bubby1234 | ExpatWoman.com
 

bubby1234

bubby1234
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Latest post on 18 September 2012 - 10:27
Hi bubby1234, I was wondering if you can give the ladders? as I will need them to paint the new house I am moving in.... is it possible to come around today and collect the ladders? Thank you. unfortunately I think the ladders are broken- hence we need to get rid
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 16 September 2012 - 13:49
The Little Penguin does the same too. the little penguin provides exactly what i want. Thanks for the suggestion- have you used them before???
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 11 September 2012 - 18:40
it is not written in our contract who is responsible for the maintainace of our villa but so far our landlord has refused to pay for anything and we have had to fork out for it as we need things to work- ie leaks to be fixed, toilets to be working etc. We have kept a record of our spendings on the villa. We have noted over time that the tiles are coming off the bottom of our pool. Our pool maintainace people think this is due to poor quality grouting being used. They said that we need to drain the pool in order to replace the tiles. We are concerned that this will give us a huge DEWA bill. We think that as the tiles coming off is due to something structurally wrong with the pool, the landlord should pay for this. He said that he gave the pool to us in perfect condition and therefore it is not his fault. Does anybody have any advise on the best way to proceed? TIA
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 03 September 2012 - 19:52
my friend is a member of fitness first, pays 299 AED per month and can attend unlimited classes. they also have zumba and bellydancing compared to this, paying 50AED per class seems a little steep..........
bubby1234
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Latest post on 21 August 2012 - 14:04
Thanks all. Will let them know
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 14 August 2012 - 22:12
thank you all! will give her the info!
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 14 August 2012 - 14:05
Hello, Sorry if this is a repeat, but have done a quick search and couldn't find what I wanted. My friend has 2 kids aged 2 and 3- she is looking for a beach hotel in Dubai with kids activities, spa and close to amenities ie doctors. She will be here either in Dec or Jan. I suggested Atlantis but they are worried about the location and access to emergency services. Any others? Thanks in advance
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 10 August 2012 - 20:59
there is a highway now from Colombo to Galle so travel time should be cut if you are going to the west coast down south.
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 05 August 2012 - 18:23
we made the move in April and I also wanted to make sure that their preferred sport is played at the school. Most main sports so deffo football is available at school but I just wanted to let you know that there are lots of sports clubs, including several football clubs, out of school as well. I even managed to find a taek wondo teacher who trained with his teacher in the UK, just down the road from us.
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 04 August 2012 - 18:20
the lagoon at the cinnamon grand is also fabulous as well as the beach restaurant at mount lavinia
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 23 July 2012 - 19:23
razzlepop- we arrived here three months ago and love it. I have three kids aged 9,6 and 4. They don't go to regent's. If you posted this a week ago, I would have said I would love to meet up but this week is full with work and play dates already booked. if you want to drop me a line and I could look you up on our return at the end of August? Or if any play dates fall through, I could arrange a meet up. You will find things much easier when school starts. Welcome to Dubai! <em>edited by bubby1234 on 23/07/2012</em>
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 21 July 2012 - 08:47
verdeque - we moved to Dubai from the UK in April. The reasons were that we wanted better weather, the amount of tax my husband was paying is enough to pay someone's salary, and I wanted to be closer to our original home country (Sri Lanka) so my kids can get to know their heritage. Plus we loved the lifestyle Dubai offers. Maybe it is because the lifestyles in Sri Lanka and Dubai are quite similar, that I have not experienced such a culture shock. In the short space of time, I have gotten used to the "inshallah" attitude, incompetent workers on the whole (ie plumbers/ electricians), huge DEWA bills etc. We also spend more time with our children as school finishes earlier and the weather is better so you feel like doing something after school/ work than sit in front of the telly. Making friends has not been so easy but I put a lot of effort in and (I hope) I now have a lovely circle of friends. I have not met anyone superficial and who I feel doesn't know where they are from if you know what I mean? If you meet me you would think that I am very down to earth but I love the glitz and glamour that Dubai offers. However, you do get similar luxury in Sri Lanka so it is not all new ie maids, nice hotels etc. It is so sad when friendships turn sour but I had a similar experience in the UK so not sure if it is all to do with Dubai. Bottom line- I think you need to look at reasons why you personally are looking to move to Dubai and make sure you don't lose sight of your goals. ie I used to hate shopping but have been tempted into buying a new wardrobe since coming here. But we send money back to the UK for the mortgage straight away before we spend anything here as that was one of our aims. I personally love Dubai but I do feel it is what you make it. Things are temporary here so live each moment to the full but keep tomorrow in the back of your mind!
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 05 July 2012 - 23:18
inside is similar to magic planet- you buy a modesh world card and top it up with any amount and you spend on rides/ activities which cost between 4.25 and 15 dirhams a go. all the shows are free though. my 9,6 and 4 year olds had fun there. But I managed to spend over 300AED in 2 hrs.
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 05 July 2012 - 08:19
thank you!
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 04 July 2012 - 22:45
are you talking about fan with vaporised water??? I want buy one of them. Where ??? how much it costs if you remember TIA not sure what you mean but this fan has a water tank at the bottom and it sprays mist when you turn the function on. I got it for 350 from dragonmart. But as mentioned in the post, it suddenly stopped misting but they swapped it for another one with no questions. Don't know if this means this is a commom occurrence!
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 03 July 2012 - 22:09
thanks. it is a different model. have braced myself for another visit to dragonmart!
bubby1234
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Latest post on 02 July 2012 - 10:27
In the mean time you can use the slip the liquor licence gives you to buy alcohol. sorry does this mean we can serve alcohol at home to guests before we actually have a licence?
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 02 July 2012 - 10:12
I applied at MMI store next to Spinneys Al Safa. they said it would take 4-6 weeks. So want to have a party before we do on holiday at the end of July!
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 29 June 2012 - 07:16
we wrapped our guitar in bubble wrap before putting it in the soft case. it arrived in Dubai OK although it was luggaged. You may want to do this in case they ask you to check it in. However I have seen other people carry a guitar in the plane
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 19 June 2012 - 19:49
thank you.
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 15 June 2012 - 06:20
Hi and welcome to Dubai. You feel as I did when I first arrived 2 months ago. The majority of friends, I have made at the kid's school. Are your kids school age? If so then just introduce yourself- Hi I am so and so's mum. Smile at everyone. Arrange play dates for your kids. You are lucky living in JBR- in the communal areas in the evenings ask " how old is your child" "what school does he/ she go to", or just say "Hi I am X" and get going. I figured the worst they can do is not talk back or move away and then it is their loss. I found that apart from three people, I always had to make the first move. However, now I have a full diary and a know a great bunch of people who I can call to arrange a coffee date. Don't wait for other to make the effort first- you may be waiting a long time!
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 14 June 2012 - 09:08
our gardener mentioned that we can dig a hole in the ground to get water from, and use that to water the garden so that we don't have to pay the high DEWA charges. I can't imagine this being legal. Does anyone know? Or how can I find out? TIA
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 12 June 2012 - 13:49
thank you egg. just the info I was looking for. have booked at sephora dubai mall. let's see how we get on.
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 08 June 2012 - 14:07
how can buy Voluptu Ohan's dresses? Does anyone know the price range? they are gorgeous!
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 08 June 2012 - 08:03
would you mind suggesting the names of the other non UK brands please?
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 28 May 2012 - 06:31
not sure what you mean? there are educational camps as well? there was a thread with a link to the summer camps which also advertised some educational/ creative ones
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 27 May 2012 - 08:58
yeah it did occur to me that the sea is used at the toilet but I was hoping that there may be more civilised people around...... :)
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 25 May 2012 - 11:52
the only thing I would change about the UK if I can is the weather- OK we can get through the cold winters and even the april showers, if the summer is promised to be sunny and warm for at least 3 months............. I would previously have said taxes- however, due to the taxes and NI, there is a NHS which on the whole does a great job, state education (which again varies from place to place but there are some fabulous state schools), free museums, libraries etc etc. However, from even personal experience of being the person on the other side, the only reason people could slag off a place another is choosing to make a life is envy- otherwise why should it matter to them where you choose to live? If they are happy where they are then they should feel sorry rather than say negative things about the place you live.
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 22 May 2012 - 09:29
I live in Umm Suqeim- whilst I love the location ie close to beach, malls, reasonable drive to school (12-15mins)/ work and children's extracurricular activitis- there is no community feel here. We never see any kids playing outside so have to invite kids home from school for playdates. But we have a huge villa with a large garden and a decent sized pool, which I am not sure if you get in the compiounds....................food for thought
bubby1234
151
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 May 2012 - 18:54
Hello there, At first our landlord seemed like a very nice guy. However since then we have had a few issues with him. First he took out all the AC units in our outbuildings which includes the maid's room and refused to put it back in. We paid for this ourselves as we didn't want the maid to be in a non AC room as it is getting rather hot. There were a few other things we were happy to do as although it came under maintainance it was a case of getting it to a standard we were happy with. However now we have a leak in the outside kitchen, one of the bathrooms don't flush properly and floods the place- and there are other various plumbing and electrical problems. We tried to get hold of the landlord's manager who kept saying he will ask the landlord and then said we have to get it sorted. My DH then texted the landlord who said he will send someone to sort it but we have to pay for it. I will ask DH to check the contract once he comes home. I know that this is a common theme with landlords but I was wondering how anyone else in the same situation handled the situation? How did you get the landlord to pay? We thought if need be we will pay and then send him the invoice or take it off our second cheque? Not sure how that would work here. Any advice appreciated. <em>edited by bubby1234 on 21/05/2012</em>
bubby1234
151
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 08:40
Zawya supermarkey does free home delivery in the umm suqeim region!!! Number is 600-523338!!!
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 07 May 2012 - 17:01
Thank you so much!!
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 24 April 2012 - 22:26
I got the newsletter today too. Where did you read that the class sizes from years 4-6 will be bigger and that the fees will increase? Did not see this in the letter
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 19:38
irooni- you are being ripped off. we ordered our curtains from dragonmart and the guy said the installer would charge 50dhs per curtain. I was just going to post about "rippedd off in dubai". everyone seems to try their luck- especially if you don't know what the going rate is.
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 20 April 2012 - 22:06
thank you.
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 17 April 2012 - 22:02
Thank you savvyB. e-mail is sashinip at h++mail.com Can you tell me how much I would save by having vouchers?
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 17 April 2012 - 21:56
savvyB- thank you. Was planning to take kids there for my son's birthday on Friday. Don't mind buying an entertainer book, Where can I get one from? Thank you.
bubby1234
151
Posts
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Latest post on 16 April 2012 - 17:28
Hi there. thought I had all my kids activities organised but the theater group I had my children's name down with has reallocated their spaces. Does anyone know of any musical theater groups that are taking place on a weds please? Kids are aged 6 and 9. Thank you in advance
bubby1234
151
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 April 2012 - 12:10
I am also new to Dubai and will be living in Umm Sequim 3. can't advise you on pros/ cons unfortunately as I am new myself but welcome!!!
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 15 April 2012 - 12:06
thank you!!
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 15 April 2012 - 11:53
DH checked online about places to get UK licence converted to dubai licence- he is now on his 5th place as each place either does not do it anymore or has moved? does anyone know where he should go? he has already had his eye test. Thanks in advance
bubby1234
151
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 April 2012 - 16:45
Hello lovely ladies, Is a landline essential in Dubai? I guess as you are limited to either etisalat or du, you just have to pick a package from there. People from the UK- what is the nearest package to UK TV? I guess you still have to go online to watch eastenders etc?
bubby1234
151
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 April 2012 - 09:48
Hello there, We have just moved to Dubai from the UK. Have kids aged 8,6 and 4. Would love to meet other Sri Lankan families in Dubai.
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 13 April 2012 - 21:58
Thank you for your trouble jodel. Grateful for the help!!
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 13 April 2012 - 15:52
thank you all for your replies............
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 12 April 2012 - 23:51
if you want to e-mail me at sashinip at h..mail dot com, I can help you with the little I have been told
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 12 April 2012 - 23:38
Hello there, We are new to Dubai (arrived 2d ago!!). What we did was we looked in the KHDA reports and also talked to people who live here for their opinions then drew a short list. We saw 5 schools in Nov- did not like two of them and one was not even taking applicants so were left with two choices, I went back to the internet and chose one more based on what I have read about it. we managed to get places for all three kids in the one we looked on the internet but have been paying fees since January. Oh[b'> by the way do you know that you cannot start school here after the 19th May or something like that[/b'>? This is something to do with the ministry of education. Look that up ASAP. If you are going to get in before this date, then it will be case of where the places are rather than what school you actually choose. School first then place to live.............. <em>edited by bubby1234 on 12/04/2012</em>
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 11 April 2012 - 11:34
Thank you for your kind welcome. Most things sorted except Piano and guitar lessons for my sons and also myself. I am a GP and been trying to get my dubai licence except my payment won't be accepted. Yes will pay them a visit at some point but if anyone can advise why this might be, that will be great.
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 11 April 2012 - 11:22
Hello angelinaballerina- luckily my husband had the pleasure of dealing with him on his last trip. So we already have a villa sorted in Umm Sequim. I would have gone mad as hubby said he was kep waiting each time- even when he was late on purpose!!!! And hubby found the villa himself!! We have had so much beurocratic rubbish that I came prepared...............
bubby1234
151
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Latest post on 04 April 2012 - 21:51
Hi! My family will be moving to Dubai next week. I am 36 years old, and have three kids aged 9,6 and 4. I was born in Sri Lanka although have lived in the UK most of my life. I would love to meet other Sri Lankan families with similar aged kids in Dubai. We will be living in the Umm Sequim area.
 
 
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