Well... been awhile!
Many things going on here and I want to post more but have been pretty busy, but one thing that I just have to report on is that we went to the Amy Winehouse "concert" in Dubai this weekend. "Concert" is in quotation marks deliberately because it was so bad, that we along with thousands of others, left before it was over.
In hindsight, apparently this isnt unusual for her as she invariably turns up drunk and/or high to her shows and we got off to a bad start when she was gargling her "drink" that was in a white coffee mug as soon as she came on stage.
From there, she was disinterested, vague, forgot the words to her songs, played with her earrings and fingernails as opposed to engage with the audience and then she just walked off stage for 20 minutes leaving the show in the hands of her backup singers.
The crowd boo'ed her mercilessly. Worst concert we have been to and a complete waste of money.
And to think she was in an Islamic country in which public displays of drunkeness are outlawed and yet she was paid good money to put that tripe on.
Here is some amateur footage (not mine) of her show... it doesnt actually show the worst bits, but I presume the person who took this must have left after he took it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnhkFu81qJo&feature=player_embedded#at=140
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Change of Scenery
Well, Xmas is always a slow down on many things and Lime Kettles is one that seemingly takes a backseat when you're on the road for 3-4 weeks on holiday.
We had an excellent time in Sydney and caught up with all the family and friends and whilst we deliberately made it less hectic than last year it was still a busy but enjoyable time. Am happy to report that we scored well on the Santa front with all of us picking up new iPads courtesy of my Mum & Dad (thanks!) and also the girls scored iPod Touches as well... so we're now a fully "synced" family with Apple products. Coupled with my AppleTV I got for my birthday, we're now sticking our noses at Microsoft. Having said that though, I cannot bring myself to buy an Apple for PC / Laptop purposes... I hate Microsoft in general but the hassle to learn a new O/S and the Office Products (I know you can get Office for Mac, but still....) is in my too hard / unnecessary basket.
On the UAE front, it is winter here and its cool and we get morning fogs and light rain on occasion but in the main it is still sunny and temps in the high 20's celcius. The big change is however just this past week, I am actually saying good bye to my job at Masdar and am moving back to the parent company.
Sad, and not by my choice, but I have been "reassigned" and the one thing about working here in the UAE is that change is continuous and management see their workforce as expendable and fluid. My new job is going to be challenging and interesting but it will be in the office in downtown Abu Dhabi and will be a world away from working "on site" here.
So, this is my last week here... and I have to say it has been a really enjoyable experience and I will miss the people and also the excitement of working on such a unique set of projects. I guess this means then I will have some new inspiration for blog posts as I settle in to working life closer to town.
We had an excellent time in Sydney and caught up with all the family and friends and whilst we deliberately made it less hectic than last year it was still a busy but enjoyable time. Am happy to report that we scored well on the Santa front with all of us picking up new iPads courtesy of my Mum & Dad (thanks!) and also the girls scored iPod Touches as well... so we're now a fully "synced" family with Apple products. Coupled with my AppleTV I got for my birthday, we're now sticking our noses at Microsoft. Having said that though, I cannot bring myself to buy an Apple for PC / Laptop purposes... I hate Microsoft in general but the hassle to learn a new O/S and the Office Products (I know you can get Office for Mac, but still....) is in my too hard / unnecessary basket.
On the UAE front, it is winter here and its cool and we get morning fogs and light rain on occasion but in the main it is still sunny and temps in the high 20's celcius. The big change is however just this past week, I am actually saying good bye to my job at Masdar and am moving back to the parent company.
Sad, and not by my choice, but I have been "reassigned" and the one thing about working here in the UAE is that change is continuous and management see their workforce as expendable and fluid. My new job is going to be challenging and interesting but it will be in the office in downtown Abu Dhabi and will be a world away from working "on site" here.
So, this is my last week here... and I have to say it has been a really enjoyable experience and I will miss the people and also the excitement of working on such a unique set of projects. I guess this means then I will have some new inspiration for blog posts as I settle in to working life closer to town.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Xmas
2010 is coming to a close. As I write this, I am sitting in Sydney after arriving here from Dubai for the Christmas / NY holidays. Our trip to Sydney was fine and uneventful (which is what you want on a plane!) and whilst the weather isnt brilliant, to be honest I dont mind overcast and showers as a bit of variety from our Dubai home.
The year on reflection has been a great one. Work has consolidated in Dubai and is now routine rather than the wonderous experience of oddities that I blogged about in 2009. Its not that it is no longer "different" but rather I have adjusted where what was once odd and different is now the norm.
On the family front, the year has been excellent. We have made great friends, have met wonderful people and have enjoyed many unique experiences. We have explored the UAE and seen many sites ranging from the view at the top of the Burj Khalifa which is a monument of man's engineering down to seeing the sun set over the mountains of Fujeirah as they drop into the Indian Ocean.
We have reached the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which has been about a 10yr goal of mine to take Niki to and we both were extremely happy to see the kids still hang on to their childhood by dancing around with the Disney Princesses at Euro Disney.
2010 was also the year of learning new things... I have kept up my Arabic lessons and the girls are both getting very adept at French. Kate went into the IB curriculum version of High School and adjusted well.
Sadly though, we lost our first dog Zoe to old age and we still miss her. We also thought we lost Charlie the Cat too, but he came back after a 5 day stay somewhere else?! Both Niki and I had to make sudden trips back to Sydney for her mum and my dad for health reasons but we're glad that they both turned out OK.
But overall, 2010 has been one of the best years ever and we're very much looking forward to 2011. And whilst I know that I havent been posting as often as I once did, but this blog is still a great record of life and next year in 2011 will be the 8th year of Lime Kettles and I will keep posting.
So thank you readers for still reading and I wish everyone a very Merry Xmas and I hope your New Year will be a great one.
All the best!
Clay
The year on reflection has been a great one. Work has consolidated in Dubai and is now routine rather than the wonderous experience of oddities that I blogged about in 2009. Its not that it is no longer "different" but rather I have adjusted where what was once odd and different is now the norm.
On the family front, the year has been excellent. We have made great friends, have met wonderful people and have enjoyed many unique experiences. We have explored the UAE and seen many sites ranging from the view at the top of the Burj Khalifa which is a monument of man's engineering down to seeing the sun set over the mountains of Fujeirah as they drop into the Indian Ocean.
We have reached the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which has been about a 10yr goal of mine to take Niki to and we both were extremely happy to see the kids still hang on to their childhood by dancing around with the Disney Princesses at Euro Disney.
2010 was also the year of learning new things... I have kept up my Arabic lessons and the girls are both getting very adept at French. Kate went into the IB curriculum version of High School and adjusted well.
Sadly though, we lost our first dog Zoe to old age and we still miss her. We also thought we lost Charlie the Cat too, but he came back after a 5 day stay somewhere else?! Both Niki and I had to make sudden trips back to Sydney for her mum and my dad for health reasons but we're glad that they both turned out OK.
But overall, 2010 has been one of the best years ever and we're very much looking forward to 2011. And whilst I know that I havent been posting as often as I once did, but this blog is still a great record of life and next year in 2011 will be the 8th year of Lime Kettles and I will keep posting.
So thank you readers for still reading and I wish everyone a very Merry Xmas and I hope your New Year will be a great one.
All the best!
Clay
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Dubai Birthday
Well, it was my birthday last weekend and given that last year I spent my birthday in a plane to Sydney, this year was a much better occasion and I celebrated with Niki and the girls and our Dubai friends at a big "brunch".
My birthday you see fell on Friday, and therefore as its the "done thing" in Dubai, we celebrated with a Friday Brunch.
Brunch is where you pay a fixed price and get to eat and drink (including alcohol) as much as you like. It's definately an occasion to leave the car at home and take a taxi! All hotels in Dubai offer a Friday Brunch and you can generally find one that meets your price range and you can also take a "non-alcohol" choice as well which reduces the cost of course. Kids are also offered a discounted price and kids typically under 4 eat and drink free.
This all stems from the Arabic custom of having a Friday meal together with family (much like the Sunday Roast in western cultures) and 90% of all Brunches are buffets.
We went to one of our favourites - Beachcombers at Jumeriah Beach Hotel - in which the food is Thai / Malaysian and we pretty much ate from midday to sunset all the satay sticks, fried rice, roti bread and prawn dumplings you could poke a stick at with an endless supply of Tiger Beer.
Cost was 285 Dirhams a head for full alcohol brunch, 185 for non-alcohol and a token amount for kids. We had 24 people, of which 3 were kids, 2 were non-paying babies and the rest were adults and it came to about 4500 dirhams. Now to convert to Aussie Dollars, divide by 3.6 approximately which is about $1,250. Where else can you feed 24 people for 4 hours with unlimited alcohol in a 5 star location for $50 a head!!
Now my head was a bit fuzzy at the time, but the bill did count how many bottles of Tiger we did order and the final total was 59 beers. That was from about 6-7 beer drinkers, so we did pretty good!
I tells ya dear readers in Sydney, Dubai is a great place to visit and a great place to celebrate your birthday!!
My birthday you see fell on Friday, and therefore as its the "done thing" in Dubai, we celebrated with a Friday Brunch.
Brunch is where you pay a fixed price and get to eat and drink (including alcohol) as much as you like. It's definately an occasion to leave the car at home and take a taxi! All hotels in Dubai offer a Friday Brunch and you can generally find one that meets your price range and you can also take a "non-alcohol" choice as well which reduces the cost of course. Kids are also offered a discounted price and kids typically under 4 eat and drink free.
This all stems from the Arabic custom of having a Friday meal together with family (much like the Sunday Roast in western cultures) and 90% of all Brunches are buffets.
We went to one of our favourites - Beachcombers at Jumeriah Beach Hotel - in which the food is Thai / Malaysian and we pretty much ate from midday to sunset all the satay sticks, fried rice, roti bread and prawn dumplings you could poke a stick at with an endless supply of Tiger Beer.
Cost was 285 Dirhams a head for full alcohol brunch, 185 for non-alcohol and a token amount for kids. We had 24 people, of which 3 were kids, 2 were non-paying babies and the rest were adults and it came to about 4500 dirhams. Now to convert to Aussie Dollars, divide by 3.6 approximately which is about $1,250. Where else can you feed 24 people for 4 hours with unlimited alcohol in a 5 star location for $50 a head!!
Now my head was a bit fuzzy at the time, but the bill did count how many bottles of Tiger we did order and the final total was 59 beers. That was from about 6-7 beer drinkers, so we did pretty good!
I tells ya dear readers in Sydney, Dubai is a great place to visit and a great place to celebrate your birthday!!
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
UAE National Day
Well after our trip to Fujeirah, we now have a 4 day weekend coming up with the UAE National Day on Thursday and on Sunday, its the public holiday for the Islamic New Year. So four days off! With Ramadan, then Big Eid, then Little Eid, National Day and Islamic New Year, the last couple of months of the calendar year here are full of holidays. Oh and there was Prophet Mohammed's Birthday as well a couple of weeks ago but we didnt have a holiday because it fell on the weekend.
So, like in Australia in which the country seems to slow down after Melbourne Cup Day, here in the UAE its a bit more of a holiday mode.
Except for Christmas of course, which isnt recognised but many many expats do take some holidays. For us Australians who are used to summer holidays over Christmas its a bigger deal than compared to the English. The English celebrate Christmas Day of course, but then its back to work. So most of my colleagues really only take the Christmas days off and maybe extend through to New Years but I am once again a bit of the office freak in that I am taking three weeks off.
December 21 to January 9 I will be off work but we are thinking that we wont head back to Sydney next year. The airfare costs are 50% more expensive, the friends and relatives at home are busy busy busy with Christmas of course but also many of our friends are taking holidays away out of Sydney so the reality is we don't see everybody and it just seems so rushed with logistics for presents and booking dates in diaries etc etc.
So next year we may change it up and have Christmas in Dubai and see how it pans out.
Having said that, it will be good to get back to Sydney and see the people that we will see. Other than my Dad's heart attack trip, I havent been back since last Christmas and I am looking forward to it and I wont deny, that I am keen to have a break from work which has been particularly busy of late.
But before all that though, its a Happy Islamic New Year and a Happy UAE National Day!!
So, like in Australia in which the country seems to slow down after Melbourne Cup Day, here in the UAE its a bit more of a holiday mode.
Except for Christmas of course, which isnt recognised but many many expats do take some holidays. For us Australians who are used to summer holidays over Christmas its a bigger deal than compared to the English. The English celebrate Christmas Day of course, but then its back to work. So most of my colleagues really only take the Christmas days off and maybe extend through to New Years but I am once again a bit of the office freak in that I am taking three weeks off.
December 21 to January 9 I will be off work but we are thinking that we wont head back to Sydney next year. The airfare costs are 50% more expensive, the friends and relatives at home are busy busy busy with Christmas of course but also many of our friends are taking holidays away out of Sydney so the reality is we don't see everybody and it just seems so rushed with logistics for presents and booking dates in diaries etc etc.
So next year we may change it up and have Christmas in Dubai and see how it pans out.
Having said that, it will be good to get back to Sydney and see the people that we will see. Other than my Dad's heart attack trip, I havent been back since last Christmas and I am looking forward to it and I wont deny, that I am keen to have a break from work which has been particularly busy of late.
But before all that though, its a Happy Islamic New Year and a Happy UAE National Day!!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Fujeirah
Now, a valid reason for the lack of posts... we went to Fujeirah this week on the eastern / Indian Ocean side of the UAE. It was the first time I had seen the Indian Ocean (its actually called the Gulf of Oman this far north, but it all flows into the Indian Ocean) and it was a really interesting trip.
Whilst we stayed at the lovely Fujeirah Rotana Resort, it was the drive in and the drive out that was really interesting. We took the scenic route in as we drove to Hatta (where we went about three weeks ago) and then pressed on to the coast over a small mountain pass road. The mountains in the UAE and heading down the Indian Ocean coast to Oman are massive bare rock outcrops that look very jagged and rough. The Blue Mountains of Sydney are really a big hill covered in gum trees in comparison as these were the biggest mountains I had seen (and yes, I have never been to New Zealand, the Rocky Mountains in the USA or the Swiss Alps).
The trip was also interesting because once again we got a glimpse of the older UAE and how the people outside of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are not that well off. The townships we travelled through were all pretty ramshackle with road side fruit shops and places to buy firewood, it was very old school. The roads were rougher as well and whilst there were plenty of flash resorts on the coast, the rest of the place was pretty bleak.
But that's what its all about - getting out and seeing the country side... and by the end of the three days, we had driven up all the way along the UAE East Coast from Kalba to Dibba.
The holiday itself was very relaxing with our friends and I spent two days by the pool working on my tan.
The drive out home we headed north and then back west through the main mountain pass road which is right on the border to Mussandam and the Omani territory north of the UAE. The roads were better but the views as the mountains came right to the sea were breathtaking.
All in all, a great trip away for our Eid break... and now we're on the down hill run to our trip home to Sydney for Xmas.
Whilst we stayed at the lovely Fujeirah Rotana Resort, it was the drive in and the drive out that was really interesting. We took the scenic route in as we drove to Hatta (where we went about three weeks ago) and then pressed on to the coast over a small mountain pass road. The mountains in the UAE and heading down the Indian Ocean coast to Oman are massive bare rock outcrops that look very jagged and rough. The Blue Mountains of Sydney are really a big hill covered in gum trees in comparison as these were the biggest mountains I had seen (and yes, I have never been to New Zealand, the Rocky Mountains in the USA or the Swiss Alps).
The trip was also interesting because once again we got a glimpse of the older UAE and how the people outside of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are not that well off. The townships we travelled through were all pretty ramshackle with road side fruit shops and places to buy firewood, it was very old school. The roads were rougher as well and whilst there were plenty of flash resorts on the coast, the rest of the place was pretty bleak.
But that's what its all about - getting out and seeing the country side... and by the end of the three days, we had driven up all the way along the UAE East Coast from Kalba to Dibba.
The holiday itself was very relaxing with our friends and I spent two days by the pool working on my tan.
The drive out home we headed north and then back west through the main mountain pass road which is right on the border to Mussandam and the Omani territory north of the UAE. The roads were better but the views as the mountains came right to the sea were breathtaking.
All in all, a great trip away for our Eid break... and now we're on the down hill run to our trip home to Sydney for Xmas.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Blog Lag
Sorry for the lack of posts... simple explanation is that work has been really busy and really difficult I have been putting in a large number of hours of late.
But that should change as this week is the last week before a week off for Eid. I may have to work the Sunday, but other than that it will be Mon - Thurs off work next week and we will be heading to Fujeirah on the east coast of the UAE for a well deserved break for a couple of nights with the rest of the break spent in and around the pool. I am not sure about Sunday... its an official work day but its also the date of the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix, so many people will be away there and the day will be pretty dead. I may go in the morning and see how busy work is and then knock off to watch the race.
But to recap on the past couple of weeks, we didnt end up going on our trip to Mussandam as mentioned in my last post because of what is known as a "Dubai Stuff Up". Essentially our friend Marianne booked the trip, had a confirming email, and then the pick up didnt show. When we rang them, they had no record of our booking. No money was lost but its just one of those things that things dont happen as certain as you may hope. But all wasn't lost as we jumped in the cars and spent a day travelling to Hatta in the south east corner of the country and we still got to cross the Omani border to get there.
The weather at the moment is also brilliant with temps in the high 20's / low 30's (celcius) and the humidity non existant. Its been really nice and Oct / Nov is certainly the best time of year. We're still swimming albeit its a bit cooler when getting out and we had our first rain today for about 10 minutes.
On the other side of Eid, it will be a short wait before we're returning to Sydney for Xmas and so we need to start thinking about Xmas presents. Again, it will be a combo of buying stuff here and packing it in the suitcases and buying stuff there in Sydney.
In other news, we rent our maid quarters (yes, we have a maid quarters!) out to an Indian man called Victor who works at the local vets. I am sure I have blogged about this in the past, but to recap Victor was really lovely with our pets at the vet surgery and when he found himself looking for a new place we rented him our un-used maid room in exchange for a bit of rent and to look after the animals while we go on holidays. It has worked out really well and he is quiet, keeps to himself and does a great job with our dog Molly who he walks most days. Victor though must be very lonely and his wife and child are in India and he goes back once every 2 years. He simply works and hangs out at home and doesnt have a big social life. However he was very excited because his brother is coming to Dubai and he will bunk in with Victor soon. I put up the rent a bit but I think it will be good for him as the only people he talks to at home is our part time maid and her husband who come by on Friday's.
If you asked me before we left for Dubai would we sub-let our place to an Indian trainee vet, I would have thought you were nuts but he has helped out heaps with our travelling and keeping the pets safe and looked after.
Eid Mubarak!
But that should change as this week is the last week before a week off for Eid. I may have to work the Sunday, but other than that it will be Mon - Thurs off work next week and we will be heading to Fujeirah on the east coast of the UAE for a well deserved break for a couple of nights with the rest of the break spent in and around the pool. I am not sure about Sunday... its an official work day but its also the date of the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix, so many people will be away there and the day will be pretty dead. I may go in the morning and see how busy work is and then knock off to watch the race.
But to recap on the past couple of weeks, we didnt end up going on our trip to Mussandam as mentioned in my last post because of what is known as a "Dubai Stuff Up". Essentially our friend Marianne booked the trip, had a confirming email, and then the pick up didnt show. When we rang them, they had no record of our booking. No money was lost but its just one of those things that things dont happen as certain as you may hope. But all wasn't lost as we jumped in the cars and spent a day travelling to Hatta in the south east corner of the country and we still got to cross the Omani border to get there.
The weather at the moment is also brilliant with temps in the high 20's / low 30's (celcius) and the humidity non existant. Its been really nice and Oct / Nov is certainly the best time of year. We're still swimming albeit its a bit cooler when getting out and we had our first rain today for about 10 minutes.
On the other side of Eid, it will be a short wait before we're returning to Sydney for Xmas and so we need to start thinking about Xmas presents. Again, it will be a combo of buying stuff here and packing it in the suitcases and buying stuff there in Sydney.
In other news, we rent our maid quarters (yes, we have a maid quarters!) out to an Indian man called Victor who works at the local vets. I am sure I have blogged about this in the past, but to recap Victor was really lovely with our pets at the vet surgery and when he found himself looking for a new place we rented him our un-used maid room in exchange for a bit of rent and to look after the animals while we go on holidays. It has worked out really well and he is quiet, keeps to himself and does a great job with our dog Molly who he walks most days. Victor though must be very lonely and his wife and child are in India and he goes back once every 2 years. He simply works and hangs out at home and doesnt have a big social life. However he was very excited because his brother is coming to Dubai and he will bunk in with Victor soon. I put up the rent a bit but I think it will be good for him as the only people he talks to at home is our part time maid and her husband who come by on Friday's.
If you asked me before we left for Dubai would we sub-let our place to an Indian trainee vet, I would have thought you were nuts but he has helped out heaps with our travelling and keeping the pets safe and looked after.
Eid Mubarak!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)