Happy New Year!

Well, 2011 was a strange year, I think it was better than 2010 for me, but it started off horrendously with a string of bad news for me, but as the year progressed, things got better - well, for me anyway!

On the blog it's definitely been a big year, here is a few nuggets of the year on the blog:

• More than 345,000 hits
• Gave away 22 tickets to 10 events worth RO 558
• Covered the protests in February
• Had my outburst about HSBC in May
• 971 of you "liked" my Facebook page for this blog in 2011
• 1493 comments made on 209 posts published in 2011

Thank you everyone for reading and commenting upon my mutterings, I honestly never thought so many people would enjoy my little hobby.


And now we're into 2012, when according to Hollywood, the world will come to an end. ;)

Happy New Year everyone - have a great time tonight and enjoy the day off tomorrow!

le fin.

The Experiment Countdown 2012 @ Zouk

This is an interesting way to advertise an event here in town, it's been done before of course but I think this is a well put together advert, its only 40 seconds long. Did you spot yourself from Hed Kandi?

VIP Tickets sold out, couples RO 40, singles RO 25. Free welcome drink & bubbly @ midnight.

One lucky winner, picked by a raffle draw at the venue, will be treated to the entire celebration on the house.

FIRST 10 GIRLS TO ENTER FREE

For Ticket bookings and Packages, call - Zameel Ameen 92369801


le fin.

My top 5 songs of 2011

Well, in a departure from my normal blog posts, but regular followers of me on Twitter will know I like to listen to music, I thought I'd make a top 5 list of my favorite tracks from 2011. Now some of these tracks were released before 2011, but I've generally only discovered them in the last 12 months, and have been listening to them this year.

I'm not going to list them in any particular order of importance, that's too much effort for me to decide upon and ultimately I dont think I could ever truly be happy with the order, but here we go:

1. Linkin Park - Burning in the skies - from the album: A Thousand Suns

2. The Black Keys - Lonely Boy - from the album: El Camino

3. Foo Fighters - These Days - from the album: Wasting Light

4. DJ Fresh Feat. Sian Evans - Louder

5. Martin Solveig Feat. Dragonette - Hello

Well, thats my selection of tracks from 2011. There were thousands and thousands and I'm sure I could come up with a totally different top 5 tomorrow, but there we are. I hope you enjoy my list, and the weekend.

le fin.

Jordin Sparks New Goal For Her Body After Impressive Weight Loss

R&B/Pop singer Jordin Sparks impressed many people when she lost an amazing 30 lbs of body fat to reveal a beautiful lean body. How she did it? Well according to Jordin who is also an american idol winner it was by controlling her portions, Zumba and the help of a personal trainer.

Jordin's new figure is not completely skinny but she is content with it this way. She said she doesn't want to lose her curves so she doesn't intend to cut down further. However, Jordin stated that her new goal is to maintain her size and just tighten up and tone up a little.

Lots of women have this same goal they want to achieve for their body  like Jordin Sparks. They don't want to make any major change to their body size especially if they've recently shed some pounds. All they want is just to get a firmer and sharper look. Achieving this will involve toning up the muscle without altering it's size. You can achieve this with the right workout and a simple dietary modification.

If the goal you want to achieve for your body is just to tighten up and tone up like Jordin Sparks you can attain this easily without a personal trainer and save yourself a whole lot of money by getting a copy of visual impact for women. This guide contains detailed info on how to tone up your body in specific places without muscle growth.

Jordin Sparks Weightloss And New Goal For Her Body 

How To Build Muscle But Just The Right Amount Of Muscle On Your Body To Look Attractive

Adding just the ideal amount of muscle mass to your body and not becoming overly muscular is a great way to get fit and strong while looking attractive.

If you're young and just starting out it will be easy to gain your first 10-20 pounds of muscle which is considered to be natural muscle that your body needs, and soon after that muscle gain may become harder. When it becomes excessively difficult to put on additional muscle, this is when you should focus on strength and performance. After you put on that natural amount of muscle mass, from this point forward try to gain strength without getting bigger. By doing this you  will refine those muscles and get the really sharp and defined look. You may also want to focus more on cardio as well. As time progress and you become stronger, you will start seeing more muscle tone.

When you train for mass, you must train for volume and you have to keep your reps in the 6-12 range for the most part. So to train for mass, you want to get stronger and more proficient in the 6-12 reps range. Reps below 6 is great for tone and muscle density, once you have achieved the level of muscle mass you desire.

Eating alot will help you gain mass quickly but it's important to remember that you don't want to gain excess fat in process. The recommended calorie intake is 18 calories per pound if you want to gain muscle mass without gaining excessive fat. The most important meal should be right after you workout. You want to get a quick digesting protein and carbohydrate source for nutrients into your body as quickly as possible after you workout.

Your muscles will absorb a lot more nutrients than normal during this period of time. This will really help ensure that your muscles recover quickly and help you during your upcoming workouts. Avoid any form of fat during this post-workout meal as it will slow down the absorption of the nutrients into your bloodstream.

Apart from eating a large amount of quick digesting protein and carbs after your workout you also want to start your day off strong with a decent amount of calories and protein. You will need to eat less calories and protein with other meals during the day. Also ensure your blood sugar level is balanced throughout the day by eating fibrous and starchy carbs and healthy fats along with every meal.

If you follow this brief guidelines you can quickly put on some muscle mass. but for a full muscle building program check out Visual Impact Muscle Building and Visual Impact For Women

Visual Impact Muscle Building - A Workout For The Lean Hollywood Look. Check It Out NOW By clicking here.

The last weekend of 2011

Well here we are, weekend number 52, the last of 2011. The biggest party of the weekend got cancelled (the Gorillaz thing at Zouk), and as far as I can tell, most venues are not doing anything special ahead of Saturday night which is of course New Years Eve.

There is, however, one party tomorrow night at the Ruwi hotel, Black Gold, promoted by the amusingly named events company: Stantmastaz Entertainment. The party is free for women, RO 7 for couples and RO 10 for single guys, paid admission gets you a free shot of vodka, and groups of 6 people get an entire bottle for free, so says the facebook event page. I imagine the Vodka will be terrible! I have to admit I'm kind of curious to see how sick people will get on that much free cheap vodka.

In other news today, local Twitterati Muscati shared this picture that he snapped from the paper today:

I wonder what the Muscat City Centre mall rats are going to wear now?

Thats all for now, have a good weekend!

le fin.

Royal Opera House Muscat announces new events & prices

Today the Royal Opera House Muscat has announced the new dates for it's second season commencing from January 16th, 2012. The new dates amount to 26 performances of 20 different types - a few performances run more than once. It has also been announced that there will be an additional encore month, April, which performances have not yet been finalized but will be announced once they have been. Tickets will go on sale on January 1st for group bookings (between 10 and 24 tickets) and January 4th for individual tickets. If you buy your tickets in a group, you can get a 15% discount. Now, for those concerned that large companies will just block-buy all the seats and prevent people from buying seats in smaller groups, well this has been accounted for and blocks of seating reserved for individual purchasers have been set aside.

Here is the program of events for January, February & March:

Interestingly, it seems that this second season has a stronger focus on education and accessibility - on the 28th January, there is the Carnival of the Animals, which has the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, a large projection screen with live animation and is to be narrated in Arabic (with English subtitles). This is followed on the 29th January with the Tsar Saltan, in the same format. Tickets to these two events start at RO 3.000 per event, eg RO 3 per person per night. Both of these events are family and children orientated, and are being priced in a way that will hopefully allow access to more families that might otherwise have skipped going. There is also an initiative to start guided tours and back stage tours for school groups, and there is a planned open house on the first Thursday of each month starting in February, which I understand anyone can apply to go on. I can't help but wonder if this is in response to the Grand Mufti's outburst in November that Muslims should not go to the Opera House? heh.

I overheard a comment that tickets to other events (other than the two family ones noted above) will start at RO 5.000 but I've not had that confirmed yet. Pricing will be released on the website in January, and yes I did ask a few times but they were all tight lipped. I imagine the premium seats will become more expensive, and the cheaper seats will become... cheaper? I guess it'll depend on the shows themselves.

The Mall is touted to be opened in April, but we shall see.

So there you go! What do you think about the new line up?

le fin.

Noodlez from The Gorillaz this weekend

UPDATE: THIS GIG IS CANCELLED!!!!!

Well, the promoters Meisan Events are at it again, after their last effort with Shaggy in November, they're throwing a party at Zouk this Wednesday 28th from 9pm. The main draw is Noodles from the band Groillaz - think Electronic Rock music and thats the sort of genre you'll get. Now, I'm not entirely sure who exactly this Noodles girl is (because all 4 characters from the band Gorillaz are made up), seeing as Noodles was a character created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, so I'm just going to assume it's going to be Miho Hatori who sings the vocals for the character Noodlez.

Tickets are RO 20 on the door according to the Facebook event page, and the party runs till 3am - the latest licensed venue in the city that I'm aware of (most cut out at 2am).

More tomorrow!

le fin.

More from Al Mouj golf club

Well it seems that the people at the Al Mouj golf club have decided to launch yet another new type of membership: The 5 days a week annual membership, rather cunningly named: The annual five day membership, but really it's the 260-day membership... joy.

Ok so here's the deal:

Play on the course in a working week [Saturday – Wednesday]

• 6:30am – 10:00pm
• No Restrictions
• Joining fee waived for anyone who signs up between December 21st 2011 to January 31th 2012

Existing members who would like to change their memberships should contact the Sales and Marketing Manager directly.

Now, the price for a full annual membership (7 days) is RO 1750 (or RO 1575 if you own/live at The Wave), and there has been some grumblings that it's on the high side for what is effectively a 9 hole golf course (yes the other 9 holes are reported to open in "Q2 2012"). The price for this annual 5 day membership is RO 1250 (or RO 1130 if you own/live at The Wave) - and so to the serious golfers amongst you, this maybe a more palatable option for you to consider. Below is a table showing all of the various membership pricing levels for the Annual 5 day membership for you to have a look at.

Click to make this bigger

Much more tomorrow!

le fin.

Oman's 2012 Public Holidays schedule

Now, as we all know, Public Holidays in Oman is never something that one can completely count on being announced until usually a few days before, so the dates I've put below are strictly guide dates for you to work with when planning your vacations for 2012.

Dont get mad at me if the dates are wrong!

1 Jan New Year’s Day
4 Feb Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet)
17 Jun Leilat al-Meiraj (Ascension of the Prophet)
23 Jul Renaissance Day
19 Aug Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
25 Oct Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)
15 Nov Islamic New Year
18 Nov National Day and birthday of HM Sultan Qaboos

Enjoy!

le fin.

Merry Christmas

Just a little post to wish you all a Merry Christmas, if you celebrate it, have a great day, and if you dont, well enjoy the day anyway! As I did last year, here's a lolcatz for you :)

le fin.

Another comedy show

Alive events have planned another comedy show for January 18th, this time with Sean Meo and Gordon Southern being the main draw.

Here's the blurb from the Facebook event page:
--
Sean Meo a former Time Out Comedian Of The Year and is widely acknowledged as one of the finest performers and writers on the UK comedy circuit. A former professional snooker player, he turned to a career in comedy in 1989. He has performed all over the world including festival appearances in Montreal, Melbourne, New Zealand etc, together with extensive shows in the US. Sean has made numerous TV and radio appearances including The World Stands Up Series, Comedy Central/BBC America USA, The Clive James Show. I'm Glad You Asked Me That - Presenter - BBC Radio 4; The Now Show - BBC Radio 4;Loose Talk - BBC Radio 1; Comedy Network - BBC Radio 1; Breakfast Show - Heart FM.

Gordon Southern is a brilliant observational and imaginative comic veteran of more than 10 years at the mic, Gordon was the star of both Weekending on Radio Four and The Cheese Shop on radio. He has also written and appeared on numerous other TV shows, including the 11 O'Clock Show, The Big Breakfast, The Sunday Show and The Gallagher Brothers. Southern is a comic who delights in leading audiences along a certain, familiar path and then taking a sharp U-turn to reveal an even more satisfying vista. In his hands, even a moan about jet lag, or a seemingly mediocre rant about novelty T-shirts gets skewed into something pleasantly, or (even better) unpleasantly, surprising.

Another night of great comedy that should not be missed. Tickets are available at Crowne Plaza Muscat and OUA retail outlet in MQ at OMR12. Doors open at 8pm (show 9pm).

Contact +968 95555699 for more information.
--

And that's on January 18th, and not a bad price either!

I really should go and do some Christmas shopping now.


le fin.

One last option for Christmas and NYE - Sifawy

Well here is one more option for Christmas, it may be a little late but some of you may be trying to decide what to do, and the NYE option certainly looks attractive down at the Sifawy hotel.

Christmas Eve (tonight) - RO 35 for dinner with a variety of accompanying beverages, not free flow then! Santa will also be making a brief stop on his round the world jaunt to say ho ho ho. Tomorrow see's a bubbly brunch with free flow of sparkling wine for RO 25.

And New Years Eve, unlimited selected drinks and a Gala dinner along with a live band, for RO 45 - the comparable prices from InterCon, Hyatt & Barr al Jissah is RO 75 - RO 98. I guess you'd have to book a room as well though.

I should probably do my Christmas shopping now.

le fin.

20 Popular Actors Known For Their Impressive Muscular Physique

These actors are some of the most talked about men for the body that they possess. Their names are present in every 'Men With The Best Body' list and their workout routines are being searched for like gold by guys who want to build an attractive muscular body.


These actors may have their personal workout routine different to each other but one thing they have in common is they are not overly muscular. The amount of muscle mass they have on their body is just the right amount for their body type and their physique look ultra lean and well defined, which is the ideal body for looking stunning.

Rusty Moore call this the 'Lean Hollywood Look' and he has created a workout program that consists of the right strategy for any guy who want to get this look. Visual Impact Muscle Building - A Workout For The Lean Hollywood Look is the name of the program and you can see a description of the program by clicking here.

If you're a woman don't feel left out, there is also a female version of the program for women who want to get a fit and attractive feminine body like some female actors and fitness models.

Here are 20 popular actors known for their muscles and stunning physique.

1. Bradley Cooper
  
    Date Of Birth:  January 5, 1975

    Films Known For : The Hangover (2009)  Limitless (2011)  The Hangover Part II (2011)  The ATeam  (2010)

actors physique : bradley cooper physique

actors physique : bradley cooper physique

2. Christian Bale

Date Of Birth: 30 January 1974

Films Known For: The Dark Knight (2008)  Batman Begins (2005)  The Prestige (2006)  American Psycho (2000)

actors physique : christian bale physique

actors physique : christian bale physique

3. Daniel Craig

Date Of Birth: 2 March 1968

Films Known For: Casino Royale (2006)  Quantum of Solace (2008)  Munich (2005)  Layer Cake (2004)

actors physique : daniel craig physique

actors physique : daniel craig physique

4. Hugh Jackman

Date Of Birth: 12 October 1968

Films Known For: The Prestige (2006)  X-Men (2000)  X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)  X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

actors physique : hugh jackman physique

5. Joe Manganiello

Date Of Birth: December 28, 1976

Films Known For: Spider-Man (2002)  Spider-Man 3 (2007)  Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia (2009) 
Wounded (2008)

actors physique : joe manganiello physique

actors physique : joe manganiello physique

6. Kellan Lutz

Date Of Birth: March 15, 1985

Films Known For: Twilight (2008)  The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)  New Moon (2009)  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)

actors physique : kellan lutz physique

actors physique : kellan lutz physique

7. Mark Wahlberg

Date Of Birth: June 5, 1971

Films Known For: The Italian Job (2003)  The Departed (2006) Shooter (2007) The Fighter (2010)

actors physique : mark wahlberg physique

actors physique : mark wahlberg physique

8. Matthew McConaughey

Date Of Birth: November 4, 1969

Films Known For: A Time to Kill (1996)  The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)  U-571 (2000)  Sahara (2005)

9. Ryan Gosling

Date Of Birth: November 12, 1980

Films Known For: Drive (2011)  Blue Valentine (2010)  Lars and the Real Girl (2007)  Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011)

10. Taylor Lautner

Date Of Birth: February 11, 1992

Films Known For: Twilight (2008)  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)  New Moon (2009)  The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D (2005)

11. Zac Efron

Date Of Birth: October 18, 1987

Films Known For: High School Musical (2006)  17 Again (2009)  High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008)  High School Musical 2 (2007)

12. Jesse Williams

Date Of Birth: August 5, 1981

Films Known For: Grey's Anatomy (2005)  Brooklyn's Finest (2009)  The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)  The Cabin in the Woods (2012)

13. Tyson Beckford

Date Of Birth: December 19, 1970

Films Known For: Zoolander (2001)  Make Me a Supermodel (2008)  Drift: The Sideways Craze (2007) 
I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! (2003)

Tyson Beckford shirtless with Nicole

14. Brad Pitt

Date Of Birth: December 18, 1963

Films Known For: Se7en (1995)  Inglourious Basterds (2009)  Fight Club (1999)  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

15. Shemar Moore

Date Of Birth: April 20, 1970

Films Known For: Criminal Minds (2005)  Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)  The Brothers (2001) 
Motives (2004)

16. Isaiah Mustafa

Date Of Birth: February 11, 1974

Films Known For: Horrible Bosses (2011)  Madea's Big Happy Family (2011)  The Three Stooges (2012)  Gears of War 3 (2011)

17. Taye Diggs

Date Of Birth: January 2, 1971

Films Known For: How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) Chicago (2002)  Private Practice (2007) 

Equilibrium (2002)

18. Mario Lopes

Date Of Birth: October 10, 1973

Films Known For: Saved by the Bell (1989)  Get Him to the Greek (2010)  Pet Star (2002) 

Pacific Blue (1996) 

19. Cam Gigandet

Date Of Birth: August 16, 1982

Films Known For: Easy A (2010)  Priest (2011)  Pandorum (2009)  Never Back Down (2008)

20. Ryan Reynolds

Date Of Birth: October 23, 1976

Films Known For: Green Lantern (2011)  Buried (2010)  Smokin' Aces (2006)  The Proposal (2009)

I'm sure as you looked through the photos you found, if not all, the majority of these men physique looked impressive. None of these guys have puffy and bloated muscles or an overly muscular physique, different to what you would have seen if you were looking through a list of top bodybuilders. Bodybuilders may be stronger but these actors will get more attention and admiration for their physique, wear normal clothing and be more effective in physical activities such as sports. So the choice is yours to look like these actors or a professional bodybuilder.