Complete Body Service?

Our lunch time is spent reading classified ads in the local paper …

PS:  Both of these ads were classified under “Education”.

Surf Safely: The UAE Way

This is what I get when I try to view all the gorgeous pictures in Flickr …

A Clumsy Tuesday

We both decided to sleep in the park last night.  I incidentally brought along a couple of thick shawls, which helped us keep warm from the wintry breeze of the desert.  “It’s okay,” Masood tried to assure me, “it will be dawn in three hours and then we can head back home.”

I woke up to the gentle rays of the morning sun filtering through the yellow curtains.  I felt so warm and cozy.  It took me a while to realize that I was in my own bedroom, and much longer to realize that it was already time for me to get up and prepare breakfast.  Reluctantly, I got up to start my day, trying to recall what I had been thinking of the previous day that made me dream about us sleeping in the park, of all places!

While chopping onions, I placed a plate on a plastic bowl that contained diluted dish washing liquid.  Later when I tried to take that plate, the rim of the plastic bowl clung to it.  Before I knew it, I had lifted the plate up, while gravity pulled the plastic bowl down, where it landed dramatically into the sink, splashing liquid soap on my clothes and face.

After breakfast while pouring out tea into the cups, the tea leaves overflowed out of the sieve, as I mentally planned what to do during the Eid holidays.  Hot tea spilled over the counter, reminding me that Eid is still a week away and that I need to concentrate on now.

Then I had my abaya to iron.  So while I was at it, Masood complimented on how good the tea tasted.  He offered me a few sips from his cup.  “Just hold on to it for a few seconds,” I told him, “don’t put it down on the table.”  He had better things to do than stand there with the cup of tea, so he placed it on the table.  I looked towards him for a second and next thing I know, the iron dropped on the floor!  For all I knew, I had carefully placed it on the side of the ironing board.  Masood didn’t react.  He casually left the room after getting dressed.

I dropped my cellphone while rushing to make it to the elevator.  Unfortunately, it still works.  My ever faithful, 53-month-old cellphone simply refuses to give up.  If only I hadn’t promised myself that I won’t buy a new piece as long as this one worked fine.  You see, I had bought this cellphone from my own money while still working in Manila, and it meant a lot to me.  But this is already OLD, yet stubbornly refuses to retire!

And last, but not the least, clumsy act of mine would be in the office.  I just spilled coffee on my laptop.

And it’s only 6 pm.

PS:  It’s the 37th National Day of the U.A.E. today.  Abu Dhabi is going to host the world’s biggest fireworks later tonight.  And we’re the only one working today, well except for some policemen, a few doctors and nurses, sales people at the mall, security guards, and hotel staff.  Ok, we’re not alone, but you get the picture.

A Happy Thursday

I woke up this morning with a smile on my face.  But doesn’t mean that I  felt like making breakfast.  When my beloved mother-in-law was staying here with us, we always had roti and stir fried vegetables in the morning, and had a late lunch at work.  We used to cook rotis together, chatting away while standing side by side in the kitchen.  Now, I don’t feel like cooking rotis alone.  I’m just too lazy.

So I woke Masood up from his sleep this morning to ask what we were having for breakfast.  “We’ll have bread and omelette,” he murmured, eyes closed.  Looking at the clock, I went back to bed for a 20-minute nap.  No, that didn’t happen.  I actually got out of bed and went to check my blog stats.  I’m so busy at work lately that I don’t get time to check my stats and comments, let alone publish a post.  Anyway, the bread that we had at home has expired.  So Masood called up the supermarket downstairs and had a packet of Lebanese bread delivered.

On our way to work, I noticed that the sky was unusually cloudy.  It looked so beautiful!  Afterall, we don’t get clouds here all throughout the summer.  So that justifies my excitement.  I kept looking at the thick, white clouds and had this silly smile on despite the fact that we were stuck in horrible traffic.

The weather is definitely changing.  It’s quite pleasant during the day and cool in the evenings.  I am in love with the U.A.E., and this feeling will last until March next year, when it’s summer again.

This is the traffic frenzy that we get stuck into every single day, despite our office timings starting at 12 noon.  It’s not even rush hour, so to speak.  But this didn’t bother me at all today (I was captivated with the sight of clouds, remember?)

Anyway, amidst this chaos today, we saw a couple of men on the road.  One was holding a huge camera and his partner had a microphone in hand.  They appeared to be interviewing the drivers.  They’d probably wanted to know what the public feels about the traffic, for all I know.  The point is, they contributed more to the traffic as they stood there interviewing people.

Oh yes, we also saw this famous Big Bus Tour of Dubai today, where you get live English commentary and recorded commentary of eight other languages while they show you around the city!  They tell you,”Ladies and gentlemen, if you look towards your right, you can see the buildings being constructed.  Now, look towards your left and you can see the roads being constructed.  Look right ahead, that’s a new bridge being constructed.”

All you have to do is pay $55 per person, hop aboard the bus, and enjoy the construction, I mean the ride.

This is my favorite, the Sheikh Zayed Road.  This is where we travel every single day to go to work.  We usually get out of the office at 9 pm, and I just love the lights along this road.  I love the way the glass buildings glitter in the dark.

Today, these buildings looked extra special because it’s a weekend!  We laughed and chatted all the way home, knowing that we have two days off ahead of us.

To sum it up, it’s a happy Thursday!