Bong's Last Day in GBM, 27th of March 2011

Masalam Habibi GBM!!

Four years = an accumulation of great friends and colleagues. Thank you to all the great memories...Wishing x&yGBMers all the best of luck!

Dubai Conference

Had a short networking conference in Dubai, The Palace Old Town, a stone's throw away from Dubai Mall. The mag-ina came along to do some final baby shopping. Since the little girl was coming from a school break and still resting from the surgery, we were able to manage the schedule. Gorging on buffets and pining for good restaurants was also a major factor.

We were able to meet up (finally!) with an old friend from Manila. Jen had been in Dubai for some time now but only hooked up this visit. It was a great evening - see you again hopefully soon J!

traditional Omani

During my desert stints, I have had the benefit of experiencing (on four separate occasions) the traditional Omani dinner. I was told it was called 'debeha', self-spelled phonetically so I apologize if I am spelling it wrong.

It was really a special experience in that in all these, I saw not just a group of people eating food but a community of workers moving beyond mere work affiliations. These are people trying to make the most out of a rough working environment away from their families and establish deep relations with the other people whom they not only depend on for their work but even for their lives and safety.

The food itself was simply great. The first one I attended in Bahja, I had the pleasure of trying out camel meat for the very first time. I was apprehensive at first but the meal was simply great. The meat was tender and cooked just right...it was an amazing experience. The other occasions in Marmul were either of goat or fish and they again were cooked to perfection. I wasn't too crazy about the chili sauce but only because it was making me sweat a lot. As seen in the picture, 5 or 6 people group together in one mat and share a big circular pan of rice topped with the cooked meat.

The group then shares the meal over the same pan using one's own hands. The group tries its best to finish off everything on the pan but often times (at least the ones I have been a part of), a good amount is left over from every pan. This will forever be etched in my memories and so will the friends I've met along the way.

wake up calls...

As mentioned in previous blogs, I've been out here in the desert for quite some time now. safe to say, in any given month, I am mostly here rather than back at Muscat home base. Its been hard not just for me but also for the family. All in all, its a risk... for them, me not being nearby is a risk; for me, being out here, working amongst all of these production stations is also a risk. We all make sacrifices for our families...for the betterment of life on the whole. Knowing my family has Filipino friends to run to in cases of emergencies helps me sleep at night. Knowing I have (Omani) friends around me, helps me in my work albeit difficult (to say the least) working conditions. I will forever be grateful and truly count these as blessings.

I had the privilege of attending a safety meeting yesterday. Its a monthly meeting held between our customer and the various contractors under their guidance. It discusses all of the incidents and accidents that had occurred the past month and bring up learning points to avoid such accidents. These incidents vary from the small stitched cut on a finger all the way up to vehicle crashes and collisions. Mind, these aren't just cautionary tales. These are actual incidents that make you really hone in and pay attention. At the very least, it just makes you realize your own mortality... and sometimes, that's enough an outcome. To just make you pay attention to your surroundings; to just make you wary of things around you.

Looking forward to a long needed break... lying down on our bed with my family is all the rest that I need. well maybe after a good movie...

desert exploits

Towards the latter part of last year I was handed this monster of a project which involved a large network build-up all over the Sultanate. Projects are projects...whether huge or diminutive, quickies or long engagements, they follow this natural order of progression. This project has had its ups and downs (and some bit more of the downs) but the thing I just can't get over are the long and frequent trips out of Muscat.

They're fun in their own way but apart from being away from the family (which was h--l during the recent holidays), its been really grueling and is starting to take its toll on my body. As much as hate admitting it, am no young cub no more. Ten years ago this would've been a piece of cake. But these days... taking in around 3 - 5 hours of travel, partly black top and graded roads; sleeping and waking up to temperatures of 8 - 10 degreesC; most recently - having to cope with extremely strong winds and, subsequently, sand storms (yes, I have been in one)... I can start feeling my body (and not so far behind, my will) creak and break down.

And I haven't even begun to talk about all the drama in the office...

The good side of all this is that... I am experiencing all of this. That in itself is a big deal I guess. I've seen the beautiful desert dunes near Lekhwair, which I guess is as close as one can get to the Oman border without getting lost. In fact, in the farthest station there I went to, moving one step towards a certain direction, your mobile would actually switch carriers from the local Omanmobile carrier to UAE's Etisalat. I'd be roaming, I received the usual greeting - 'Welcome to UAE' -something, but still well within the Oman border. Stepping back, I'd get switched back to Omanmobile, 'Welcome Back to Oman'-something. Found it quite amusing...

One other (mis) adventure I had was that for one night, for some reason our team's accomodations got screwed up. We each had to sleep in a porta-cabinet (which was modified to form living quarters) about 12 x 5 or so meters long. Was pretty sure I wasn't being a priss about it but cleanliness was more than a bit questionable particularly the bathrooms. The worst thing about it was, these porta-cabinets were freezers, it wasn't keeping any heat or any of cold out at all. The temperature when we woke up was around 6 degreesC. That was and will be the first and last time.

camel crossing

Camel Crossing - informs the camels that this is where they can safely cross the road

I first came across this road sign during my driver's training sessions here in Muscat and, of course, one would know that it's a camel crossing sign and one should be wary of pedestrian camels whilst driving at least 120 kms/hr.

What wasn't clear to me then was...how where the camels trained to know that this is where they should cross the road? (wink wink)

Surprisingly enough, during my recent desert trip, I noticed that camels did cross the roads around these areas...which leads me to conclude, camels can teach humans a thing or two.

by the way, the second sign there refers to a wadi...which means a river or natural canal for water to pass thru during rains or storms.

to the desert and back

work has again brought me to another adventure and a whole new set of experiences. went deep into the interior of Oman and visited a place called Fahud to do some occular surveys for a customer project. took a one hour flight from the Muscat Seeb airport to the Fahud airstrip... the descent could've been a whole lot better but got down safe enough which is the more important fact. the images I've seen are, simply put, different and had an elegance and beauty all to its own.

simply amazing....from the majestic scenery to the local wildlife to the industry that nourished the local economy. from the black top road that cuts across the desert to the friends you meet and bond with along the way...a memorable experience. took the long way back to Muscat... 4 hours on the road wasn't bad as well.

good job dadee!

Bong received a performance recognition award this week. congratulations dadee! we're so proud of you...mwah! - from vivian & mamee

left my house at 1am this morning for some heavy duty work. it is now 3pm and I am still here at the customer site. I let some of my teammates go home, just me and one guy and a couple of customers trying to wrestle with an issue. I'd been hoping for resolution since 9am but...sigh...such is my luck. the upside is it will be a long 3 day holiday so at least will get some rest somehow. assuming that I get to home soon...or within the day...mwahaha! not funny....

exam woes

the week just didn't start out right. scheduled two cisco exams the other day. passed one, failed the other. was soooo looking forward to putting them both behind me but... no such luck.

one starts to wonder how (un)receptive does one's brain start becoming as one gets older. the career bandwagon professes, one is never too old to learn something new or one should never stop studying/learning, consequence would be tantamount to career suicide. while I personally do subscribe to this, can't help but wonder if forces of nature just ain't on your side on the matter. if any small part of that were true, that would mean it would be doubly hard for somebody learning at age 35 than somebody half that age. for most people, that would somehow ring true.

the danger of realizing this would be if one were to use this as a crutch...an excuse to not push forward. the benefit, is if one's lucky, realizes the presence of these hurdles and clears it despite the age...the taste of victory though seems sweeter at an older age.

forgive the nonsense post...yeah yeah, I failed an exam.

like any other sunset...?

sunset
Originally uploaded by bong172.

today appears to have all indications of being quite a hectic day...

first off, Happy Anniversary to my wife!! :0) secondly, my dad's spending a night in the hospital for a procedure. nothing serious, routine / annual (or at least should be) check-up.

last of all...today, is my last day. today, I leave my employer of 11 years (13 if you count the young, haven't-even-graduated-yet doe-eyed years). obviously, my career's formative years were here. over the years, I've seen people come and go (and then come back and then go again). I've always wondered what it would be like for me once it was time. would it be an emotionally sad day? would it be the 'big-sigh-of-relief' kind? would it mean anything? would it mean nothing? well, its time to find out I guess....