Super Happy Gazelle

more coming eventually!

2009-12-20T12:24:00.003+04:00

So after a really long time without any updates....

I bought extra room on Picasa web albums and am working on uploading all the thousands and thousands of photos I have to it. It will take a while longer to get them all up, so I probably wont actually update until after the new year. But I will eventually!

If anyone wants to take a look at those I have put up so far, here is the link
http://picasaweb.google.com/revolutiontoast

It is nice to be able to have loads of extra room for all my photos now! It wasnt even worth updating since I was completely out of space for photos, and updates without photos are boring.

An update: what a crazy concept

2009-04-24T19:19:00.003+04:00

+ Wes finally got his eye surgery. He was going to get the LASIK but apparently his eyes are all weird so he had to get the other type. Anyway, he's still recovering and he's off of work until next Wednesday. Until then it's lots and lots of eye drops, laying in dark rooms and not doing too much else. Hopefully he will be recovered enough to do something for his actual birthday this coming Tuesday.

+ We're less than one month away from the wedding. Even closer than that? Being back in the States: May 13. Currently, I am SICK of planning the wedding and asking people to do stuff re: the wedding. I am thinking we should have just used the money for some crazy trip instead. Oh well. No turning back now.

+ Speaking of which... I'll be in Chicago May 15-17 for a SND MeetUp. Super excited for that. Plus I plan on doing some "Chicago eating" while in town. Hot Doug's, here I come.

+ The big WOMAD festival is currently going on in Abu Dhabi. It's a big cultural music festival featuring lots of live performances on the public beach. Totally free. Robert Plant, of Led Zepplin fame, is headlining tomorrow night. I'll be there.

+ Wes and I secured tickets to the big Abu Dhabi F-1 race for the weekend of Nov. 1. Should be insane.

+ We're starting to come to the realization that no one will probably come visit us here. I think what it comes down to is people imagine the UAE and the rest of the Middle East as a non glamourous place. It's too bad, really, because the UAE is full of glamour and flash. Since we've come to this realization we've decided to just go ahead and start using our vacation time. After wedding season is over we're looking at trips to India and Istanbul for sure... both are easy (and cheap) weekend trips for us. Also in the near future: Malta (staying with realitives makes it cheap).

The National wins 22 design awards

2009-02-24T00:37:00.002+04:00

Elysia made me take down my other post because it was too braggy and ripped on the paper's competitors.

So here, just check out THIS article instead to see the awards the paper won (and the 8 or 9 Elysia won) at this year's SND competition.

Lazy.Bored.Apathetic.

2009-02-15T21:20:00.003+04:00

So many words can describe why we've stopped updating this blog.

Wes, well, he doesn't update anything (Facebook, Blog, MySpace, Twitter, etc. etc.) and I've given up and have resorted to 140 words or less.

Twitter. So much easier.

Day-to-day at: leashpj33

In case your one of the 200+ people ignoring my 50 messages about being in Michigan

2009-01-22T03:56:00.003+04:00

Yes. I am in Michigan. WE are in Michigan. Have been since Jan. 15. I like how many "friends" are ignoring that fact. We fly 7,000 every weekend!!

I'm not bitter or anything!

Anyway, we head off to have a vacation from our vacation Saturday AM where we head to Cincinnati and Nashville for a few days. In fact, I REALLY need said vacation from our vacation. It's been a hard time here (most being spent in the hospital with my mom). If you don't know about that just ask me, please don't post about it on this blog. Too impersonal.

See you Abu Dhabi cats in no time.

How time flies...

2009-01-12T18:34:00.001+04:00

Today marks one year of being in the UAE for me.

Crazy.

Now's not the time to come vacation in the UAE

2009-01-02T19:27:00.001+04:00

Why?

Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmed dies

Things in the UAE will be closed for 7 days of mourning.

Time to make other plans

2008-12-30T23:10:00.003+04:00

Guess THIS rules out our Dubai New Year's plans.

In case you're too lazy to click, the headline says it all:

'Mohammad orders cancellation of New Year celebrations'

Elysia's top of 2008

2008-12-29T12:17:00.005+04:00

::::drum roll please::::

Best big life moment
Moving to a foreign land BEFORE the recession hits
Runner up: Having the funds to actually have a real wedding celebration with

Best dish
White truffled mashed potatoes at Bord Eau in Abu Dhabi
Runner up: Salmon appetizer at Al Fanar in Abu Dhabi

Best event
Barack Obama getting elected
Runner up: Lizzie's going away party at the champagne bar

Favorite album
Vampire Weekend, Vampire Weekend
Runner up: Seriously, was it just me or was there a lack of good music this year?

Best clothing find
Discovering one-of-a-kind clothing on www.newyorkcouture.net
Runner up: The discovery of Harvey Nichols in Dubai as the closest thing to Nordstrom

Best new tradition
My wedding anniversary
Runner up: Monday Cake

Best vacation
Vegas for work
Runner up: (Re)discovering Amsterdam with Wes

Most exciting new food
Learning how to properly enjoy an oyster... condiments included.
Runner up: Foir Gras and pretending I don't know where it comes from

Favorite film
'The Wackness'
Runners up: 'Pineapple Express', 'The Counterfeiters' and 'Tropic Thunder'

Best animal
Camels
Runner up: Greyhounds from afar (greyhounds in person are much, much better)

Best TV on DVD
"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" season 3
Runners up: Gossip Girl and Mad Men

Next years' list will most likely include: Wedding celebration of the century, getting out of debt, St. Patrick's Day in Ireland

The BIG anniversary dinner

2008-12-25T16:17:00.010+04:00

Some of you may have read about our BIG dinner already HERE on SouthSoundEats.com.
But it's probably safe to say that most of you haven't SEEN the seven-star dinner we ate at the Burj Al Arab's Al Mahara for our anniversary.

Feast your eyes.

Wes' main course from above: A wild selection of the sea

Our table: Shot by our waiter during our main course

Admiring the fish: Lots and lots and lots to see

Guilty pleasure: Foir gras and eggplant

A lobster "salad" that Wes ordered.

The dinning room: A small 80+ person space with one giant tank.

One

2008-12-22T00:00:00.003+04:00

Doesn't this say it all?

Happy anniversary, Wes.
Love, Me

a challenge

2008-12-17T01:20:00.000+04:00

find a reputable science webpage that proves that otters fart.

For all interested parties...

2008-12-16T00:27:00.003+04:00

... mostly probably just family....

((Preface: We will NOT track down friends and beg them to hangout this time around. That was a lot of let down last time. Translation: IT'S ALL YOU if you want to see us.))

... Wes and I will be home Jan. 15-Feb. 1.

The second week of being home we'll head down to Cincinnati and Tennessee for few days.

December 15?! Really?

2008-12-15T20:53:00.002+04:00

It's hard to look at the calendar and believe what it says.

Thinking about Christmas and "winter" when the temperature is still 70+ degrees and sunny outside is nearing impossible.

While most of you will tell me to shut up and stop bragging, it's a very strange experience for someone who has ALWAYS seen snow in December. It feels like I'm stuck in October and Halloween is just around the corner.

While there are little hints of Christmas such as co-workers receiving greeting cards by post, grocery shopping to a PA playing carols and decorative trees dotting malls and hotels, the lack of jacket weather has the excitement factor of the holidays hidden.

And, well, to make matters worse I'm doing most of my shopping via Web. There are no sales fliers or Black Friday fights. And there's certainly a lack of wrapping paper and Cassie's paws prancing all over it.

Maybe this year Christmas will have to hold until our January return.
Bah, humbug.

UAE National Day December 2nd photos!

2008-12-12T18:56:00.004+04:00

UAE's 37th National Day was December 2nd and was quite an experience.

Loads of cars were decorated with all kinds of detail. There were lots of images of the founding father of the country, Sheikh Zayed. Flags were also in abundance with almost all of the cars having one somewhere on it. Some of the cars were even spray painted with the UAE colors or had loads of red, black, green and white stickers all over them.

And of course, how unsurprising to see a giant flag being towed around the sky by a helicopter. Yes, that tiny little dot in the upper left corner is a full size helicopter that flew around over the waters of the Arabian Gulf along the Corniche. That thing in the bottom right corner is a giant observation tower attached to the Marina Mall, another giant structure all in itself.

Some microlight aircraft few along the Corniche as well, all decorated in the UAE colors, and were even lit up at night. They wisely moved to a safe distance during the fireworks show.

Muhammad and I went to the Hiltonia Beach Resort early in the day and sat around listening to the constant honking of cars, the revving car engines and backfires of Ferraris.... all having their engines sacrificed in the name of National Pride and Patriotism.

After a while we moved to a spot where the view would be even better and met some people who had to sneak into the resort since they were not allowing anyone else to enter. We ordered some food and had some shisha. Roland enjoys a few puffs before the fireworks begin.

And a double apple shisha for me. I am wearing my UAE scarf that I got at the UAE vs North Korea football match.

The fireworks display was pretty good, and the lasers and spotlights from the Emirates Palace lit up the smoke.

Yea I took a lot of photos. The display lasted about 45 minutes and was pretty good. On the other side of us an equally large display went off at the same time, so we heard explosions from in front and back of us. Had we been in another location we might have been able to watch both at once, but as it was, this was good enough.

After the show we walked out to the Corniche Road, which is basically the "Main" street in Abu Dhabi. It was packed with cars and people, and all we could hear was shouting, honking, singing and revving engines.

Here is a short video to give you an idea of what this was all like.

Some of the cars had a little less decoration, or maybe were just done in a a hurry like this one:

Even more looked something like these, with plenty of decoration and UAE spirit:

We even saw 2 old Baja Beetles decorated in UAE colours. I took this one while we were slowly driving off. I would have liked to have a better shot of it, but maybe next year. They really should have a best decorated car contest here, there were so many more that were beyond amazing. The work some people put into making their car a driving symbol of patriotism and pride is beyond description.

Happy 37th Birthday UAE!

Check out some of the other photos if you would like, but I think this post about covers all the best ones.

UAE National Day Dec 2 2008

Perez on George in AD

2008-12-05T16:08:00.002+04:00

A photo and a "brief" comment about George Michael and his appearance here in Abu Dhabi.
Click here to see it and also read the idiot comments about AD. It still amazes me how people think the UAE is equal to the wild west.

Apparently this is some kinda "big deal"

2008-12-03T11:47:00.003+04:00

I could see the crowd gathering in our courtyard at work through my window. But I had no clue as to why.

"It's the trophy!" exclaimed a desk mate.

I could see it. It was big. It was shiny.. it was... "What is that?"

"It's THE trophy!!!" he stated again. "THE trophy."

I could see it was A trophy but had no clue as to why it was here or what it was an award for.

I left my desk for a closer look.

It was, I discovered, the Premier League trophy or as it's properly called: Barclays Premier League Trophy. Think the Stanley Cup of football (or soccer to most Americans).

While I was still generally, more or less, unimpressed. As seen here:

Wes worshiped it (or at least acted like he did to impress the Brits in the newsroom):

As to why it was there, in our courtyard in Abu Dhabi, far far away from it's current home of Manchester? You got me.

The big 3-7!

2008-12-02T10:39:00.002+04:00

Today the UAE celebrates it's National Day — 37 years of being a nation.

While most people will celebrate it like Wes by not working, heading to the beach to smoke shisha, drinking and watch the fireworks... I will work. Very late. Unfortunately the paper considers a country's anniversary and the world's largest fireworks display "news." That's a crazy thought!

One year ago today

2008-11-27T14:17:00.002+04:00

At exactly this time last year I was interviewing for a job, over the phone, in the UAE. After being offered the job on Thanksgiving I was unable to eat my yummy dinner because I was so distracted/freaked out by what to do.

I think it's safe to say I made the right decision.

No pushing food around my plate this year.

George Michael + us

2008-11-26T15:43:00.001+04:00

It's official.

Wes and I are going to the George Michael and Alicia Keys concert Dec. 1.

Apparently this will be Michael's last show EVER.

Leave it to the UAE...

Sex on the beach couple free to.. be deported.

2008-11-25T16:38:00.002+04:00

The famous couple who were caught having sex on a Dubai beach while intoxicated (and who also assaulted a police officer) are free from their jail sentence and the UAE. Click HERE to read all about it.

Screw you Duabi! We'll show you!

2008-11-25T16:10:00.002+04:00

Dubai just recently had the grand open of the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm. Needless to say, it was huge. They invited many Hollywood stars such as Oprah, Mary Kate Olson, Lindsay Lohan, Robert De Niro, Michael Jordan... the list goes on and on.

They also caused champagne shortages in the world. No, I am not joking. They tried to buy up EVERY bottle of Crystal in the WORLD.

Then there were the fireworks.

AMAZING. Really. The hotel cost $1,441,00,00 to build. The celebrate TO OPEN THE HOTEL was $80 million US dollars! And for a cool $36,000 you could spend the night there.

Back to the fireworks.
The display, as seen in the above video, is now labeled by Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest. EVER.

But Abu Dhabi will NOT be outdone. And on Dec. 2 Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi is said to be ready to break the record... becoming the new record holder. We'll let you know how it goes.

Either...

2008-11-24T04:55:00.002+04:00

Facebook's Web site has been down for 24 hours or the UAE has finally blocked the site.

UAE National Day 2008!

2008-11-23T02:02:00.002+04:00

The UAE is preparing to celebrate its 37th National Day December 2nd, and of course that means doing things on a grand scale. The fireworks display along the Corniche is to be the largest fireworks display ever done. One full hour of fireworks launched from a whole bunch of different locations over the Emirates Palace and the surrounding Arabian Gulf waters.

I am very excited! I love fireworks!

Watch a video at this website that shows what we have to look forward to! And be jealous.
UAEfireworks.com

Now I just have to figure out where the best place to watch will be and get there early!

A Google Video Chat first

2008-11-17T14:25:00.004+04:00

Last night Wes and I had our first Google Video Chat encounter!

It's still blows my mind that it "works" and that from the Middle East to Washington state we can see and hear somebody for free.

Krissy, my derby sister and teammate, was brave enough to heed my call to get a Gmail account, download the application and chat us. Again, all for free.

So this brings me to trying to guilt trip the rest of you into doing the same. If you don't know what I'm talking about go HERE and follow the instructions.

Google Video Chatting will keep us sane.

First rain of the season!

2008-11-16T12:05:00.004+04:00

I was a bit confused when I came out of my apartment this morning and noticed water all over the car. My first thought was, "Someone threw a bucket of water on my car." That was seriously my first thought.

Then I looked around and noticed puddles on the ground and water spots on everything.

IT RAINED!

Thankfully my deskmate Mathew woke up at seven this morning to catch the rain with his camera. I, on the other hand, was still in bed. Pictures above by Mathew Kurian

We have launch, part 2

2008-11-15T20:07:00.002+04:00

Today is the official launch and first day of The National's Saturday paper & new glossy magazine. We're now the full 7-days! And then some!

*Oh, and for those wondering... Saturday here is like America's Sunday. While Friday is the holy day (and the first of two days off for most people), Saturday is people's lazy day. Except for mine. I work.

Michigan (amongst other places) in January

2008-11-14T15:26:00.003+04:00

Pretty sure Wes and I will be back in January. It'll be time for us to tie up the loose ends that are the wedding since we won't be back until May. Beside that we have to remember to:

1. Get new Michigan driver's licenses: If we don't we have to take a ROAD TEST upon our US return!
2. File taxes
3. Do all that wedding stuff (especially thrift for the centerpieces!)
4. Celebrate on Jan 20th both Bush leaving office and my friend Kelly's birthday.
5. Pat and cuddle Cassie (like I even have to list that).
6. Fly to Tennessee for a few days to see the nephew and fam.

The I would like to do include:
1. Frankenmuth! I kinda miss that place.
2. Go to Cincinnati for the night to see my aunt/uncle.
3. Pig out on food.
4. Visit the MGM in Detroit.
5. Stay a night at the Book Cadillac.

Have a Web cam? DO THIS NOW!

2008-11-13T15:51:00.004+04:00

Wes and I discovered the AMAZING plugin that is Google's Video Chat!

If you have a Web cam built into your computer (that's you MacBook users) or if you have one to accompany your computer then you must download this HERE*

*You must create a Gmail account if you don't have one already to use this feature. It's free though, so do it!

Anyway, after downloading and installing this (super easy and quick) you can video chat us! FOR FREE. It's amazing (and better than Skype.. since Skype is often blocked here). No need to spend tons of money to call us when you can see us and chat us for free! Really really exciting.

To add us to your chat list:
revolutiontoast@gmail.com (Wes)
elysia.a.smith@gmail.com (Elysia)

Say what???

2008-11-13T13:27:00.003+04:00

Today, while Wes is at work, I'm going to Dubai to check out the newest UAE "largest" structure addition: Dubai Mall. The mall, which opened on Nov. 4, is that heavenly place which is home to the Taco Bell (Wes and I have already discussed how I will bring back about 10 bean burritos which we will then freeze). While I will be gorging on some TB, I also plan on spending the day checking out the sights of the mall. There's a ice skating rink, a HUGE and amazing aquarium and a lot of gourmet food stores.

But since the mall is so new not everything is open yet says their Web site. Stuff like the movie theatre won't be ready until mid 2009. Bummer. Another place that isn't ready yet is the Sega Republic. While I am just as puzzled as you, I was curious to see what the hell that is.

Checking out the Web page for Sega Republic gives a picture of an almost-constructed American Gladiator-looking structure.

The given description for Sega Republic is even more baffling:

Enter a nation addicted to adrenalin. The region’s first SEGA indoor theme park is a mind-altering, visually-stimulating, adrenalin-pumping attraction. SEGA Republic is where you create your own rules. Rebel against the senses and go into overdrive. Get addicted.

Two things come to mind after reading this. My experience with living here thus far says:

1. They don't even have a CLUE on what it is that they are building. One night, over shisha, this concept emerged and some sheik said, "BUILD IT!"

2. They love American Gladiators so much (yes, it's shown here in the UAE) that they want to start their own UAE Gladiators. I can see it now, little Pakistani boys being whacked off the tall podium in the Joust by some grinning locals. And the crowd goes wild.

Whatever it is I'm sure I'll check it out when it opens.

"Snow?! We're still hoping for some rain!"

2008-11-11T00:34:00.005+04:00

Today my mother updated me that Michigan, at least where she's at, got it's first snowfall today.

Bummer.

So I thought I'd rub in one of the good parts about being here. Feast your eyes on our forecast for the week:

Let me emphasize, for those who may have not read a lot of our summer posts, how COOL this is. I mean, cool as in PEOPLE ARE SHOPPING FOR COATS. No, I am not joking. The stores are FULL of winter coats and people are buying them! No one is actually wearing them (in public) yet but I think that will change when the temperature hit somewhere in the 70s.

Yes, I am still being serious.

I will be at the mall this Friday. Shopping... but not for a coat.

Actually, I'll be shopping for a bean burrito minus onion plus sour cream. OH YEAAAAAA... Taco Bell! (Sorry. Still excited about the TB!)

And we're still lacking quality music

2008-11-10T16:09:00.003+04:00

Concert season is upon us. With cool weather comes outdoor venues opening their doors. And yes, here come the announcements. So far we've had: Christina Aguilera, Fergie, George Michael w/Alicia Keys, Kylie Minogue and now...

Shoot me now.

I am still holding out for hope that this year's Desert Rock Festival will be decent.

Best news since the election!

2008-11-08T14:33:00.002+04:00

THE

FIRST

TACO BELL

IN THE UAE IS

OPEN!!!

This blog is on holiday until Nov. 1

2008-10-19T20:56:00.002+04:00

In case you didn't know...
We're currently in Amsterdam. Elysia until Oct. 25 and Wes until Nov. 1 (lucky him).

We're basically roaming the streets and gorging on frites (as seen above with tasty sauces). We'll let you know all about our travels upon our return.

how to get lost on Dubai streets

2008-10-15T23:16:00.003+04:00

Going to Dubai should be easy enough. It is straight along the really large road from one gleaming city to the other. It is called the Sheikh Zayed Road E-11. It is a wide, well constructed, and still being constructed along the way. Bridges are being built over many parts of it as you see either new villas, new neighborhoods, or large plantations sprouting along the way. There is enough desert in between these areas of building activity. Greenery is planted along the whole way, the margins of the road are entirely covered with date palms and other large trees hanging over it to keep the dust from blowing across and blocking the drivers vision.
All of the roads are named after important people, like roads in most countries. Only Dubai, however, has so many of those roads torn up as they build monorail and train stations in each area across the city. the cranes, torn up roads, and massive building works, and random detours and diversions seem to be at least every couple of blocks, so driving isnt the best way to get anywhere. After driving and getting there without taking too many detours we finally made it to hotel where we gave up the car for the weekend into the capable hands of the valet. After that we found ourselves a taxi and took off to have a fun time in Dubai!

the Buddha bar doesnt allow photography tho... sorry no photos of this amazing place.

So, instead the next day we went on a bus tour of the city so we could walk to the places nearby and see around the tourist sites that we have not checked out yet without having to drive and without needing a GPS (which would be worthless anyway with all the road changes)

This place that was all ancient Egyptian themes. A big mall to buy all the stuff you could ever want, and lots of stuff you could care less about.

with Ancient Rome next door.

Across from the Glass Pyramid hotel

The top of the bus is open to outside and it is a very sunny day. it was hot and Elysia always thinks it is a good idea to take photos of how sweaty I am from the heat and humidity.

I am this sweaty, exactly.

elysia is NEVER sweaty, or smelly or dirty or stinky... all those things that I am

buildings, yep you see a lot of those here. A lot fewer cranes than is usual.

This is a fake guy diving for fake pearls at the museum. Apparently people used to do this here. Now the only ones who do it are plastic mannequins.

This used to be a strong fort to keep people from taking over the fresh water supply, now it is an underground air conditioned museum.

Look at me, this is how you get water out of the well!

you can see buildings and stuff!

The banks of the Dhow Wharfage are covered with old fashioned Dhows and lots of water taxis carrying people back and forth from one side of the Dubai Creek to the other

There's more but we dont want to bore you, take a look at some of the other very similar photos via this link to the Dubai Album

in dubai for a day and the bus tour

Race cars, anyone?

2008-10-15T17:04:00.005+04:00

Next November — just one year away — Abu Dhabi's first Grand Prix race will happen. It's a really big deal and I'm already registered to get tickets (looking into both the VIP type and the regular grandstand variety).

Oh-so-futuristic: A super track

Those **thinking** about coming to visit should think about next November. It's total history in the making here!

First there was Elton John...

2008-10-15T09:37:00.002+04:00

... now George Michael comes out of retirement to play Abu Dhabi!?!

Oh, it's so true.
Perez broke the news HERE.

I'm a bit surprsied they will let him into the country since he JUST got arrested for drugs. But Scott Weiland came and played... so really, musicians must not count re: drug laws here.

Reason 5,792 why Abu Dhabi is Vegas-like

2008-10-13T16:31:00.002+04:00

The glowing neon guitar strikes again!

Hard Rock Hotels has planned to launch its second hotel in the UAE, Hard Rock Hotel Abu Dhabi. Click HERE to read all about it.

I say, "Hooray for another place to drink at!"

Abu Dhabi: The capital of randomness?

2008-10-13T15:42:00.005+04:00

Last night I had planned to catch two films. I've been watching two movies per day at MEIFF and had everything planned out for my big evening out. While Wes was schedule to work (he saw a documentary during the day) I grabbed Lee, the business designer, to tag along to The Wackness (which I did see and can testify how hilarious it was).

Anyway, just after making plans I'm handed an invite to a media launch party (apparently we'll be (eventually) moving to a Media City located on an island within Abu Dhabi. While I'm not one to pass on fancy parties with free food and booze I do what Elysia usually does in a situation with two sets of plans: Go to both.

Seriously what it looked like

The event has what I mostly expect: large bubbled dome tents, spinning DJs, waiters with white gloves pouring glass after glass of champagne, sparkling trays of appetizers and beautiful people. And one thing I didn't expect: Duran Duran.

Did I mention that money really seems to grow on trees here?

While some people were questioning the choice of the 80s super hit machine, it seemed oh-so-fitting for Abu Dhabi. Any time I turn on the radio it's like flipping the switch on a time machine. This is the city who plays the 69 Boyz' "Tootsie Roll" and TLC's "Waterfalls" like they just came out.

Google Newsing the event today will give you hits by The New York Times, The Guardian and Reuters. Pictures to come...

It's been awhile since a professional update

2008-10-11T17:23:00.003+04:00

Check out what I've been up to re:work stuff.

Tada!
An updated online portfolio (a task I've been dreading).

Film & popcorn until we leave

2008-10-05T14:26:00.002+04:00

A good distraction is coming to town starting. Perhaps it'll make me forget the countdown I've got going for Amsterdam.

The Middle East International Film Festival or MEIFF as it's called starts Friday and Wes and I are getting our passes tonight.

For 100aed or about $27 we have unlimited access to the films... meaning, we can see as many as our little hearts desire. Pretty darn cheap.

Not only will the festival have some interesting films (Man on a Wire: a documentary about a man who tightrope walks between the World Trade Centers in 1974, Miracle at St. Anna: the latest film from Spike Lee, Written: a film by director Kim ByungWoo about a man who awakes in a bathtub of blood) and also some celebrities appearances.

10 days till Amsterdam

2008-10-04T12:00:00.004+04:00

Wes and I are jetting to the Netherlands soon and even though I practically just got back from a vacation I am starting to really believe I need this one! Wes is being sent to a conference there and well, I'm taking vacation (and some lieu days) to tag along.

It's probably fitting since we're NOT going to Thailand now (wedding=lots of money). Oh, and there's also an idea floating around of going to Ireland for St. Patty's Day... but well, it's probably a long shot this year.

Here's our Amsterdam wish list:
1. Cheese. Lots and lots of the amazingly creamy stuff. A visit to Henri Willig Farm is a MUST. While we are there we can also stop at the wooden shoe factory.

2. Go VIP at the Tuschinski. Perhaps the coolest art deco building ever designed, and even maybe the greatest movie theater in the world is the Pathé Tuschinski. The Tuschinski not only offers cinema in style — it offers it VIP. Champagne while you snack on some gourmet popcorn? Yes please.

3. Find food in walls. Glass walls. The surrealness (new word!) of FEBO at 4am can amuse anyone. Especially me.

4. Get free beer. The Henikin Brewery tour is what you'd come to expect from Amsterdam: trippy and psychedelic. A "roller coaster" of a ride ends with many free beers in the factory. Oh, and lends it self to lots of opportunities to make really weird videos. Here's one of many I found online:

5. Become a book.print.worm. Lucky us, the 29th Amsterdam Antiquarian Book, Map & Print Fair is on right before I leave. Vintage typography here I come.

6. Find other people's trash. The U.A.E has nothing in regards to vintage shopping or thrift stores. Needless to say, Wes and I are starving for some good ol' thrifting and Waterlooplein Flea Market should fill that void.

7. Visit the countryside on two wheels. Mike's Bike Tour of Amsterdam came highly recommended via Wes' sister and many reviews on the Web. Sweater weather and a bike ride sounds like pure bliss.

8. All things tasty. I'm starting to formulate a list of "must-taste" places. We're going from Barney's hole-in-the-wall styled Irish Breakfast, cutting-edge Envy and picnic items from Gewoon Eten en Meer (this place is enough to make me move to Amsterdam).

Gewoon Eten en Meer: Tasty picnic treats

9. Flashback as much as possible. Amsterdam has a love for the old and wacky just as much as Wes and I do. Kitch is king at 70s style Bar Bep, the obvious household store Kitsch Kitchen and Laura Dols for the rest of our vintage wedding wares.

Laura Dols: Will you have the matching slippers to my dress?

10. All that typical tourist mumbo jumbo. We will still get in the museums, Red Light District, coffee shops, flowers and windmills. Although I'll probably go without the windmills if time is tight.

Has-been to perform in Abu Dhabi

2008-09-27T15:21:00.006+04:00

Blah.

In the style of Perez

Another pop "star" comes to town. Seriously, can't Abu Dhabi dirhams buy someone better? Plus I thought she was busy with some kid or something.

Voting from abroad

2008-09-27T12:51:00.003+04:00

Cost to UPS two letters to Detroit, Mich. from Abu Dhabi, UAE to beat voter registration abroad deadline: $74
Cost to USPS two absentee ballots from Detroit, Mich. to Canton, Mich: $.80
Cost to USPS those two absentee ballots from Canton, Mich. to Abu Dhabi: $36.09
Cost to send ballots back to the US from Abu Dhabi: $74

Two votes AGAINST John McCain/Sarah Palin in this year's presidential election: PRICELESS

Dubai and religion

2008-09-22T19:42:00.004+04:00

A good series from the NYT about Dubai, culture and religion titled "Young and Arab in Land of Mosques and Bars". Read it HERE.

An equally interesting slide show to match. Click HERE for the photos.

Extra time off? Thank the barnyard

2008-09-20T12:14:00.003+04:00

I just found out I have some extra time off that is in lieu for Ramadan. Some days off here and there for general Ramadan. And another day off for the goat slaughtering I missed.

Serious.

Double :(

2008-09-16T00:45:00.004+04:00

I'm in the "process" of flying back now. Just landed in Chicago (because flying backward makes sense). Next stop London. THEN the U.A.E.

No biggie or anything... only about 28 hours of travel. Doesn't even compare to the trip here where we spent around 35 hours traveling.

Man, do I have a bad attitude about returning to the U.A.E. or what?!

UAE v N Korea in World Cup 2010 Qualifying Match

2008-09-07T01:08:00.002+04:00

September humidity of 84% means a heat index of 42C/108F. Our bottles of water were not allowed in by the legions of AD Police dressed in purple camouflage fatigues. This was the worst part of going to see the game. We found some seats in the still under construction Mohd. bin Zayed Arena, and sat down to enjoy some football.

The action was there, as the first half went well with the ball consistently by the NK goal. The first half went without a score on either side, and we went to enjoy some AC inside the hallways under the seating area. The juice and refreshment stands were all closing at this time, and so we wandered for a while enjoying the cool air, watching the fans wait for the second half to start.

Finding our way back to our seating area just in time for the kickoff, we settled in for the next half. The chanting of the announcer over the loudspeakers got the crowd into the excitement and ready for victory. The mood shifted suddenly as NK scored a goal. With over 30 minutes remaining many in the crowd started to leave in disappointment. Then, with a surprise kick, NK scored again! The angry fans, who are not the type to keep supporting their team when they are losing began throwing bottles of water and cups onto the pitch. Some members of the UAE team began throwing their hands up at the crowd, greatly displeased at the lack of support when the team needed it most. As the refs began cleaning the pitch of thrown garbage, even the NK team helped kick some refuse to the sidelines to get the game underway again. The announcer grew quiet, with no more chanting and cheering, giving up on the game. Then, the ball shifted to the NK goal and the UAE scored a quick goal, and the crowd again erupted into cheers, and suddenly the game was back on in earnest! The loudspeakers began to boom again getting the crowd back into the spirit. Time was starting to run out and the hopes of victory for the UAE started to fade. The time ran out and more of the crowd made their way to the exits as injury time began. the UAE fought to score again, making drive after drive into the NK goals. At the UAE goal, a NK player laid on the ground and began stretching his leg. It appeared he was suffering from a cramp, and the UAE goalie helped him stretch in a gesture of sportsmanship unseen from the fans. On the last drive, the UAE fought to the goal and made a kick towards the goal which went wide and the game was over.

As we sat waiting for the masses to leave, our clothes damp with sweat and our hopes of a victory celebration gone, we enjoyed watching the crowd pass us by. We saw a kid with UAE painted in bright red down the front of his dishdasha. It was the Emirati equivalent of the fat guy in nothing but shorts painted in team colours! Another painted dishdasha passed by with 'Don't Try or Play with the UAE' The phrasing and spelling was wrong, but the meaning still came thru clearly, in opposition to the now greatly sweat faded UAE colours painted on his face. In the NK section, which was separated by half a section of seating area blocked off by security men, the red was flashing all over the place and the cheering was constant. A N Korean woman's voice led the section in chanting and cheering their victory as we stood up to leave.

I arrived home in good time and went straight away to take a cold shower. I will post some photos of the action when I get copies from everyone who attended with us. I am sorry that we will not be seeing the UAE at the World Cup in 2010.

Officially very tall

2008-09-03T18:06:00.002+04:00

There's been some debate around the world as to who has the "world's tallest building" and Dubai's project has been a bit mysterious since they wouldn't announce the final amount of stories/floors/etc.

But, THIS just in from YahooNews.

Looks like Dubai will be taking the record for tallest building as it's reached a height of 688 metres or 2,257 feet and is still growing developers announced Tuesday.

Ramadan Kareem!

2008-08-31T22:04:00.004+04:00

Abu Dhabi- Worshippers enter the Musallah Eid mosque in Aug 31, 2008 in Abu Dhabi. The Ramadan is due to begin depending on the moon sighting. (The National/ Andre Forget)

It is Ramadan as of sunset today! Ramadan officially starts when the very first sliver of moon is sighted after the New Moon. Every year there is some debate about when it actually happens since it can vary in some regions, but most of the time a majority of countries agree on the same day. Officially the UAE has recognised sundown today as the first day! That means that the next month Muslims will be fasting from dawn to sunset every day.

I copied all the stuff below from some emails that went around our company that explain some things, since I didnt want to have to retype everything

Iftar - the meal at sunset when Muslims break their fast. It’s family oriented and full of traditions, which usually vary depending on national origin.

Suhour - the meal that Muslims have before sun break. Basically their last meal before they begin their fast. This also is built on traditions that vary from country to country, but in general you can think of Ramadan as a nocturnal month. People will be crawling out of the woodwork around 10 or 11 in the evening, after they’ve had their Iftar, done their prayers, socialised and watched their favourite TV series. Expect restaurants to be open until about 4 or 5 am, serving their “Ramadan specials” for this meal.

Imsak - this is the moment that Muslims refrain from eating and drinking to begin their fast. It happens exactly when the dawn call to prayer begins.

Niyyah - means intention. This is an important concept in Islam, particularly for fasting. In order to fast, you must have the intention to do so from the day before, and prepare yourself accordingly.

Khaimah or Khiyam - means tent(s). You’ll see them all over. Basically wealthy individuals along with businesses and charity organisations setup these tents to provide free Iftar and Suhour meals to anyone who shows up. They’ll be all over the UAE. Makes for a great multimedia / pictoral presentation.

Azan al Fajer - sunrise call to prayer, which marks the Imsak, the beginning of the fast.

Azan al Maghreb - sunset call to prayer, which means Muslims can break their fast. NOTE OF CAUTION: Stay off the roads during this time as the normally nutty UAE drivers get even more nutty. Drivers are hungry, thirsty, grumpy, hot and many have a nikfit. At this time of day, you’ll find they are rushing home to make it just in time to hear the call to prayer, so that they can break their fast with their family. I would not want to be a pedestrian during that hour.

Ramadan Kareem everyone! I know that we will be enjoying the huge buffets and smoking lots of shisha! (except for Elysia, who will be in Las Vegas, the opposite of Ramadan for a couple weeks)

The last two weeks of Monday Cake

2008-08-30T13:04:00.003+04:00

I'm a bit behind with the big Monday Cake reveal (two weeks to be exact) so here's a feast for your eyes. Sadly, these will be the last Monday Cake pictures for some time as Ramadan begins Sept. 1 and signals a whole month of no food in the office.

Key lime pie (made with Indian limes)
My personal favorite thus far was this pie. Complete with homemade graham cracker crust and whipped cream. I was excited for the whipped cream because it gave me a chance to use my new piping bag.

Carmel cake
I actually didn't know such a cake recipe existed until I had a coworker request it. While the cake itself was a pretty easy one to make — unwrapping all the tiny caramels and melting them down was not. The icing for this cake also provided me a cooking lesson. I found myself making it twice! There is a fine line in cooking butter down to turn it a nut brown color and cooking butter down and burning it.

strange packaging

2008-08-27T14:47:00.005+04:00

I love the hypermarts here. You can get all kinds of fruit, spices, candies, and every other type of food from all over the world. There are literally a hundred different types of just Mangoes. And plenty of fruit you will never see in the US. Of course, along with all the amazing things are the strange ones. After seeing some things that caused me to ask 'Why?' I started taking photos to show everyone how things are done here.

I know that oil and water don't mix, but HEY! I know!!! Let try Oil and Tang!

When you really need to quench your thirst... If a 6 pack of Coke doesn't do it, then maybe the free bottles of water that come with the Coke will!!!! Yes. Thats right, each 6 pack comes with 2 water bottles too.

Buy the mini juice packages, and get a bottle for them! A bottle that will hold 2 juice boxes worth of liquid, for those times when carrying 2 juice boxes is just too much trouble and you only want to carry one item!

Buy 2 Pringles, one for Mom, one for Dad, and get the free kid size packages for the little ones to fight over!

This makes a little more sense. buy the cheap powdered milk and get the cheap no brand choco-pops to color it brown.

In case you forgot to pick up the ketchup for your spaghetti last time you went to the store.

Some get ready for Ramadan, I get ready for Vegas

2008-08-26T17:32:00.002+04:00

While other's will be fasting (the whole country in public during Sept 1-30), I'll be doing the EXACT opposite in Las Vegas. What amazing timing.

I'm still debating if I want to be a VERY nice wife and pre-make some dinners for Wes and store them in the freezer so he can eat them after sundown. We'll see how nice he is the next few days.

I do think it would be interesting to be here the whole month and try to fast with everyone. Perhaps I'll do so on my return from the States. I will probably need to after eating ridiculous meals at Craftsteak and Fleur de Lys.

The label Ade likes to use: Hippiecrit (part 2)

2008-08-25T17:47:00.007+04:00

Remember how I was saying Wes has been doing a lot of non-Wes things since we moved here (see the entry about him purchasing a 50" plasma TV)...?

Well, this should shock and amuse at the same time.

Behold! The meat eater!

The murderer looks guilty/yet very pleased

I have to say that I was a bit surprised when Wes wanted to eat at a Brazilian restaurant. I looked at him puzzled and said, "You know they only serve meat here, right?" I think he thought that meat included fish (something he has been eating for the past few months). At least we have the joy of eating all Halal animals (locally raised and killed by hand with a clean sharp knife to the throat).

What did Wes think of his Brazilian meat eating experience?
"Interesting."

Home, sweet home

2008-08-24T00:59:00.003+04:00

The moment that some of you have been waiting for. Finally! A look at our one bedroom flat.

Blue bedroom, large bed

Bedroom crystal ball

Cozy bathroom, large tub

Duck green livingroom

Where I spend most of my time

Can you spot your picture on my fridge?

Making things like this....

Fond words from the Brits

2008-08-19T13:29:00.003+04:00

Today we got into a discussion about France and how I'm secretly afraid to go there after hearing horror stories about the treatment of non-French speakers. I have a feeling that watching "French Kiss" the other night has re-enforced this fear.

The Brits on my desk claim my fears are true.

"You'll go into a shop and speak French trying to order a sandwich and then they will get angry and say, 'YEAH YEAH. I'll get you and sandwich' in English."

"The French are a bunch of cheese eating surrender monkeys."

"I refused for a long time to believe that the French are all assholes. A whole nation can't be like that. But I think they want you to believe they are assholes."

Ringing endorsements about France, eh? I really want to go for the food. But I think I could do without the attitude. Maybe I just need someone that speaks French to go with me, oui?

When I think about tilling I immediatly think about...

2008-08-18T20:00:00.003+04:00

...unless agicultural means something totally else (maybe it's Engrish for probe?)....

Our design in the news (or at least, in a blog)

2008-08-18T12:00:00.001+04:00

Someone blogs about The National (and blogs about my sections!). It ain't long. Read it HERE.

How does she keep getting into this blog?

2008-08-15T19:20:00.005+04:00

I guess any semi-famous American celebrity has an equal shot at doing so if they are dating a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family!
WOWIE!

Celb insider Perez Hilton is reporting that Pamela Anderson is doing just that. Pam's pictures graced the pages of many magazines here in June when she came for a charity event. After that even more news surfaced when she announced her plans for building an eco-friendly hotel in the capital.

I bet they are "dating" so the royal family can guarantee she follows through with building the hotel. AND THAT'S how business gets done!

Nothing to see here people, move along

2008-08-12T15:56:00.003+04:00

I'm really glad I'm getting a UAE break in a few weeks. It's 21 days until Vegas now. And a bit more than that till Detroit. I desperately require dog cuddles.

While I get to talk to my mother a pretty good amount here, I am realizing how I have no other contact with anyone. While my grandmother will call every-other month, emails from my dad and a few random text messages/drunk dials from Ade ... well, that's it. Yes, I'm bitching. But not in an angry way. I know people are busy running their own lives and are just trying to keep in contact with those that live in the same town. It's just really really hard sometimes.

I miss getting mail. I miss phone calls. I miss knowing what people are doing over the weekend. And while Facebook was filling that void for a bit — well, it ain't doing it anymore. I feel so disconnected from people.

Get out there and FLY, people

2008-08-10T15:59:00.002+04:00

Got an extra $1200 burning a hole in your pocket? Why not come and visit Wes and I in October? Best time of the year to come (minus the Shopping Festival that starts January 24th). October is great because it isn't insanely hot anymore (just hot). It's also going to be great because Abu Dhabi is hosting the second annual Middle East Film Festival during that time.

November and December are good too (but after December it's too cool out to swim and enjoy the beach as temps only reach 60-70degrees).

Monday Cake, part 5

2008-08-10T13:17:00.002+04:00

Last week I got adventurous and did a double selection: Carrot and coconut cupcakes.
Gotta love the fresh and abundant produce of the UAE!
All 36 cupcakes went in a flash.

Pretty-little coconut cakes

The collection

Another overseas purchase

2008-08-06T20:26:00.002+04:00

This time it ISN'T American!
Dubai has just purchased 20% of Cirque du Solei from it's Quebec founders.
To read about the deal, CLICK HERE.

Seriously, this place is totally Vegas.

A date with royalty, part 2

2008-08-03T17:04:00.003+04:00

After the sand we decided to stop into the Liwa Date Festival that was nearly in it's last day. While I was hoping for date ice cream we got something even sweeter! A photo and handshake with his Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. How's that for a title?!!

There are plenty of booths at the Liwa Date Festival — including this one featuring a number of different kinds of date trees.

The UAE is IN LOVE with breaking world records. The country's newest is having the largest plate of dates in the world.

Oooooooohhhh... That's a lot of dates.

Lots of "State Fair-like" exhibits showcasing how Emirates used to live in the desert. This is before the gold-platted toilets and large Range Rovers. Notice the shrine to the Sheikh. You'd never see something like that dedicated to Bush.

One of many pictures of Karen and I with dates

A Super.Happy.Gazelle

Wes wishes this truck was his. He's dreamed of the day where he owned a car that matched his pants.

Told you. Just in case you didn't believe me... more photos of dates.

Well look who walked in....

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and I meet. His response, "Ah, you must be from The National." He's a sharp guy, or at least his PR guy is.

Probably the first guy with a nail in his eyebrow to ever shake Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan's hand.

Our exciting day in Liwa, part 1

2008-08-02T15:51:00.011+04:00

Yesterday's journey into Liwa started out innocent enough. Our day was loosely planned with it's main goal being to see a lot of large sand dunes and visit the "real" desert. We decided that it was a perfect way to test out our friend Neil's test vehicle (he's the motoring guy at the paper): A large orange Hummer. But we got much more than we bargained for .... which is why this entry will be much larger. (That, and we're still waiting on some photos.) Here's part one with a little photo essay of our trip.

Our crazy Canadian friend Neil says, "GET IN!"

Maybe this should have been a sign of things to come... A random sculpture welcoming us to Liwa.

Strange sight number 2: We spot a glass case full of weird white chocolate sculptures at lunch

A view from the Liwa Hotel, the place we ate lunch

On the way to check out the dunes we spot 1/2 a sign..

To quote Hunter S. Thompson, "What the hell are we doing in the middle of the desert?"

Wes pretends he bought a Hummer

Random buildings in the middle of nowhere

Lots and lots of nothing

Random sight number 3: A castle tower. We wonder if there was once a putt-putt golf there...

On the way back we spot CAMELS! I hate to say it Cassie, but they were cooler than you. Needless to say, I now want a camel as a pet.

The camels say, "We have visitors!"

Itchy neck

Baby camel and mom with camel bra

At first I didn't know if we should pet them..

But I totally couldn't resist

Camels love close-ups

NEXT UP
Part 2: 'A date with royalty'

Pam Anderson loves Abu Dhabi soooo much...

2008-08-02T14:27:00.004+04:00

...that she's decided to build a hotel in it!

No joke. Perez even has the story HERE.

Not only will it feature her name and design but will be a green-friendly venture. I bet Dubai is Über jealous!

New addition to our household!

2008-07-31T11:07:00.003+04:00

NO, I AM NOT PREGNANT. Nor did we get another dog (or cat/fish/bird/turtle).

Now that we've cleared that up I can talk about our new addition... Lori.... our Filipino house maid. For those of you who have not lived overseas (everywhere except Europe) you may be screaming out loud, "WHY DO YOU NEED A MAID!?! Are you seriously that lazy??"

Those that know me well know that I am generally pretty clean about my house. I hate dirty dishes and gross floors. So the reasons isn't that I'm incapable of doing it myself. Or that I am lazy.

Over here, things are, CHEAP. Getting your laundry done, handyman jobs around the house and hiring a maid are all close to nothing. The cost of living is low (except for the Manhattan rent prices). While I can be doing other things that I enjoy more than cleaning house (reading, working on art for work, etc) I can hire someone else to do, pardon the expression, my dirty work. While we're not getting a live-in maid, Lori does come once a week for two hours to clean the bathroom, floors, kitchen, etc.

Cost? 50AED or about $14 (also the cost of filling my gas tank.. thought I'd rub that in as well).

Monday Cake, part 4

2008-07-29T12:53:00.006+04:00

This week's selection was a multilayer devil's food with chocolate ganache.
It took one hour to properly make the ganache (I am without an electric mixer). I think shaving down 2lbs of chocolate and beating it into the boiling cream was well worth it.

Alas! The holy grail

2008-07-28T17:35:00.006+04:00

It's probably been eight months since I last had my fix of an 'original flavor pretzel with butter and salt'. While I did confirm the existence of Auntie Anne's in the UAE before I left the States, the pretzel chain had eluded me. That is, UNTIL I ended up in Dubai for an afternoon of snowboarding (Yes, there is snowboard in the desert. More on that later).

EEEEEEEEEE! Look how happy I am!

Thumbs up for tasty pretzels

While the pretzels were the same... the dipping sauces were sadly not. NO HOT SALSA CHEESE!!!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! OH, THE HUMANITY!

That small difference aside, I made Neil pose and gorge with me. Though I was hungry, I could not do a buy 3-get-1-free deal on my own.

Oh, the drama that is my life

2008-07-27T16:30:00.005+04:00

Today is like any ordinary day in the newsroom. Deadlines, food orders, tea boys serving steaming hot cups of sweet milk tea... really, all the normal goings on.

It's totally normal today IF you completely ignore the television crew filming in the newsroom. Not only is there a television crew but it's for the reality show Hydra Executives.

While most of you will never hear about or even see the show (unless you're in the Middle East or UK) it's cousin program is the widely known one with Donald Trump at the helm. Yes indeedy Hydra=The Apprentice.

Who doesn't LOVE reality tv? (besides Wes)
On the Left Mr. Donald Trump and Hydra's big boss Dr. Sulaiman Al Fahim

Apparently what's going on today with the filming has something to do with the Pakistani vs. Indian team seeking out/writing/reporting a local business story.

Right now Neil and I are brainstorming a way to get into the background of a shot.

Buying up American like it's our job

2008-07-26T12:18:00.006+04:00

Perhaps you've heard about it... maybe you haven't..

But Abu Dhabi is taking a big interest in American right now since, well, the economy ain't so great there.

Latest purchase? Oh, a 75% stake in the Chrysler building in N.Y.
Truth is, Abu Dhabi probably bought it because they had a small obsession with the latest Spider-Man. If they can't have Spider-Man, they'll take the building featured in it.

Oh yea, Abu Dhabi is also one of the largest shareholders in GE too. Spend, spend, spend...

Wes says:
Since not everyone can come work in Abu Dhabi like we have, it looks like you can work for Abu Dhabi when comes there!

The only way to make a Monday (our hump day) a good day

2008-07-23T15:55:00.010+04:00

Meet the newsroom tradition I started, now dubbed Monday Cake.
This week's selection is a bit misleading since it's not cake. It's pie.

These tasty samplings were packed with apples and spices. And yes, that's my homemade crust on both.

Pie x 2

Me, my desk and pie

RIP Ugly Palm Tree

2008-07-21T16:44:00.003+04:00

On my way to work, I always pass by the Ugly Palm. It is how palm trees really look when they are not trimmed and beautified as you would see in a movie or at a resort.

By the time I get to Ugly Palm, which is about 2/3 of the way to work I am starting to get hot and sweaty, so this palm has represented the point at which I begin thinking "ok I am almost there, just a little farther!".

Except a couple of days ago, on my way to see it, I noticed that the green top of it was missing! What happened to it?!

Well, I arrived at the tree and found the top 3 meters laying on the ground below. It had fallen off! I was surprised, and then began wondering if it had managed to land on a car since it was laying in a parking spot.

Now my new waypoint is Dead Ugly Palm, and it just isnt the same anymore.

Next stop: Bangkok

2008-07-21T16:39:00.002+04:00

Wes and I have decided on a place for our next journey!

Bangkok in December!

Yay for a fun first anniversary!

This is what $2.3 billion will buy you

2008-07-19T19:04:00.010+04:00

Neil and I decided we better go take a tour of the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. It's usually the first things tourists do and well, I have to say, it's one of the first sights I noticed when I arrived in the city.

Here's a few shots from our day trip just down the street from our apartments.

My arrival

Lots of gold plated marbled pillars

Outside in the courtyard

Wide shot

Neil looks up, way up

Getting dressed to enter the mosque

Men laugh as I struggle to figure this thing out

Tada! I almost look local

Inside the women's prayer room

The world's largest chandler, hanging from the world's largest dome, above the world's largest carpet.

Carpet close up

More lighting

Glam outside

It feels like the end of the world

2008-07-19T13:48:00.002+04:00

It started when I looked at the blue book in the lobby of our apartment building. I usually check it out once in a while because it is the Maintenance book, and lists all the problems that people in our building enter into it. It often has humorous quotes in it from people desperate to get the problems they are having fixed. These usually consist of, 'The sink is leaking', 'the toilet is broken', or 'Why is the trash room door locked?'. This time I noticed something odd, there were a sudden rash of complaints about the AC being broken in a few different flats. Many of them said things like 'It is 25C and rising fast!'. Then later that day, I got home, turned the AC back on, and lay out on the couch. As I lay there, taking a nap to be prepared for the fun and party time later that night, I woke up, hot and sweaty. This is very unusual, often it is very cold in the living room, and mildly cool in the bedroom. But yet, here I am, laying on the couch, all sweaty. I look at the thermostat, and realize that it shows is it 25C. I turn it down to 21C where we usually leave it, and try to sleep some more. And I sweat more. Oh damn. That means our AC is broken too! I start asking around in our flats and am told that a fan went out on the roof and it will not be fixed until Sunday. This was on a Thursday! Are we going to make it? I go to a party, and come back home about 4am. It is hot as hell in the apartment, the temp has reached 30C and as I try to recover the next day, all I can do is lay there sweating out all the water my body has, water that could be used in combating my hangover! We have to get out of here. It has now reached 31C (about 88F) in our flat and the temp is still climbing.

Screw this, we are going to a hotel tonight until it is fixed tomorrow!

Men's night out at the Arabic club

2008-07-16T15:05:00.004+04:00

Last night I went to an Arabic nightclub. They were not sure that I would enjoy it because it is quite a different experience from the usual expat oriented clubs that most of the newsroom goes to. I was quite excited to go however, because the usual club here in the hotels is just like any normal club back home. So, right after getting done with work, we walked back to my apartment, I dropped off my laptop and we took a big shot to get us on our way. Back in the heavy humid heat of the Abu Dhabi nights, we walked as fast as possible to the road nearby to catch a taxi. The driver was listening to an audio tape, as most taxi drivers tend to do which sounded like a sermon. As usual, relaxed and watched the buildings go by, and enjoyed the wild skills taxi drivers use to get you to your destination. Maximum speed, Minimum time. We headed into the hotel which looked old, yet still in good condition. One thing you quickly learn here is that 'old' means anything built more than 5 years ago.

The first thing that surprised me was that the lift had a glass wall, and I could see into the lobby. So I kept watching out of it to see what would come next. The next floor I caught a glimpse of an Indian nightclub, then the floor above that one was also a club! Each floor had a different theme or was for different nationalities! I had discovered not just one new club to visit but 6! The lift stopped, and Muhammad pointed at the sign that said 'under 21 not allowed' and mentioned that this must only apply to the men because all the women look younger. I was not sure what to make of this since he had explained that this was a men only club, and that I should not bring Elysia with me because it was not allowed.

The music was loud and the smells were louder. The smell of shisha greeted us at the doorway, and we walked in to the club with flashing lights and the band blasting around us. I took a moment to look around and saw the room consisted of a stage shaped like a large bulbous T with tables placed all around. Men in dishdashas and western clothes sat puffing away on shisha and cigarettes. Some had beer or other drinks while others of them drank juices and ate fruit slices. We spotted Alaa on the other side of the stage and made our way over to him to pull up our own chair.
We ordered a drink and sat back to enjoy the show. The show mainly centered on watching the beautiful, almost but not quite scantily dressed women dancing. The singer/announcer sang songs I did not understand at all, but the beats were really enjoyable. I have found that there is something in the flow of Arabic music that is entirely different from what we are used to, and I like it very much.
I smoked a bit from the midwakh with my first drink, then moved on to the easy drags of apple shisha. I puffed out clouds of smoke over the dance floor while watching the dancers shake and move across the floor in time to the music. Then one of the girls danced to the edge of the stage where a man placed a Lei around her neck, then put one around each of her arms. She danced back towards the middle of the stage, then threw all 3 of them off the stage into the corner of the room. Well, I thought, that was odd, I was half expecting her to do some sort of dance involving them. So, back to watching the singer and the dancers and the crowd puffing away. Until it happened again with another girl. I asked Alaa, "Why does she keep throwing them away?" "So another girl can have a chance to get one." Of course this didnt explain anything to me. After seeing my look of that plainly meant 'uhh...?', he told me that the men can pay for one to give to the girl they fancy the most and that each one cost 50dhs (about 13$). "Each girl makes only 1200dhs a month here and so they get money buy receiving the Lei as a sort of tip. They get to keep 5% of what the club makes from each one." That makes this similar to the practice of pushing some cash into the thong of a stripper, but much tamer, as one would expect here.
I was asked, "which ones do you like?" Always a difficult question to answer with two single guys on both sides of you and a wife at home. Naturally I said they were all beautiful and it would be too difficult to decide this. It was easy to see that some men in the audience had no such trouble deciding who they favored. One fellow, probably in his late forties with a mustache (basically looking like thousands of other men in this country) chose as his favorite a tall asian girl with pouty lips and highlights in her hair. I had noticed her earlier, and she was most remarkable for what she was doing. Or rather, not doing, as she was in the back of the stage most of the time, looking not very happy to be dancing like many of the others who were quite into the show and were dancing fast, and 'jiggily' and all over the stage. This one simply stood in back and did a sort of one, two, one, two slight leg kick to the beats the whole time in her tall knee high white boots. I was most impressed with how bored she looked as opposed to all the others. The singer called her forward and began to throw leis at her feet as she stood, barely dancing and not looking happy to be making money with each one that was thrown. At first they had been putting the lei on the chosen girl's neck, or around their arm, but with this one it was different. The manager was throwing lei after lei onto the floor around the girl while the man sat, watching, and waving his hand to throw more! Every ten minutes or so the manager would arrive with another armload of leis which the fellow would wave to be thrown to her. After a few armloads, the manager took a piece of paper from the man, and gave it to the girl. I was told that he was giving her his number.
After watching this spectacle of all these leis being thrown to the girl I started to realise that the sums of money he was spending were getting to be out of control. I said to Muhammad that it looked like he was probably going to spend an amount equal to our monthly salary if he kept it up.
Finally the show was over and all the girls took their bags and walked off stage to applause. I waited around while the bill was paid. As we walked out, they said that the manager told them he had spent 11000Dhs (3000USD) that night. Of course I was amazed by the throwing away of so much money, quite literally. As I was saying how crazy he was to spend so much money to give the girl his number, they told me that one man had spent 20000dhs (almost 5500USD) for a night with one of the girls. damn, thats a lot of money! But some people have the money to blow it seems. Or maybe not. As we left in Alaa's car, he told me that the man paid with 2 credit cards. "Put 7000dhs on this one, and 4000dhs on the other" he said. I hope it was worth it for him!

Quick and dirty update

2008-07-13T14:01:00.003+04:00

+ I've started a new tradition in the newsroom it seems, as I am the official baker of the "Monday Cake." This week's flavor is sour cream lemon.

+ Soon our apartment will carry the title of finished. I've been buying cute storage boxes to put our ugly things in. Our lights shall be hung soon. And one last rug will be bought. Then we will take pictures and host parties of the dinner variety.

+ I've been on a reading terror. I think Wes is actually amazed by this because the whole five years we've know each other he's never seen me finish a book. (I generally can't finish a book because 1.) I hate surprises so I read the last chapter first, thus, spoiling the book. 2.) Can't finish a book I'm not in love with. I feel like it's a general waste of time to read something I'm only feeling lukewarm about. Right now I'm half way through "The Man Who Ate the World" and am about to start a science of baking book.

+ The other thing consuming my life (but not Wes') is our upcoming wedding celebration. Yesterday I signed the paperwork and booked The Whitney! My dream venue, by far. That and I've been crunching the numbers. We're gonna be saving A LOT for this damn thing. There's no way I will allow us to charge it. We're just getting done with credit card debt! No need to do it all over again.

+ Wes and I will be taking a week off in December to travel somewhere. I don't think we've settled on a place yet but we've ruled out Europe because we don't wanna pay Christmas prices. I think it's down to Cairo or Istanbul for our one year anniversary getaway. I'm still pulling for Bangkok though.

+ My plans for my September Vegas work conference are just about settled! Sooooo excited for that! A few days stop in Detroit will also happen on the way back to tie up some loose ends.

more water please!

2008-07-09T15:46:00.004+04:00

As I walked home last night I was relieved how nice and cool the summer air was. Once the sun is down the oppressive heat goes down to a reasonable level of about 100F. Walking to work that day, was a different story. Humidity was approaching 70%, and the apparently temperature (which is the opposite of wind chill) which takes into account the actual temp and humidity to best explain the temp that it feels like was up to 125F. 10 or 15 minutes walking in 125 and its almost time for a shower again by the time I get to work.

This morning my sunglasses fogged up the instant I walked outside. People tend to think that we are in the desert, which we sort of are, and usually assume 'but its a dry heat, right?' Well, it is not a dry heat. Being right on the edge of the Arabian Gulf, we get all the humidity from the water, mixing with the burning heat from the sun and the deserts around us to get the most difficult of situations.

I am glad for A/C

"No sex please, you're British"

2008-07-09T13:39:00.002+04:00

With a headline like that, you can't but help read this crazy Dubai-related story.
Click HERE to read about the girl who got arrested Friday.

What we did on July 4th

2008-07-06T14:30:00.005+04:00

What do you do in the Middle East for an American holiday? Well, probably the same thing we'd do on any other day... spend the day in the sun. Wes organized a trip with 10 other people in the newsroom to rent a bus and spend the day at Dubai's Wild Wadi Water Park.

The park (image from the Web site)

Our VIP cabana (complete with view of Lazy River, towels, chairs, private waiter, VIP cuts for the water slides , water and snacks). Not a bad deal, really.

Will goes surfing. I did too and it was soooooooo awesome.

Lots and lots of tubes and water slides

Send us music!

2008-07-01T16:31:00.000+04:00

Friends.
I am dying here.
There are basically no record stores. And the iTunes store doesn't work here (although illegal downloading does). AND radio here is horrid.

Send me music via snail mail! Make me a mix of your current favorites! Copy some new albums you've bought. ANYTHING.

Elysia Smith
C/O The National
P.O. Box 111434
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

It's about $2 to send a card/CD mailer to the UAE and it takes about 2 weeks to reach me if you send it regular speed. PLEASE PLEASE label it as a MUSIC mix on the CD. They are very freaked out by burned CDs at customs in this country because porn is banned here. Yes, I am serious.

And if you don't care enough to send CDs (yes, I just put on the guilt trip) ... at least respond by telling me some new good stuff out there so I can (SLOWLY) download it myself.

Miss you all.

Cranky

2008-06-29T15:53:00.003+04:00

That's me (at least for today).

Case in point:
Speakers blast at 4p.m. for one of the many daily calls to prayer and I say (without obviously thinking), "God, doesn't that guy ever shut up."

Not the best thing to say. Although, I guess it's not the worst either.

Morning, afternoon, evening and night

2008-06-29T12:36:00.002+04:00

Some great photo slide shows that our paper's photographers put together for our Web site. For those curious what Abu Dhabi looks/feels like, these photos are a far better representation than our crappy "home photos". Click HERE or on the title of this post to check them out.

R.I.P 2002 Chevy Cavalier

2008-06-25T17:30:00.005+04:00

The aftermath of our rollover accident on I-94.

The hill we rolled down.

And what happens to the car after said rolling. Total bummer.

More press on us and the UAE

2008-06-25T16:51:00.003+04:00

It looks like while I was in the U.S. two interesting news articles came out. One on the progress of The National and the other on traveling to the UAE.
Click HERE to read an article about The National written by The Guardian titled 'Making waves in the desert'. And click HERE to read about the perceived terrorism threat Brittan warns it's nationals against regarding visiting the UAE.

Back in A.D.

2008-06-25T00:27:00.003+04:00

We're back.

And minus a Wes' mustache (hooray!).

Work returns for me tomorrow (boo). Wes went back today (whatev).

Good thing our weekend starts Thursday (double hooray!).

TOTAL-ly annoying

2008-06-18T19:08:00.005+04:00

Last night, on the way back from Chicago, our car got totaled. Yup, my car I've had since early college is no more.
While I was asleep (imagine my surprise as I awoke) Wes swerved to miss some deer who were leaping across 1-94. Well, when he swerved he lost control and rolled down the giant ditch until we landed sideways. I'd never been in a car accident really so it was kind of interesting.
We're fine for the most part (my right hand is cut up and some how the shattering glass windows gave me a slight hair cut but nothing that most will notice). But the cop was alluding at how lucky we are to have worn our seatbelt or we'd probably be dead or something. I bet they tell all the girls that.

So now we're in Watervilet, Michigan.. at the Ramada.

What does all of this mean to you, people in Michigan? Well, if I was supposed to come visit you it ain't gonna happen now. All the effort on visits is pushed to your side of the fence. We're done with the driving.

10 Things Elysia wants to do in the U.S.

2008-06-11T16:42:00.002+04:00

1. See/snuggle/pet/cuddle/walk/treat/sleep with her dog.
2. See family & friends (sorry, you guys are second... Cassie is basically my child. You understand.).
3. Drink/buy booze the normal way.
4. SEE an uncensored movie in a non-mobile ringing/talking theater where the lights DON'T come on before the movie is over.
5. Eat pork (if I want to) and eat Taco Bell AND Olga's STAT.
6. See a concert (sadly, it's not higher up the list because I'm not looking forward to Michigan's smoking in public places policy. No worries though, we already have plans for the Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players show).
7. Not work. (Guess that should be higher up.)
8. Go to Chicago and drink with the Beer Guy!
9. Go thrifting.
10. Plan the Detroit wedding.

8 hours and counting...

2008-06-11T14:19:00.002+04:00

We're about 8 hours until we arrive at the Abu Dhabi airport for liftoff.

Before reaching Detroit we'll have a 2 hour layover in Amsterdam. The whole trip is supposed to take about 18 hours. Sounds fun, right?

Anyway, stay tuned for blog updates. We're traveling with laptop!

Yea, we're lazy like that

2008-06-06T12:37:00.003+04:00

I know we haven't updated this blog religiously in awhile. Things have been really busy but we're mostly being lazy because we'll be home soon.

Yup. We head to the airport Wednesday night (our time)!

We're beyond excited. T-minus 5 days!

Commence the national day(s) of mourning

2008-06-03T19:43:00.001+04:00

Sheikh Nasser bin Zayed dies
Read about it here.

Vegas baby! Vegas!

2008-06-03T19:21:00.003+04:00

Elysia will OFFICIALLY be in Las Vegas from September 4-11th!

While I'll be there on work related matters (this year's Society of Newspaper Design conference) that doesn't tarnish the fact that I'll be in Vegas!

Did I mention I'll be in Vegas?

Oh, and when I'm not staying at the Red Rock Resort & Spa for the conference it looks like I may be at the Bellagio.

Tee-hee!

Even in Abu Dhabi...

2008-05-27T15:09:00.006+04:00

... I can manage to get a parking ticket.

Yea, I can't read it either.

Needless to say, parking tickets in Abu Dhabi are almost unheard of. When I told people I got a parking ticket their first reaction was, "HU?" The city is known for it's "park-anywhere" attitude. Towing generally doesn't exist either. People park on sidewalks, next to fire hydrants, in the middle of lanes... pretty anywhere their car will fit. Oh, and boy do they double park (even I won't do that). Only recently has the mention of parking meters popped up.

Typical view of cramped parking conditions.

What I got fined for: Parking in the middle... a common Abu Dhabi practice.

After some translation I've discovered the fine is at least sort of low. About 200 AED or $55 and can be paid whenever (including next year when I renew my insurance).

Happy birthday, Cassie dog!

2008-05-26T10:54:00.004+04:00

Today is Cassie's 6th birthday. Sadly I cannot give her birthday pats — only virtual ones on Facebook. ::sigh::

If you're in the Canton, MI area today you can stop by my mother's house where Cassie is having a dog birthday party. Balloons, carob dog cake from Three Dog Bakery and party hats... yes, I am for real.

Happy birthday Snassy!

Next May

2008-05-25T17:50:00.004+04:00

May 22, 2009, less than a year from now, is the planned wedding date/party for Wes and I in Michigan.

This is as promised for those who couldn't make our small ceremony in Washington on December 22, 2007.

I don't know exactly what we're gonna do (if anything for a ceremony) but their will be a dinner/reception and an after party.

Details to come. Wes and I will sort it all out when we get back to Michigan in two weeks.

The label Ade likes to use: Hippiecrit

2008-05-24T21:54:00.007+04:00

Editor's note: Today Elysia embarks on a new series labeled ,"Is this the man you and I remember?" In it we'll take a look at Wes and the changes he's made since landing in the great big A.D.

The man who once said "TV is stupid" and "I don't want the television to be the focal point of the living room" has done the unthinkable. Yes, Wes has purchased a 50" Plasma screen TV.

Talk amongst yourselves.

"Don't you dare call it soccer"

2008-05-22T02:06:00.006+04:00

Football here (that's soccer to most of you Americans) is HUGE. And while that's not a surprise to the rest of the world it is for America (still). Well, at least most Americans (minus my old boss David).

Anyway, tonight we headed off to the pub to watch the big championship game of Manchester United vs. Chelsea with our neighbors and good friends Angela and Alex (Alex is from Manchester). Needless to say, the bar was packed. I wasn't too concerned with the game as Wes and I use the occasion to drink. But, as he says, "Do we really need an excuse to drink?"

But, really, a packed bar with a lot of chanting drunk crazy football fans is the tops. Totally exciting. Especially that part where Manchester won during the shootout. The celebration for that was a lot of hugging, screaming and kissing. Good times.

(Oh, and my apologies to anyone I (happily) drunk dialed last night! I totally blacked out on free champagne and Wes said I was a giggly mess with an itchy dialing finger.)

"I've never been able to properly express myself in this climate"

2008-05-20T13:25:00.005+04:00

I have a feeling I'll be uttering a lot of Hunter S. Thompson quotes this summer. Dear god man, it's already tipping past 100 degrees!

Notice how it's constantly "sunny"... never a cloud in the sky (sadly). July, August and September are supposed to be worse. I hear it's impossible to stand outside for longer than 5 minutes.

Before you know it I'll be saying to Wes: "What the hell are we doing in the middle of the desert..."

Somebody get me another green sun visor! STAT.

Already piling up

2008-05-19T19:15:00.003+04:00

Things are firming up for our trip home. Tada...the list! (Subject to change, of course)

June 12th
AM: Landing in Detroit around 10:30am (followed by some sleeping and eating)
PM: Picking Erik and Sarah up from the airport

June 13th
AM: Drive to E.L. for the wedding, brunch, check in to hotel, romp around the town
PM: Wedding

June 14th-15th
Canada

June 15th
PM: Father's Day dinner in Detroit

June 16th-18th
Chicago

June 18th-23rd
NO PLANS! Hooray!

June 23rd
Back to the other side of the world