My Experience with Bahrain Gas

Two posts in one day!

I am in a sharing mood today so I thought I would post again on Bahrain Gas. This is one of the companies here in the Kingdom that provides cooking gas distribution and cylinders. They offer other services as well but I am only discussing the gas distribution. 

So we have two gas cylinders. A couple months ago I ran out of my first one and switched to the other one happily and carried on cooking up a storm in my kitchen. Oh little did I know I made a huge mistake then which you will discover as I continue my story. 

Moving on, on Sunday December 21st, I ran out of gas on my second cylinder. I went to my piece of paper on the fridge of useful numbers my landlord gave us when we moved in. He gave us all the numbers of the companies he uses for maintenance and so forth including Bahrain Gas. So I called them Sunday night and asked for someone to come and refill my two cylinders. The man was very nice and helpful and told me that they would be there the next day to do the refill. He wasn't able to give me a specific time and was only able to tell me the timing of their two shifts. Basically, I stayed home waiting for them the entire day. 

Around 5pm, on Monday, they still has not showed up. I called them and another very pleasant customer service person answered and told me that the driver is in fact in Amwaj at the moment and that I should be receiving my refill shortly. So naively, I believed her. She also told me she would call me back to confirm that she informed the diver I was waiting for them. I never got that call back. I tried to call again around 6:30 and got an automated message saying they were closed for the day which is very annoying because online it says they are open till 8pm. So there is Sunday and Monday of no gas so far. Mind you I am pregnant and can not be living off of cold cuts right now. 

Now its Tuesday morning and I am pretty pissed off. Oh I forgot to mention; I needed to cook a full Christmas meal the next day and had already invited all our guests whom all RSVPed.  So I am freaking out now because I could not stay home all day again. I needed to go do last minute shopping and had made plans with a friend and sure as hell wasn't going to sit around like a bump on a pickle again all day long. I call once again and speak to a third person now. This woman I tell you was not friendly at all. I told her my situation from beginning till end and she sounded very uninterested. Then she proceeds to tell me that they only deliver to Amwaj on Saturdays! I was told her straight up I do not accept that answer from you in any way shape or form. You can not tell me one of the "leading" gas cylinder distribution companies only delivers to Amwaj one day a week. So you are telling me you want to make me wait almost an entire week to be able to cook again? I think not. 

I proceeded to tell her that the service is horrible and I expect my cylinders to be refilled today. She then gave me the rudest response by saying ok bye and hung up on me before I could say anything else. 

I was furious. I put the money for one cylinder in the back of my car to attempt to find their location to refill at least one cylinder myself. But I had other errands and my plans with my friend to do first. By the time I was done with all I had to do, it was too late and I had to go home. Luckily, for Bahrain Gas, when I got home they had in fact come and refilled my one cylinder. So After calling on Sunday night, I only got my refill on Tuesday evening.

Thankfully I got the gas before Christmas Eve and our dinner was fantastic. 

What was the big mistake I made that I mentioned earlier? Well, I learned why I have two gas cylinders. When one runs out, immediately order the refill and that way you have all the time in the world to wait for them to refill it while you use your other cylinder. I also learned you do not have to wait at home for them and that you can leave the money with the cylinder.

Through the grapevine I have heard that all the other gas cylinder companies offer similar less than satisfactory services. It is just one of those things you have to learn to live with.

Here is the number for Bahrain Gas and two other companies I have heard of here that offer gas cylinders and their refills.

Bahrain Gas (Gas Refill Center): +973 17702811
Bahrain Gas (Gas Line Installation): +973 17141141
Nader Gas: +973 17404622
Awal Gas: +973 17701511

You can also order online. However, when I tried on the Bahrain Gas website it was complicated and didn't end up working.

Well there you go! Good Luck!
xoxo

Honey Authentic Thai Food

Hey there!

So the one thing everyone knows about me is my love for authentic, spicy Thai food. If I could, I would be perfectly happy eating it everyday. I love the combination of such fresh ingredients and spice. My favorite dish would have to be chicken Tom Yom soup. I had found my authentic Thai food place in Kuwait and when I moved here I got serious withdrawals. So, I was on the hunt for my perfect Tom Yom soup. Alas, my search has come to a happy ending. Honey Authentic Thai food restaurant is my new favorite little hole in the wall. It is located in Manama right next to Gold City, down a small ally way. It has won three Time Out awards for best budget restaurant and I would have to agree. It is really cheap and great quality. What this place offers that Kuwait didn't is pork dishes. Needles to say that made Indiana very happy.

Their Tom Yom soup is perfection in a bowl. I like pairing it with some sticky rice. Another dish I discovered, thanks to my brother in law, is Pork Nom Tok. It is a plate of spicy pork deliciousness. You can get it in chicken and beef for those who do not eat port. Just say "whatever" Nom Tok. It is spicy by the way. Indiana tried their pork spare ribs and loved it. I also has a little myself and it did not disappoint my pallet.

I hope to explore more dishes in time, if I ever don't order the Tom Yom soup that is.

My one criticism is their Thai iced tea and coffee. I sent the iced coffee and milk I had back because it tasted off and sour.

It isn't a glamorous place so no need to dress up. It's a great place to go after a nice long walk through the souk as a food boost before heading home.

In my book, this place gets a very high 4 stars. I will continue to eat there for as long as we stay in the Kingdom,

Picture info: Chicken Tom Yom Soup (left), Pork Nom Tok (top right) Pork Spare Ribs (bottom right)

If you have any places you would like to share I would love it! Discovering yummy food is my passion!

Catch Ya Later!!!!
xoxo

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

Hello there!

Seeing as my CPR (residency permit) is still not done and I am past my 7th month of pregnancy, I am doing anything to keep my mind off of the stress that this situation caused. I do not want to really get into it because I am trying my hardest to keep my state of mind positive for my little jellybean. 

So what have I been doing? Planning the baby shower! I have become obsessed with DIY (do it yourself) projects. I have always felt that gifts are so much better when the person has put some thought and effort behind them. When done right, DIYs make the most adorable, thoughtful gifts anyone can receive. I think now that I am getting ready to be a mommy, I am more into these things than I have ever been. 

So the baby shower. I thought I would keep it low key and budget friendly. Let's face it, a baby is on the way, one shouldn't be spending lots of money on a party. I thought a BBQ/Braai at home with close family and friends was the best option. However, I do want it to be both memorable for Indiana and I but also our guests. So when planning a party you need the check list. Mine is as follows:

1. Food/Beverage

2. Party Decorations

3. Party Favors

4. Games/Activities

5. Invites

6. Thank You Cards

So far, I am just in the planning stage because the party wont be for a while. I browsed online and found the cutest, FREE, baby shower invites that you can save on your computer and print them out. Seeing as life is busy for most people and some of the people I would like to invite are not in Bahrain, I will be sending out E-invites. This saves money and caters to our new social media oriented world we live in. So I made the cutest little, pink, invite to send out to everyone and have it saved on my desktop ready to send out once the date of the shower is set. Line item number number 5 is checked off! YAY!

I will do the same for the thank you cards. Need to do some more online hunting for the thank you card I like the most. 

For food, we will go to the fruit/veggie and meat market for the main food in order to save on costs. The market in Manama, close to the souk, has the freshest meat and veggies ever! The variety is also better than every grocery store I have been to. Then we will do the basic BBQ food. We will grill some steaks, lamb chops, and maybe some chicken. I thought it would also be great to grill some veggie kabobs. Then there will be salad, potato salad, dinner rolls, fruit and veggie snacks with dip, and some other things that I have not yet planned. 

As for the drinks! I took to Pinterest! This is by far my new favorite app for like everything! I found the cutest ideas for the beverages!! I love the idea of orange sherbet with some bubbly instead of the traditional mimosas. Another idea is to freeze orange juice into ice cubes and put those in bubbly! Then I found some amazing virgin, pink, cocktail ideas that are pregger friendly so I can enjoy as well! I also want the traditional pink lemonade and sweet tea in pitchers and serve everything in mason jars. Hopefully mason jars. I am having a bit of trouble finding mason jars so we might have to change that up a bit. 

Desert, my dear friend is sorting out for me because she bakes the most amazing cakes and cupcakes. She is also bad ass at cake decorations. 

My favorite brainstorm session so far has been the party favors. I want to find little metal tins that look like water pales. At the bottom of them will be pink confetti and on the outside will be stickers that say Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice, That's what little girls are made of and then the date of the party. Inside I want to put things that represent sugar, spice and everything nice! So I want little baggies of sweet tea, homemade vanilla sugar body scrub and then other cute little things I have not yet planned. I will go to Anwar discount store for the bags and containers as well as party decorations. 

So far that is what I have planned. I will share pictures of the final product once they are under way. 

I now have to go tale my chicken out of the oven so I must sign out! 

Can't wait to tell you more!

xoxo

Easy Beef Stew!!

Hey there!
Since we moved to Bahrain, I have discovered a love for cooking. My love for food was always obvious but I never thought I was particularly gifted in the kitchen. Turns out, all I needed was a good kitchen and and a dash of confidence.

When I find great recipes I will start sharing them. I am by no means a chef so the recipes I share will be easier to cook with ingredients that are generally found everywhere. Now that we are expecting, I also try to find recipes that are larger in quantity so I can pack some for Indiana's lunches and enough to put in the freezer for another day. I also try and keep it on the hearty and healthy side to keep my little one inside my tummy happy and healthy.

So here is a recipe I stumbled across that I have fallen in love with.

Easy Beef Stew!

Note: Do not start to cook this if you or your family are already hungry! You will need about 2 hours and 45 minutes. This recipe makes about 4-6 servings. It can also be easily cut down or bulked up.

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
- 1 (3- pound) boneless chuck roast (I used beef cubes already cut from the grocery store and used a little less than 3 pounds)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced largely
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine (I used Welch's 100% Grape Juice instead)
- 4 cups (1 quart) low-sodium beef broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs (I used dried thyme spices instead)
- 3 medium carrots
- 3 medium celery stalks
- 4 medium potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 cup frozen peas (I used canned instead)

Preparation:

1. Place 1/4 cup of the flour and the measured salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine; set aside. Trim the roast of excess fat and sinew and cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes. Place the meat in the flour mixture and toss to coat; set aside. (I saved on prep time by buying already cubed pieces of beef from Alosra)

2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Shake off the excess flour from about 1/3 of the meat and add it to the pot. Cook, stirring rarely, until browned all over, about 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat. Remove to a large bowl, Repeat with the remaining meat in 2 more batches; set aside. (I only did it in two batches because I used less meat)

3. Add the diced onion to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir to coat the onion, and cook until raw flavor has cooked off, about 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Sprinkle in the remaining tablespoon of flour and cook, stirring occasionally, until the raw flavor has cooked off, about 1 minute. Pour in the wine (grape juice) scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and cook until the mixture has thickened, about 3 minutes.

5. Return the meat and any juices in the bowl to the pot. Add broth, bay leaves, thyme sprigs (or spice) and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. (If the liquid is too sweet because of the grape juice for you, add something like garlic and Worcestershire sauce to tone it down a bit)

6. Cut carrots, celery, and potatoes into large dices and add them to the pot (peel the carrots and potatoes first if you desire, which I do). Stir to combine, cover with a tight fitting lid, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables and meat are knife tender, about 1 hour or more.

7. Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme stems. Stir in the peas and simmer uncovered until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. (I decided to throw a dash of paprika in there to spice it up a tad)

Then you are ready to sit down and eat!!! For us being a family of two, for a few more months at least hehe, this recipe allowed me to put two containers in the fridge for our lunches tomorrow and still have two more servings to freeze for later.

Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did if you decide to make this!!!

Bye bye xoxo

A Whole Lot has Changed!

Hello Everyone!

I have been off the grid for so long I am not even sure if I have any readers left! A lot has changed in the last year and I just never knew what to write. I needed some privacy.

Earlier this year, I complained about the place I was working. One day when I was in a colleague's office discussing work, my horrible department head barged in and started screaming at me. She started to accuse me of not being professional and all sorts of nasty things. I had had enough. Usually, I take pride in staying professional in any situation but this time was different. I live my life according to certain principals I believe in. RESPECT! I do not allow negative, disrespectful people in my life for a reason. I enjoy a positive lifestyle. The last place on earth I expect to deal with such disregard for other people is at work. Everyone "should" maintain a level of professionalism when in the work place. She basically took those basic human morals, rolled them in a ball and tossed them out the window. So I gave her a piece of her own medicine. She did not like this. I left the office early that day in order to compose myself. She clearly doesn't know how to count to ten before acting when upset because she proceeded to send the owner of our company a very emotion driven email calling me poison to the workplace and all sorts of other poorly written comments. You can see she wrote the email in about 30 seconds, didn't read it through, sounded like a complete moron and then sent it to the owner of our company. Needless to say, I went to his office the next day and quit. I didn't quit because of that one day but that day was my eye opener that this toxic place was not worth it. He begged me to stay but I told him I just couldn't. So I freed myself of all that negativity that took a toll on my mental health.

The other thing in my life happening at the same time that helped put life in perspective for me was the fact that I fell pregnant. Trying to come to terms of this huge new moment in life helped me realize that I do not need to settle. We are lucky that my husband can support the both of us and I didn't need to be working at place that didn't appreciate me or anyone for that matter and getting paid pocket change for it. A couple weeks after I quit, I had a miscarriage. It was a very sad time for us but we didn't let it get to us too much. Luckily both my husband and I are very realistic people and I knew the chances of a miscarriage during your first pregnancy. I also know there is a reason your body rejects the pregnancy and we need to trust my body. So we decided we would take it in our stride and keep moving forward. What this experience did show us is that we were ready to start that new chapter in our lives. We decided to just let things go the way they are supposed to. We decided not to "try" for a baby and just let it happen when it was supposed to. We had a holiday coming up. We went to Texas!!! So we decided to have a fun filled holiday and enjoy ourselves before we start a family. Well,,,,,,we are proof that you really can not plan life. After my miscarriage I had my first period and everything was back on track. I really invested my time in getting fit and healthy and I tell you, I was looking pretty damn good. I went down almost two sizes and was even getting V lines! I did a six week training class and at the end of it I participated in a 4 km obstacle challenge. Then, I missed my first day of my second period, post miscarriage. I just knew. Five pregnancy tests later, which all showed different results each time, and a blood test from the clinic later, I got a phone call from my OB/GYN telling me she didn't expect to see my file on her desk so soon and congratulations. There I was, pregnant again full of mixed emotions. I was terrified inside. Last time a fetus never even formed. So this time I just didn't know what to think, It was a mixture of nerves and excitement. Indiana felt the same. So we decided once again to take it one day at a time and to make a long story short, here I am almost 7 months pregnant with  a baby girl! We are due on February 26, 2015! This has been the most exciting time of our lives. We have grown so much closer. So now my blog will stay the same basically, only I will probably write about a lot more things baby. I still want to share my experiences, especially with food (my passion), and continue to learn and share what I learn about life in Bahrain and life in general.

So there is my intro to the new step in our lives and I look forward to dedicating more of my time to documenting my experiences and hopefully getting some much appreciated advice along the way.

Here we go!

xoxo

American Mission Hospital

So I finally took a trip to a hospital here. I have been asking around about good ones and American Mission Hospital popped up a few times.

So every year for the past four years I have been getting these red, very itchy, bumps on my knees and sides of my hips. I never really did anything about it because by the time I would decide to go get it checked out they were gone. Well since I have started working they have been appearing full force. We had a day off on Monday and I thought alright, it is time. So I called a few hospitals to ask if the dermatologist was available over the holiday and all said no except for AMH. So that already was a bonus for me in evaluating the hospital. So I went and saw the doctor whom was a very nice man. I am sorry to say I forgot his name. I informed him that I have psoriasis and have had it since childhood. He then took a look at my itchy, annoying bumps and then informed me that I have a form of eczema as well. He said sometimes it just appears later in life and it can just as easily disappear. He gave me antihistamine tablets to take for 15 days along with a cream to sooth the pain. So far they are still here but the itching is less.

The hospital is very nice and clean and more importantly the staff is very friendly and professional. I opened a file in less than ten minutes and was given a membership card with my picture on it and everything. BE WARNED, the computer camera they have is not the best and your picture will make you look like the cast of the cone heads. A fringe is best worn when taking you AMH picture. The process to pay and receive your medicine is also very organized. You go to the first counter and give them your prescription. You then proceed to the second counter and pay your bill. Finally you move on to the third counter, pick up your meds and voila! You are good to go. I really like this place and am ecstatic to learn that they just opened their new branch yesterday in Amwaj!!! I can walk to it from my house and be there in ten minutes or drive and be there in under a minute! It is located in the building that has the Lighthouse Cafe in it. It is the big blue building across the road from Alosra and across the street from the school. I couldn't be happier. Now they just need to open a gas station on Amwaj and it is literally perfection on an island.

As you know from previous posts, I rather use natural remedies. Right before I went to the doctor I put apple cider vinegar on the bumps to ease the itchiness and low and behold it worked like a charm. I am a firm believer in apple cider vinegar. It is the best thing for sore throats and avoiding a cold when the season arrives. Upon further research I also found that it is good for psoriasis as well. They say to add a cup up it in your bath or rub some directly on the areas of your skin that it is present. It is also good to add a tablespoon to a nice hot cup of water. Adding honey, lemon and cinnamon then turns it into a cold, strep throat combatant as well.  All in all this stuff is worth more than gold in my books.

For those of you who are interested I will explain psoriasis briefly.

Psoriasis: A skin condition that is a common, chronic immune- mediated disease which may also affect the joints. No, it is not contagious. Basically it occurs when your immune system mistakes a normal skin cell for a pathogen and sends out faulty signals that cause overproduction of new skin cells. People with psoriasis will also find they get sick less than the average Joe which is a hidden benefit to the disease. The disease is characterized into 5 categories which I will not go into detail about. Like most diseases some are harsher than others. For example, I get white, scaly, almost rejuvenating cut looking things on my elbow and upper arms, sometimes my legs and on my ears. For me they do not itch or bother me at all. Some people get it all over their body and some cases can itch and or be open sores. So I take it that I am very lucky actually. Most people believe their are certain foods to avoid and others you should eat. From what I know, psoriasis is at its least with me when I am healthy and exercise regularly. A very big trigger is stress. Yoga works wonders for both the psoriasis and the stress. There is no actual cure for it yet and it is still a disease that is being studied. Doctors and scientists don't exactly know what causes it and what cures it. There are many creams and pills on the market that help control it but noting takes it away. I stopped with all the treatments long ago. Most of the time the pills and creams are not very good for your body. Swimming in salt water works best for me alongside a healthy lifestyle. You can find a picture below of a mild case of psoriasis. I wont post a picture of a worse case in case some of my readers have a week stomach.
               
                                                                  Psoriasis on Elbow

I will post something about eczema once I know more myself. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Well clearly I as in the mood to write today. I hope you guys found my post informative at least!!!
Catch you on the flip side!!!! xoxo

Moving Up....

Hello All,

Work has been insane. I haven't had any time to myself lately. There was definitely no time to blog and I missed it. So I thought I would take some time out now and just write. Work is going alright. I still have to deal with daily politics, lack of proper English grammar, and bad attitudes but there is a plus side to it all. On Sunday I got my own office. I used to sit in a big room with two other coworkers and it was really nice when you wanted to have a chat. However, when you needed to make a phone call or concentrate....not so easy. So now I am in my own little quiet space and it is lovely. I went and bought some office decorations and made the place feel a bit more warm while still maintaining a professional appearance. Everyone in the office loves it. I think I may have inspired a few people to do the same. They way I see it is you spend close to 70%, if not more, of you week at work. Why not make it a comfortable place you enjoy? Sitting in a dull atmosphere, hating your work area for 70% of your time is not healthy. Positive outlook and thinking can go a long way in your life. Believe me, I speak out of experience.

On home life, everything is great. Indiana and I have really sunk well into our new life. It was tough at times. I tell ya a big move like this is hard but in the end it was all worth it. Life is so much calmer here. The country is a lot more tolerant than Kuwait was. The great thing is that even though Bahrain is more open, they have managed to keep the beauty of the culture alive. The way it should be. The world is an ever changing place and if you don't jump on the band wagon, you are just going to be left behind. No one is coming back for you after that. So yes, it is good to stay true to ones culture and immerse it throughout the country but you should also be tolerant of your surroundings. If you country is filled with expats that help grow the economy then you must also cater to their needs. It is a give and take situation. Something Kuwait hasn't caught on to very well. Bahrain tends to embrace its expats. So all in all, there isn't really anything I regret about this move thus far.

As for exploring Bahrain, I am sad to say that I haven't done much exploring. I did however find two small shops that I really like. One is an Arts and Crafts store at the beginning of Budaiya highway under the Marine seafood restaurant. It is a great shop that has two stories full of arts and crafts materials. I myself am not very artistic but I love going into these places and sometimes I get inspired to try something new. The other store I really really like is further down Budaiya highway close to the big Alosra called The Bookcase. It is this small little store that sells a great variety of books. It also sells little trinkets so it has a really homey feeling to it. It is tiny but I would probably spend hours in it looking at everything.

Well that is all for now.

Laters xoxo