MIA

Ok, I promised I'd fill you in on the shitty stuff that happened in my life recently, but I don't feel the need to depress anyone - let's just leave it at when I'm unhappy, I don't blog so well :-(

April to June wasn't the most fun time of my life. But it's over. So let's not dwell on it!

Happy Pam.

Fusion Life

I am loving being back at the B&B. I am in the funkiest room ever, and have managed to put my own personal touches here and there on the room, so it actually looks like I live there. Yes, I had to move out of my last villa. Yes, the people there were twits. No, I am not horrid to live with, I just have a social life which was frowned upon.

We are having a wine and food tasting (at home!) on Tuesday night - the bonus of the B&B owners (Pete and Stacey) opening a restaurant soon, is that we get to test the chef/dishes - as often as we like - and the wines that they will have in the restaurant. Yay!

I will be doing their social networking for them as well - doesn't that sound smart - actually just creating and updating their Facebook page and Twitter accounts as and when I can. Once I get my Blackberry, this will be a lot easier, as I can do it anywhere, anytime.

I am also in the process of starting to date again. I say this like I stopped dating for a while, which technically, I guess I did. After the last fiasco in Dubai/Doha/Dubai I needed a time out. I have also figured out I need to spend time with people that care more about me than the last 3 guys I dated (as in, actually spent longer than a few hours on a first date with) did.

So. I will fill you in on my dinner with Michael (tomorrow night) and my drinks with Andrew (Saturday night) next week :-)

Back in Dubai

I'm sitting in a studio in Al Quoz, preparing for a shoot for the Ramadan campaign for Sharjah City Centre. It is so much more fun than being in the office! This is now my third shoot for TBWA (including a 5 day trip to Beirut!), the agency I joined when I moved back to Dubai nearly 3 months ago.

It's been fab being back. I had no idea how much I missed the people and the lifestyle here. Of course paying off my debt is a little harder here than in Doha :-) but I am managing ok. I have a 'brand new pre-loved' Mini Cooper Sport and am about to move into one of my favourite places in Dubai - Fusion.

Nice!

I'll catch you up on the shitty things that have happened since being back another time.

Blogging again

I am blogging again. Mainly because I have been asked to blog for a friend's restaurant, opening soon, so have decided I will do both. Long may it last!

Stay tuned...

Happy St Paddy's Day!

I don't have anything to report, except an astonishing lack of progress on my residency, my shipping, and my friend coming over to visit. So I'm grumpy today. Thankfully it's St Paddy's Day so I am going to drink delicious beer, and then head home to bed.

Conservative party

Qatar is way more conservative than Dubai! Uncovered shoulders, while not illegal, is frowned upon, and the stares are unbelievable. The same goes for showing your knees! Even covered up relatively modestly, I get hooted at walking down the street. It's quite intimidating!

Bars are still pretty casual, and the expats still run around in next to nothing ;-)

I am getting a diplomatic visa, so I can travel throughout the GCC without a visa - what a bonus, although pretty sure they will end up regretting giving me diplomatic anything!

Hoping to be opening our Dubai office in 6 months, so I can go back! Missing everyone loads. Thank god for my mad housemates here ;-)

The work the work the work

Nothing here at DDB could be further from the mantra of Network BBDO where I used to work. The work the work the work. I have a tough job ahead of me. No-one here places any value in the work, except the management, which anywhere else would be enough, but not here!

Watch this space. I am banging my head against a wall gently already..

I hate dust storms (Shamals)

We have been in the middle of a Shamal for 2 days now. This wouldn't be so bad except I had to walk to the bank yesterday - thankfully because I got paid, even though it was only half a salary - and some uber-intelligent builders knocked through our dining room wall to put doors in.

While this sounds really nice, and it will be great once it's done, they didn't cover any furniture, and they actually didn't get any further than knocking the hole in the wall, before leaving for the day! All the sand in Doha is now in our villa...

But they filled our pool up so am definitely tanning this weekend!

I have booked my trip to SA for Easter, via Dubai, so am really excited about seeing friends, and family again. Hoping to have some visitors here soon too! My shipping should arrive Sunday so am open for business from 12 March ;-)

United Colours of Benetton

Just a quick breakdown of the nationalities in my office:

We have 2 Canadians, 2 South Africans, a Belgian, 3 Filipinos, 2 Indians, 3 Lebanese, a Chinese, a Pakistani, 2 Moroccans, 1 Algerian and an Egyptian.

How cool is that!

Routines

So I'm on week 2 and have already settled back into a routine. I start work (pics of office attached) at 9am so my alarm goes of at 7.30am. If I am not already awake thanks to construction (weekends only it seems), or to Oscar (the brown bird that sits on my windowsill and sings merrily, then I hit snooze twice.

7.50am downstairs to turn on the TV - Skynews, and the kettle - English Breakfast tea. Then, 15 minute shower, with the windows open - ok, let me explain, my shower in Dubai ran out of hot water in 5 minutes flat, and my bathroom had no windows, so this is a novelty!

Get dressed, made up, deodorised and downstairs to make lunch (tuna or turkey and cheese wrap with salad), and then sit down for 8.30am news round up with my yoghurt - Activia Laban, and my fruit of the day - usually banana.

8.40am Rashid arrives. Or any other fella he has convinced to come 'all the way to our villa, which is miles out of town'. 9am I arrive at work, having battled traffic, so you can tell 'we are miles out of town'. NOT!

6pm (officially, although last night was 8.30pm) someone fetches me and take me home, or to the Family Food Centre for groceries, and then home. Then lots of gossip with Richard, Liam and Angelo (Eva is away all the time!). Dinner (meat and veggies) and then movies or football if it's on and bed.

What fun!

No news on my shipping, damnit, am already bored of the clothes I packed, and my one pillow and sheet ;-(

Another desert, same construction

I was woken up at 6am by jackhammers outside my window. Some things never change in the Middle East!

So I have some pics of my night last night - the Dohaians are mad ;-) Went down to the rugby club and there was some sort of horse racing event going on. Not actual horse racing, apparently drinking games!

Anyway, obviously they had to dress up for these, so we got some shots of them! The others in the pic are Fergal (Richard's mate) and Richard, one of my housemates.

Everyone here is very friendly and it seems a lot more community minded than Dubai. Probably because it's a lot smaller! My landlord is excruciatingly painful. Possibly just because he's lonely, but his heart is in the right placer so we tolerate him ;-) He keeps 'popping in' because he's in he area, and then sits around for ages expecting us to entertain him!

I won't put up pics of the villa until my things arrive. It just looks a little sad and empty, and I don't want people feeling sorry for me ;-)

I miss my wonderful friends. All the time. But I am making new ones at a rapid rate, which is fun!

More next week, I promise.

94 days later

I'm back. I have had a crappy 3 months and while it's no excuse not to be blogging, it really got to a point where I was boring myself, so I'm kinda glad I didn't put you through it! And if I did anyway, through various other cyber mediums, thanks for putting up with me!

I started a(nother) new job on Sunday. Creative Services Director for DDB Doha. Super exciting position, and good money considering we are in a credit crunch! Moved here on Saturday and have not had time to do photos etc so will get onto that this weekend, and post another post as soon as Friday - don't fall over!

I am staying with 4 other expats in an enormous villa, which is affordable and I pay month to month so it will do for now. I think I'm over living with more than one other person, but it's a good way to meet people in a new country... I am going home for Easter, which is fab as I haven't been for 18 months!

More about the office, villa, new friends on the weekend when I have pics!

P