Friday, March 14, 2008

Golfing at Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi has a fabulous golf course. It has 27 beautiful well manicured holes interspersed in the sand. The holes are well laid out and challenging. I had a very good day of golf, it seemed like all I had to do was think about my family, my happy place, and I would hit the ball well.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

A Quaint Bus Ride from Abu Dhabi

I had an interesting bus journey from Abu Dhabi to my camp near Ruwais. After getting on at the Bus Stop and not knowing what to expect, I settled into a seat and was prompted to buy chips and a drink, of which I rejected the chips (they were too expensive). Keep in mind most things are negotiable, it is just that when a Westerner is spotted the Dirham signs start flashing.

The seats were fairly expansive, and I was able to stretch out. I was able to listen to my Ipod, plus open up the Laptop. I have an Audiobook on the mathematics of John Nash, that was interesting, and has many applications to abstract and real world problem solving, especially in game theory. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for this, after almost having been forgotten about with 30 years of schizophrenia
turning him into a ghostly Princeton figure.

I went to take a picture of the bus, looked back to see if anyone would care, and the men behind me gave me a blank look so I proceeded. I will insert it soon, but Blogger is kind of finicky tonight.

The stop near our camp was a bit confusing. As it was my first time I was unsure if this was the correct stop. When I saw our plant to the south I was relieved. I called my friend Richard Hamamdjian, and he came and picked me up. It was a quaint little bus ride, much deserving of a little writing.

SS