shamat | ExpatWoman.com
 

shamat

shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 29 May 2011 - 17:53
I had a lovely one at the Mina A Salam brunch the other week. I'm not sure of the quantities, but it was vodka, cranberry juice, grapefruit and soda, with crushed ice. It was delicious!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 29 May 2011 - 17:44
She needs to check out the Arabian Ranches Ladies. They always have interesting things going on and they hold coffee mornings every other week. http://arabianranchesladies.com/
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 May 2011 - 16:45
I have seen it previously in the Choitrams opposite Safa Park, but whether they have it all the time, and specifically today, I'm not sure.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 May 2011 - 16:44
Good grief, what a whacky conversation! I think you did the right thing there by running as fast as your legs could carry you!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 May 2011 - 13:53
We had a similar thing with a bicycle that turned up in our car port once! It could be foul play, or it could be that someone has dropped the stuff off for someone else and got the wrong house. If it was someone stashing it to collect later, why would they choose your house? It will be interesting to see if anyone comes back for the stuff in the next few days!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 May 2011 - 13:34
I asked my husband to check this out with his Emirati colleagues yesterday. Apparently its a wedding for the child of a high up government official. Its certainly been busy there over the last two nights!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 17 May 2011 - 20:01
Jane30 - well done for raising this issue now, because its absolutely vital to get it aired, even if you feel even more muddled now you've raised it. I can only speak from experience - I married my husband knowing that he didn't want children. Like pilotprincess, we even adapted our wedding service specially so we didn't include the "procreation of children" parts! This was fine with me too as I agreed. In our 18 years of marriage, neither of us has changed our mind thankfully, and I think it would have been a disaster if we had, as it would probably have caused the end of the relationship. If children are an important issue for you, then you cannot assume your boyfriend will change his mind. If you marry him/stay with him, you have to be prepared to accept that children will not happen. Of course people can and do change their minds, but you cannot rely on it. Good luck with your future decisions.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 02 May 2011 - 17:03
It depends on your daughter really. If she is doing a proper course, I'd say she'd probably be alright with one. Mine has a very simple dial on the front showing a picture of the type of stitch you want, you twist the dial and off you go. Things like bobbin cases are fiddly on every machine so she might need help with that. Mine also comes with a range of different feet for sewing zips, buttons etc but I rarely use them. However they are easy to fit if you need to. I've never done quilting, so I can't advise on that, sorry.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 02 May 2011 - 16:50
Another very happy Toyota basic sewing machine user here too. Mine is 15 years old now and its still going strong!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 02 May 2011 - 16:37
Thanks Genie, that was easier than I thought. I just phoned the general RTA helpline and they actually have a department that deals with road hazards, so they are sending someone out to sort it. Somehow I expected it to be a much bigger drama than that!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 May 2011 - 21:26
Its next door to the Jumeira Beach Park on Beach Road.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 May 2011 - 21:22
Sorry to give a completely different view, but I love Pai Thai! I haven't done Pier Chic so its not a vote against them, but I love the fact that for Pai Thai you have to go by abra round all the Madinat canals. Its very pricey, but the food is lovely, and the service is good.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 May 2011 - 17:21
Going back to the furniture issue, can I just add that there is a very buoyant second hand furniture market out here through dubizzle - much better quality often and more interesting than going to IKEA. We did rent furnished when we first arrived and the furnishings whilst not to our taste were beautiful, no complaints at all. However, when we had to move 2 years later we had to settle for unfurnished. Because all our furniture was still in the UK we had to go down the second hand market route and it worked out fine. But the costs of this do need to be factored in to your negotiations with your employer.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 May 2011 - 17:04
Thanks FO, I have seen this company but from what I can see they are not a local company. As I needed them 3 weeks ago, sending off for them isn't really an option, but thanks anyway!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 May 2011 - 16:59
I've asked this before and got no responses, but I am now desperate for some help, as the one supplier I did find has let me down and its now an urgent task. I want some brightly coloured baseball caps (30) with 3 very simply embroidered letters on the front. My preference would be an aqua green colour for the caps but I'm open to suggestions. Does anyone know where I could get these from? Really hope you can help!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 May 2011 - 16:52
The abras cost 1AED! If you want a dhow creek dinner cruise, I recommend Al Mansour Dhow and there's an entertainer voucher for it. If you want a mega posh and mega expensive dinner cruise, go for Bateaux Dubai. Not sure where you go for the cruise with rats, I don't think I've ever done that one but you can never be sure!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 May 2011 - 16:23
A cat?! Mine love them! Seriously though, what I do if I get there first is to use a margarine tub to cover it with, then slide a piece of card underneath it so I can take it outside, something like the side of a cereal box is good because it is thick enough to be held against the margarine tub but without you being able to feel it moving around inside as you take it out.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 01 May 2011 - 16:20
How sad - I have only ever had excellent customer service at Magrudys. Ditto Claire. I'm not surprised that its the Jumeira store and the Festival City store that have remained, as I've always found them to be the best stores, but I'm really saddened to hear about the reduction in their "high street" presence. I wonder if the writing was on the wall when at the last minute they were removed as the bookseller at the Literary Festival this year? I'm not sure what the politics was about that decision, but I am fairly certain that there was some!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 30 April 2011 - 14:23
As they are a modern couple, the "in" place for many people at the moment is the Maldives. It would be nice and easy for a security and privacy point of view to go to one of those private islands only accessed by sea plane.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 30 April 2011 - 12:51
I can't help feeling really sorry for them. Just like their mother before them, they really don't have a clue do they? And yet I'm sure their outfits were designer made, so what on earth was the designer thinking? Was he/she deliberately setting them up to look ridiculous?
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 30 April 2011 - 12:48
We went and we thought it was OK but it was severely spoilt by the really late start - by the time she appeared everyone was thoroughly sick of the wait! I thought she made a serious mistake in doing two of her most famous songs for the encore. These really should have been done earlier in the concert as the crowd really needed to hear them to get themselves going again after the late start. We were also a bit annoyed by the frequent breaks in the performance for her to change. It made the performance very disjointed.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 27 April 2011 - 17:05
Yep! With a 9 month old DD too! From Dubai, across Saudi into Jordan (visited Amman, Petra), Syria (Damascus) and got a ferry from Tartus to Thessaloniki. Drove across Greece (visited Athens, Delphi, Meteora) and got a ferry from Igoumenitsa to Brindisi. Called in to Florence, Venice, San Marino, then into Innsbruck, Munich and a few more places I've forgotten! Wonderful trip - would I do it now - no way!!! Wow that sounds fantastic!! Actually it sounds like the sort of thing that Michael Palin would do!!! :):) My husband and I were planning to do a similar trip next year back to the UK but I suspect that our plans may be off now!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 27 April 2011 - 16:52
I'm sure you did the right - and only - thing you could possibly have done, so let's hope for a positive outcome.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 27 April 2011 - 16:43
Wuffles, will the police let you know the outcome, or would that be considered to be breaking the confidentiality of this lady? I suspect if you get no feedback at all that this is going to play on your mind for a long time.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 27 April 2011 - 16:29
Could you imagine that though, what with the media coverage "WILLS CRIES LIKE A BABY!" LOL!! I'm not a sentimental person at all, nor a particular royal follower, but I must admit that I will be glued to the telly on Friday morning. From a selfish point of view, I hope she chooses lace - my wedding photos look so dated now and lace needs to be brought into fashion again! You can bet that the minute the dress is glimpsed, tailors all over the world will be re-reating lookalikes.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 24 April 2011 - 15:42
How awful for you, and what an odd thing for immigration to do. And how cheeky of the maid to call you! Did you change your locks after she left? It sounds to me like she may come and seek you out for the missing money and just to be on the safe side, I'd make sure she can't get access to your property with her old set of keys.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2011 - 13:50
In my view, the best in town (UK style that is) is the Fish and Chip Room in the Marina. I think there's entertainer vouchers for it too. The only problem with it is that its location means that parking is a complete pain. If you don't want UK style fish and chips and want a nicer setting, then I think Barasti's are pretty good. However its Friday, so you may have to endure a bit of a post brunch drunken mess to achieve it! Enjoy them, whereever you go!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 April 2011 - 22:10
What is even weirder is I was just about to post that you'd posted the same thing - just as you did the same to me!!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 April 2011 - 22:08
I don't think it is about the number of posts, its about the sorts of things that the poster is writing about that make the difference. I'm always a bit sceptical who post chapter and verse about their personal problems for the first time, unless they say they are posting under another name for the sake of anonymity. I think most genuine posters start off with something trivial like "where can I buy marmite?"! I think also there are a few posters out there whose very few posts follow a similar theme, like for instance they are all about hairdressers, or dhow cruises, and these are not genuine.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 04 April 2011 - 20:47
The KHDA reports are not worth the paper they’re written on. I don’t know anyone who takes them seriously I totally agree with you tally ho, however, if a school starts individually publishing its star performers (meaning by implication that those not named are not star performers) it becomes a very serious matter indeed and the school are using a loaded gun against their own staff. Whether the KHDA has credence or not ceases to become an issue!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 04 April 2011 - 20:42
That is very, very odd. I work in a school and the teachers were given no feedback at all unless they asked for it. The inspection team also said at the beginning of the inspection that no feedback naming members of staff would go back to the headteacher, but general statements may be made. If the school is publishing the correct information it is being very unfair to its staff as some staff will not even have been inspected during an inspection week due to time constraints. So are those not seen great or rubbish? No one will know because the inspection team won't have seen them. Disgraceful of the school to take this course of action, whether the info is correct or not.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 04 April 2011 - 18:59
Bit of a daft time of year to hold such a concert, as their target market is largely going to be women who are 40 something, who are also still likely to have dependent children, who are also just about to start (or who have already started) their spring break holidays. I emailed a huge group of friends but only 6 of us are actually available, even though nearly everyone said they wanted to come. The rest are travelling (or so they say!).
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 04 April 2011 - 16:44
My husband got an email from A and E yesterday saying that they are selling them for 250AED which is the same price that the EW offer was. Please do get tickets Cleopatra - I'm worried that me and my friends will be the only ones there!!!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 30 March 2011 - 18:36
We were told by our maid once that our hoover was broken. We checked it over - the bag was fine, it was making all the right noises. Then we discovered a dead bird which had been sucked up the hosepipe! I blamed the cats for the death of the bird, which I assumed the maid had found in the house and then hoovered, but now I do wonder . . .!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 30 March 2011 - 17:56
Plenty of vets are still open at this time - no need to wait until tomorrow. Al Barsha vet and Safa Vet are both open and both do work for feline friends.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 29 March 2011 - 21:12
lamp
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 29 March 2011 - 21:10
load
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 29 March 2011 - 20:46
I want to own a hobby farm in Laos. Maybe a little bit of a guest house for special guests. Just have to comvince DH. I think I'm already running one of these - loads of house guests and more feral wildlife than I can shake a stick at in my garden!!!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 29 March 2011 - 19:24
Splendido at the Ritz Carlton is excellent. No champagne but there is a very nice bubbles. Only one choice of red, white and bubbles but they are all excellent. Food is divine. What's the cost of that one Tru Blu? I've not done that one before.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 29 March 2011 - 19:01
Jumeirah Beach Hotel is really nice and is the same price as Saffron, it's not Champagne though, only sparkling wine, but great cocktails. Saffron is also sparkling wine not champagne
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 29 March 2011 - 18:59
There's a difference between what we'd like to do in our wildest dreams and what we are actually good at! I'd like to be a fancy dress costume maker, but in reality I could never do it!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 29 March 2011 - 18:50
I got 81! Thanks for posting this, it really cheered me up!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 28 March 2011 - 19:26
I have had endless problems with Du reception, texts not being received/sent etc, etc etc. I've been a customer for 4 years! Luckily I have no mates so it doesn't matter too much, but I'd never want to rely on my phone in a crisis!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 28 March 2011 - 17:46
I know it sounds funny but I just can't stand the pain of his disapperance!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 28 March 2011 - 16:09
Does anyone know if you can buy fleece fabric here? I friend of mine makes blankets out of them for children, but she hasn't been able to find any fleece. Whenever I've needed fleece fabric I have bought those mega cheap blankets that are always for sale in Car4 and used them. The quality isn't great but the range of colours is usually huge, and they do wash reasonably well if they aren't being used too often.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 March 2011 - 19:57
Wow, that does sound easy. Which typing centre did you go to?
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 March 2011 - 20:55
Union Co-op Safa Park, but don't be fooled. They are not upstairs with the homewares/DIY stuff, but downstairs with the mops and buckets. I bought one last week.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 March 2011 - 19:30
Thanks wuffles, that's brilliant! Maybe you should get a job on the Dubai Mall information stand?! ;-)
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 18 March 2011 - 13:44
H Mai Tai, the expat woman offer on tickets ends today, so as long as you get onto it straight away, you should be in luck. Ticket prices are 250AED and you have to email the address on the Here and Now Website, quoting the code expat woman and saying how many tickets you want. They will then email you or phone you back to arrange delivery of your tickets and collection of the money (you can't seem to order over the internet, its cash on delivery)
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 17 March 2011 - 18:16
SO... If any places become available for next term (starting end-April), they can only be allocated to a child coming from outside Dubai who is already doing the same curriculum (UK, American, International...). If you are willing to move in April, contact your target schools (if they are same-curriculum) and let them know. That is how we got our last-minute place. Tartiflette Also, a rather expensive option if you don't want to move your children in April is to pay a term's fees for a place in April, but not actually physically attend the school until September. As long as the place is being paid for, the school are unlikely to object.
 
 
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