Ramadhan treats with a twist.

Once again, we are nearly in Ramadhan and the mountains of caramel pudding and evaporated milk have been erected faithfully in Lulu and Carrefour just tempting you to buy 24 packs of the stuff. Dont forget to also pick up a handy 12-pack of hot-sauce as well. You can never have too much hot sauce.

So yes, Ramadhan. And with this time, comes two great things (other than the obvious religious benefits):

1. Awesome sales in the shops.

and, 2. Iftar and the foods that come with it.

It's become quite popular I have noticed in the last few years to give large bouquets of chocolates and such to friends/clients/etc with Patchi leading the way in the fancy chocolate stakes. Well, this year I received from a friend a box of BreadTalk mini pastries. I actually received 2 boxes, I guess they know I like sweet things. Being the nice person I am, I decided to share these beauties with the colleagues in my office. I had one Omani colleague asking me if she could have more than 1 and seemingly beyond herself with excitement at eating these pastries. She is pregnant so I'll give her a pass - glad she enjoyed them!

Someone had been in the office earlier with a box of 24 Dunkin Donughts and there were still a few left in the box, but these beauties were consumed in record time - I felt bad when 3 guys came looking for some of the pastries only to find they had all gone! You snooze you lose!

Anyway, it was such a success, I have decided that this year I'm going to give these BreadTalk boxes instead of my usual Patchi gifts to friends and clients. Check them out at Bareeq Al Shatti (Shining Shatti) - the box package costs RO 5 for a 16 piece box and makes for a nice change to the usual chocolate gifts :) I'm told if you buy 5 for RO 25, they'll give you a box for free as well, how nice! I wonder if they are in partnership with VLCC for people wanting to go on a diet after eating them!

le fin.

It's funny because I'm childish!

A special thanks to the person that sent me this picture, I think it was brilliant. Al Madina Plaza in MQ, had a re-branding exercise recently. Some enterprising solo-marketing executives decided to execute an affordable re-branding campaign by renaming the plaza the Mad Anal Plaza. It went for over a week un-noticed, presumably because it's in English, and no one noticed!

Excellent stuff! I wonder whether this had anything to do with the close proximity of the only bar in MQ?!

Enjoy the weekend!

le fin.

A rant about the cost of soft drinks.

In January this year, the cost of Bebzi and Coke products jumped from 100bz a can to 150 bz a can, or 600bz a 6 pack to 850bz a 6 pack.

Now, Oman Refreshments SAOG have announced their H1 results to the Muscat Securities Market which has finally allowed me to get some real facts before going off on my tirade against the soft drinks manufacturers for jacking the price of a fizzy pop by 50%. I'm going to get a bit technical and slightly geeky and talk about numbers and stuff, but I have a real point to this so please bear with me.

The Pepsi (bebzi) franchised brand is owned in Oman by Oman Refreshments SAOG, and they are listed on the MSM here. Unfortunately, the owners of the Coke franchise are private and so do not report their financials publicly, but one imagines that their margins are similar, but their sales volumes are probably lower. You can click this link and find Oman Refreshments in the list and download their H1 (Half 1) 2011 earnings on the MSM website.

To save you actually having to do that, here's the facts:

1. In 2010, their profit for the year was RO 3,357,752, up from RO 2,139,332 in 2009 (source)
2. In the first half of 2011 their profit is RO 2,254,196 on reduced sales volumes from 2010.

Now, back in January, Bebzi and Coke jacked up their prices because of "increasing material prices", yet when you analyze the information, it is apparent that their material/production prices have actually dropped since last year. Here's how I broke it down:

In H1 2010, 9.7 million cases were sold to create a profit of RO 913,227 (approx 94 Baiza profit per case)
In H1 2011, 9.3 million cases were sold to create a profit of RO 2,254,196 (approx 242 Baiza profit per case)

The increase in profits is, even if we take like for like (9.7 million cases in both years) more than a 50% increase, which would be 913,227*1.5 = RO 1,369,840. Yes I know this is a rough calculation and that there are other factors in play such as bottling costs variations and distribution/marketing costs too. My point is though, that their profits have soared, and their overheads have dropped (which was their given reason for jacking the cost of their products up so much).

Add to this the blatant collusion with Coke and you have a situation which in other countries would land them in court. But, of course, nothing like that will happen here. And so my top tip is: Buy shares in Oman Refreshments SAOG - increasing population = more drinks sold = more profits as the margin per unit is so much higher, and ultimately their share value and disbursements will increase. Totally unethical, but might as well take a punt with them if you have a few years to sink some cash in with them. What do you think?

Enjoy the weekend, and perhaps I'll see you tonight at Yolanda Be Cool.

le fin.

Yolanda Be Cool - The winners!

Tomorrow night, at the Jabrin ball room at the InterCon, Yolanda Be Cool are playing from 9-2. The tickets are RO 15 each, but 2 people just won a ticket each for tomorrow nights party courtesy of the lovely people at Hi FM. You can still buy tickets on the door, or you can call 9555 5699 to get one ahead of time.

Congratulations to: Mel and Rebecca - you were chosen totally at random by my fabulous wife - you have both been contacted with instructions on how to claim your prize!

le fin.

What the? I'm 2 already!

Well time has certainly travelled fast. I'm 2 already and really am surprised I stuck with this for so long. Writing is really not my strong point, I wish I was as talented at writing as people such as The Reluctant Mum and Lino.

I'm not really too sure what to write for this birthday post, so I'll just bore you with stats about.... you.

Since July 2010, the blog has been viewed 225,019 times. 120,000 of those have come from Oman.

Thanks everyone for reading, and if you have not already, I'd really like it if you "liked" my blog on Facebook. I'm vain like that!

le fin.

Giveaway: Alice Takes A Trip...

Frooly is a market place for independent retailers. Basically its a great way for small businesses to get there products out there. It sells a great mixture of fashion, jewelry, gifts and arts and crafts. Its the kind of place I'd go to to buy a special birthday present for someone.

Frooly recently got in touch with me asking me if I'd like to do a giveaway with one of their online shops. I've not done a giveaway in about a year and I thought it might be more fun than reading about something I got sent. They let me pick out any piece from the website but the shop 'Alice Takes a Trip' really stood out to me; its cute, vintage-style and kitch. I picked out the 'Rabbit Looking Glass Necklace' (Pictured Above) for one of my readers to win. All you have to do to win this necklace is go onto the Frooly website and pick out your favourite item, then leave a comment on this post with a link to the item. Simples! 


If you could leave at twitter name or email address that would be great. That way if you win, I can contact you to get your postal address. Please remember I will be passing on your address to Frooly so they can send out the prize. 


The giveaway ends on the 8th August so get commenting :)

Good Luck, 

Onna 

Last weekend before Ramadhan parties.

Well this weekend is shaping up quite nicely....

Wednesday night there is the Yolanda Be Cool show at the InterCon ball room, Tickets are RO 15 each and can be bought by calling 9555 5699 and finding out more details. And you can enter my competition to win free tickets to this event, I'll announce the winners tomorrow.

Then, on Thursday night, at Nuts and Bolts, there is Carnival Madness - RO 10 for a couple, RO 15 single guys and women are free. You get 2 free drinks when entering, and the party starts at 9pm.

And, hot on the heels of The Experiments party with Hed Kandi, The Experiment are bringing back a popular Bollywood dance night from 4 years ago - Bollywood Bash in partnership with Zouk. Friday night from 10pm, RO 10 with a free drink.

If you are throwing an event this weekend and want me to cover it, please email me with details and I'd be pleased to include it.

More tomorrow!

le fin.

Oman wins in the footy, and other things.

First up,

Congratulations to the Omani soccer lads, who put the Myanmar game to bed with a sound 2-0 victory at home in the latest World Cup qualifier. The second leg is in Myanmar this Thursday - I'm sure the guys will do well then too :)

Next, Sohar, again.

This time a journalist was detained in Sohar as he was gathering information on the protesters. That's not what amused me, what amused me was that the protesters were protesting about the fact their friends had been sentenced to jail for... protesting. Oh, and they wanted more jobs. I guess they should have thought about that before they burned down LuLu's. Muppets.

The demolition of LuLu's is well under way and rumours are that construction of a new store is to be fast tracked with an opening pegged for early next year. I'll believe it when I see it!

Whilst on the topic of supermarkets, Carrefour is opening in direct competition with LuLu's in Ghubra/Bowsher at the new Tilal complex. I guess Waitrose pulled out then. Still no idea on the opening date - if you know please let us all know.

Next,

Tonight there is the free music concert at the Al Bustan Palace hosted by the US Embassy, it starts at 8pm and everyone is invited.

For fruit-phone users, Apple have launched an App store for Oman (not iTunes though, as far as I'm aware). I'm about as anti-Apple as they come, but for those who prefer fruit-based technology, they can now use an Omani credit card to buy their favourite apps.

And finally for today - Have you entered the competition for Yolanda Be Cool that is this Wednesday night? 2 free tickets worth RO 15 each are up for grabs. See here for details on how to enter!

More soon.

le fin.

US Embassy in Oman throwing another concert.

Once again, the US Embassy (formally known as the United States Diplomatic Mission to the Sultanate of Oman) are throwing another music concert. They did one last year, or was it the year before(?) on the lawns of the Crowne Plaza. Interestingly, they are also on Twitter, you can follow them here.

This time, it's at the Ritz Carlton's Al Bustan Palace on July 24th at 8pm - and a special nod to readers from the Dhofar - you get the first show! Saturday July 23rd at the Khareef Festival. And the band is rather amusingly named: Hot club of cowtown. Everyone is welcome to attend, and it is free to go.

My brief googling on the band has netted that they are purveyors of Hot Jazz and Western Swing - I think it'll be quite fun, I think I'll book reservations at the China Mood - their crispy aromatic duck is legendary.

Salalah - Saturday @ the Khareef Festival (Sorry I dont know when they will be playing)!
Muscat - Sunday, 8pm @ the Bustan.

Enjoy the long weekend everyone!

le fin.

The long weekend is nearly here!

And here is my round up of things to do this weekend!

1. The Safari bar at the Hyatt, every day, is running a 40% discount on selected beverages (read - most, if not all, draft and bottled drinks) between 6-10pm, as well as a RO 2.000 special on the selected draught drink of the day. Well worth a drop in if you fancy an early start to the night (read Wednesday after work!).

2. Obviously, tomorrow night is Hed Kandi being held in the InterCon ball room - tickets are RO 5 if you are a girl, RO 10 if your a couple, or RO 15 if you are a single guy, some are still available, and you can call 9236 9801 to get more details on them. Or if you were lucky like Erika and Shahid, you could of entered in to my contest to win some free tickets, which you can still do for the Yolanda Be Cool gig being held in the same place (InterCon ballroom) NEXT Wednesday night.

3. Camping at the Jebel Shams resort - as it's a long weekend they are fairly busy, but they do have a few rooms and camping spots left. Their website is here, but it's having a spot of bother, so best to call them on 9938 2639.

4. Oman Air has some good deals for people to go to Salalah. RO 99 for flights and 2 nights in the Marriott - not too shabby. The offer is on till September.

Or you could do what I'm sure many of you normally do - go to Dubai!

Have a great weekend, and dont forget to enter the draw for the free tickets!

le fin.

What's on your mind?

• Sorry about the photobooth picture. I'm at home, in bed after coming down with something. Wash you hands and take your vitamins people, somethings going around!
• I want caramel blonde hair but I just don't think going lighter actually suites me anymore! #seriousproblemobviously
• I feel like I need a change, I want a proper career but I'm turning 20 soon and I work at New Look *face palm*
• I've officially signed up to Open University and will start my degree in English Literature and Language in October. So excited as I miss writing essays (Sad but true) 
• Also wanted to thank everyone who suggested the OU after my college catastrophe, I'm seriously grateful as I would have never thought of it. 

Have a good everyone :) 

Onna 

Some more on ROP statistics

Rather than drone on and on about how bad the driving is here, and how it is scary (but it really is) to have to drive here when you look at the statistics, I wanted to write about robberies in the Sultanate today.

There is a general belief that "there is no crime" in the Sultanate, but really, there is. I read with amusement (I'm nasty like that) that a man had his 1996 Honda Civic nicked in Mawaleh - he was a PRO for a company and had left his wallet, but more incredibly, a passport of someone in the company he works for, in the car over night. What a tool! Why on earth would you leave someone else's passport (or even your own) in a car overnight? The words "lazy" and "muppet" spring to mind.

The article in question which prompted this blog today though, is the statistics of burglaries in Oman in the first 3 months of this year. 1,342 thefts happened in the first 3 months this year, compared to 1,208 in the same period last year, an 11% increase. It's a general trend as it seems, the population is getting older, there are more people out of work and so I guess it is inevitable that crime will rise. We all know someone who's had their house broken into, car damaged or even simply just been ripped off by an unscrupulous retailer/mechanic.

It'd be interesting to get the data from, say, 10 years ago and compare it to todays data and see how crime rates have changed when compared to population change. And of criminals that have been caught, how many are local and how many are expatriates.

Perhaps the papers here are reporting on crimes more frequently now, or perhaps we really are in the grip of a crime wave here - what do you think? Do you think that there are particular crime hot-spots? Wadi Kabir? Azaiba? MQ in the summer? Mawaleh?

le fin.

July 23rd Blessed Renaissance Day / Holiday

In a surprising move of super efficiency (for here at least!) the Public Holiday for the Blessed Renaissance day has been called for next Saturday, July 23rd for both the Public and Private sectors.

Enjoy the long weekend!

le fin.

More free tickets! Yolanda Be Cool

The last Wednesday night before Ramadan begins see's Hi FM and Nawras Backstage hosting one last party. In the same venue as the Hed Kandi party this Wednesday, Yolanda Be Cool will be playing on Wednesday the 27th July at the Inter Con ball room. Tickets are RO 15 and are on sale now - you can get them by calling 9555 5699, or by winning 1 of 2 tickets that I have to give away right here on MM.

Standard rules apply - either email me or post a comment below - if you post a comment, please be sure to leave a way of me being able to contact you! I'll announce the winners next week!

bon chance!

le fin.

Hed Kandi - The Winners

Thank you to all of you who have put your name down for the free tickets generously donated by The Experiment for the Hed Kandi party this Wednesday the 20th July at 9pm. Tickets are still available for RO 5/10/15 depending if your a girl, couple or guy and you can get them by calling 9236 9801.

 

Congratulations to:

Erika and Shahid - you've both won a set of couples tickets to the event!

le fin.

OOTD: I'm just too hot...

...to wear makeup. I didn't want to put foundation on today as I'm boiling, which resulted in very few OOTD pictures for you as I didn't feel like showing much of my face. Also sorry for the bra showing, I can't think of an excuse for that. 

Shorts: Primark

Vest: New Look

Necklace: New Look

Waistcoat: New Look

The back of the waistcoat is my favourite part of the outfit... so pretty and girly, not something I would usually go for. And as you can see I went for the usually messy updo. 

Have a good week,

Onna x

48 hours in the clink for speeding, Omani bagpipes and dead bodies.

I was reading the Muscat Daily yesterday and was rather interested in an article on Page 3 i think it was. Here is the link to the online version of the story. In the story, a Major Zaid al Hosni announced that drivers caught violating speed limits monitored by radar face 48 hours in prison and a penalty of RO 50.

The article then goes on to state that between January and May 2011, 799,975 tickets had been issued to speeding motorists (an average of 159,995 a month). Assuming that each fine is RO 10 (and some are not, they range between 10 and 50) that is RO 8,000,000 in speeding fines revenue (a little factoid the Daily didnt publish!). The article goes on to state that in 2009 the total number of fines issued was 1,778,614 (an average of 148,218 a month) and that speeding fines are up. Well, given that the ROP are now using the sneaky cameras on the 18th Nov Street and Muscat Expressway, and that there are generally more people driving now than in 2009 (increase in driving age population), and that a new Fast and the Furious movie came out, I think that the increase in fines given is actually less per 1000 drivers than it was in 2009. I might be wrong, I can't be bothered to figure it out.

Now it's confusing, because the article does not indicate whether all speeding offenders will do a tour of the Bowsher police station, or only those going really fast. Anyway, you might want to check this handy ROP website before going in to renew your Mulkia - it's an online speeding fine check (and payment) thing. If anyone can clarify the situation, please do share with the rest of us.

Next up, also on the news. Today's Muscat Daily had a rather macabre picture of a dead guy that had hung himself on a construction site in Wadi Kabir. Really? Do we need to see the guy's dead body hanging like that? Next up, we could have an enterprising marketing company placing adverts on the dead guy. I wont publish the picture here because I think it was poor taste from the journo. But thats just me. Poor guy, I hope it was quick.

And finally, "traditional" Omani bagpipes. Confused? Because I certainly am! I am, unfortunately, a degenerate Pinkberry addict, and so last night I decided to go and get some overpriced yoghurt. And on my pilgrimage walk to Pinkberry, I came across a dude playing the bagpipes in full traditional Omani dress, along with a bunch of other guys banging on drums and some ladies dancing with more guys too. I thought it was pretty cool, but was a little confused about the guy playing what seemed to me like Scottish tunes on a bagpipe. I did manage to snap one picture below:

But my question is.... are bagpipes something of a tradition here in Oman? How on earth did they get here, and when?!

le fin.

HedKandi coming to Oman! WIN FREE TICKETS!

On Wednesday July 20th (thats next Wednesday) - The Experiment in association with Merge 104.8 present HED KANDI LIVE in Muscat on July 20th at Jibreen Ballroom, Intercontinental Hotel from 9pm till 2am. Tickets cost: RO 10 for couples. RO 15 for single guys and RO 5 for single ladies.

For more details log on to facebook.com/exxperiment and radiomerge.fm Also check out this week's edition of Y magazine and listen to Chris Fisher in the morning for your chance to win free tickets on Merge 104.8

The very nice people at The Experiment and Merge have given me 2 pairs of couples tickets to give away! Free stuff is always fun! I will draw the tickets on Sunday next week. If you want to enter the draw, either leave a comment here (and if you do that please leave a way for me to contact you) or send me an email to my regular address: mrsythe *at* gmail.com

Bon chance!

le fin.

My Brazilian Wax Experience

Source Apologies for the lack of pictures but lets face it, I wasn't going to take before & after pictures of my va-jay-jay to post on my blog :)


Preparation:
For me, this is the worst bit. YES you do have to grow your hair back. You need about 1/4 inch of hair, minimum for waxing. I let it grow for around a month, but usually 3 weeks will be more than enough. 


Price:
I paid £22 for the Brazilian and £28 for a full leg wax. When you add that up its pretty expensive to pay every month or so. If you live near London I'm sure you will pay a lot more. If I were  to continue waxing I think I'd skip the legs to cut the cost. 


Pain Level:
I would describe the pain as uncomfortable but bearable. It does hurt but its not so bad that you run away crying :)I've also been told the pain subsides the more you get it done, a bit like plucking your eyebrows I guess.


Process: 
The whole process took around 50 minutes and the girl who did my wax made me feel really comfortable so I didn't find it awkward or embarrassed. The leg wax was standard, she started at the front, worked her way up, then finished the wax with a soothing oil. The Brazilian was a little more complicated. You get to wear some snazzy disposable knickers (sexy) and you have to bend your leg in lots of weird positions (not difficult ones) in order to tense your skin. Its undignified but it helps to reduce the pain. If you didn't already know, a Brazilian is where you wax everything off apart from a little 'landing strip' and bare in mind, some bits hurt more than others... the tweezing to finish was the worst!


Results:
I'm so happy with the results of the Brazilian. At the time it bled the tiniest amount and looked a little red, but that goes away after about 12-24 hours. You also can't have hot baths or apply any products for 24 hours. After the leg wax there are still a few missed hairs, which is disappointing but they weren't long enough to be waxed off. I guess thats the only downside for me. I've been told the wax should last around 4-6 weeks but with some leg hair missed I'm sure they won't last that long.

Hope someone found this post useful,

Much Love,

Onna x

Blogs I love.

Zara at Mouldy Fruit...

She's so gorgeous and exotic but what I like most about her blog is her pretty photos which are always in her 'own style'. She has a great variety of posts and is just a lovely girl. Follow her on twitter @MouldyFruit


Lisa at GoldenGlow...

A recent blogging discovery, I love her simple, clean layout and again (its gets my every time) pretty pictures. I also really enjoyed her latest post on her 'Mummy Makeover' as I'm always giving my mum makeovers! Follow her on twitter @GoldenGloww


Grace at Glitter and Carousels...

I really love the general 'ambiance' of Grace's blog. I know thats a weird thing to say but I hope you all know what I mean. I adore her gorgeous, long, blonde hair and she has a great mix of beauty and personal posts on her blog. You really get to know her through her blog which is nice :) Follow her on twitter @Glitzcarousels


Holly at GoodGollyMsHollie...

I first saw this girl on youtube, and as I said on twitter she instantly reminded me of SWalkerMakeup so I knew I was going to like her. Then I found out she has a blog and immediately followed it! She's young, fun and has great taste. Follow her on twitter @GollyMsHollie


Laura at The Beauty Spark

As with my last "Blogs I love." post I tweeted asking bloggers to send me links. Laura was the first person to respond, but she's on here because I was reading a post by her the other day and I love her layout. Its so fresh and simple and thats how I love my blogs. She also seems lovely and genuine which is a bonus! Follow her on twitter @TheBeautySpark

More Blogs I Love next month :) 

Onna x

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I Came...

I saw...

I conquered... YUM!

Watering holes

Well I hope you all had a nice long weekend, I know I did. I'm still stuffed from all the Turkey and cake. I see a Turkey ruby murray in my near future.

Today's post is all about the new poll here on MM. It's about bars. I had to draw the line somewhere, and so I've done the following:

1. They are all Muscat based bars
2. They are all publicly accessible (eg not PDO, Civil Aviation, OHI Club, Royal Flight, golf clubs)
3. I've not included bars in predominantly restaurants (eg: Blue Marlin, O Solé Mio, Up Town, The Pub/Tokyo Taro, Pavo Real etc)

Now I know there are the Wadi Kabir bars, but I dont even know what they're called so I didn't add them in. Same with the Majan hotel bars. If you think I missed a worthy bar out, please let me know and I'll add it to the list for next time (as soon as someone votes on the Poll I can't edit it).

Vote for all that you like, we shall see if there is a clear winner!

le fin.