On project in Abu Dhabi...part 2...

...or, if you had to put the number into Arabic...a backward 7...

It's difficult to believe that our own numeral system of 0 to 9 is actually based on this system and not Sanskrit or any other ancient language.

I find it amusing to figure out the numerals on the car registration plates, most of which have either both Arabic and "western", or just western.

The strange thing about the language is that, although it is read from right to left (unlike us, from left to right), the numbers are read from left to right as we do. I think it must be confusing.

Anyway, back to the adventure...

So...today is Monday. The western world is back at work today. I'm glad for you all. Me, i started work again yesterday, on sunday, the day of rest, church day for some, chill out day (normally) for me.

Actually, it doesn't really matter. I'm an agnostic aetheist so Sunday is just another weekday for me. 1 of 7.

Today is Sunday. The PM picks me up at the hotel around 9am and we go off to meet with the client.

A ten minute drive and we're at their office, a green, unmarked block with a "for rent" sign on it. Beliveve it or not, a bank that doesn't own its own head office.

We have a quick meeting with the project sponsor, their PM just keeping quiet in subservience. Me, I'm doing all the talking fro our side. We'll do this, that, won't do that, etc. It all seems to go well.

Eventually, I'm shown a corner desk that, obviously from its location, no-one else wanted as it is in perpetual sunlight with only thin blinds to stop me from getting a major squint-induced headache.

The local techie rigs up my internet connection, fuckin' up my normal settings in the process by putting in a proxy server address so that I can get out of their LAN. Because of this, I cannot see any of our company websites, not even the www sites. Ah well, tough shit.

The rest of my working day is spent reading and re-reading documents, trying to decipher what is in the project scope and what isn't.

At 5pm, I decide I've had enough. My head is buzzing, partly from the sun and partly from the reading.

I head to the main intersection nearby and grab a taxi back to the hotel, where I get changed and think "fuckit" and head down to the "Heroes" bar for a drink.

Fuck me if the draught isn't half the price it is in Dubai!! I sit there for almost two hours, have three pints of Guinness and a great chicken yellow curry, with sambals and rice, for dinner.

I watch most of the England/India cricket match, Liverpool losing the football match to West Ham, and most of Scotland getting beaten by Ireland in the Six Nations rugby...all at the same time. There are more TV's in this place that any two sports bars in Shit Towne. I left the bar partly because of the rugby score and partly because my ears were ringing. The place is deafening, with all the TV noises mixed in with cheering fans and general bar noise.

Back in my room, I have a shower to get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke (Wreckless, they still allow smoking in bars here) and I climb into bed with the remote control.

A good day, all told...


Part 3 of Abu Dhabi coming right up...