RuthM

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 22 May 2012 - 14:52

What sort of course are you looking for? I am not sure what kind of information you mean regarding postgraduate/graduate/masters-degree but can lay out some basics. Undergraduate: A diploma is often a one year course which can be at a slightly lower level or at the same level as first year of a degree, this can be a good start for someone returning to education after a break. Also consider a foundation year or an access course. A bachelors degree is usually three years (sometimes four in some countries or can have a sandwich year - year working) BSc (Bachelor of Science - Economics, Chemistry, Computing, Maths etc.) BA (Bachelor of Arts - History, Philosophy, English etc.) BD (Bachelor of Divinity) BEng (Bachelor of Engineering) Graduate/Postgraduate: MEng (an advanced undergraduate four - five year degree in Engineering with some masters level components) MPharm (an advanced undergraduate four - five year degree in Pharmacy with some masters level components necessary to be a pharmacist) MBBS (an advanced undergraduate five year degree in Medicine with some masters level components that allow you to become a medical doctor) Post Graduate: PgCert - Post graduate certificate (usually nine months to two years full or part time) PgDip - Post graduate diploma (usually one year to two years full or part time) Msc/MA - Masters degree (usually one - two years full time or two - three years part time) Have you considered external study? University of London do some good courses. For example their Economics courses are led by LSE which is in the top 5 universities in the UK for Economics. You can have a teacher led course here in the UAE with the same award (although it is expensive). They do a number of arts subjects and some sciences such as accounting and finance. Other courses are led by SOAS, Royal Holloway and their law degree is led by six colleges (Birkbeck, King’s College London, The London School of Economics and Political Science, Queen Mary, the School of Oriental and African Studies, and UCL). http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/ Unfortunately they do not do the course I want to do which is Pharmacy and neither does anywhere in Dubai (for expats). <em>edited by RuthM on 22/05/2012</em>

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 22 May 2012 - 14:25

Trained maintenance people that can actually fix things and are qualified. Throwing twenty untrained staff at a problem could be much better resolved with one trained person. Shop staff that actually know what they are talking about, and if they don't then they should stop talking about it. The disputes I have had in various Apple stockists for example not wanting a computer only wanting a screen "but this one is better mam, it has a computer as well" and the best one in a certain store where my iMac was returned to where they were unaware of file sharing between macs and wanted to copy my HDD contents to an external drive then onto the new mac, hence taking twice as long. Security that are not afraid to stand up to the locals, be that in the water on jet-skis, at the indoor ski slope and on the roads. Security that actually make things SAFE for EVERYONE. I second the place to walk the dogs, a beach would be great even if it is up to an hour out of Dubai I would go there and take the dogs at the weekend, my two desperately want to swim. (if any one knows of one please let me know - I have heard rumors of such an existence). Places of worship for all religions and religious freedom for everyone to practice in their chosen place of worship or at home. I second Ocado, this would be really good. I second door to door mail service, or even a mail service where more than 50% of your mail made it to you. The Empost @Home service for us so far, has not actually been @Home. A ban on pet shops selling cats and dogs, and a Kennel Club for registered breeders and breed importers that can be linked to the UK Kennel Club (I would also say the AKC but it is too far for importing). Dog licensing and basic training requirements for all new dog owners and their dogs (Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme). An efficient centralised microchip database that all vets, dog homes and the municipality have access to and that it is mandatory all registered pets are added onto. Funding for a pet shelter that the municipality will actually communicate with for lost animals rather than the mad panic when your pet gets lost and there is the possibility the municipality have picked it up rather than a nice vet or K9 friends. In the UK when we lost our dog (he was deaf and half blind) the police picked him up and took him to Battersea Dogs Home which was quite amusing as they had him labelled up as seven years old (he was twelve) fortunately we got him back before some poor person adopted him. Maid training and personal development schemes. You can sponsor a maid to come here and get some useful education (for those willing). Over a two year period she can as a minimum do EDCL/IDCL (computer skills) and EFL (English or Arabic, French etc.) part time whilst also employed as your maid, you pay for the courses as part of her sponsorship and where time is available assist her. Then if she wants to get an office job afterwards she has the option or she can continue working as your maid and you can sponsor her for a further two years to do a vocational course (personal trainer, dental nurse, beauty therapist, secretary etc.). More use of alternative energy, we live in one of the sunniest places in the world and I have never seen a solar panel (except the one on my bathroom scales). Every villa at the very least could be using solar for their hot water. More nutritional information on food products in restaurants and to some extent in supermarkets. They want to control obesity here, make it mandatory for all places to show nutritional information and use the traffic light system. Oh but just a few things.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 22 May 2012 - 13:45

Ours doesn't go any lower than 23, and that is with all the fans on hi, all the time. Think there is something wrong with it but the idiots that do our maintenance just talk rubbish and fix nothing. If we could have it set I would have it on 25 during the day and 20 - 22 at night. As it is at the moment I am dreading the next DEWA bill just trying to keep it on 24 at night and 26 during the day.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 22 May 2012 - 11:07

You could see a qualified sports massage therapist or even a sports rehabilitator. They specialise in massage but are qualified to treat specific injuries as opposed to your general spa massage therapist. Or an osteopath, they have a tendency to do more manipulation but also generally do more massage than a physio.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 22 May 2012 - 10:58

This is why I hope never to have a daughter. She'll either be nice and kind hearted (as yours seems to be) but then have the possibility of being bullied and emotionally tortured by all the other girls she has to deal with. Or she will be mean herself in which case due to my extreme hatred of nasty little girls, I may have to drop her off at an orphanage. Why girls are so evil is beyond me, I hope you can find balance with yours so that she can be happy and still keep her kind hearted nature, just don't send her to an all girls school!

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 22 May 2012 - 10:36

You can get it in Lakeland. Also LG and I think Samsung do one now, not sure if they are any good.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 20 May 2012 - 23:58

University of London do some excellent external courses which are highly regarded. http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/ Dubai Explorer has some photography courses: http://www.liveworkexplore.com/dubai/activities/activities_and_hobbies/photography_and_film I am looking at either the Gulf Photo Plus or SAE ones. Otherwise you could take up online gaming, it keeps me amused in the summer when it's too hot to go out (plus I have an injury that has me unable to do sport for six months, despite protests and attempts to resist). I recommend Warcraft, there are a lot of bored ladies on there. Most of the women in my guild took it up when they were pregnant and stuck at home after mocking their husbands for playing it and are now better players than their husbands!

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 20 May 2012 - 22:21

Black tie is otherwise known as dinner jacket, which advises what time of day it should be worn. Morning dress would be more commonly expected at a daytime wedding, which should not be confused with white tie which is actually evening attire. Traditional formal attire would be morning dress for daytime and white tie for evening. Occasionally white tie will be worn for a daytime wedding, in winter, late in the afternoon so sunset arrives quickly. Really evening attire should not be worn before 6pm. Black tie is considered more semi-formal evening attire therefore cocktail dresses should be acceptable, that said for my black tie evening wedding reception I wore a full length dress but I was the bride! For men wing collars with black tie are a bit of a faux pas (unless in America) these are typically reserved for more formal white tie occasions but do ensure you have a marcella or pleated shirt with button studs. If you do decide to go with a wing collar it should be a stiff wing collar and it is absolutely necessary to have peaked lapels as shawl collars are certainly less formal and do not go with wing collar shirts at all. Waist covering (waistcoat/cummerband) are vital for men, (unless they have washboard abs and go for the Daniel Craig Casino Royale look), silk braces should be worn (there should be no belt loops in a dinner jacket) and plain leather oxfords or patent leather oxfords. If opera pumps are preferred (again generally a white tie thing) then peaked lapels are necessary and ensure the grosgrain on the lapels matches the pumps (as well as the tie!). Don't forget a linen pocket handkerchief or silk for a more casual look. As for tuxedos, no idea what they are some kind of Americanism I imagine! Okay perhaps a little on Tuxedos. You did advise the wedding was in Ireland so if it is an American style wedding differing rules may apply. I think Americans try to dress tuxedos up (more on the level with British white tie) so then full length dress for ladies, wing collars etc. for men may be necessary and I don't think they have the more casual shawl collars on their jackets. I am sure I have seen Americans wear black tie for daytime weddings on TV and such, but then that is on TV. edited by RuthM on 20/05/2012 <em>edited by RuthM on 20/05/2012</em>

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 20 May 2012 - 21:28

I see a lady called Caroline from Exhale, she seems very good. Not sure if she does the Palm though, the website is: http://www.exhaledubai.com/index.php

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 18 May 2012 - 00:41

This idea for Dubai? With one of the fastest growing rates of type 2 diabetes in the world? Perhaps stopping buffets altogether would be a better idea?

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 17 May 2012 - 09:05

Green and Blacks cocoa powder, plain/milk chocolate and ice cream Method cleaning and laundry stuff, she whole range (they used to do it here a few years ago but then it disappeared). Better dog food brands such as Orijen, Acana etc. Fresh ready to cook meals (like Waitrose/Marks and Spencer etc.), the meals with raw meat/fish/veg but it is prepared to just cook in oven (not pre cooked stuff you heat up), so my DH doesn't live off takeaways when I'm away. Fresh cream, Spinney's have started doing this now, but it is imported from Waitrose, surely the dairies can make cream locally? Decent bagels, decent smoked salmon (you can see where this is heading). And salt beef (Brass Rail, Selfridges style) I think of this every day and wish I could just pop out and get a good salt beef sandwich. Umm salt beef...

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 16 May 2012 - 09:47

I don't know what size Emperor is but And So To Bed...go up to 7ft (213cm) and can bespoke any size you want. http://www.andsotobed.co.uk/ A British company but many of their products are made in Italy (a very small number are made in Philipines). Their beds are beautiful, although quite expensive. We bought two beds from their showroom in Bur Dubai, all our guests comment on how comfortable our guest bed is. They use Vi-spring mattresses which are one of the best sprung mattresses in my opinion the only challenger would be Savoir. Speaking of Savoir, they share a London showroom with Simon Horn, who do even more beautiful beds (and nursery furniture), however despite my requests they don't as yet have a showroom in Dubai although will ship here (we intend on getting nursery furniture and a pull out bed from them in the future). www.savoirbeds.co.uk www.simonhorn.com I imagine Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and Ethan Allen (all American companies) may also do some large size beds.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 16 May 2012 - 09:06

Exhale at Motor City, there's also one at JBR. http://www.exhaledubai.com/index.php I'm doing private sessions with Caroline (Pilates but she does Yoga too), she seems very good and knows a lot of technical stuff. Single class is AED 60 but you can get packages of 10 or monthly/3 monthly/6 monthly memberships.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 15 May 2012 - 10:32

They should just put security on the doors at the malls. I hate night clubs, on the rare occasion one of my friends insist I go out to a nightclub I get dragged along. Fortunately when I get to the door I get turned away, for wearing flip flops or sneakers! (I don't mind dressing up for the opera but don't really own anything nightclub suitable and am not wearing AED 5k-10k worth of clothes/shoes to a nightclub). So if you can be turned away from some cheap scummy nightclub for wearing the wrong shoes (i.e not looking tarty enough) then why can you not be turned away from the mall for looking too tarty? There is a time and a place for everything. That goes for men too, I believe the ruling is navel to the knees so no short shorts for them either. (and please no vests ulghh, keep them on the beach or the gym not over my lunch).

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 15 May 2012 - 08:06

Is there more water downstairs than upstairs? Sometimes the pump shuts off, or gardener may have tripped it. Check at the tank outside and try turning it on and off again, or if not sure ask a gardener to do it for you.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 19:10

I’m sure there are people that think showing your hair is insulting in a Muslim country, you will never be able to keep everyone happy. Personally I would not come to Dubai on holiday if there were dress restrictions, I was happy to abide by the laws whilst I lived there but as a tourist you go on holiday to relax. Try walking round Vatican City half dressed and see how far that gets you. [b'>Well you would dress appropriately wouldn’t you, the same if you were visiting a Mosque [/b'> You can wear bikini's on the beach, you can dress like a tart to go clubbing is it too much to ask to dress sensibly in the malls. [b'>You might dress like a tart clubbing but I’m way too old for all that. I was talking about eating in restaurants in the hotels, I want don’t want to have to carry a cardigan with me in 40 degree heat.[/b'> In some African countries it is customary for women to walk around topless, but you don't see them coming to London and walking around topless. Also please also bear in mind it may not be Emiratis you offend. People from other gulf countries come on holiday here (Saudi, Bahrain, Kuwait) and perhaps they should be able to enjoy their holidays without having to be shown an obscene amount of flesh. They know there are going to be women with their arms bare and their hair uncovered but they don't expect to be able to see women's underwear because their skirt is so short, and frankly I don't want to see it either. edited by RuthM on 14/05/2012 [b'>The main bulk of tourists come from Europe. There’s an old English saying its goes along the lines of “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you” cannot market yourself as a tourist destination and not have to compromise on certain issues. [/b'> Firstly I do not go clubbing as previously stated, so no need to try and insult my attire. Secondly I am surprised you have not heard of this fine invention very well known as a pashmina. Thirdly there is little outdoor dining here in the summer and everywhere indoors is freezing with the air conditioning so really no problems with getting involved with 40 degree heat. Lastly with regard to tourists in Dubai in 2006/07 some 41% were European which is hardly a majority. Others come from Asia which also has a large Muslim population. Also many Muslim Europeans (almost all my Muslim friends in UK) holiday here because they find it more comfortable than many areas in Europe. If you look at hotel occupancy rates the gap narrows for 2011 2,377,681 Arab, 1,739,313 Asia, 189,136 Australasia, 443,971 Africa (non Arab), 516,183 Americas and 1,996,446 from Europe of which some 449,139 are from Russia/CIS/Baltics and specifically dominated by Muslim countries in those regions. Yes these may be visiting on Business but they are still staying in hotels, eating out and spending money.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 18:15

I’m sure there are people that think showing your hair is insulting in a Muslim country, you will never be able to keep everyone happy. Personally I would not come to Dubai on holiday if there were dress restrictions, I was happy to abide by the laws whilst I lived there but as a tourist you go on holiday to relax. Try walking round Vatican City half dressed and see how far that gets you. You can wear bikini's on the beach, you can dress like a tart to go clubbing is it too much to ask to dress sensibly in the malls. In some African countries it is customary for women to walk around topless, but you don't see them coming to London and walking around topless. Also please also bear in mind it may not be Emiratis you offend. People from other gulf countries come on holiday here (Saudi, Bahrain, Kuwait) and perhaps they should be able to enjoy their holidays without having to be shown an obscene amount of flesh. They know there are going to be women with their arms bare and their hair uncovered but they don't expect to be able to see women's underwear because their skirt is so short, and frankly I don't want to see it either. <em>edited by RuthM on 14/05/2012</em>

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 16:13

At MoE I saw a woman dressed in a cowboy hat, a pair of shorts that were barely more than pants and a shirt tied up to show her midriff. As I always do whether in the UK or UAE I said to my DH very loudly "look there's a prostitute I didn't realise they let prostitutes roam the malls now?!". Actually no in the UK it is more along the lines of "slot, slot, slot", (you have to watch Beavis and Butthead to fully get the joke but I'm sure you get the jist). UK, UAE, wherever, there is nothing I hate more than women dressed up as tramps, it demeans all women, I also don't like seeing men in those awful vests, or with their shirt unbuttoned to their waist... save that for night clubs please, which I then don't have to visit. We should be grateful we don't have to wear full arabic dress with headscarf etc. here and that we are allowed to wear bikinis at the beach or dress up for nightclubs, but as usual some people have to push their luck too far and it is only so long before everything is clamped down because of these selfish disrespectful people. It is simple really, cover from your shoulders to your knees, it's not rocket science.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 09:48

Lapland, Iceland? I have a number of friends in Norway, Holland, Sweden and Denmark so can ask them if you want info on any of those countries. I often go to the Swiss alps which are gorgeous, I imagine anywhere in the European alps would be nice. Summer in the mountains is so nice, the air is the freshest you have ever breathed and it's really tranquil. Not sure what there is for kids there but I know there are some kid summer camps in various places so there must be something. Definitely they have walking/hiking, zip trek tours, tennis, cycling, I normally ski (yes in July/August!) Saas Fee has an ice cave at the top and there is snow too.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 13 May 2012 - 12:31

erm any 'breeder' willing to send a young animal half way round the globe without meeting you or asking for any details about you - would they have if you didn't offer them up? - is still all about the money. There are so many homeless cats and dogs in the UAE already and so many of those are being needlessly put to sleep every week because homes cannot be found for them. Please don't bring more animals into this country. One of the main reasons there are so many homeless animals is from thoughtless expats who bought/shipped in animals then dumped them when they left. edited by Chocs01 on 12/05/2012 The breeder I contacted spent a lot of time emailing me back and forth asking information about my pets, where I live, for photos of our home etc. in fact one of the dog breeders I contacted to (who I later visited as well btw) stated that it was funny he had more information about me without even meeting me than he had from most of his previous puppy sales where he had met the people buying. He even checked up on me with his contacts in the United Retriever Club. Also there was a waiting list for his pups and our current dog was sired by the same line that he often sires with.. (we are waiting for a pup sired by this line again). Our dog is a trained gundog (Regional Novice Winner before we left) and we intend on training our next pup the same so that when we go back to the UK we can still work him, also so he doesn't get bored out of his mind out here and destroy the house. It is unlikely we can get a gundog quality pup here from rescue and our home in the UK is not big enough for loads of dogs so I am afraid we are a little selective what we take on as there is no way we are leaving anyone behind. The OP specifically stated she normally takes on rescues but this time round she has her heart set on a Maine Coon. I understand there are lots of rescues out here from irresponsible owners which is why I requested the OP does not support the pet stores who sell to these irresponsible people, not forgetting half these animals are badly bred, don't look remotely like they should and are in ill health. Rescue or buy from a responsible breeder abroad who will ask you questions, and who will expect you to ask questions as well (hip score, eye score etc.) and be a responsible owner. But do not buy from a pet shop, that is key. Because most irresponsible owners will have gone into a pet shop got something cute then got bored with it, most irresponsible owners don't know the first thing about animals and wouldn't even know where to start finding a breeder or what questions to ask. (saw a lady asking if her puppy might have rabies because it kept on biting her not so long ago!). Put these pet shops out of the selling pets business and you can reduce the number of homeless pets on the streets and address the origin of the problem rather than just trying to stick a band aid on it. In fact petitioning the government to increase laws regarding pet ownership would be another good start. Pets can only be bought to order, new owners should be obliged to pass a cat ownershp test and to take their dog to a basic training course. Perhaps one step further expats who buy pets have to pay the government a return shipping fee when they get them, which will later be returned to them in the form of a return trip home upon leaving or upon presentation of a veterinary certificate to state the animal died from natural causes. This fee will of course be added to every year when you reregister your pet as well in line with the cost of return fares going up. Then no excuses as to why you dumped your dog at the side of the road when you left, something I personally cannot comprehend. Responsible owners are not adding to the problem by bringing pets in to the country as long as they are cared for and they take them with them. On a personal note I find it quite offensive that this is suggested, especially as I know of at least three 'good willed' people who have 'adopted' animals from rescue and have no intention of taking them home with them and/or no finance to do so. There is definitely a cycle here that if you 'adopt' an animal then leave it behind you've still done your bit (because dogs/cats are so much easier to rehome than the cute puppy/kitten you adopted).

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 12 May 2012 - 11:20

I was intending to make some suggestions, but wanted to see if the ski club would address the social aspect at least. Another thing I think would be great for them to do would be an annual ski trip for ski club members, but perhaps they do this already, another reason why I want to try the ski club before writing to them. That said I do definately think changing their lesson format to 2 hours and having a break in the middle for a drink and video analysis would be great. But unlikely I think as then they can't squeeze as many sessions out of te instructors as possible. Also running regular lesson sessions week after week with the same instructor and preferably the same group would be good. So in October if I can ski again I'll sign up for the ski club and see if it addresses many of the things I'd like to see at ski Dubai. Oh and I dream of ski patrol that kick those youths that ski straight down in a big wedge and crash into everyone! (although have been known to take a few out, accidentally of course)

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 12 May 2012 - 10:16

It's a three/four year old house in the ranches. The walls are very thick, (so thick we need four wifi hubs). There are not many windows (it's not like a Saheel). We have blackout blinds on all the windows and have kept both windows and blinds shut. The doors are all shut (including the ensuite). Only part of the room faces the sun (about 3ft) the rest is covered by another room and the main window faces the opposite direction so doesn't see any sun for most of the day. In the centre of the room there is a raised ceiling section with an aircon vent on either side (this is where I think there may be two units, the other spare room only has one vent and no raised ceiling). (photo) http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150778688530286&l=f3862c97f0 There is an individual setting for the room specifically where you can set it on manual or auto. Auto means it automatically cuts in and out once the desired temperature is met. However on auto 20 degrees hi setting it is running constantly and the room only gets to 23 degrees. I am sure our last villa (just round the corner, same build) got to 18 degrees in the huge master bedroom and I know one of the smaller bedrooms was like an icebox (both the spare bedrooms were on one system and one was the right temp the other was freezing). Although I am also sure that Tooltime suck beyond belief. Is there someone better we can call in, maybe an air con specialist?

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 12 May 2012 - 09:53

Hi Skiingfreak I'm afraid I don't. I haven't really done any racing since I was a Junior in 1995. I had a bad fall in which one of my skis didn't come off and I tumbled through several gates, sliced my leg up and twisted my knee. It left me terrified of slalom gates. When I first came out here I went to the Saturday night Slalom night (which Mohammed takes). I was hoping to get my confidence back. But a herniated disc (unrelated) in my lumbar has left me unable to ski on and off since January 2010 (and very miserable!). I was often the only person there. I understand there is a ski club you can join that is a bit more social but only found out about it after my injury. If there is one negative thing I can say about Ski Dubai is it takes the social aspect out of skiing. My last ski centre in the UK would do 2hr lessons with a short break in the middle, to get a drink, watch some video analysis, have a chat etc. People would join and come every week. The Snow Tigers and Snow Tiggers (kids club) were always stacked full of kids that all knew each other and Saturday morning was dedicated to them. During the week there were two adult club nights which were 3 hour sessions with a longer break. A second negative point would be that many of the instructors are hopeless with advanced skiers, especially mixed groups. If I hear someone else say the words 'make carve turn' without explaining the movement to do so (and then watch the entire group make a skid turn for the next 30mins) I think I will strangle them! With almost any instructor except Mohammed I also spend the 30mins demoing carve turns, which I don't mind except that I was paying money to work on something applicable to me, like short turns, that sneaky a-frame that still sneaks in very occasionally, early turn initiation, getting that lazy inside ski working, stance width depending on terrain, keeping my hips facing downhill and them to fall downhill a heck of a lot more than they do so I can see some bigger angles on my skis! I am hoping to join the ski club here once I can ski again, possibly October providing my back doesn't go again whilst doing something dangerous like swimming (yes that is how I last injured my back).

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 12 May 2012 - 03:21

I wouldn't buy any bred to sell animal in the UAE. We are buying our new pup and new cats in the UK and shipping them out to ensure they haven't come from a dodgy overbred farm in Eastern Europe. I found breeders already and I sent them an email with photos and some information about us, our home and our current pets and explained why I refuse to support the disgusting pet industry in this country. Puppies sold in pet shops like in the 1980s in the UK. None of them looking quite right, health problems galore, unbelievably our local pet shop had two pups one with an abcess in it's eye and the other that had practically chewed it's tail off most likely due to stress. After explaining this the breeders were more than happy to agree to ship out the right pet for us. The cat breeder even offered to send us a video amd photos of the kitten litter so we could choose which one we wanted and she would do all the paperwork/vaccinations as long as we could arrange transport to the airport and book the flight. Here is the website for the Maine Coon club of GB, which will probably have a list of breeders you can contact. http://www.maine-coon-cat-club.com/

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 12 May 2012 - 03:04

Ski instructors there are mainly qualified with the Austrian Ski School and many of them are level four (highest level). There are some very nice Filipino girls that often teach the kids (although may only be level 2). I personally like Mohammed a Moroccan level 4 race coach, the best technical instructor there in my opinion. You may be surprised to find a number of European and NZ ski instructors there, bear in mind ski instructors are badly paid everywhere so this is probably one service in Dubai where staff are not paid less than the rest of the world. Ski instructors do not generally have any formal qualifications for teaching children specifically. This is normal for any ski school. I know a number of people whose children have learnt to ski there and been very happy. Also be aware that in Europe it can be harder for children as young as four to learn as the natural environment has more dangers and is harder going (my parents took me to Switzerland when I was four but I wasn't strong/big enough to keep up with the class). The greatest risk at Ski Dubai is probably when your child starts on the big slope, there are a lot of reckless skiers there, that do not have any control and ski patrol are too afraid to send them packing (I would love to work ski patrol there but after I threw out all the spoilt rich brats that can't ski I'd probably get deported!). That said this is normally in the evenings at the weekends. In some ways learning to ski at Ski Dubai could be considered safer than on a mountain as it is a controlled environment, there no risk of avalanche, skiing off a cliff etc. Ski Dubai does have comprehensive insurance so if you or your child do sustain an injury there ensure you see the first aider to get a claim form and at least some if not all your medical costs should be covered. Ski Instructor, Ex Junior Club Racer.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 11 May 2012 - 14:30

ME Fit Pro run ACE courses (which are American). http://www.mefitpro.com/ace-certification.html

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 11 May 2012 - 14:22

Another vote for Nad Al Sheba Vets

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 11 May 2012 - 14:19

You need to connect it to a computer in order to activate it. Yes you can download to it as previously said. But with a small memory as it has you will probably need to keep on deleting things as it will fill up relatively quickly. You can download videos, books, music, apps, pictures, emails and attachments. Yes you can stream to it directly from the internet. I am not sure what you want to stream, Netflix and BBC iPlayer both have apps for the iPad but neither will work here without a VPN. As of tomorrow Apple authorised stockists such as iStyle, Virgin etc. should have iPad 3s available that are not grey imports but actual products for this region.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 10 May 2012 - 09:39

iPad 3 will be officially launched at Apple Authorised sellers in the UAE on May 12th, if you can wait two more days. It is unlikely however to have FaceTime. http://www.apple.com/ae/ipad/ I haven't tried streaming video to it other than from my iMac which it can do absolutely fine. (iPad 2) Yes you can download to it, and use iTunes to backup your downloaded files. If you sign up to iCloud then your downloads can be backed up remotely as well. (iPad 2) The mini iPad is currently known as the iPod Touch, there is a rumour that a 7" may be launched in August. http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20120509PD209.html

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 09 May 2012 - 10:37

Firstly Prozac is not contraband but should only be take under the direction of a doctor, typically a GP or a Psychiatrist. A Neurologist typically deals with the nervous system. Prozac is part of a family of medications called SSRIs I cannot explain fully how these work but it has something to do with serotonin in your brain which helps your brain send signals (something a Neurologist will understand) and balancing/increasing levels of it which makes you happier. They do not get you high (i.e. if you take ten you won't get a buzz) because of the way they work they have to be taken over a period of time to be effective. Furthermore if you are currently taking prozac do not change your dosage because likewise they need to be reduced over a period of time before stopping. Who do you need to see? In the UK I would suggest starting with a GP but perhaps a Psychiatrist could be better here. Find a Psychiatrist that either does or that will refer you to a Therapist who does CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). This is a proven method of helping people with depression and anxiety in conjunction with SSRIs. Just taking SSRIs is sometimes not enough, in the UK they do not like to refer you as it is cheaper for the GP to just stuff you full of pills. But learning coping methods to deal with what is bothering you and what may come about in the future is the best way forward and anyone can benefit from this depressed or not. Mental illness is one of those things that people seem to like to shove aside and pretend isn't there. It is there, and like many chronic illnesses it can destroy lives. Please ignore all the people that say things like 'can't you just pull yourself together?', 'I'm sure if you talk to a friend you'll be fine' this is absolute rubbish and indicative of the lack of understanding regarding mental health. Depression is not like feeling a bit down for a moment, and it is something that you cannot fully understand unless you have experienced it (even I cannot understand it) and even then people still try to forget it's there. You may be surprised that I tell you one of my friends was told by his boss at work 'Can't you just pull yourself together?' and it later turned out his boss has suffered from clinical depression several years ago and was on medication and therapy for months! Many charities and organisations are working very hard to get people to recognise that mental health is not an illness to be ignored or shied away from. These people may be surprised to find that one in four people suffer from mental illness at some point in their lives, but because of the stigmatism attached to it no one talks about it. http://www.mind.org.uk/help/research_and_policy/statistics_1_how_common_is_mental_distress The reason why I am have an understanding and awareness of this is because my father was bipolar. Because of this any friends I have who think they may be depressed and don't want to tell anyone ask me, because they think I will understand and not be judgemental and they think their other friends will not. As of today I have no less than four friends who have suffered with depression at some point, three I would like to think are now coping well with life thanks to good therapy and one is still not 100% but getting there (he suffered for many years before seeking help). So please do not think you are alone, or there is something uniquely wrong with you, it's all the ignorant people out there that have their heads stuck in the 1800s and cannot understand mental health that are wrong. Even people that have suffered with it sometimes try to pretend it isn't there. (rant over) With regard to finding someone in Dubai there seem to be some people around. There is a Scottish born therapist at Medicentre called Ann Kuis, whose profile looks quite promising and does CBT. You will still need to see a doctor for your medication as well as seeing her. http://www.medicentres.ae/doctors.html Otherwise perhaps it is worth just doing a general web search, be cautious selecting a Therapist Dubai doctors have a tendency to be a "Jack of All Trades", so if you see someone that seems able to do everything, don't trust them. Also be aware there seems to be too many doctors around in Dubai so they are often desperate for work. (my family are all in the medical profession, except for me!). Most medical insurance should cover you to see a Therapist, generally with a doctor referral for a limited number of sessions (10 is the minimum I have seen). Here are some other links you may find helpful. http://www.mind.org.uk/help/diagnoses_and_conditions/depression http://www.depressionalliance.org/ http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Depression/Pages/Introduction.aspx http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfoforall/problems/depression/depression.aspx <em>edited by RuthM on 09/05/2012</em>

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 14 April 2012 - 23:36

You could try DUPLAYS they have a league, but no idea what level it is, I have been thinking of signing up for some time. That said my DH signed up for their cricket 8's league and as the only westerner name on the list he didn't get picked for any teams and never got to play :-( Next time he is going to ask our Asian friends to devise him an alias! Otherwise there seem to be a few other clubs around, there are some listed on the shuttle badminton website and also another club TROPANG has a Facebook page: http://shuttlebadminton.com/badminton-in-gcc/ Dubai * India Club * Country Club * Emirates English Speaking School Club (2nd Interchange) * Dubal Badminton Club (for members or strictly by invitation only) * Al Naboodah Badminton Club ( 2 wooden courts) * Pakistan Center Badminton Club (behind India Club) * Al Jadeed Badminton Club (cemented floor) * American School – they have 4 courts (I think) * Cambridge School * Dubai Port Badminton Club It would appear most clubs in Dubai are predominantly Asian, apparently westerners don't seem to play any fun sports out here, it makes me feel boring. I have played in my garden, we got a fantastic net from ZSIG (https://zsig.com/) who UPS'd it to the UAE in 3 days. Would love to know how you get on, I am thinking of joining a club after the summer (currently have a bad sports injury).

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 14 April 2012 - 22:36

Is anyone else driven insane by the fact that every time you order any kind of item in a bun in Dubai a piece of processed cheese appears on it that is not listed on the menu? Even when you specifically state 'NO CHEESE' this mysterious yellow substance appears anyway. My rant is particularly directed at: London Fish and Chips, Wendy's who are the worst for this but also Subway and Burger King who are almost as frustrating.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 01 February 2012 - 01:41

Have you had any luck finding a home for it? We have a similar problem, a RES appeared in our garden about a year ago. We bought a tank for him but he was clearly unhappy and got ill so he's now back outside in a large plastic tub where he seems much healthier. We are in a rented property though and the landlord is not allowing us to build a pond so we have no idea what to do with him and he can't stay in a plastic tub permanently. Would love to know if you are successful finding a home.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 20 January 2011 - 23:14

Not sure what level of IT you are looking for but it it is basic IT skills in Europe they have ECDL which is very well recognised, over here I think ICDL is similar. See if any of the centres run evening classes: http://www.icdlgcc.com/countries.html (this is ECDL's site http://www.ecdl.org/)

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 18 January 2011 - 10:09

Do you want a storage device or a backup device? There are a few options: i) Time Capsule The Time Capsule is a backup device that wirelessly backs up your machine. It can be very tricky to set up and it is advisable to initially connect it with Firewire/USB when setting up initially but once set up it will do a wireless backup of your machine on a regular basis. The Time Capsule has the advantage of being able to be located in another area of the house therefore if there is a flood or localised fire where your computer is and the Time Capsule is in another room your data is safe. However please be advised many properties in Dubai (in particular Arabian Ranches) have very thick walls and the range will not be far on a wireless device. Apparently you can use it for file storage as well. I would recommend the Time Capsule if you are using a laptop and want a backup device set up wirelessly, and if you are concerned regarding physical data damage. ii) External HDD Alternatively you can just buy an external HDD, plug it into the Mac and set it up using Time Machine. It will cost less than the Time Capsule but will not work wirelessly. It will probably be easier to set up (in my experience) and backups will be smoother as it will back up using a cable. I would recommend an external HDD if you are using a desktop machine, you want faster simpler backups, you want to save money and you are not fussed about the backup being in another room. iii) Partitioned External HDD I have not tried this but logically you should be able to partition an external HDD and use part of it for additional storage and part of it as a Time Machine backup. Be aware however that unless you have an additional backup any data you store on the partition will not be backed up. I would recommend this if you have some data you want a backup of and you need a little additional storage space for other data that is not important and does not need backing up. iv) Airport Extreme Base Station plus External HDD This is (apparently) not supported by Apple however is feasible. I would recommend this if you are concerned regarding the quality of the HDD on the Time Capsule and would prefer separate components and you already have an Airport Extreme Base Station v) Time Capsule plus External HDD Again I have not tried this but apparently you can connect an External HDD to the Time Capsule and use the External HDD as additional storage/file server. I would recommend this if you like the idea of the Time Capsule and want some additional space for storage as a wireless file server, especially if you have a Mobile Me account and would like to access files remotely. vi) Mobile Me or other Remote Storage Web backup space. You can back up your documents to an online service. This would be costly and impractical for large files (such as video files) but ideal for documents and limited photo storage. Recommended if you are concerned regarding physical damage to your machine and would like the backup to be located elsewhere in the world and if you would like remote access to your files. vii) Several External HDDs This is what I currently use. I have a number of external HDDs and I simply copy backups from disc to disc. You could also set up one as a Time Machine and one as additional storage. Lastly a combination I intend in the future to set up two external mirror RAID drives for all my music and videos (not important as I have originals on disc) and purchase a Time Capsule which I intend on linking to my Airport Extreme Base Station to hopefully create a stronger network. I will set up Time Machine with the Time Capsule to back up only photos and general documents. I also purchased additional Mobile Me space and backup important documents and photos to there. I use my main computer as a remote access file server but may purchase a Mac Mini in the future if I am concerned about security. In summary, the Time Capsule is a great idea, as with any devices with a HDD it has had some HDD failure but this is luck of the draw. However it can be an absolute nightmare to set-up, or it can set-up smooth as anything. But if you have a desktop and simply want a Time Machine backup I strongly recommend saving your pennies and getting an external HDD instead. Hope this helps.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 11 January 2011 - 22:41

Banning all dogs seems a little unreasonable, I have two dogs myself and always pick up after them, there's enough animal hatred in Dubai without all this. The general dog hatred and cruelty here is shocking. What will we do with all these banned dogs? I suppose you would think it fair to have them all destroyed? A lot of people in Dubai speed and drive dangerously, should we ban all cars because of irresponsible drivers? There is a simple solution, in fact it's one that has been used with cars. Fines. Petition the municipality to create a dog police. All dogs must wear municipality tags therefore if an owner is seen walking say 20m away from where the dog has gone to toilet and not picking up then they get a fine, 5000AED (that's a reasonably big fine). The tag number of their dog is taken and the microchip checked at the same time as the fine is given. If the maid is the one that doesn't pick up her employers will be pretty annoyed pretty quickly. If you get fined a second time it's 10,000AED and a third it's 50,000AED, fourth time, you go to jail for a month (that's the owner of the dog not the person walking it) for erm damage to public property? The fines can be used to employ the dog police and also people to clean up areas where people haven't picked up and haven't been caught... yet. Those that don't pick up will learn their lesson quite quickly and the municipality will make a bit of money from it. Then all the nice people that do look after their dogs can keep their dogs and all the irresponsible owners will get big fines and maybe arrested and deported. On another topic perhaps they can go out to the desert and shoot all the people that leave bags of trash everywhere? That or fine them as well. Lets be honest here dog owner, not dog owner, Dubai is full of lazy complacent filth that can't be bothered to do anything for themselves and treat the place like a wasteland.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 11 January 2011 - 15:50

I have only done this the other way round. It is probably best to contact DEFRA in the UK and/or a government approved vet (most veterinary surgeries have a vet that can do this) and the airline which you want to transport the pet with who will normally not accept the pet if the paperwork is not in order so can often advise as well. As far as I am aware you will most certainly need: - An IATA approved travel crate, I used a plastic sky kennel - Rabies blood test certificate (which btw is normally done in the UK, they normally send the blood to the UK for the lab work) - Valid vaccination card (check with DEFRA what this means, an EU PETS passport will surely be accepted but local vaccination cards you may need to check - also ensure the vet has stuck the stickers for the vaccinations on the card as just writing it in will probably not be accepted, I had to have all my dogs revaccinated before they came out because of this) - Local Health Certificate from the Municipality or Ministry of Environment & Water (this should be issued a week or something before departure You may also need - ask DEFRA - Import permit (I don't think this is needed if coming in with PETS but to be safe check) Here is the link to DEFRA: http://ww2.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/ This is a list of the carriers that you can use to send the dog with: http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-pets/pets/travel/pets/documents/noneu-air.pdf Here is the link to IATA http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/live_animals/Pages/pets.aspx I wanted to fly my two with BA but BA were most expensive and also brought a whole new meaning to rude and unhelpful. I found Virgin to be cheapest and they were very very helpful, but I actually used Emirates as I was flying on the same flight from Gatwick, Emirates were also helpful (although I had already got most of the information I needed by then). Here is the link to Virgin: http://www.virgin-atlantic.com:80/en/gb/passengerinformation/travellingwithpets/index.jsp and to Emirates: http://www.skycargo.com/ourservices/animalCare/animalcare.asp and finally BA who no longer have the time to serve the public and insist you use an agent (I wonder why they're so unpopular) http://www.baworldcargo.com/products/liveanimals.shtml?site=/products/liveanimals.shtml I hope this helps.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 11 January 2011 - 15:11

If you are interested in adopting we found a very friendly small black kitty (approx one year old according to the vet), she wandered into our house and within minutes was sitting on my husbands lap, she is also not at all nervous of household noise - she sat in the kitchen when we were cooking not bothered by clanging of pots and pans. We have paid for her to be vaccinated, microchipped, blood tests, wormed and will get her spayed. We have also got her a 3 tier scratching post, bed, litter tray, collar etc. so she is ready to go to a new home at no cost to the new owner except food and her annual vaccination (due in a year). Unfortunately we cannot keep her as she doesn't like dogs, one of our dogs isn't keen on cats and it turns out I'm also allergic to her (no asthma for four years and one week with a cat, it's back). Feline Friends say they don't have space for her, we will keep her for as long as we can but she is in our spare room atm and we have visitors coming next month so we will have to let her out then, whether or not the dogs chase her off we don't know.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 18:53

Hi thanks for your help. I am going to text Jeanette to see if the cat she was feeding is still there or not. She does have a very loud call so it could be the same one. Today we took her to our vet (Nad Al Sheba) who were very helpful, they let her out the cage this time as she was calm and happy, although they had to sedate her to do blood tests. They tested for Feline AIDS and Leukemia, she came back clear. They think she is approximately a year old. We had her vaccinated and are going to get her spayed, hopefully then with the main bulk of the cost taken up someone will be more keen to adopt her. The vet suggested asking Feline Friends if they don't have space for her then maybe we trade her for a dog friendly foster cat which would obviously be much easier to look after until a home is found for her. We have moved her to the spare bedroom but only have until mid/end Feb as we have guests coming then and I have no idea where we will put her then (our house is mostly open plan). In the meantime we are going to put some posters up and I will create a new post on here to try and find her a home.

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 06 January 2011 - 07:07

The veterinary nurse seemed to think it was a female however I would not be sure as she/he went crazy at the vet and scratched and bit everyone. I am really desperate to find her/his owner as I am now concerned about rabies and the local medicentre were very unhelpful, finding her/his owner would put my mind at rest. Is the cat you're referring to on the George/Midnight posting because the black cat there does look very similar. However she/he does have a small white spot on chest and another white spot on tummy so is not quite all black. You can't quite see these in the photo. Should we not be able to find an owner what is the process I don't want to see her/him destroyed but we can't keep her/him with the dogs. Can I contact feline friends to take her/him? Thanks for any help you can offer. edited by RuthM on 06/01/2011 <em>edited by RuthM on 06/01/2011</em>

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 06 January 2011 - 03:02

A black cat ventured into our kitchen on 1st Jan. She was very hungry but otherwise seemed friendly and affectionate. She is litter trained so I can only think she is a house cat. We took her to the vet for a chip check but she went a little wild and they could not find a chip (it's possible it's become displaced though). If you think she is yours please do not hesitate to contact me. We cannot keep her for long as we have two labradors who whilst they are friendly to cats we have kept them separate in case she is scared. Needless to say they were not impressed coming back from kennels to find themselves banished from half the house! I have attached a photo (see link) I apologise for the photo quality but kitty was camera shy. http://gallery.me.com/ruthmckennell/100001/Cat

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EW OLDHAND

Latest post on 06 January 2011 - 02:33

We found a black cat with a white patch on her chest/bum at our villa in Alvorada 2 on 1st Jan. She was missing tag very very hungry but otherwise seemed friendly and well looked after. We could not find a microchip although she went a bit wild at the vet and they can move apparently. She is currently in our kitchen if you want to come over and see if she is yours please don't hesitate to contact me. Unfortunately we have dogs which are not pleased to be locked out of their own home! So unless her owner claims her we will probably be contacting feline friends next week.

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