burpday gifts

It was sort of my birthday last week. I turned 6 1/2 years old.

I got a bottle of English malt beer, a cigar, and a box of alcoholic belgian chocolates...Hmmm...Am I sending my friends the wrong idea?

Wonder where I'll be when I turn 7 in 2008?

*burp*

found an old friend

Feeling restless and bored, I took a walk alone the other night and found myself at a hair-raisingly familiar spot.

I used to bike and rollerblade around here with my friends when I was younger. I still remember falling off my BMX with one of the handle bars jutting under my right jaw, and as a result, my mouth wouldn't open fully for a couple of days. Pretending that nothing happened and keeping my mother from noticing my pain and discomfort was one of my earliest practices of self-protection.

The tall building under construction is where my childhood apartment block used to stand in Doha's Dafna district. Those homey identical brown buildings and its playgrounds have been demolished some time ago to make way for the city's major urban facelift.

In a few years, this once quiet, sandy and flat expanse of land will be loaded with skyscrapers that will color the Doha skyline.

I spent about 30 minutes sitting on this pavement that night feeling increasingly carefree. This is where she was last seen, but somehow, my old playground is actually still here.

finally, i am...

It's 0335H and I've just spilt tabasco sauce on my dark blue track pants.

Woke up hungry a couple of hours ago and made for the two pieces of fried chicken on the dining table - burnt from my careless oven-heating earlier tonight, cold and gummy after having been on the table, untouched, for hours. Doesn't get any better than this does it?

I started to think about my new year's resolutions (quite overdue, but better late than never) Why not finally start that blog? - I asked myself while the tabasco bottle slipped from my ketchup-coated fingertips...

So here I finally am...

My name is Joe...