Ding! Ding! All Change Please

So back off holiday and back to work, but all is not happy in the Smith household.....
My contract was up for renewal and, whilst I felt confident that it would be renewed, I was less happy with the direction my career appeared to be heading in. Throw in to the pot an offer from another company and I had big decisions to make. So within the week I had had my contract review, accepted a post with a new company and quit my job with the old company. It was with mixed feelings that I left the old company, as they introduced me to Oman, but who knows, maybe I will return somewhere down the line.
Shortly before Ramadan, Becky reached the ripe old age of thirty nine, and left me at thirty eight years old (Oh OK I was only 38 for another six days!).
Becky's present was in the form of Jewelry made by the infamous Mr Sadiqi, a name that makes Muscat wives hearts glow and husbands tremble. For those uninitiated husbands out there, pray that your wives never discover his workshop.
I on the other hand had benefited from a case of Becky's camera frustration whilst on holiday. Those of you with small children will know how difficult it is to take photos with a digital camera due to the lag between pushing the button and the camera recording the image. Sam and Bruce had the benefit of a true Digital Nikon SLR and the difference in quality of our pictures was like Night and Day.
Thus I was allowed to hunt down the camera of my choice, which turned out to be a Canon EOS 40D
Now you may be thinking that this is just typical of a man, and oh so boring, but there is a reason specific to Oman and not just with cameras. That is Monopolies rule, especially in the retail industry. Thus I went to the importer of Canon products (as well as the importer of Nikon) and found that the price was considerably higher than Carefour or Emax were selling that same products for. I did ask for an explanation knowing full well I wouldn't get an ineligible one, but I seem to take perverse pleasure in banging my head against brick walls.
In the end I made a considerable saving buying from Amazon.com in the United States, even with having to pay for shipping and duty.
It is wise to remember that when shopping in Oman, the cheapest product is not always the cheapest product, so check your prices carefully. Thus endeth the lesson.