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

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.

Muscat festival starts today

Today sees the launch of the 2013 edition of the Muscat Festival. This year, thankfully, it has been moved from Qurum park to Al Amerat Park and Sultan Qaboos sports stadium - along with long standing location, Al Naseem Park as well.

The two parks open every day from 4 -11pm, and the SQ sports stadium runs 4:30 - 11:30pm

The official website has a handy page showing you how to get to each of the three locations. The Muscat Festival has been running since 1998, and as far as I can tell has become incredibly popular. I've never actually gone to the Festival, and perhaps this year I'll brave the crowds and go and have a look!

le fin.

Christmas trees and carols

There are a lot of Christmas-y things going on in the next few weeks, here's a small summary of what I know about so far, I'll add to it as I come across more things:

1.  American Womens Guild Christmas Bazaar

14th December 2-7pm AWG Holiday Bazaar in the Al Bahja Hall at the Jungle Restaurant in Qurm Park. OR1.000 - kids under 12 free. Live performance by 4 members of the Oud Hobbyist Association at 5pm.

2. Sifawy Hotel Winter Wonderland

Christmas Carols, live entertainment, Santa's Grotto, Night market and a light show, on the 13th December.

3. Barr Al Jissah

Christmas tree lighting ceremony - December 16th at 6pm.

4. Al Bustan Palace

Christmas tree lighting ceremony - Tonight (December 8th) at 5pm.
On Friday the Muscat Singers will be singing Christmas Carols in the main lobby at 4:30pm.

5. Good Shepherds church - Gala

Carol Service on 11th December at 9am

6. British Embassy

Carol Service on 16th December at 5:30pm. Tickets available to UK Nationals and their families only, click here to get a ticket.

7. Golden Tulip Seeb

Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony - Tonight (December 8th) at 7pm.


le fin.

Muscat Youth Summit starts today

The 2012 Muscat Youth Summit starts tonight up in the Millennium resort in Mussanah.

The highlights of this 4 day long summit are:

· Opening Ceremony – December 8th 2012 at 7:00 pm

· The Muscat Youth Summit Exhibition which will be visited by key members of the government along with partners and supporters – December 9th 2012 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm

· The Omani Night which will include traditional activities and dances – December 10th 2012 from 5:30 pm onwards.

· The Muscat Youth Summit Exhibition which will be visited by key members of the government along with partners and supporters – December 11th 2012 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm

· The Muscat Youth Summit Community Service Project along with the Al Rahma Group – December 12th 2012 from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Essentially the summit is geared towards engaging the next generation of young and creative entrepreneurs in Oman to play a role in Oman's ongoing economic evolution.

le fin.

Weekend activities & the Muscat Singers

Well there are two outdoor activities going on this weekend, both involving water, albeit of different types....

Oman Sail are having a "public beach sailing event" on both Thursday and Friday between 10:30am and 5:30pm. At the event you can have a go at sailing, watch people kite surf, enjoy some children's activities, and by far most importantly as far as I'm concerned, enjoy free banana boat rides. Very exciting, I do enjoy going on banana boats.

Now, the other type of water involved with an outdoor activity is the kind that is in the swimming pool at the Grand Hyatt, Muscat. The MRFC and the Grand Hyatt are throwing another "Rat Pack" afternoon in the pool with specials on cocktails and beers. I also do enjoy their swim up bar at the Marjan, delightfully deadly I think best describes it.

Rehearsals for the Winter Concert began on September 15th at TAISM in Azaiba and continue every Saturday from 7.30 until 9.30pm. The Winter Concert will take place early in December and will feature festive music including A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten.

Newcomers are very welcome and need only have a passion for singing and some musical ability. We are especially looking for male voices to compliment our ensemble.

The Muscat Singers is Oman’s long-standing expatriate community choir. They were established in 1974 and have been entertaining audiences in Oman with regular concerts since the 1990s. They regularly hold a festive winter concert in December and a spring concert just before the summer break. The concerts are held in the Bosch Center for the Performing Arts at TAISM, a state of the art concert theatre that seats 520.

Visit muscatsingers.org or facebook.com/muscatsingers or contact 9557 4887 (pm only) for more information.

More soon.

le fin.

Tonight: Urban takeover @ Zouk

Tonight at local lounge-club, Zouk, there is the monthly Urban takeover party hosted by local radio presenter, Sami Asmi. Below is the information I ripped from the Facebook event page:

• Wednesday
• 21:00 until 03:00

It's that time of the month and the URBAN TAKEOVER is back!! Wednesday 4th of April, every first Wednesday of the month. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: London based Adam J with the best of ■ HipHop ■ R&B ■ House ■ Dubstep ■ Club Bangers Hosted by Sami Asmi :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Event Timing: 09:00pm – 03:00am Venue: Zouk (Crowne Plaza Hotel, Muscat) Dress Code: Dress to impress - 21+ only - Entry: 20 OMR Gents and Free entry for Ladies - Doors open: 8pm - Dress code: Dress to impress - Management reserves the right to refuse entry - Normal club policies apply, Couples and mixed groups receiving preference :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: For Table | VIP reservations please contact: Tel: +968 24664912 Mobile: +968 95759771 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Well, now you know. What that doesn't tell you is that there are a few drinks specials being run for the evening (not something Zouk do often): 1/ Bucket of 5 beers for 10 RO 2/ Double your shot for an extra 1 RO 3/ 2 RO shooters I'm off on a trip, back soon. Don't forget that it's Easter this Sunday, Cadburys Creme Eggs are my recommended chocolate egg. Enjoy the weekend. 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.

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.

The Oman Cat-astrophe Fur Ball

Those cat loving people are at it again with their fundraising with a Fur-Ball being held at the Costain Dolphin Club this November 24th. Tickets are RO 25 and cover food, some drink and music entertainment - all proceeds go towards the animal neutering program. Once a cat can't reproduce.... the cat "problem" is reduced - so please help them out!

You can more information from their facebook page. Have a nice week everyone!

le fin.

Lady sailors, Opera & weekend activities

Here we are again Wednesday, you lovely day, you bring such hope to me each week :)

Earlier this week I attended a tweetup launch of the Oman Sail's Women's Sailing Programme (sic). I was quite genuinely surprised to learn that over 6000 Omani kids in the last 3.5 years have received sailing lessons through Oman Sail, with over half of them being girls (that bit didnt surprise me so much). Oman Sail's new Womens Sailing Program is targeting a bid for the 2020 Olympics with this grassroots sailing initiative.


A new boat (its probably not called a boat) was also introduced, the Al Thuraya, which is the name of a star cluster, known as the Pleiades or Seven Sisters and its appearance in the sky was critical as it marked the start of the sailing season. Personally I thought it meant the name of the satellite phone they have on board to call for help in case of emergencies :)

Best of luck to them, it's good to see investment in sports and culture.

Next up, it's been a busy week for local bloggers, will a welcome return of the Jet Driver and it appears that the Undercover Dragon has been busy too. The Jet Driver has been commenting on the new "Shatti hamster wheel" that is developing at The Wave, the selection process for overseas scholarships for students and more recently questionable HSE policies at QCC. All good reading.

The Dragon, as well as Dhofari Gucci, have both commented on the recent Royal Decree 95/2011 (duplicated below in italics) pertaining to the publication laws in the Sultanate. Now, you can read the Dragon's and Dhofari Gucci's opinions on this by clicking the links in this sentence. Personally, I feel that this law amendment is short-sighted and does not bode well for the future of this country. It's now illegal to publish anything, "which may prejudice the safety of the state or its internal or external security" of the Sultanate. That's delightfully vague. I suspect that if riots were to occur again, it'd be illegal to write about them. Here's the text from the Decree:




Article 26: It is prohibited to publish anything which may prejudice the safety of the state or its internal or external security or all that relates to military and security apparatuses, their bylaws and internal regulations, any documents or information or news or official secret communications, either by publication through visual, audio or print media or through the Internet or any means of the information technology unless a permission is obtained from the competent authority. It is also prohibited to publish the wordings of the agreements and treaties concluded by the government before they are published in the official gazette. Article 2: The Decree comes into force from the day following its date of publishing in the gazette.

Say goodbye to the fledgling journalism we were just starting to see here then. It does make you scratch your head doesn't it? Stifling the Public voice worked so well in Egypt, Libya and other places, didn't it? I only hope that this law is not used to hide those that are abusing the Public through corruption.

Moving on then.

Oh yes, it's Wednesday. And that means the weekend, and what a weekend it is! The Royal Opera House is having it's season opener this Friday the 14th October at 8:00pm with Opera Turnadot by Puccini. both the Friday and Saturday performances are SOLD OUT but there are odd tickets up for sale here and there - check Muscat Buy or Sell. The VIP opening of the Opera House is TONIGHT, and the roads WILL BE CLOSED for His Majesty to travel to the venue from approximately 6:30ish until sometime after then... probably 7:00... so make sure you are where you need to be before then.

The Chedi have launched their special Opera packages, as well as their Friday brunch, details of which are below. Prices start at RO 18++ for a 2 course meal, and RO 23++ for their Friday brunches.

It seems that the Grand Hyatt are also getting in on the Opera act (!) and also have launched their special opera deal which is RO 20++ for a 3 course meal and a glass of wine.

No word yet on what O Sole Mio & the other hotels are going to do yet, but I'll share them if I find out.

Speaking of the Hyatt... dont forget it's free cosmo's for girls between 6-10 tonight (and every night) at the John Barry Bar and the Safari Bar, along with the 40% discount on selected beverages between 6-10.

This Friday see MRFC in their 4th home game of the season play Doha at 3:30pm - at 2:20pm the Muscat Pirates U12 rugby players will be having an exhibition game, so please come down and support them. Speaking of the Rugby Club, many of you may know that the clubhouse was closed, and so the Hyatt have kindly granted a new home for the MRFC in the soon to be renamed Habana Bar (underneath Safari Bar).

Just a little note for Oman Mobile users... the 500MB Data plan that used to be RO 12 is now upgraded to 1GB and RO 5 a month... and those that use BlackBerry on Oman Mobile will receive a 10% discount on their bill for October 2011.

It seems that there is a sandstorm brewing as well... so be careful when you drive home - I'd advise leaving now.

Have a great weekend everyone!

le fin.

Some local news and observations

On Saturday, Muscat Daily's cover proclaimed that the good men of the RNO (Royal Navy of Oman) put the smack down on some cheeky Somalian pirates. Here's a link to the story. With a follow up here and here.

Oman: not pirate friendly

Now, reading this objectively, I could get all conspiracy theorist and start wondering about if the mission was perhaps botched... 2 of the kidnapped crew were shot dead, and another 2 are apparently in critical condition, one of whom was shot nearly 10 times reportedly. But rather than dwell on that, I think what is more important to note is that the RNO boys have made it pretty clear to any Captain Jack Sparrow wannabees that they will bring the pain if they muck about in their waters. Which to be honest is exactly the right response, and if the countries surrounding Somalia conducted the same policy, things would not have become as endemic as they have. So, RNO - well done.

In other local news, tomorrow sees the by-now well publicized Oman Cat-Astrophy fund raiser book (and other things) sale at the Costain Dolphin Club. So in case you forgot: 3-9pm tomorrow.

A little Muttering I heard yesterday was that there has been yet another U-Turn in the ongoing story of Booze at the Royal Oman Opera House, and that now Alcohol licenses will be permitted for F&B outlets in the attached mall. More on that as it develops - and if you are reading this and know more, please share!

And finally..... There's some big acts coming to town brought by the lovely people at Hi FM and Alive Entertainment. More on that as things get closer, but its something that people should be pretty excited about!

More tomorrow!

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.

Free tickets! Alive Entertainment presents: Whose line is it anyway?

This is the last event until September, and is well worth going to. It starts at 9pm on the 8th of June and the tickets are RO 15.

Would you like to go to this event for free? I've got 2 tickets to give away! If you'd like to try your luck, email me at my usual address (found in the top right disclaimer) or simply leave a comment here. If you leave a comment make sure you leave a way for me to contact you!

The blurb...

This is the only show of its kind to cross quick witted improvised comedy with a game show.  There are no tricks, no scripts, no safety nets, just your suggestions and off they go!  Watch the comedy unfold before your eyes with this truly amazing comedy TV show brought to life on stage.

Steven Frost, Niall Ashdown, Steve Steen, Andy Smart and Ian Coppinger from the official TV show create characters, scenes and songs on the spot, based on audience suggestions.

Gordon Mackenzie, Managing Director of Alive Entertainment said “The return of this hugely popular comedy show to Oman is always a fantastic opportunity to witness improvised comedy by the experts!  It’s always a sell out so get your tickets fast.
--

Bon chance!

Muscat Rugby gets a win against Doha, playing Bahrain this weekend.

Well done to the Muscat Rugby guys, who in their 40th anniversary match against Doha last Friday managed to bring in the win in an entertaining game. The final score was 26-7. There is one more game left before the clubhouse is closed permanently. It is this weekend, on Friday at 3pm, against the boys from Bahrain.

This will be the last ever game to be hosted by the Rugby Club's own clubhouse. The club will continue to have access to the field, but no more clubhouse and associated facilities. So please do come down on Friday and watch the match and help us all celebrate 40 years of Rugby in Oman in the clubhouse afterwards.

As always there will be specials on food and drink available, and your patronage will be very much appreciated.

More soon!

le fin.

Another MM giveaway! Craic Attack: Nemr Comedy Show - May 11th and 12th

This Wednesday and Thursday night sees the latest instalment from the Craic Attack hosted by the Crowne Plaza from 8pm on both nights. As always, a very special thank you to the team at Hi FM and ALIVE Entertainment for the tickets.

Tickets are RO 12 and are still available from OUA in MQ and the Tea Lounge at the Crowne Plaza hotel.

The main comic this time around is Nemr Abou Nassar, “Lebanon’s King of Comedy” who has previously done shows here in the last 2 years, and appears to be doing quite well with his latest tour "Epic".

Now, as always, should you fancy winning a pair of tickets to the finale showing on Thursday night the 12th of May, either leave a comment here (including a way for me to contact you) or drop me an email to my usual email address: mrsythe *at* gmail *dot* com

I will draw the winners on Tuesday evening!

Bon chance!

le fin.

Charity Gig at the Royal Flight

It's May Day today, and it's the time of year that local band 123 Orion do their May Day gig for charity. Once more this year they are playing at the fabulously priced Royal Flight club.

RO 5.000 buys you entry to the gig, a portion of excellent fish and chips and the proceeds this year will be put towards relief efforts in Japan. If you are interested you can text Jon for tickets on 9935 3712.

More soon.

le fin.

Dont forget: Tonight is Westlife

Tonight is the Westlife concert - gates open at 7pm. Have a great time everyone!

le fin.

MRFC Family fun day & A fund raiser for New Zealand

 

This Thursday evening, there is an earthquake fund raiser being held at the Club for the victims of Christchurch, NZ. There will be a generous selection of raffles, and a an art auction as well. Its on Thursday night so why not come on down and help support a good cause. All door entry charges (RO 2 for non members) will be donated to NZ Red Cross earthquake appeal.

This Friday there is a family fun day being held at the Muscat Rugby Club's grounds from 1pm.

There will be multiple game stations set up around the field and teams will compete against each other to see who can score the most points. There will be a BBQ and soft drink refreshments available at the field, and stronger drinks available in the club house for those that want them. For more information please contact John Passmore at john.passmore@petrogas.com.om

le fin.

Another MM giveaway! Westlife

The very kind people at Hi FM have once again given me two tickets to give away to the next concert to be held here in Muscat: Westlife.

Here are the details:

One lucky winner will receive 2 VIP tickets (that's entry to the Golden Circle)!

And all you need to do to be in the draw for this is either leave a comment below, or email me (email address is on top right of this blog) before Wednesday 6th April, and I will announce the winner here on the blog on Thursday the 7th of April.

Bon chance!

le fin.