Water shortages in Seeb

So the drought continues up in Seeb and beyond, with little to no water pressure available to most people living there. The desalination plants in Barka are running, so I don't think it is a problem with the supply, and so must be a case of the upgrading works that are being installed at the moment which has caused the shortage.

People are struggling to even get water trucks as they're busy fulfilling their existing Contracts and there isn't much spare capacity to cater to such a large area with people calling for a tank fill up.

Does anyone have any more information on this? If a Contractor is upgrading pumps / pipes, why has no temporary over-pumping (pumps laid on the ground to transfer the water) been put in place?

le fin.

le weekend

Well there is a lot of stuff going on this weekend...

Tonight

Electro party at Zouk

House music night tonight at Zouk from 10 till 3.


Thursday

The Soapbox Race

There is of course the first ever Red Bull Soapbox race that takes place over in Bowsher, it starts at 2pm and runs until 6pm.

The Art of Living Carnival

Starting at 10am and running until 10pm at the Fun Zone in Qurum is the day-long event with activities for all the family, in the name of charity. There's a facebook event page here with more information.

Treasure Hunt in Muttrah - THURSDAY 25th APRIL (NOT THIS WEEKEND!)

The Centre for Omani Dress (preserving traditional Omani cultural dress) is hosting a scavenger/treasure hunt fund-raiser between 9am and 1pm. Pre-registration is required to participate, and the price is 25OMR to register per team of 2-4 people (age 12+) and at least one team member is required to have a camera or phone with a built-in camera to participate. Prizes will be awarded to the top three based on most correct answers and best time. Maps of Mutrah souq will be provided and gift bags for all participants.



Wig party at the Hyatt

It's been quietly rumbling along and this will be the big party of the night, with numbers of expected guests to be in the mid hundreds - go get a wig, dress to impress, and go get your drink on (if you're into that sort of thing) at the Hyatt's outdoor venue, Marjan, by the pool. I'll give a free pat on the back to the first drunk person to jump in the pool. Here's the Facebook event page for more information. It kicks off at 7pm and runs till 10pm, before moving up to the John Barry bar for the after party which will run till midnight.

Friday

Beverly Hills Brunch

For those who enjoy the finer things in life, genuine Moet et Chandon bubbles will be served, free-flowing, at the newly launched brunch at the Hyatt. RO 49 for the free flowing bubbles, RO 22 for soft drinks or RO 35 for freeflowing dB wines and selected spirits and cocktails. Here's the Facebook event page for more information, starts at 12:30 and runs until 3:30.

Jazz night

British Jazz singer Matthew vanKan is coming to the rebranded for one night only Copacabana "Jazz Club". VIP tickets are already sold out, and the show starts at 8pm. Here's the Facebook event page for more information, to book tickets you can call 2464 1234 or email muscat.dining@hyatt.com

That's quite a full weekend!

Have a good one everyone....

le fin.

When I first moved to Muscat......

Muscat in the 70's - stolen from OPNO

When I first moved to Muscat.....

.... there was a round about by the airport that was terrifying
.... there was no Muscat Expressway, nor that road between MQ and Bowsher
.... Death valley road was a winding twisting single lane road that people still drove at 100KM/H+ on
.... there was only 1 mall in town (Muscat City Centre) (No Sabco and Markez al Bhaja don't count!)
.... there was no Burger King (but there used to be, apparently)
.... the CCC area where Nandos is was underwater
.... there were black-outs every summer
.... the Airport didn't have that extra building with the extra gates and the Subway joint upstairs
.... you didn't have to pay for parking at the airport
.... traffic jams were rare, and were never actually that bad, it never took long to get anywhere
.... a loaf of bread at Al Fair was 200bz (its now 850bz)
.... a 6 pack of Coke was 400bz (its now 850bz)
.... the coastal road to sur was a track and it took all day to get there, it was paved to Quriyat, but not a dual carriageway like it is now
.... the road from Qantab to Yiti was not built
.... there was only Muscat Private Hospital for expats (badr al samma doesnt count)
.... a pint of beer at the Blue Marlin in Bandar al Rowha was RO 1.3
.... there were no green golf courses in Oman, really only the PDO course and Ghala Wentworth
.... the road from Sohar to Buraimi was not built
.... the road from Seeb to Nizwa was not what it is now (added a lane)
.... no one had heard of Duqm
.... there was no port in Sohar
.... there were no restaurants on love lane by the sea
.... ADSL was capped at 512 kb/s (a max speed of about 60KB/s) and cost about RO 39 a month
.... there were 2 mobile phone companies, and wireless data was SLOOOW and EXPENSIVE
.... the Al Said Royal yacht was a different one to what it is now
.... there wasn't a Lulu's in Wadi Kabir, nor a TSC or Al Fair in Azaiba
.... Azaiba was called Atheibah, and now it's called Udhaiba
.... The Wave had just opened it's first street of houses
.... Left Bank beneath Mumtaz Mahal was not there, it was an empty space
.... all the banks were based in Ruwi
.... there was no working sewage network, you saw yellow poo trucks everywhere
.... there were no Majlis a Shura elections
.... there was only 1 English radio station, 90.4
.... 18th November street was a single lane road with roundabouts
.... the shining Shatti apartments and mall didn't exist
.... the Royal Opera House didn't exist
.... Oman didn't grow cherry tomato's for sale in supermarkets
.... Muscat Daily didn't exist
.... the Radisson Blu was called the Radisson SAS


Its amazing to think how much change Muscat has seen in the last 6 years that I've been living here, I wonder for those that have been longer how much change they can remember, and I wonder what new changes we will see in the next 6 years?

What big changes can you remember?

le fin.

Freezing Omanis presentation tonight

Tonight at the MGM the Freezing Omanis will be showing a presentation on their recent trip to the Antarctic. The presentation starts at 6pm if your interested.

le fin.

Walkathon 2013

Tomorrow, April 8th, there is the 2013 Walkathon which is for awareness and research of Alzheimers disease as well as road safety.

It all kicks off at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Stadium in Bowsher, from 4:30pm. Registration to walk is free and its a good way to get outside and take a little exercise as well as help a great cause.

More later.

le fin.

Earth Hour 2013

Today is the 23rd March, and that means, other than its Saturday and the first day of the working week, that it is that one day a year that people all over the world show their support for the environment.

Thats Earth Hour.

Last year, the Environmental Society of Oman joined the rest of the world for the second time in the Earth Hour. It's an initiative where people turn off their electrical appliances, lights and whatever else uses electricity for an hour between 8:30 and 9:30 pm on a designated date, this year the date is today: March 23rd. Last year here in the Sultanate, an estimated 53,000KWh of electricity was saved (up from 20,000 KWh in 2011). This year the ESO are trying a new tack: The board members of the ESO will join hands with Muscat Municipality if over 2000 people pledge to lend their support to the Environmental Society of Oman by signing up over here:

http://www.omanearthhour.org

At the time of publishing, the count was at 1,385 - so a little way to go to get to the magic 2,000, but it's doable!


Here's a few tips to help save some electricity during the hour, and in general:

1. Turn lights off in rooms you are not in. If you have outside lights, turn them off too.
2. When you are done charging your mobile device, camera or whatever, turn the power off at the wall - chargers suck electricity whether you have a phone plugged into them or not.
3. Turn your TV/DVD/Sound off at the wall, even in "Standby" mode, they are still using a surprising amount of power. Check out this graph and this table showing just how much various appliances use around the home when in standby mode, it's quite interesting to see.
4. Believe it or not, the amount of energy expended in rearing livestock is actually significant, by eating vegetarian even just one day a week, you are reducing your carbon footprint.

As for things to do during the Earth Hour, here's my suggestions:

1. Dinner by candle light
2. Going for a walk
3. Talking with friends
4. Take a nap!
5. Play hide in the dark!

Here's an example of my favourite City, Toronto, during Earth hour 5 years ago:

Lets see if we can do better here in Oman!

le fin.

The parking "Situation" in Oman

How often have you been looking for a safe place to park your car? If you are one of the unlucky ones who live or work in the Ruwi area, this is a depressing fact of life for you. Parking is becoming a big problem in the capital, and the problem is only getting worse.

I had the chance to catch up with Chris Steel, the Managing Partner of Savills Oman and asked him his opinion on the parking "situation" that is plaguing Muscat with a few questions.

Here's how it went...

1. Are you aware of any changes to Muscat Municipality planning regulations to increase parking requirements?

Yes, we understand that Muscat Municipality are very aware of the present situation and are actively seeking solutions to the problems. Clearly there is only so much they can do in the existing developed areas, particularly Ruwi and Qurum so we understand their current focus is finding ways to safeguard the newer developing areas from suffering the same fate.

2. What would you do to improve parking?

Really there is only one solution in a city that relies so much on the use of private cars, and that is to ensure that there are sufficient spaces for everyone to park in. I know this sounds rather simplistic but without a public transport system in Muscat, everyone is forced to rely on cars or taxis - and these require parking spaces. Dubai recognized this problem years ago and the metro has significantly reduced the pressure on car parking strain at the major shopping centres and offices. I have not seen any signs of a public transport system being developed in the short term so fear we have many years ahead of an increasingly difficult parking problem in Muscat!

3. To tow, or not to Tow, that is the question?

There is a school of thought that that this could work and would act as a real deterrent. However, it would only be as good as the towing operation itself. To succeed in Muscat it would have to be properly regulated and in ideal conditions run by the police/civil services and not outsourced to third parties. as is often the case in other countries. The inconvenience factor could work well in deterring people but a down side is the additional transport vehicles needed on the streets for the service - so perhaps a double edged sword?

4. How about clamping?

Questionable. Quite often here, cars will park in such a manner as to block others in. If they are clamped, it could only lead to more congestion.  Not only that, clamping a vehicle would probably quickly become a source of entertainment for those around and the gathering of people in congested urban areas more often than not leads to a rubber necking situation for passing traffic – not the ideal outcome.

5. Paid reserved parking spots - is there an opportunity there?

To some extent but it does not solve the problem. If a space is reserved for a parker and that user is not there, it is a complete waste of available parking.  How often have you passed certain offices or shopping malls with massively over flowing car parks yet there are two spaces barricaded off near the entrance marked “Chairman” or “Manager” sitting idle. The current Term parking option offered by the Municipality is probably the better option – allowing parkers to pay for use of spaces on a monthly or longer basis on a ‘subject to availability’ basis.

6. Private paid parking a la NPC style? (NPC is a pay-and-park company in the UK)

Definitely a way forward. Whilst there would likely be initial wariness (probably from the public and the authorities), I am sure that once parkers realized that paying for a space actually guaranteed a space, they would catch on. About a year ago we carried out a feasibility study on a vacant piece of land in the CBD, analysing its potential uses. Surprisingly, it showed that by building a multi storey car park, the overall investment returns were higher than those obtainable by building the same size office/apartment building. It is probably only time before developers realize the potential to be had from such operations.

7. Any new projects coming up that actually have sufficient parking?

Too few I am afraid. There is a growing developer awareness of the need for more car parking but mistakes are still being made. The larger projects – those currently under construction around the Airport and the Convention Centre for example all have sufficient land to accommodate increased parking requirements. It is these developments that will likely become the favored destinations in years to come.  Those shopping areas where you simply cannot park after 6 pm or the offices that have only side street parking will ultimately fail. It is a normal process in the real estate cycle to some extent and these properties will ultimately be redeveloped to meet the requirement of their shoppers/workers.

8. Coming back to policing the issue, do you think increased parking fines would help?

Yes, probably. Oman has a very good system of ensuring all vehicle penalties are paid upon car re-registration every year. So (apart from the usual “negotiations”), all fines have to be settled regularly and cannot really be avoided. Current parking fines of around RO 3 are not much of a deterrent  when compared to the average fine in say UK of between £25 and £150 depending on location. I am sure that many motorists are quite happy to pay this just to park at their destination. However, giving the benefit of doubt to the majority of offenders, they are probably only parking illegally because there are no legitimate spaces left to park in anyway !  So really its back to your earlier question. Without the alternative of a working public transport system  for the population to get from a to b – it’s a problem that can only really be solved by providing more spaces to meet the needs of the motorists.

------

Which leads me onto the return of an old favourite of mine.... my Pointless Polls! What do you think should be done about the chronic lack of parking?

le fin.

16 Year old boy missing from Lulu's in Wadi Kabir

This is a story that I picked up from Muscat Daily yesterday, in a nut shell he is called Noel Abraham, 16 years old, and stayed in his parents car studying while they shopped at Lulu's. Some time around 10:30 on Friday night it looks like he was pulled out of the car based on the debris on the ground around the car.

ROP came to the scene but no happy ending yet, the kid is still missing.

It's sometimes easy to forget that crime does happen here, albeit no where near as much as takes place in other countries, but, it's still an ugly reality.

I hope the kid is found safe. Edit: Apparently he was found last night with his hands tied behind LuLu's in Wadi Kabir.... no word yet on who actually did it though. He has been admitted to hospital.

le fin.

The SensatioNL white Orange Ball this weekend

Hot on the heels of what is already being talked about as the best ever Canadian Stampede party last weekend, the Dutch are hosting their party this coming weekend on Thursday 14th March from 7pm at the Intercon gardens.

Tickets are RO 35 and include dinner and free-flowing drinks all night long, and of course the herring and bitterballs station will be there once again this year, along with copious amounts of Heineken as well.

The dress code is informal - as long as you are in white! There is also a great band being flown in especially for the event: the De Coronas, a video clip is below :)

It's a great party every year and this year will be no exception! Tickets can be purchased from PDO or MacKenzies or by calling either 9723 3276 or 9396 4275.

le fin

The Muscat Reds gets official recognition by Liverpool FC

Tonight at the Habana Sports Bar, the Muscat Reds, a local Liverpool FC supporters club get their official recognition certificate awarded to them by the CEO of Standard Chartered. Nabil "Nabs" Al Busaidi, Oman's Arctic adventurer, who founded the Muscat Reds supporters club, along with similar clubs in Bahrain and Qatar will receive the certificate along with the GM of the Hyatt, Mr Garry Friend.

The presentation will take place shortly before the 9PM kick off between Liverpool & Wigan, with Ali Al Habsi playing for Wigan.

This afternoon I'll announce the Chris Tucker tickets!

le fin.

Weekend activities

Well there are quite a few things going on this weekend, so here's a quick round up of some of them:

Wednesday

Tonight is the dance music night over at the Shang with Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas and David Vendetta, a talented French house music dj - it should be a blast, and there's a few tickets still available on the door - RO 20 a pop.

Also tonight is the interior designers free advice thing over at Antiqua Living in Al Khuwair. It runs between 4-9pm.  Tel: 22061870. www.antiqualiving.com 

Thursday

The lovely ladies over at United Star Fashion are having a coffee morning and a few give away prizes and special offers as well. It's at their store in the Zakher Mall (upstairs, above Omantel) between 10:30am and 1:30pm.

There is also another book sale today, for the Dar Al Atta'a Lets Read campaign. It's in the Al Qurum Complex (CCC to old-timers) from 9:30am until 12:30pm - it's a great place to pick up some cheap books - 2 paperback books for 1 RO, or one hard back for the same.

There is also the MRFC Family Fun day, running between 10am until 1pm, there is the annual MRFC family fun day. This year it is in partnership with the Association of Early Intervention for children with disabilities, a very worthwhile charitable organization here in Oman.

Teams of 10 (mixed between adults and kids) can be registered for RO 30 per team with the proceeds going to Charity. This is a great fun few hours and also for a good cause as well.

Friday

And finally, on Friday there is another home game for the MRFC against the Doha rugby club - Kick off is at 3pm at the ABA rugby pitch in Al Khuwair - it's always nice to come down and support the local boys :)

Have a great weekend everyone.

le fin.

MRFC family fun day

On Thursday 28th February from 10am until 1pm, there is the annual MRFC family fun day. This year it is in partnership with the Association of Early Intervention for children with disabilities, a very worthwhile charitable organization here in Oman.

Teams of 10 (mixed between adults and kids) can be registered for RO 30 per team with the proceeds going to Charity. This is a great fun few hours and also for a good cause as well.

For more information, email either John or Ross.

le fin.

Local bloggers in a bid for the coldest tweet up ever

A quick re-blog from Maurizio over on Oman Collective Intelligence:

Omani bloggers and tweeps to attempt social media world record!

In their ongoing quest to increase awareness about protecting the environment and spreading awareness about the need for clean energy the soon-to-be-world-famous Freezing Omanis came up with an original idea.

Bader and Ameer, supported by several local blogger and tweeps, will do a tweet-up at a temperature of -20 degrees in the famous ‘evil freezer’! The attempt will take place this Thursday, February 21st, at 11am.

Click here to visit the Freezing Omanis blog and find out why a country like Oman, with its unique and diverse environmental issues, needs to get those different issues highlighted and show the world that the Sultanate and its community are serious about taking a step forward.

So who else is joining Bader and Ameer in the freezer? Who are these crazy brave people? Ladies first of course:

Maya from Sew Chic and Unique blog. You can follow her on Twitter too.

Fatima, you can follow her on Twitter.

Saba, you can follow her on Twitter.

Andy from Andy in Oman blog. Follow Andy on Twitter too.

There will also be someone from the happy gang of Merge 104.8. Maybe Rumaitha? She enjoyed the freezer a lot last time. Follow Merge 104.8 here.

Last...myself! I couldn't have missed such fun thing especially when related to both social media and the environment! You already know my blog, in case you want to find me on Twitter click here. 

Will blog about the whole experience if I survive it! Stay tuned :)

Follow him: @MPiRe_Oman on Twitter | Oman.Intel on Facebook


I look forward to reading the half-finished tweets tomorrow! :)

le fin.

Childrens book launch tomorrow

Local guy, Sami Jaffer, has written a children's book, Adventures of the Shir-Sha: Phara's Quest. The illustrations were done by Jenni Eden, and it will be launched between 11am and 1pm at WHSmiths in Jawaharat Al Shatti tomorrow (21st February).

More later!

le fin.

Aladdin - the Pantomime

This weekend, the Ras Al Hamra Drama Society are hosting their latest production:

Aladdin the Panto

The show times are split over 3 days:

13 Feb between 7 & 9pm
14 Feb between 2 & 4, and again between 7 & 9
15 Feb between 2 & 4


The ticket prices are 5 OMR / 7 OMR for members / non-members of the PDO club and the tickets are available at the PDO club front office. In the event that non members would like to purchase tickets they are free to e-mail the RAHADS at rahads.oman@gmail.com and they will help you out.

 

More info is available on http://www.facebook.com/Rahads as well.

 

le fin.

MRFC v Dubai Wasps this Friday at 3pm

This Friday, local rugby team, Muscat RFC, will play the Dubai Wasps in the third of their series of games to retain the Gulf Conference Cup that MRFC won last year.

The game is being held here in Muscat at the ABA rugby ground in Al Khuwair this Friday at 3pm.

Why not come on down and support your local rugby team.... they've been winning a lot lately and all the support they get is more than welcome!

As usual, post match refreshments shall be held in the adopted club house, the Habana Sports bar at the Grand Hyatt.

le fin.

Mardi Gras

Tomorrow night down at PDO Ras Al Hamra club there is the Mardi Gras party - tickets are RO 12 for RAH members, RO 14 for non members.

If you are not a member, and don't know anyone who is, you can call Claudia on 9935 4596 and she will help you out :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

le fin.

Yard Sale this Friday

This Friday the 8th February there is another of the Muscat Mum's Yardsales, which have proven to be pretty popular lately.

This one is in MQ, on the road from Costa Coffee down to BSM - at 19 Al Nadhayer St between 8:30 and 10:30 in the morning.

le fin.

Minimum Wage for Omanis to be RO 325/month from July 1st

Earlier today, some announcements were made by the Council of Ministers after their latest meeting. There are some quite significant changes announced, the news statement is here on ONA, but I'm duplicating it here for the record, I've bolded the really juicy parts:

Council of Ministers / Statement

 

Muscat, Feb 2 (ONA)--- During its meeting that was held today, the Council of Ministers studied a number important economic and social topics and came out with a number of decisions that serve the needs of this stage namely:- 

    

At the beginning, the Council of Ministers hailed the fruitful and constructive outcomes of the Royal meet-the-people-tour of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said in Saih Al Shamikhat in the Wilayat of Bahla in the Governorate of A'Dakhiliyah and His Majesty's meeting with sheikhs and dignitaries of the Governorates of Al Wusta and A'Dakhiliyah at the Royal Camp, as well as the wise decisions taken to enhance the comprehensive development being witnessed by the Sultanate, which achieves aspirations of the Omani youths towards a better future. 

     

The Council of Ministers affirmed that the environment has become conducive and encouraging for the promising Omani youths to effectively take part in building their nation through entrepreneurship and utilization of the available investment opportunities. The Council of Ministers also stressed the importance of cooperation by all respective departments in the State to simplify and facilitate the transactions and measures related to implementing the approved decisions, so that they are properly implemented. 

     

As for the increase in the number of expatriate manpower, the Council took executive decisions that embody the Royal Directives in relation to striking a balance between expatriate manpower and the gross population in the Sultanate, so that it does not exceed (33%) in the specified term for this. In this regard, the Council of Ministers identified a number of mechanisms, the most important of which are as follows:

- Revising the Foreign Investment Law to bridge the gaps that are being exploited to attract expatriates.

- Considering the expatriate clearances granted to recruit foreign manpower at all specialties to evaluate and regularize the labour market.

- Revising the measures taken to grant commercial registrations.

- Approving new mechanisms to limit the concealed trade phenomenon. 

- Delegating the Supreme Council for Planning with the task of preparing a clear plan on the existing and future job-generating projects for the citizens and defining the time-frame for the same.

- Other procedures that may achieve the prospective objective.

     

Due to the importance of limiting the negative effects of this issue on the State's economic, social and security policies, the Council of Ministers decided to constitute a work team. This work team comprises the Supreme Council for Planning, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of Civil Service, the Secretariat General of the Council of Ministers, the Royal Oman Police (ROP), the Tender Board, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI). The team will raise regular reports on the progress of implementation of the mechanisms that serve this trend. 

     

As for the existing cooperation between the government and the private sector, the Council of Ministers reviewed the outcomes of the joint action team - comprised of the two sides - regarding the proposed mechanisms for a number of aspects that have been highlighted during the meeting that was held at the end of December 2012. The meeting gathered a number of senior businessmen and a number of ministers and officials, as well as OCCI Chairman as these mechanisms have priority in implementation. The outcomes covered employment, social insurance, closing the gap in holidays, matching between outputs of education and training from one hand and the labour market's needs on the other hand, in addition to revising the Labour Law and improving the environment for business and attracting investments.  

     

Guided by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said's Royal Speech at the Council of Oman on enhancing the contribution of the private sector in the march of comprehensive development and encouraging the Omani youths to work at its establishments and stability in its jobs, which specifically requires amending the salary system of this sector especially for junior and middle level's jobs, considering the fact that this is a national duty, the joint work team has discussed increasing the minimum salaries for Omanis working in the private sector. The joint team came with a proposal in this regard. Having discussed the issue, the Council of Ministers decided to approve the proposal that raises the minimum gross salary for an Omani working at the private sector to (RO 325).  This applies with effect from July 1st, 2013. The Ministry of Manpower will issue the decision implementing this.

--- Ends

So, in a nutshell:

1. It's going to be harder to be an expatriate working here in Oman, because the clearances will be harder to get.

2. Omani's are getting a bump in their minimum wage from 200 to 325 rials a month.

There are rumours around town that the Government are preparing to withdraw/reduce the subsidy on fuel and electricity... we shall see what happens. Presumably there will be an announcement for people working in the Government sector as well as their pay will probably be increased too.

Exciting times if your an Omani worker. Not so if you are a business owner or an expat.

le fin.  

MRFC v Abu Dhabi Saracens this Friday

This Friday, local rugby team, Muscat RFC, will play the Abu Dhabi Saracens in the second of their series of games to retain the Gulf Conference Cup that MRFC won last year.

The game is being held here in Muscat at the ABA rugby ground in Al Khuwair this Friday at 3pm.

Why not come on down and support your local rugby team.... they've been winning a lot lately and all the support they get is more than welcome!

As usual, post match refreshments shall be held in the adopted club house, the Habana Sports bar at the Grand Hyatt.

le fin.