The San Juan Blog in Qatar

We're Moving!

2006-07-27T06:17:00.000+03:00

We're actually moving! But it may not be what you think...You can view our new site at...

So add that to your bookmarks cause this is only going to get better. We're moving from here to our own Spot in the World Wide Web.

A Lesson in Getting Driving Lessons

2006-07-24T13:43:00.000+03:00

I went to the Gulf Driving School (behind the Nabina Showroom, Airport Road) on Monday last week. My husband accompanied me but they just stayed in the car. I stepped inside the office at 6:30 pm but they weren’t accepting applications anymore although they’re supposed to be open until 7 pm. But that’s just fine because I actually forgot the documents that I needed. The next day, Tuesday, we came much earlier, before 5 pm. The guy was already processing my application when I told him that I only need to take the half course that is 12 days for QR 620. At first, he told me that everyone takes the whole course, 25 days for QR 1800, then I explained that I already knew how to drive and that I have a Philippine license. After taking a good look at my license, he then said “you go to counter no.1 of the Traffic Department in Madinat Kalifa”, as he was showing me the portion that needed to be signed. Obviously, proceeding there would only be futile as it was already past 5 pm, so we decided to go the next day. Wednesday, we got to the traffic department at 4 pm. Surprisingly, there was only a lady waiting and 2 personnel at the counter. So I thought that it was a good sign and that this could be “it”. I went straight to counter no. 1, gave the guy my documents and my license, then he looked at me and said “you come back tomorrow morning, the person who signs this, is not here”. I wanted to shout “what!!!” but there was nothing I could do. I just had to be back again the next day. My husband and I were so disappointed at how things turned out. Three days of trying to get things done and still nothing was accomplished. I just wished the guy from the driving school had told me about it but that’s just it… they don’t give a damn. We just decided to go to Popeye’s to forget how frustrating the day had been. Thursday, got there at 10 am and by golly there were so many people waiting, most of them guys. First, I had to get a number, I got 191 and counter 1 was just serving 150. I was so worried that I won’t be able to make it before they close again. Luckily, the number skipped 12 numbers up. I guess those guys left and couldn’t wait anymore. Then goes the waiting game… there were not enough seats and no one was gentleman enough to offer me one which is just ok since I didn’t expect any special treatment anyway. In comparison to Saudi, women always get special treatment. We didn’t have to wait in long queues. In Saudi, being a woman can also be an advantage. Anyway, while waiting, there was “smell” everywhere I turned. It’s like someone sprayed a “body odor-scented” body spray or air spray all over the place. Then no one ever said, not even the guy from the driving school that I would need a copy of my license. But fortunately it pays to be observant and I saw the others bringing a photocopy of their license. It’s a good thing that there was photocopying service within the compound so I still had enough time to have mine copied. Then when I came back, I finally got to sit down. There was this man in his forties beside me. He got number 189, when he saw mine was 191, he exchanged with me. I know, it didn’t make that much of difference but I really appreciate his gesture. It was really kind of him to exchange his number with mine. So after 4 days of frustration and waiting, I was able to have my license validated and my paper signed. Then that afternoon I got to finally process my application. Although I still have to wait 45 days to get a schedule for my driving lessons, I’m just so relieved that this waiting game was over and I have yet another one to come.

The Indispensable Balloons

2006-07-24T13:42:00.000+03:00

A month after Xiane’s 3rd birthday, we still have balloons hanging in our living room. It’s not that we’re just lazy to put them away. Who wouldn’t want to get rid of them when they’re just starting to accumulate dust. The real reason: Xiane doesn’t want to part with them yet. But maybe, and I hope we’ll be able to convince her that we have to remove them before her 4th birthday. Well at least we’ll see if the balloons could last that long…

Friends are Hard to Find, True Ones Even Harder

2006-07-24T13:41:00.000+03:00

It is understandable that we don’t know a lot of people yet having been here recently. But who needs a lot of acquaintances when you have a few but true friends. We’ve only met them a few months back but sometimes it feels like you’ve known them forever. We feel comfortable in their presence and they’re always there when you need a hand, or just someone to spend time with. In each meeting, we feel their warm welcome that allows for each of us to learn more about each other. I once heard that we should be wary of the people that we meet here, even of our fellow Filipinos. Someone told me about the back stabbing and back biting that happen among “Filipino friends” here in Qatar, although I know that this is doesn’t happen solely among Pinoys. But I’m just glad that we didn’t have to put up with that. We’re just thankful for having such good friends especially in a place and time when real friends are hard to find.

Karwa Under Scrutiny

2006-07-24T13:38:00.000+03:00

We’ve been here for a year now but I haven’t really seen the efficiency of Karwa to provide the public with transportation when they needed it the most. When we came here and didn’t have a car yet, we would call Karwa and request for a cab but always ended up frustrated because we would have to wait an hour or so before we could book a ride. A few months back, it was made known that the company had procured more taxi units to meet the demands of the people of Qatar, of Doha in particular for public transportation. It even acquired several busses for the same purpose. Unfortunately just last Thursday, based on our personal experience, the same thing can be said of Karwa, that is rather inefficient. Our car broke down, we needed a ride to go home so I called the office and was told that the next available booking was at 2 pm. It was only 11 am when I called. Just imagine yourself having to wait for a taxi ride, for three long hours in the midst of a hot summer day in Qatar. You probably would have fainted first because of the extreme heat and dehydration before the darn taxi comes to rescue you. I know a lot of people here in Qatar have their own vehicles but for a progressive and rich country there should always be an efficient, safe and reliable means of public transportation for those who need it, transportation that is there when you need it the most.

Are We Jinxed?

2006-07-24T13:31:00.000+03:00

Just last Thursday, our Citroen Picasso has yet again let us down. We were on our way home from the Traffic Department in Madinat Kalifa when suddenly these dreaded words “engine fault” appeared on the dash board just when we were approaching the round-about at the Al Garrafa interchange. Fortunately, my husband was still able to drive the car until we found a safe and cool place to park as it happened noon with a temperature reaching up to 47 degrees. Tian called the Citroen car breakdown service but they couldn’t come until after 2 hours but the guy gave us the number of an independent towing service. While waiting for the towing service, we had to go around and look for a store because by this time my daughter had drunk all the water that I was bringing for her and with the heat she could easily get dehydrated without anything to drink. 15-20 minutes later salvation finally came and since we couldn’t get a cab ride in the area, we just asked the driver if we could ride his vehicle, the same one that he used to tow our Picasso. It was a long ride going to the Industrial Area where most of the service centers including that of Citroen are located. It was a grueling long ride and the vehicle didn’t have any air-conditioning unit. We had to bear the hot air that was blowing on our faces. Poor Xiane had to be in the same predicament but she never complained. Finally, we got to Citroen… the Filipino guy who works there told us that it is the first time they encountered the “engine fault” problem with their cars so I wonder, why us? I would have thought that we were jinxed but then again I think not. Instead I think we’re blessed because in a place where getting a taxi ride is almost impossible, there he was, the Filipino staff who happens to live in our area and who was kind enough to give us a safe ride home. Hopefully, they’ll be able to fix the real problem with the car and get it this week. Inshallah!

FireFox Beta 1

2006-07-14T07:26:00.000+03:00

If you're a Firefox user and can't wait for their release of Firefox 2, then probably a Beta version of Firefox would probably do. If so, grab their Beta 1 release on the FTP site. I've installed in just minute ago and one significant change for me would be the X button on every tab you open instead of it being on the very far right as before. This is great as often times, when closing tabs, one has to go to the other end click that Close button. I haven't really noticed other visual changes but everything seems to be ok. I haven't tried IE 7 Beta as I've gotten used to using the tab browsing of Firefox since last year and I'm sure MS Beta as buggier than most so I'd rather stay away from that esp. IE. Anyway, for those of you who haven't tried Firefox yet, try it and I'm sure you'll love all the functionality and the plugins you can add into it. And I can wager that it's better than IE.

What's On...the Xbox and TV

2006-07-12T14:56:00.000+03:00

Here are some of the shows we’ve completed watching the past 2 months (No Spoilers). Yeah, the Xbox, PC and TV were quite busy working together to bring us these. 24 Season 5 – He’s back; Jack Bauer. Great pacing and great plot. We both think this is the best yet although Season 4 comes really close. We finished 24 episodes in 4 nights! Can’t wait for them to start Season 6. Moral of the Story: Never argue with Jack Bauer. Prison Break – Michael Scofield gets jailed to get his brother out of jail. Not exactly your 24-kind of pacing nor Lost’s rich characterization but gets the job done. Actors are believable and great at what they do. Some plot lines are obvious and reflect some other TV Series. Moral of the Story: A tattoo is not just an art form. Amazing Race 8 – A first in the Amazing race as families travel around the US and South America to receive 1 million dollars. Great fun but challenges are a bit less exciting as the producers tamed them a bit for the younger family members. Moral of the Story: Leave the children to your parents when joining the Amazing Race. Amazing Race 9 – TTAO! The Frat Boys, MoJo, The Hippies, The Nerds, The Double DD’s and more. With all the twists and turns, no one could ever expect who’d land first on the pit stops and who get eliminated. Amazing! Moral of the Story: Luck would always be a factor but brains with luck is what it takes to win. SmallVille Season 5 – Overall, it is a great season but not for Clark. It just keeps pouring and we don’t even get to see a glimmer of light at the end of the season. Moral of the Story: Stay away from anything that comes from Krypton. Lost Season 2 – Things get messy in here. With the opening of the hatch, Pandora’s box is opened. Along with all your theories about the island (The Others, The Monster, The Island itself), confusion sets in as more people and plot points are added. Still, if you want to know what the Island has in store for Jack, John, Kate and the rest of the gang, Lost 2 has them covered. Moral of the Story: Never travel with Oceanic Air. Iron Chef Season 1 – The Secret Ingridients; Flay, Batali and Morimoto. You can’t imagine how these guys cook all 5 dishes in an hour to salivate your taste buds. Moral of the Story: Don’t under estimate Batali.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

2006-07-11T20:29:00.000+03:00

I just couldn’t believe what happened to me the past 2 weeks. My husband was talking about being plagued, his things getting busted and losing some things. But what did I ever do to have a series of unfortunate events myself, that is, a series of broken footwear. First to go was my black Figlia clogs. Xiane and I got out of the car to go inside the Sofitel (we were looking for a desktop as our laptop broke down) while Tian stayed in the car to look for a parking. We were just a few steps away from the car when I felt the top of my left clog snap. I tried hard to put it back where it used to be but it just didn’t hold. So I told my husband to just proceed and look for a PC by himself while Xiane and I waited in the car. I just had to think of ways to keep Xiane entertained while we were there or else waiting for more than 30 minutes would have been a problem. On Sunday, I decided to use my good old pair of 2-inch high Benetton strappy shoes. I say it’s old because it’s been with me for 5 years now although I haven’t used it that much, in fact I haven’t been using it for the past 2 years. My husband dropped me off the Parish Center where we go to mass, after which, off they went to his office where he and Xiane would spend the time waiting for me. We have agreed to do this since it would be difficult to bring our daughter along to mass. She just wouldn’t stop talking and asking questions while having mass. I was walking on the quadrangle when the heel of my right sandal suddenly got wobbly. When I looked, there it was, the rubber that was coating the inner heel just chipped off and the more I walked, the more it came off. But thank God I made it to the church but you could just imagine how nervous I was thinking if the shoe would last for another 30 minutes or so, plus the embarrassment that I had to endure having a sandal with broken heel. Soon enough it was time to leave. As I walked to the car, the same thing happened to the heel of the left shoe. But even in that condition, we still managed to go to Hyatt, only when we got home I realized that my lovely pair of shoes is beyond repair. We were doing our groceries on a Thursday afternoon as we usually do. This way we can avoid the “weekend rush” or almost everyone coming to the supermarkets during the weekend (Thursday night- Saturday night) to do their own shopping. I was wearing a pair of black flip flops that I bought in the Philippines. It was light yet hip, a perfect footwear when you’re expecting to be spending a lot of time standing and walking around. I pushed the cart as I walked and then I felt the strap of the left pair just came off. It’s a good thing that despite this major setback, I was still able to go through my shopping. Now here’s the thing, how could it be that these shoes just snapped one after the other. My husband’s theory is that I’ve become too heavy and those footwear couldn’t take anymore of my weight. Although it’s hard to admit, I guess my husband may be right about it. But I’m also thinking that it could be that I have a lot of black footwear and it’s about time I dispose a pair or two. Or maybe, these things just happen, the same way that we happen to forget things or lose them, the same way that a series of unfortunate events sometimes do happen.

Colds and Flu

2006-07-11T20:26:00.000+03:00

During this time of the year, it is not unusual when people get sick with colds and flu. I don’t have a very scientific explanation about it but it seems like during this time, viruses gets thick in the air. My daughter, Xianelle, was the first to catch the colds. Thankfully, after having had fever for two days and the cold eventually developing into cough, she got well in just a week’s time. Then the children of our friends caught the colds and eventually the flu last week. Till now the older kid (Xiane’s playmate) is still recovering. And then, there’s me… just last Sunday, the cold virus got into me but fortunately for me, I already got better after two days. I guess it’s just natural if we get sick once in a while, what’s important is for us to get back on our feet again after.

The Heat is On

2006-07-11T20:15:00.000+03:00

This is the second time we’re spending summer here in Qatar. Last year we arrived on June, almost the same time of year. But I get the feeling that this year, is much hotter. The temperature reaches between 45-49 degrees during the day and stays at 39-40 degrees at night. During the day you get a beating from the heat of the sun and at night, you usually have to deal with so much humidity. It is the time of year when people are lazy to go out and when they do, it would definitely be after 6 pm and they almost always go straight to the malls or anywhere that’s air-conditioned. There are a few though, who also spend their time walking or strolling especially at the Corniche. Well, good for them but I’d rather do that on the “ber” months (September, October…..). Doha has been having sandstorms since Saturday, making people much lazier to go out. Well who would want to get his lungs filled with dust. Just like last Sunday, I was supposed to go to church but had to cancel because there was a sandstorm. When you look outside the window, you’ll see the trees (if there are any in your neighborhood) being blown by the wind. You’ll hear the strong wind blowing even if you’re in the confines of your flat or house. Even the doors bang once in a while and for those who experience this the first time, you’ll be thinking that there’s definitely a “presence” in the house. But think again, it’s just sandstorm. Now, the occurrence of sandstorm only indicates one thing, a change in climate. This could either mean that it’s going to get hotter or a bit cooler after the sandstorm. But my bet is that it’s going to be the former than the latter, simply because summer ain’t over yet.

My Lappie and Dual Core

2006-07-05T15:25:00.000+03:00

With my old trusty laptop breaking down, that meant no torrent downloads, no chikka messenger service, no posting on the blog, no chatting, no skype-calling and no internet surfing. The laptop is not that really old. We bought it in Saudi on December 2003. It's a Packard-Bell configured with a P4 2.8 desktop processor, 512mb RAM and 64 mb built-in graphics accelarator, all for SR6250. Remember that it was 2003 then so prices were relatively high although the processing speed was quite good for my graphics need. I've captured and edited our videos, did development work, made my presentations, used Photoshop, Flash and Illustrator with it. As for it's weight, well, Mavis never did like chugging it around as it is almost 10 pounds and becomes a 20 lbs. monster the longer you carry it. It was a laptop which had been in great service and never really gave me any problems till last week. Mavis and I decided to get a desktop instead of another laptop as with the almost 24/7 "need" to be online, a desktop would be best fit to assume that role as well as it would be faster than any laptop there is in the market without crashing your bank account. We went to Jarir to look at the ready-configured branded machines. We also went to the Sofitel Area to get quotations for your own configured machine. Of course, a higher priced- branded machine is more trusty in terms of stabiliy of the peripherals, good quality control and you get good service (that's what we're supposed to think) while a purpose-built machine is cheaper and you get a better configuration at that. I chose to get the "Sofitel" branded machine...he he he. Yup, cheaper(?) yet faster one. Here's the configuration: Processor: Intel 3.0 ghz Dual Core (4 mb Cache) Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-81945G Pro Memory: 1 Ghz DDR2 533 Hard disk: 200Gb SATA (Western Digital) DVD: Samsung DVD +- R/RW Double layer 16x Video: Intel Graphics 950 128mb (built-in) Audio: 7.1 HD audio (built-in) Network: LAN 100mb/1000mb Case: Gigabyte with ATX 300W power supply Front USB and audio connectors 1 Year Warranty Free: Surge Protection Extension cable Price = SR2925 Samsung F13n 17" LCD (3 years warranty)- SR 875 Dual Core. 2 processing power in one chip. Twice the amount of data that can be processed in parallel. All this power at a price. the chip alone costs SR1350. Way higher than buying it in the US. Still, you can never get this configuration from branded desktops at this price. I got the beast yesterday and already halfway in installing my programs. I already noticed a great significance in performance.I'm a multi-tasking freak and I usually have about 3-4 Internet Explorer open as well as a Firefox window with 2-3 tabs for surfing, 1 explorer window open, FTP program for my Xbox transfers, Chikka and/or Yahoo messenger, and Azurues downloading in the background. There were some bottlenecks in some instances as along with all these programs running, I was also installing and updating some programs but overall, I think using this machine would be fun for multi-taskers like me. I need to see how fast it is with Photoshop, Illustrator and flash opened at the same time. I'll probably finish setting it up on the weekend.

I'm being plagued

2006-07-05T15:24:00.000+03:00

First up was the car breaking down. I had to ask somebody to take me to and from work for one week and eventually shelling out 1350 for my car to get fixed. Second, my laptop broke down last week. After it shut down of overheating and me, trying to clean up the insides, it suddenly went to sleep mode forever. I mean literally. It's like something got stuck that made go to sleep mode everytime you start it up as the sleep indicator lights up when you boot it. You can hear the harddisk whine a bit when booting and then it stops. The monitor doesn't even show any sign of life at all. I've tried bringing it to Jarir Bookstore but they only deal with Toshiba laptops while friends adviced me not the bring it to the sofitel Area. I've surrendered it to a colleague who may be able to fix the laptop so we'll see. But since we need a computer, we decided to get one (read related blog - Dual Core in Qatar). Other than these breakdowns, I've been losing things right after the other. I lost my house keys the other week and then I lost my keycard two days after. Just last night, someone came knocking at our door. When we opened, it was our neighbor asking us we know who owns the wallet he was holding. It was mine. I don't actually remember if he found it inside the building (the stairs) or outside, where I park my car, as my head was already in a rush thinking how I lost it. Thankfully, everything was still there; credit cards, money, ids and all. Hopefully, that was the last of it. I need to be more careful, I know.

Warning - ENGINE FAULT

2006-06-26T06:36:00.000+03:00

We've been without our beloved Citroen Picasso for almost a week now. As the system of the car is electronic, it flashed a warning lamp for the engine and displayed "WARNING - ENGINE FAULT" when I turned it on one day last week. It was still running but everytime I hit on the brakes and halted, it doesn't accelerate the next time you push the gas pedal. You have to turn the car off and restart for it to respond again. That means that I had to turn the car off on every corner and every stoplight. Luckily, this happened while we were close to our flat. I was supposed to bring it myself to the Citroen Service Center but Mavis convinced me that I just dial the number for the Citroen Service center for them to tow the car. An hour later, a guy was hauling the Picasso at the back of his tow truck. When I went back inside the flat, my wife asked me if the guy gave me any receipt or anything that would say that my car is with him. I said none and I didn't even ask the guy for anything. He told me that the guys from the service center would call me in a while once he gets it back to the shop. I trusted him. I guess I'm more trusting of people in Qatar that in the Philippines. It's just that I don't hear news about cars being stolen, "chopped" into pieces and being sold off to the gray market. After about 2 hours, I did decide to call the Service Center. I was told that they we're not able to call earlier as they were too busy with other stuff. Fine as long as my car is with them. I was hoping that my car would be fixed and serviced in two days time as I don't see a lot of Citroen cars in the city. But apparently, my car is in line with other cars being serviced or fixed. Now, almost a week later, I'm told that the engine problem has been fixed but they still need to road test it again and have the service for 15,000 done. For the meantime, I've been able to call a private driver who takes me to work and back everyday for SR25. Cheaper than renting a car. Hopefully, I'll get the car today as we've spent the whole week at home aside from the Rafael's helping us do some grocery last Saturday night in CarreFour, City Center. 06/27 Update: Got the car back and paid SR1351. They said it was a pressure gauge in the engine that they replaced.

Small things

2006-06-19T14:06:00.000+03:00

We met someone from a travel agency when we booked our flights for our last vacation. We kinda booked a bit late so it was difficult for us to get the flight that we really wanted. But this person helped us a great deal to get the booking that we wanted. So I decided to invite her to Xiane’s birthday. Then, I met 2 Filipinas working in a pharmacy nearby. There was this medicine that I had to buy for a relative at home but I didn’t have a prescription. The kind kabayan found a way so I can make a purchase, even it was bit risky on her part. That too, I didn’t forget so I included them in the guest list. Then we needed ice tubes for Xiane’s birthday but they were not selling at Lulu, Family Food Center and even at a store nearby. We tried our luck at this small supermarket. They too didn’t sell ice but they were kind enough to give me ice coming from their icemaker, the ones they use for the fishes. Then the next day I even had to come back for more ice. These people how thankful I am for the things that they’ve done. Unfortunately, those people that I invited weren’t able to come to the party so I decided to bring them some food. I also did the same with the guys from the supermarket who gave me ice, it’s my way of saying thanks to them. They all had the same reaction, they were so surprised and so touched by the gesture that I made. I saw the appreciation in their eyes. It was then that I realized that even the smallest things that we do for others can mean a lot and can touch people’s lives. Well I guess they really do and the world would be a better place if everyone does even the smallest acts of kindness everyday.

Xiane turns Three!

2006-06-19T14:01:00.000+03:00

Last Saturday, June 17, our little princess Xianelle turned three years old. How time flies, I remember last year we spent her birthday in Bahrain. Having stayed in there for only 4 months, we didn’t know a lot of people, thus we celebrated her 2nd birthday just us three. We took her to the mall where she had rides at the amusement area and had lunch at a buffet restaurant. Besides that was our last week in Bahrain before we moved here in Qatar so having a party was not an option. So this time, Tian and I really wanted to throw a party for her 3rd birthday. It took a week of planning and 3 days to prepare for the party. Originally, we wanted to have the food catered but on second thought I realized that I’d like to personally prepare the food. I found it more fulfilling to have my hands on the preparation. So I prepared the menu, asked helped from my mom and grandma for the recipes and procedure. Soon I was already listing down the ingredients that I would be needing. I posted the recipes and step-by-step procedure of the food that I would be cooking in the kitchen. On Monday, we bought the groceries that we will need, Wednesday night we bought the meat and Thursday night the other ingredients that were still missing. We had to prepare 5 viands (morcon, estofado, pancit, fried chicken and fresh lumpia), fruit salad and her birthday cake. By Thursday night, we started with the preparations… but the bulk of it had to be accomplished on Friday. By Friday night, I already finished the morcon, estofado, wrappers and filling for the lumpia, and fruit salad. Tian and I slept at 2 am. So on Saturday, her birthday, I only had to cook pancit and fried chicken and bake the cake. With barely 4 hours of sleep, I had to get up at 6 am. I had to prepare the cake right away and the rest followed… By 2 pm everything was set, except for us. So we had to rush to the bath and get dressed as as fast as we could, as the party starts at 4 pm. We even had a scheduled chat with out families in the Philippines who were so excited to see and greet the birthday girl. Although they wanted so much to be here for Xiane’s celebration, we knew that they were with us in spirit. They were so happy to see her in a purple gown, like a real princess. Guests started to come before 4 pm. First who came were our new friends here in Qatar, the Rafael’s, who came early to give us a hand. We had about 20 on our guest list but only 11 came. The rest couldn’t come because they had work on that day. At least those whom we expected to come were there to celebrate with us. As expected there were a lot of leftovers, which I made the guests take home. I still had enough to deliver to those who didn’t make it. All in all the party was a success. They loved the food that we prepared, especially the estofado and the fried chicken. But most of all Xiane enjoyed her party and really appreciated it this time. I guess that’s all that matters and after 3-days hard work, I can truly say that it was all worth it.

Up and About in Qatar

2006-06-19T13:42:00.000+03:00

Xiane and I have only been back in Qatar for more than 2 weeks. I spent the first week unpacking our things. We brought along a luggage, a balikbayan box, 3 traveling bags and a trolley, that’s why it took the long to unpack. I’m sure those who have been living abroad for a while now, know exactly what I mean, plus the fact that I had to do my chores at the same time. Then the following week was spent cleaning up the whole flat. Although I have to give credit to Tian for having kept the house in order while I was away, at least I didn’t have to do too much cleaning this time.

Where have we been?

2006-06-16T17:45:00.000+03:00

Well, since Mavis and Xiane arrived, we've been quite busy especially that it's going to be Xiane's 3rd birthday tomorrow. We've been preparing a bit since we're going to invite some friends over for dinner. Mavis and I have been staying up late and going to sleep at 1 AM the past couple of nights. We were supposed to have the food catered but then last week, Mavis decided that it was better for her to cook so that she has more control on the taste of the food and not leave it to the chef who was to cater for the dinner. Xiane's been excited about her birthday too. We already bought her a LeapPad Learning book which she has already tried (just to make sure it was working correctly before wrapping it and losing the 7 day warranty). She already has a dress which she'll wear tomorrow plus a crown and a scepter to boot. Hopefully, everything would turn out ok tomorrow.

Click to Activate

2006-06-09T18:54:00.000+03:00

As Microsoft (MS) rolled out an Internet Explorer update (KB912812) months ago, you might notice that websites which uses Macromedia Flash or those which uses ActiveX controls now show a bounding box around them and on mouse-over, asks users to click on the content to activate it before you actually get to interact with the ActiveX control. This modification comes as part of an ongoing patent dispute with Eolas Technology and the University of California. How does it affect IE 6 and Websites: The update changes how it handles active content viewed in certain Adobe products, including Macromedia Flash Player, Authorware Player, Shockwave Player, SVG Viewer, Help Center and Adobe Reader, as well as Sun Java, Apple QuickTime, RealNetworks, RealPlayer and other ActiveX controls. Active content that is embedded in HTML pages in certain ways may not be able to receive user input (for example, keyboard or mouse events) until the user clicks to either activate or continue loading the control. Recommendations: Solution 1: Revert back to previous version of IE6 with a Hotfix published by MS themselves. However, this is a temporary fix as MS rolled out the fix for enterprise users to have enough time to prepare their sites for the changes and make sure that all deployed applications which interact with IE can be tested and be recoded to the new way IE handles ActiveX controls. The hofix is only valid till this month as MS would permanently impose the changes soon after. The hotfix can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/917425 . Solution 2: If you are developing a website, remove the user activation requirement for active content. Developers need to go back and review all their websites which use ActiveX controls and modify and create an external the script to automatically turn on such function. Microsoft provides a guide into activating ActiveX automatically: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/workshop/author/dhtml/overview/activating_activex.asp Adobe/Macromedia also provides a JavaScript Fix on their website and an explanation why one should use the Adobe Solution: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/activecontent/articles/devletter.html http://www.adobe.com/devnet/activecontent/articles/why_adobe.html And My Concern This whole thing is currently messing up our deployed websites which uses Flash. The first time our IT rolled out the update, some of out flash content went invisible. We had to change some navigation elements on some websites and recode them again. Even then, we still got the "Press SPACEBAR or ENTER to activate" tab on these elements. We got to solving this by using the methods above but since we have about 40+ items we need to fix, we're slowly doing the upgrade as we also need to test everything again. This is ok for websites as we know we have a fix but for third party applications which we use ActiveX, Java and IE, it poses a big headache for us. Either the software maker comes up with a license agreement with Eolas or go back to their code and o the changes. A sample of this is our EDMS (Electronic Document Management System), Filenet IDM web interface. We now have to click twice for each tab that pops up. Talk about minimizing user clicks! And the thing is, the local vendor says it's the first time that they encountered this on Filenet. We're trying to get hold of a username and password to get access to the FileNet's support center. Hopefully, we'd find a way to get this thing solved or else, I'd die clicking away as I update about a 100+ documents and files which I need to upload on EDMS. Argghhh!!!

They're coming!

2006-05-31T15:32:00.000+03:00

Mavis and Xiane are coming back to Qatar tomorrow! Yup, after an extra month long stay in the Philippines since I returned to Qatar, they'll be flying in tomorrow night via Qatar Airways. I'm excited! Now, I just have to finish some chores like cleaning the bathrom and kitchen. XXX

Of Parcels, Mail Forwarding, and Buying from the Net

2006-05-29T16:33:00.000+03:00

Since eCommerce became an option for expats (esp. in the middle east) to buy items from the US/UK and have these delivered through mail, more and more has it made using the internet more interesting at the least. Now you can surf the net and look for your favorite book not found in our local bookstore, order it and have it delivered right at your doorstep (or in our case, cubicles). I have ordered comic books, dvd's and other stuff from Amazon and got them in Saudi without any hassle. Sometimes though, you find yourself trying to buy that elusive item on the net, only to find out that the internet shop doesn't deliver outside the US or UK. The solution? A mail forwarding service which gives you an address in the US/UK so you can have anything delivered locally and forwarded to your address in Qatar.Aramex now have a service called Shop & Ship which offers you that exact service. Basically, you have to sign up with them and pay a one-off setup fee of $35.00 ( SR127.75) to receive your address in the US/UK. Once you get the adress, you can now use that address when ordering any item that is not available for international shipping, for a service fee of course. If you're in Qatar, the first half kilo would cost you $8.00 (SR29.2) and succeeding half kilos would set you back for $5.50 (SR18.25). Let's say you ordered that glorious looking, souped-up laptop from Dell USA (with a discount voucher of $750) and have it sent here in Doha, you pay Aramex a total of $53 (SR193.45) for that 5 kilo package (probably 3k for the laptop and 2k for packing... he he he). With the savings you got by buying it in the US, shipping fee of $53 is just peanuts. You can even have them ship your stuff at a specified date so that all the items you bought can be shipped at the same time. The service is also available in Saudi and other middle east countries. About customs tax? Well, I know someone who actually did what I illustrated above by buying a laptop from Dell USA and having it delivered here and was charged tax at all. However, you can find the following on the Shop & Ship Terms and Conditions page.

Aramex is not responsible for any customs or duties incurred on any Mailbox contents. Furthermore, Aramex is not responsible for penalties, loss or damage of Mailbox contents while in possession of customs.

Hope this helps!

Doha School Terms and Fees

2006-05-26T08:56:00.000+03:00

I've tried to compile some of the Schools Terms and Fees for each school and placed them in a Word Document. All terms are for school year 2006-2007 except when stated otherwise. Schools included in this document are: Cambridge School Doha English Speaking School Doha College Park House English School Philippine International School (SY 2004-2005 terms) Qatar International School You can download the file here. (94kb) *close the internal pop-up after timer finishes

Schools in Doha

2006-05-26T08:01:00.000+03:00

A lot of people coming to Doha are interested at looking for schools for their children. So here is a list of schools in Doha and the links to their websites. This is not comprehensive to include ALL of the schools in Doha as others don't even have their own website. American School of Doha http://www.asd.edu.qa/ Doha Academy http://www.dohaacademy.com.qa/ Doha College http://www.dohacollege.com/ Doha English School (Doha) http://www.dess.org/ Doha English School (Al Khor) http://www.akdess.com/ Dukhan English School http://www.bsme.org.uk/schools/more.asp?id=34&sch= Qatar Academy http://www.qataracademy.edu.qa/ Qatar International School http://www.qis.org/ Cambridge School Doha http://www.cambridgeschool.com.qa/ Al Jazeera Academy http://www.aja.edu.qa/ Cambridge International School for Girls http://www.cisg.edu.qa/ Middle East International School http://www.misqatar.com/ ParkHouse International School http://www.parkhouseschool.com/ Philippine International School +974 4821923, 4821924, 4820158 Philippine School Doha +974 4364148, 4364150

The Hippies on Amazing Race 9 (spoilers!)

2006-05-23T19:58:00.000+03:00

I've never watched The Amazing Race that much. I only get to watch it if I do catch it on TV but that's very seldom. I think I only got to watch 3-5 episodes out of its 8 season glory until I decided to watch The Amazing Race 9 (thanks to torrent!). The Race was quite amazing indeed. Contestants were made to ride a helicopter, bungiejump, dive into a pool of ice water, eat fried grasshoppers and locusts, and travel around the world with just their backpacks behind them! Cool! The more memorable teams were MoJo, The Nerds, The FratBoys, The Dentists, The Pinkies and The Hippies. I liked MoJo the most just because Mo was really very competitive. She looked lke Reese Witherspoon! But when MoJo got eliminated, I began to root for The Hippies. I thought that the FratBoys would win the race as they were very lucky with theirs tasks. In the end, The Hippies proved that brains is needed reach to the final mat first, winning the 1 million dollar prize! It was fun to see people of different attitudes doing their tasks and interacting with one another. With the pressure of doing your tasks, teammates often argue, shout at each other, and loose temper. The teams usually get lost as they try to find their way through the new country they're in especially if the navigator of the team isn't that good in reading maps and directions or if they get wrong directions from the locals. At times, teams get to misread the clues and loose valuable time or get penalty for such. It would be exhilirating to be in such a race around the world but also scary. Most of all, it would prove to be a test to one's relationship with your teammate. Then I wonder what Mavis and I would do if we were in the same predicament. Would we be fighting with each other as we go through the cobbled streets of Italy or would we as cool as ice riding the monstrous rides in Japan? What would the other teams name us? The Pinoys?

Dancing Xianelle

2006-05-22T20:17:00.000+03:00

Did this on 2004, I think, with a 3d program and using Xiane's photo for the face...