dive a remote location in the world at a truly unbelievable price—at USD$1,000 per diver times 16, our combined fares probably barely

Aussie Aussie Aussie

2011-03-28T19:57:00.003+09:00

While the aftereffects of the triple disaster (earthquake, tsunami, nuclear power plant) continue to shock Japan, I have moved from Japan to Australia, where I am undertaking a 1-year working holiday. This move was not due to the recent tragedies; rather, it was a pre-planned endeavor for which the departure date just happened to fall 2 weeks after all hell broke loose in Tohoku. I must confess

Handmade for Japan

2011-03-23T08:56:00.001+09:00

What a great idea! http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fa20110323a1.html

The Other Side of the Story

2011-03-21T14:36:00.004+09:00

It is interesting to look at the news reports which are coming from within Japan, as broadcast by Japanese media in Japanese, those which are coming from Japan being broadcast by non-Japanese media in Japanese to a primarily Japan-based audience (such as NHK world), reports coming from Japan by non-Japanese media being broadcast to a primarily non-Japanese audience, and reports being made outside

A Bit of Complaint

2011-03-18T13:11:00.002+09:00

When I lived in Qatar, the backs of the Kahramaa (the electricity company) bills said in both Arabic and English, "Electricity and water are a gift... don't waste it!" This sentiment most certainly applies to the situation in the Kanto and Tohoku regions, which are both recovering from a devastating 9.0 earthquake, a tsunami, and nuclear power plant difficulties as we speak. I for one no doubt

Bulletpoints

2011-03-17T10:07:00.002+09:00

--So after 2 days of Group 2 not having its keikakuteiden (planned power outage), we finally had our first one yesterday. Our group time was 15.20 until 19.00, but the outage actually only lasted from 15.45 until around 18.40. It hadn't quite gotten dark outside yet, but the end was enough to require lighting of some sort (flashlights, candles etc.). It seems that the pattern has been that the

Zen and the Art of Planning

2011-03-16T10:11:00.007+09:00

A bit of informal sociology : In a society which exists on detailed planning and organization, how do the people survive when a number of unprecedented events take place in a short period of time?In a nutshell, this is kind of what's happening in Eastern Japan right now, and it's leaving a lot of people scrambling. Typically the goalposts don't move a whole lot here, and not without prior

To Blackout or Not To Blackout...

2011-03-14T20:42:00.006+09:00

That has been the question today. Last night the announcement was made by Tepco that the Kanto region would move to scheduled electricity outages as of Monday, March 14. Within an hour or so of this official announcement, the list of 5 groups was read aloud on TV. So, naturally, I joined millions of other viewers in paying careful attention to learn which group my city was in in order to know

Power Outage Schedule (in Japanese)

2011-03-13T22:38:00.002+09:00

If you are reading this blog and located in an area serviced by TEPCO, here is the .pdf of the planned outage groups, broken down by prefecture and city. But apparently the dwellers in my city are doubly tough... we are on the list twice, yet the official broadcast put us in Group 5. Huh... I guess we'll know which group we're meant to be in from tomorrow when everything stops running and for

T+2 -- Moving Forward

2011-03-13T19:34:00.004+09:00

2.5 days have now elapsed since the devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami hit the Tohoku region of Japan, and in the Kanto region life is slowly returning to normal. The shaking continues, and we are experiencing aftershocks from time to time. However, the larger quakes appear to be subsiding for now. Train services in the Tokyo area have resumed regularly-scheduled operation, with the

T+1 : The Day Earth Did Not Stand Still (yet)

2011-03-12T11:56:00.007+09:00

Almost 24 hours has elapsed since the devastating 8.9 earthquake and tsunami in Northern Japan, and the world around Tokyo is slowly getting back on its feet. Yesterday, the initial 14.46 quake (5.46 GMT) and countless aftershocks brought railway services to a halt, and a number of businesses closed for the day.The aftershocks continued throughout, each one no doubt bringing fear of the next Big

The Day the Earth Moved

2011-03-11T20:02:00.004+09:00

Today at 14.46 it wasn't a person, but rather a natural disaster which made the earth move under my feet, and set my heart trembling. As with big events, the usual question arises, "Where were you?" Well... I was with my co-worker at the Saizeriya for our Friday, just tucking into my spinach gratin, when the building started shaking as though we were on a boat. We set down our silverware and

Cut-Rate Luxury

2011-02-25T20:09:00.003+09:00

Being an information junkie, I subscribe to a variety of newsletters on topics which interest me-- libraries, dive kit, travel... most of the time I at least open and skim through to find out what's going on, but other times I just hit delete as I don't have the time to read. The recent newsletter e-mail from Dancer Fleet almost suffered the deletion fate, but I ended up opening and skimming out

Odaiba -- Tokyo's Past, Present, and Future

2011-02-12T17:19:00.014+09:00

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow stops the post office from delivering the mail, and in this case none of the above stopped this intrepid traveler from making a planned excursion to Odaiba, Tokyo's historical yet futuristic artificial island located in Tokyo Bay across from Central Tokyo.Yesterday, really for the first time in 3 months, the lower elevations of the Kanto region saw winter-like

Leaving Japan : 5 Things I Will Miss

2011-02-06T16:13:00.008+09:00

As the school / business year ends in Japan, so, too, will my work contract. After long and careful thought, I have decided not to renew, and to move on from Japan to another adventure. Thinking back over my 'returnee' experience, I have to say it's interesting how one's perspective of a place changes over time. When I first arrived in 2003, with no Japanese ability, I was swept away by the

Sanno Hospital and an ode to living

2010-11-13T18:53:00.010+09:00

First and foremost, I want to give a thousand praises to the staff at Sanno Hospital in Tokyo, where I have now visited for two separate medical cases and received superior medical care. With this being my 4th year of residence in Japan, regular conversation and day-to-day tasks present very few communication barriers thanks to a LOT of independent study and continual effort. However, being

Otona Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T14:48:00.004+09:00

I love my local supermarket. When I lived in Oita, I shopped at a place called Marushoku (written 'Sunlife' in English). Here, I've got a supermarket called 'Life' around the corner.They've had a display of Suntory Malt beer up all summer, where you can buy 3-tin sets which include a free glass. As Halloween has creeped around, the box design changed to a pumpkin motif called 'Otona (adult)

Memory Lane Soundtrack

2010-08-07T20:16:00.002+09:00

Whilst packing for my latest adventure, a return to muck diving at Lembeh, Indonesia, my iPod queued up Earth, Wind and Fire's classic song September. My Southeast Asian journey started almost exactly 6 years ago (August 2004) in Singapore and continued through Peninsular Malaysia, with stops in Melaka, Kuala Lumpur, and Georgetown. I remember the amazement of seeing the ubiquitous Southeast

Yebisu Beer Museum

2010-05-01T10:47:00.006+09:00

Yesterday, during my Golden Week holiday, I visited the Yebisu Beer Museum at Ebisu, in Tokyo. Yebisu Beer is a famous beer produced by Sapporo, and just celebrated its 120th birthday in 2007. Ebisu is the modern day spelling of Yebisu. There used to be a Ye character, but it has disappeared from contemporary Japanese.The Yebisu Beer Museum is quite easy to find as part of Ebisu Garden Place from

Back to Japan

2010-04-20T10:09:00.000+09:00

So I've done what I never thought I would do, and that is I've taken an English teaching job in Japan. Hey, a job is a job. I'm in a private school this time, though, and the pace is much, much different. We've got class sizes of 8 maximum, and they only come for 1 hour each week. It's a lot of planning and work, but definitely a challenge.I'm living in Saitama, just 25km from downtown Tokyo.

Small Change

2010-02-17T12:10:00.002+09:00

One thing people from developed countries may take for granted in their daily lives is the continual availability and abundance of cash. This is not an economic statement, but rather one of practical concern: in a developing country, due to the frequent shortage of smaller-denomination banknotes, a "rich" tourist or expatriate may actually not be able to spend their money simply because all

Catch Up

2010-02-04T09:06:00.001+09:00

So I've not blogged for a while, partially because I've been busy, but also because I've not been in a place where I could sit down and really do so.For starters, I'm no longer in the country beginning with Q. I was meant to go to the Philippines to take my PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) in mid-November, and two weeks prior to my departure I found out that I would have to leave Qatar

A Picture Says A Thousand Words

2009-10-07T18:23:00.005+09:00

I love the Gulf Times, one of 3 local English dailies in the country beginning with Q. The compelling journalism and accompanying vivid images tell us so much.Today's story is about construction work which is promised to be 'done' in 5 days. Look carefully at the photo, and then read the caption, and then let me know what you think of the 'effort' being shown. http://www.gulf-times.com/site/

E-mail Speed of Light

2009-10-01T17:08:00.003+09:00

E-mail is the technological wonder that allows people to communicate globally with the push of a button. E-mail is instant, free, and convenient. Or is it?Who would have thought that, at my workplace, an informal biweekly e-mail with a couple of graphics to highlight aspects of service would take over 6 weeks to send? My co-worker the Mercenary Librarian describes this as a fiasco. But, much

Cooking ban hurts workers

2009-10-01T13:25:00.001+09:00

This is in Dubai, but it gives you an idea of the conditions that the worker class lives in.*********************************************Cooking ban hurts workersPraveen MenonDUBAI // Eating has become a struggle for many of the 7,000 men living and working at the Al Aweer Fruit and Vegetable Market in the days since Dubai Municipality began enforcing a ban on cooking in their living quarters.One

Pumpkin Cannelloni with Sage and Ricotta

2009-09-02T00:06:00.002+09:00

After ranting and raving about the pumpkin cannelloni I made last Friday for dinner, I have been asked for the recipe a few times. It's not mine, unfortunately-- I got it from the Guardian Life & Style sectionPumpkin isn't easily found in Doha, but squash is easily found in the Indian vegetables, and serves the purpose. I recommend a bit of nutmeg, and for the cheese sauce throw in some

Let's Predict the Disaster!

2009-08-30T00:03:00.005+09:00

Web posted at: 9/12/2008 3:43:11Source ::: The Peninsula The sunlight-flooded atrium. RIGHT: The external construction work of the building in progress. DOHA • The new campus of Carngie Mellon University in Qatar

First Iftar...

2008-09-02T18:22:00.000+09:00

Variety of foodstuff to satisfy Iftar appetitesPublished: Tuesday, 2 September, 2008, 01:32 AM Doha Time Faithful wait to break their fast on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan at a tent near the Abu Bakr Siddiq mosque yesterday. Picture: Jayaram KorambilSMALL pancakes, barbecued kebabs, harees, samosas and a host of other traditional items sold at roadside stalls were most sought

So Dean walks into a gadget shop...

2008-09-01T18:40:00.001+09:00

My friend the Mercenary Librarian tells this so well that I'm going to let him regale you today with the tale. http://mercenarylibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/08/ego-trip.html

Ramadan Kareem!

2008-09-01T18:35:00.002+09:00

Playing tourist

2008-08-09T15:08:00.005+09:00

So today, since I had no plans written in my phone, I decided to play tourist for a while. I went on a drive to Yufuin, and then onwards to Kokonoe. I had been through Yufuin before, on my way to Kumamoto, but I hadn't ever taken the turn to Kokonoe.Way back when, Kyushu was formed by a volcano. Specifically, this volcano is Aso-san, and it sits kind of in the middle of the island. Most of

ただいま

2008-08-08T16:19:00.005+09:00

Last night I had dinner with my English conversation class. We went to Kankokuen, a new yakiniku place in Beppu, across from Tokiwa. Yakiniku, for those who don't know, translates to 'fried meat'. Yakiniku comes from Korea originally-- hence the 'kankoku' reference (Kankoku is 'Korea' in Japanese). You sit around a table and order plates of raw meat and vegetables. Then you put the slices of

Gulf Arabs 'Risk Heart Attacks in Olympics'

2008-08-06T23:52:00.002+09:00

Curiosity killed yet another cat, and I logged into the Gulf Times just in time to find today's gem. While I don't claim to know everything at this point, I had no clue whatsoever that sports could cause heart attacks in many different forms...Gulf Arabs ‘risk heart attacks in Olympics’Published: Wednesday, 6 August, 2008, 01:38 AM Doha TimeDUBAI: A top cardiologist has warned television

First day in Oita

2008-08-03T22:56:00.002+09:00

So anyway, 1 day after I planned so, and 2 days after I started out, I landed in Oita today at 11.15 am. Like all sleepy corners of the world, Oita, too, hasn't changed drastically. Last night I thought about how ironic it was that a mere 5 years ago, in 2003, I was just coming to Japan to settle in. I knew nothing about what I was getting into at the time. This time, though, I recognized

Luggage cart versatility

2008-08-03T22:49:00.004+09:00

Here is something I forgot to blog about. Listen:Back when I moved to Doha, I bought an inexpensive luggage cart at Carrefour. I had bought it primarily to haul cylinders to and from my flat, although it soon became my dive kit cart. I had also, in other cases, used it to haul supplies to other flats for parties.However, I went to the QDC (beer souk) to purchase my Ramadan supplies early. The

Arrived safely!

2008-08-02T22:35:00.002+09:00

Al hamdu lillah (thanks be to God), I have arrived in Japan safely, with no more problems. It is funny how, as I was riding the train today to my hotel in Osaka, in many ways I feel like I have never left. Which is true in quite a few ways. After I left Japan to return to the States, I mentally spent most of my time in Japan still. And when I got my job in Doha, I had promised myself that my

Still in Doha...

2008-08-01T18:06:00.002+09:00

It is Friday at noon, and I was supposed to be in Osaka now. Instead, I am still sitting in my flat overlooking West Bay in Doha. I went to the airport last night to go to Dubai. Well, as it turns out, the flight was delayed at least 45 minutes. So, with Dubai being an hour ahead of Doha, I wouldn't arrive until at least 2 am. This means I wouldn't make my connection to Kansai. So, thus far,

Education City: A Radical Experiment in Education

2008-07-14T21:00:00.002+09:00

PBS recently did a program on Education City. There are clips of the campus on the show, as well as a bit about WCMC-Q.http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/420/video.html

Grand Theft Auto--Doha Version

2008-07-11T21:36:00.003+09:00

It may sound strange to say that if one were to go on holiday, they'll come back to find that everything has changed. However, people who say things like this have never lived in Doha.Last week or so I saw an advertisement in the newspaper for a major construction project that was going to take place in West Bay, which would require a significant change in traffic patterns. Now, before people

Beach Treasure!

2008-07-11T21:22:00.004+09:00

Today on my usual trek to Old Club Reef I came across some fantastic beach treasure that had washed up with the tide this morning (presumably). I am now the proud owner of one of those dive knives that you strap to your leg-- a 150 riyal+ value!On my way to the water on my first dive, I noticed that the knife was halfway buried in the sand, with only the straps showing. Thinking it maybe

Department Newsletter

2008-07-09T14:14:00.002+09:00

I am pleased to report that our department newsletter has gone live this morning. Check out our home page for the latest edition with a new name, "Delib Bytes".Yes, I am well aware of how this sounds. My excitement, then, is not over having my name published next to two articles in the newsletter, but in knowing our new newsletter name. Head on over to http://www.qatar-med.cornell.edu/elibrary/

Cornell Graduate

2008-07-07T22:00:00.003+09:00

On Sunday I got a certificate in the mail from Cornell University.Now, before you get really excited, thinking I've committed yet another brilliant feat, let me explain.Cornell University offers CE (Continuing Education) courses via their online teaching platform, eCornell. As a Cornell employee (well, I'm really employed by the medical college), one of my benefits is tuition reimbursement. I

New Delib Website

2008-07-03T16:35:00.001+09:00

I don't think I've ever posted that we finally launched our new website. Go to http://www.qatar-med.cornell.edu/elibrary to see our handiwork! More updates later.

New underwater camera

2008-05-20T23:31:00.002+09:00

So after figuring out that the computer in my other underwater digital camera was probably kaput, I shopped on the Internet and purchased a new camera last month. I got a super duper offer I couldn't refuse, and ended up with a Sealife Reefmaster Mini. This is a simple point and click (for simple folk such as myself) that is specifically built to go underwater. However, it also takes nice

A few photos

2008-05-19T14:23:00.004+09:00

A huge billboard that QF put up across the road from Education City.From Cornell, looking towards the Ceremonial Court.From Cornell, looking toward the LAS building (this is where Georgetown and Carnegie Mellon are)Close-up of Lecture Hall 1.When all else fails, post pictures to entertain the masses (kind of like how they serve food on airplane flights... people weren't hungry until the food came

A Milestone for Education City

2008-05-07T16:31:00.001+09:00

I didn't go, but from the reports of those who did, it sounds absolutely amazing. **********************A milestone for Education CityPublished: Wednesday, 7 May, 2008, 02:24 AM Doha TimeBy Bonnie James The new graduates with HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misnad, Qatar Foundation president Mohamed Fathy Saoud and Qatar Foundation’s vice president

WCMC-Q Graduates Set to Make Medical History

2008-05-06T13:51:00.000+09:00

WCMC-Q graduates set to make medical historyPublished: Monday, 5 May, 2008, 02:54 AM Doha Time Thirteen members of WCMC-Q’s first batch of medical graduatesBy Bonnie JamesQATAR is all set for a landmark achievement in its development saga when the first batch of 15 home-trained doctors graduate from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar at a grand ceremony on Thursday. “This is a moment of

Carrefour Freezes Prices

2008-05-01T18:58:00.002+09:00

Non-alcoholic beer... french fries... crisps... cocoa powder...white bread... fake cheese... chocolate...hazelnut spread...They've really got their priorities in line regarding nutrition and what people *should* be buying to look after themselves with, haven't they? ********************************** Price freeze: Carrefour fixes prices of 50 items for 2008 Web

Latest

2008-05-01T00:49:00.002+09:00

A mother, a baby, and a bucket of deep fried chicken from a certain Southern guy's chain store.Life doesn't get much better than that.(Ad from today's Gulf Times)

Made it another year...

2008-04-28T15:27:00.004+09:00

Fan-TAS-tic cake made special by Kelly Bowron (Global Nomad)The obligatory cake shot. My mom has a shot of me holding a cake, or in proximity of a cake, probably every year since I was born until I turned 18. She's undoubtedly got a whole album dedicated to these shots, which are organized by year. ***************************************************Well, I've accomplished something-- I've made

An Academic Building Boom Transforms the Persian Gulf

2008-04-22T13:51:00.002+09:00

From The Chronicle, 28 March 2008 ( Volume 54, Issue 29, Page A26)USD $750 million is a quite a bit of money...An Academic Building Boom Transforms the Persian Gulf Western universities find opportunities as 3 Arab emirates strive to outdo one another By ZVIKA KRIEGER Dubai, United Arab Emirates The tiny desert emirate

Slow-moving mail

2008-04-11T15:18:00.002+09:00

On April the 8th, two envelopes from the States found their way to my desk at Cornell. One was postmarked March the 20th. Which is reasonable. The other, though, took a holiday on its way to Doha. It left the starting post office on January the 9th, and stopped in an uncountable number of places-- presumably to take in the sights, the sun, local food, and so on. Tiring of its journey, the

100th dive

2008-04-06T01:12:00.004+09:00

On the auspicious (?) occasion of my 100th dive today, I will share some photos and ruminate on what I've accomplished so far.Friday I dived Old Club Reef. As I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with my camera (it's like it freezes up underwater), I took it down to play with it some more. Originally I thought the housing was bad; however, now I'm wondering if the computer in the camera isn't

Egg-frying weather

2008-03-28T18:22:00.002+09:00

So just how hot is it in Doha now? Well, this morning, on my way home from kendo practice (explanation to follow shortly), I decided to call into City Center to get some croissants before the market closed. (In Qatar, supermarkets are open Friday morning from roughly 8 until roughly 11.30, but then close for an hour or two for Friday Mosque, then open back up)I purchased a package of croissants

Qatarshire Amusements

2008-03-17T19:27:00.003+09:00

The Qatari government has been automating services recently, where you can do quite a few things online. Where this becomes important is traffic violations. If you try to exit Qatar, and you have any outstanding traffic tickets, you can't leave the country until you've paid your fines. I think they've set up a kiosk at the airport so you can comply, but I've not seen it before.So today we were

Gulf Times Strikes Again

2008-03-15T18:53:00.005+09:00

As I've said before, reading the newspaper is a daily adventure. Some days are duller than others, but then days like this last Thursday come around.Highlights from Thursday's Gulf Times:1. Flowers-- apparently stopping traffic on a busy street to hand out flowers isn't a hazard. Nor is the admiring smells/looks of the drivers while careening down the street at 80 km/hr (mobile in other hand

Research Programme

2008-03-10T22:56:00.000+09:00

QF spells out focus areas of its research programmePublished: Monday, 10 March, 2008, 01:32 AM Doha Time Abdelali Haoudi ... pursuit of excellenceStaff ReporterTHE research agenda of Qatar Foundation (QF) would focus on the themes of biomedicine and biotechnology, energy and environmental sciences, computational sciences, and nanotechnology, vice-president (research), Abdelali Haoudi said

Big News Day

2008-03-10T22:53:00.002+09:00

Today two new developments were publicized in the Gulf Times which will greatly impact WCMC-Q. The research startup means that Delib will be moving in an entirely new direction. It's exciting, yet overwhelming.Sidra clinical care facility set to open in November 2011Published: Monday, 10 March, 2008, 01:32 AM Doha Time Daniel Bergin ... providing world-class medical careStaff

Origami Outreach Program

2008-03-07T15:24:00.002+09:00

Yesterday we had an all-staff meeting (in the fancy board room, with the Dr. Evil-style chairs but no lava pit, none the less), where our acquisitions assistant admonished us for having wanted to order 45 tablets of paper for 8 people. (Okay, so maybe we *did* get carried away a bit, and only should have requested 44). My manager's remark to me: "I guess we'll have to put our origami outreach

My New Car

2008-02-22T01:33:00.003+09:00

After nearly a month of one headache following the next, my bank loan was finally processed, and I got my car. I purchased a 2004 GMC Envoy (affectionately referred to as 'the tank' by some) from my co-worker. It is extremely cheap to drive an SUV here, not just because of the cheap petrol but also the insurance. In Qatar, you insure the vehicle, not the driver. For one year of comprehensive

In Oil-Rich Mideast, Shades of the Ivy League

2008-02-12T01:42:00.000+09:00

This is an article about Education City, featured on the front page of the New York Times on February 11, 2008. To go to the article, click on the title of this post In Oil-Rich Mideast, Shades of the Ivy LeagueTAMAR LEWIN Published: February 11, 2008 DOHA, Qatar — On a hot October evening, hundreds of families flocked to the sumptuous Ritz

Inflation

2008-02-09T02:26:00.001+09:00

(Photo from the weekly Carrefour circularInflation, though, is also aggravated by the recent food shortages we've had. I'm not talking luxury goods such as salmon, but basics such as eggs and flour. When I came in September, I could spend maybe QAR150-160 (roughly USD$40-50) a week on groceries. I wasn't purchasing exotic things, or even including a lot of meat since I don't eat it so often,

Donut Chit Scalping

2008-02-02T14:33:00.000+09:00

I found this kind of funny. Krispy Kreme, the donut chain, opened its first store in Doha last night. It has been highly publicized for about a month in both English and Arabic, and towards the opening date you could see the KK trucks on the road. So anyway, their big promotion was that the first 25 people in line would get a dozen free donuts a week for a year, and the next 25 people would get

More Winter

2008-02-01T18:08:00.003+09:00

Winter has returned to Doha again. This week we had been enjoying daytime temperatures of 22 or so, but last night a cold front moved in. Today we are having sandstorms. I am watching several light poles swinging in the wind, and wondering just how well-attached they are to the ground.

It was a very good year...

2008-01-31T23:59:00.000+09:00

For today's post, I'll relate an anecdote from my workplace.My co-worker, whom I shall refer to as 'S', was looking at the annual ALA conference dates. ALA stands for the American Library Association, and their huge annual conference is in Anaheim, California, in June. So S was checking the dates, as she wants to attend ALA. However, in referring to her calendar, she kept seeing that the dates

Formula One Racing and No Road Closures

2008-01-30T15:19:00.000+09:00

We got this announcement from Qatar Foundation yesterday, and it made a few members of the Delib staff laugh. Gates 1 and 2, incidentally, are the main gates from which we enter/exit Education City. Most people also coincidentally finish work between these times. Quite a few places close roads during Formula car races. Quite a few, though, apparently does not include Doha. What I find even

IATUL 2008

2008-01-30T15:04:00.000+09:00

My latest excitement is that I get to go to Auckland, New Zealand for a conference in April. As part of my job, I get one education leave a year to go to a conference. The one exception is that typically things which are happening in the Gulf Region don't count toward your education leave. We had a Millennium (http://www.iii.com) conference in December in Doha, which was good to attend. (

Mobile Phone Salesman

2008-01-29T02:47:00.000+09:00

This is extremely cool...