So Alex just got home from work, and seemed to be in a not so great mood. Here's a copy of our conversation. Be warned, this is not censored, and Alex has a mouth of a sailor.
Prasheel is in Al Saadah, Oman says:
So whats th edeal with teh retarded people at work?
WORK WORK WORK!!! WOOO WORK WORK WORK WOOOOOOO UNTIL 7AM, THEN I AM DRINKING MY FACE OFF says:
theres just no communication in that place
so theres these fucking filters
and they are making them for like four horus
and they pack them in this box
then they switch to slightly different filters
but they pack them in the same boxes
but theres a sticker on them with a small different serial number
and after a couple hours i realize
and i'm like "oh fuck, they started using the wrong stickers"
so i fuckin cut some boxes open
nope, right stickers
they fuckin started making different filters and didn't fucking tell me
so tons of fucking paperwork is completely fucked
and i have to spend a ton of time sorting out when the fuck they switched filters so i can redo all this fucked up paperwork
meanwhile i'm fucking being bomobarded with tons of boxes and can't even keep up
usually for three lines
Prasheel is in Al Saadah, Oman says:
Hahha, bombarded by boxes.
WORK WORK WORK!!! WOOO WORK WORK WORK WOOOOOOO UNTIL 7AM, THEN I AM DRINKING MY FACE OFF says:
they have three people moving boxes
there was three line
s
and i was the only person
there was one point where i was insanely backed up
and the boxes they send down, if they don't fucking put the filters in the bag properly, theres to much air in the bags, and then the boxes are like slightly fucked up because they aren't big enough, so they are like...angled sort of
so they don't fucking sit
properly
so i fucking am stacking away
i got like 30 stacked
Prasheel is in Al Saadah, Oman says:
Hahhaha, you sound mad stressed over these boxes.
WORK WORK WORK!!! WOOO WORK WORK WORK WOOOOOOO UNTIL 7AM, THEN I AM DRINKING MY FACE OFF says:
i put a fucked up box down because i'm in a mad fucking rush
not paying any attention to shit
and it fuckin leans on the other ones enough that it knocks down like 30 boxes
so i fuckin flipped
i was so fucking pisses
i just started grabbin boxes and whipping them
i probably ruined like 100 filters
Prasheel is in Al Saadah, Oman says:
Hahahha
WORK WORK WORK!!! WOOO WORK WORK WORK WOOOOOOO UNTIL 7AM, THEN I AM DRINKING MY FACE OFF says:
you knwo how i get super pissed when riding and huck my bike?
it was like that
but wayyyy fucking worse
i was prepared to get fired i was so pissed
i fuckin tell the dude
theres no fucking room
to put shit
i have fuckin fire exits blocked off completely
because theres just no fucking room
i'm like "man there is no fucking room"
and he comes down, he's like "look at all this room"
dude has no fucking clue
Prasheel is in Al Saadah, Oman says:
Hahahhaha
WORK WORK WORK!!! WOOO WORK WORK WORK WOOOOOOO UNTIL 7AM, THEN I AM DRINKING MY FACE OFF says:
theres a super narrow path for a fork lift
and he tells me to block it off
and fill it with boxes
blocking off two more fire exits of sex, of which 4 are already fuckin blocked
not to mention there is like four stories of boxes/skids fuckin stacked high, almost falling over
like i could push it with my pinky
and knock them over
shit would fuckin kill you if it fell on you
if that place caught fire (which it has burned down completely before) i would be a goner
like, not a chance in hell i would get out alive
fuck that
on a plus side
our like main supervisor
i think she really digs me
i don't think shes aware that i'm 20
everyone there thinks i'm like 25
Prasheel is in Al Saadah, Oman says:
Its probably your beard that's doing it.
WORK WORK WORK!!! WOOO WORK WORK WORK WOOOOOOO UNTIL 7AM, THEN I AM DRINKING MY FACE OFF says:
probably, shit is gettin gruesome
but everyone else complains about how she is like a bitch and mean
and she is beyond nice to me
so now i fuckin bitch to her about everything
like, every shift i've had
i've always been super positive, and just havin a ball
but tonight was so fuckin retarded
everyone was shocked at my anger
Prasheel is in Al Saadah, Oman says:
That's what beer is for.
WORK WORK WORK!!! WOOO WORK WORK WORK WOOOOOOO UNTIL 7AM, THEN I AM DRINKING MY FACE OFF says:
because i'm usually the happiest person in that place
oh beer is my jesus rightn ow
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Prasheel in Oman: Photo Edition
The first full day I was here, which was the day before we started shows, I had a little session on our balcony while Heinz Kaufmann shot some photos. Enjoy.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Prasheel in Oman: I'm Over It
So a few days have past since the last update, but most those days had nothing interesting occur...Nothing!
A few things worth mentioning though, are we got a tent! We show up one day, and the six hollow short pipes they concreted in now had large, solid poles up, with lots of wires going across, and a big ass orange tarp going across it. While we were performing the first show, they were still tying one side of the tarp to the wires on the top. On one side, pressumably to block off the mist which comes from an angle, the tarp reaches about 3/4 of the way to the ground, at an angle. While I guess it does block out some mist, it also blocks sight from the rest of the fair, so not only is there decreased standing room, people walking by don't really know whats going on. Oh, and this giant ass tarp is only big enough to cover two of our three ramps, lol.
So, as we're warming up before the first show, which it actually isn't even raining for, I ponder out loud with Ben about what happens when it actually does rain. As it is, Ben and Will are getting really close to hitting the ceiling when they air the big quarter or jump the box, especially with their backflips. The top of the tent sags a bit, and is flat, opposed to being sloped for drainage. Whatever, not my problem though.
First show goes fine, and in between shows again, without fail, it rains! The top of the tent is now sagging a lot. Oh, and the scaffolding they use to build the tent, has wheels on it. So, they roll around, trying to push up the ceiling to get the rain off. In the process, they tear a couple holes, and also start pushing the scaffold up the box jump. At one point, two wheels were on the ground, one wheel was up the ramp, and one wheel was a foot off the ground. There's two guys on top untaggling the wires they get messed up in and pushing the ceiling up. Anyways, we do the second show, but it continues to rain as we leave. Before departing, I just look at the water spewing down from the ceiling in between the two ramps its covering from the holes that are there.
So, we got this big ass tent, and we go back the next day for shows again, and the tent is gone! Half the poles are actually ripped out of the ground, pulling a 2 to 3 ft square out of the ground. Yay for my flat spots! And sure enough, the first day without the tent, it rains again.
The only other interesting news is most of us have internet at home now. We have to buy usb sticks and sim cards and recharge cards, which costs about $100US to get setup. Ben and Will were the first to make the purchase, then Devin, and most recently, Matt. Matt doesn't have his own computer though, so I share my computer with him in exchange for him sharing his internet with me; hurray for the barter system!
I am now on skype, and am usually on in the morning/early afternoon here, which is overnight back home. But, if you're bored and want to keep me company, feel free to skype me, prasheel.gopal is my skype name thingy.
Oh yeah, at this point, everything feels sooo insanely routine. I'm over this place and this trip, and am just on my own shit now. While the rest of the team is skyping their girlfriends 24/7, I'm actually riding, despite the shitty spots I got to work with. Oh well, when I get back home and get to my own lot, which is immensely more flat than what I'm working with here, I'll be that much better off for it I guess.
A few things worth mentioning though, are we got a tent! We show up one day, and the six hollow short pipes they concreted in now had large, solid poles up, with lots of wires going across, and a big ass orange tarp going across it. While we were performing the first show, they were still tying one side of the tarp to the wires on the top. On one side, pressumably to block off the mist which comes from an angle, the tarp reaches about 3/4 of the way to the ground, at an angle. While I guess it does block out some mist, it also blocks sight from the rest of the fair, so not only is there decreased standing room, people walking by don't really know whats going on. Oh, and this giant ass tarp is only big enough to cover two of our three ramps, lol.
So, as we're warming up before the first show, which it actually isn't even raining for, I ponder out loud with Ben about what happens when it actually does rain. As it is, Ben and Will are getting really close to hitting the ceiling when they air the big quarter or jump the box, especially with their backflips. The top of the tent sags a bit, and is flat, opposed to being sloped for drainage. Whatever, not my problem though.
First show goes fine, and in between shows again, without fail, it rains! The top of the tent is now sagging a lot. Oh, and the scaffolding they use to build the tent, has wheels on it. So, they roll around, trying to push up the ceiling to get the rain off. In the process, they tear a couple holes, and also start pushing the scaffold up the box jump. At one point, two wheels were on the ground, one wheel was up the ramp, and one wheel was a foot off the ground. There's two guys on top untaggling the wires they get messed up in and pushing the ceiling up. Anyways, we do the second show, but it continues to rain as we leave. Before departing, I just look at the water spewing down from the ceiling in between the two ramps its covering from the holes that are there.
So, we got this big ass tent, and we go back the next day for shows again, and the tent is gone! Half the poles are actually ripped out of the ground, pulling a 2 to 3 ft square out of the ground. Yay for my flat spots! And sure enough, the first day without the tent, it rains again.
The only other interesting news is most of us have internet at home now. We have to buy usb sticks and sim cards and recharge cards, which costs about $100US to get setup. Ben and Will were the first to make the purchase, then Devin, and most recently, Matt. Matt doesn't have his own computer though, so I share my computer with him in exchange for him sharing his internet with me; hurray for the barter system!
I am now on skype, and am usually on in the morning/early afternoon here, which is overnight back home. But, if you're bored and want to keep me company, feel free to skype me, prasheel.gopal is my skype name thingy.
Oh yeah, at this point, everything feels sooo insanely routine. I'm over this place and this trip, and am just on my own shit now. While the rest of the team is skyping their girlfriends 24/7, I'm actually riding, despite the shitty spots I got to work with. Oh well, when I get back home and get to my own lot, which is immensely more flat than what I'm working with here, I'll be that much better off for it I guess.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Prasheel in Oman; Still Doin' It
First off, I found out Devin's father somehow found this site and follows his son's trip through here, so I'd like to say hello Mr. Szmata!
Secondly, almost everything at this point has already become very routine. I can pretty much sum up each day with: sleep all day, wake up, go to show site, go straight to the internet, go try to do a show despite the rain, go back to internet, attempt another show, go back to internet, go to the market, come home, stay up watching movies.
On day 5 of shows, luckily, we took a small break from the norm by taking a drive up the mountain before heading to the show site. It's a pretty steep drive, but that didn't stop Mohammed from never shifting down past 3rd gear, which didn't sound or smell too good for the clutch. Near the top, the road got interesting, but Mohammed managed to not kill us yet. At the top, there was a flower garden, mosq, and a bunch of random vendors; I bought some sweet corn.
Apart from that, everything else was as per usual at the site. We were allowed back in the marketplace tent again (only allowed in on Mondays and Saturdays), so we made use of that. Matt tried to haggle for a watch, but still wasn't happy with the price and declined. Devin bought a fitted cap from my friend, who also gave us a good price on knock off D&G, Adidas, Calvin Klein, and Louis Vutton underwear. Our first show was just a flatground show due to the mist, but our second one went as per normal.
The 6th day was even worse in terms of shows. The rain was too much for us to even do anything for the first one, but Fahad made us sit out there, which we think is pretty embarrasing. We get little children standing along the 'fence' (string), and asking us when we're performing (in Arabic), and we have to try to explain to them how its too wet and therefore dangerous. They don't really understand and continue to stand around waiting for a show sometimes. It was a little drier for the second show, and we all did some half-assed flatland tricks.
At home, we celebrated and went through almost a full bottle of vodka that we picked up at the Muscat airport on the way in. I think we still have 2 bottles left, but I'm skeptical we can make it last for the rest of our duration in Salalah. I think we also gave our driver Mohammed some money to pick up more whiskey for us this day, but he's an interesting character with lots of stories. For instance, Mohammed was with the police this evening after getting in to a bit of an accident in one of the roundabouts (they don't have major intersections, just roundabouts that Mohammed never slows down for, despite the signs stating to do so).
The 7th day, again, we just slept through the whole day, and arrived to a moist show site. The ramps were quite slick, so we did two half assed flatground shows again, yay. Since Fahad is getting frustrated with the lack of shows being performed, they reconsidered the option of putting up a large tent over us, and have begun setting that up. They have dug up a few holes and put it in short hollow poles for now. Plus, in my flat spots, they have dug up holes for said poles, changed their mind, and cemented them full again, but leaving a mess of dirt and concrete around the spots that I ride in.
We are now told that when we want to use our driver, we have to call Fahad who will then call Mohammed. Apparently us calling Mohammed wasn't working out too well, because Mo has been working for other people on the side, and when Fahad calls him, he lies and says that he's busy taking us around somewhere, despite us rarely using him because he rushes us when we're out, and very often takes off when he is supposed to wait for us. The next day, we call Fahad who in turn calls Mo, and we head to the mall. While I'm upstairs ordering some glasses, everyone else has finished shopping and is outside. There's apparently a bunch of British people looking to go grab some KFC before heading back to the Hilton, where they are staying, but the local cab drivers are trying to charge them a very excessive rate (5 riyals/person). Mohammed and Julien then chat them up, and they started piling in to our van for a rate of just 1 riyal/person, but the local cabbies aren't impressed, and blocked our van from leaving while exchanging words with our driver. The Brits eventually give up and start walking, all before I even return to the van.
In other Mohammed news, he was apparently in the hospital the previous night, for 'stomach problems'. We ask him questions, and it appears as if he has neglected to eat or drink water for the past 3 days, claiming he has no money, as he's been spending it all on prostitutes. As he drops us off at home, we tell him to come in to eat some of our food. Instead, he seems captivated by the vodka, as whiskey is the only alcohol he knows. We have to tell him multiple times the alcohol is ours, and that he even still owes us whiskey. He doesn't even eat and leaves.
Finally, on the 8th day, we are able to perform shows again. I can't even remember the last time we were able to perform both shows in one day properly. They go off well, and we head home. While having intentions to go to bed early such that we can get Mohammed to take us to the Crown Royal plaza in the morning, we all stay up till about 4am, then sleep most of the next day away as well, lolol.
Oh yeah, during the past few days, I've been trying to ride more and more at home, even though I'm riding on the road which is very crowned. What's probably even worse than this, is that within 5 minutes of me being out there, dozens of kids come over to watch, converse, and harass me. This one fat kid always seems to gravitate towards my bike when I'm in the middle of a line. Part of me thinks he actually wants to get hit for some reason. Same fat kid somehow knows how to say 'fuck you', and likes to repeat it over and over. I've started to ride with my headphones again (which I avoided to the cars coming down the road and such), and the kids still try to harass me. Ignoring them does do the trick eventually, but they still sit there and try to converse and harass me for the first half hour. Sigh.
Secondly, almost everything at this point has already become very routine. I can pretty much sum up each day with: sleep all day, wake up, go to show site, go straight to the internet, go try to do a show despite the rain, go back to internet, attempt another show, go back to internet, go to the market, come home, stay up watching movies.
On day 5 of shows, luckily, we took a small break from the norm by taking a drive up the mountain before heading to the show site. It's a pretty steep drive, but that didn't stop Mohammed from never shifting down past 3rd gear, which didn't sound or smell too good for the clutch. Near the top, the road got interesting, but Mohammed managed to not kill us yet. At the top, there was a flower garden, mosq, and a bunch of random vendors; I bought some sweet corn.
Apart from that, everything else was as per usual at the site. We were allowed back in the marketplace tent again (only allowed in on Mondays and Saturdays), so we made use of that. Matt tried to haggle for a watch, but still wasn't happy with the price and declined. Devin bought a fitted cap from my friend, who also gave us a good price on knock off D&G, Adidas, Calvin Klein, and Louis Vutton underwear. Our first show was just a flatground show due to the mist, but our second one went as per normal.
The 6th day was even worse in terms of shows. The rain was too much for us to even do anything for the first one, but Fahad made us sit out there, which we think is pretty embarrasing. We get little children standing along the 'fence' (string), and asking us when we're performing (in Arabic), and we have to try to explain to them how its too wet and therefore dangerous. They don't really understand and continue to stand around waiting for a show sometimes. It was a little drier for the second show, and we all did some half-assed flatland tricks.
At home, we celebrated and went through almost a full bottle of vodka that we picked up at the Muscat airport on the way in. I think we still have 2 bottles left, but I'm skeptical we can make it last for the rest of our duration in Salalah. I think we also gave our driver Mohammed some money to pick up more whiskey for us this day, but he's an interesting character with lots of stories. For instance, Mohammed was with the police this evening after getting in to a bit of an accident in one of the roundabouts (they don't have major intersections, just roundabouts that Mohammed never slows down for, despite the signs stating to do so).
The 7th day, again, we just slept through the whole day, and arrived to a moist show site. The ramps were quite slick, so we did two half assed flatground shows again, yay. Since Fahad is getting frustrated with the lack of shows being performed, they reconsidered the option of putting up a large tent over us, and have begun setting that up. They have dug up a few holes and put it in short hollow poles for now. Plus, in my flat spots, they have dug up holes for said poles, changed their mind, and cemented them full again, but leaving a mess of dirt and concrete around the spots that I ride in.
We are now told that when we want to use our driver, we have to call Fahad who will then call Mohammed. Apparently us calling Mohammed wasn't working out too well, because Mo has been working for other people on the side, and when Fahad calls him, he lies and says that he's busy taking us around somewhere, despite us rarely using him because he rushes us when we're out, and very often takes off when he is supposed to wait for us. The next day, we call Fahad who in turn calls Mo, and we head to the mall. While I'm upstairs ordering some glasses, everyone else has finished shopping and is outside. There's apparently a bunch of British people looking to go grab some KFC before heading back to the Hilton, where they are staying, but the local cab drivers are trying to charge them a very excessive rate (5 riyals/person). Mohammed and Julien then chat them up, and they started piling in to our van for a rate of just 1 riyal/person, but the local cabbies aren't impressed, and blocked our van from leaving while exchanging words with our driver. The Brits eventually give up and start walking, all before I even return to the van.
In other Mohammed news, he was apparently in the hospital the previous night, for 'stomach problems'. We ask him questions, and it appears as if he has neglected to eat or drink water for the past 3 days, claiming he has no money, as he's been spending it all on prostitutes. As he drops us off at home, we tell him to come in to eat some of our food. Instead, he seems captivated by the vodka, as whiskey is the only alcohol he knows. We have to tell him multiple times the alcohol is ours, and that he even still owes us whiskey. He doesn't even eat and leaves.
Finally, on the 8th day, we are able to perform shows again. I can't even remember the last time we were able to perform both shows in one day properly. They go off well, and we head home. While having intentions to go to bed early such that we can get Mohammed to take us to the Crown Royal plaza in the morning, we all stay up till about 4am, then sleep most of the next day away as well, lolol.
Oh yeah, during the past few days, I've been trying to ride more and more at home, even though I'm riding on the road which is very crowned. What's probably even worse than this, is that within 5 minutes of me being out there, dozens of kids come over to watch, converse, and harass me. This one fat kid always seems to gravitate towards my bike when I'm in the middle of a line. Part of me thinks he actually wants to get hit for some reason. Same fat kid somehow knows how to say 'fuck you', and likes to repeat it over and over. I've started to ride with my headphones again (which I avoided to the cars coming down the road and such), and the kids still try to harass me. Ignoring them does do the trick eventually, but they still sit there and try to converse and harass me for the first half hour. Sigh.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
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