Custard Apple | ExpatWoman.com
 

Custard Apple

Custard Apple
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Latest post on 05 September 2011 - 22:56
Gorobattie, you are fast emerging as a maniac, as well as an unreconstructed racist snob. But highly entertaining with it. I've been trying to understand why I am a 'woman who thinks she is white' (?) and why 'coming pom land' makes me think I am 'a better bread'. Is 'pom land' something to do with cheerleading? And of course I know what kind of bread I am - I'm a nice crusty sourdough loaf. Other 'breads' are inferior - die, French baguettes and Hovis loaves! PS. Everyone else is being charitable, but I am actually laughing at your spelling. Take a deep breath and read over before hitting 'post'. You did actually claim up the thread that your gentleman caller 'got your massage', incidentally. Not making it up!
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 05 September 2011 - 21:57
I am a woman of the people - where do I queue for my massage?
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 05 September 2011 - 21:44
knew if I sat on my hands long enough some one would say the needful :D *pats self on back for being weirdly diplomatic and kind, and letting someone else say it MUCH better than I could have* qudos to CA Actually, I'm now peeing myself with laughter at Gorobattie massaging the masses!
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 05 September 2011 - 21:08
Reminds me of a friend who 5 years ago married a girl 25 years younger and he already had 3 grown daughters (the oldest must be around 30 now, the youngest 24). [b'>New wife took out 2 insurance policies (2 babies),[/b'> and every time I see him the part in the movie "The Godfather" comes to mind when Marlon Brando is running around in the garden with the grandkids (in friend's case his kids) and keels over. As hard as he tries to appear to be a "happy camper" there is no light in his eyes. He recently had a facelift. The only thing he did was get rid of the wrinkles and the eye bags - everything else is the same. Not sure why you're being so condemning, and calling the two children of this marriage 'insurance policies' is petty and spiteful. Maybe, perfectly understandably, this woman simply wanted to have children of her own, as many women do!
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 05 September 2011 - 20:56
maybe I was wrong, but heck, I don't want to be friend with someone who is lower than us socially, maybe he is a good man, but I do not want us to be the friends of laborers/ cleaning man/ security man or the news paper man. when that had stopped DH said thank god he finally got the massage, then I told him no he got my massage. take it or leave it, but when you come across this lad, please do be friend with him if you don't like what I have done...after all what concerns my Gorobattie, I'm going to be charitable and decide that the frankly disgusting snobbery you display in this post is because you are clearly not a native speaker of English, and may be misusing other phrases and words, as well as using 'massage' instead of 'message'. Unless you have actually been giving 'someone who is lower than you socially' a massage. In which case, good for you, you're clearly far more democratic than you seem, and I'm sure the labourers, cleaners and security men really enjoyed themselves in your skillful hands! :) Taly-ho, I quite agree about the nicest people in Dubai being of a social level Gorobattie wouldn't consider acceptable - we're still in touch with our driver and agency maid, both of whom were lovely. <em>edited by Custard Apple on 05/09/2011</em>
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 20 August 2011 - 22:24
I thought the Dubai Celts did hurling as well as Gaelic football? I'm pretty sure I remember when the kids still trained in Safa Park that there were hurlers among them. But it might be a place to start askng, anyway. http://www.dubaicelts.com/
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 18 August 2011 - 19:21
and again, while i understand what you are saying...numbers please..some links on this...where do you get this information? what is many many predators...? u can get maps in USA that will tell you where sexual offenders live, what they have been charged with, their name, photo, how long they spent in jail etc.I do not expect that here, but "many many predators" is very vague, and lots of ppl will not consider this kind of information seriously. I'd agree in other circumstances, but in Dubai, the media is so self-censoring (in part for the obvious reason that most journalists are deportable should they go after a story that makes them any powerful enemies) that all we actually have is rumour - there are no trustowrthy, concrete facts on crime etc. And I think this does affect people's impressions of Dubai vs, say, the UK - in the UK you have to sift quality journalism from fear-mongering tabloid **** that over-reports crime, but in Dubai there's no organ giving anything like accurate statistics on crime, which for me leads to a false sense of security. And then some people end up with inaccurate views of both places - the UK as full of feral gangs and cowering crime victims vs a crime-free Dubai bubble.
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 18 August 2011 - 19:00
I don't know about theft or other crimes but sexual crimes, especially against Indian and Filipino nationals are very, very high in Dubai. I personally know someone who is actively involved in an organization that helps victims of sexual attacks and they see in excess of 50 (male and female) people every single month. I do not wish to be an alarmist but their are many, many sexual predators roaming freely in Dubai. Please do not ever believe you are safe walking around alone ANYWHERE in this country, you are NOT. And let's not forget that the definition of a 'sexual crime' can and does include jailing a raped woman for supposedly consensual s*x outside of wedlock. (Why is the word 's*x' censored on here and 'sexual' not?)
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 18 August 2011 - 17:40
AHA! You've "been to Dubai several times." Once you live here, you might see it differently. Well spotted, Guinness! Nadia007, I've lived longterm in both places and they seem to [i'>me[/i'> to be about as different as two cities can be. Which isn't surprising, obviously, given their respective ages, geographical locations, cultures etc etc. It would be odder if they were somehow very alike. As an aside, some Dubai-based friends phoned up in the middle of the riots (we live close to two areas that were badly looted) and asked whether we were sorry to have returned from the ME to London, and both of us laughed at the mere thought, even as yet another six police cars screamed past!
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 18 August 2011 - 17:01
I did ask why. Apparently, there are lots of Muslims, mosques, foreigners, Indians, good shopping, and halal food is readily available. ETA: That is why it is a favourite destination of Arabs from the Gulf. edited by AnonDubai on 18/08/2011 I just spat a mouthful of coffee onto my keyboard. Absolutely hilarious - very illuminating! Thanks! It was said in all seriousness. I believe you! That's what's making me laugh!
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 18 August 2011 - 16:47
I did ask why. Apparently, there are lots of Muslims, mosques, foreigners, Indians, good shopping, and halal food is readily available. ETA: That is why it is a favourite destination of Arabs from the Gulf. edited by AnonDubai on 18/08/2011 I just spat a mouthful of coffee onto my keyboard. Absolutely hilarious - very illuminating! Thanks!
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 18 August 2011 - 16:22
Someone from Dubai whom I know quite well and who goes to London often told me that Dubai and London are the same, except for the weather. :) Are you ever tempted to ask her to elaborate on how, exactly? ;)
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 18 August 2011 - 16:00
What has all of these discussions got to do with the original post? Someone said you'd have to be off your rocker to buy property in Dubai, and someone else said, no, but you'd have to be from somewhere with an appalling climate and/or significant political problems, and the UK/Dubai argument kicked off from there, after someone - for some reason I genuinely cannot fathom - said Dubai was 'like London' but with nicer weather...? Which does make one wonder whether that poster had ever been to London.
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 16 August 2011 - 20:19
Not over reacting, just saddened, yet again by the corrosive nature of the PC mindset. Which remorselessly sees evil where there is none........and does nothing to replace the institutions it drags down. But what could possibly be harmful about the trifling changes in the wording of the Guide promise? It's exactly the same movement, but no longer arbitrarily requiring its non-British members to promise to do their duty to someone else's head of state in a country they may never have been to! I genuinely don't see the problem with that - the kids are still promising to uphold the law of the land, respect the head of state, and serve God, after all, as they always have...
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 16 August 2011 - 20:05
JoyceB........well done you for your dedicated work for so many years for a great, worldwide movement for girls and young women. I just feel very sad that you should have to defend the Guiding Movement on here............. reading nit picking about words like "duty" or arguing allegiances is just all so dispiriting. Duty........means learning about the importance of responsibility...........and the concept of allegiance is the recognition of something meaningful outwith the boundaries of self. Which is something sadly lacking in today's society. Sheesh, livelytrish, I think you may be overreacting a tad. If you read my comment, I certainly never criticised the Guiding movement or 'nit-picked' its promise wording. I simply asked a question about how the Guide/Brownie promise functioned for non-British members, given that we're talking about UAE packs, and Joyce very kindly enlightened me about how its wording etc has changed down the years. In fact, other people seemed to be attacking Guides for having 'gone PC', whereas to me, the changes sound sensible and appropriate, and suggest a movement that is moving sensibly to reflect its genuinely international membership. It would make very little sense for an expat pack that met in Dubai and contained fourteen nationalities and several religions to be promising to do their duty to a particular head of state or variety of God, after all.
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 16 August 2011 - 19:40
I recommend anyone who can manage it get involved in the Adopt a Camp event, which I did several times. If you are easily upset, though, you might want to just help with the packing and avoid actually going to the camps - depending on which ones, the conditions are not for the faint-hearted. If you do go, I recommend bug-repellent. The first time I went, I came back covered in bites. And obviously, if there could ever be said to be an appropriate time to wear spaghetti straps and hotpants in Dubai in Ramadan, this is definitely not it...
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 16 August 2011 - 19:13
Freehold is a bit different over here. They call them 'freehold villas' but you still don't really own the land the property is on and you're also under a lot of restrictions from the master developer. I didn't know that - interesting. So you can never own the land on which the house you own is built on, just the structure? Presumably Emirati citizens have 'genuine' freehold?
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 16 August 2011 - 18:40
Thanks JoyceB. I did wonder. But it's hardly madly PC not to expect non-British Brownies/Guides not to promise to do their 'duty' to a foreign head of state, is it? The alterations seem perfectly logical to me! It would be as arbitrary as me promising to do my duty to Russia and President Medvedev ...
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 16 August 2011 - 15:26
I promise that I will do my best to do my duty to God, to serve the Queen and my country to help other people and keep the Brownie Guide law. LOVED LOVED LOVED being in Brownies! But who do UAE Brownies promise to do duty to? Just asking as know nothing about the international Guide movement in general, and was wondering how it would work somewhere with a large numbers of different nationalities and religions, plus a local ruler.
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 13 August 2011 - 15:51
Going on vacations/trips etc with friends & other family members is perfectly fine. But going 'alone' to watch a football match sounds fishy. Personally, if this had happened to me (and i have a very healthy relationship with my OH), i would suspect that he is going with another lady or meeting one in Spain... im just voicing my personal feeling... Really? Such a thought wouldn't even cross my mind I have travelled alone lots since being married (10 years) to all sorts of obscure places- China, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia and also have travelled with just one or two other girl friends. And again with work to some lovely places. I assure you that I wasn't meeting up with some dude! ok, but just because you dont meet up with dudes, doesnt mean that the whole world is 'loyal' to their OH. Im just saying that it sounds suspicious. Honestly, do you follow yours to the bathroom? Stand in the corner of his office at work? What exactly is so suspicious about a football-mad man taking off to Camp Nou?
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 13 August 2011 - 12:48
I find it interesting you are using the term 'allow'.....if you'd written 'would you feel ok about it' it would have a slightly different perspective, but you've used the word 'allow' like you are (subconsciously) in charge of his life or he's your son! Yes, exactly! OP, I think that as you suggest yourself, your mother's ideas are decades out of date, to put it mildly. My OH and I often take off separately to visit friends or family at times when the other can't make it, and I've just come back from walking the south-western coastal path solo, because that's really not his idea of fun. What your husband is doing is entirely normal and healthy. And I can't see any reason why you shouldn't take a holiday by yourself at some stage, if it's a timing that doesn't work for him, or involves an activity or destination that doesn't interest him.
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 12 August 2011 - 13:50
Not sure i believe that these looters were opportunists... Hard to imagine [i'>anyone[/i'> breaking the law simply because "everyone else is".... I genuinely think there was a large element of that. And it was perfectly (if repellently) logical when you think about it - you see someone kick in a window and score a bunch of designer clothes, and no police show up, and onlookers aren't intervening to stop them, so you realise you can do it too - no one will stop you. So you step into a shop after the main crowd has gone and pick up a couple of overlooked things, and maybe in an hour you're feeling bold enough to be the first one to throw the wheelie-bin through the window of Currys. Look at all the people on the TV footage who are just sort of drifting around in the background, not throwing bricks at the police - I think some of them would claim not to be looters because they didn't do anything violent or vandalise, but said to themselves, after a shop had been looted, that this stuff would just end up being thrown away anyway or burned if someone set the place on fire in half an hour, so they might as well help themselves to something small, as a sort of souvenir. And then maybe something not so small etc etc. And with the comforting fiction that they haven't done anything wrong, really, because those bad guys in the hoodies burning things down are the real culprits. They might even genuinely believe it.
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 11 August 2011 - 21:28
Yup, and that's just the kind of victimised, "I couldn't do anything about it", "it's everybody else's fault" excuse that got us into that mess. Completely aside from the fact that a lot of these so-called immigrants were the ones out and trying to protect their communities and that the looters were/are from all kinds of backgrounds, it just doesn't help. Again, it's that kind of attitude that quite frankly disgusts me - ranting about how society is failing from the comfort of your armchair whilst not even lifting your little finger to do anything about it, even in a small way. Apathy sickens me... all and any of us can make a difference, and even if that means something to only one person, that's one step in a better direction. Well said. I think I may owe it to our local population of Turkish and Kurdish shop owners that our area wasn't much more badly hit - they refused to close their shops, although everything else was in lock-down, and they just sat out on the footpath rearranging the fruit display with as many beefy family members and weapons as they could get together. The guys from the kebab shop were sitting there with those doner knives, cool as a breeze, and I have no doubt that they would have chased any mob for miles, like their equivalents on Stoke Newington High St. And Nadanadanada, the atmosphere certainly isn't uniformly grim. Awful things have happened, and people are angry and confused and asking questions, but even aside from the way people are pulling together to clear up, some of the people who've lost homes and been bereaved have been astonishingly level-headed, generous and courageous in calling for calm and no retribution. The father of one of the young guys killed in the hit-and-run murder was an inspiration - it's the worst moment of his life, probably, and all he asks for is peace and an end to the riots. There's a fund to fly over the parents of that poor Malaysian student who was mugged and robbed, and a Facebook page dedicated to apologising for what happened on behalf of London. And just around on the streets today, people were being nice to each other. It's not all awful.
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 11 August 2011 - 12:12
Well said, H.K.I and Edna.Welthorpe.
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 10 August 2011 - 23:18
I just looked up Wikipedia for NPD and got [b'> The narcissist is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity. Narcissistic personality disorder is closely linked to self-centeredness. [/b'> How is this any different from just being a pillock?
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 10 August 2011 - 18:49
Conscription maybe a way forward, works in many other countries, but would the human rights lot have something to say? I wonder if you'd be so dismissive of 'the human rights lot' (not entirely sure who is meant) if your own human rights were in question? Also, there's something very strange about the fact that I'm living between two areas with bad rioting (though last night was quiet) and my local supermarket and shopping centre were looted on Monday night, and I'm not roaring 'Off with their heads!' the way people who are currently living thousands of miles away are on this thread. Can it really be that only the most reactionary British people move to Dubai, or is it something about Dubai that makes them such reactionaries? Ahem. With certain notable exceptions!
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 10 August 2011 - 18:40
Conscription maybe a way forward, works in many other countries, but would the human rights lot have something to say? I wonder if you'd be so dismissive of 'the human rights lot' (not entirely sure who is meant) if your own human rights were in question? Also, there's something very strange about the fact that I'm living between two areas with bad rioting (though last night was quiet) and my local supermarket and shopping centre were looted on Monday night, and I'm not roaring 'Off with their heads!' the way people who are currently living thousands of miles away are on this thread. Can it really be that only the most reactionary British people move to Dubai, or is it something about Dubai that makes them such reactionaries?
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 10 August 2011 - 13:23
I find this perspective interesting and thoughtful: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/camila-batmanghelidjh-caring-costs-ndash-but-so-do-riots-2333991.html I have a lot of time for Camilla B, whose Kids' Company does really good work, and who is a compassionate realist. I think this point of hers is important: [i'> Savagery is a possibility within us all. Some of us have been lucky enough not to have to call upon it for survival; others, exhausted from failure, can justify resorting to it. [/i'> I've also heard several stories over the last two days from other north London friends and neighbours about middle-class, middle-aged people of all races not initiating looting, but happy to nip into a shop once the rioters have gone, and emerge with a freebie. A friend of mine saw it himself at a bikeshop by Chalk Farm tube - a well-dressed thirty-something white couple rode off on a pair of bikes they'd stolen from the wreckage of the shop.
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 10 August 2011 - 12:30
I received corporal punishment and it taught me a lesson. Being naughty hurts!! And it didn’t induce anything other than tears! There was a chap, a Politian chap, quite some years ago, who rightly predicted these sorts of things would happen. Something to do with Rivers I believe. I really, really hope that this reference to Enoch Powell was intended as a joke.
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 09 August 2011 - 15:38
CA, it's not something I would go for either, BUT in reality, aside from the fact that it's a bit more controversial at the moment, it's not much different at all. Would it have been better dressing up as "proper" gypsies? Is any minority group more immune to stereotyping than others? What determines being able to stereotype one group of people with impunity and to be condemned for doing the same to another? I imagine that the real issue is that the theme has equated the "Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" to being a chav, which is rather a derogatory term. I watched some of the series and quite frankly saw nothing chavvy about the travellers - if anything it was lovely to see such a coherent community, all with jobs, roles and deep-seated social responsibilities... and everyone stepping up to the mark. BUT some people can't see through the surface and can only comment on the clothes. I would also add that if the Travellers (as a whole?!) weren't happy about how they were being portrayed, they maybe shouldn't have allowed more than one season! No, no, was only pointing out that Roma are annoyed the word 'gypsy' was used in the series title, given that no Roma gypsies were portrayed - not that it would be OK to dress up as them. And a lot of Traveller spokespeople and advocacy groups were horrified at what they saw as massive misrepresentation of a culture - but once the group of families actually [i'>in[/i'> the programmes were happy with their portrayal, I don't think the travelling community in general could do anything to prevent the programme being recommissioned. I do think its different to dressing up as a French person or a German person, or an aristocrat, though, because those are not marginalised groups, and the joke isn't about middle-class people having a laugh dressing 'down' as people they would be horrified to be identified with in real life. Anyway, thanks for the response - now bowing out. I need to go and buy the paper before the local shops start boardng over their frontages again! The Carphone Warehouse and Next just down the road were smashed up last night, so everyone's a bit twitchy.
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 09 August 2011 - 14:26
[CA, you've completely lost me where you talk about Irish people and traevllers. The TV series 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding', belying its title (which suggested it was about gypsies/Roma) focused on the lives of some Irish Travellers, who are an entirely different ethnic group. It was widely regarded by Travellers as a misrepresentation of their way of life, and it's been linked in the press to a rise in anti-Irish feeling in the UK (return to the feckless drunkard stereotypes etc). Again, to the OP, I'm not suggesting for a moment that this choice of theme was your idea or endorsed by you, but, Hello. Again. Kitty, I'm disappointed that a poster whose comments I've always had a lot of time for can't see the difference between dressing up as a posh or French person and this kind of thing.
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 09 August 2011 - 13:21
Unless it's absolutely necessary that you have this now, and especially of the contents are valuable to you, I would personally wait till someone is coming to visit you. We had several parcels never arrive from the UK, despite our postbox being in our building, and one Christmas present that ended up back at home six months after it was posted, with a Dubai label saying 'never collected' - despite the fact we'd never been notified a parcel was waiting for us at some depot.
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Latest post on 09 August 2011 - 13:17
But can you wear any of that in public in [i'>Dubai[/i'> in Ramadan? Or is the weekend somewhere else? Also - not getting at the OP, as I assuming it wasn't her choice of theme - but this smacks of the ongoing demonisation/stereotyping of working-class people [i'>and[/i'> Irish people, as well as Irish Travellers specifically, following on from that awful TV programme.
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Latest post on 08 August 2011 - 21:25
A couple of references by people made me wonder - would they have chosen to have fewer children if they were living somewhere where domestic help was less easily available?
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Latest post on 08 August 2011 - 13:12
dont blame you for being cranky, the mindset here in the uae is archaic when it comes to pain relief and depression! Maybe because some of the doctors are from countries where depression is not recognized yet ? You have nearby countries where doctors cut off ears of anti govt people, and perform virginity tests on anti govt protestors. They are doctors who have taken the oath supposedly, but forget it for whatever reason, so i wouldnt be too confident with some of them ! Not to mention the legality of FGM in the UAE.
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Latest post on 07 August 2011 - 11:00
So we should tell all the restaurants down at JBR that they suck rather than just the one? ;) :) 'You all suck, and you at the back doodling - you [i'>especially[/i'>!' More seriously, though, and without getting the thread deleted - and not to denigrate the blogger being sued about the sushi - there is, after all, a much more serious instance of the same principle going on at the moment.
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Latest post on 07 August 2011 - 10:10
What I am more concerned is that [b'>complaining about customer service is illegal[/b'> Apparently it "damages their reputation" I never get it; it is ok for an organization or bank or shop to treat you like s***, take your money and not provide proper service etc etc. But anyone who mentions it is "damaging their reputation" and therefore liable to be jailed??? Am i the only one who thinks that providing bad service is what damages their reputation and not people talking about it ? Is this the clash between generally western notions of what constitutes good service/proper grievance procedures, and ME ideas about causing someone to 'lose face'' being one of the worst things you can do to a person or organisation? I remember being really taken aback by a question 'Ask Ali''s column was responding to, from a teacher asking how to correct local kids in class without causing loss of face, and him responding by saying the teacher should attampt not to draw attention to individual children, but should tell everyone to be quiet, rather than singling out the noisy pupil...
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Latest post on 05 August 2011 - 18:53
I do hope you ladies are being diagnosed by western trained GP's and changing your lifestyle habits. Vit D def seems to be quite the "in" thing to have in Dubai. Yes, it was the English Doctor at GMC. I was also miffed but apparently, it is common here. I wonder why? It's common in the UAE for the very good reason that many people, for obvious reasons, don't spend much time in direct sunlight for a good part of the year! I was diagnosed with it (in London) after a year in Dubai, despite making an effort to get at least 20 minutes of direct sun a day, even in the hottest part of summer - I felt exhausted and generally under-par, which is why I went to my GP, but things improved after a course of Vit D pills. (Hard for me to say whether all of my symptoms were from the Vit D lack, as I was also slightly malnourished after a year in Dubai, which I put down to the poor quality of fruit and vegetables, as I am vegetarian.) I've seen newspaper reports of dark-skinned UK women who cover also commonly having Vit D deficiencies - I think darker skins absorb it less easily? Anything that prevents you exposing your skin surface to direct sunlight (whether it's covering or living in a climate that mitigates against you being out in the sun a ot) will do it.
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Latest post on 03 August 2011 - 20:37
LOL this is funny, I went to the Rose Ball here about two years ago, it was a good night, the majority of the "lovely Girls" as father ted once put it, were all teachers just out for the craic to be honest, I really don't think any of them took it that seriously, mind you does anyone these days, some companys will sponser a rose as well as far as I can remember, are you thinking of entering???? "an aul jig' would definitely get you in the running:) Am pregnant, unmarried and definitely not a Lovely Girl, so no! :) No, just wondering what kind of person went in for it these days as I met very few Irish people in Dubai, and the ones I did meet didn't strike me as the 'I Love My Mammy and Remember All the Steps to the Siege of Ennis' types!
Custard Apple
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Latest post on 03 August 2011 - 14:51
Bumping.
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Latest post on 02 August 2011 - 21:03
well he would leave at 6.30 am.. he's training for a triathlon. Also used to the crazy roads of central london so he thinks its ok.... I on the other hand.... I cycle in London, too, but I wouldn't do it in Dubai. In London, motorists can be careless, but at least they know there [i'>are[/i'> cyclists using the same roads - in Dubai the idea of watching out for cyclists when turning or changing lanes simply wouldn't occur to lots of drivers. There's also a disturbing correlation between cycling and 'poor people who don't count'. I genuinely think it would be very dangerous, even if he is an experienced city cyclist. <em>edited by Custard Apple on 02/08/2011</em>
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Latest post on 02 August 2011 - 20:55
In the US currently and boy is the recession showing now....worse than ever...visible all around you..things are pretty dire here. It's really dog eat dog here right now. Looking foward to job security and the social saftey nets that the UAE has to offer. Stick around, Yellow Cake. It's been unfeasibly dull here of late. :)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 August 2011 - 20:40
Yes, it def does exist in UAE and its roses from diff emirates and some from the same too. Some companies sponsor the rose, other girls just buy the dress themselves. Its a grt evening and a chance (black tie do) to dress up. (or at least is use to be)!! Genreally the competition takes place in May/June. The Irish Commitee would have all of the informations really re entries etc etc. Some take it v seriously, others genuinely go into it for the craic. I was one that was in it for the craic, but there were some girls who play this nicey nice card on stage but yet when they were nehind the scenes were diff...but most were lovely! By bf (non Irish)at the time loved it too...and loved comin over to Irl to the final too. It is a lifetime ago since I was in it, so dates could have changed:) SandyPrincess, you were an actual Rose? Excellent! So did you bring your boyfriend with you as an escort, or did you get some nice Declan from Drimoleague handed to you once you got to Ireland? I was just wondering what kind of thing they were looking for, because, honestly, it just seems so un-Dubai! The way I remember it (purely from watching it on TV when I was a kind) it was either Nice Girls from Ireland doing stepdancing or Let's Laugh at the Americans, who were terribly earnest and had wonderful teeth. I just can't get me head around how it would work AT ALL in Dubai! :)
Custard Apple
141
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 August 2011 - 19:13
Never even heard of it out here....could be a laugh to go & see though!! Will be keeping an eye on this thread:) It kind of blew my mind, too - it just doesn't seem very Dubai! But apparently the UAE has had a Rose in the competition since the mid-1990s, which surprised me,
Custard Apple
141
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 01 August 2011 - 02:14
Officially called Dubai Marina Towers, but everyone just calls them 'the first six towers'. They're individually called Murjan, Mass, Fairooz, Yass, Mesk, and Anbar. We lived in Yass for a year and were very happy with it.
Custard Apple
141
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 30 July 2011 - 19:56
If you are the kind of person who sits around and complains about your life at home, then most likely you will continue to do the same here. I've found that it takes a certain kind of person to be a happy ex-pat in any country. You need to be able to adapt. You need to be above average in your profession and have a good work ethic. You need to be a social person. You need to be able to do more than just respect another culture, you need to be able to willingly embrace it. And you should check any racism at the airport. As far as being a "happy" expat is concerned, tt also helps being good at turning a blind eye to s*** and adopt a "life is great, i have a maid, a large SUV, a villa, screw everyone else" Of course there are some perennial moaners who wil moan about 45 C summers in Dubai and -10 winters in Chicago, but the healthiest people are those who dont pretend all is well just because their own lives are, and those that dont pretend to not notice anything wrong, simply because it will spoil their great lives. Well said, Arch. I get very tired of the truism that gets trotted out every time this question comes up that Only the Boring Are Bored, and Life's What You Make It! The original post on the mysterious Other Forum makes some decent points, but I get the impression from it - as from a lot of posts about 'being an expat' in Dubai - that it's written by someone who simply hasn't travelled very much before arriving in Dubai, and hasn't had any contact with people from other cultures. It's as easy or easier to make friends from other places in any number of cities all over the world, so it's hardly possible to claim that this is something intrinsic or unique to Dubai. And some of his points are silly - there is virtually no possibility of 'embracing' Emirati culture, because it's so difficult to come into contact with, for obvious reasons, and I say that as someone who did all the mosque tours, went to the old parts of town, learned Arabic, went to the breakfasts at the Sheikh M centre etc etc. And as for needing to be 'above average in your profession', don't make me laugh! There are a lot of frauds and mediocrities in Dubai - as well as some very good people across professions, obviously. <em>edited by Custard Apple on 30/07/2011</em>
Custard Apple
141
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 30 July 2011 - 19:47
I was wondering that too dentro so I checked. This is off the Bacio website. GELATO VS ICE CREAM The difference between regular ice cream and gelato can be summarized in the following points: Ice creams have a higher content of butterfat ranging between 10% to 18%. Gelato is made with whole milk which is 3% to 4% butterfat. Ice creams have a higher percentage of air. Gelato has less than 55% air, which makes it denser with a much stronger taste. Much of the gelato experience comes from its semi-frozen consistency. In gelato, mainly fresh ingredients are used, unlike ice cream which depends on colorants, stabilizers, and preservatives Leaving aside that this is promotional copy from a commercial website, I'd still see the distinctions this makes as the difference between good and bad icecream. I sat and ate a wonderful icecream last week, with a vew of the cows who were part-responsible for it - and it certainly didn't have any colourants or preservatives - and it definitely wasn't 'gelato', because I was in Cornwall, not Rome! You can't compare a Mr Whippy with a Flake (divine though those can be at the right moment!) with something artisan, made from heritage-variety cows' milk.
Custard Apple
141
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 July 2011 - 12:23
I just quit my job yesterday because my company was bullying me into losing weight. I have a customer service job where I guess the image is important but I was never at an extreme unsafe weight that would hinder me in doing my job. The only reason I did put on weight first of all was because I had a baby a year ago and even thought I worked very hard trying all different diets and exercise the last kgs are just slow to get rid of. They have done monthly progress reviews of me losing the weight and I was told in no uncertain terms that I would be sacked if I didn`t reach their target weight. Now, we are only talking about 4 kgs here and I would have most probably lost it but I have decided to quit. I think no company has the right to treat anyone like that but hey, we are in the ME, they can do whatever they want. How absolutely awful, Eli. And presumably totally illegal elsewhere. I can't believe you were subjected to a monthly review and given a 'target' - I can feel steam coming out my ears! Good on you for refusing to take it. I hope you made it very clear why in your resignation letter. This is neanderthal stuff - I have difficulty in assuming men doing the equivalent job are similarly treated.
Custard Apple
141
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 July 2011 - 14:25
Miss Teacher I think you might be in for a shock when you move to Dubai !!! What makes you say that? Our accommodation is provided so we won't have to pay for that, and we don't eat much...we're pledging to eat as little as possible, just loads of fruit & veg, to save money!! :) I think cost of living in London is high if you live it up here - the cost of a travel card is almost double what it used to be when I first moved here! 'Just fruit and veg' is expensive, and often very poor quality in Dubai, in my experience. My OH and I are vegetarians, so that's all we were eating, and we found buying food expensive and dispiriting after London markets. The problem is that the vast majority of the produce has come a very long way, because there's so little agriculture in the UAE for obvious reasons. You make do, obviously, but it was probably one of the low points for us. And make sure you take a multivitamin, as old fruit and veg are low in nutrients. I think the other issue is that in Dubai, particularly in summer, there's very little to do that doesn't cost money, often quite serious money, whereas in London there's always a lot of free or very low-cost theatre, music, art, cinema, things to do with children etc. I agree about travel cards having become outrageously expensive, but it does still mean that you can get home from a late night at 3 am on a nightbus, whereas in Dubai, you would need to take a taxi, as the metro and buses have a much more restricted timetable.
Custard Apple
141
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 July 2011 - 23:00
I do think that the woman's lib movement has caused women to be under so much pressure to be superwoman these days and all i see are guilty tired stressed mums and that's not good for her or the kids, the joke is all the working mums i know are stressed off their faces and get even less quality time with their kids cause they are to tired yet all their wages go on childcare and it kind of makes you think why bother. Why blame feminism when the fault clearly lies with inflexible workplace expectations which take men with SAHM wives as the default mode, rather than assuming employees of either *** with children are sharing childcare responsibilities? Feminism has only been a force for good - though it's still far from achieving many of its goals - it's the world of work that needs to catch up and institute more flexible models of work that reflect how men and women with children really live.
 
 
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