shamat | ExpatWoman.com
 

shamat

shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 May 2012 - 17:26
Hi bluecamel, sorry to hear about your situation. Could you be more specific about the sort of advice you need? Are you needing advice about leaving Dubai, or finding another job, or what to do at work when you are actually told you are being made redundant?
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 May 2012 - 12:46
Totally agree with Twilight and Babylon. I've just lost 15lb in 9 weeks on the Flat Tummy Diet. Its not rocket science, its based on upping your fruit and veg intake, (soup or salad for lunch), normal meal in the evenings but without rice/pasta or potatoes, and very little in the way of sugar other than what is coming through the fruit, and doing 30 mins of exercise a day, which could be as simple as going for a walk. I'm absolutely amazed at the results! I didn't think sugar was a particular problem for me as I haven't got a particularly sweet tooth, but this diet is quick to point out that sugar is in all sorts of places where you don't expect it, so in order to avoid it, you have to cook the most healthy, nutritious meals yourself from scratch.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 May 2012 - 12:41
I had Jim'll fix it call to tell me they would be 10 mins late, which i thought really polite and great customer service, 6 mins later they were with me! Now that is refreshing and one of the many reasons i keep with this company! We had a Dubai taxi driver recently phone to say he would be 5 minutes. We took this as a cue to pour ourselves another drink, take our shoes back off and sit down and watch a movie (!), but imagine our surprise when he really was there in 5 minutes time! Most detested phrase "Can I help you ma'am?" from store greeters when you are just browsing. Even more annoying is when you say "Yes, please, have you got xyz" for them to look blankly at you!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 May 2012 - 18:38
Can it not be restrung to make it left handed - ie. reverse the strings? I guess that may depend on the type of the guitar.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 May 2012 - 18:33
Our landlord uses Wires Electromechanical services - 971 4 2583888 . I have no idea how much they cost, or whether they do small domestic work (he owns a lot of properties) but we have always found them really efficient. They come when they say they will and they work hard when they are here. I would say however that they serviced our AC recently and did a good job, but I found they'd emptied lots of dirty water into the baths and toilet afterwards which took a long time to clean up, so do keep an eye on what they are doing!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 15 May 2012 - 13:48
We stopped running ourselves ragged when we were "on holiday" in our home country some years ago. With family and close friends we tell them when we'll be in their area if they want to see us and with other people, a useful strategy I've found works recently is to tell them to call me when I'm back so we can make a plan. And invariably they don't! Basically if they can't even manage to squeeze in a phone call while I'm back, why should I give up my "holiday" to see them?! Its natural selection at its best!! :-) What is particularly hilarious is getting an email from them 2 months later saying they were sorry they couldn't find the time to phone!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 15 May 2012 - 13:32
Absolutely fascinating! These working dogs are amazing! Frankly I'd rather sit next to a dog on a plane than some passengers!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 15 May 2012 - 13:29
Our cats were street cats rescued in the UK and who then joined us when we moved to Dubai a year later. They didn't love the journey, but there were no problems, and they got over it the minute they left their sky kennels. I would love to know if the abandoned animal problem out here really is due to expats bringing pets in from abroad then abandoning them once here. Its so expensive to bring cats over here, I can't make sense of why anyone would do that. I'm not saying it doesn't happen (and I think it did happen when the economic crash happened and people had to repatriate quickly and without an income to support the repatriation of their pet too) but I suspect that many of the abandoned animals were adopted here and seen as a bit of a disposable commodity once their "families" left. Just guessing, I don't really know.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 15 May 2012 - 13:12
They can 'hold it' for a long time but we have a wee mat just in case they can't. But they pretty much will only 'go' when the owner says to. Wow, how interesting! I've never thought about the implications of guide dogs on planes! What safety measures do you have to follow when you take off? Presumably they can't be strapped in?!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 20:42
I bought mine from the UK from here: http://www.ascoeducational.co.uk/product.php?xProd=506 They are not cheap, but I can account for their robustness.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 20:30
Thanks so much nels, that's really useful to know. In fact, that would be a huge incentive to fly Virgin, and I'm not a Virgin fan normally. While we are on the subject of nut free chocolate, Bateel have also brought out a range that are absolutely delicious - I think they call it their chocolate cheesecake range but I'm sure they can advise in store. Definately worth a try!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 15:20
Sorry Sky Kitty, I hadn't meant to cause offence, I found your reply very helpful. I was contesting the cross contamination statement made by other posters, perhaps in an inappropriate way. My point is simply that being a nut allergy sufferer is a nightmare on aircrafts, and I just wondered if anything had changed since the last time I enquired about it, which it hasn't, so my question was answered. Thank you.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 14:54
Agree with Chocs wholeheartedly!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 14:46
Thanks for your advice SkyKitty. I do tend to alert the cabin crew on board if I'm travelling alone, and I do of course carry all my necessary medication. Regarding the cross contamination issue that Captain America has raised though, I think this isn't a valid reason to offer nut free meals. By that token, meat shouldn't be served on a plane, in case a vegetarian or vegan gets contaminated by it! Although it may not kill them, if they are vegetarian for religious reasons, its tanatmount to making them spiritually unclean, in much the same way that pork is haram.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 14:40
I used to think it was mainly tourist who were flouting the (largely unwritten) dress code, but what astonishes me is the number of people I see who I know are expats who are dressing in ways that I wouldn't even contemplate. Tourists can be targeted through hotels and tour operators etc, but what about the expats who know the rules and choose to break them? I've had a few conversations with people whose line is simply that its their choice to dress how they please regardless of culture. It also means that any visitors who they have will also dress inappropriately because they won't know any different either. Rant over!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 13:34
Oh - I got all excited there, until I scrolled down the link to the bottom, where their official line is still "bring your own" if you have a nut allergy. Frankly I think this is a bit cheeky, given that the food price is included in the ticket and they cater for so many other sorts of allergies. Not impressed.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 May 2012 - 13:32
The Emirates website gives the details, I think this is pretty standard with other airlines. http://www.emirates.com/english/plan_book/essential_information/dietary_requirements.aspx Wow, thanks for this Fiat, I have never seen this before. Why on earth don't they list it on their food preferences online if they do now acknowledge they can cater for it. I'll get onto it straight away!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 13 May 2012 - 18:25
What he was wondering was can you have expat insurance for us plus name my parents on the insurance as drivers. He seems to think this is not possible. Any advice greatly appreciated. TIA Yes, I believe this is possible. We have expat insurance for our car, and we looked at putting my father on the insurance for a short period, as he was going to help us get it MOTed and taxed. We spoke to the insurance company and we were just going to be charged an additional driver rate. This was, however, only for a temporary period, I'm not sure if the rules are different if you are always going to have your parents on your insurance. <em>edited by shamat on 13/05/2012</em>
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 13 May 2012 - 15:56
Yes - I thought this had always been the case. We have never allowed our visitors to drive our car for this reason. i dont think visitors would want to venture out onto the roads here.... Fair comment! Although we have had enquiries about this from people before they arrive, then they take one look at the roads and decide that Dubai Taxi will meet their needs perfectly!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 13 May 2012 - 15:52
Yes - I thought this had always been the case. We have never allowed our visitors to drive our car for this reason.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 12 May 2012 - 20:32
Shamat - you're not my neighbour are you? :-) Do you live in a palace and own at least 6 high quality cars and a very small dog?! If so, maybe I am! LOL!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 12 May 2012 - 14:52
We got ours from an office supplies shop. I don't think it exists any more, but I think there is an Office Depot in Mirdif City Centre that might be worth a look.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 12 May 2012 - 14:46
I'm not sure if it depends on the severity of the damage. I've had minor dents, dings and scratches repaired without a police report. You've been lucky Sandy Dogg! We even had to get a police report for reversing into our own garage and creating a minor dent! Very frustrating!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 09 May 2012 - 15:36
My gym on Beach Road does a few classes - www.inshapeme.com. Their schedules are all on line.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 09 May 2012 - 15:35
Dear OP, you can own a car in the UK and live here, but you need specialist expat insurance. We could only find one place that provided it - a Welsh company - www.stuartcollins.com. It does not come cheap! If you don't have specialist expat insurance and you are in an accident, you risk prosecution so we have always taken the view that it is better to be safe than sorry.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 07 May 2012 - 14:10
Have you tried looking him up on the RTA website to see if he has any other fines for such things? Unethical I know, but interesting all the same! I would actually report him to the Dubai bad drivers line for a number of reasons. He sounds like a rude menace.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 07 May 2012 - 14:00
I also amend my form to make sure I don't give authorisation for any more than the terms and conditions state. I've also been known to get a digit on my card wrong when copying it onto my form. Silly me! ;-) In short, I think this is very unsafe practice, and anywhere else in the world credit card providers would have a purple fit if you were giving authorisation in this way. If the company isn't playing by the credit card rules by asking you for information in this way, I don't see why you should play along either. It is a license for them to use your credit card in any way they please.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 06 May 2012 - 17:41
I have a Kindle and I both love and loathe it. I love it for the reason Red Lesley has identified - you can get books you might not be able to find here, and for travelling it is absolutely fabulous. However, nothing beats the feel of a good book in your hand, so when I'm at home, I still tend to read books.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 06 May 2012 - 17:11
About a month ago I had to use a locksmith who is based in Satwa (I got trapped outside my villa and they came to rescue me within the hour). They were good but I definitely paid an "ex pat price with a Thursday evening this is an emergency supplement" though, so certainly not the cheapest in town! They are called Khalil ur Rehman Locksmith and they can be reached on 04 344 9609 or 050 657 1215.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 03 May 2012 - 12:00
You could also try English College which is in the same area as I believe they have spaces in that year group for the next academic year as well.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 03 May 2012 - 11:56
I don't know if you already know this, but if you have a locally issued platinum visa or mastercard (eg. RAK bank, NBD etc) you get free access to the Maharba lounge. Its not posh, but they do have grape and barley based beverages, a good selection of soft drinks, and a limited range of food, which considering its free, isn't bad going! And at least you get a comfy seat!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 28 April 2012 - 16:21
Stick with it elle. It doesn't sound to me like your prices are unreasonable at all. There are genuine buyers out there - my entire house was furnished on Dubizzle and I didn't haggle at all because I considered the prices I was paying to be fair in the first place. Stick by your guns and please report back as I'm going to have to do the same as you in a few months time and I'm dreading it!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 26 April 2012 - 14:40
Thanks very much!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 25 April 2012 - 14:58
Union Co-op opposite Safa Park has a massive selection of bags on rolls. The difficulty would be telling what the texture is like before you bought them. But I'd be really surprised if you couldn't find what you were looking for in there.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 25 April 2012 - 14:05
Nice one! I had a more embarrassing one the other day, when I went swimming in a hotel swimming pool and found that my bikini bottoms had become too loose around my middle! I had to swim one handed while I held onto my bikini with the other hand!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 24 April 2012 - 17:45
I don't read Jodi Piccolt anymore. She annoys me. Glad its not just me! I've taken a 3 year break from her books, but decided to pick one up this week to see if my view had changed, but I found myself tutting aloud after the first chapter! I probably will finish it, but then I will be looking for a new home for all the unread Picoult's on my shelf! My best friend loves her and is always handing me her books, hence why I have so many!) Before that, I finished reading One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner. It was excellent - about the lives of 3 women after all being on the same train as a man who has a heart attack and dies. The other one I loved was Rooftops of Tehran - a real page turner about children growing up in Tehran!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 23 April 2012 - 13:11
[eyeroll'> That's a classic Dubai conversation isn't it! By this stage, I think I would have put the whole My Card thing in the "too hard" basket and moved on! If you decide to pursue it, I really hope it is worth it!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 17:55
The Arabian Ranches Golf Club used to hire out their upstairs room. I went to a function there once where there was a disco and a shwarma guy was making fresh shwarmas - nice and informal!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 17:48
Oh my goodness, that's absolutely awful. Guilty until proven innocent seems to be in operation here, but how on earth are you going to do that? It sounds like a total nightmare, I'm so sorry to hear about your problems.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 16:47
Le Veranda is the restaurant that's on the beach by the watersports centre. Its nothing fancy - its basically a pizzeria, but its got a nice atmosphere and is relatively cheap by JBH standards! There used to be Entertainer Family vouchers for it, but I don't think there is this year.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 16:47
Oops, great minds think alike Claire!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 16:17
I used to sit with my finger hovering over the record and stop buttons to try and "edit" my recordings but always ended up with the first syllables of DJ chat!! I should also add that I've got a cassette recording of the pop chart where our family dog barked halfway through one of my favourite songs and on my recording you get the dog bark and me swearing at him!!! Classic!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 16:14
did you used to sing along to the songs with your copy of the lyrics from Smash Hits?? Oh yes, absolutely!!! I used to cut out my favourite lyrics and keep them in a folder. (we could never have imagined a day when we could do a google search and get lyrics instantly! LOL!) A 1970 birthday here!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 15:40
I am guessing Mareas that we are of the same generation, as I could have written your post! Do you remember those cut out paper dolls that used to appear on the back of Bunty?! I loved them! And did you get fed up when the DJs (deliberately) talked over the beginning and end of the tracks on the top 40 to stop people like you and me recording them?!
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 22 April 2012 - 15:02
Wow, that's quite a tricky project to organise! How many people is it likely to involve? Have you talked to the Jebel Ali resort? They offer a huge range of activities already (archery, rifle ranges, watersports etc) and they may be able to do the organising for you. A couple of years ago, I went to a Girl Guide function which used the beach front of the Westin Mina Seyahi. The hotel provided the catering (think it was a basic BBQ) and the Girl Guides led their own activities. Maybe you could enquire with the hotel about whether you could use their beach/catering, then contract in activities such as Dubai Desert Drums or similar. My final idea is have you spoken to any of the outdoor experience organisers - eg. Desert Rangers. They have their desert camps and I know they are used to organising and running corporate events, so they may be worth a chat with too.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 17 April 2012 - 18:29
I second AmyAus's suggestion. Why not have a look in Splash? They seem to do a range of pretty cheap and cheerful blouses and jersey tops which would be ideal to pair up with a pair of trousers.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 17 April 2012 - 10:15
But the paper part isn't valid without the photo card (if you have a "new" style license which is in two parts). If you got stopped by the police, your license would be null and void without the photo card.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 17 April 2012 - 10:06
I have both, although technically I believe you are supposed to surrender your UK one when you are no longer resident. Like you, my photo ID expired while I was out here, and I looked into it then. I am not usually one to do the wrong thing, but I felt in the case of my driving license, surrendering it was stupid. If I'd had a paper license, like hiccup, the issue wouldn't have arisen, so I couldn't see the issue with keeping mine valid. I'm so glad I did - we are now in the process of moving back, and I cannot imagine the complications if I hadn't had a valid license. Incidentally, when hiring cars in the UK, its OK to use your UAE license, so not having a license would not prevent you doing this.
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 17 April 2012 - 10:00
Northeragain, your husband can't have everything his own way! Its really important that you get some time and space for you, otherwise you really will be in a state of depression, and he won't like that either! Obviously I don't know how things work in your relationship, but I think if I was in your situation, I wouldn't be giving my husband any choice about looking after our child if I wanted to go to Zumba on a Saturday. I would be stating several days in advance that I intended to go and that he would be in charge while I was gone. No asking permission! You are losing your sense of identity -it may be time to re-assert yourself, which is probably something you used to do all the time when you worked full time. The other thing you could do is to bite the bullet and ask one or two of the ladies you've met if they want to join you for a meal one evening at the golf club. I experienced a lot of the same feelings that you are having when I first moved here, and it wasn't until I started to make some close friends that everything changed for me. Even if you only got to go out with them once a month, its another way of claiming some time back for you while your husband babysits. Good luck - its all really hard x <em>edited by shamat on 17/04/2012</em>
shamat
624
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 15 April 2012 - 20:18
There is a stall in Mercato that does these, and we've used them a few times and been very happy. They were still there before Xmas, but I can't guarantee they haven't disappeared as well! Go up the escalator to the first floor, turn left and keep walking. The stand is the last one you will come to, next door to the teapot stall! Edited to add: these are the necklaces where the calligraphy is set in a teardrop shape. There are different sizes of teardrop to choose from <em>edited by shamat on 15/04/2012</em>
 
 
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