Masjid's reviews

Masjids I prayed Taraweeh in

Almost three weeks passed since Ramadan started. Wow, feels like everything is passing by so fast.

Here are couple of Masjids (Mosques) I've been to so far this Ramadan and my opinions about them.


1. Assalam Mosque, Al Khwair 33:



- Small mosque
- Closest mosque to my house.
- Women's Praying area: Don't know
- The recitation wasn't that good.
- Time to finish taraweeh prayers: Average
- Heat/atmosphere: Normal
- Parking: crowded




2. Al Rawahi Mosque, Shatti Al Qurm:


- Small mosque.
- Women's praying area: none
- Good recitation.
- Time to finish taraweeh: slightly short.
- Heat/atmosphere: It was kinda hot.
- Parking: crowded




3. Al Salmi mosque, Al Khwair:


- Small-Medium mosque.
- Women's praying area: available but small.
- Very crowded.
- Recitation is ok.
- Time to finish taraweeh: long
- Heat/atmosphere: normal
- Parking: Crowded


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4. Fatima Al Zahraa, Hayy Al Rahba, MSQ: (My recommendation)


- Big mosque
- Women's praying area: available, very good.
- EXCELLENT recitation (Al Sulaimani is amazing. The other Imam who prays on weekends is also good)
- Time to finish taraweeh: short-medium
- Heat/atmosphere: Excellent. good, cold tempreture and quite atmosphere.
- Parking: plenty available.

===================================================


5. Al Muhallab Mosque, Ilam city:


- Big Mosque.
- Women's praying area: none
- Recitation: good
- Time to finish taraweeh: short
- Heat/atmosphere: great
- Parking: plenty.
- Note: Al Muhallab starts Ishaa prayers early and it's short So you would need to be at least 5 minutes earlier than other mosques.




6. The small mosque near Pizza Hut MSQ:


- very small mosque
- Women's praying area: don't know
- Recitation: really bad
- Time to finish taraweeh: short
- Heat/atmosphere: tempreture is good but the mosque needs more care.
- Parking: almost none. You need to park in Al Fair or Pizza Hut parking.


End of Blog Entry...

The E92 M3

(I couldn't find a photo of a black vorsteiner M3 so this will do)

I 1st saw the new E92 M3 around 2-3 years ago. The car is a master piece and a legend following its predecessors.

Time passed and I saw many M3s on the street. Now whenever I see one I would have a look at it, I like it, aka7al 3aini, and smile, nothing more than that.

Around 2 days ago. I was waiting for my friend in this parking lot when this M3 with a Dubai license plate came driving my way. I noticed there is something different about it and I was lucky the guy pulled right next to me so I can have a better look at the car.

Black exterior, reflective tint and black interior. Those colors might sound normal but on an M3 they were GREAT.The guy left the car so I had my chance to have a closer look at it.

WOW. This was no ordinary M3.

It had a vorsteiner front bumper. I love the look of the standard M3 bumper but this bumper definitely adds a nice touch. Kinda like a hot girl wearing aviators. Looking a bit more inside made me admire the car more. The owner got rid of the luxury black leather seats and replaced them with sporty, light-weight Recaro seats. It's easy for a car to look nice with the normal black seats and they are definitely better for daily use but those recaro seats were awesome. The car was also carrying a high-tech GPS/timer/drag numbers device. I know that device cuz I've seen it somewhere online. That system shows that the owner is well-updated with new technology.

Now are the above modifications the reason I got goosebumps when I saw that M3? Absolutely not.

It's true those modification might have attracted my attention, but they were just sparks that ignited the fire inside me and reminded me why I loved the M3 in the 1st place: why I get goosebumps whenever I hear its sound, why i would get in a better mood if I see one driving by and why I feel proud whenever I see it winning an award or a trophy. The S65 engine which is the beating heart of this car. That Big, beautiful engine which runs this car and the 100 million-info-per-second computer that control the car makes driving this car so sweet. The car charms you with the way it talks to you. Those 2 parts combined were the reason why I like the M3 so much. What's the point of a good-looking car if it doesn't pleases you when you drive it/talk to it??

I wrote this blog post because I felt that M3 needs to be appreciated, and because I needed to let it out. Yes, even though I don't own it, I liked that M3 A LOT.

End of Blog Entry...

Turkey Randoms part III: Ankara

Many people have told us never to visit Ankara on our trip to Turkey because it's not a good "touristic" city. I'm glad we didn't listen to them ...



Views from the highest tower :






The grand Masjid






Middle East University Park:






The following photos are of a dumpster that was turned into one beautiful natural park:









End of Blog entry ...

Infiniti EX35 Review

All car reviews are sponsored by: Omanternity.com



When the 1st official pictures of the EX35 were published, we all got the same idea: it’s the product of an Infiniti FX sleeping with a G35 (or was that only me??). I really didn’t understand where this car fits into the market. The closest cars I could think of are the BMW X3, the Mercedes GLK, and the X6 (which way more expensive, but still a crossover SUV). As many people (including me) thought that this was a mini-FX35, it clearly turned out more of a large G35 after testing it. Final line is: it seems like the EX35 has its own place that works fine for it.


Looks:


Mentioned above, the car had a weird combination of the FX and the G. when you see it in front of you, you feel like it’s a slightly larger G35 with no trunk. I wouldn’t call it Infiniti’s best moment in the design area.


Interior:


Now THIS is something to look at. The car is really high-tech inside. It’s the 1st Infiniti to feature the new 360 degrees cameras system; which I think is very creative and innovative compared to the competition (yah that one is for you Lexus). The EX35 interior features a contemporary, high-quality material and design; which flows around the driver in soft effect. 6-CD changer, Navigation screen, and AUX socket are also nice things to have in your EX35. The thing with high-tech cars is that you really can’t figure out every technology used in a test drive. I spent couple of minutes checking the trivial stuff, while my friend was messing around with the rest of the air-craft-like tech. The real obvious downside of the interior is the small space in the rear seats; which was rather a disappointment to me.


Driving:


Call me a car newbie, but driving the EX35 was almost exactly like driving the G35. There are however some obvious differences. The EX Uses an AWD instead of the FWD in the G. There is somehow a sportier feel in the G35. The EX35 is missing the paddle shifters (why? Why? WHY didn’t they include them?). In the straight-line performance, the EX35 was neck to neck with the G35, except for a slow launch (and believe me that came out of experience, just don’t ask how). The car has a weird way of launching from a stop (can’t explain it but a proper launch was almost impossible). Now that we are finished with the downside, let me just say: the car offers energetic handling with brilliant dynamics. And being close in size to the G35, the ride quality is rigid but comfy.


Specifications:

• Engine Type: 3.5L V6
• Horsepower @ RPM: 297 @ 5850
• Torque @ RPM: 253 lb-ft @ 4,800 rpm
• Drivetrain: All Wheel Drive
• Transmission Type: 5-speed auto
• 0-100: 6.3 seconds (est)
• Average Fuel Consumption: 13L/ 100 km
• Weight: 1,829 kg


Pros:
• G35 engine and G35 weight, so it’s fast.
• Very advanced 360 degrees cameras system.
• G35 interior.

Cons:
• No paddle shifters.
• Ugly design.
• High price


Price:
Around 16,000 Rials.


Verdict:
A 16,000 Rials, high-tech, fast Hatchback.

And that's how I resigned

A 6 months-old post.




Following the shut down of the 1st company I used to work for, I accepted a job offer in a company that works in the same exact field (which is why they needed me). The Managing Director promised us that this company has bright future and that the team is one of the best in the country bla bla bla. Since the company was new and established few weeks before I join, they were still finalizing the budgeting and offer letters. I got a very basic salary and accepted it after the Director told me that he will get me a much better salary later on.

I got a better position in this new company and that gave me comfort in my future even though the work load was humongous and I took big responsibilities.

Slowly I started feeling That I'm doing my job + 3 other jobs at the same time! I don't mind working hard but I don't like doing work that is not mine. My direct boss was also getting all the credit for what I do while I get all the blame for his mistakes.



After 2 months of working (well, when I got my monthyl check to be precise) I noticed that My salary stayed the same. I, then, realized that this is going to drag and started doubting that the management will raise my salary so I decided to pay a visit to the Director's office. I entered the office and went straight to the point. He surprised me by telling me that he is not planning to give me a salary that is higher than my previous job's salary! It didn't make sense to me as I was handling bigger and more responsibilities than my previous job. "I'm not in the business of making friends" is what he told me. "It's not about making friends, but about being fair" was my reply. After a long discussion I was honest with him and told him that I need to evaluate my options in the job market.





The next day the director called me to his office and told me that he checked my salary and that he recognized that I should be paid more. That was a good sign but I needed to see the raise myself before pulling my hopes up.

I was called to the Chairman's office and he informed me that i will be getting 54% increment in my salary + a car for me to use. I knew this wasn't just talk since this guy respects me a lot because he worked with my family before.

I got my new car keys and soon after that I received my revised paycheck.





Was i satisfied? Absolutely not. I suddenly realized that the car and increment cannot buy me comfort. What's the point of all that if I'm still going to be facing the same drama I had before?

A week later I submitted my resignation letter with 10 days notice period. Even though the director didn't seem like he minded it. He asked the chairman to talk me out of it. I got the congratulations and best wishes from my colleagues and left =)



I started my new job around 4 weeks after I resigned. 3rd job in less than 2 years won't look that good on my CV but that's life :P



And that was my "breakout" story.



End of Blog entry...

Turkey Randoms part II : Izmir

Even though we spent only 2 days at Izmir, it was a really nice town to visit.

Our room view :

History Museum:

Theme park + Zoo:

End of Blog Entry ...

A new member in the next generation

This is kinda a late post but oh well.

Alhamdulillah my brother was blessed with a new baby boy. I am officially an Uncle ! =D

Sheikh Sultan bin Saif Al Kindi is around 3 months old now. He is the 1st Kindi boy in the new generation in our extended family ;)

It's an amazing feeling being an uncle. It's really hard not to spoil Sultan when he has 4 uncles all above 20. Other than being the 1st nephew, he came after a period of 14 years of not having babies in our house. We are still trying our best to raise him well to be a great and tough man =)

Here are some photos of him
(his mom was pissed because we shaved his head without informing her xD)