Carmen at the Royal Opera House

Last night I went to watch Carmen at the Royal Opera House. It was the first event that I've attended there and by no means am I even remotely experienced in the world of Opera to give a critique of the show, but I'll let you all know my thoughts of it, my first ever opera to attend, well because it's what I want to write about today.

I arrived with Mrs Sythe at 7pm, having been forewarned by people experienced from previous events there to get there an hour early. There was a security scanner at the door and no one was allowed to bring in cigarette lighters, so smokers among you, beware.

There were programs on sale for RO 3, which are actually very nice, and there were RO 5 coffee, sandwich and cake combo's to purchase, as well as juice, water or coffee at RO 1 a pop. It seemed weird to be drinking coffee in such a nice location out of a paper cup.

No food or drink is allowed into the auditorium, obviously! On the back of each seat in front of you is a small dim-lit tv screen with subtitles available in a variety of languages so you can understand what they're singing about, a definitely much appreciated piece of technology seeing as the entire thing was sung in 135 year old French.

The set's were quite simply amazing, it turns out they were built in Italy and shipped over, and I understand it is the intention of this production to go on tour - one would hope they do because the set's really were quite amazing, and it'd be such a waste for only a 3 day run!

There were 4 acts, each with a 25 minute intermission, which is why the show ended up lasting 4 hours. I noticed that after Act 3 a quite noticeable number of people had left, presumably to go home as it was by that time 11pm. Perhaps not a great choice for those people with young children. The orchestra were conducted by this French guy who, for me, entertained me the most - but probably for a bad reason. This guy was really into his conducting, and his mannerisms had me smiling in no time. At points he'd get excited and start jumping up and down while conducting - presumably this is the done thing, I just thought it was funny - but then again Opera is not my first choice for live entertainment and so I'll respect the fact that the guy did seem to know what he was doing and was very well applauded, so he must have been good.

The attendants were very well drilled - they closed the doors and that was it - no one in or out till the next intermission - something I know other people had previously complained about - people entering or leaving in the middle of a performance. So they have learned and adapted. The same thing with getting out in your car after the performance - there were guards on hand directing traffic, it took me all of 2 minutes to get out and onto the highway home.

I happened to bump into a friend of mine that had a press kit, and learned that tickets for the next season of the ROH will be announced later this month and due to go on sale in early January - so for those of you keen to snap up some tickets for the next season, stay tuned for more announcements in the press in the coming weeks.

More soon.

le fin.

Brad Pitt Physique And Dressing Style In Mr And Mrs Smith Is Captivating

brad pitt picture : brad pitt physique

Brad Pitt who flaunted a very impressive physique in a number of movies such as Fight Club and Troy was also looking splendid in the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The actor's physique in Fight Club and Troy is a perfect example of the 'Lean Hollywood Look' and he was also looking great in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. This must have been one of the reasons his present partner Angelina Jolie couldn't resist falling for him even though he was still married to former wife Jennifer Aniston at the time.

Although the pair denied allegations of having an affair during the shooting of the film and while Pitt was still married to Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie later admitted to the New York Times she and Brad Pitt fell in love on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Also, Judging from the chemistry they displayed in the movie it's clear that there was something more going on between the two.

brad pitt picture : brad and anjelina

The point of bringing up this story is to show that women are greatly attracted to men who're in this type of shape. Whenever a man possess this type of body he automatically becomes highly in demand to women. Well, there are other factors that women will consider too, but the fact is a lean and muscular body could easily captivate the interest of women than any other body type.

If Brad Pitt was fat, thin or overly muscular like a professional bodybuilder maybe Angelina Jolie would have been less interested considering he was still married. But I believe it's the lean and muscular physique of Brad Pitt that had her hypnotized.

You can get a lean and muscular physique by getting a copy of  Visual Impact Muscle Building. This is the only program that aim to teach guys how to build their body to look ultra-lean like actors such as Brad Pitt, Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale flaunt in movies. The program will show you how to build muscle and look lean and defined by revealing  how to avoid gaining excessive muscle mass in the wrong areas, add dense muscle mass to specific muscle groups and gain muscles without gaining body fat, so the physique that you end up with will look hypnotizing to women.

Also, for ladies, if you want to look lean and toned like Angelina Jolie click here to checkout the review of Visual Impact For Women a great guide for achieving the slim and sexy feminine look.

3 Tips To Ensure You Gain An Ultra-Lean Physique When Building Muscle

                                                                                                                                               
If your aim is to build muscle and also ensure that your physique appear well defined here are 3 tips you need to follow to make sure this happens.



1. Avoid Gaining Too Much Fat (Bulking Up) To Build Muscle

Eating well is essential to build muscle, but to make sure that your muscle gain is actually muscle and not fat the correspondence of your eating plan and workout program should result in maximum muscle gain with minimal fat gain. If you gain an excessive amount of fat when building muscle you are faced with the risk of not being able to lose all of it effectively, and eventually you may wind up with a physique that looks bloated and bulky which won't look very impressive. Bulking up with loads of calories to build muscle is the biggest factor that contribute to excessive fat gain. For that reason, it's highly important that you avoid bulking. It's critical to also do enough cardio in your workout program to constantly keep your body fat percentage as low as possible.

One good point about Visual Impact Muscle Building is that it teaches how to build muscle without storing excess body fat throughout the entire process. Additionally, the last phase of the program also has a special focus on HIIT to maximize fat loss so you will end up with that ultra-lean physique.

2. Avoid Excessive Mass Gain

To ensure that your physique looks attractive you want to avoid going overboard with the amount of muscle mass that you put on. The best thing to do when you want to look lean and stunning is to gain the right amount of mass for your body type. No need to look like Mr. Olympia when you're only building muscles to get fitter and look more attractive. You will also need to focus on adding the right amount of mass to the right muscle groups to give you an angular look instead of a rounded muscular look which won't look very nice.

Visual Impact Muscle Building contains information on the correct workout techniques you need to use  to control muscle growth and target specific muscle groups to sculpt the muscular but lean physique that you desire. You'll learn how to use the right ratio of the two different muscle growths to gain the right amount of muscle mass and achieve eye-popping definition for your whole body.

3. Avoid Training For The Pump

Training for the pump is a bodybuilding technique used to achieve bigger muscle mass. But, training for the pump could create growth in the wrong muscles, cause excessive muscle growth and cause your muscles to have a bloated puffy look. So training for the pump is certainly not beneficial when you're going after the lean hollywood look.

Taking those factors into consideration when building muscles will help you get the ultra-lean and angular physique that you desire.

Visual Impact Muscle Building For The Lean And Muscular Look. Check It NOW by clicking here .

Christmas & NYE events round up

It's once again that time of year, so without further a do, here's a look at what's going on in the hotels this year:

The Grand Hyatt

They have room deals including breakfast, early 10am check in and 6pm check out starting from RO 85 available on dates between Dec 23-25 and Dec 30-Jan 1. The Safari Bar will be having a RO 25 all you can drink (of selected drinks) event on Christmas Eve & on New Years Eve its the same deal, but RO 40. At Tuscany on Christmas Eve, you can have a set price menu, including a free glass of wine for RO 45. Christmas Day offers the choice of either Tuscany for RO 40 or Mokha Cafe RO 35.

For New Years Eve, the Hyatt are once again offering child care in the Afrah ballroom for RO 15 per kid, and the Ball in the hotel gardens this year is RO 80 (40 for kids). The Safari rooftop grill is RO 55, Tuscany is RO 80 and the John Barry bar is RO 50. There is also a take away menu set to feed approximately 8 people - Beef, Ham (RO 175) or Turkey (RO 135).

The Chedi

The Chedi are offering 3 different deals for 3 different days. Friday the 23rd see's a Brunch with live music, prices starting at RO 23 (dry) and RO 30 (unlimited prosecco) RO 45 (unlimited bubbly). On Christmas Eve, there is a set price dinner for RO 40. Christmas day see's a set price Christmas lunch menu for RO 28.

InterContinental

The InterCon as usual have a 5 million page book for all of their events that they have going on for Christmas and NYE. I'll give you the cliff-notes version and then you can click the images to read all of their events, because there's so many.

 

For Christmas Eve, all the adult prices are RO 24 no matter where you go, except Traders, which is RO 30 for set price menu's or buffets. There is no mention whether this includes free drinks or not. For Christmas day, the only option is the Mussandam Cafe brunch, for RO 28. New Years Eve see's the Safari Pub once again put on it's open bar for RO 25, or the Gala ball dinner outside is RO 75.

There is also a take away menu, below, which may appeal to some people wishing to host their own Christmas parties without having to actually cook :)

The Crowne Plaza

The Crowne Plaza has thoughtfully put all of their events onto one single page which I thought was very kind of them! Click the image below to make it bigger (and readable).

In summary, Christmas Eve at Tropicana is RO 30 with a glass of wine, Come Prima is RO 35 with half a bottle of wine per person, and The Edge is RO 30, also with a half bottle of wine per person. Christmas Day, the options are: Tropicana or Come Prima, both are RO 35. NYE see's Tropicana hosting the Gala dinner for RO 40. The Shriaz restaurant is offering a 5 course menu with a half bottle of Champers, along with free entrance after dinner to the Dukes bar for RO 50, which is also the exact same deal with Come Prima (RO 50 and entrance to Dukes). Dukes bar are charging RO  10 on the door and standard bar prices all night.

Also, local promoters, The Experiment are putting on a house party night at the Zouk club, more information on that as it comes.

The Radisson

RO 25 per person for Christmas Eve or Day all you can eat / drink at Olivios - Christmas day is already booked solid, but Christmas eve is still available if anyone is interested. For NYE, the Lazy Lizard has an open buffet and free flow of bubbles for RO 35, the cheapest of all the outdoor events covered on this round up.

The Park Inn

The Park Inn have two main venues: RBG and the rooftop Sama Terrazza. For Christmas the RBG is offering a fixed price menu of RO 35 including half a bottle of wine. For NYE, RBG are charging RO 45 with free entrance to the rooftop bar. Alternatively access to just the Sama Terrazza is RO 20 with a welcome drink.

The Millennium Hotel

Based up in Mussanah, the Millennium hotel might be a nice break from the city, and they have a package for both Christmas and NYE. Christmas is a night, dinner and breakfast for RO 60. Christmas Dinner on it's own is RO 18, and Christmas lunch will be RO 20. For NYE, it's RO 75 per person including accommodation.

The Left Bank

While not a hotel, The Left Bank are offering a special Xmas menu for RO 17 (for a 2 course dinner) or RO 22 for a 3 course dinner. For NYE the prices are RO 22 (2 course) and RO 27 (3 course), to boot, it's a 20's themed party, with era-themed cocktails and the party runs till 3am. Free bubbly at midnight, and a DJ from 10pm till 3am.

Nuts & Bolts

This Thursday the 22nd is the Grease night at Nuts & Bolts in the Al Falaj hotel in Ruwi. Couples are RO 10, ladies are free. Couples get 2 free drinks on entry.

And that's all I've got so far. The people at Barr Al Jissah didnt get back to me, and I intentionally ignored Rock Bottoms' because their bouncers are assholes. If anyone knows of any other parties going on, please let me know and I'll update this!

le fin.

Strategic Muscle Building For The Hollywood Look

Have you ever seen a hollywood actor in a movie with a really captivating ripped body and say to yourself that having one like that would really make you happy? Well the fact is most of these actors have their workout routine they used to get ripped. So it's not impossible to get a physique similar to a hollywood actor's, you just need to learn the right strategies you need to use to build your body the way you want it.


This video helps to explain how you can get a body like some hollywood stars by using strategic muscle building such as what is available in Visual Impact Muscle Building.

 Get Visual Impact NOW by clicking here  Don't Wait.

Its Wednesday, so here's some videos

Phew, I thought this week would never end, but here we are again on Wednesday, as some of my twitter friends like to say TAIW. I'll let you figure it out.

Well, there's the comedy show Who's line is it anyway? at the Crowne Plaza tonight from 8pm which will make you roar with laughter, guaranteed, so if your looking for something to do tonight you could give that a look in. Also, ladies, don't forget you can get yourself a free, as in totally free, margarita in Club Safari and free Cosmopolitans in the John Barry bar from 6:00 to 10:00pm.

Tomorrow from 3:30pm see's the Muscat Rugby Clubs annual Chairmans Cup game, typically over 30's versus under 30's, followed by a few cups of tea in the Rugby Clubs adoptive home, the Habanna Sports bar at the Hyatt. The generous people at the Hyatt are putting on free turkey dinners for those that join us for a few seasonal beverages in the bar tomorrow after the game... so around 5:30 tomorrow evening for those interested. Remember, 40% discount in the bar until 10pm, and it's a Thursday, so it'll be a good laugh I'm sure.

And now for 3 amusing video's to share with you:

1. HMS Ocean's All I want for Christmas.

Some back history to this: HMS Ocean was deployed on a 7 week tour way back in May, but then got extended because of Libya and a spot of Pirate hunting and other things. Muscat Rugby Club hosted these great people twice in recent months and had some cracking games of rugby and boat races with them. Glad they are finally home from their tour, and to celebrate, they made this video and posted it to You Tube. It's become a bit of a sensation with over 2.3 million views.

2. Sophie & Gracie hit the red carpet

This video was sent over to me by a friend earlier and made me laugh.. it's 2 really young girls from the UK on the US Chat show, Ellen, and they were on the red carpet at the American Music Awards.. it's pretty funny.

And finally, number 3.

Jack Rebney is quite possibly the most hilarious angry man to ever be captured on video. This video is full of swearing and so if that sort of thing offends you, dont watch. But I think it's hilarious. Could you do me a kindness Tony?

Enjoy the weekend!

le fin.

Bits & pieces

It's once again a slow news day but here's a few things that caught my eye:

The Times of Oman are hiring Sub-Editors.

What really made me smile was one of the requirements for the successful applicant: must be a passionate user of the internet! The post is open to National's only, and if interested contact the email address on the link to the story above.


What else?

Ah yes, the purveyors of peri peri, Nando's, have rolled out a rewards program for regular visitors to it's restaurants. Basically spend RO 5.5 and you get a stamp on a card and get some rewards after every 3 visits. And I just visited their facebook page and have learned that a new menu item is available:

Personally I'll probably stick to the chicken & chips myself, but great to see more options!

More soon!

le fin.