by Natasha Tynes | Jul 4, 2004 | Doha affairs, Everyday me!
I got my exit visa today, so it looks like we are all set for the trip. For those unfamiliar with the exit visa, it is basically a permit that allows you to leave the country.
See, as a resident here, your exodus must be approved by your “sponsor,” which is usually your employer. If your sponsor — for whatever reason — doesn’t approve you leaving the country, then you are doomed to stay here forever.
Although I understand that it is a way to control the flow of expatriates coming and going here, I still find the idea of taking a permit to leave a bit hard to swallow!
by Natasha Tynes | Jul 3, 2004 | Books, Media watch
The Guardian has a very interesting article about The
Da Vinci Code phenomenon.
Search for holy grail enters new chapter
Among the learned texts on history and religion that line the shelves of the small Rosslyn chapel shop sits a fat paperback with a flashy cover. The Da Vinci Code, by the American author Dan Brown, seems out of place in the medieval Midlothian church. Until Stuart Beattie of the Rosslyn Trust pulls up the latest visitor numbers on his computer.
In the last four weeks, more than 6,000 people have trooped through Rosslyn chapel, a 56% increase on last year. Beattie has no doubts that The Da Vinci Code, which features the 15th century church as one of its key locations, has helped draw the crowds.
“We had a coachload of American students from Michigan who were on their way from Edinburgh to Abbotsford [the home of Sir Walter Scott],” he said. “When they realised where they were passing, they effectively hijacked the coach and brought it here because they had all read the book.”
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by Natasha Tynes | Jul 2, 2004 | Books
As the departure date for our highly anticipated trip to Amman approaches, I found myself discussing with Jeff the other day the very important issue of airplane reading.
We went on an on about what to take on the plane and what not to.
My top recommendations were: Harry Potter and John Grisham — both are page turners and very engaging.
As a matter of fact and as preparation for the upcoming trip, I have already begun reading John Grisham’s The Pelican Brief (No, I haven’t seen the movie) and it is as I expected: a page turner and very engaging.
by Natasha Tynes | Jul 1, 2004 | Everyday me!, Film
Finally, a sequel for the all-talk romantic movie Before Sunrise is coming to life under the title Before Sunset. In the upcoming sequel, the two stars, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, will re-unite after nine years for one afternoon in Paris.
Last night, after hearing the good news, we decided to watch Before Sunrise once again just to refresh our memories, as it has always been one of our favorite movies.
Well, the movie was still as nice as I always remembered but for some reason it didn’t really grab me this time like the other times I have watched it.
It seems as I’m getting older, I’m getting more cynical and more skeptical of many things. So the small joys in life, like an-all time favourite movie, no longer amuse me as they used to do. Sad, but true!
Here’s some more on “Before Sunset” with an interview video clip.
by Natasha Tynes | Jul 1, 2004 | Doha affairs, Everyday me!
It is the sales season now in Doha and the malls are packed with buyers. The deals that are being offered these days are really tempting, ranging from 50 to 75% discounts on some items!
Yesterday, as typical Doha residents, we headed to the malls and joined the crowd of shovers and pushers. We wanted to look decent for our upcoming Amman trip so we bought ourselves a couple of nice items.
Our best purchase was a multi-region Sony DVD player. Finally, after a year plus of watching movies on Jeff’s PlayStation2 and sometimes on the laptop, we now have a dedicated machine for this task. It will also play MP3s and make slideshows from our JPEG photos. Jeff said it even accepts dual voltage, so we can use it in the US too! Life is good.
