Apricot | ExpatWoman.com
 

Apricot

Apricot
1987
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Latest post on 18 November 2012 - 21:23
am just rather stunned that this story could be dragged out over 4 books and 5 movies! If i'd been in charge of editing any of it the books would have been about a tenth of the length and one movie would have been more than enough! I agree, Muse! Haven't seen the latest movie, don't think I will for a while since my local cinema is shut for the next few months for renovation. <em>edited by Apricot on 18/11/2012</em>
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 November 2012 - 21:11
I woke up to a broken refrigerator. Hi Norak, hope your fridge is being repaired/ replaced!
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 November 2012 - 21:08
you can get dowels from Tavola. They are long, thin plastic tubes with wide openings. Or you can go to a hardware/sanitary wares shop, find a PVC pipe with the smallest diameter, ask the guys to cut them into 15 cm lengths for you. The bubble tea straws are just very wide straws. I would order a very thick milkshake from any of the ice cream places or Hardees and ask for 5 straws (1 for your drink and 4 for the cake). Good luck and let us know how it went!
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 November 2012 - 21:00
MOE also has a good branch of Tavola opp Jashanmal. Have fun!
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 23:29
Thanks for sharing. Is this only at the home furnishings store, or also at the clothes store?
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 23:19
Great ideas, DesertRose1958!
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 23:16
I would first look at the visa expiration date, keeping in mind B as the ideal option. You want to get the maid back into the country at least 2 weeks before her visa needs to be renewed. I would never opt for C. It complicates your situation should the maid decide to "extend her holiday".
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 22:47
Mrs B, I think it is lovely that you are trying to prepare your daughter from a young age for a brighter future than that possible for her female contemporaries. My father gave me similar answers when I asked him why he demanded so much of me. From my husband's experience working for a management firm headquartered in London, his Choueifat and university achievements (he left Choueifat ranked #2 in his class then earned 2 Bsc's and an Msc) got him into the interviewing room, but once there he was challenged to think in ways that Choueifat had not prepared him for. Indeed he, and a friend who joined at the same time, really struggled for the first 4-6 months at the firm. His friend was asked to leave after 4 months because he simply couldn't think creatively enough/ extrapolate his knowledge to find solutions to unfamiliar situations. Pls encourage your daughter to pursue some creative activities outside of her study schedule. There's a wonderful drama group at DUCTAC (all the truly smart kids at my high school had taken part in my city's Childrens Theater group at some point between elementary and high school), you could encourage her to make stuff and sell it at ARTE if she has a talent for handicrafts, or write the "teen life" weekly column in The National newspaper, basically experiences which teach inter-personal skills outside the classroom and are different from academics but also intellectually challenging.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 21:59
You can take PME sugar craft classes at the Tavola store on Beach Rd in Jumeira. Just walk in and ask to see their class schedule. These courses end with certificates of achievement. There are ladies offering sugar craft lessons in their homes; Time Out Kids has a good listing under the heading Party Cakes, as does the website dubaikids dot biz
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 21:55
I have a template from a back issue of Martha Stewart Baby which you can use to cut out a fish shape from a cake baked in a basic 9 x 13 pan. Just in case you don't get the Wilton cake pan...
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 21:50
The shops in Satwa are fantastic for the Anchor and DMC cross stitch threads: Fida, Aalam Al Khuyoot (yellow/black sewing machine sign). There is a limited selection in Daiso Oasis Ctr.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 21:47
yeah, they're gearing up for the hordes who will come to Organic Foods & Cafe this Saturday :)
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 21:45
Lime Tree Cafe recently catered lunch for a company for two days and the sandwiches were really nice!
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 10:13
Or celebrate by planting a tree “On the occasion of National day, it is my hope that we plant trees." His Highness Shaikh Mohammad. Nice idea! http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/government/shaikh-mohammad-plants-union-tree-1.1104866 Thanks for sharing Di@Dxb! <em>edited by Apricot on 15/11/2012</em>
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 10:02
Ooh, that is steep!
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 09:48
DH went into the office for 3 hrs this morning, just came home.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 09:47
one of the 4 emirati mums tried to convince me to convince the other 13 mums in KG1 to buy Dhs 165 personalized waistcoat/cap in the colors of the flag for each boy (the girls' dresses on her Blackberry feed started at Dhs 285), then teach the children the dance. I'd rather celebrate with wing-mirror-socks! Cheap and cheerful :)
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 15 November 2012 - 09:27
What does a barbeque set include? Is this a tool kit for barbequing food (tongs, grill basket, etc) or the barbeque grill appliance? You can get a barbeque grill that is held up by 2 wheels and has a pulling handle within your budget from Home Center or Carrefour.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 22:30
Until they discover their cousins' Coco pops cereal....I have been trying to postpone that sleepover for as long as I can!!!
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 22:26
Maybe contact Gazebo or 800 Biryani. Both places deliver, and their other food is really good. Also try Ginnee's/ Ginee's bakery in Karama.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 22:01
To the OP: I reward my 4 yr old for engaging in "writing projects" or "number projects" or "cutting projects" (tracing, counting, cutting out pix from newspaper) with a pasta shape in a jar. I choose the amt of pasta shapes that earns a prize, and he chooses the prize. We have achieved the 10 shapes = trip to the zoo, and are working on 20 shapes = painting a rainbow on his bedroom wall. I think you will find that the entrance exam into a school like Chouefat is extremely difficult but the benefits long term of such an education are worth the study. Definitely, it is not the "soft" communicative education style of the west, but, it is successful and there are many famous, well respected thinkers world wide who are products of this style of education.MrsB, you have answered my nagging questions by telling us that your children were/are students at Choueifat. Yes, this school works best for families that are as willing as you are to hire tutors to help their children study. But it also demands that children think and behave in a certain way. My husband and his siblings were educated at Choueifat, tutored by their mother (former high school teacher) and all graduated from Ivy League universities in USA, but one brother really hated the Choueifat system and only did well out of respect for his parents. His mother always looked down on him for leaving USA with "only" a BSc degree from an Ivy League university. I had to teach my husband Western concepts like pursuing your dreams to make them reality, spontaneity, expressing individuality at work, things not really encouraged at Choueifat. I understand your desire to push your daughter towards academic success. I was pushed by my parents to succeed at an academically challenging high school for similar reasons (my father is Pakistani and he moved the family to the area specifically for the schools). I got really good grades and test results but I was really unhappy (I was allowed Muslim friends, but didn't have any suitable classmates). It was a relief to get married!! Then I was pushed to complete a university degree in less than ideal circumstances. Not much different than the traditional cultural bullying girls are subjected to, just a more "acceptable to the West" goal. IMHO. Please keep checking whether your daughter's academic performance is due to inner satisfaction or a strong desire to please you.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 21:19
Is the cost of treatment at Latifa hospital much less than at other hospitals , health card or not ?Sadly, not anymore for the expats, even if you have a health card. Personally, I don't find it worthwhile to pay the same price as a nice private clinic/ hospital when the procedure is carried out by giggling medical students, (literally sore from repeated improper insertion of rigid plastic speculum) and said students are present like a Greek chorus while you attempt to explain your issues "down there" to the supervising doctor. I had my ovarian cyst operated on by Dr Amal Al Shunnar, before she specialized in IVF :) Her mother Dr Zainab Kathim is a respected gynecologist in her own right, I would contact her at Al Shunnar Polyclinic. 40% of the costs were borne out by the insurance company.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 21:02
Sure. American-style drop biscuits. 1 cup mashed sweet potato (250g sweet potato baked in 200C oven, then cooled and peeled) 3 Tbsp canola oil 1 Tbsp maple syrup 1 tsp red grape or apple vinegar 1/2 tsp salt 1 cup all purpose flour (or a mix of all purpose and chapati flour) 2 tsp baking powder 1/4- 1 tsp nutmeg (depending on how much you like nutmeg) 2-3 Tbsp cold water Preheat oven to 185 C, cover sheet w/ parchment. Mix together the mashed sweet potato, oil, maple syrup, vinegar, salt. Use a sifter to sift in the flour, baking powder and nutmeg. Fold the flour into the potato using wooden spoon until moist and crumbly, DO NOT OVERMIX. Add 2 Tbsp water and lightly knead 4 or 5 times until dough holds together, adding extra water if needed. Don't knead too much or it will toughen the biscuits. Drop the dough in golf ball-size pieces onto prepared baking sheet. Bake 10-15 min or until tops are lightly browned, firm to touch. These keep well in fridge in sealed plastic container.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 20:51
Pie crust: 1/3 cup shortening (buy it from Spinney's, best price) 1 cup flour Enough ice water Mix shortening and flour together with fork or pastry blender, and slowly add ice water. Transfer to sheet of wax paper or plastic wrap and then gather into a ball with hands. Refrigerate 25 minutes, then top with another sheet of plastic wrap or wax paper before rolling out.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 20:47
I had to stop buying this for my kids because all they ever did was eat all the marshmallows and leave the oats. Do no one else's kids do this?My kids are deprived souls who have only been exposed to plain Cheerios and milky oatmeal, or worse, their dad's raisin bran. Eeeevil!
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 20:43
I was at Safeway the other day and they had a new shipment in. I noticed the Captian Crunch but did not check for Lucky Charms. Perhaps those came in too. Norak, which Cap'n Crunch did they have? Peanut Butter Capn Crunch with Crunch Berries for our dear friend??
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 20:40
No prob, I ended my afternoon at the good ole Carrefour Shindagha pushing a trolley full of cleaning supplies and groceries so the search for the photo studio was technically "on the way to the grocery store..." :)
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 20:37
Rib Room at Emirates Towers Hotel. My DH usually hates white linen restaurants but he felt very at ease there.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 20:34
I got the Fine Dining and Kids books last year. We've used the Fine Dining book for most of our date lunches. Best venue so far has been Rib Room in Emirates Towers Hotel. Chose the Kids book over the Family book.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 20:17
Umm, plenty of foil packets were being taken out of bags full of clothes/toiletries from home.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 20:15
Okay Anon, got out of the house today sans boys!!! Went to Mercato, no luck, the photo studio has been replaced by a Dnata travel agency. Went to Jumeira Plaza (Pink Mall) and the photo studio is called Al Awazi Studio, zero four- three four nine - seven four two four. First floor, to the right side of Prime Medical Clinic (home of sadistic pediatric nurses).
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 20:11
My family friend sells her daily wear shalwar kameez in Bur Dubai, her more high-end pieces at Designer's Lounge in Jumeira.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 20:09
Irooni are you in a villa, if so get one of those rotary clothes airers. http://www.leangreenhome.co.uk/green-buying-guides/rotary-washing-lines/ ETA: they have them in C4 edited by Alismum on 14/11/2012The local Brabantia dealer, AA &Sons has a warehouse clearance on now, in Al Quoz (just before the Intercoil mattress shop opp Mall of the Emirates).
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 20:02
We went last month while staying in one of the nearby RAK hotels. You would need to bring your own lunch, plenty of sunblock (since there is very little shade), get there early to avoid the smokers. It seemed the visitors there were either Filipino, Indian, expat Arab or Russian. Just an observation. Most of the swimwear was conservative.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 01:44
Pink mall is called Jumeira Center and they have free but limited underground parking (turn right the minute you pass the new glass-fronted Engine Fitness Center which used to be a bank). Will check at Mercato as soon as the boys will let me!
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 01:36
Where is at home ? Did you notice the price ?There's an @Home store in Mercato.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 14 November 2012 - 01:31
Greenheart Organic Farms is busy establishing a certified organic dairy. Mazaraa, from Abu Dhabi, sells organic laban (the yoghurt drink) at the Dubai Mall/Souk Al Bahar Farmers Market (Friday mornings).
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 13 November 2012 - 10:59
yeah it was on 1st floor behind Damas jewelry store, but they keep changing shops in that area. need 2 check in person. photo studio still exists on 1st floor of Jumeira Pink mall.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 13 November 2012 - 10:51
There are some great vegan cookbooks by Isa Chandra Moskowitz on Amazon. my neighbor shared her favorites, incl a biscuit recipe that uses mashed roasted sweet potato as a sub for butter, it really works :)
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 12 November 2012 - 21:39
You do NOT need a SSN to get a passport.You have the option of not applying for a SSN...
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 12 November 2012 - 21:34
April Flower, you won't need it. The Emirates flight isn't busy and the airport is, just like hiccups said, a very nice shed with 2-3 passport control counters. I went with my young family a week before Christmas and it was very quiet. Just our fellow passengers from the Emirates flight, which was half full. We found it helpful to arrange airport transfers with the hotel we stayed at.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 12 November 2012 - 18:50
Anon, I can check for you, I just have to haul myself out of the house! both boys have stomach flu, but will try tomorrow.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 12 November 2012 - 17:54
I have both. haven't used the Kindle for email or internet. The kindle is significantly lighter than the iPad.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 12 November 2012 - 17:27
The Iranian Hospital happens to be very conveniently located for me, and their health card gets you a 20% discount on all treatment. When the staff saw that I was paying for the maid's dental (and not expecting maid to pay me back), they found all kinds of ways to reduce the treatment prices. Zulekha hospital, New medical center, Prime medical center are all well-priced, hygienic places.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 12 November 2012 - 15:02
OP, hope you contacted Municipality and resolved the issue.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 12 November 2012 - 14:55
The Children's Garden Jumeira starts at 8.20, but there are plenty of parents bringing children until 8.45am.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 12 November 2012 - 14:54
Yeah, I keep reading about how ADEC is changing the gov't schools in AD. Interestingly, the most recent survey from parents showed that the parents aren't happy with the increased usage of English! Unfortunately in my son's classroom, the Arab children have to be pushed to converse in Arabic during recess and lunch. They all have Indian or Filipino nannies! My son has learned about how Ben10 kills Barbie and all princesses!
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 12 November 2012 - 14:40
I'm selling a pair of Sofft semi formal black leather pumps with 1 inch kitten heel, US size 10 Wide.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 11 November 2012 - 01:27
I got a Kenwood Multipro at some promotional price at Geant. Have also seen them selling cheap at the Union Coop, Safa Park upstairs. The guy at Jashanmal said that they pass on all their older stock to the Union Coop to sell at discounted prices.
Apricot
1987
Posts
EW EXPERT
Latest post on 11 November 2012 - 01:24
I have similarly sized feet :) I found hiking shoes at Adventure HQ in Times Square Mall. Found some nice casual shoes at Merrell in Dubai Mall (Grove area).
 
 
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