I firmly believe that each event in this world has its own purpose. From the most catastrophic event until the minutest detail, all these things are part of a greater plan.

Tonight I received the news that a member of my family has loss a child. My cousin's baby girl was birthed still-born at 8 months. It is so sad to know that this little angel has almost seen our world. We might not see the reason for now, but only God knows why. I know that our little angel is now in a place where she can play endlessly with the other angels. A place where there is no pain nor suffering. She may be earth's lost but definitely she is Heaven's gain. In the loving memory of my niece, I offer my prayers. In heaven she is at peace.

Yellow Cab for dinner

Yesterday, Mars and I had a Yellow Cab Pizza and a pasta for dinner. I felt lazy cooking that is why I asked him to go out and buy us some dinner. The pasta which we had was the Charlie Chan Chicken Pasta. I've alwasy loved this food. There were some difference between the CCCP in the Philippines and the ones offered here. The CCCP in the Philippines has a thicker pasta diameter, I mean the noodles are bigger or should I say wider and there were a little bit more of the peanuts. It is a little bit more spicy also. The CCCP here in Doha has thinner noodles but more of the chicken strips. But otherwise they are both delicious. Maybe the secret was in the sauce and I'm glad that they had the same quality. The pizza we have ordered was the 4 seasons. Each round of pizza has 2 slices of 4 of the pizzas which they have in the menu. This is recommended for those people who want to have a variety. I also recommend Benna Alfredo with Chicken. I had tasted that already and it was good as well. Their Ham and Cheese Calzone was ok but there is a slight difference in the taste to which I'm used to in the Philippines. Maybe because here, turkey is being used instead of the real pork ham. Since this is a Muslim country, the pork which is haram is replaced with halal food such as turkey or beef bacon. Next time, I plan to try their spaghetti and meat balls and the Jalapeno poppers. I can't wait for our next food trip.

Tonight after the mass, Mars and I attented the housewarming of our friends. We have met several people in the party, mostly Mars' coworkers in the EMS department of the Hamad Medical Center. Being at a party with many new faces makes me want to see all their faces, know their names and hopefully make some little chit-chat with them. But that would be impossible since everyone is engrossed in their own conversations either with a group or just with the person beside them. And so I'm glued in my seat, also doing the little tete-a-tete with the person beside me. After a while, Mars has asked me if we can get going soon. He has been from a night duty and would want to go to sleep early. For all I know, he would just want to go home and play his Knightfight. And indeed, as soon as we have arrived home he turned on the PC and now I'm doing my blog, harharhar....I told him, I will use it and he should move aside. Good thing his knights are on missions so that he can afford to spare for me the PC and just refresh his missions every 10 minutes. Talk about using the computer by myself! His missions run for 10 mins and after each mission, he has to come here in the PC and do another mission. Meanwhile, while he is not here, I try as much as possible to type the words from my head. I just hope that the words aren't lost once he comes here to do his thing. Oh no, here he comes again! I wish I have my own PC.....

This is Qatar Petroleum Medical Services Department where I work. It is located along Ras Abu Abboud Street, near the Mariott Hotel here in Doha. Going to work everyday from my home may be done in 2 ways. Either I come from the Corniche or either coming from the B Ring Road. Passing the B Ring Road takes a little longer time since there are several stop lights which are situated one after the other. If lucky we sometimes cruise the road without stopping at most of the stop lights at all which seldom happens. The former is a longer way but even so, I prefer going from the Corniche since traffic flow is less busy. Having a nice view of the ocean is also a plus factor why I prefer to go by the Corniche. Specially during the winter time, colorful flowers line the plant boxes along the road. Seeing these wonderful creations make any morning bright and beautiful.

Serologically Speaking...

Today I had my third training day for the Serology section. My colleague Flossy taught me the basic work flow of this section. She teaches well and I learned many things from her. We run Hepatitis examinations on Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday. Monday, we do Thyroid tests and on Wednesdays, we do the Reproductive Hormones assays. It was nice learning the techniques and the necessary things to remember in running the tests. First, is doing the weekly maintenance every Sunday. This task may take a couple of hours and starting to do the running may start around 9 a.m. But at least the daily maintenance which is done on the succeeding days will just take some minutes to perform. This include checking the reagents, emptying of wastes and probe washings. The next thing to do are the Controls as well as the Calibrators needed. When everything is okay, meaning the controls are within the acceptable ranges and the reagents are made sure to be enough for the tests then it is fine to start analyzing. Checking the reaction vessels and matrix cells must be done every now and then to assure the continous running of the tests. Otherwise, interruptions may interfere with the smooth workflow since much time is consumed in troubleshooting any exception or error.

I think I had enough learning for the week but even so, I know I can master the whole thing only when I start working all alone by myself. I will have my chance of doing the serology section by myself after a few weeks. I just hope that I will do just fine and that I can manage coping with the pressure while acquiring the feeling of ease with this new task. So I pray that I may have all the help.

This is the machine we are operating to do the tests: Abbott AxSym

Infused Olive Oil

I read that olive oil is good for the health. Some cook food with it, others add it to any of their dishes, dip brea, some even use it directly on their skin. Filipinos aren't fond of olive oil on the food or on the skin and that is why, it isn't common for us. But I think there's no harm in trying, nothing to loose in doing. And so I plan to include it once in a while in our diet. I think cooking/frying on it is not practical because it is expensive. I only use it on pasta and on some stir fry. Probably I can do an infused olive oil to dip our bread and eat it before meals. I once saw a video on how to prepare for an infused olive oil. If I remember it correctly (well, I guess I have to check the net to confirm what I have in mind), all I've got to have are: Lemon peel, Bay leaves, Rosemary, Parsley and of course Olive Oil. It must be noted that all ingredients must be on their dry state. Otherwise, bacteria build up might be noticed after a while if one has to use fresh ingredients. The idea is to put in a bottle (nice if it is a decorative one) all the ingredients with the aid of a funnel. After that, just pour over the olive oil and cover the bottle. It is best to let it stand for 2 weeks to properly infuse the oil. Many other herbs and spices can be used such as basil, thyme, pepper and many others. Probably it is best to use whatever is available in the kitchen. This may come as a nice gift as well. Simple, healthy and inexpensive.

I tried a new recipe today. It is called Cheesy Beef and Veggie Pasta. Just made half the recipe, just to try. Im afraid that it may not be tasty and I just can't bear to throw all away if it is not good. Anyway, I'm glad it turned out delicious.

3 cups farfalle (bow-tie pasta), uncooked
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 carrots, sliced (about 1 cup)
4 green onions, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cups milk
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup CHEEZ WHIZ Cheese Dip
1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar & Monterey Jack Cheese

COOK pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, brown meat in large deep skillet on medium-high heat; drain.

ADD carrots and onions to meat in skillet; cook 5 min., stirring occasionally. Drain pasta. Add to meat mixture along with the milk, peas and CHEEZ WHIZ; stir. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

SPRINKLE with the shredded cheese.

BON APETITE!

taken from www.kraftfoods.com

A Day at Ras Laffan

For two days, I had the chance to have my duty in the laboratory department of the Ras Laffan Industrial City Medical Dept. There I met many laborers/workers of different nationalities who were ill. Some treated for cuts, burns and other work-related injuries others for fever, U.T.I, respiratory tract infections and many others.

It is so funny that I have witnessed a factual irony. Here in Doha, some of the people I deal with are well dressed, fragrant but rude and arrogant. I can feel the air in their heads as they demand for the service to be given right away. There in Ras Laffan, sweaty and dirty but courteous people I met. All are in the mercy of the health professionals treating them. So whatever the healthworker tells them to do, they do right away without questions. There were occasional times in which traces of uncertainty was seen in their faces when I gave instructions as if they didn't understand me at all. Then I realized that it isn't due to stupidity but rather because of the language barrier between us.

It pains me to see these people to be ill and alone in a foreign land not knowing clearly what is happening to them. I'm sure they miss their families at this time of illness. It is indeed very difficult to take care of our own sick body. Isn't it nice that someone will cook and tend as one recuperates?

So then I ask myself how can we help in our own small way? There may be so many magnanimous ways but I guess the best thing to start with is to do our jobs very well remembering that we aren't serving only the company but also catering for the underprivileged guys who toil under the sun to give Qatar the resources needed to produce gas and oil. Maybe some little acts of compassion and kindness, a simple hello or a little smile can do something for these guys. Afterall, we are all humans who should treat each other in the most humane way as possible.

It's summer time again! This is the time when the land is filled with so much warmth and sunshine which I think this is how most people picture the middle east. Slowly I'm learning to manage the heat and the dust. What I don't usually like are the sandstorms. Sometimes it even lasts for the whole day. Ruining any outdoor schedule you may have. Inshallah, I would't be caught in it if soon there will be some sandstorms. Look at both pictures, one is taken during a sandstorm while the other was taken on a clear day. It is almost zero visibilty, isn't it? Glad in the Philippines there aren't any sandstorm but likewise the streets are always hazy with pollution, too bad.

The other day, I cooked some stir fried veggies. I had some cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, onions, and peppers. Some of them I managed to take a snapshot before I finally chopped them. I love the red pepper, it is so nice to look at. Poor thing I have to cut it up. Although it looks lovely, the price may not be too lovable. It is more costly than the green one. I wonder why the orange, yellow and red peppers are more expensive than the green one. Afterall they are all peppers and they just differ in their colors and so I think that the price should all be the same. Well I am just a consumer and all I care about is the benefit of buying the colored peppers anytime and not just settle for the green one since it is the cheapest. So much for peppers for today....And oh by the way, I tried a Tunisian recipe courtesy of my friend Asma. It is a sandwhich which consist of egg, potatoes, tomatoes and guess what...peppers (the spicy and elongated one). All I did was to coat some salt and fry the veggies respectively in that order. I noticed that frying peppers is a little messy and noisy. Messy because it causes a lot of oil splashing and noisy because of the continues fizzing sound. And when frying is over, just tossed the veggies on a bun and eat. That's how simple it was.

Another weekend, another 2 days of chores and rest. I try to balance both by doing much of the chores on Friday. I intend to spend Saturday only for my things such as, sleeping, blogging, surfing, digiscrapping and a little of cooking. These 2 days are soon gone if I will not religiously do my chores and sticking to the schedule. But of course sometimes I am stricken with the weekend fever of just bumming around and just witholding everything until I find time to squeeze in the chores. Just wish me luck that I can do all my intended affairs flawlessly before Sunday comes. Ciao!

Today I nearly had a migraine episode. I was really feeling the tension building up on my head this morning. I thought I wouldn't last long enough to finish the day and so I decided to take one Panadol and prayed that the pain will go away. Thanks be to God, probably after an hour the pain finally subsided. Through out the rest of the afternoon, I just stayed away from too much sun or warmth since those things will definitely bring back the pain. Anyway I just wish that the medicine will definitely do the trick in each time that I will be having migraine or better still I wish I wouldn't be visited by any migraine anymore.