Saturday, November 28, 2009

Missing cats and dollars

We're on Eid Holidays at the moment... I am not sure what the second Eid holiday represents (the first was the end of Ramadan) but we're off for a week with a combination of Eid holiday and UAE National Day public holidays.  I am not back at work until Dec 6.

However, we are a bit upset at the moment because Charlie our cat has gone missing.  He's been gone I think 4 nights now... he ran out the door to go to the bathroom on Tuesday night and he never came back.  He has been outside before, he wasnt a completely housebound cat, but he has never done anything like this before.  He was always outside in Australia as well... So at this stage, we cannot help but think the worst.  We have posted flyers at the supermarkets, pet stores and vets and also around the neighbourhood and the area we live in has alot of gardens but is flat and the traffic is minimal and slowed by alot of speed humps.  So I can only think someone has nabbed him.  Its very sad.

Also, there is at the same time alot of press about the government owned Dubai World defaulting on its debt payments and sending the world financial markets into a spin.  Alot of people seem to be thinking that this is a bad thing for us here in Dubai, but its actually a bigger problem in the western world as many of the US and UK banks are geared to the hilt in the property development here.  For me personally, I am employed by the Abu Dhabi government, who's liquidity is not in question, and am probably going to benefit from cheaper rents when my lease is up for renewal in March.  The real issue is that Dubai World owns alot of Australian assets including nearly all of the Australian Ports and there was even talk about the Ports being impacted and that the end result could be industrial action again in the Stevedoring industry (who remembers the Patrick / Chris Corrigan strike issues of a fair few years ago).

But back to Dubai, we're doing OK... its always a worry in the back of the mind, and this article is very applicable to me.  Traffic to work is getting heavy!

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