September 11th - where were you?

Well, it is September 11th again. A date that is one I'll never forget for as long as I live. Everything changed as a result of this day. And this is the first anniversary of the atrocities committed that the nut case Osama Bin Laden will not be alive for.

For me, I was going to work in Edmonton, Alberta. I remember getting to work and wondering where everyone was, and then getting a call and then checking the internet and watching a stream as a plane flew into one of  the towers. Such a waste of life, there is not a lot else to be said. Spare a thought today for all of those people that have lost their lives as a result of terrorism everywhere in the world.

le fin.

The 2011 Rugby World Cup

Well if you follow rugby, you will know that yesterday saw the opener of the 2011 world cup with New Zealand laying the smack down on Tonga. Because the tournament this year is being held in NZ, most games are screened at awkward times - time to make good use of the OSN recording function!

Posted below are all the fixtures for this World Cup, with all times posted being local Oman times for the kick offs.

And on a similar note : Tomorrow night from 5:00pm the Muscat Pirates junior rugby season starts: If you are interested in registering your kids, get to the MRFC pitch (next to ABA school in Al Khuwair) for 5 tomorrow afternoon.

le fin.

Riots in Sohar last night (Monday September 5th)

Well it seems that there were some upsets in Sohar last night, with reports of people burning tires in the street and massing at some round abouts.

It's been written about on an Arabic forum, www.omaniaa.net here (English Google Translate here) and the pictures posted on the blog are taken from that forum.

Coincidentally, local Sohar bloggers Dan & Jillian blogged this morning that there was heavy police presence at a round about in Sohar, presumably a result of last nights excitement. It does not look anything like the scenes we saw before earlier in the year, and at the time of posting, the main road through Sohar is open.

More news if it develops.

le fin.

News update: Riots in Batinah region again

Just in now... there are riots again in the Batinah region, with the highway being blocked again. Special thanks to @BaderHinai for updating us and sharing the pictures. The riots are in Suwaiq / Sohar.

More news later if it develops. Apparently they are reaffirming their demands from before. It does not appear to be a peaceful demonstration.

An Update:

Local Twitterati Muscati has another take on the events:

From what I hear there was an accident involving a large truck at one of the highway crossings which resulted in the blocking of the highway. The people of the area gathered around the truck in protest demanding that government should do something to reduce the number of accidents at that crossing by either building a roundabout or putting traffic lights. People who were passin their way to or from Sohar saw the commotion and started to broadcast the news that are new protests in Sohar and people are blocking the road again without stopping to get the actual story.

le fin.

Royal Opera House - Opening October 14th, 2011

Well, it was in the papers yesterday, and radio adverts are now also playing out: The Royal Oman Opera House is having it's inaugural performance on Friday 14th of October. I've heard some mutterings that there is actually a private showing on Wednesday the 12th, but none of the official marketing is suggesting this, so I guess if there is anything on the 12th, it will be by invitation only.

Tickets, for the Opera, are actually surprisingly reasonably priced, ranging from RO 17 to RO 60 - but currently the website does not actually allow you to purchase the tickets (it pretends that you can, but you actually cant). You have to go to the Box Office, or to the Hyatt or InterCon, with cash - no credit cards (yet).

You can click here for a list of all the performances this year, and their respective ticket prices.

The mall is 2 levels, 6500 square meters and there have been lots of rumors about what exactly will be in the mall - but nothing confirmed yet. If I get any information I'll share it :)

In other news - the Undercover Dragon over at Muscat Confidential has woken up from his nap and is blogging about the Wikileaks cables. Some good reading!

More soon!

le fin.

Victoria's Secret coming to Oman...

I hope you all had a nice Eid break and got to relax and all that stuff. I spent most of it moving house and discovering a few alarming truths about some shops here - thats for another day!

A special thanks to a reader who thoughtfully emailed over a picture of a job advert posted on Gulf Talent - it seems Al Shaya are hiring for the position of Store Manager for a new store in Oman - Victoria's Secret.

I'm assuming that this store will open in either Muscat City Center or Qurum City Center, but perhaps it will be in the new Muscat Grand Mall - I guess time will tell. Anyway,

More tomorrow.

le fin.

VOGUE Fashion's Night Out 2011

So next week is Vogue Fashion's Night Out... I first heard about the event, or shopping experience on twitter last year but was too busy to go and London is so far away for a little country girl like myself :) Literally by coincidence, this year I shall be in London all weekend to visit a friend so I have decided to go up a day early to see what all the fuss is about. Now, if like myself earlier self, are not quite sure what these frivolities include I shall explain...


Think of VFNO as a late night shopping experience, combined with celebrities, models, champagne and cocktails, nibbles, competitions and goody bags. The best part is, because you are essentially there to make the stores money, entry is free and does not require a ticket (bar a few exceptions like some PR parties.

I would seriously recommend coming along to take in the great atmosphere, find some bargains (most shops are offering around 20% discount on the night)and meet to lovely people, including lots of gorgeous beauty and fashion bloggers! It takes place on Thursday 9th September in and around Soho, mainly of Oxford and Regents street I think. 


I shall provide links for all the information you require and I hope to see some of your there. If you have an iPhone I recommend downloading the VFNO App to help find your way around. If you do intend to go please let me know so I can say hello! I shall be tweeting prior to, and throughout the evening to let you know where I am heading. I shall also vlog and blog the event for anyone who is curious, now I just need to decide what to wear...

www.fashions-night-out.vogue.co.uk

Vogue Article

Sarah's Guide to VFNO

P.S Apologies for the website pictures, I'm recovering from having my wisdom teeth removed and I'm not feeling up to getting the camera out, sorry!


Much Love,
Onna