Making a List for the Person/(s) "Audrey" is based loosely on

Dearest Audrey,

I am making a list of reasons why you should come back to Oman. As follows:

1.) You spell like an Omani. In our country your spelling of the word "great" as "grate" holds you back from having a successful desk job. Here, it is actually an assett, since your boss [who was APPARENTLY educated in the UK] won't get mad when you try to tell him why writing that "the clients were boring is not the same as the clients were bored" on your presentation notes.

2.) You make minimum wage in our country. You make minimum wage here. But rent and food are cheaper here.

3.) You like shua. Yeah, we don't even have shcwarma back home sooooo...

4.) You look like a local here. Back home people yell at you to "go back to your country!"

5.) You can't drive [Khaleel is with me on this one and he's not exactly the greatest driver himself] but at least here, that is socially accepted as us "women are supposed to be lazy and spoiled children coddled and driven about on a whim" lol.

6.) I, Anna, miss you very much. Come home.

Ammendment due to your offense and exclaimation of "I am not a bad driver": Ok, I allow, if you are using Khaleel and Masoud as the standards by which we measure good drivers, I will agree to that;p

LOL

An Example of Why A Little Is Alot: an the rest random pink rooms for a friend who likes pink while I don't

Okay, I don't like the table, the chairs, the candles on the walls, ect... But I love this room anyways. Why? The accessorizing.

Two matching lamps in the same shade as the printed curtain with a flower arrangement in the same shade, and the rest white accessories through out. I find it charming, and a good example on how a little well thought out can do so much in design. If only I had this kind of patience and restraint. The rest is room inspiration for a friend A cuz she likes Marie Antionette and the colour pink.This above living room reminds me of a "mod" interpretation of Marie Antionette style at least from the movies (not Versailles).
A fun party table setting for her awesome iftars and ladies get-to-gethers.
I like this room. A you should do it because I would like to visit and have tea here (and would never decorate my own home this way because I am a tad more masculine lol).
Sooooooooooooooooooo easy to do in your apartment kitchen back in the Uk isn't it?
I know you'd like the mirror and the poufs...
A bed that would suit you A.
I like the dresser and the mirror with that wallpaper. Not much else but..... Random pic I like.

I like the colours though there is no pagan Christmas for us LOL.
I like this dining room with touches of pink. So pretty. I think I like pink with a bit of country and stripes thrown in. Or floral chintz and modern lines as below.
Ohhhhhh, I just noticed myself noticing that I have a thing for floral chintzes and trellis prints. Um, I am waaaaaaaaaaaay darker than this girly style sooooooo, but I love it anyways LOL, ok, sorry these have turned into another member of OPNO's style lol. Will add more for you A when I find more:D

For Parents in Muscat

If you are a parent in Muscat here is a cool facebook group for you to check out and join for events and what's going on for your family. Just search "Kidz in Muscat (KIM)"

Wildlife in Oman---more than you'd think

I know people tend to think of Oman like a desert. They think camels, goats, scorpians, and snakes. But Oman is very biologically diverse, and has a wide range of large and small game. Here are some of my favourites. Oman is home to the Arabian Leopard, common to the mountains of Dhofar.
The nearly extinct but slowly reemerging Oryx. You can find them in Al Wusta region. They remind me of unicorns lol, so graceful.
Sandfoxes: I saw one driving home from a festival in Qurayat, it was soooooooooooo cute.

I saw this little guy camping once. Apparently he is called a 'yellow spotted agama'. The very famous endangered sea turtles in Sharqiyah where they sometimes nest.
Since I am a west coast girl this is no biggie for me, but Oman is quite famous for Dolphin and whale watching. Dolphins are here all year but humpback whales migrate through Omani waters so you can spot the gentle giants in the right season (k, they ARE impressive).A desert hare. Verrrrrrrrrrry fast. Yeah, something I TOTALLY didn't expect to see in Oman, but hey, at certain times of the year Oman is pretty rich in flamingoes:)
Camels, because you wanted to see them, not because they are anything you never expected. BTW, the bottom camel pictured with the Shiekh is a prize winning racing one:D My favourite animals in Oman (besides Bin Cats right R????) are the horses.

Daily Diary: A Girl's Gotta Have Fun, July 20th 2010

Just a reminder, today at Zakher Mall they have abit of cultural Omani music and dancing in the Safeer Ballroom there (see this post http://howtolivelikeanomaniprincess.blogspot.com/2010/07/daily-diary-zakher-mall-and-opno-on.html).

TODAY: The raffle draw parties will be held at Safeer Ballroom, at Zakher Mall, on the 20th of July where cultural dances will be performed by local schools, professional gig will play traditional songs, complimentary dinner will be served and random presents will be given out to the guests.

ALSO: IF YOU ARE NOT A MUSLIM than this post is for you http://muscatmutterings.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-nightclub-in-muscat-zouk.html.

IF YOU ARE IN SALALAH Khareef is ON.

What else to do????

On the 23rd we'll have National Day (yay!!!!) so holiday. Do you know any other cool events going on in Oman? Drop me a mail and I'll let others' know.

OPNOprincess @ hotmail. com [no spaces].

Laundry Room Lust

My laundry space is sooooo ugly. Now I know why. Project #96 on my to-do list, here I come. Evil laughter is pursuant.

a: I need to hang my ironing board and iron and get cute glass bottles for scented water for ironing (I actually LOVE ironing because I am a freak).

b. My detergents should be put in bottles that look the same instead of ugly different brand name ones and put in straight rows.

c. I need to make my ugly Omani washing machine look glam with paint or paper. Also a drying rack should be conconcted for those days I am too lazy to head to the roof with my basket (and I REFUSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE to have a maid---I can do everything, lol.)

Yes, it should be easy.

Omani Moments: MfB and an Unlikely Bin Cat

I have a really nice taxi driver (1 out of 30 isn't a total creep) called M from B [and yes, he still does want to marry me [lol] but he doesn't phone stalk me or ask me continuously what I think about marrying an Omani, maybe only once a year, with a "OPNO, it is not good for you to be alone. You should have a husband to take care of you." ect.] Really he is a very nice guy. Wallah. LOL. Oh MfB, to this day, you make me laugh about the poor cat you bought from Dubai.

Here is that story:

I made the mistake of telling MfB (when I lived in shared house where not everyone liked cats) that I missed having a cat. This a is a guy that will buy you a Pepsi and water when you are thirsty and never deduct it from your cab fare, nor will he let you pay (if you happened to have converted to Islam, man or woman) for it yourself if you made the mistake of saying you are thirsty. If you compliment something that he owns, he will somehow find a way to give it to you. MfB is old school desert hospitality like that.

Anyways, so I told MfB when I had my own place, I was going to adopt a bin cat. This made him upset for some reason.

"OPNO! No! They are dirty and mean. I get you nice cat when I go to Bahrimi."

I though little of it. MfB goes back to his village ever two weeks for the weekend. Until two weeks later I get a call from MfB (he never calls me, I always give him a missed call when I want to call him for a ride somehwere) so I answer.

He is like "OPNO, am out your house now. I brought you a cat. Nice cat, good cat, from Dubai."

It is friday evening, and it takes me a minute to get dressed and meet him. His orange and white taxi is parked out side and sitting next to MfB is a very scared, very fluffy, very fancy Persian cat. Not like a bin cat at all.

I look at MfB and I look at the cat.

"MfB!" I exclaim. "Where did you get a cat?!" MfB isn't exactly the kind of person that keeps pets. I know that from how he keeps his taxi and from how he keeps his work uniform in the back for his other job (most taxis have two jobs).

"I buy her for you," MfB says proudly. "from Dubai. Nice cat. For nice [insert my nationality] Lady."

My mouth is probably open in surprise and a combo of what the hell should I do? My housemates peer out the door at what is going on, the girls puting their hijabs on to see what this crazy Western girl is doing with a taxi driver. I am already crazy to all the Omani families I know so that doesn't bother me, but the fact that the owner of where I am a guest is not exactly liking cats? That figures into my dumb-foundedness.

"MfB, I can't keep a cat! I don't have room for a cat yet. When I get my new apartment..."

MfB doesn't look bothered. He is like, oh well, and then opens the car door. The cat runs out and away into the night.

Yet again, I am like, WHAT THE HELL?! I look to MfB but there is not point explaining WHY you shouldn't just throw a pet store cat out onto the street.

Yeah, so if anyone in MQ has seen a very mangy purebred Persian wandering around the dumpsters, she was my present from MfB.