neighbourhood observations

firstly, ramadan kareem everyone! the holy month of ramadan starts tomorrow here in the sultanate (it's already started elsewhere), and i'm bracing myself for impact. for one month, muslims will not consume food, drink (including water), will not smoke or engage in sexual activity between sunrise and sunset. a month of lazy crazy cranky tired driving is in store, as are hypermarkets packed to the gills with everyone's preparations for nightly iftar dinners (which break the fast after sundown prayers).

secondly, i didn't realise that there are quite a few non-omani (mainly westerners) living in my neighbourhood. a pleasant surprise to see a blonde-haired blue-eyed kid running around playing football with his friends.

the sunset today was absolutely spectacular. crisp clear skies like a photograph.

also, i've noted that the non-omani female household staff are usually the ones wearing the brightest of colours and prints, reminiscent of the omani style not more than 20 years ago, before the black abaya became quite popular. i love bright colours, and it is extremely rare to see an omani woman wear such colours (outside a wedding of course) in public. instead, you see the housemaids and nannies - filipino, sri lankan, bangladeshi, indonesian - dressed in the most spectacular hues of the rainbow.