Nightmare

Traveling with Gulf Air is!

my original route is Amman - Bahrain - muscat - Bahrain
scheduled
departure time is 3:30 arrival at Bahrain at 5:30
departure from Bahrain to Muscat 8:30 arrival in Muscat 10:30

Actual

Departure time was 11:20 PM arriving in Bahrain at 1:45 AM this morning.
re-scheduled departure to Muscat at 8:45 Am this morning ... Actual (we'll see)

I need to be at a meeting at 1 PM in Muscat, then I shall return to Bahrain the same day in the evening

After arrival, they gave me a voucher for a 3-star hotel, could not leave the Airport because I already have a visa in Bahrain, and if I use it, I cannot come back to Bahrain this evening!!

The only solution: Stay at Bahrain Airport until 8:45 morning .. Say what??

well, this is probably going to be my fifth all-nighter at an airport, but the first time in Bahrain!
Anyway, after some argument with the so-called "Gulf Air Customer Care Center," I found my way to the business lounge where I could find a couch and a clean bathroom.

Anyway, tomorrow is not going to be a day for rest either!

I cannot say there is a lesson to learn (which is never travel with Gulf Air) because this is something l learned before! however, each time I say to myself, give them one more chance. Additionally, RJ timing to the Gulf region is not helping either

Ammar Sajdi

www.realsoft-me.com

www.e-ammar.net

Does it mean the end of my IT career

The question arises by the fact that i have assumed the position of a board member at the Arab East Investment Co (AEIV) Ltd, a 40 million company in Capital (http://www.ase.com.jo/announcement/Assembly%20Decision-%20AEIV-%206-5-2007.pdf) page 5. The company is profitable and makes high return on investment!

Well, the answer seems to be NO, or at least, not yet!!!
I am on my way to Muscat Oman tonight, to hopeful push a contract towards the final stage of signature, and on the same day going to Bahrain to kick off a new 8-10 month project.

Amman was very dusty today, I do not remember witnessing such conditions before. My flight to Muscat was scheduled at 3:30 PM, i called the Gulf Air office at the airport asking about any anticipated delays due to weather conditions and poor visibility, but they said that the delays are likely to be only 15 minutes. Upon arrival to their check -in counter, however, they told me what i was expecting when i called. The flights are delayed until 10 PM at night; I was mad because I did call to make sure i would not have to make a void round trip to the airport. I went back to Amman and I will hit the road again to airport in 20 minutes

On another track, i have been fighting a relentless bronchitis for around 2 weeks now. It does seem to be subsiding! It is really annoying!

www.e-ammar.com

Dull Day

I am officially sick today, left the hotel for half an hour and returned back and slept for 3 hour. My body does not deal well with Fever (even when it is only minor). Seems like no musicals tonight.

Warm in London

Really warm day in London this Saturday. I would guess not less that 24 to 25, really lovely.
Staying at Marriott London Maida Vale which is a good Hotel. The neighbourhood is OK, first time for me at Maida Value street, but i found out that it is an extension to Edgware Road at the North Side. However, it is very close to St Johns Wood area NW of London.
The only problem is that i am developing a nasty cough and cold, and i m feeling week. wanted to behave a little like a tourist so Visited London Zoo, North of Regent Park, it was a real disappointment. Spent the rest of the time at Regent Park and camden market where people are mostly goth, punk and emo.

Yesterday, the weather was also nice, spent sometime at Hyde Park.
As for food, yesterday we dined at Busaba Eathai, that one i was wondering about before, it is good food, but i felt it was better two years back, or maybe i was not that hungry. It is located in Soho not far from Piccadilly circus.

No plans for tomorrow yet

Mom strikes again -- round 2

In between flights, i dropped by my parents house to say hi and bye.
Mom told me that microsoft has released an OS called Vista. She talked about VOIP and she also told me that some words we use in the internet has become official english words like Googling , stemming from the verb TO GOOGLE.

I checked for that in here is what i have found

The verb Google was officially added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) on June 15, 2006, and to the 11th edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary in July 2006.The OED notes the question, "Has anyone Googled?" in the Usenet Newsgroup alt.fan.british-accent on October 10, 1999 as the first recorded usage of the word.

By the way, creating new words (like googling) to reflect new inventions , phenomena etc.. is called NEOLOGISM

according to wikipeadia A neologism (Greek νεολογισμός [neologismos], from νέος [neos] new + λόγος [logos] word, speech, discourse + suffix -ισμός [-ismos] -ism) is a word, term, or phrase which has been recently created ("coined") — often to apply to new concepts, to synthesize pre-existing concepts, or to make older terminology sound more contemporary. Neologisms are especially useful in identifying inventions, new phenomena, or old ideas which have taken on a new cultural context. The term "e-mail", as used today, is an example of a neologism.
Neologisms are by definition "new", and as such are often directly attributable to a specific individual, publication, period or event. The term "neologism" was itself coined around 1800; so for some time in the early 19th Century, the word "neologism" was itself a neologism.
Neologisms can also refer to an existing word or phrase which has been assigned a new meaning.

Finally, i have found out that mom does not have the book 'the world is flat', rather she is a member in a book discussion group who are currently discussing this book

Bahrain

I cannot believe this this is my fourth night in Bahrain! I just feel like having arrvied yesterday.
I am staying at the Sheraton. It is really good, but expensive. For example, the daily rate for an internet connection is 30 USD.
Anyway, it has been hectic and and will continue to be until my departure time at 12 tomorrow. I still have to meet two different parties before i leave. It will not be long before i am back again. Most probably on the 5th of May.

Anything worth attending

I am trying to find if there is anything worth watching this week end in London.

checked the Royal Opera House, but nothing appealing there.

As for the West End, no i am not going to watch Mama Mia one more time. I can understand why Phantom of the Opera has been playing for so long, but Mama Mia musical does not stand any chance. If not, I guess an expedition to search for that one nice restaurant should start. It serves Asian food, but cannot remember the name. It is off Oxford street toward the west end and Soho. People Queue up to get seated, and then you end up sharing a table with others. Once i find it, i will definitely cease the moment and write about it, Excellent food.

Ammmmar

Serendipity

I talked about the the book "The World is Flat" in previous posts
http://oraclejo.blogspot.com/2007/04/my-mother-is-asking-strange-question-i.html
Yesterday, we were invited for dinner at my cousin house, when he told me that he wanted to show me a book he is currently reading; It was "THE WORLD IS FLAT". I thought that he showed me the book after reading my blog, but what not the case, it was quite serendipitous.
It is a big book and you should read and evaluate the content carefuly and not take everything in it for granted

Ammar Sajdi

Of Course, how did i miss that!

As a reply for my previous post(http://oraclejo.blogspot.com/2007/04/my-mother-is-asking-strange-question-i.html) in which i wondered where the feather came in the Apache group logo

Apache, of course, the name of Native American tribes (Indians).
This is where the feather comes from!!!

Ammar Sajdi

My mother is asking strange question - i freaked out

My mother, Amal Jardaneh Sajdi, 68 years, Arabic Literature Graduate from The American University of Beirut asked me questions that made me feel that she must have a new 21 century new hang out group.

Ammar, she asked, Is it true that there is a company that is not happy with Microsoft monopoly and is called Linux? and what is this company??!!

I tried to explain that Linux is not a company and tried to explain that it is an important part of an open source endeavor etc ...

After a moment of silence...

Ammar, What is Apache?
I was really stunned; this is not Al-mutanbi nor Ibn Zaidoon stuff! Where is Mom getting this vocabulary from? must be a new hang out!! not my auntie(s) akeed! nor the rest of the Shemisani Gang! Wow, questions are getting harder to explain!!
Apache, the Server with the feather (have no idea where the feather come from )
Well, ok, a public-domain open source Web Server developed by a loosely-knit group of programmers. The first version of Apache, based on , National Center for Supercomputing Application (NCSA) at the University of Illinois - Urbana Champaign (UIUC) (http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/) httpd Web Server, was developed in 1995. Core development of the Apache Web server is performed by a group of about 20 volunteer programmers, called the Apache Group. However, because the source code is freely available, anyone can adapt the server for specific needs, and there is a large public library of Apache add-ons. In many respects, development of Apache is similar to development of the Linux operating system.

I was not sure that she liked the answer... Then from her facial expression, there seemed to be more question coming.. Finally, Is it true that Y2K computer problems were largely fixed by Indians??? This one beats me. Mostly likely yes, but i have no information about this issue.

Then, finally, my Mom made the confession, she is reading a book called "The World is Flat" By Thomas Friedman. The book turned out to be a best seller talking about Globalization.

Bow of respect, Mom has always been an intellect, ruling supreme the tip of the intellectual iceberg of Ammanians. She is a source of inspiration for me. I must buy the book before i fall behind the 21 century.

Ammar Sajdi

Spring

This post is supposed to be full of pictures, but as usual, there is something i should forget, otherwise, it is not me anymore!! I forgot to bring my Olympus 6 MPixel digital camera.
I went with my friend Maen Suhiamat on a late afternoon drive to explore the country side on the northern suburbs of Amman. Both of us did not have lunch so we picked up a lousy fast food meal and started the drive. We reached the area of interest, Some 15 Km North of Amman, on hills approximately rising 1050 M above sea level in an area called Al-kamsh, some 10 Km north of Abu Nsair. We picked a nice peak just to consume the food. It was so cold and very windy, we could not find a suitable place to shield us from the wind, we ended up hiding behind some big rock,, It was not enjoyable when your hands become as cold as ice while trying to eat. We went back to the car and took some off road trails. The sceneries were really fascinating, Old Oak tree, greenery etc..
We drove through villages (3alook, Masarra) then moved south east until we arrived to a village called "Birane", an area that i visited several times on many mostly pleasant occasions. Boy, days has passed, and Birane has changed, it is now more developed, the streets are wider and better than the last time i visited it. I was hoping to do something similar and investigate another area before spring is over, however i do not think I will be in town for the coming 10 days

ammar sajdi

Carnage at Virginia Tech

The US media has been preoccupied with the most horrifying carnage that took place at Virginia Tech. While i would like to extend my deepest sorrow for the American people for their loss due to this act of terror and to the families who are mourning their beloved ones and for the mothers, who are crying their children, I would like to remind Mr. Bush and the American people that IRAQI AND PALESTINIAN MOTHERS LOVE THEIR CHILDREN TOO


Ammar Sajdi

Human clock

Yes, this is a real time clock showing current time digitally. Digits are mad up of human formation. To test it yourself and see your PC time realtime visit
http://billychasen.com/clock/
It is an Ingenious clock, do not pretend that you do not like it, you cannot resist but to like

You've got mail

Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, was shown on MBC2 tonight, I watched this movie several times before. Never, however, from its begining. Each time I watch it, it is as if I am watching it for the first time. Once upon a time, Meg Ryan was my favorite. Melancholically, the days when she shined have long been gone! Cast Away, was an Incredibly memorable movie for Tom Hank

Ammar

RJ Voodoo

Since I am doing lots of traveling this period, with a rather volatile schedule, it is a fairly messy job to organize the itinerary in an optimum way. I vested the RJ new website; and I liked the fact that it allows you to reserve your seat on the main deck of the aircraft.
Anyway, I used the website to reserve a flight to Bahrain, and the most impressive feature of the site is that it can predict the future. I logged back to the website to give more information about my reservation for my travel agent, but was really pissed off when I did not find any traces of all the reservations I did the previous day. While I was rearranging the reservation again through the agent in the classical manner, I received a call from Bahrain asking me to postpone the trip till next Saturday. thumps us RJ, you simply had the talent to foresee my future. I hope they RJ can tell me if there is any change on my Trip to London late next week. May be I should travel directly from Bahrain. I will just make a reservation to London through the website and track it. I would be a nice feature if the system can also know about postmonements and book me accordingly

Zareef

One of two Iranian restaurants I know of in Amman. It is located within a close proximity of Abdoun round-about. We went yesterday for dinner
The setting is nice, you could ask for seating in the upper floor over looking abdoun round about. It is a casual restaurant. The menu is good and the food is excellent.
We had mixed Iranian grill with different taste of Iranian rice. I had a spinach soup which I liked very much (may be because if you talk about spinach and me, we click)

I recomment the place (so far)

Ammar Sajdi

They have done again

I would like to congratulate my Uncle Aziz and my cousins Izzat and Mutaz Sajdi for winning The King Abdullah II award for Excellence. Consulting Engineering Center (CEC) has won this award before (2003-2004) for Small to Medium Size Firms. Four companies in Jordan has won this prestigious award twice so far. The announcement has been made last week.

Keep up the good work!

Traveling again

It is getting imminant , i am leaving to Bahrain again on Monday, staying for one or two days.
I have got lots of traveling looming
Next week to the UK
The week after, probably again to Bahrain
Then have to be back by May 5th to Amman, as i am conducting an advanced Oracle Security course.
I will finish the course and again to Bahrain.
I know many people like to travel, but anybody doing the kind of traveling i am doing must be getting really sick and tiered. Late night flights, early morning flights, packing, unpacking, getting late to the Airport!! getting used to the pillows at Hotel, remebering the different exchange rates. And the four things i cannot affort to lose while traveling

1) Myself
2) My passport
3) My laptop
4) Business Card holder

As i am really in deep sh.t without any of the above items

Hugh (John Mungo) Grant - Music & Lyrics

In all honesty, I was in for a better show! for Hugh Grant, the actor who was born in London back in 1960 and studied English at Oxford. He became internationally known following his role in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994, Best Actor Golden Globe).

The movie revolved around him and Drew Barrymore and as such lacks diversity. The entire movie is about composing a song for some hot chick called Cora. I had to look at my watch several times during the movie as I was getting board, which incidentally, allowed me to find a draw back about my top-pick "advertise-when-possible" Tissot watch; it does not perform well in darkness; Simply stated, I could not read the time. Possibly, nevertheless, it is an aging problem that has to do with me and need not necessarily be attributed to the poor Tissot

In 1995, while dating Elizabeth Hurley, Hugh was arrested in Hollywood for indecent conduct with a prostitute, Divine Brown, in a public place. He offered an apology for this on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

To read the more about this incident , http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/1995/06/28/hughgrant.xml

ammar

Spontaneity

It was Firday 11 AM when the phone rang. It was my sister suggesting that we go to Aqaba to check our "Never-have-seen" apartment at Tala Bay, and return back to Amman on the same day.
When I was younger, I was an easy going, easy to please, and spontaneous guy. As I grew, I became a bit stubborn, hard to please and less spontaneous. Yesterday, I was profoundly impressed by my Spontaneity. At 11:30, me, Jumana, My sister Luma and her husband Zaher where cruising in their 4 wheel drive to Aqaba! To be a bit more honest, what drove towards this venture was not really my urge to see Tala Bay, rather, I was aware of the fact that there was an unstable weather system. The nature of such system is Jordan manifests itself more explicitly in the southern and eastern desert lands of Jordan. It was exactly what I expected. At around 1:30 we were at the highest point on the Desert highway, Ras Al-naqab, rising some 1500 Meters above Sea Level (of course I used my watch to verify that http://oraclejo.blogspot.com/2006/12/my-new-watch.html).And Heaven have mercy, Wadi Rum was not the rocky desert area you would expect to see. It was all hidden behind a huge mass of spectacular cloud formation touching the ground, typical to those formed when a cold air front meets a warm air mass; Lightening was occurring at an intriguing rate of almost once every 30 seconds and pouring rain with a drop size reaching the size of a bean.

Rare phenomenon indeed.

At 2:00, we were approaching Aqaba, the skies were almost clear with rain reminiscent. At 2:30 we reached Aqaba, the weather was fascinating, a cool breeze under sunny skies. We immediately went to Floka (fish restaurant) reserved a table for 4 to be readu at 3:45 and ordered the food, so it would be ready at 3:45. we immediately headed to Tala Bay, lcoated at the southern tip of aqaba (10 Km north of the Saudi Borders). To be honest, Tala Bay looks better than I expected, it is a glamorous place; Good size Marina filled with Yachts, Jest Skies etc ..Laguna in between buildings, walk ways etc.. In 45 minutes we were back at the restaurant, where we found the dishes almost ready. We had a nice see food meal (of course paying a hefty price tag for it). At 4:30, we left the restaurant to the Movenpick and had a delicious banana split as appetizers. At 5 PM, we left to what is called "city center" duty free mall right at the northern tip of Aqaba,. We shopped, I bought a Clarks shoes, and at 6:05 we started our journey back to Amman. Wadi Rum, Ras Al-Naqab was all soaking wet with Water, but was not raining any more. However, someplace far to the east, we could also see lightening breaking the eternal darkness.At around 9:15, we were back home. The only thing we did not do in Aqaba was what appears to have become a ritual for Jordanians who visit Aqaba; namely, Buy Cashew nuts, bottles of Rani Juice and 7 Kg of Bananas (these items sell a bit cheaper in Aqaba).
Ammar Sajdi
Amman - Jordan
April 13, 07