Where the Sidewalk Ends

I appreciate the fact that Doha is really moving forward in providing information and directing people these days, but the placement of this sign smack dab in the middle of the sidewalk at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open this past weekend left me shaking my head.

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Ticketable Offense?

Land Cruisers aren't the only things rolling in Doha...

I wonder where the "jumping the light" ticket was mailed?

Source: Thanks for posting to twitter, @ibn_adem!

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It's Only Words

I could entertain myself for weeks if I would just go around and collect pictures of all the "saloons" (aka salons) in Doha. I captured a couple yesterday, but saw so many more along the way that I just couldn't shoot and drive without being a danger to society. Remember, it is Ramadan, so I had to be extra careful and be aware of (more than usual) erratic driving. I can hear it now,

"But officer, I had to have a picture of the saloon for man...

...and is that even a man??

Better yet, "Back off Jack, I'm late for my appointment at...

...beuty, is that pronounce "booty"?

So many signs, so little time, which reminds me I gotta get.
Have some dirty clothes I need to drop off at...

...geez, I hope so

Lawdy, lawdy, I shall miss this place!

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Translate the Punch Line

Living in Qatar, we found out pretty fast where the punctury is. We have a tendency to off road a bit around here due to traffic situations, well, and just for the heck of it. Problem is when when we do that, we take the chance of "puncturing" our tires with errant nails and wire from the ever present construction. You're so smart. I see you've figured out what a "punctury" is all by your lonesome. I've Googled the word punctury, and I do believe the term is truly an "Only in Doha" one.

Yesterday, we ran across a spin off of the tire repair shop...

Hmm...figure this one out.

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Undercover Cover Up

At first glance, you may not notice anything unusual or out of place in this storefront window poster at H & M (Landmark Mall),

but look, again...

There's just something about leggings underneath a bikini bottom that's downright unflattering. Someone's editor needs to go back to the drawing board.

Follow Up: Received a tweet from @ibn_adem explaining the H&M censorship...

Gisele Censored! Supermodel Photoshoppedfor H&M ads in Dubai

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Girls Gone Wild~Doha Style

I had to delay this post for a day so that no one could associate it
with April Fools Day,though it seems there were
some fools involved.

Case in point...

I tossed and turned last night coming in and out of dreamland. Visions of bikini clad sugar plums incessantly danced in my head. Next it was an episode of "Lost" with three girls finding themselves off the island~"teleported" to a tiny peninsula in the Middle East. That quickly turned to "Girls Gone Wild~Doha Style". Wait a minute, I wasn't dreaming. I was just rehashing the earlier events of my day.

It all started with a ride down the corniche on a beautiful Friday afternoon when I spotted something on the side of the corniche behind the post office. I rubbed my eyes (not really) and looked again. There were three young ladies laid out on the corniche sunbathing in bikinis! My eyes got huge (really) and I was repeating, "OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG...David, turn around at the roundabout. I've GOT to get pictures of that!" My navigator did so and unashamedly, I rolled down my window as he slowed down for me to assume my paparazzi roll. I figured if they had the nerve to strut their stuff on the conservative streets of Doha, then they wanted attention. Who was I to deprive them?


There was an Al Faaza (police) car parked on the road, but he was speaking to an Arab gentleman. Maybe the man called the police on them? I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were arrested. I hear about people getting "ticketed" for wearing spaghetti strapped tops at the malls and this was a bit removed from that, literally.

Let me be blunt here. This ain't Rio. These chicks must be smokin' crack and living in LaLa land. I can see it now, coming soon to the Court Roundup section of the Gulf Times: Three crazy white girls sentenced to one year jail term with subsequent deportation for "Un-Islamic Dress" and Stupidisness. Good riddance.

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini~ Connie Francis

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Safety IS Satisfaction

Just a little something that ran across my twitter feed yesterday. Wish I could take credit for this Doha doozy, but it goes to @JonoH. Thanks for the laugh!

Every construction worker's dream...

Stay Safe, Peeps!

(Maybe Mick Jagger should have incorporated
a little more safety in his life)


Satisfaction~The Rolling Stones

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Paper Covers Rock AND Other Things

Holy Knockers, Batman!
Did you see that?!

Our innocence has been saved.
Thank goodness for copy paper and masking tape.

Scene of the Crime: Doha Festival Circus~Souq Waqif
Friday, February 18,2011

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Lions and Tigers and Pigeons, Oh My!

This has been animals gone wild week in Doha with tigers on the loose infiltrating the Qatar twitter stream. Constant updates on tiger sightings and warnings were keeping us easily amused tweeps, just that. Supposedly the ISF (Internal Security Forces) had helicopters out searching for the supposed perp, so it's not just obscene cupcakes that bring out the big guns. After all was said and done, I don't know how much of the story was true, but it was fun all the same. In our little pink villa world, there were a couple of unusual animal sightings, as well. David spotted the unusual predicament below while peering out the bathroom window. Even the birds here have "only in Doha" moments.

I know there's a terrific caption to go along with this pic,
but for the life of me I can't come up with it.

We had a tiger sighting of sorts while having our breakfast yesterday morning. One of the stray, freeloading, mooching, nonpaying hotel kittens decided she wanted to join us for breakfast.

"Seriously, would you just knock next time??"

p.s. there was a hole the size of a small coin that she totally exploited.

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Signs of the Times

While out and about this afternoon...

End of Construction...really?

No time to order a new sign?
Just paper over an existing one.
I'm sure it wasn't important.

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Security Forces Save Doha

I feel so much safer now. Quote from the Gulfnews.com...

"The operation was part of efforts by the security agencies to maintain the safety and security of the community"

Yes, I'm talking about the obscene cake raid that recently occurred in Doha. Thank God this security threat has been removed from the streets of Qatar. Of course the articles that ran in the local papers never divulged what exactly was vulgar about the cakes, leaving that task to the imagination of the readers. Obviously they don't know the extent of my thought process or they would have elaborated. For the life of me, I just can't see how an edible pastry can get one arrested, unless it has a knife baked in it and passes through prison doors. Twitter was buzzing about the offensive cake. Meaning: Everyone wanted a piece of it. Finally after extensively searching the Internet, I caught a glimpse of the offending pastry. It was none other than Doha's famous "P" building adorning a cupcake. OMG, yes, arrest the perpetrator and the architect while you're at it, puhlease!

Now, if we can only get the offensive
building off the streets!

Pink Panther Theme Song

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What's in a Rx ~ Who Knows?!

One would think that after being embedded in Doha for three plus years, surprises would be kept down to a minimum. On the contrary, I'm finding. There seems to be an endless feeding to the "Only in Doha" frenzy. Though, to be fair, when visiting back in Texas after being in Qatar for some time, I also have found, "Only in Texas" moments. Moments that perhaps, you just might have to be Texan to understand. Anyway, yesterday I had to make a pharmacy run to the beautiful, hotel like, Al Ahli Hospital. This is a Doha private hospital with waterfalls, climbing ivies, chocolate shops, and a complimentary traveling tea service that serves in china cups, no less. So, as I was at the window picking up David's prescription I was taken back a bit as I watched the clerk pick up a label-less bottle with a few pills in it and slap on a blank label. She then proceeded to scribble "two capsules twice daily for a month" on the label. No name, no product description, no warnings. That was it. She handed it to me along with my prescription, "just in case you need it again".


Related Posts:

Think Pink
Your Change, Madame

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Mens Requirements

Yes, I did a double take when I saw this shop in Doha's, Al Sadd area. Mens Requirements? My mind was racing, What the heck does that mean? I picked my mind up out of the gutter and did the obvious and peaked into the window and discovered every white material imaginable to tailor thobes. Duh, all men of Qatar require thobes, hence Mens Requirements. On second thought, it makes perfect sense.

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Let Bushes Be Bushes

Why can't bushes, be just that? Do we really need them to spell out Qatar, and tackily at that? This is the scene at Markhiya Roundabout, or as we call it in our household, Burger King Roundabout. I reported a while back on the skills that the local groundskeepers are honing at this very intersection, but it's getting out of control. I'm thinking they really just need to keep to their creative zigzags and leave the abc's out of it.

Related post: Art in a Roundabout Way

ABC ~ The Jackson 5

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