Dubai Update 5/11 v 3

Ottawa Countdown:
In just a few hours, I will start my journey home. This is a long journey home with two 7 hour flights, a 7 hour stop over, and a 2 hour bus ride from Montreal to Ottawa. And fingers crossed - positive intentions, that the ash cloud does not cause any delays.

Dubai Stay-cation:
After being sick most of the week last week, I wanted to have a relaxing weekend, with less emphasis on drinking and clubbing. Nonethless, Jason and I went to the yacht club for a drink on Thursday night. After that, we stopped at Dave's birthday party for a bit. It was a nice night, nothing too crazy from our side.

Friday night:
Dhow Dinner Cruise on the Dubai Creek. The boat trip was nice at about 2 hours including a buffet dinner. With it being in a different part of the city, it was nice to see that area at night from the creek, and just enjoy something a little different.

Saturday:

- We started the day off lounging at the pool in the sun, after all, I couldnt go back to Canada with NO tan. I burnt. haha. As a side note, it is so nice to have a pool available - I have been taking advantage of it lately. During the full moon, I went for a night swim and just overlooked the city with the full moon in the background - one of those beautiful moments in life where you appreciate everything !
- We went for a lunch at the Yacht Club on the Creek - it was quite tasty. They had a mardi gras promotion so I had the jambalaya.
- After lunch we had a few hours to kill before our next activity so we went to the Deira Park. In the park we rented a 2 person bicycle, and toured around the park. While it was really hot out, it was a fun way to explore this area.
- Then, we went to the Seal and Dolphin Show at the Dolphinarium in this park ! The show started with 4 mascots dancing in front of the stage - the mascots were not really aqua themed being a porcupine, a tiger, a penguin and a bunny, and their dance was just plain weird. Obviously it was targeted for children, but it really had no relevance that it was so bad that it became entertaining. I was a little nervous to see the performing animals, but they did seem happy and very well taken care of. The 4 seals were adorable with their different balancing acts, signing and dancing. Then, five dolphins came out to do various tricks - fetching, balancing, jumping, twirling, singing, and painting. Yes, even painting ! Two dolphins had paint brushes in the mouths, dip the brushes in paint and painted it onto a canvas. Aaron was thrilled to see this - and even bought this painting when it was later auctioned off. The show lasted about an hour - and it was a fun activity ! How fun would it be to be a dolphin trainer ?
- Having cycled through the park and watched the dolphin show, I built up a little appetite and went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. We didn't have any starters - and went straight for the steak. At Ruth's Chris, the steaks come on a white plate - very plain. I ordered the filet medium rare - and we shared a portion of steakfries. My filet was very tasty, the steak itself was delicious. Compared to our other excellent steak experiences (see previous posts about Seafire, Asado & La Parilla), I was not overly impressed with the presentation, and the steakfries were a bit too crunchy. We shared a mini-cheesecake for dessert which was a great way to end the day.

~ See you soon Ottawa ~

xox <3 xox

Dubai Update 05/11 v2

Weekly review of May 9th to May 15th :

Work Party:
On Thursday night a few weeks back, there was a work team building soirée out in the desert with the Dubai and Abu Dhabi offices. We were let out early at 4 pm, met up again at 6:15 pm, groups of us gathered in 4x4s and were driven out to the desert. When we were close to the camp, everyone had to put blindfolds on and went driving through the desert blindfolded! Considering I was nervous with my eyes open the week before, I was a little scared with not being able to see.
Once we arrived in the camp, we had to choose either a shot of tequila or a shot of zambucca to enter. I absolutely despise both of these shots!!! I chose Zambucca :S There was a flame thrower and some camels to also welcome us in. We all mingled in the camp, had some drinks and waited for everyone to arrive - There was a nice buffet available to us: vegetables, rice, curries, shawarmas; and an open bar.
* Our first activity as a group was drumming. We followed the drum leader to various beats, and let the rhythms flow. Several people were brought up on stage to drum, sing and dance.
* From there, teams competed against each other in tug of war, sit up and push up competitions, and so forth.
* But then there was the sumo wrestling competition... one girl from each team was chosen or volunteered - I willingly volunteered. We were suited up in large sexy sumo padding, and had best out of 3 rounds to win. Sadly, I was knocked out in the first 2 rounds and lost - but to be fair, the lady I had to go up against was quite a bit bigger than me. Due to my slight competitive nature, I was a little bitter. hahaha.
* Afterwards, the DJ played some tunes into the wee hours of the night as we danced, drank and had some more laughs. I got home at 3:30 am, and hopped straight into bed... while I had a great time at the party, Friday was not so great... I had such a terrible hangover, one of the worse ones I can remember :S it ruined the rest of my weekend.

Seafire:
After being sick ALL day on Friday, I gathered my strengths, and I went to Seafire at the Atlantis on the Palm. WOWWY! If you have not eaten there, I would definitely recommend it :) It is voted the number one steakhouse in Dubai ... To start, I had the caesar salad which was delicious - although it is a quite large, large enough for 2 people to share. Then, I had the Atlantis Certified filet - medium rare, with potatoes gratin. The Atlantis resorts raise their own beef for their restaurants. To finish off the meal, we got an ice cream candy ball; a great way to end the meal. The ambiance of the restaurant, the presentation of the food, the waiters & of course, the food & company - everything came together beautifully!

xox <3 xox

Dubai Update 05/11

Week in Review: May 1st to May 8th

COUNTDOWN TO OTTAWA: 16 days until departure !!!

Hong Kong visit in Dubai:
On Sunday May 8th, one of my friends from Hong Kong was in Dubai for the day. I was rather excited since it had been about one year since I last saw Feng in Toronto, and he was my first visitor here in the UAE.  Considering we only had one day, we did alot !
* I picked up Feng up at 10 am, and went to the Dubai Historical Village to see some culture. We were the only ones in the entire place - but then, we were greeted by a local whom invited us into his office, and just chatted with us. We were served coffee and fruit dates, which was an experience in itself since we all thought the coffee was tea - and the dates didnt look the most hygenic in a tin container. I refrained from having a date, which is quite offensive in this culture. Oopsies!

* From there, we went to the Mall of the Emirates for a traditional Lebanese lunch at the Karam Beirut restaurant by the Ski Dubai. Lunch was deliciously overwhelming !!! The lunch started with cold mezzas - I was full after the cold mezzas since I love tabbhouli, hummus, dips and such. Unfortunately, I didnt realize there were 3 more courses to follow: the hot mezzas, the grilled meat & the dessert. As more food came to the table, we all sat there enjoying it all, but it was alot for 3 people for lunch. I would definitely recommend Karam Beirut though :)
* After lunch, while Im sure all three of us could have napped all afternoon, we went to The Atlantis on The Palm - we toured around the hotel, and checked out the beautiful aquarium there. I had not yet had the chance to see it, and I love just watching the hundreds of fish go about their business.

* While going to a mall is not the most exciting of attractions, I took Feng to the Dubai Mall - the worlds largest shopping mall, which is conveniently next to the Burj Khalifa. In the Dubai Mall, we just walked around the different areas - to see the aquarium, the star atrium, the gold souk.
* Finally, our last stop on the one day tour of Dubai was a desert safari ! The driver picked us up at 4 pm, and it took about 1.5 hours to get out to the desert. In the desert, our 4x4 went up and over the sand dunes, down the hills, through the scenary - and finally we stopped the see the sunset in the distance. The actual desert safari was quite scary considering Im a bit nervous in cars to begin with - but the experience was well worth it for the views. The desert was not as I had imagined:
a) the sand was a golden colour, and I had thought it would be more white and granular;
b) there was shrubbery and vegetation growing in random areas, and I had thought it would be desolate;
c) the desert was quite bumpy with hills and moutains, while I had imagined it to flat
d) at night, the sand got quite cool considering it had been absorbing heat all day.
After driving through the desert, we were taken to a remote camp - Feng and I participated in several activities here such as camel riding & falcon holding, while I also got a henna tattoo on my arm. We were provided with a nice enough buffet dinner, and a live entertainment show with a twirling dancer and a belly dancer. Finally, we were taken back to the city - exhausted !

* And then, Feng got into a taxi and headed towards Abu Dhabi so he could fly out to Saudi to meet some clients - GREAT GREAT visit !!! Thank you Feng for stopping by Dubai :)

Elections Canada:
I am discouraged to see that Stephen Harper has been re-elected as the Conservatives took the majority government back on Monday May 2nd. I do not think he has done much for our country, nor will he - however, I do not think Canadian voters had great candidates to vote for either.
* I find this the perfect time to become a non-resident - and make the most of the international playground Im in...

Death of Osama Bin Laden:
Apparently Osama Bin Laden was just recently killed ! I am rather skeptical about the timing of all this for the following reasons :
a) How is it that it took the US government 10 years to find & kill this man? The US has such sophisticated technology, the resources, the money, the allies - I find it hard to believe that ONE man can evade the American authorities for that long -
b) There is no footage of the body - and the body has been "buried" at sea...
c) After finding bin Laden, I find it a bit odd that he was shot in the head - they could have captured him for questioning - to provide video evidence of having captured him
d) The news comes at a rather convenient time to take attention away from the following : * a few days after the death of Ghadafi's son so to change the media's attention from Libya to this * during Barack Obamas re-election campaign when scrutiny is on him & his place of birth *when the US is trying to down size the missions in the Middle East.
e) With the death of Osama bin Laden being announced, I do fear that the Al Quaeda leaders will plan something to retaliate -

Mothers Day:
Wishing my Mom, and all the Mom's out there, a very Happy Mother's Day !!!
I was lucky enough to Skype with my parents after my desert safari - and during our Skype talk, my Dad & I presented my Mom with her Mothers Day present. I had originally wanted to wait until my return home but figured why wait if the present had arrived & we were chatting anyways... Since I love my Arbonne anti-aging skin care set so much, my Dad and I bought one for my Mom - not that she needs anti-aging skin care products, but they are amazing !
* as a side note, a few people have taken notice to my skin saying I looked more radiant and fresh, and asking if my age was 20 or so... I attribute this to a few new changes in my life, but also the FABULOUS skin care products!

Miscellaneous:
* The weather here is getting hotter - it is expected to hit 40 degrees Celcius by the end of the week...
* The hamster Safron is continuously trying to knaw her way out of the cage... still a bit savage, and hasnt quite come around to being friendly and tame. At least she uses her hamster wheel now - its cute !
* Work is going well - Jason rewarded my efforts that turned to business with my favorite perfume last week so it was a nice way to end the week.
* Life in Dubai is busy !!! I have to continuously remind myself to take it easy, and focus on my health & positive healthy mentality -

xox <3 xox

Dubai Update 04/11 v4

Week in Review: April 24th to April 30th

Work:

Jason & I had a great week last week! Since Jason completed more than 5 financial health checks on prospective clients, I received two incentive bonuses which was the perfect way to end the week. I feel better than ever about how things are going in this sphere of my life -

Party:

On Thursday April 28th, I went to Sanctuary to see David Morales. No one I knew wanted to go (mainly because John Digweed was spinning at Trilogy) so I ventured out alone since I had been looking forward to it for so long ... For those that dont know, David Morales was an owner and resident DJ of Stereo back in the beginning - and I hadn't had the chance to see him live yet. While it was a bit silly to see David for the first time at a club other than Stereo, I needed a good night out. David's set was quite commercial, but I was thrilled to see the energy he was putting into the set - as I always mention, the crowd was lacking in energy and knowledge, but I just focused on my love of house music and danced the night away.

* I wont be shy to admit that I like talking to DJs, and having my picture with them - it's a bit of a hobby in itself - but this time, it was different with David... I wanted to show him my tattoo ! The opening DJ Tim Kay helped me through the security, and I had my moment - David's reaction, like most people, was "is that real?" and then he proceeded to show my his Stereo tattoo on his wrist. Good times :)

stereo for life !

Royal Wedding:

I watched the Royal Wedding on Friday - and then & there, my childhood dream of marrying Prince William was squashed! hahaha. I thought both William and Kate looked great and so well composed, and the ceremony was elegantly beautiful. It was nice to see positivity in the news - I attended a royal wedding garden party so it was nice to be social, although I was quite tired from the Thursday night out.

Hamster:
The hamster is, well, adorable! She is getting more adjusted to her life outside the pet shop, but she is still looking for ways to escape.

Hello Kitty:
After attending a meeting with Jason one evening, I got to see the Hello Kitty & friends show at the Burjiman Centre. My love of Hello Kitty got the best of me - I just cant get enough... I have even bought a Hello Kitty baseball hat - and when I went to try it on, the shop owner said "no, no, this is for children!" haha

Countdown to Home:
24 days until I am home in Ottawa for a 2 week vacation -
* I was thrilled to watch highlights of the NHL playoffs last week - Vancouver vs Chicago, game 7, overtime = Vancouver win! However, the outcome was not as great for the Montreal Canadians, losing in game 7 overtime...

xox <3 xox