DubaiCat | ExpatWoman.com
 

DubaiCat

DubaiCat
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Latest post on 18 September 2011 - 20:03
Great stuff! Now, a few rules for you to remember... 1. Don't bother indicating. That stick on the side of the wheel is for decoration only. 2. Mirror? Yes, make-up's fine. Signal? See above. Manoeuvre? Yes, straight into oncoming traffic. 3. A safe distance between you and the car in front is when another car can't squeeze in. 4. Filtering off? Make sure you leave it till the last possible minute and cut someone up if you can manage it. 5. Missed your turnoff? No problem. Reverse. That's what your hazards are for. 6. Never, ever, ever let someone in. Ever. Happy Dubai-style driving!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 18 September 2011 - 19:58
That was our problem in the UK before we came home - nobody had sandals any more. That one looks like just the ticket! I shall have to grin and bear Dubai Mall. Thanks Apricot!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 18 September 2011 - 19:54
tdale, was that in the UK? I spoke to consultant at our local hospital there about subfertility and she told us we'd only be referred for tests after two years of trying naturally, and DH was told the same thing with his ex-wife :(. ETA But then again she said if we had any glaringly obvious signs or symptoms of a problem then it'd be investigated sooner. edited by DubaiCat on 18/09/2011 E (again) TA Best of luck with your IVF! <em>edited by DubaiCat on 18/09/2011</em>
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 18 September 2011 - 19:51
It didn't occur to me to find a paediatrician until after DS arrived! We use Dr Hamzeh at the Meadows Clinic and really like him. He's like a big friendly bear and wonderful with DS.
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Latest post on 18 September 2011 - 15:43
We had a hammock for DS when he was tiny. I did a load of reading and decided it would be more soothing for him to be wrapped up in a gently swaying hammock than flat out and not moving in a Moses basket or a cot. The manufacturer said it would be suitable up to a maximum of 9 months. Well, he outgrew it at 4 months so I think it was a big fat waste of money! I have no idea if he'd have been more or less settled in a Moses basket or a cot. I do like the look of those swinging cradle things, though. I'm still trying to decide if that would be a good compromise for #2. ETA: All the reading I did suggested that a gentle swaying movement was soothing for babies, as they've spent the previous 9/10 months being swayed around inside you. It's meant to be an easier transition from womb to cot, rather than straight from moving all the time to not moving at all. I did find sometimes DS would go back off to sleep if I gently prodded the hammock to make it swing. <em>edited by DubaiCat on 18/09/2011</em>
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 18 September 2011 - 15:40
I didn't look at the price of the Birkenstocks - I guess I shouldn't bother?! H.A.K., do you think it would be safe to order online and get Mum to bring them over? DS just wants to be out of the pram and running around but I'm a bit wary with no shoes on, unless he's on the sand or the grass. Or is there an Ecco store here? What's that one in Mercato on the upper floor?
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 18 September 2011 - 11:07
You seriously expect a sensible, accurate answer if you call?! Or even anyone to know what you're talking about? :D Last time I was in there they had home-made cakes but that was before summer, so things could have changed now. I know it's a pain but you'll probably have to drive down there and see :(.
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Latest post on 18 September 2011 - 09:01
DH just got his passport renewed via the fast-track service in the UK and he had to physically be there for an appointment and then collect it afterwards. I did read on their website that you can arrange to have it sent within two weeks, but I think that's separate from the fast-track appointment service as when he asked the guy who saw him on the day if he could have it sent, he said no.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 18 September 2011 - 08:54
Zeynab, did your doctor give you Clomid because you have a problem with ovulation? I found so many doctors just wanted to throw medication at me when in the end I didn't have much of a problem with ovulation. If I'd taken them, I'd have had higher expectations each month and that would have been even worse :(. If you think this period might actually be a miscarriage, it might be worth popping to your doctor today. They may be able to do a blood test to confirm this and see if there's anything wrong that could be fixed next time round?
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 17 September 2011 - 22:36
Thanks! :)
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 17 September 2011 - 22:22
[url=http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Entitlementsandcharges/OverseasVisitors/index.htm'>link[/url'> Did that work?
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 17 September 2011 - 22:15
Ah, thanks! I am a bit of a nugget when it comes to technology :D.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 17 September 2011 - 21:31
Dh 7,500? Is that per month? Eeeeek, no! The place'd be empty if it was per month! Per year. DH says it's a flat rate regardless of the size of your house but you might want to call Emaar to clarify that. 800 36227.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 17 September 2011 - 21:27
I just asked Mum to look for the papers and she recycled them when I left. So I googled 'nhs overseas visitor' and the website is www.dh.gov.uk, but I didn't want to copy and paste the whole link in case it meant nobody could read the rest of the thread! This is for using the NHS privately. For private hospitals, I think you just have to bring a referral from a doctor here and book an appointment. That's what I've done in the past when I've seen doctors in private hospitals.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 17 September 2011 - 21:05
Do you mean the service fees? I think this year it was around Dh7,500. I can't remember if they charge per square foot of property, though, or if it's a flat fee for every villa.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 17 September 2011 - 21:01
I had maternity care over the summer as a non-resident. I had to fill out an Overseas Visitor form and pay a deposit - I think it's GBP250 for outpatient and GBP1000 for inpatient - then the final bill was issued when I'd left. If you know what surgery you need you'd probably be able to pay an approximate figure upfront then any extra after you had it done. I can try and find the relevant website if you need? The forms I was given had a web address on, I'm sure.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 16 September 2011 - 20:48
I think Adol contains paracetamol instead of ibuprofen. Have you tried the pharmacy at City? I'll be there tomorrow morning if you want me to check for ibuprofen there.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 16 September 2011 - 20:41
No barking any time I've been past, but then they just lie completely flat on the ground and look like they've given up :(. I'll try calling Sunday morning. In the meantime, if anyone has a home for a Dobermann and a desert dog, I'm pretty sure DH has bolt cutters. But best not go down that route or the thread'll end up deleted! <em>edited by DubaiCat on 16/09/2011</em>
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 16 September 2011 - 19:49
Thanks :). They are in the shade of the carport but it's still roasting out there and being chained up all day and all night is no kind of life. It beats me why the idiot owner got the dogs in the first place.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 16 September 2011 - 19:16
A few houses up from us there are two dogs chained outside 24/7. We have never seen them off the chains, even throughout the summer. Is it worth calling the vet inspector?
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 16 September 2011 - 09:10
Ah, good point. I forgot DS decided 6.45 was a good time to start the day and it feels like mid-morning to me!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 16 September 2011 - 09:01
I'm just getting their answerphone - if I leave a message will they get back to me today?
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 16 September 2011 - 08:59
What are the signs and symptoms?
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 16 September 2011 - 08:57
Super, thanks. I'll give them a call now.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 16 September 2011 - 08:56
When we got ours we tried to get the best quality we could afford, as we have a cot bed so DS will be in it for a good few years! Breathability was super important for us, as was some degree of waterproofing, and of course comfort. I think it was about 550dhs from Mothercare (but we got it in the UK).
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 15 September 2011 - 15:56
I tried to explain the vast differences in salary to a friend at home over the summer. I don't condone it by any means, but I get why it happens. Person A is looking to work in the UAE. He's earning $100,000 per year at home for doing his job now. Person B is looking to work in the UAE. He's earning $10,000 per year at home for doing the same job. Can an employer realistically expect to be able to attract Person A to a job in the UAE that pays $20,000 per year? Of course not. He'll get Person B, who'll be delighted to take the job, but Person A wouldn't even consider it. Unless and until salaries are equal the world over it's just not going to work that way.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 15 September 2011 - 15:49
Channels at Media Rotana, Flavours on Two at Towers Rotana, Pergola's at Al Murooj Rotana - all good value and good food from what I've seen. I'm going to Channels tonight for a friend's birthday :).
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 15 September 2011 - 15:18
9k?! Yup, I reckon DH might go the maid route as well!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 15 September 2011 - 10:50
I've read often that babies don't form 'habits' as such until around four months, and this certainly proved true for my little man. So don't worry unduly that whatever you're doing now will still be the rule in a few months time! We had Andrea as our birth doula and she was also an amazing help afterwards, and she's a breastfeeding counsellor too. Her website is www.thedotingdoulas.com.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 15 September 2011 - 10:39
My ex-employer used to regularly run stories on how it's illegal for a company to hold your passport then threaten us with delayed salaries until we handed them over. The HR guy would say, "We're not withholding your passport, we're safekeeping it". Thanks buddy, I can look after it just fine myself.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 14 September 2011 - 11:47
I was absolutely adamant I didn't want to be induced and wanted the birth to be as natural as possible. I had protein in my urine and high BP, and eventually at 36+6 my doctor decided it was simply too dangerous to continue with the pregnancy as my health was at risk (and of course then the baby's) and I'd have to be induced. As soon as I knew this, I changed my opinion. I just wanted my baby out safely. I had a load of blood tests at the hospital that day, and was admitted that evening, and my doctor called not long after I was admitted to tell me my kidney and liver function was deteriorating thanks to the pre-eclampsia so we were definitely doing the right thing with the induction. Thankfully our baby was delivered safely and I was fine in the end. If you had no signs of pre-eclampsia, such as the protein or the high BP, then I'd say hang out for spontaneous labour if that's what you really want. But in my case, I went from teetering along the edges of PET to being at risk of serious illness in the space of a day or so. I know we all worry that doctors are over-cautious and interfere too much in this country, but think of the consequences of being too laid-back and not intervening when it may be necessary. All the best and I hope you get the delivery you want! And as H.A.K. says, all that matters is getting baby out safely. And keeping you safe.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 14 September 2011 - 11:22
When I go to setup, then email accounts, it brings up a screen with existing users at the top and then user name and password :(. I guess another hour on hold to Etisalat then! <em>edited by DubaiCat on 14/09/2011</em>
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 14 September 2011 - 11:05
I love mine. Never thought I would, and when I opened the box on my birthday I rather ungratefully thought, "I'd rather have a BlackBerry!", but I love it. I find I read far more now I have the Kindle than I did when I read paper books, because I resented paying up to 20 quid for a book I'd read in a couple of hours! The only frustrating thing is sometimes not being able to get a book you want on the Kindle, or it not being available in your region (although switching regions usually fixes this). I have a UAE credit card and the only problems I have using it are when the bank puts a stop on the card because I've used it online and they think it might be fraudulent use.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 14 September 2011 - 10:55
I often wonder what language our dogs think in and understand commands in. I'm pretty sure they came from puppy farms in Eastern Europe (they're both adopted) so maybe they speak Czech, but then again they understand English commands from us. But then again, they don't speak and don't know what words look like so do they just think in pictures?
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 13 September 2011 - 12:57
Saying that, the lighter Peach looked promising, but too late, I'd got my P&T and loved it. Peach.... dammit, I should have tried that one out!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 13 September 2011 - 12:54
It's entirely up to you whether you go to a community-based clinic or straight to a hospital ob-gyn. Some of the more popular hospital-based ones are booked up a while in advance, though, so it might be an idea to get yourself in with a community-based doctor to keep you going and make an appointment now for as soon as you can get in with a hospital doc. Unless, of course, you like a community-based doc who can deliver at one of the hospitals and then you're sorted :). It is rather different to the UK, isn't it? We just spent the summer at home and were there for a while, so I had to use my local GP surgery and the maternity unit at the hospital. I felt quite weird in there!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 20:40
Congratulations! I'm guessing from your name you're from the UK :) so take heart - over there, not much! I'm just reading from my NHS maternity notes from the summer and it says a booking appointment between 8 and 12 weeks, where they do a full blood count and a dating scan, and then the NT scan if you want it at 12-13 weeks. And that's it until the anomaly scan at 20 weeks, with maybe a midwife appointment at about 15-16 weeks if you're lucky. Cost-wise I'm afraid I can't help much :(. You choose your doctor and your hospital, basically. There are community-based doctors who have delivery privileges at various hospitals, or there are hospital-based doctors. You can go to a community-based clinic for check-ups and deliver with a hospital-based doctor if you so wish. There are plenty of recommendations on here or try asking friends who they'd recommend. Good luck!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 13:32
I know. Maybe it's a different dose of radiation? I asked to go round the side for a pat-down in Dubai and was met with a blank stare. Hmmm. Yet last time I was pregnant - with only a small bump as it was fairly early on - and the lady couldn't get me round the side quick enough.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 13:31
Thanks Dubai Cat, you have a good memory! I have received calls from so many banks don't listen for long enough to remember the bank names! I don't do loans is my standard reply. Now that I am trying to help, there's been no calls for a month! I am trying to avoid the homework of researching from scratch. So wondered if someone's got interest rates, charges, features charted out. This is a different topic, but I think I need to focus on getting my own stuff a bit too! I always find myself having the drive to help out but endlessly procrastinate my own stuff :( I am so good at doing that. Spent the whole summer helping other people out and did b*gger all myself! Perhaps just give your friend a list of recommendations on here and let her do the research?
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 13:29
I sent B99 to 1010 yesterday lunchtime and within the hour my BBM was back up again, as was WhatsApp, and I could get onto the browser and FB. But for some reason my emails just will not work! I did get a message from Etisalat to say my BB internet services were back up and running. Does that mean I've re-subscribed and it's all set up again, or is there something else I need to do? Apologies in advance - I am seriously technologically challenged when it comes to this thing.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 13:29
I'm assuming you have re-subscribed? ;) It did take me about two hours to work out why BBM wasn't working! :D
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 13:24
I'm (very) visibly pregnant and went through six airports over the summer. Not one offered an alternative to going through the scanner, including Dubai.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 13:21
I don't wear foundation, just a little Touche Eclat under my eyes (and where I have tiny marks from spots) and then some powder bronzer on top. Will any of these alternatives work like this or do you need foundation on top too?
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 13:19
In the week before I left for the summer I received calls from Citibank, Samba and RBS/ADCB/whoever they are now offering me loans with no salary transfer (good thing too, since I don't get paid for looking after DS!).
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 11:21
If you're worried, go get checked at the doctor. I doubt you'll rest otherwise. I had a tiny amount of spotting at five weeks with my first pregnancy and I was never out of the loo for the rest of the day! I think I also frightened another loo user when I saw it and practically shrieked out loud. This pregnancy I've had three bleeds and it's been OK every time, although I have been straight down to the doctor for a check-up and a quick scan. Fingers crossed for you but do go and reassure yourself with the doctor.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 11:19
DS is 15 months and has just spent the summer smacking his younger cousin over the head with whatever's to hand. He doesn't go to nursery, he isn't smacked and I haven't ever seen him see someone smacked. I have no clue!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 11:13
My nieces and nephew were just diagnosed with this at home. The dermatologist they saw said it'll go eventually, and just to leave the 'lumps' alone in the meantime. I can't remember if she said to put some kind of cream on if they were itchy or sore? I'll ask my sister.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 11:09
Sounds like he has an issue with you being in charge of him. Perhaps find his desk and staple a few prawns underneath? :D
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 11:08
Thanks, guinness. So I guess they just increase the unit rate instead of adding a separate charge? I emailed them yesterday to ask them to come and check the meter is working OK, so we'll see what happens there. Our tenant's bill is higher than ours, and she's in a 2-bed Springs with a small pool while we're in a 4-bed plus maids' with a huge grass garden! It makes no sense at all.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 12 September 2011 - 10:21
What's the new fee for oil? We just rented out our old house and the tenant is complaining the DEWA bill is far too high - admittedly, it's higher than we ever used to pay - but I didn't notice any new charges on the bill. Am I looking in the wrong place?
 
 
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