Have you cleaned your shoes?

Do you clean your shoes once in a While?????? If not This will happen!!!!!!!! ## ## ##

just for laugh>>>

Wishing Joshua and Jocelyn the happiest & blessed wedding today!

Congrats!

It is starting to get hot

as of yesterday, the peak temp has reached 40C. We have started using aircon in the afternoons nowadays. also, water from tap is getting hot - maybe about time to switch off the water heater also. Thank God that we spent most of our time in the office with air con. Attaching the average mean temp for the entire year again..

Kitty update

I have been checking out on pussy and her kitten everyday.
But on Sunday, I discovered that the kitten were gone ! I don't know where they are now and what had happened to them.

Could it be Pussy hide them somewhere? someone taken them ? Killed by some cats ? or eaten up by the mother herself ? It will remain as a mystery.

Pussy looked listless that day, kept looking into the empty bush and hanging around the area.. Perhaps, she discovered that her babies were gone after a visit to the loo.. poor girl.
After carrying them for 2 mths, and they just disappeared.

Actually, I was very sad too..was really looking forward to see and touch the kitten.
Andrew said I was being too emotionally involved with the cat. I think I am.

Our Pussy cat a few days back..

Just like any other day, I came back from work, changed, had a bite and ready to play with Pussy.

Andrew warned me that she was dirty and we presumed she must had sat on some dirty pile somewhere. So I gave Pussy a shower..using a spray hose..Poor kitty, she was begging for my mercy as I spray at her ass. Cats simply hate to bathe, don't they.

But Pussy looked different that day. She was a lot slimmer suddenly and we wondered if she had given birth. But if she had, where were the kittens?
Andrew said maybe she was not pregnant afterall.. perhaps..but my guess was that maybe she had but they were stillborn.
Pussy quickly dried herself but kept meowing for more food..

I just ignored her.

Later in the evening, when we returned from our dinner..we saw Pussy again and she cried for food.. again so I fed her with some leftover and asked her if she was really pregnant or not?

Pussy finished her meal and and left shortly.. Curious, I tailed her..She saw me but did not stop me from following her..she went to the garden, then out to a bush beside the villa..then she went in. I knew something was fishy..so I squat down to take a closer look....but it was too dark and I saw nothing inside..

Just as I am about to leave,I heard a faint kitten cry !.....Oh mine...Pussy was indeed pregnant and had given birth !!!
And she was so smart to hide her treasures in bushes.. one that was so safe that no predator (like me) can access.

I was so filled with joy that i jumped to tell Andrew of this good news. It was really a happy and emotional day to me..liken when i received news that my sister in law or jasmine had delivered..hee.

But at the same time, I felt so bad that I made my cat took bath right after her delivery.(a no no for confinement right). And I sprayed water at her ass...so painful for her right. I also did not feed her when she was so hungry in the day..Bad.

So on 20 March, Pussy had given birth to 4 beautiful kittens. I had yet to see them cos she preferred to nurse her without human intervention.
I will be nicer to her now..will serve her warm food for the next few weeks.

Hopefully, I get to see her kittens soon. I'm an excited grandma now.

Just went to the wholesale market today

A friend called this morning at about 8am to ask us to follow them to the wholesale market. so we took a quick breakfast and went/followed. It is interesting - will upload some video clips and photos to show you guys later. basically, it is like our wet market back in singapore - but since there is no water here, it is a dry messy market.. : ) things tend to be cheaper than carrefour here - in fact, carrefour bought the food stuff from here - fruits, fishes, chicken, beef, vegetables etc.

after the trip, we went home to "distribute" the stuff among us- because it is minimally a box of oranges over there - not 1 or 2 because it is wholesale. Lots of flies came into the house... so I devised a way to get rid of them... hee. see video - maybe can try in singapore, but i guess the flies here are more "stupid".. enjoy the video..

in case, you cant tell, i am using a vacuum cleaner.. : )

also, see some of the pictures of the lunch cooked by my wife..

Mid year return to Singapore.

hi guys, I am coming back to singapore for about 2 weeks starting from 25 apr 08 Fri 1400hrs. It is on Qatar airways, direct flight from doha to singapore. just to let all know so that we can start making time for each other - must meet ok? Myself and wife would be arranging meeting dates with you guys a few weeks beforehand just to be a bit more organised. cos 2 wks may not be too long esp for some who may be travelling during the period.. heard es is one of them and thus, got to meet him first..

also, anybody want anything from doha/middle east? small camel? date cookies? fridge magnet? arabic herbal tea? latest guidebook for qatar as you are considering to relocate here? hee. just let me know.

It is tax-filing time.

Well, whether we like it or not, it is tax filing time. I checked out the iras website and found a spreadsheet which can help us calculate/estimate our coming tax.

You can download the xls from http://iras.gov.sg/irasHome/uploadedFiles/Quick_Links/e-Tax_Guides/Individuals_and_employees/How-to-calculate-your-tax.xls

It is updated with the latest formulas such as one off 20% tax rebate for this year only and the latest tax brackets for the different income levels..

Happy Birthday to Eng Soon !

Happy Birthday to Eng Soon !
On your birthday, I prayed that all your dreams and desires will be accomplished in His Name. Amen?

Enjoy the Beatles birthday song.

Doha Cultural Festival 2008

Hi guys, recently there is a cultural festival in doha. it is a week long celebration opened by the emir (king) of qatar himself. Lots of activities were on going during that past week - i attached 2 videos of performances which are shown outdoor free of charge. One is a lebanese dance and the other one is a russian dance - pretty interesting.. go take a look..

Some warnings issued. hmm...

Qatar Churches Targetted by Terrorists

By William Boot on Fri, 14/03/2008 - 1:53pm

Yesterday, the US embassy issued guidance to US citizens that the new churches are being targetted by terrorist organizations. The advice has been repeated by other embassies. Here's the relevant material from the Australian government:

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/83949
http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Qatar

Doha souq

Hi, went to the doha souq quite some time back. It is one of the tourist spots in doha - a souq is the arabic word for marketplace. attached some pictures for the souq - real and in drawings. The buildings in the souq area are generally lower as in old days. In the video, there is a clip on a sword and gun shop in the souq area.. we had dinner in the souq - see the pictures for the food items there.. unleavened bread, meat that tastes dry and "grass". also, they sell falcons in the souq area as well. normally, they are blind folded to keep them calm. as for their meals, it is chicken drumsticks as seen on the picture. btw, one can sell for about 4000 sing.. ex har .. : )

Church in Doha

There are still some who ask me about church on sundays or whether there is a church in doha in the first place. Yes, there are churches in Doha - and quite good services and preaching also (but worship not as high standard as VFC). In one of the sermons, the pastor talked about persecution and mentioned that we can check out more in http://www.persecution.com/ - encourage you guys to check this out as well.

This pastor, Pastor Gene, preached pretty well - structured, straight from the word - as in interpret the word for you and always manage to capture the congregation's attention - through jokes.. esp that he always start his sermon with a joke. I have remembered one for you below..enjoy.

A mother have 3 sons who have graduated and left their hometown for work elsewhere. After about 3 years, the 3 sons decided to buy and send something back to their mother, out of respect, who is still in the hometown.

The 1st son bought a big house, thinking that the mother will enjoy it in her old retirement years.
The 2nd son bought a car, thinking that this is one luxury which the mother never have.
The 3rd son remembered that the mother loves reading the bible a lot - so he bought a parrot who can recite the entire bible (just say the chapter and verse to it) because the mother is old and aging in her eyes.

After about 3 months, the mother wrote a letter back to the 3 sons.
To the 1st son, she said "this house is too big.. I am getting tired cleaning it everyday"
To the 2nd son, she said "the car is nice, but I don't have any places to go with it"
To the 3rd son, she said "you know what your mum likes best. Thanks for the chicken. It tastes delicious."

ha.

ok, jokes aside. one reminder to all - READ your Bible.

Our wedding anni (ROM)

Wah. seems like everyone has a recent post on their marriage - how can me and wife lag behind! hee. well, some time recently back... we just celebrated our 8th wedding (ROM - 19 Feb) anni in Doha. guess first time celebrating overseas.

Basically, we had Korean food in a decent korean restaurant. see pictures..

Btw, my wife delicated the following song to me also.. : ) hee. enjoy..

Taken and with compliments from Jee Fong's blog.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Kenny Tai

and many blessings for him and his beloved family!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to Eng Wee.

Today is Eng Wee's bd. Wishing him all the best and blessings for his life, career and also to get married earlier. : )

Shipment of stuff from Singapore to Doha

My shipment will finally arrived to my home today. - 2pm though.
Can't wait to see my things - my bolster, my watch, my clothes, my skincare stuffs... They are kept in warehouse and on journey from 24/11-5/3.

But what dread to unpack them too..maybe now the house will seem a little crampy with the 40 boxes of our belonging.

When I started work in Feb, I did not have any working clothes although I manage to find one just for the i/v. Since I was unsure how long I'm gonna stay in this job, I did not plan to buy too many sets of working clothes here. So I bought 3 blouses, 1 pant and a jacket here, thinking that my shipment should reach in mid feb.

Unexpectedly, shipment was delayed. I had to mix and match my wardrode weekly and wore pretty standard clothes for the 1st month. Once I got my paycheck at month end, I went on a shopping spree cos I can't tahan anymore..hee or rather the shopping bug is really getting hold of me. With good reason behind, I must shop right ? esp since I wasn't given any confirmed date of my shipment

So, for this week, I got to wear something new. And then...shipment arrive today. mmmm...

Also, we purchased many new things here due to the shipment delay. It was frustrating initially cos we know we dun need these things once our shipment arrive. However, it's very inconvenient to live without neccessity.

Very happy today. weekend approaching and I get to see my stuffs later. : )

Karen

---Followup---

Andrew to wife : "But dear, are you sure we need those stuff as we have already survived 4 months without them? Maybe we don't need them even in Singapore as well.." hee.

From a weather perspective, now is the best time to come doha!

Any takers? ha. cos now is the best time. take a look at the first picture, the migration birds are returning past doha again. how do you tell that they are migration birds? enlarge the picture. you can see that they are flying in a V shape profile. at the start of winter, you can see numerous of them flying away from doha. now they are returning towards the end of winter. Frankly, I dun like winter as it is cold. to the extent of shivering when bathing. at times, do find myself missing singapore weather - which is the first time. however, right now, it is spring and will be air con temperature for all who are visiting. if you intend to, do come before end may before things heat up again. and it will be really hot - just look at the graph... : ( > 40C!!

Speed boat race in Doha

There was a speed boat race final last weekend in Doha coiniche - it is the doha downtown beside the sea. see the pictures. the speed boat seems a bit small as it is taken from the hp camera. also, taken a video to give a better idea on how the coiniche looks like. it is a place where people tend to go for exercise - whether jog or walk. lots of families picnic and couples also.

also tried the keyboard test. see below.

51 words

Speed test

also found an interesting video in youtube.. check it out.. the great freeze.

Hair cutting in doha

just went to the barber yesterday. this is the 3rd time in doha. It is kind of scary on the first time because not sure what to expect. also, the problem is that i have short sightedness and I cant cut my hair with my glasses on! as a result, cant see the progress. anyway, it has been turning out ok. see picture for my barber in action.

it is an indian barber and after the haircut, a massage follows normally. took a video for the massage, but it is in "nokia format" so cant show you guys. The massage seems a bit "violent" initially and I'm a bit scare of the neck twisting. so if i am in rush for time, i would rather skip the massage... : )

Fridays are getting busy!

Hi guys, have not been posting for a few days. been busy and this is not supposed to be the case in Doha! so have discussed with my wife to always keep ourselves free - at least on most of the weekdays- like what my friend here put it - "Come to doha must relax..".

For Fridays, am is church service followed by lunches with some singaporean friends. In the last one, a canadian couple joined us. kind of nice of them to mingle with us. maybe we shd be reaching out to the rest of the ang mos as well - got to put in the effort. after the lunch, it is a series of video conferences with friends and families in singapore. at night, there is a bible study group - quite international group of people - malaysian, uk, american black, indian and singaporean of course. had missed the last one. think got to put in effort to make it regular... : )