for non uk residents darran has been a major anchor of uk news for ten or so years, its like looking over your shoulder and seeing larry king.
i didnt realise they had poached him, this is so cool, main rank bbc presenters defecting!
Saturday, November 11, 2006
just had my first freaky newsroom experience, i hear this voice that i recognise over my sholder, but im in the middle of doing something, so dont look over, but again i hear this voice, so i finish doing what im doing and low and behold its darran jordan sat behind me:
for non uk residents darran has been a major anchor of uk news for ten or so years, its like looking over your shoulder and seeing larry king.
i didnt realise they had poached him, this is so cool, main rank bbc presenters defecting!
for non uk residents darran has been a major anchor of uk news for ten or so years, its like looking over your shoulder and seeing larry king.
i didnt realise they had poached him, this is so cool, main rank bbc presenters defecting!
going out in doha
More and more im coming to the conclusion that hotel bar owners and managers have seen lost in translation, every bar has a mediocre covers band (that range from passable & not irritating to OMG how poore ate theese guys to i really want to jam this cocktail stick down my ear canal to destroy my own ears) last night they were of the former rather than latter, with passable midi genorated renditions of dire strates romeo & juliette to olivia newton-john xanadu!
everywhere thats nice is discreet and anonomous usualy based in a hotel usually on an upper floor with a name like 'the libary' or 'the mercure' timk bill murry drinking santori, there filled with profesional travelers or professional workers seeking a quiet drink away from the brothel like feel of other more seedy venues (in this case 10 floors down at a bar called sharazad- a sleezy bar come pub filled with fat middle aged oil workers sleezing onto anything with a skirt). i went to the libary with a few techs & tech mangers and 2 of the makeup ladies from the station because i needed a drink i was dog tired and fed up.
i had a fantastic couple of conversations with people i had breifly met before but never really chatted to, im amazed by the nature of the people i work with, everyone has travled extensivly either professionaly or through their childhood, and everyone has amazing stories to tell, on that level im lucky, but theese people i share my life with for the next two years will play an increacing part in my life, professional kiwis, ozzies, brits, sri lanken.
More and more im coming to the conclusion that hotel bar owners and managers have seen lost in translation, every bar has a mediocre covers band (that range from passable & not irritating to OMG how poore ate theese guys to i really want to jam this cocktail stick down my ear canal to destroy my own ears) last night they were of the former rather than latter, with passable midi genorated renditions of dire strates romeo & juliette to olivia newton-john xanadu!
everywhere thats nice is discreet and anonomous usualy based in a hotel usually on an upper floor with a name like 'the libary' or 'the mercure' timk bill murry drinking santori, there filled with profesional travelers or professional workers seeking a quiet drink away from the brothel like feel of other more seedy venues (in this case 10 floors down at a bar called sharazad- a sleezy bar come pub filled with fat middle aged oil workers sleezing onto anything with a skirt). i went to the libary with a few techs & tech mangers and 2 of the makeup ladies from the station because i needed a drink i was dog tired and fed up.
i had a fantastic couple of conversations with people i had breifly met before but never really chatted to, im amazed by the nature of the people i work with, everyone has travled extensivly either professionaly or through their childhood, and everyone has amazing stories to tell, on that level im lucky, but theese people i share my life with for the next two years will play an increacing part in my life, professional kiwis, ozzies, brits, sri lanken.
Friday, November 10, 2006
i feel cheered up despite my sleep deprived addled brain 29hrs in 48 , 2 things 1) im going for a beer after work! 2) and the most important, my very good friend kathrin sent me an email, i miss her teribly. i miss all my friends, im missing a lot about london, my little flat on the southbank, the culture, the art, the tate modern, the NFT, the ROh, even god forbid the pubs. i dont know why but im feeling a little homesick at the moment and dont have anyone really to share my feelings with (its probably the lack of sleep) i will knock up mr taylor for a session after launch until then im locked
when asked recently on a forum i visit on a regular basis about policemen on roundabouts having sticks and whistles like they do in cairo si responded ""sadly no, the traffic police seem to just stand and watch traffic accidents here.
however the tv stations police guards do tote an amazing amount of weaponry - i do feel safer if only because of the recent uncovering of bush & blairs bombing plans during Gulf WarII""
today i have seen
an mp5k
sig 551
Franchi SPAS-12
and the hand gun of choice
the walther p990
however the tv stations police guards do tote an amazing amount of weaponry - i do feel safer if only because of the recent uncovering of bush & blairs bombing plans during Gulf WarII""
today i have seen
an mp5k sig 551 Franchi SPAS-12 and the hand gun of choice
the walther p990--------------------
Blog of my desert adventure: http://mandesert.blogspot.com/
'Some men can swing by their heels on the flying trapeze. Some men can become president of the republic. I can drink Calvados'
Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de (Moulan Rouge 1952)
'Some men can swing by their heels on the flying trapeze. Some men can become president of the republic. I can drink Calvados'
Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de (Moulan Rouge 1952)
Thursday, November 09, 2006
well some cheery news from the bloggosphere - no my shipping hasnt miraculously turned up
but im 4th in the google rankings if you google "pie for dinner" http://www.google.com/search?q=pie%20for%20dinner&hl=en&lr=&start=40&sa=N and someone found the blog that way!!!!
whoop big up the pie goodness
other exciting news: my readership is growing, and in some strange places too.
last 40 breakdown includes
Qatar Doha, Ad Dawhah 2 United States Sugar Land, Texas 3 Qatar Doha, Ad Dawhah 4 United Kingdom London, Lambeth 5 United Kingdom Camden Town, Camden 6 United Kingdom Horton Kirby, Bexley 7 United Kingdom British, Antrim 8 Qatar Doha, Ad Dawhah 9 United Kingdom Camden Town, Camden 10 Qatar Doha, Ad Dawhah 11 United Kingdom Horton Kirby, Bexley 12 United Kingdom Camden Town, Camden 13 United Kingdom Camden Town, Camden 14 United Kingdom London, Lambeth 15 United Kingdom London, Lambeth 16 United States Tucson, Arizona 17 United Kingdom Horton Kirby, Bexley 18 United Kingdom British, Antrim 19 United Kingdom Camden Town, Camden 20 United Kingdom British, Antrim 21 Saudi Arabia Riyadh, Ar Riyad 22 United Kingdom 23 Japan Wadahommachi, Tokyo 24 United Kingdom Wandsworth 25 United Kingdom London, Lambeth 26 United Kingdom Horton Kirby, Bexley 27 Qatar Doha, Ad Dawhah 28 United Kingdom Silvertown, Newham 29 Qatar Doha, Ad Dawhah 30 Qatar Doha, Ad Dawhah 31 United Kingdom Camden Town, Camden 32 United Kingdom Camden Town, Camden 33 Qatar Doha, Ad Dawhah 34 Qatar Doha, Ad Dawhah 35 Qatar Doha, Ad Dawhah 36 United Kingdom London, Lambeth 37 United Kingdom London, Lambeth 38 United Kingdom Camden Town, Camden 39 United Kingdom London, Lambeth 40 United Kingdom Milton Keynes
well its 7.30local here at the time of writing the schedule for launch is firming up, as i think i mentioned yesterday im the only one covering morning of the launch from the MM team, this is fine with me.
just found out that my shipping has not cleared customs but has just been lost, apparently there are 147 people from my agency alone, and many others from other agencys are in exactly the same state, to me this doesent bode well, how do you loose half a warehouse of stuff?
other than that finaly got to talk to the people incharge at amerex and have confirmed i need neither a pobox nor a RP to open an account. so much for the clerk at the counter. i shall endever to open one on monday or tuesday next week, then i may be able to get post in this desert town even if it has to go via the US or UK, also means i can buy stuff from amazon, and other online stores and finaly get some proppah culture,
first on the list is going to be Mr Punch by Neil Gaiman (
), after being inspired by mirrormask dvd lastnight (
) - best quote on the back of the box - It’s like Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast... on acid... for kids, i honestly was blown away, those of you who know me know of my love of the theatrical & burlesque & The bizzarre, and how im the only person in the world who likes the movie 'the cell' its dark, over dramatic, theatrical, epic in scope, slightly fantastic, with great lighting, SFX & imagination the likes holywood has never seen. its like a Jean-Pierre Jeunet film without the unnessecary moral element with the fantasy turned up to 11 and its for kids!
on other notes, we are officialy no longer called aljazeera international but aljazeera english - why i dont know esp now after after the press release anouncing launch, another thing i will chalk up to upper management.
just found out that my shipping has not cleared customs but has just been lost, apparently there are 147 people from my agency alone, and many others from other agencys are in exactly the same state, to me this doesent bode well, how do you loose half a warehouse of stuff?
other than that finaly got to talk to the people incharge at amerex and have confirmed i need neither a pobox nor a RP to open an account. so much for the clerk at the counter. i shall endever to open one on monday or tuesday next week, then i may be able to get post in this desert town even if it has to go via the US or UK, also means i can buy stuff from amazon, and other online stores and finaly get some proppah culture,
first on the list is going to be Mr Punch by Neil Gaiman (
), after being inspired by mirrormask dvd lastnight () - best quote on the back of the box - It’s like Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast... on acid... for kids, i honestly was blown away, those of you who know me know of my love of the theatrical & burlesque & The bizzarre, and how im the only person in the world who likes the movie 'the cell' its dark, over dramatic, theatrical, epic in scope, slightly fantastic, with great lighting, SFX & imagination the likes holywood has never seen. its like a Jean-Pierre Jeunet film without the unnessecary moral element with the fantasy turned up to 11 and its for kids!on other notes, we are officialy no longer called aljazeera international but aljazeera english - why i dont know esp now after after the press release anouncing launch, another thing i will chalk up to upper management.
well, another day off, didnt do much today, slept late, hit the gym for about about lunchtime, read some, watched a great film, heard great reviews of it in the past 'osama' dir siddq barmak - the first film shot since the rize and fall of the taliban, a story about a 12 y/o girl who is disguised as a boy to help feed her family who is then abducted into a taliban training school, with an ending that is dark as night. watch it, its in persian but the dvd has subtitles. other than that did washing and ironing, as it was piling up.
trying to get as much rest on my days off as i can as launch is approaching rapidly - 6 days to go, and i think were going to be all hands to the pump at launch (i can see a few sleepless nights), eek! looks like im the only one rostered on shift on the morning that we launch, but others have said they will be there. add to that the madness that is the asian games (latest roumer is there shutting the crossroads outside our compund to make access to the stadiums easier for officails and athleets- its going to make getting to and from work fun - given that vehicle access passes can be assigned to one vehicle only and im wholy reliant on cabs.
)
on other notes, tell me what you think. there is a girl at work who gets hot and flustered when ever i talk to her (we dont speek that often as she works on a different floor & we work different shift patterns) first time we met i felt a spark, she seems intersting of the 5mins ive talked to her, my gut says she is hot for me and she is also my type intelectual glasses & short hair, so im fairly sure i should ask her out, so here comes the moral teaser for you folks, ive allways made it a policy (thats the wrong word i know, but i cant think of the right one) not to date anyone at work both for the working of the team environment, and to protect the downside of what happens when it (perhaps inevitabley) goes wrong i hear cries of anguish from you dear reader but in this environment here its maybe even more critical i work with, exclusivly socialise & live with theese people. there too are legal concequences, its illegal to date in doha young people have been prosecuted for holding hands in public,its certainly illegal to have unmarried sex in this country with punishment being 40 lashes and a prison sentance - im told they turn a blind eye to westerners but breaking the law is breaking the law. so your 2cents(us/canada) or your tuppance(UK), 2 dirams(Local equivelent) is strongly requested.
trying to get as much rest on my days off as i can as launch is approaching rapidly - 6 days to go, and i think were going to be all hands to the pump at launch (i can see a few sleepless nights), eek! looks like im the only one rostered on shift on the morning that we launch, but others have said they will be there. add to that the madness that is the asian games (latest roumer is there shutting the crossroads outside our compund to make access to the stadiums easier for officails and athleets- its going to make getting to and from work fun - given that vehicle access passes can be assigned to one vehicle only and im wholy reliant on cabs.
)
on other notes, tell me what you think. there is a girl at work who gets hot and flustered when ever i talk to her (we dont speek that often as she works on a different floor & we work different shift patterns) first time we met i felt a spark, she seems intersting of the 5mins ive talked to her, my gut says she is hot for me and she is also my type intelectual glasses & short hair, so im fairly sure i should ask her out, so here comes the moral teaser for you folks, ive allways made it a policy (thats the wrong word i know, but i cant think of the right one) not to date anyone at work both for the working of the team environment, and to protect the downside of what happens when it (perhaps inevitabley) goes wrong i hear cries of anguish from you dear reader but in this environment here its maybe even more critical i work with, exclusivly socialise & live with theese people. there too are legal concequences, its illegal to date in doha young people have been prosecuted for holding hands in public,its certainly illegal to have unmarried sex in this country with punishment being 40 lashes and a prison sentance - im told they turn a blind eye to westerners but breaking the law is breaking the law. so your 2cents(us/canada) or your tuppance(UK), 2 dirams(Local equivelent) is strongly requested.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
8 days to launch, 2 days off, no further on with any beaurocuracy.
morning AJI - quiet, relaxed vibe, however the newsroom smells of impact adhesive as some one has decided that its imperitave that sound insulation is added - why>???? and why install it when everyone is working - anyway im getting high from the fumes.
2 days off accjeived two things from the list of 5 imperitave things that i had to do : i went food shopping & i got to the bookstore, the two least critical jobs.
i failed on the 3 other jobs because of:
1)i cant rent a car as i dont have a qatari driving licence - which i cant get till i get my residency permit - apparently uk/australian driving licences only count for 6 days after arrival (WTF??? if its valid in nepal i dont see why one wouldnt work here? and from what ive heard local qataris dont even take a test to get a licence) this is presenting a major issue as i need to get a car before the asian games (not to mention that ive been messed around 3 times in the last 2 days by taxis) becaus all local taxis (karwa) will not be avalible for hire to anyone except games contestants & officials, which means the local limo services will be even more overstretched than they are already. so i have everything Crossed that the RP comes through quickly (inshalla 2 weeks) so i can then quickly convert my uk licence (supposedly a 2day process) so i can get a car b4 the games start.
the other good news regarding the games is that there shutting both roads that lead to my house to 'better conveniance athleets and officials' how about better conveniencing me by allowing me to get to my house.
2)i need a residency and a local post box (for which i require a RP) b4 i can open an aramex shop & ship account which would be a lifeline to culture.
3) the local shipping agent have lost my stuff (apparently its cleared now??) but they cant find it as the location given to them by customs is empty - im going to be REALLY Hacked off if i find that they really have lost it or its been halfinched.
the bookstore is less of a bookstore more a computer accessories, toyshop & art supply store than a bookstore, the fiction section (one halfheight row well stocked with all the back catalogue of john grisham, tom clancy danielle steel & probably every mills and boone ever published) sadly lacking in anything vaguley readable, looks like i will go slowly illiterate or learn the 4 books i have with me by heart, its now the 3rd time ive read the forever war its good, but not the book you need to read 4times.
a good friend kiwi lisa, had her birthday on monday, went for dinner at the mercure felt like a pub, also had some good nosh, hit the souks with lisa & colm in the evening and had a blast.
went for a long run & cycle lastnight it felt good.
morning AJI - quiet, relaxed vibe, however the newsroom smells of impact adhesive as some one has decided that its imperitave that sound insulation is added - why>???? and why install it when everyone is working - anyway im getting high from the fumes.
2 days off accjeived two things from the list of 5 imperitave things that i had to do : i went food shopping & i got to the bookstore, the two least critical jobs.
i failed on the 3 other jobs because of:
1)i cant rent a car as i dont have a qatari driving licence - which i cant get till i get my residency permit - apparently uk/australian driving licences only count for 6 days after arrival (WTF??? if its valid in nepal i dont see why one wouldnt work here? and from what ive heard local qataris dont even take a test to get a licence) this is presenting a major issue as i need to get a car before the asian games (not to mention that ive been messed around 3 times in the last 2 days by taxis) becaus all local taxis (karwa) will not be avalible for hire to anyone except games contestants & officials, which means the local limo services will be even more overstretched than they are already. so i have everything Crossed that the RP comes through quickly (inshalla 2 weeks) so i can then quickly convert my uk licence (supposedly a 2day process) so i can get a car b4 the games start.
the other good news regarding the games is that there shutting both roads that lead to my house to 'better conveniance athleets and officials' how about better conveniencing me by allowing me to get to my house.
2)i need a residency and a local post box (for which i require a RP) b4 i can open an aramex shop & ship account which would be a lifeline to culture.
3) the local shipping agent have lost my stuff (apparently its cleared now??) but they cant find it as the location given to them by customs is empty - im going to be REALLY Hacked off if i find that they really have lost it or its been halfinched.
the bookstore is less of a bookstore more a computer accessories, toyshop & art supply store than a bookstore, the fiction section (one halfheight row well stocked with all the back catalogue of john grisham, tom clancy danielle steel & probably every mills and boone ever published) sadly lacking in anything vaguley readable, looks like i will go slowly illiterate or learn the 4 books i have with me by heart, its now the 3rd time ive read the forever war its good, but not the book you need to read 4times.
a good friend kiwi lisa, had her birthday on monday, went for dinner at the mercure felt like a pub, also had some good nosh, hit the souks with lisa & colm in the evening and had a blast.
went for a long run & cycle lastnight it felt good.
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