scoring

What overall nice day it was from start to finish. I went to bed early. Since Im fasting I know my energy levels are going to be down. So I wanted to be plenty rested. I can’t remember the last time I got 8 hours sleep on a weekday. So I was glad to have it. I went into work and started scoring the short film I just completed. Normally the music selection and mixing takes 2-3 days. Im very particular about the type of music I use and I have to hear it in order to feel if it fits. So sometimes its like finding a needle in a haystack. But today I scored and mixed the piece in 3 hours. I think it’s a combination of me getting more efficient and God blessing my efforts. I called Saji, my brilliant editor in to look at it. He was amazed at one of the edit moves I did. He wanted to know my secret how I did it. I was happy that I impressed him. I really respect his work.

After work I went to play my good friend Darren squash. I bought a new racquet at the urging of my Finnish friend. I always refer to people by the country they are from. I don’t think that is racist since I love everybody. But I wanted to give you readers a flavor for the international life that is here in Bahrain. I love playing squash with Darren. Its so aerobic. There were times in the games that Darren and I were absolutely gassed. We are pretty evenly matched and we spend most of our extra energy congratulating the other on the great shots each of us make. When Darren and I play its almost like those chipmunks from looney tunes…After you…no I insists…after you…No I couldn’t possibly…. Its such great and fun exercise.

After the game I went out to dinner with a bunch a Germans and a Lebanese guy. I didn’t eat and they were all questioning why. That’s a tough one to answer because I don’t want to sound too pious when I say Im fasting not for Ramadan but for my own religious purposes. I think I came across ok. The Germans are a group of social scientists that have come down to track the old pearl divers and interview them before they die. At one time half the island of Bahrain was involved with the pearl diving trade. It generated about 10 million per year at the height of the trade in the 1920’s. That trade slowly disappeared with the discovery of oil in 1932, the global depression and the introduction of the Japanese cultured pearl. By the way, Bahrain was the first country in the Middle East to discover oil. The Brits discovered it. They then went to Saudi Arabia and tried to find it for another 8 years. They finally gave up. Less than a year later and American team came in and found the largest oil reserve in the world. Just imagine how the economic focus would have shifted if the Brits stayed just a few more months. What was formed was the Arab-American Oil Company or Aramco, where I worked in 2005. The American economy would be a lot different without that discovery of oil. That is one of the reasons why the Gulf Wars happened. America rightly or wrongly were trying to protect their financial interests in the region. If Saddam in 1990 would have went into Kuwait unchallenged. The next stop would have been Saudi Arabia since they have no major military….he probably would have taken over Bahrain too. So without American intervention…the world and global economy would be vastly different without those wars.

After the dinner…which was fascinating…I went to a house party. There must have been 100 people there, many of my close friends. House parties are the only place to go with the clubs being closed for Ramadan. Most people were tipsy/drunk and I choose not to drink. Still it was fun seeing my friends.