As usual, Thursday at work ended on a hectic note. An early morning meeting and a report due and thrown together up until the last possible minute. I made it to the airport with very little traffic, and once again took the daily United flight to Dubai. We were delayed and sat on the taxiway for almost an hour, meaning I watched almost all of Pirates of the Carribbean on the "short" flight. I finally decided to get my egate - of course, there were no lines at customs but I made myself go through with it. Egate means that when I fly through Dubai, I can access a shorter customs process with an access card and my thumbpring. Woohoo! No more lines! Friday, I slept in a bit then went to the Mall of the ... read more

Like many of my blogs in Qatar, this has to do with the driving. Positives and negatives. Negatives. These people are the most aggressive drivers I've ever come across. I have had people beeping and flashing their lights behind me when we are in bumper to bumper traffic waiting for the lights to change - what the heck do they want me to do???? It is complete and utter insanity, which gives me new respect for police officers in the US. These people can so easily cause an accident and they really don't care. They pass on the shoulders, in between lanes, ride your bumper until you move no matter how busy traffic is... Roundabouts? Frightening at times! Most roundabouts are at least two lanes wide and most are three - apparently you can be in ... read more

After this week's issues with ordering foods, I stocked up on some healthier options that I can use at my own bare-bones hotel room. I have a fridge and a kettle - limited options but I am making do. Still no sign of a slow cooker anywhere... :( It has not been my favorite last few days, but I think it is mostly because I'm getting a little stir crazy in a one room hotel room where the only thing to do is mess around on the internet, which doesn't even work half the time. I miss cooking. So, I prepared my lunches for the week as well as easy snacks for the rest. I can munch on those for a while, right? I just had a giant steak delivered from Applebee's so I'm set on ... read more

Saturday was round two of the Sevens and it was a gorgeous day out. We sat in the same area as the previous evening and drank some more heinekins. It was even more crowded - whether that was due to the weather, the fact that it was more dramatic games or a mixture of both I don't know. I think the sun wore me out because I left soon after sunset on my own. Someone put their foot down and the buses were nice and organized this time - I walked to the JLT line, was directed to one of the staggered buses, boarded a full, but not packed bus and after a ten minute wait we were on our way. As soon as I got home, I was out. Sam came home a little later ... read more

Well, the day has ended just like it began – frustrating. Travelblog is down and it is already passed my bedtime, so I’m writing this on word to copy in later so I don’t forget everything. I had an early morning weekly meeting at 7:30 with our big client for my big project. I thought I would be going myself but I got a text from my boss who met me there. He hasn’t been involved in the project but he is definitely good at laying out the facts and making the client happy at the same time – a rare talent. We were out in 25 minutes, as opposed to the hour they usually keep the other meetings. So, it went quite well, only I was upset before for some reason, I could not say ... read more