gardenlover | ExpatWoman.com
 

gardenlover

gardenlover
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Latest post on 25 August 2013 - 11:24
Also - Illegal! All the DVD's are pirated. Thanks for saying that! The illegal copying, sharing and selling of creative property should not be condoned in a public forum.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 May 2013 - 17:07
any news?? how are your cultures? We got extra Scobies! If you put up your email I will get in touch.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 April 2013 - 10:46
I am happy to report that our cultures arrived from the states, and then submerged in a nutritious bath of black and green tea, and sugar. Two healthy Scoby's have formed and just this morning I bottled my first batch of Komboucha. If you give me another week I will have extra Scoby's by then and I be happy to give you one. <em>edited by gardenlover on 26/04/2013</em>
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 April 2013 - 17:11
As Illy-rob said you can get it on Fox Sports through Al Jazeera Sports package, just a phone call to Du and we were set up within 2 hours, even though they say it can be up to 24hours. We don't have DU, we have Etisalat. But we do not have TV through them. OSN is separate from our Phone/Internet. So frustrating. Have tried legitimately to pay OSN or Al Jazeera to no avail. Have had to resort to watching it for free on the Internet. <em>edited by gardenlover on 14/04/2013</em>
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 April 2013 - 07:57
Thanks ladies - getting sound from the website however there is an advert that is blocking most of the screen. How do you get rid of it? So close yet so far! This link and any other we could find only was the Amen Corner Coverage, so not the official broadcast. Was anyone able to find a link to the official broadcast?
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2013 - 09:20
tell me if you got it and I'll take it down. FAB. Got it thanks. No VPN required...for the moment anyway....
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2013 - 08:10
Was it a free website?
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 April 2013 - 07:23
Did you get to watch it? We have the top package on OSN. They don't carry it. DH called OSN to protest and was told he needed to get an Al Jazeera card, available only at Hyper Panda in Festival City. He went there and they did not have it. Tried VIP.TV which was horrible. DH is very grumpy. Wish I could help him find him a solution.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 10 April 2013 - 13:42
Can I ask where you got your kombucha culture from...also thinking about trying to make it some day. :) Thanks for the replies! Very helpful. I have ordered a live Kombucha Scobie from the US to be Air freighted here. Will receive it soon!
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 March 2013 - 20:20
Coins are a thing of the past! Well...I am happy to revisit this after trying to use the system early on. It was a complete fiasco and I got two parking tickets after "thinking" I had paid by SMS.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 March 2013 - 15:46
Don't like the location at all. I really hate having to pay for parking. Not so much because of the cost, but the inconvenience of having to walk to the machine, pay in coins (which I don't always have) and back to the car...in the stifling heat. It is also an extremely busy road, and backing out is quite hair raising. Has anyone tried pushing a loaded trolly on the sidewalk? It is slanted for drainage, and the trolley is forever trying to roll it's way into the main road. Makes transferring items to the car quite a challenge!
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 March 2013 - 08:26
And the music! There were DJ's cranking dance music everywhere. We finally found an area without a DJ, and sat down and started telling a staff member how much we enjoyed the quiet, to be able to talk to our visiting relative. They misunderstood, and thought we wanted music and said, "Sorry Mam, tomorrow we will be having DJ!"
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 March 2013 - 11:42
email me ... I can tell you what I know.... <em>edited by gardenlover on 09/03/2013</em>
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 February 2013 - 11:08
There is absolutely no difference for the job or for your travel and stay wether you are single or married, or man or female. I am not sure why you emphasize that in your title. Hmmm...not so sure I would agree with that. I hate to say even this. You mentioned you have an American passport, but are you... Anglo? Is English your first language? These would be serious factors on the salary package you can get.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 February 2013 - 10:58
Unfortunately she can't free-lance doing this type of work. You need a contract with a hotel to play in it. They are full time positions and sadly they pay very poorly. You can register with a talent agency to get you work, but again the pay is not great.
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 February 2013 - 07:25
Hi Taisha: You have found a great source of information for your queries. There are several threads going that will help you with your move here. The Dubai job market is a tough one at the moment, and there are no set standards or expectations you can have about how long it will take to find a job, or what type of salary/benefits package. Do you have international experience? Dubai is a very tough place to get started in, as there are huge costs that hit you in your first month. You would really need a large sum of money to land here with no job, take interviews for a month (or much longer) and then once you landed a job, put down three months to a year for an apartment, plus plus plus. The fact you are concerned about transportation is a big red flag! There are much bigger concerns for someone landing here with no job. One question for you. Why Dubai? It is not the easiest place in the world to do what you are trying to do. <em>edited by gardenlover on 22/02/2013</em>
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 February 2013 - 14:12
the bigger the more unnatural ! Speaking of BIG Chicken, did anyone happen to pick up Chicken Breasts at the New Organic Food and Cafe on SZR near Al Safa this Saturday for their 20% day? They were massive! Had to cut them lengthwise in half to be able to cook them. And they were TOUGH!! <em>edited by gardenlover on 20/02/2013</em>
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 February 2013 - 10:38
Major repairs would be LL responsibility, and plumbing would definitely fit in this category. It would be best to contact him first. If you planted the Damas trees he might try and blame you.
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 February 2013 - 10:21
ok fantastic will call one of them today. Our garden was really hidden by very tall Damas trees but they were all taken out in december before we moved in. If there were Damas trees around, it could be that the plumbing has been seriously damaged, and not a matter of unblocking it but needing repairs, which could be considerably more costly.
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 February 2013 - 23:41
A trip where "all the teachers were drinikng". Students seeing "teachers drinking" generally only happens on trips to Europe, because it is socially acceptable. I have been on several school trips where the teachers are having dinner/drinks in a room nearby, where students can pass-by, look in, and see their teachers drinking wine with dinner. This will be a shock to some students...no doubt. Parents...if your children are traveling to Europe, this is a part of their culture and your children may see this. It is not considered to be an offense for Europeans.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 February 2013 - 13:55
There were certainly one or two teachers who I worked with that I would NEVER entrust my children to. Agreed. And changing the policy so that teachers cannot drink responsibly is not going to change these types. They will still drink irresponsibly, just in secret, which you might argue is more problematic. With or without social drinking at adult parties on school trips, there will be those that abuse it.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 February 2013 - 13:39
TBH i think most schools here would take a very dim view of any teacher consuming alcohol whilst responsible for their students and it would be a sackable offence regardsless of school. I am here to tell you that school Admin are very often the ones providing drinks to the teachers. Whether you like it or not, it is happening. People are saying it is wrong, but no-one is saying it doesn't happen. Because it does.
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 February 2013 - 13:33
EXACTLY !!! even if it is a grey area why oh why can a teacher just not go with out alcohol for a few days?!?!??! Is it really worth it?!?!? Again, you are suggesting that teachers are engaging in irresponsible, risky behavior by having one or two drinks at a three hour social. Does anyone really believe that this amount of alcohol is going to impair anyone to the point where they are no longer capable of caring for their students? Having alcohol at a work-related social/dinner is a cultural norm in US/Europe. Nor is it illegal.
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 February 2013 - 12:46
Let's forget about culture. The teacher at that time is STILL responsible even when the kids are in bed and asleep. I definitely don't disagree with you there. But with a drink or two at a dinner party, you would be no less capable of dealing with a situation, than if you had none at all. I chimed into this thread because the title might suggest to some that teachers are going on drunken binges on school trips. This would be of course wrong in anybody's book. But there is a gray area, where a drink or two is acceptable to some, and not to others, and it is largely cultural. My point being, that if you send your kids to a European/US school, teachers will be drinking socially in the situations I earlier described. Again, you can choose not to send you kids to European/US Schools if this is unacceptable. But I really don't think you would be able to change it.
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 February 2013 - 12:06
The situations I am describing are similar; When traveling overseas, at the end of the day students are sent to stay with host families or to hotels to go on an excursion, with chaperones. Teachers have a social gathering by themselves, and alcohol is served. This happens. If you find that un-acceptable you are going to have to move mountains to get schools to change this. I also don't agree that schools are bound by local traditions. US/Westerns Schools are not required to cover up to the extent of Arabic schools, they are co-ed, school materials are not censored, students dating is acceptable, children sing and dance "Modern Dance", and many, many other examples. So no, schools do not adhere to local customs and traditions, nor would we westerners want them to. As a parent you have the right to choose to send you children to US/European schools. And if you do, your kids will be exposed to their cultures and traditions.
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 February 2013 - 10:59
I feel there is a very clear line here I also think there should be a distinction between "Drinking" and "Getting Drunk". The functions I have been to where alcohol is served to teachers, no-one is getting drunk. That would be foolish. But a glass or two over a three hour dinner party is obviously deemed acceptable in the eyes of school administration, as they are often the ones offering it. It is also an example of cultural preferences. This happens regularly in US/European schools, but of course would be totally unacceptable in an Arabic School. If you are sending your kids to an American/European school, you are endorsing/supporting their social and cultural traditions: where social drinking is acceptable in professional situations. A glass or two of wine over three hours is not going to inhibit someones ability to provide for students in emergency situations.
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 February 2013 - 09:37
In my opinion it's unprofessional hence why I said originally "personally it's a big no, no". This is where you will get many differing opinions. But if I am visiting the superintendent's house of a highly regarded international school, and you are met at the door with choices of red, white or other, it is not unprofessional to have a glass, especially when 95% of the people at the function (teachers, parents, admin) are also drinking.
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 February 2013 - 07:36
Personally, as a teacher, it's a big no, no. Do what you want in your own time, but on a trip is not your own time! Having chaperoned school trips before (especially to Europe) alcohol is often served to teachers at sanctioned socials and dinners, even when hosted by administration. I even heard of a social that was held on campus of a school and wine was served. So it definitely happens. Drinking WITH students however is a very quick way to lose your job. <em>edited by gardenlover on 15/02/2013</em>
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 February 2013 - 16:28
DH came home livid the other night from the golf driving range. 4 adults (Parents and Grandparents) were sitting on benches with beers as their 4 and 6 years olds were "Hitting balls". Another 2 year old was running around, not doing what she was told, throwing balls around. He glared at the parents at one point and they looked at him as if to say... "Aren't they just adorable!"
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 December 2012 - 12:39
never used mine and he never calls me either. I just call the call centre if I need anything and get stuff done that way ... We tried the call center first and they said "You need to go into Branch" We went into branch and they said "You need to call Relationship Manager." I think if you get to the point of needing to deal with Relationship Manger, you are at the end of the road, and it is their job to stall, ignore, blame, accuse.........but NEVER under any circumstances give money back to the client. That is their job.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 December 2012 - 19:22
Yes! I was sitting next to a man who overheard my complaints about this do nothing "Relationship Manger". He had a similar situation and could never get his to return a call or email.
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 November 2012 - 08:10
I have a tooth problem that a dentist at a well known practice has not been able to fix. I have had to go back three times. It looks like I will have to go back again as the problem is still persisting. Last time I asked to see a different dentist but the lady said. "You will have to pay extra to see a different dentist as the others charge a higher rate," So apparently we have been seeing the "cheaper" dentist, who can't seem to fix my tooth, but to get it sorted I need to pay more to see someone who can fix it??
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 October 2012 - 12:01
Thanks for the responses. Consider me more knowledgeable of how charities operate. I could never quite get my head around it, but it makes more sense to me now.
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 October 2012 - 11:05
If a person does a charity walk, through sponsorship lots of people are made aware of the charity, the charity gets lots of publicity and lump sum cash, I definitely agree, and I wasn't speaking about "walks" and other types of charity that do not have huge costs associated, like climbing a mountain. Admittedly, I don't understand if the trip is paid for by the volunteer, or, if a large part of the donations go to paying for the trip. Excuse my ignorance!
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 07 October 2012 - 10:09
I don't know about anyone else, but I get tired of this concept. 20-30 years ago, when it was more of a challenge and was not done to death, I could understand it, but it just does not make sense to me in this day and age. It seems to me a way for people to get an all expense adventure paid for themselves, in the guise of doing good for a charity. Why don't people just donate their time, with 100% of the proceeds going to the charity, instead of paying for them to get up and down a mountain. I am sure some will disagree, but this has bothered me more and more over the years.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 September 2012 - 18:01
Any updates on SZR??
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 16 September 2012 - 10:38
It is just crazy that this idiotic,amateurish movie is being given the weight, attention it is getting. If nobody reacted to this movie it would just be laying in the dust heap of unseen movies. Christianity has been dealing with this for decades. "The Holy Grail" and "Life of Brian" are but a few examples. Both idiotic (but brilliantly so) movies making fun of Christ and the Christian institution.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 July 2012 - 21:24
Thank you for your replies. However, garden lover and Salsb you do not actually know my full situation so before you start commenting and throwing insults at me maybe you could actually stop and think there are reasons behind this very hard decision. Only responding to your post darling. Having kids is not a reason to re-home cats. How can you have a go at us for not knowing the full situation, when you do not provide the whole situation?
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 July 2012 - 16:49
sounds like it...... Now what? I did call someone from the company and he confirmed we should have been given 31 days notice. But I am sensing I might need to take legal action to get them to do anything about it.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 July 2012 - 08:53
My child who is 11 is in high school. An 11 year old child in High School? Most high school children are 14 - 17(18). MS is 12 and 13(14). Is many school systems 11 year olds are still in elementary school.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 July 2012 - 22:39
Please do not give children of 11 yrs of age balckberrys ...are you crazy!! ...they are children....let them be children for gods sake ...they will have bbs long enough...it really annoys me when people 'ruin' their children by giving them everything and leading them to have coveted childhoods where they will never learn how to "earn anything" or work for what they want...it hardly rocket science is it! Where is your "like" button?? I like this!
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 July 2012 - 22:24
Funny...we have almost the opposite concept of animals and raising children. When we have our first born, we have always said "Now is the time to get some cats and dogs." Children love them, and all you have to do is look at the research that says children benefit emotionally and physically from having pets around. You want to get rid of your two loved pets....WHY?? <em>edited by gardenlover on 14/07/2012</em>
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 July 2012 - 13:53
It is baby bird season in Dubai! The realities of baby birds is they have maybe a 20% survival rate, and is what is supposed to be for them to maintain a healthy thriving species. There are many ways young birds will die, and a broken wing is but one of many. I don't think a vet is going to be able to help. Laws of nature I am afraid. Killing it would cause me undue stress! Best to turn your back and let nature run it's course.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 June 2012 - 12:29
Cats are the number one killer of birds, and they do it for sport. You certainly would not leave your kitten outside to prey on these poor helpless birds, as "fun" as it is??
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 June 2012 - 11:20
Most often, a bird out of it's nest is so for a reason. Either it left because it was ready (which is an extremely vulnerable few days for these fledgelings) or sometimes parent birds will kick one out if there are too many or if it is sick/weak. If this bird was hopping and flitting around, it sounds like it was ready to go. We see all of the time in our yard, parent birds with three babies. The next day it might be two, one and even sometimes none. It is a brutal world out there. We tried intervening in the past but have since decided to be passive observers to the laws of nature.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 June 2012 - 09:09
We have loads of birds in our yard, we provide them with water and observe them all the time. Nature's law is that not every baby bird lives, nor is it supposed to. There are many obstacles preventing them all growing to maturity. You might try returning the bird to the outside, but it is very likely the parents will no longer feed it if it has another scent on it. Don't feel too bad about it. You tried to save it, but it may just be nature running it's course. Sounds cold-hearted I know, but you would beat yourself up a million times a day for every small animal that does not make it to adult hood in these harsh conditions.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 June 2012 - 22:26
Thank you so much! Guess what i'll be doing with my long weekend lol :) You are going to plant now? Outside?? Or are you looking for indoor plants? Planting outside (unless well sheltered, watered) is not advisable due to the extreme heat.
gardenlover
122
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 June 2012 - 12:23
Any ideas? OSN has decided it is more interesting to cover the World Dart Championships, or alternately cage fighting bloodiness. Those are the options. DH is fuming. How to watch the US Open Golf Tournament??
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 30 May 2012 - 21:46
Stick with it!! This diet is a path to health and longevity like no other. Just be sure to give equal emphasis to veggies as fruits. Too much fruit is too much sugar. There needs to be a balance in what you juice. You will feel a new person in 5 days.
gardenlover
122
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 May 2012 - 08:23
Not sure if it is the same here as in other places, but you are often not allowed to put up traffic signs on your own. If it is outside your villa you may get fined.
 
 
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