Dubai Update 04/11 v3

Happy Easter !!!
I hope everyone a very nice Easter weekend -
To those that made it to Bal en Blanc, I want stories ! :)

Spiritual :
Last Monday, I participated in a full moon yoga session on the beach.  The setting was incredible - mats on the beach, waves crashing in the background, the full moon shining from the sky, beautiful lights all around - it was extremely relaxing.  The yoga itself was rather meditative so it wasnt the work out I was hoping for, and the yoga teacher had such an irritating voice, but I was happy to have gone and been a part of the full moon energy.

Since the full moon, I feel back to my normal self again! I think I had lost my way for 2 weeks or so & I was struggling - I was just living my life as a daily routine focusing too much on the negatives and what ifs, and not looking for the positives surrounding my life - which are plentiful. It feels amazing to be happy, to know that everything happens for a reason and that there are so many exciting opportunities available to me.

Church:
On Friday I went to a born again Christian church here in Dubai. It was an interesting experience to say the least that was trying on my spirituality...I will not go too in depth about religion since it is a very personal & contraversial topic - but I do want to share my experience. I found the entire presentation to be very negative and draining since I didnt agree with or believe in what was being said. Nonethless, I sat there with an open mind listening to the pastor and taking the experience in. I had imagined it would be similar to the Catholic church so I wasnt prepared for the large differences in beliefs. I watched the large crowd of people congregated there and realized how firmly these people believe in this faith - and believe that Jesus will come back to Earth. This re-inforced two of my biggest conclusions towards religion: a) negative - religion is a means of controlling people and society; and, b) positive - religion does provide hope for people to hold onto throughout their lifetimes, during thick and thin. I am happy to have gone to this church for the experience, and for the fact that it brought my spirituality into perspective in the sense that I know that what I believe is the right thing for me...

I chose to be baptised as a non denominational Christian since I decided that that was the religion that I most identified with - I believe in God, in a higher power, but I do not believe in the institution of the Church. However, I take various notions of different religions and use them in context to help me live my life as best I can - I must admit it is rather convenient for me to do this since I pick and choose what I like and dont like, but for me it works perfectly. I find contentment and self fulfilment in this, and at the end of my life, I believe heaven awaits. More importantly, I do not judge others for their belief systems since I know that different things work for different people. (11)

Mail Delivery :
On Tuesday I received a package in the mail! My parents had sent me a good quantity of Cadbury's Mini Eggs, which are quite simply my favorite, and a very nice Easter card. It definitely brightened my week :)

Home:
I will be going back to Ottawa to visit for 2 weeks on Thursday May 26th - which is only 28 days from today.  Woop Woop! During that visit I will be stopping by Stereo on May 28th for Chus & Ceballos, and participating in the Rick Goodfellow Invitational golf tourney on Friday June 3rd where I will be defending my title of ladies longest drive. And of course, I will be enjoying every minute spent with my parents, family, good friends and pets - and certainly catching some of the NHL playoffs. Exciting !!!

Party:
David Morales will be at Sanctuary on April 28th - so I look forward to that. Other than that, I have had nice nights out, but nothing major to report.

* Sorry for the lack of pictures, I havent uploaded for a while -

xox <3 xox

Dubai Update 04/11 v2

Weekly Update:

Hamster:

I got a hamster !!! My hamster is a female golden teddy bear named Safron. She is quite mischievious since she continuously schemes her escape, already knawed a hole in her plastic cage, and ate a piece of her water bottle holder right off. Safron loves carrots, and rolling around the apartment in her hamster ball. She doesnt quite like me as much as I love her, but all in good time :)

Work:

* Our team got a training day with Gary May - one of the best in influence & persuasion. Check out his blog at http://gary-may.blogspot.com/ Many useful techniques to improve your business skills.

* I have my UAE resident card !!! finally :)

* Q2 is underway so I am excited about the possibilities since I am more settled, and into the swing of things.

Dubai Business Councils:

Since I have arrived here in Dubai, I have made it a point to get out, experience new things & meet people. I started out by attending the Canadian Business Council events to meet fellow Canadians and see what the Canadian community here was all about. Seeing as I have event management experience, I do hope I will be able to help plan events for the CBC - to be able to give back, meet new Canadians and get involved. But then I started thinking about branching out and seeing how the different business councils operate, who attends, what sort of events are planned, and such. Networking is not always the easiest, it does take time & effort, but it's a great way to meet new people, experience new venues in Dubai and grow as a person. So far I have attended events of the Canadian Business Council, the German Business Council (AHK), and the Swiss Business Council - with some events being joint events with other councils.

* I had a good laugh to myself at the German Business Council since they didn't take my humour too well - a few people asked what I did, so when I replied saying "I help people to get their money working harder for them or simply get rich" and smiled - no one looked impressed...Usually, I get a few laughs but I got nothing...I should have given them a beer first :P

Job Hunting:
Our team here in Dubai is expanding !!! If you are searching for a fast paced career in a competitive environment and want to work on a great team with the potential to earn money in a tax free environment - I know sounds fabulous eh! - please leave a comment below with your contact details and I will be in touch with more information.

Party:

* To celebrate the end of Q1, the team was treated to a brunch at Media One. While I wouldnt necessarily recommend that brunch in terms of food quality or quality of entertainment (none), it was a great day spent with the team. Afterwards, we went to XL Beach Club at the Habtoor Grand ... the music was right down my alley and it reminded me a bit of Beach Club - I would definitely go back.

* On Friday night I went back to the club 360 to see Jimpster. It was a perfect night for an outdoor party since there was a light breeze off the ocean, the Burj Al Arab was lit in the background, the moon was shining, I was amongst friends dancing away & just having a nice time.

Jimpster & I

Family: I think it is an honour to meet other people's family, to see where they come from & what they are about...

* I recently got to meet Jason's family - and of course, they were wonderful ! Jason & Mel are great fun together so I cant wait for them to move here in September.

* I have also gotten the pleasure of meeting A.L. mom - such a nice genuine woman. One thing in particular that stood out so far was when we took her to see the fountains at the Dubai Mall - she was so moved that she started to cry. While Im sure it was a combination of being with her son, being in a new city, and experiencing the fountains - it did remind me how lucky I am to be in Dubai, and to be experiencing life here. At 26 years of age, I have done so much & experienced so much all over the world - and sadly, I often take that for granted.

Modeling:

I have still got it baby! haha just joking...BUT it was great to be selected for Bridal Fashion Week in Karachi Pakistan for a long weekend job. I was quite excited to go experience a new country; however, after not feeling comfortable enough with the itinerary, the details and the requirements - I decided not to participate. At the end of the day, I needed to feel comfortable with the details, and the agency did not provide that piece of mind. I do hope to get more involved in the modeling community in Dubai since it is something I enjoy being part of.  

Health:

* I am still trying to find the proper work / life balance - eight pounds gained, but eating healthy, yoga & exercise are still top priorities...just not always finding the energy, motivation or time... continuous work in progress...

Shout Outs:

* Congratulations to AT & TF for moving into their new apartment this month ! They have found a place together & are in the process of getting settled. Cant wait to see the new place :) They also have a new podcast series out - check it out at the following link http://foranexchange.podomatic.com/entry/2011-04-11T18_32_21-07_00

* Best wishes to NM for getting back to NYC for a few months to pursue her dream of modeling in the big apple. I know she can do it - just keep wanting it, stay positive & believe in yourself !

* Im excited since one of my HK friends Feng will be stopping by Dubai for a day :) always great to catch up with international friends !

xox <3 xox

Dubai Update 04/11

Another week & so another update for the blog:

BIG NEWS: Im extremely happy to report that my Mom will be retiring in August !!! This is HUGE news, and Im sooo very happy for her :)
* My mom is currently in Portland Oregan for the International Ombudsman Annual Conference where on Wedneday April 6th she will be presenting "Adopting Business Excellence and Quality Principles to Create Business Value ...Even in an Ombudsman Office" for 90 minutes. I wish I could be there to see her speak and support her in person!

PARTY:

* The evening started off at La Parrilla restaurant on the 25th floor of the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Restaurant link: http://www.jumeirah.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/Destinations/Dubai/Jumeirah-Beach-Hotel/Restaurants--Nightlife/Signature-Dining/La-Parrilla-/ It is a Latin American restaurant, with tango dancers, live music, beautiful atmosphere and great food! The amuse bouche was a mini portion of Cream of Asparagus soup, my appetizer was a Shrimp Ceviche, followed by a Rib Eye steak, and finished off by a mini portion of Berries & Cream dessert sample - with red wine throughout the meal. {And I wonder why Im gaining a bit of weight? haha} Overall the dinner was fabulous- but I will say that compared to Asado at The Palace hotel with a similar menu & style, I preferred Asado for the food, even though La Parrilla had more attention to finer details.
* From La Parrilla, we went to Trader Vics in the Souk Madinat Jumeirah for some of their famous drinks. I had the Ticka Bucka Bucka - not sure about the spelling there - but it consists of 5 different shots of alcohol, but it tastes like juice. By the end of that one drink, I was feeling ready to dance the night away !
* We went to a club called Trilogy to see Sasha!!! While Sasha has been internationally reknowned for decades, I had not yet had the chance to see him live before. The optimal combination would have been to see Sasha & Digweed together - but hey, I wasn't complaining. Sasha came on at about 1 am since his flight was late in landing in Dubai - and he played until close (around 2:45 am). I can understand he must have been exhausted, but he really lacked presence behind the decks - although the beats did make up for it. I was happy to be dancing...
* As a DJ in training & a party lover, I can very much see how Montreal is a DJ's playground simply due to the crowd and energy. The energy and understanding are both lacking here, which is reflective in the sets that DJs play - more mainstream & less imaginative.
* Strangely, I discovered I was dancing next to a Montrealer who used to promote Stereo back in the 1990's. Once he told me about that, I showed him my tattoo - and from there, and instant friendship was made. It is an incredible feeling to be dancing in a club in the Middle East to find a fellow Stereo lover...quite simply, the Stereo family is global & Im proud to be part of it !!! And speaking of the Stereo family, David Morales will be spinning at Sanctuary in Dubai at the end of April :) the countdown is on...24 days!

* Sasha & I - didnt realize it was a video until it was too late...oh well :P

OTHER: I am still enjoying the city ~ I feel great about the new apartment ~ I have driven for the first time this past weekend, safe & accident free. For all the times I complained about driving too much in Ottawa, it was great to be behind the wheel ~ I have just recently purchased a great anti-ageing skin care set from Arbonne. I had considered working for the company a few years back, and fell in love with the products. With the sun, stress & being closer to 30, I thought it was a great time to indulge. If you have not sampled the products yet, I strongly recommend you do so & experience quality skin care products http://www.arbonne.ca/

Recipe Recommendation: I cooked some delicious chili !!! If you would like to try out the simple yet tasty meal, check out the recipe at the following link http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/debdoozies-blue-ribbon-chili/Detail.aspx

xox <3 xox