Think Pink HOG ride, Bahrain, 2011

Here's video footage of the Think Pink, HOG ride in Bahrain last week. Uploaded here not only to promote the boys, but because there's some decent footage of the roads and buildings here in Bahrain. Well done and Keep it up boys:

Saudi Weekend Drivers

When people tell me the driving on the M25 is terrible/ terrifying/ impossible I can't quite work out what they're worried about. How about this? Pretty impressive by all accounts ...

Shisha Sleep

Time to sleep:

F1 & an Aeroplane

This feels like a great Youtube video for the start of a new year:

Flying Under Bridges

Welcome to Bahrain ...

Jet Skiiing

And now for something completely different.

I was sent these photos today and I thought I'd share them with you.  What you see below is a completely clothed Qatari, jet skiiing.  You can tell he's a Qatari because of the tea bags hanging down from his agal.

It's quite normal to see women in the water fully clothed, but this is the first time I've seen a man covered up whilst on the water. I'd love to have some of his confidence ...

Amr Diab

Image:  Recent photo of Amr Diab

Amr Diab [Rr-merr dee-ab] is my favourite, favourite, FAVE (!) Egyptian singer and I believe, with those sing-along-able tunes and beats could easily become very well known in the west.   However, he isn't, maybe because all his lyrics are in Arabic.  He is a very Middle Eastern singer.

I discovered him quite by accident when Virgin megastores in Dubai had his photo everywhere in the store and I decided to buy his album.  Enjoyment was instantanious and now every so often nothing else but Amr will do.

Out come all the Amr Diab albums, they're played over and over, and then over and over, and then ~I kid not~ over and over yet again until I'm full of Egyptian pop music and it's time to put them away until the next time. I've even got copies in my best friend's car in England so I can play the music when I'm there.

Hear This
Fabulously cheesy and one day I promise I'm going to look like one of the girls ~ha, ha~












Today's True Stories ...
1.
Whilst I was visiting Cario my driver asked me what I wanted to do, now we'd seen the Museum and the Pyramids. I jokingly suggested visting Amr Diab at home. Driver laughed, said nothing and dropped me off for lunch.

I'm sitting in the restaurant, munching away at pretty average food, when in the distance I see the driver running through the restaurant, right arm in air, with the phone in his raised hand. And whilst he's running through the restaurant he's pointing at the phone with his other hand, shouting,"Phone for you, phone for you".

I don't know that many people in Cairo ~I was on a work trip~ and the person I knew the most was sitting right next to me, eating her lunch. Anyway, I took the phone call.

A lovely man at the other end of the phone said,
"I'm very sorry madam, but Amr Diab is not in Egypt right now, he's in Dubai. Would you like me to arrange to meet him next time you're here?"

I'm like,
"Who are you?"
And he replies, "Amr Diab's secretary"

Well that well and truely shut me up because those Personal Account Managers at American Express really do know everyone.


Image: The cover of the first Amr album I bought

2
Six months later Amr Diab gave a concert in Bahrain and we managed to get front row tickets.  And although we were on Egyptian music time (concert started at 12 midnight and finished at 1am) I was very happy be literally six feet from the stage and sing every single word to every single one of the songs ~scary that~ MTV were filming and definately panned in at the only English woman at the front.


Image; Remembering the Concert


Links
I just like the music and really know very little about Amr. Other people are far more knowledgeable about his biography, so here's a couple of the most useful links:
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amr_Diab
www.amrdiablegend.com/NewV/

Children's Games

Today's post is a trip back in time - my husband has very fond memories of three games he used to play in childhood and which are desribed below:


Dawama [daa-waa-mah]
Dawama is a spinning top made from wood and string - the centre of the spinning top is taken out and a small piece of metal (made by a blacksmith) is inserted to make it stronger. The idea was to damage the other person’s top.


Image taken from: www.helga.com/collections/yemen/people/8kids2.jpg (faboulous images from across the Arabian peninsula)


Gutalaguti [gut-ta-la-gut-ti]
This involves two teams of children, two sticks made from dried palm leaves and a small stone. One stick needs to be about 1 ½ to 2 feet and the other needs to be about 6 inches long.

The smaller stick is put on the ground, with one end resting on the stone – one end touches the floor and the other end is in the air. The idea is to hit the small stick with the big stick and curl it into the air. As the stick flies up you then hit it again to see how far you can hit it.

The person who has hit the stick has to run around an area marked out like a baseball or cricket pitch. Whilst this is happening the other team has to catch the stick.

Whilst the person is running they must repeat the name of the game, “gut-ta-la-gut-ti, gut-ta-la-gut-ti, gut-ta-la-gut-ti”. It is impossible to score a run if you don’t repeat the name of the game whilst running.


Hayshaysha [hay-shay-shah]
This game would be played only on Ramadan evenings when parents were safely out of the way. It is like a military game without weapons and involves two teams.

At the beginning of the game the rules are decided by the size of the team and all who are playing; where to go and where not to go.

One team hides and the other team counts to 10 or 100. Once the number has been reached, the team who has counted runs around to find the team which has hidden. The aim of the game is to catch members of the opposition one by one, if you see someone you must run after him until you catch him.

The best place for this game to be played is in the small alleys and deserted houses in the suq, and it also needs darkness in order to hide effectively.