Dubai Update 03/11 v3

BI-WEEKLY UPDATE: March 13 to 26th

Since the week of March 13th to 19th was not the most exciting, I have merged two weeks into one blog post to focus on March 13th to 26th. The post is a bit long and varied in subject, but enjoy my thoughts & news updates...

WORK: I truly believe that with everything there will be good, great, bad, and worse weeks so I must stay focused and look at the big picture as oppose to dwell on the small negatives...Positivity is the way forward !!! I truly believe that I can do this & I will succeed !!!

HEALTH: in my last blog post, I focused on getting back to myself... unfortunately, I was wearing myself thin & came to this realization a bit late since I started feeling lost in my body, like I was there in person, but my mind was somewhere completely different. It was draining. I still went to my networking event that evening, but when I got home - I was ill & threw up :( so with still feeling nauseous the next morning, I stayed home from work. I think a big part of it was exhaustion ~ I slept ALL day and night, and was still feeling drained but I still went to work. By midday, I started feeling re-enegized and back to myself.

* Prior to getting sick, I had done yoga three days in a row, while I did eat healthy all week - and brought my own lunch to work !
* I have fallen a bit off the health bandwagon again...

APARTMENT: I moved to a new apartment :) My room is a nice size, with my own large private bathroom just outside my room. The living room is great with comfy couches, nice television, great sound system, fully equipped kitchen, huge balcony, beautiful pool and deck area, full gym, nice roomates, and its still in a great location - so Im happy :) It was a lot of work to move all my stuff, unpack and get settled - so I didnt go out clubbing / drinking that weekend...not even for St Patty's Day...

* Movie recommendation: I watched "Despicable Me" this weekend, and LOVED it !!! if you havent seen it, I fully recommend you watch it :) It's so good, I cant wait to watch it again

RELATIONSHIPS: I am struggling to find meaningful relationships here in Dubai. While I am still new, and these things take time & trust, there are very few people here who I consider to be "real". This shouldnt be too surprising since Im living in a city that is focused on appearances and being the biggest & bestest, yes bestest, at everything... Work in progress !

DUBAI WORLD CUP: On Saturday March 26th, the Meydan race track here in Dubai hosted the World Cup of horse racing. There were several races during the course of the day, and the final two races are the richest races run on turf anywhere in the world coming in at $5 million USD each.  More info about the actual event here http://www.dubaiworldcup.com/ I went with Mike, and his group of friends - and it was quite the day!! The day started around 2:30 pm when we got to Mikes for some drinks, and then we headed over towards the track at around 4:30 pm in a limo. Upon arrival, we toured the grounds, mingled, drank - checked out the hats, and of course watched the races. I had gone shopping on the Friday for a hat; it was my first event whereby I could really rock a hat, British styles. It is rather fashionable to wear a hat so I hope to wear it again :) I can only imagine that there will be gorgeous hats galore at the Royal Wedding coming up. After the final race, there was a gorgeous display of fireworks - probably one of the nicest fireworks display I have ever seen! An up and coming singer Jessie J was performing so we stayed for a few of her songs, but considering it was on a Saturday night, and we had to all work Sunday morning, it was already a late night. Overall such a great event !

WORLD: my thoughts & love go out to Japan - the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunamis are heartbreaking, and I really hope that it settles down over there so the country can start recovering. While I havent seen the movie "2012", I am starting to get a little worried about this world we live in - the floodings in Australia, the earthquake in Japan, the wars and turmoil in the Middle East, the economic instability in Europe, etc...it just really goes to show how fragile this environment is, and how we shouldnt take anything for granted.

* I am happy to see an election called in Canada! I have not been a fan of the Harper government - and I hope the other parties pull their socks up and show us what they can do for us, not just talk about it. AND while they are at it, clear up the UAE / Canada relations so Canadians do not have to pay exorbitant visa fees!

MUSIC: I miss Stereo ! I am almost planning my trip back to Canada based on Chus & Ceballos playing Stereo May 28th ... and of course, for the Rick Goodfellow Golf Invitational the following week. I need a good dance session with people who understand the music... In Dubai, Sasha will be playing on Thursday so Id like to check him out, and Faithless will be also here on Friday...

VISA: I have been having problems with my visa...surprise, surprise! Due to the imcompetence on the side of the UAE Embassy in Ottawa, I have to pay over $1,000 CDN in overstay fines. When I applied for my visa, I paid $500 CDN for the 90 day visa; however, if you recall, they had only issued me the 30 day visa, which resulted in me almost missing my plane. Last minute, they were able to issue the 90 day visa and I made it through to Dubai with no problems. As I am getting my more formal long term residence visa for the next 3 years, we have encountered a problem wherein the UAE Embassy in Ottawa accidentally cancelled the 90 day visa instead of the 30 day visa....so I have paid $500 for the invalid 90 day visa, and am now stuck with over stay charges of $1000. Not happy news!!! To get the more formal visa, I had to go for a medical - and it was quite the experience. The hospital we went to was outside Dubai, and surrounded by labour camps, and my colleague and I were the only Westerners there... I had to get a blood test and a chest xray - to test for any contagious diseases, obviously it was fine. Ill have my visa by the end of the week so Im really hoping that this will be the last headache in the visa department...

THANK YOU: I cant stress how much all the support and love has helped me on my journey here in Dubai ! I love the Facebook messages, blog comments, emails - so keep them coming !! And while Im not always able to respond right away, it certainly doesnt mean Im not thinking of you or that I dont miss you!

xox <3 xox

Dubai Update 03/11 v2

WEEKLY UPDATE
~ March 6th to March 12th:

WORK: This week was definitely better at work in terms of mentality and positivity ! My output was not the best it could be - but I feel Im making progress for long term gains. Of course, we live in a world where we seek instant gratification and the easiest options available, but if this was the way then wouldnt everyone be successful with all the answers...

FASHION OVERDOSE: On Wednesday night, there was a Fashion Overdose party with a Grin & Bow Fashion Show event followed by a Moet Chandon party at the Armani Prive club in the Burj Khalifa. I went with Heather - a woman from Ottawa who now lives in Dubai with her husband. I met her at Le Cordon Bleu in spring 2010 since her and her husband Matt got married there while I was still working there. I remembered that they mentioned living in Dubai so I didnt hesitate to contact them upon arrival - such a great couple! Anyways, the fashions were okay - some outfits I would wear, but it was nice to be back in the fashion scene. Overall, the night was great - and it felt good to be in that environment again.

* I came to a LIFE REALIZATION at the Fashion Overdose party - while I have been focusing so hard on getting settled in Dubai and work, I have not really focused on ME and my interests. Since I have been in Dubai, I havent stayed current with my house music - Im usually up to date with the new tracks and the latest trends in music, but I havent been so far this year. Also, I havent really been consistent with my yoga practices and healthy lifestyle - which has brought out the redness in eye, affecting my skin problems, mood & weight. In the evenings, I am too tired to exercise, and I am rarely home so I am always eating out - this must change (especially since my pants are getting a bit tight)! I firmly believe that if I focus a little more on being fulfilled in all areas of my life then my work life will come more naturally. My plan is to get up early and do yoga before work, and make my lunch to bring to work!

APARTMENT: In my last blog post I mentioned looking for a new apartment - well, the time has come to move out. On March 20th - in one week - I will need to move out & not entirely by choice ! Why ? On Tuesday evening, I had a meeting with my landlord Gaurav to discuss the problems with the apartment since I have been living here - I was told that within one week of moving in, the apartment would be completely ready; and, two months in and the apartment is not entirely ready yet. Why should I pay full price on rent if all the agreed services are not provided? At the end of the meeting, I had gotten one week's free rent provided I pay him the remaining rent on Thursday since I had with held rent until all the services were provided. Thursday evening, Gaurav came by to collect the money, and I gave him the amount owing; however, he conveniently changed his story and decided to go against his word - no discount ! I had a heated argument with Gaurav for about 30 minutes and by the end of it he said I had to leave. Quite frankly, I dont think he liked being confronted because he was in the wrong - and continually kept making excuses. I was not going to let him take advantage of me so I stood my ground !!! Afterall there were no contracts signed, and he has no legal ground either - Oh well, I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and that this move will be good for me.

              * I have found a great apartment to move into this weekend !!! More information to follow...

Team 6 Coordinators

BRUNCH: Last week the coordinators on our team won an incentive - so we decided to go to brunch at Safron at the Atlantis then go to Sandance at Nasimi Beach. While the brunch last week at Yacht club was nice, this Safron brunch has everything - yummy food & tasty drinks so it is definitely worth it (325 aed) ! There is a painting area so of course I used my creative side to paint an abstract piece haha - and there is also a fabulous magician James - be sure to call him over to your table! I definitely look forward to going back :)

James the Magician & Ben

SANDANCE: Our team stayed at the brunch from 1 pm to 6 pm then headed over to Nasimi beach for the Sandance event featuring Sneaky Sound System, Roger Sanchez, Fragma, Sander Kleinenberg, toomanydjs and more. Im happy to report that the crowd was way better than those in attendance at Tiesto - and so I danced from 6 pm until 1:45 am (nearly close). There was even an unexpected fireworks display! My one complaint is that the main headlining DJs only played for 1.5 hours each, which is not really enough time to provide a proper musical journey. My favorite for the night was Sander K - he brought his A game & I definitely didnt want him to finish !!! And, as for Roger Sanchez, Im sad to report that he was too commercial and didnt really bring anything interesting to the party - I mean it was good, and I danced - but I expected a little more from the S man. It was my second time seeing Roger Sanchez and I havent really been too big of a fan - even though I have been told he kills it in Stereo...I had never heard of toomanydjs but they threw down a fab set so I will keep my eyes open for their stuff.

* I met a large group of people from Montreal - so thats always fun! And I even met a girl who recognized my name and hometown then asked if I had a Dubai blog... WOW - what a cool feeling :) I dont think I ever expected to meet someone who knew me randomly from my blog

A final observation I thought I would share is that there are so many good looking people in Dubai !!! It's nice to see take care of themselves & dress nicely :)

xox <3 xox

Dubai Update 03/11

The Week in Review:

WORK - This week was a struggle...I felt that my patience was being tested to the max. I have never expected this transition to be easy, but this week was tough. Im not sure why but on Sunday at the start of the work week, many things seemed to be going badly, and I had a minor anxiety attack - and subsequently, my first cry. It wasnt any one thing in particular, but I had my first doubts about the move and my new life in Dubai.  This feeling didnt last too long, but the rest of the week was not great great. I was making good efforts but nothing was clicking...as you can imagine, it is tough to work in an industry that depends 100% on someone else's decision - no matter how well you do your job, how much they like you, or how much they know they need something in place - its a matter of yes or no. Additionally, savings plans and investments are not an easy sell either : unlike going shopping at the mall where you immediately get the pleasure of the purchase, this is getting people to put aside money for a future date that is intangible w no immediate reward...it is a tougher concept for people to grasp, especially after the economic crisis. But, looking back on my week though - it wasnt as bad as it seemed ... but isnt that always the case. On a plus side, Jason & I signed up another client, this week was a pay day week, and our team of coordinators won the week's incentive so we have won an amount of money to all go out & have a good time :)

NETWORKING: Sunday evening Jason and I were invited to a networking event out at the Jebel Ali Resort and Spa. There were not too many people in attendance; however, we both won fabulous prizes for just dropping our business cards. I got a lovely brunch for 2 on a boat cruise & Jason got a family beach pass. The resort was beautiful, even had peacocks roaming around the grounds, so it was nice to explore a new area, and have a mini getaway. Wednesday evening, we went to the Canadian Business Council newcomers to Dubai event at the Wafi complex, which has an Egyptian theme. It was a great opportunity to meet other Canadians here in Dubai - and to branch out. Apparently there are about 25,000 Canadians in the UAE, and slowly but surely I am starting to meet more - or I am meeting people with ties in Canada.

GOLF: On Thursday evening, I played 9 holes of night golf on the Faldo course at the Emirates Golf Club with a work colleague Bradley. Considering I hadnt played since September, and I didnt have my own clubs, I was very pleased with the outcome - I shot a 50. I even pared the first hole which was a Par 5 :) This was the same place where just a few weeks ago the pros were playing for the Omega Dessert Golf Classic - so it was a great way to finish the week. Night golf is quite interesting - its easy to lose the ball in the flood lights, but its awesome to be playing under the stars, with a fresh breeze. We even saw a little fox!

BRUNCH: On a Monday Night Quiz at the Yacht Club, Jason, Jef, Mike and I participated as CANLAND (Canada & England seeing as Mike & I are Canadian and Jason and Jef are British). Our team came in third place so we got 2 free passes for the Yacht Clubs Friday afternoon brunch.  However, the table next to us also won 2 free passes and well, they kindly gave me theirs.  So CANLAND had a free brunch for all 4 members - now, we normally consider Brunch to be a Sunday morning/lunch event, but here a brunch is a Friday afternoon/evening event whereby there is a buffet and drinks, and as you can imagine, excess is necessary.  So this Friday we met at 1 pm and ate & drank until 3:30 pm and continued the party well into the evening...We ended up at an outside club called 360 which is surrounded by the ocean, and has great music. The food & drinks were delicious, the company was fantastic, and it was a great way to spend the day (even though I am slightly hung over today Saturday hahaha)

APARTMENT: I am now on an apartment hunt! I have found a nice studio for about the price I am paying now - so I think living on my own will be best...The apartment in debate is in a nice building, just a few buildings away from mine now. It has a great pool, bright gym, new furniture, a view of the ocean and the dessert, close to the metro, groceries just around the corner and a 5 minute walk to the beach. While my apartment now is nice & spacious, and Im not at home too often, there are some disadvantages that are simply annoying - random people just walk in without knocking, the front door doesnt have a lock, the landlord is unreliable, some of the other roomates are just plain weird, the pool is drained, and so forth. More on this to follow...

xox <3 xox