fjcruiser | ExpatWoman.com
 

fjcruiser

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EW GURU
Latest post on 16 August 2012 - 22:57
My DS (10) sees Dr Amer.What would you like to know ?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 20 July 2012 - 13:24
Drive around and try to speak to security staff in the compounds, they will either tell you if they know of empty properties or give you the phone number of the agent. Some compounds even advertise the mobile number to call.Good luck with the search.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 20 July 2012 - 13:22
Hello all, My daughter has just got an offer from GEMs Wellington Primary School (the one behind Shangri-la hotel). She will be ging to FS1 in Sept 2012. They first told me that I had until a certain day to accept the offer, which I did. Subsequently, they have emailed me three times to ask (after the date the offer expired) if I was still interested in putting my daughter there. It is has given me a bad impression of the school's management. My daughter currently goes to JINS nursery - which I am very happy with and would have prefered her to be at the nursery one more year. But given the horror stories about FS2 being full and its not possible to get a place in a good school in F2, I considered putting her at GEMs now. I would appreciate any comments/experience you can share with me of GWP. Thanks all in advance - and stay cool in this very hot summer!! Schools do have sometimes very long waiting lists especially in the younger years so they need to know if you will be taking the place. If you are not they can offer it to the next one on the list. I think it is good that the school is trying to contact you to give you a chance to reply.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 20 July 2012 - 13:04
When my son was younger we used Ski Hillwood http://www.familyskiholidays.com/ and we had a very good experience with them in Argentiere, France.It is a small family run company, very professional and friendly. As the hotel was only B & B, the company provided childcare in the evenings to allow parents to eat out. The kids were given their meal at the hotel so it was not a problem.Club Med is also a good company although we never tried them because we wanted to ski in Chamonix and their center was adults only.Another popular company is Ski Esprit. We would have used them but the price included flights from the UK to Geneva and we had already got our flights. Hence why we chose Ski Hillwood and never regretted it. Prior to Ski Hillwood, we used Crystal childcare once in Chamonix but they were very expensive.When my DS was 3 1/2, we decided he had to learn to ski and he went to ski school. It worked out cheaper than childcare! Fortunately he liked skiing. <em>edited by fjcruiser on 20/07/2012</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 July 2012 - 22:34
Dubai Community Health Center +971 43953939. It is an excellent place, with plenty of caring specialists depending on what your child will need. They are on Jumeira Road, close to Beach Park (Jumeirah 2/3). My DS has been going there for his dyslexia, he sees an OT (Dr Bakti) and a learning specialist and he has made huge progress. Go and talk to them as soon as you arrive in Dubai.If your insurance / employer covers the cost, it is well worth mentioning their name. It helps you getting a slot as the demand is very high.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 July 2012 - 14:44
130aed per head is very expensive considering you can eat there for half that. Went to a party once where Maria Bonita was the caterer, it was good but not worth 130aed per person!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 July 2012 - 14:32
you would need to go and inspect the car with a mechanic before bidding. Risky but I guess if you know what you are doing, you can pick up a bargain. I also thought the auctions were conducted in Arabic.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 07 July 2012 - 15:13
Thanks Quizzme for feedback. Went to see Lexus this morning and the sales guy was answering the questions truthfully (I had revised my stuff before) and simply. Re service when I asked I was also told every 5,000kms which is what I do with my Toyota FJ. I would go to the Umm Ramool Service Center where you can wait. Small service are generally 1hr and longer one 1h 1/2 at Toyota. I expect roughly the same at Lexus ?IMHO, I prefer servicing more often, it is less costly in the long run and if one needs part it can be fixed preventing potential more repairs if services interval are longer. I am so fed up with Al Tayer bad customer service and the fact my car is still not fixed after countless visits there so I am planning to move to Lexus who I am told is very good. hilsbils, in theory on EW no links are allowed but some get through somehow. Drive Arabia is a good website I always look at. They do not advertise as such but being a link, it must come up on EW's radar and got deleted.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 04 July 2012 - 17:29
to add to Asti, so typically when your child is in Year 2 UK curriculum, it would be in Grade 1 US curriculum for eg.The number difference only becomes an issue when people try to move from US curriculum to UK as they seem to want to "jump" a grade (but they don't)The Ministry of Education will not allow this except in special circumstances. IB curriculum works with grades rather than years. What is important is the age at which kids turn a certain age. Each curriculum has its rules, in fact each schools has its rules to be honest. In terms of what the kids learn it is fairly similar.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 04 July 2012 - 17:19
Park N' Shop on Al Wasl has a good selection if not extensive of Lego's too. I think it is a bit cheaper than Toys R Us.Legos are expensive anyway as the company keeps control on pricing. <em>edited by fjcruiser on 04/07/2012</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 02 July 2012 - 09:49
In the mean time you can use the slip the liquor licence gives you to buy alcohol.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 02 July 2012 - 09:42
I had this when my cat was stressed out. Best is to dry clean the curtains, the bin and suitcase could be washed using pure dettol or clorox (brown colour). After this, spray a lemon scent onto the area which have been cleaned and it should deter your cat from doing it in these places again. From experience, female neutered cat do not spray. There is something definitely bothering her: cat litter, another cat bothering her in the garden, an indoor plant she hates.... I know, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Good luck.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 01 July 2012 - 22:13
Has she been neutered ? or is your cat stressed out by something like a new baby or a recent move ? Female cats do not normally mark their territory like tom cats.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 30 June 2012 - 12:39
is it a motor or sailing boat ? i am looking for sailing boat.Pls let me know.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 25 June 2012 - 21:30
I know Regent School offers this system although I do not know the name of the company who does it. It may be worth talking to the school to find out. <em>edited by fjcruiser on 25/06/2012</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 June 2012 - 13:02
Glad to hear the biting went. My feral cat I found as a kitten sometimes bites despite being 12 months old. She also will 'attack' me out of the blue if she is in a bad mood!.I think she thinks I am her mother, so I do what mother cats do, blowing at her and then she stops. She will then come to me and bury her head in my chest for comfort. The biting is much more gentle too, often it occurs after she has been licking my hand.Weird!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 15 June 2012 - 23:05
Tx:)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 June 2012 - 11:45
Thanks RuthM. The savings is significant indeed.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 June 2012 - 11:25
Thanks RuthM for pointing out about the new Mac notebooks. You made my day!I was about to get the old MacBook Air at Emax using my free air miles. Unfortunately Emax does not stock the new one yet.Apple Store can deliver for free the new one at 3,999dhs (same price as UK-20% tax) and cheaper than the old model.Just ordered it! <em>edited by fjcruiser on 14/06/2012</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 June 2012 - 20:03
Best is to leave some food/water so she can produce more milk for her kitten. Has she only got one ? sometimes they have several and hide them in various places so the kittens don't get assaulted by other feral cats. If you come too close she may just move her kitten away.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 June 2012 - 15:26
Sorry to hear about your ordeal.Can you speak to your doctor about this ? He/she will be able to advise the best course of action, whether you need to see a marriage counsellor on your own or both of you etc.....I hope you get help soon.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 June 2012 - 21:10
K12 is recognised by the MOE.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 09 June 2012 - 22:27
I second jillp with Moorfields Hospital.Dr Edmundo was fantastic.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 09 June 2012 - 22:24
I can recommend Dr Christa Strauss- +971 504549096- Her office is in Knowledge Village, Block 18 above Starbucks.She is well known in Dubai and often recommended by doctors. <em>edited by fjcruiser on 09/06/2012</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 08 June 2012 - 20:12
On Mac I use iSkysoft free video downloader.It will put a tab called download on you tube.You do not need to use Safari as your browser, I use Firefox, click on download and it downloads automatically using Safari.Lovely little piece of free software.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 May 2012 - 13:56
RIP little pooch.He was a lucky dog to have been rescued and looked after by you. <em>edited by fjcruiser on 26/05/2012</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 20 May 2012 - 11:58
It's called a red tide when the sea so flat and there is no wind at all, algae builds up near the shores. It is not dirty per se , just unpleasant as often dirt,plastic bags and sometimes dead fish get entangled in it.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 19 May 2012 - 22:28
By all means, check with schools, this is only my experience 3 years ago with 2 schools we tried in the hope they could help us out. I have to be honest that UAS was very frank about it and said they could not help my son despite him passing the test. The Repton school report highlighted negative behaviour and it was a concern to them. On the other hand,GEMS Wellington willingly took my assessment money and could not be bothered to come back to me despite several calls so I gave up and enrolled him at St Andrews. Things have changed since 2009. As a general rule, some schools suffered more than others with the recession by loosing students. As a result, some may have reviewed their entry requirements, some may have set up learning support sections which did not exist at the time we were there. My DS's special needs are well catered for at school thanks to the dedication of the K-12 tutors and thanks to the curriculum which is exciting, interactive and also online.It is not for everyone, it requires a lot of parental input into the school education, but it works fantastically for us and we could not go back to a classic style school in Dubai.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 15 May 2012 - 21:48
My son was diagnosed with ADHD by Dr Christa Strauss here in Dubai.He had just finished year 1 at Repton and he had had a torrid time to say the least. As his school report was very bad it meant it closed many doors for us (we tried UAS and GEMS Wellington International without success). My DS had to go to St Andrews as a last resort and after a year we enrolled him into the K-12 programme with a tutor. He has now been doing this programme for 2 years, he is doing really well and I could not be happier with this choice.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 09:32
HSBC UAE is regulated by the Central Bank here so the UK FSA has no juridiction over HSBC UAE unfortunately.As you have an account in the UK and I assume you are Premier there too, it should not be too difficult for the UAE branch to put things back to where they were. Although we have not had any issues here with Premier, I have to say 99% of our banking can be done online so we do not need to interact with anyone here!I really hope the matter can be solved quickly but do not expect an apology. It was the computer's fault indeed!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 May 2012 - 21:43
Your husband will have to call them to sort out the situation and he will have to ask them what you need to do to be able to use your account online. CS will probably then ask to talk to you direct and you can give your account number/sort code and resolve the issue. HSBC has tightened security with the new pin cards, hence they thought they were dealing with a fraudster on your husband's account. They have no way of proving you were his wife.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 May 2012 - 21:34
she did the right thing IMHO.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 May 2012 - 20:31
Why can't CS give you the name of your new RM ? It's ridiculous. We were given the details of ours 2 days ago after ringing the number I gave you.Our previous RM operated from Mercato so even If I gave you the details of ours, there is a good chance she won't cover you. Let me know.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 May 2012 - 20:03
Was your RM initials by any chance KB ?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 May 2012 - 19:57
The neurospinal hospital on Jumeira Beach Road (next to Chili's) has a department specialised in sleeping disorder. It's on the first floor. I do not know anything about it, as I was there for back surgery but the reputation of this place is pretty good so hopefully they can help you.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 May 2012 - 18:25
Call 600554722 (Premier line). They are quite helpful. Our RM changed and we had no idea either. CS gave us the new RM number as well as her email.As an ex-Premier (so to speak), Premier CS should be able to help you.I do agree with you that you cannot compare Premier here and elsewhere! Your RM should have called you to let you know what was happening.Poor service. <em>edited by fjcruiser on 13/05/2012</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 10 May 2012 - 14:51
As a general rule, do not ever mention to a school in Dubai that your child has ADHD. Doors will close on you. To apply to schools (and really it depends where you will be living and the places available as the years / grades your require are extremely popular), you will need to produce the last 3 years school reports and your child will be assessed. Hopefully the school reports do not mention ADHD and your kids will be fine.Schools in Dubai mostly cater for middle of the road children. Schoolsare for profit and do not want any hassle generally. Good luck with the search and start right now!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 06 May 2012 - 20:10
Does anyone know how to apply for their new securekey? It says you just need to login to internet banking and follow the instructions but the only instructions there are is to activate your securekey not to apply or order it. Am I missing something? Thought I would try EW brains first before calling them up which is equivalent to going to the dentist (which I hate!) ;) TIA ladies... I understand that you will receive your secure key automatically when you register online. If you have registered already, just make sure HSBC has your correct mobile number. We received a call a couple days ago from Aramex and the secure keys were delivered to our home address as we requested it. The courrier will request an ID before handing over the secure key to you.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 25 April 2012 - 08:57
on my driving licence it is only 7 digits and it works on theDubai Police website (I just tried it).
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 21:22
Al Karama King Games in Karama Centre.Shop is on ground floor.04 336 4619
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EW GURU
Latest post on 19 April 2012 - 12:18
is it a recurring back pain ? Do you have a recent MRI you could show the doctor or physio ? Dr Msaddi at the neurospinal hospital (Jumeira Road - next to Chili's) is very good. He will not recommend surgery unless that is the only option. I did 3 months physio at the Othorsport Clinic on Jumeira Road for my sciatica. As it was getting worse, I consulted Dr Msaddi and he recommended surgery as the only option. At the time, I had never had an MRI done so the physio did not know the extent of the damage to my disc.Good luck.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 April 2012 - 12:15
Block 12 (last block when going towards Media City)- you ll see it from the road. 1st Floor.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 April 2012 - 12:11
For the kids already enrolled to do the IB, there is nothing one can do as it is too late to move school. As the pass result was barely above 50% last year, I certainly would not choose to enroll my child until the school has proven results.IB is not for everyone, it is not necessarily more difficult than A levels as some people say. It is just different. many schools here seems to have jumped on the bandwagon with IB thinking it was the road to success. I noticed than old established schools like DC seems to still favour a well established exam which still gets you into very good unis. I would never want my kids to be guinea **** for a system like IB which still has a long way to go.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 April 2012 - 12:02
On a recent car like the Q5 you should not have to top up the engine oil. May be you have a leak or need to service your car more often perhaps. I found that the recommended service intervals for cars like VW, Audi or Jaguars for eg were far too spaced out in the UAE. I service my old jag at AAA and the mechanic said cars here should be serviced every 5,000kms like the japanese cars. When I used to service it according to the Jag book, all sorts of warnings came up around the 6,000 kms and I did not have any leaks.It makes sense to service more often because of the heat. <em>edited by fjcruiser on 18/04/2012</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 16 April 2012 - 22:05
The advantage of K12 in Dubai is it is the only recognised home schooling by the KHDA. It is only important if you want to enroll your child in a school in Dubai at a later stage BTW. K12 is an establish home schooling system. It is an online system but the course material contains loads of books and science equipment which means you do not need to spend your whole time online. Assessments can be printed if you prefer. For 18,000dhs you also get very good support from the learning coach assigned to you. She/he will prepare progress reports and discuss them with you monthly as well as giving you support in your teaching. I think 18,000dhs is very good value money IMHO. We chose K12 for my DS as I knew it was an established system and I did not have any experience in teaching myself so I would not have known where to start. My DS is actually tutored at K12 by a learning coach so it is not 100% homeschooling. I do teach the history module at home using the online information but one can expand on it if one wishes. Because Dubai does not have as much to offer in terms of museums for eg as my home country, it is a bit more difficult to do field trips to develop on what has been studied for eg but it is not impossible. I am not sure how about getting the University or SATs papers to validate the learning. Hopefully Sgilli3 will read your post in the morning. I believe her kids re-integrated Australian schools successfully when she moved back there. She is indeed the expert in homeschooling as far as I am concerned and got the idea for my DS from her.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 04 April 2012 - 16:21
plug ins, dg sharaf.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 March 2012 - 22:31
Is Bertolli 36dhs better than Carrefour 18dhs? Is there really a difference? Extra Virgin Oil first cold pressed is best and may explain the difference in prices. It should say on the label. Do not use for cooking as when heated, it becomes toxic. Use cooking olive oil (if you can find it). I personally use Virgin Coconut Oil (from the Organic shop in DM) which can be heated safely and does not leave a coconut taste in your food. I buy the Greek Extra Virgin Oil first cold pressed from Park N Shop. It is cheaper than Bertolli and tastes very nice.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 March 2012 - 22:24
Give ABM Care (Authorised Apple Service Provider) a call on 04 452 0055.Open Sunday-Thursday 9am-5.30pm. They are based in Tecom opposite the Byblos Hotel ans Time Oak Hotel.Thuraya Tower,Shop in on ground floor.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 March 2012 - 22:21
would go and see a doctor.Being sick for a week is a long time for a young child.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 09 February 2012 - 21:39
Just out of curiosity: What about those guys who always put post-its on my car if I am willing to sell? Same procedure here? Can I give their number straight to the police? Or is their business not obvious enough? :-) When you advertise your car for sale on your window, you are conducting business without a trade licence hence why it is illegal.If someone leaves a phone number informing you they are interested in buying your car, they are not conducting business as such (although they are probably traders but it is only a probability not a fact). If you want to sell to them you can contact them if not throw the paper away. I often get these stickers at Park N' Shop.It is much better than having these guys coming to you and asking. It would not be acceptable in this country to approach ladies you do not know for eg.