wikkid | ExpatWoman.com
 

wikkid

wikkid
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Latest post on 06 September 2011 - 10:30
Thanks - will call past office depot. :)
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 06 September 2011 - 09:21
Sorry for such a monotonous post first thing in the morning, but does anyone know where I can get a comb binder (plastic and metal combs)? Would need to do about 2-3cm thick books. TIA
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 03 September 2011 - 20:30
Personally Id recommend a rubber mallet... this was my choice of weapon this last weekend and it turned out to be pretty aerodynamic... Pity my aim was pants!
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 03 September 2011 - 19:36
100 Calorie Banana Muffins Ingredients: 3/4 cup wholewheat / wholemeal flour 1/2 cup quick cooking oats 1/4 cup wheat bran 1/4 cup oat bran 1 tsp baking powder 3 very ripe medium bananas 1/2 cup skim milk 1/4 cup sugar 2 eggs Nb. You can swap Splenda for the sugar and apple sauce for the milk Method: Mix all the dry ingredients together except the sugar. In a separate bowl beat the eggs and sugar for 1 minute, add the banana's leaving it a little bit chunky, add the milk and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well blended. Let the mix sit for 5 minutes. Place into a 12 cup lightly sprayed or lined muffin tray. Bake in preheated oven at 180deg for 20 - 25 minutes. Per muffin: Calories: 98 Fat: 1.4g Carbohydrate: 19.9g Protein: 3.4g Those sound divine! Is it a recipe you can make and then keep in the fridge so you can just make a couple every day?
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 03 September 2011 - 19:34
Yes, I did the registering after you mentioned it below ... And then read the frightening travel advice :\: LOL, not for the faint-hearted! My aunt worked in the Brit Emb there a few yrs ago, so if, heaven forbid, you have problems, let me know.
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 03 September 2011 - 19:32
Yep, would register - https://www.locate.fco.gov.uk/locateportal/ And a bit more info for you - http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/sub-saharan-africa/nigeria
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 03 September 2011 - 19:25
Ahh, forgot to mention that I also put in a couple of stock cubes when boiling the pumpkin - makes it a bit more salty and adds a dash of "jur-ner-say-kwah"... :D
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 03 September 2011 - 19:23
Abaa, meet Google. Google, this is Abaa. Chat amongst yourselves. LOL - you having a bad day Guinness?!?
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 03 September 2011 - 19:20
A friend of mine opened up the "Feetlab" store in Dubai Mall (near Waitrose). They really know their stuff and supply shoes etc to hospitals for people with feet problems. They do a consultation for you as well so you get the type of shoe you need depending on the particular problem you have.
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 September 2011 - 19:18
Thanks for those...any more? ( I LOVE pumpkin soup but have never used Philly is so will give it a try) Its sooooo good! And it freezes as well. Worked out that a tub of low fat Philly is 12 ww points (if I remember correctly from 6 years ago in the UK!!!) so if you divide it up and allocate accordingly, it really is probably about 4-6 points for a huge pot of soup, and about 0.5 - 1 point for a serving...
wikkid
298
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 September 2011 - 19:15
What passport does he travel on? Another few bits of advice (not sure if it applies and it really is more common sense than anything!): - Only drink bottled water (even for brushing teeth etc make sure you use bottled or boiled water) - Dont drink alcohol (if something goes wrong, they look for any excuse to blame), and definitely dont get drunk! - Dont leave the compound / lodgings after dark and during the day, dont go anywhere on your own outside the lodgings / compound at any time - Carry a photocopy of your passport on you (original in the safe) and only take with you what youre willing to have nicked (cash / cards etc) - Take with you cash in small denominations - "sorry no small noted to give you change" is a great excuse for overcharging - Dont drive at all - make sure theres a Nigerian driver for him - Avoid chitchat with staff etc -
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 03 September 2011 - 19:07
LOL, no worries - I know exactly how it goes! Just wanted to make sure that it went through ok. Our computers sometimes have a knack of eating emails... @ emlsnre - definitely! Not sure when I will be out that way but I will drop you a text a bit later in the week. Welcome back!!!
wikkid
298
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 September 2011 - 18:09
Keep a low profile and make sure your embassy knows you're there. Hope all goes well!
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 03 September 2011 - 18:07
Pumpkin or butternut soup (made into cream of... With ground black pepper and low fat Philly - just jhoooojh with a hand blender) or mashed with Philly (don't use the fat free Philly - doesnt combine too well!)
wikkid
298
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 September 2011 - 18:03
Hi Aroha - just checking you got my email last week? Havent heard from you - hope everything is ok?
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 29 August 2011 - 19:47
This has turned up some real finds - thanks ladies!!! Is it wrong to admit to watching The Vampire Diaries simply to drool? ****, the storyline could be absolutely pants and Id still watch...!
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 August 2011 - 21:22
Got sick of waiting for DH to organise it so I did my own :) Well, not strictly true, I did the frosted version, however its not different to the tinted one. I got my frosted film from Joseph Graphics, watched really carefully the next time the guys on site were installing and hey presto, saved myself a couple of grand :D
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 August 2011 - 18:35
Forgot to mention game of thrones & hung Got hooked on GOT! Havent seen hung tho - will go have a gander :)
wikkid
298
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 August 2011 - 18:33
Ooooh some new ones in there thanks ladies... :) Keep them coming - many evenings on my own :D
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 28 August 2011 - 18:04
okay it too me forever to figure out where the sign in was LOL. Snap!
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 28 August 2011 - 18:01
Gaaaah! Just took me ages to figure out how to sign in!!! My name is on the bottom of the site so in theory I was signed in already, just couldnt post.... Eventually went to the register page, and found another random link to use to sign in :(
wikkid
298
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 August 2011 - 13:25
Stratford? Not sure how old your son is though and what you like doing I guess?
wikkid
298
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 August 2011 - 13:17
Found out recently that car polish works great on pewter that went through a dishwasher and badly tarnished... Maybe it works on copper etc as well? It will leave a coating on it (same as the car I guess)...
wikkid
298
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 August 2011 - 13:14
Second Dr Bassel Darwish (he's also at Welcare). Nice guy, doesnt treat you like an idiot - speaks to you realistically and like an adult and gives you options etc. Have been going to him for 5 years (have A.S) and am dreading the day when I finally make the move totally to Oman and have to change docs - in fact, will probably still keep coming back here for the appointments...!
wikkid
298
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 15:59
Youre welcome. Good luck - hope you manage to find the culprit! FYI, not sure what type of villa youre in, but there are various different size AC units installed in those villas. For example, the AC that cools the lounge is much much bigger than the one that cools the kitchen, so if youre going to leave an AC on, rather leave the kitchen one on. Chek the load schedule if you arent sure which ones are the big ones.
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 15:56
Poshpaws boarded our dog for us whilst we were relocating - they were great and very helpful when we kept having to extend etc. He came back clean and healthy and even had a bit better manners (although since then he has reverted back to DH's training!)...
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 15:54
and then the quality of the " repairers" ......:\: I remember we had a bad smell issue in a shower and the first thing they asked was - are you peeing in the shower? WTF? Lol...we had a foul, sewage smell in the downstairs loo at one of our villas. The plumber came and the first thing he asked was, "Is this the WC Sir uses?" He was dead serious... Am sitting at my desk having a good old laugh! Thanks... Reminds me of a conversation had with maintenance in one of the previous villas we lived in where there was a separate bath and shower, and the shower water wasnt draining away properly. The maintenance guy came in, ran the shower until it was almost overflowing the tray then said to DH and I with a dead serious face "The problem is the drain is blocked..." After a few seconds of us being literally speechless, he went on to point to my hair (I have long hair) and said "Its you, you are blocking the drains with your hair", to which my husband (who goes to the barber every couple of weeks to keep his hair ultra short) responded equally deadpan, "She doesnt use the shower, I do. She prefers to bath. Do you think maybe its my p*bes that are doing it?". Totally went over his head, but I had to leave the room as I thought I was going to wet myself....
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 14:28
LOL. Actually there are far more than 10 if you're sticking to absolutely correct grammar and spelling.
wikkid
298
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 August 2011 - 01:42
Hi Eli - we used to live at The Villa. Not sure if it is still the case, but certainly when we were living there, there was this amazing new concept of a multiplication factor that DEWA used... In a nutshell, you had to take the amount of electricity used and enter it into DEWA calculator (on their website), then once you get that figure, multiply by 40 (yes, you read right!!!) and that was your electricity bill (cant remember the exact process for calculating but its on The Villa website I set up for the community - sure you will find it if you look through some of the forum or such. I know though that different people had different situations though as well, just to further confuse the issue!!!). To answer your question though, there is a problem as you shouldnt be going through that amount of power. I know its a bit long winded, but maybe you should also try doing the DB off and check power I wrote about below - you will then know at least what it is thats eating your power... An irrigation pump should not use anywhere near that. For example, this pump (http://www.screwfix.com/p/karcher-gp40-650w-garden-irrigation-pump-240v/66093) pumps out 50 litres a minute and only uses 650W an hour - so even if it ran for 24 hours a day, it would only use a maximum of 15.6kW. I would suggest that you turn off all your AC units (just at the wall controls) then go on the roof and see if any of the AC machines are still running - maybe they arent actually switching off (even though you think they are because the display panel says they are). If I remember correctly, the AC units at The Villa are LG brand, which arent particularly energy efficient anyway (they use nearly double the amount of electricity that Carrier brand do). Only other thing that maybe is worth looking at is the water heaters (try turning the water heaters off in the DB's and see if that makes a difference)? Good luck! My email addy is below if you want to drop me a line if youre still having issues!
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 August 2011 - 23:39
Ahhhh DEWA, my favorite topic! A running water pump could be a number of things, not necessarily a leak. First thing to do is look at your bill and see if it is the water or the electricity that's high. If it's water, then you need to go find the main shut off valve for the house and turn it off. Now go take a meter reading and then again in a half hour. If it has changed, then the leak is in your garden somewhere. If it hasnt then somewhere in your house there is a rather major leak! You didn't mention where you live - I know that some of the springs / meadows etc had huge problems with the water tanks (they are underneath where the cars park so you wouldn't see a leak/crack or anything. Now, if it's your electricity then once again you need to identify where the drain is - go in the house and you will find the SMDB / MDB (the bigger DB which the smaller ones on each floor of your house feed into - usually it's inside the house (but i have also seen them outside) and will always be on ground floor. Switch off the big main incomer switch and go take a reading at the elec meter outside the front of your house. Repeat after half hour - if the reading has changed then there is either something in your garden chewing an ozone hole worth of juice or your neighbours maybe are living the life of Riley on your account. Time to visit dewa. If the meter doesn't thange though when you switch off the main incomer, then you need to switch main incomer back on and go inside and turn off all the small DBs on each floor - check if the meter is running and half hour later etc. If there's a change, it's a drain off of your power from the main MDB. If the meter doesn't change, switch off every single thing (including plugs, water heaters etc) on just the ground floor and turn on the small DB for just that floor. Do the whole meter reading thing again - if it changes, your leak is on the ground floor somewhere. If it doesn't change, then repeat for other floors - this way you start to isolate which level the problem is. Once you find the level, start by turning the small DB on, but all the switches inside off. At this point you may well have lost the will to live, so I would recommend taking at least one bottle of vino with for company... Each switch will have something like R1 Y1 B1 above the switches and a label that says section 1 below then on the right of them a bigger switch that says ELCB 1 or something like that. Switch back on the small switches and the corresponding section switch. Check meter blah blah, no change, switch off and do next section (2) and so on. Eventually you will get down to a single section (probably). There should be a paper in the DB (called load schedule). Look for the corresponding R G B numbers / section and this sheet will tell you what it is. To use those kinds of power though, 99 percent of the time it's either something with an element (like a water heater that has a broken thermostat so just keeps boiling the water, not clicking on and off to maintain a set temperature) or it's the AC units. Sorry for such a long winded explanation but hopefully it's fairly straightforward. Drop me an email if you are still confused and I'll send you my number (wikkidcakes at gmail dot com) and talk you through it. And as a final parting bit of advice, don't waste your breath trying to call - go there (wafi) and refuse to move until someone deals with you. Once they realize you actually mean it, they deal with the problem! And if you have a small tired child you can take or borrow, that's even better!
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 August 2011 - 17:00
Bump just in case you missed it Aroha :)
wikkid
298
Posts
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Latest post on 21 August 2011 - 15:23
Hi aroha - am still kinda around (thanks to a lovely friend who sent me a heads up for your post) so thought I'd quickly drop in on the chat. Yep, I'm in Dubai during the week and muscat thurs, fri and sats. More than happy to answer your questions (if I can!!! No kids but friends in muscat are teachers). Drop me an email on wikkidcakes at gmail dot com - can arrange a coffee or something if you want?
wikkid
298
Posts
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Latest post on 20 June 2011 - 21:11
Hi SBBK - I commute between Dubai and Muscat some weekends and we are in the Wave. Feel free to drop me a line some time if you like. Cant really advise too much since Im still a bit of a newbie too, but feel free to come around for a cuppa sometime if you like! wikkidcakes at gmail dot com
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 June 2011 - 20:55
Hello all :). Long time no post! Thought i would share my humorous encounter from the other day though... still makes me chuckle thinking about it... Went for the first time to a still-being-built shopping mall site the other day, going in to check on the progress of one of the stores being built. Turned in to the construction car parking lot, which was a bit all over the place and in places very tight to negotiate, but manged to find my way to where other cars were parked. As I was driving along, I saw a free space and a signs along the front of the car parking markings saying "REVERSE PARKING", so I dutifully manhandled my trusty tank landcruiser through a few backward/forward movements and finally was in nice and even. Switched off, got my bag from the back seat and was just locking up when the security guard came running over, waving his arms. "Mam, no can park here! You must move!" "But why, I have parked properly, exactly as the sign says!" Security guard points to the sign and says "See, read here. Reserve Parking. You dont have a permit!" Needless to say, I refused to move but I did spend a fair amount of time laughing that afternoon!
wikkid
298
Posts
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Latest post on 29 March 2011 - 21:17
Hi petal - drop me an email on wikkidcakes at gmail dot com - I may have something you would be interested in. (and no it's not cakes either :)...)
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 29 March 2011 - 20:48
Ahhhh, good to be back :) I Think that the op should have put a space between the words of the title.... :D.... Other things sprung to mind. Dream job... Hmmmm.... Wanted to be a vet. Wouldn't mind being a racehorse trainer. And sometimes when it's going well, think I would like to have a "cake-boss" style shop :)
wikkid
298
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 March 2011 - 20:41
If you don't get anywhere with the consumer rights people then you can also go see the guys at Dubai economic department. They are in the office next door to the dubai mall management office.
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 March 2011 - 10:31
Ok have to admit I've been pants about logging on to Ew recently!!! I'm in muscat this weekend so anyone want to swing by for a coffee in our bomb of a house, just shout! We are inthe wave (somewhere!)
wikkid
298
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 March 2011 - 10:26
Good to see there are still some familiar faces around :). Have I missed much? Any kandoras? Maids?
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 28 March 2011 - 15:46
Looooong time no been on the site! Whats new?!? Who is still here?!!!
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 14 February 2011 - 13:06
Why do people have pets if they arent going to look after them!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nyaaaargh, it infuriates me! Its not like its a surprise that they have to go to the vet for jabs etc which costs money!
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 14 February 2011 - 12:00
Not sure but maybe do a search online? Or ask CEE if they do a decorator (as opposed to a designer) course, which I would imagine would be shorter...
wikkid
298
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 22:00
Especially nowadays where there is such a huge selection of different products (tiles, stones, materials, paints, the list goes on), it's important to be able to see and feel different samples and know what they are. Often a picture just doesn't do the job. But yes, I guess a lot also depends on what you are doing the course for I guess. If you are just wanting to learn what colours go with each other, how to do a general layout etc, then I suppose an online course would be ok? Although you may then consider saving some money and doing an interior decorator course instead.
wikkid
298
Posts
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Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 21:53
Shame DC. I just find the whole thing surreal. If it had been my dog (which, before anyone says anything, is microchipped, Dm tagged and also has a phone no tag on) and someone had found him, id be over there like a shot!!! Some people continuously amaze me, and not in a good way either! Having read through the whole thread, sadly all I can say is that that old adage springs to mind... "no good deed goes unpunished".... :D
wikkid
298
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Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 16:20
Freckles at home watching random characters do mindless things on tv.... Wikkid at work watching random characters do mindless things on computers.... Only difference is that at least I get paid for it :D
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 16:14
Im an ID. Honestly, I dont recommend doing an Interior Deisgncourse online - there is so much about learning interior design which relies on touch, feel etc, and you need the stimulation which comes with class interaction and discussion.
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 16:12
I only buy chicken breasts from Spinneys, and often there is that slimy membrane thing, and bits of white (fat?)which I cut off, then wash the meat.
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 12:46
LI also own many multiples of my favorite tools. Knives, [b'>thongs[/b'>, cutting boards, steel prep bowls, etc. Snort. Im sure DH would spend faaaaaar more time in the kitchen if this was a standard item in our kitchen :D
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 12:32
I wash chicken and fish before I cook. Especially chicken - all that icky slime... I just hold it and run it under the tap though - no "splashing" around as such. Red meats Im not as concerned with washing.
wikkid
298
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 10 February 2011 - 17:17
Wow, 21 views and no responses... :D I must come across as more bunny-boiler than I thought!
 
 
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