I thought I would do a quick update after the weekend. Actually, I’m already on day 2 of the workweek, even though it’s only Monday. I think I’m going to like it. It’s kinda like the workweek ends early every week and it wasn’t that bad coming in on Sunday. Anyway, the update. After the photo extravaganza day on Friday, I made my way up one flight of stairs to the Doha Poker Tour Tournament. Although I’ve only played poker once or twice (and not for money), I thought it would be fun to play. I grudgingly handed over my 100 Riyal entry fee (About $33 Cnd) and made a big deal about "giving my money away". There were 10 of us playing—8 guys and me and Bailey. One of the guys was trash talking all ... read more

It’s no secret that Qatar is a very, very rich country. I think I heard that it’s the richest country in the world per capita. This is evidenced by the lack of coinage. Seriously. There is no change. Rather than give change, grocery stores, for instance, will give you back single packages of chicklets. Can you believe that? Although the locals here are beyond rich, there is still a very large disparity between the classes. The classes being locals and non-western ex-pats, namely Indians and Philipinos. Again, it’s only what I’ve heard, but supposedly it’s legislated that these groups are not allowed to receive more than 600 Qatari Riyals per month—that’s only $200 Cnd.! I think this is going to be an issue that I’m not going to able to get over while I’m here. I ... read more

Hello from the land of the rooster and marble! Oh yes, that's right, I said rooster and marble. An odd combination, yes, but these are the two points of highlight thus far in my new home. Let's back it up a bit and start with the trip over. The flight was a wee bit long, but I slept most of the way, so it was all good. However, I experienced the "Susan Syndrome" (sorry, cuz!) and had the puffiest feet in the world getting off the 9 1/2 hour flight from Calgary to Frankfurt. It was a struggle to put my shoes on! Luckily, I found the most comfy airport chairs around to rest my poor soles. These were full lounge chairs--they were amazing. However, as I didn't have a watch or an alarm, I couldn't ... read more

I can't believe that I'll be heading to Doha, Qatar a month tomorrow! Throw a birthday, Christmas, New Year's, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and Vegas in there and the time is going to fly by! Currently, I'm desperately trying to get everything packed up, so I can hand over my place to my new tenant on January 1st. I really do despise moving, although I love adventure, so I'm conflicted since adventure usually means packing and moving. Poor me, huh? This is my 7th move in 5 years though, so that's why I complain. I try to go on a big purgefest every time I move, but I seem to continue to amass bags and bags of junk. I just threw out three garbage bags of trash, three boxes of paper (don't worry, I recycled), and I ... read more