Author: Yellow Duckie
•22:38
I must admit that to find a true Bahraini Cuisine in Bahrain is not easy. Food found here are either Labanese, Iranian or the American Junk food. According to my Bahraini Colleague, the truly Bahraini food are:

Muhammar - Sweet rice served with dates

Machboos - a dish of meat or fish served with rice

Here are some of the examples of the local flavours which I believe is not uniquely Bahrain's:
Halwa Bahraini - a jelly flavoured with saffron and nuts
Khubz - flatbread
Qoozi - grilled lamb stuffed with rice, boiled eggs and spices
Samboosa - a small, often moon-shaped pastry filled with chickpeas, minced meat or cheese
Sharwama - lamb or chicken carved from a rotating spit and served in a pita wrap
Hammour Fish- a kind of grouper , known to the chinese as "Sek Pan". I thought this fish is so common here that it can be obtained at a cheap price, however I was told this was not the case, although it is common, this fish can fetch up to 7 BD per kg!
Author: Yellow Duckie
•22:33
Bahrain can be a boring place but today, I changed my mind about this place. Jumping straight out of a meeting with the procurement in the morning, I joined another event that was held at the Bahrain F1 circuit with another bunch of customer. Definitely a bunch who knows how to have fun :)


When F1 is not on, they turn the F1 circuit into a fun park for extreme sports. When they say extreme sports, they do mean Extreme sports, not go-kart( lawn mower machine that goes 80KM/H). They mean lotus engine that runs 180 KM/H ...
... and driving (yes, you actually get to drive them) a HUMMER through tough terrains and incredibly steep slope! I was apprehensive about driving one but I did it anyway, with my high heels and I survived :P

So the next time you feel bored in the kingdom, head straight to the F1 circuit and put your heart to its ultimate test!
Author: Yellow Duckie
•10:06
11 hurt in camel-bus collision
Author: Yellow Duckie
•22:41
One of the articles in the Bahrain Tribune (Bahrain Local Newspapers) caught my attention today. It was a picture of the silhouette figures of two children against the backdrop of Sunset on a hill with a pipeline protruding from the end of the hill that bears the following caption:

"CAMPING SEASON: Children play on a waste oil pit at sunset in the desert oil field at Sakhir, Bahrain, where Bahrainis are setting up tents amidst the pipelines and oil wells for the popular winter camping season."
Author: Yellow Duckie
•17:06
Just when I thought Bahrain is all about the luxury in enjoying the best things in life, I managed to get a glimpse of how life is for the locals. This is the place where things are not over priced and not housed in the shelves of fine luxury malls: Isa Town.
The first time I was here, I couldn't help but to drown myself in the Japanese 100 Yen Concept Store, however it's 650 Fils (~ abt 1.70 USD) I would say as it is fixed at 650 fils for each item, unless specified. Besides this shop, there is a huge electronic haven, a shoe shop and a Lebanese Trading center which turns out to be another super market.

Apart from these, what sets this town to be more realistic (compared to the luxury picture painted to me in Seef Area) are the stores in this area. There are rows of shops that carries goods at a reasonable price and of course, in a less luxury manner. You can find spices, carpets, upholstery, furnitures, antiques and second hand goods! It does feels like the Jatuchak Market in Bangkok except the items sold were alot more less interesting that those in Jatuchak.

Clothings


Carpets
Junk Yard
Author: Yellow Duckie
•09:20
A glass of Latte and a Madazi
A madazi reminds me a lot of the malaysian snack which was sold in the pasar malam (night market) - the "Yau char Kui". I must admit the madazi is alot more nice, crunchy on the outside and soft inside.
Author: Yellow Duckie
•22:58
Patience is one of the key essence one should have while living in Kenya (as stressed in my tip for survival in Kenya). While having to deal with the banks, ticket reservations and etc, I noticed something about the way Kenyan works. Perhaps I am too quick to judge but I can't help it but to notice it EVERYWHERE : They get distracted easily.

I find it really hard to keep their concentration in finishing their transaction with you. For example, while I was at the bank settling my bank account, the financial customer representative would be working on processing my account and suddenly you see her attention distracted on the issue going on in the next counter. This happens in the bank, at the cashier in the supermarket, at air ticketing office, etc. Now I know why it takes them so long to get things moving.

The only time I get a full attention is when I was at the forex where each counter has its own room :P

Sawa sawa ~ It's OK...
Author: Yellow Duckie
•22:03
Apart from the heat, it's funny that Zambia actually gives me a sense of comfort. I am not too sure what it is but the clean and smooth roads leading from the airport to the office certainly were the major contributions to how I felt about this place. I was actually impressed. If anyone tells me they are worry about the state of hygiene in Africa, I would probably feel more at ease here than back home in KL.

Zambia is actually beautiful, one thing that caught my eyes were the fire cracker trees (that's what I'd call them) that line the streets of Zambia. They were really stunning!

Zambian has good a great sense of hospitality. I love the genuine warm they have in them and they simply hold no reservations when it comes to showing their smile. The best part of it is that you know that they don't have any hidden agenda in being nice to you.

Lunch at Rasphody (South African Chain Restaurant) in the Arcade was my most memorable moment during my bried stay in Zambia. I was annoyed with the flies that hovers around so I asked the waitress for a candle to keep the flies away. When the waitress left the table to fulfill my request, my colleague simply smirk and said, I hope you get your candle. I then, understood my colleague's remark upon seeing this:



Simply steps on how to make this: First you spray Mortein (strong substances that was intended to kill mosquitoes) into the ashtray, then you grab a bunch of tissue and spray them with more Mortein and put it into the ashtray..tada...there you go, the candle that keep the flies away...the Zambian way.
As nice as this place can but, it's actually quite boring. I don't know how would one survive as there are no major shopping mall, except for some pathetic looking stores at the arcade. I suppose the outdoor activities plays a big part of the filling one's time here.
Author: Yellow Duckie
•23:41
This trip I have learnt three things about Johannesburg:
Braii , Robots and Tremezzini
Braii: when my colleague text me asking me if I would like to join them for Braii, I was wondering what sort of religious study group it is. To my relieve, it was actually a lovely ritual enjoyed by many ~ BBQ

Robots: According to a dear friend of my, no where in the world call their traffic lights Robots except in Jo'burg. And I believe she is right.
Tremezzini: A round shape sandwich which is common in South Africa.


The discovery I made : Monte Casino. I have heard so much about Monte casino that I had to be there to see it for myself. D was nice enough to take me there for dinner and I was amazed at what I saw. I seriously thought I was in Italy.
The setting is excellent with a casino surrounded by loads of restaurants to spoil your taste buds, shops and an amusement park for the children and young at heart. Food are so cheap here in Jo'burg, I simply can't believe it! I had a kilogram of ribs for only 10 USD!