Dear Friends,
As I head towards the finishing line, I take a moment to trot down amnesia lane...so, before I say farewell to all my comrades, some thoughts (certainly not the last ones) to share with my fans and followers.
Eat, Work, Play:
Eat - I quite enjoyed the communal makan (eating) sessions. Food always taste better and goes down well when you have good friends to share it with. From the rather posh (W Hotel, Inter Continental) to fast food cum food court fare (Sushi Minto, Butcher's Grill, Applebee's, TGIFs, Bhukari, Marmara, Turkey Central, etc.), there's a meal for everyone. But of all the foods that Doha has to offer, and being Asian (and loving all things hot & spicy), I have to make special mention of a few places that kept my palette going. My top 10 favourites are:
1. Thai Snack (great one meal dish off the menu but too much MSG)
2. Sentral (big Friday hit in an area I like to describe as the "war zone")
3. Restaurant Jarkarta (recently opened, and has good take-aways of tempe, Indonesian snacks, etc. The Bakso is very good)!
4. Wok & Walk (I thank my colleague for finding this gem of a szechuan place, opp. the Qatar National Library @Sana R/A, and the cook is CHINESE!!!)
5. Asian Noodles (more upmarket, in City Centre. The char kway teow is quite good).
6. Taste of Asia (a hot & stuffy cafe near the airport where you can get your "fix" for roti canai and curry)
7. Lagenda cafe (good malaysian fare @Holiday Villa, aka the "Titanic"). Good cuppa teh tarik!
8. Chopstix (also @the Titanic; good selection of chinese fare and the cook is a Malaysian)
9. Beijing Restaurant (just opposite Ramada Hotel. Really good roast duck)
10. Chowking (mix of Filipino and Chinese; food is reasonably priced and the crispy chicken is finger lickin' good).
Work - .......hmmmmm......I have some nice colleagues.........hmmmm.....................but seriously, working conditions are reasonable. You start early (730am) and finish off by the afternoon (330pm), and during the Ramadhan season, working hours are shorter with most government offices closing at about noon, or in my case, at about 130pm. Workers with families find that they get to spend much more quality time with their spouses and their children, which may not be the case in Singapore. I think the kids here have a better and all-rounded childhood experience as they are not so pressurised by school work, or under the strain of peer pressure. Then, there's the leave days which is 37 days for me, not counting another 10 public holidays. The salary package is quite attractive and to top it off, it's TAX FREE! Working in Doha is good. While I've laid bare all things nice and sweet, what about the downside of working in Doha? Well, for starters, you have to have loads of patience; the patience to deal with all things that don't quite move as smoothly as you would like them to perform. You have to expect the unexpected and not assume that you will have certain things completed, delivered, or in working order. Why else would you hear people say "Inshallah"? Some things are bound to go wrong. Sometimes you just have to shake your head and laugh it off. It's best not to lose your marbles over such incredulous situations. Working in a company that's like a united nations post can be quite colourful, but at the same time quite clique-ish. My colleague likes to refer to them as the "mafia", where two or more of the same nationality bond together. My colleagues have varied backgrounds and experiences, particularly my arab colleagues who are a good source to providing insights and wisdom into the teachings of the Quran, and of sharing their stories of their homeland, their culture, their philosophy. I shall miss them very much as some of them have been quite inspiring to work with.
Play - my favourite topic, after eating! :0)
We work 8 hours a day, five out of seven, and sitting down in front of the computer screen, in a room with no windows....well, it just sucks the living daylight out of you! To de-stress, the gym and the swim pool are my main outlets of letting off steam. When friends plan an activity, we get out to catch a movie, go for a walk, or do whatever we need to do to get our hearts pumping, perform some mental gymnastics or just plain staying sane. We have to make good use of the 5-6 months of good weather before the heat gets the better of everyone.
Friends have asked: "...are you sad leaving Doha?"
Most certainly! When I look at my photo albums, and read earlier postings in my blog, I can say I have done so many wonderful and adventurous things. Together, we chat about our lives, loves, hopes, dreams, aspirations, be it over a meal, a snack, an ice cream or a coffee. Yes, we also talk about the weather, whether in Doha, Manchester or in Singapore! It's been an amazing journey, and although I leave Doha to return home (no doubt, very happy), I shall be missing the people who have made a great difference in my life. I am truly blessed to have met them all in Doha, and they shall ever remain close to my heart.
So, many cares to all who have followed me on my Qatar sojourn that has lasted for a year and a half, and as the Islamic greeting goes:
“Peace be upon you” - As-Salaamu ‘Alaykoum السلام عليكم
Till we meet again, Mart
8. Chopstix (also @the Titanic; good selection of chinese fare and the cook is a Malaysian)
9. Beijing Restaurant (just opposite Ramada Hotel. Really good roast duck)
10. Chowking (mix of Filipino and Chinese; food is reasonably priced and the crispy chicken is finger lickin' good).
Work - .......hmmmmm......I have some nice colleagues.........hmmmm.....................but seriously, working conditions are reasonable. You start early (730am) and finish off by the afternoon (330pm), and during the Ramadhan season, working hours are shorter with most government offices closing at about noon, or in my case, at about 130pm. Workers with families find that they get to spend much more quality time with their spouses and their children, which may not be the case in Singapore. I think the kids here have a better and all-rounded childhood experience as they are not so pressurised by school work, or under the strain of peer pressure. Then, there's the leave days which is 37 days for me, not counting another 10 public holidays. The salary package is quite attractive and to top it off, it's TAX FREE! Working in Doha is good. While I've laid bare all things nice and sweet, what about the downside of working in Doha? Well, for starters, you have to have loads of patience; the patience to deal with all things that don't quite move as smoothly as you would like them to perform. You have to expect the unexpected and not assume that you will have certain things completed, delivered, or in working order. Why else would you hear people say "Inshallah"? Some things are bound to go wrong. Sometimes you just have to shake your head and laugh it off. It's best not to lose your marbles over such incredulous situations. Working in a company that's like a united nations post can be quite colourful, but at the same time quite clique-ish. My colleague likes to refer to them as the "mafia", where two or more of the same nationality bond together. My colleagues have varied backgrounds and experiences, particularly my arab colleagues who are a good source to providing insights and wisdom into the teachings of the Quran, and of sharing their stories of their homeland, their culture, their philosophy. I shall miss them very much as some of them have been quite inspiring to work with.
Play - my favourite topic, after eating! :0)
We work 8 hours a day, five out of seven, and sitting down in front of the computer screen, in a room with no windows....well, it just sucks the living daylight out of you! To de-stress, the gym and the swim pool are my main outlets of letting off steam. When friends plan an activity, we get out to catch a movie, go for a walk, or do whatever we need to do to get our hearts pumping, perform some mental gymnastics or just plain staying sane. We have to make good use of the 5-6 months of good weather before the heat gets the better of everyone.
Friends have asked: "...are you sad leaving Doha?"
Most certainly! When I look at my photo albums, and read earlier postings in my blog, I can say I have done so many wonderful and adventurous things. Together, we chat about our lives, loves, hopes, dreams, aspirations, be it over a meal, a snack, an ice cream or a coffee. Yes, we also talk about the weather, whether in Doha, Manchester or in Singapore! It's been an amazing journey, and although I leave Doha to return home (no doubt, very happy), I shall be missing the people who have made a great difference in my life. I am truly blessed to have met them all in Doha, and they shall ever remain close to my heart.
So, many cares to all who have followed me on my Qatar sojourn that has lasted for a year and a half, and as the Islamic greeting goes:
“Peace be upon you” - As-Salaamu ‘Alaykoum السلام عليكم
Till we meet again, Mart
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