The Emirates Palace

I thought that today might be another ho-hum day in the life of Anu Dhabi: walk, eat, nap, eat, swim, eat, sleep....but as I was putting A down for her morning nap (and anticipating joining her), the phone (the one in the bathroom...apparently the only one that takes incoming calls in our room) rang. I picked it up quickly, pleasantly surprised that it was my new friend (from Edmonton, who is currently visiting her husband, also P's co-worker and name-sake) Kathy. I was more pleasantly surprised by her invitation to go to the Emirates Palace, especially as she had already toured it with her husband earlier on.

We made plans to meet in the lobby at 1 pm (and A co-operated with both her napping and eating which was wonderful). Though I have seen the palace many times across from the Corniche, and when we had driven by, I was completely unprepared and amazed at its truly majestic stature. I have never before seen anything like it in my life. Honestly, I don't believe we have anything comparable to it in North America. Not only was I dwarfed by the immense nature of everything (the palace gates and floating ceilings must be made for giants to comfortably walk through) but I was blinded by all the gold, everywhere (even on the cheesecake that Kathy and I shared).

The Emirates Palace is where everything happens: the Middle Eastern International Film Festival (just last week) has brought celebrities like Meg Ryan, Antonio Banderas and his lovely wife, Melanie Griffiths, Adrien Brody and of course, some Bollywood celebs (Priyanka Chopra...she is gorgeous, though I have never heard of her...wonder if I might be able to get the name of her plastic surgeon....). Christina Aguilera will be playing there on October 24 (a concert that P invited me to attend, before we actually arrived on UAE soil...seeing as we have neither a home nor childcare...I'm thinking it's doubtful we'll be getting Dirrty with X-tina)...and apparently my absolute favorite musical artist of all time GEORGE MICHAEL will be playing there next month (P will be the babysitter for this one as I've convinced him it would be er...a little bit strange for him to accompany me to a George Michael concert). Every morning I open the City Times to discover that yet ANOTHER exciting event has transpired at the EP.

I really enjoyed my afternoon and A was so great, even while Kathy (who was kind enough to treat) and I enjoyed our Latte Mochacinno's and shared a Lemon Cheesecake (topped with gold flakes). We passed on the house specialty of cappucino with gold flakes...it was 50 AED...and all I had was 35 AED (we truly are running low on dirhams) which I insisted Kathy take.

We also were able to check out future development plans for Abu Dhabi. We saw the plans for Yas Island, where they are developing an entire community for the Formula One Grand Prix race (the racetrack runs through the development). They will need to have this completed by November 15, 2009, as that's when they are booked to host the race!! Go to www.yasisland.ae/ for a peak. We also checked out Saadiyat Island http://www.saadiyat.ae/, which they are heralding as the cultural district of the UAE. Frank Gehry (the famous architect) is responsible for designing the Museum of Modern Art on this island (our very own Guggenheim) and it is an amazingly environmental design. I particularly enjoyed the building which looked like the Starship Enterprise, which I discovered to be some kind of pedestrian walkway. I think Micheal and Janet Jackson might want to film another music video here together in the near future (when all of the island development is complete).

I did take some pics, but as I cannot post them yet, please use the links I've posted (if you are interested). You can go to http://www.emiratespalace.com/ to have a look at the Palace, and all of the wondrous things that are there. We spent about 2 hours walking about, but I think there are still hours worth of touring to be done there. Maybe GM will be able to arrange a tour for me next month (after the show of course)...when I have more time!

And just to show that I am still connected with the goings on in the rest of the world:

1. I would like to send out a loving 'G'day Mate' to all of my family who are currently down under. I hope you had a relaxing flight and are not experiencing any jet-lag. Enjoy some vegemite and listen to some Men at Work for me.

2. Go-bama: To all of my American friends who have the power to vote: PLEASE...the rest of the world is BEGGING you: Vote for 'that one', Barack Obama. It's definitely time for change...and if you need a little laugh (and your internet connection is faster than mine) check out this PSA - http://mccainfreewhitehouse.org/

CATS...

Last night we discovered that instead of being moved to a 'Club Room' we have been bumped up to 'Club Status'. This means: free internet to our room, free breakfast downstairs and access to the Club Lounge (where I plan to spend a lot of time with A). I feel I should maximize this time, as I'm almost positive somebody in the hotel is going to eventually claim that we were NOT upgraded to Club Status, and therefore must incur all these additional expenses out of pocket....

So, this morning we all got up early (A earlier than everyone else just b/c she's a morning person) and headed down to the breakfast buffet. Note to self: 6:00 a.m. is too early for breakfast for me. This put A and I ahead of schedule for our Corniche walk, but the weather just seems to get more and more lovely in the mornings...there was a refreshingly cool breeze coming in from the North, so that's the direction we headed. And that's where we ran into the 'Cat-Lady'. She was sitting in the grass, along the tall flowers, feeding the stray cats. Apparently she comes from far away and brings food for them, as she feels very sorry for them. These cats she had rescued from an umbrella further down. She said they were scrawny and covered with ants. She cleaned up the cats and started feeding them and feels good in her heart, as the cats have grown. She tells me they wait for her every morning, and she brings them food and water.

On the mornings she cannot come, she leaves extra biscuits for them in the tall grass, and they munch on those.

She has a sister in Toronto who runs a beauty salon. She told me that Canada is a good country, as in the two months she visited with her sister, she did not see a single stray cat. I didn't have to heart to tell her that for all the strays she sees wandering around here, in Canada we 'humanely' euthanize the same number (probably on a daily basis). I know that AD has a spay and neuter system, where they try and fix all of the strays, and then leave them to fend for themselves...a notched ear on a cat, is a sign the cat has been fixed, and is free to walk to streets. I think this is a step in the right direction....but there has got to be more we can do...I just am not sure what it is.

On a lighter note, the two-teethed one is eating again. It seems that every meal, she also has to be given her own bowl and spoon, filled with puff wheat and milk (okay...not filled..just a wee bit to make her THINK it is filled) which she either will feed to me, or herself. This is very tricky to do, b/c she also wants to HOLD the bowl and spoon herself (might I add that we have no high chair here, and A eats on her First Years Travelseat...what a WONDERFUL baby gift we received) strapped to the plush chair that the hotel has set up for our desk (which I have considerately covered with plastic bags). Plus I have also decided to feed her sans clothes...it's just easier that way. I'll admit, it's a bit of a challenge...but I am up for it (and many more challenges of that ilk...this is why I'm a HOUSEWIFE by profession...which is apparently what my AD passport will say).

City Times

In our newspaper here (The Khaleej Times) we get an insert called "City Times" which is an entertainment section. Usually there are updates about all the big celebrities (East and West). I know more now than I EVER wanted to know about Bollywood. Amitabh and Aishwarya are my new best friends (yes...we are on a first name basis).

Imagine my surprise yesterday when I opened the City Times and found a picture from EDMONTON, AB, CANADA!! There were these two men, without shirts, with pumpkins on their heads. There is no Halloween celebration over here, and so I perked up, because this was the first time I had seen anything Halloween-related. Apparently they were Edmonton Eskimo fans, and they were dressed up for a game against some other football team (was it BC??) that must've taken place there on Saturday. Perhaps they were the guys who live in that Eskimo's fan house around the corner from our old house??

Seriously though, how crazy is it that photo made it into the City Times in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and ended up on my coffee table here? I wish I had a scanner, so that I could post the picture here for you.

The second coming...

Congratulations to our little A on the erruption of her second tooth! It finally made it out of her gums! Now she has her two middle bottom teeth!! To think...we've been saying 'she's teething' since January, and all we have is two teeth (one and a 1/4 really) to show for it! Now, if I could only get a picture of the second tooth...

Coincidentally, the teeth that A has grown are the same teeth that my nephew has just lost (see picture).

Spent the whole afternoon at Marina Mall, where I forced P to walk me around the WHOLE mall. I have actually seen the skating rink and the ski hill (neither of which of ready for business as yet) and am impressed by the hugeness of the mall, and its many varied retailers! This mall also has a taxi stop, so it was easy for us to get a taxi back from there.

So long Rahim!

I heard some news that was very welcome to me this morning. It appears that FINALLY, Linda Duncan has removed Rahim Jaffer as the MP for our area in Edmonton. It's about time!! Colin, Caroline and Ellie: the old neighbourhood has just become a better place...congratulations to you all!

Saw a little bit of the McCain vs. Obama (or GO-bama...as I like to call him...because I want him to GO all the way to the White House) debate. There is something very strange about McCain's eyes...very dark and beady...has he already admitted to a little help of the Nip/Tuck variety?

Today's adventure: Marks and Spencers. We had a great deal of trouble getting a taxi (both there and back). Apparently the taxi drivers here are not very hard up for work and are very selective about their clientele...I guess they see a lady with a baby and figure "she can't be more than 4 Dhs away from home...not worth it" as they pass me by. That being said, A is very cute trying to flag down taxi drivers with her little wave. We also managed to make another new friend, Adele, who stood with me to help me get on my way. Being here since July, Adele is an AD pro.

The Marks and Spencers was a bit of a let-down. I remember it being a whole lot bigger...with a foods section. This was pretty small and only had clothes. We were actually searching for a 'tiny tots' group...but, it just wasn't meant to be. Instead, we checked out "The Playground", an activity centre for moms and little ones (45 Dhs...approximately $10 for admission). I also checked out an "Aldo" store (a lot of Canadian stores over here: Bata, La Senza...I'm really crossing my fingers for a Real Canadian Superstore somewhere here). I need to hold back on the spending though, as we are running out of Dhs (Dirhams) currency, and P is still waiting to get paid (there are a few steps...you can't get paid without a bank account...you cannot get a bank account with being a resident...you can't be a resident without a residency visa....and you get the drift). It seems we'll be heading to the bank on Saturday (Friday being a religious holiday and banks are closed) to set up our account (making us one more step closer to Villa-ville!).

Did the usual walk along the Corniche this morning. The humidity was incredible! We woke up to moisture on our windows, and what looked like fog all over. If I didn't know better, I could've sworn rain was in the forecast. We left for our walk at the usual time (around 7) and by the time we got back to the hotel at 8, the sun was just beginning to burn off the clouds. That was very strange. In all my time in AD (two weeks is it?) I've never experienced anything like it.

Finished reading the book "Sickened" during A's morning nap, and really, that's how I felt. Munchausen's by proxy is a disgusting illness. I've got to go to the author's website for a personal update on her life.

Pictures (at last!)

This morning, as we were walking along the Corniche at 6:45 a.m., I thought of my friend Jaylene (yes you!), and how living here would be perfect for her and Lady (her dog). Jaylene wakes up every morning around 5 a.m. (in Edmonton) to take Lady out for a l-o-n-g walk. Even in the winter!! Living here would be perfect for them, because the weather at that time is beautiful. As we walked so early, we were embraced by the warmth and humidity...I could feel the moisture droplets beading on my skin (about an hour later...they were sweat droplets...not quite so lovely).
A has been teething...but she has been a little trooper. Last night we used the famous 'Simpson' cocktail (Advil, Hylands teething tablets and baby Orajel, topped off with some of momma's homemade milk) because she was in so much agony from the teeth! She wasn't crying...just cranky, not sleeping and pushing her face into her blanket (I think to apply some pressure to her gums). She hasn't really ever taken to any of the teething toys we bought for her...but I noticed the other day, she found the USB key to be quite soothing. The crankiness also manifested itself, as A threw a remote control in my face (yes...it hurt a lot) on Monday night. I had some swelling, but today I only notice the pain when I wash my face. I guess she wanted to share her pain with me...I feel it baby!
We were very adventurous at the Co-operative shopping market last night...I bought peanuts (testing them against the famous Soreya foods recipe) and cashews. The peanuts were lacking...too fresh!! The cashews, however were terrific!
Seems I have a new title here: the girl (tee-hee) from Edmonton. I ran into this gentleman in the hall this morning. I met his wife (Deborah from Cochrane) at the pool the other day (as A was admiring her floral swimsuit). He is here teaching a course (I believe I mentioned them in a previous blog). But he stopped me and said "Excuse me...but aren't you that girl from Edmonton that I met at the pool the other day?". Apparently Deborah has been hoping to run into me again!! Yeah!! My first friend (who will be heading back to Alberta in the next few days!!).
Frustrating morning. Tried to get some pics off my memory card...after waiting 20 minutes for them to download, I gave up. I tried to e-mail them to myself (which I also gave up on after watching g-mail 'still working' 10 minutes later). Surprise! Surprise!! When I opened my inbox three of the pictures are here!! They aren't much...but it's a start!
No big plans for today. We were invited to Abu Dhabi mom's group yesterday by Laura (who..technically might be my first friend...sorry Deborah from Cochrane). But, like my own mom's group meetings, we missed it because...wait for it...A was napping. She has also invited me today to the Hiltonia (some ritzy hotel??) for baby swim classes, but they are at 11..and A is sleeping. Basically, until A's nap pattern changes, we will basically miss out on any event that happens between 9:30 am and 12 noon. We do seem to manage to get out to the pool every afternoon around 2. A loves the water, and more so, she loves the people watching.
I am also finding it more and more challenging to get A to eat. I can't wait for my own table and her high chair (apparently the shipping container has been further delayed til October 19...or so they say). I have to give her so many extra things to keep her occupied, while I shovel food in her mouth. I bought these great bowls in Canada, with suctions cups at the bottom. When we get into our own place, I plan to put her in a chair, give her a spoon and just WALK AWAY...I think she'll enjoy the eating experience so much more that way!
This evening P has a business dinner. It will be his first...let's see how they go here (without the drinking late into the night...perhaps he'll be home early??).
I'm still optimistic that we'll be moving into the villa this weekend (but...tomorrow is our Friday...and...well...let's just stay positive). P has been saying 'a couple of weeks' since we arrived (a couple of weeks ago), and there doesn't seem to be any way of getting clarification, or speeding up this process.
In the meantime, I am missing my little Phinnaeus terribly!!
Enough from me...I'm going to post a few pics now (I will go back and pepper them through the blogs where they are relevant) and then head off to read "Sickened" (loaned to me by my SIL..totally forgot I had it until she e-mailed me and asked how I was enjoying the book!). So far so good C!!

p.s. Here I am 30 minutes later (that's seriously how long the pictures took). I don't think I will be posting anymore pictures until we have our own high-speed internet (please God..don't let this be high speed internet!) in our villa>

Giving Thanks

What I am Thankful for...
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to all of our friends and family back in Canada! We had dinner last night with 400 or so other Canadians, at the Sheraton on the Corniche. It was an all Canadian gathering, complete with the national anthems (in English and francais), Canadian music (Michael Buble and Shania) topped off with pumpkin pie cheesecake (they tried) and a very yummy carrot cake. A was a darling, and allowed all of us to enjoy our meals. As long as she was allowed to eat 'finger food' (basically, anything on my plate was fair game), she was content. Thankfully, they intercepted the smoking population very early into the evening, and made a 'no smoking' announcement at the start of dinner...this helped us all to breathe a lot easier (literally). Coming from a non-smoking city, as soon as someone lights up around here, I find that we are all very sensitive to it. Fortunately, Abu Dhabi is going to be instituting a smoking ban in the very near future (expected to be in place by the end of October).
We have just passed another weekend in AD. We went to Marina Mall (again) and yet I managed to not view the indoor ski hill (again). I did however buy some clothes (a white top made with moisture wicking fabric...tested it out twice on the Corniche...works pretty good) and some light and breathable capri pants. They were having a 'part sale' at the Sun Sand and Sport store. Nobody we know is really sure what a 'part' sale is...all I figure is the clothes are only 'partly' on sale...not all the way...P seems reasonably content with this explanation.
A and I spent an hour this afternoon in the pool. We managed to make some friends (although they will all be temporary). Deborah and her husband are from Cochrane, AB (leave it to me to seek out another Albertan!). Her husband is teaching a course here for a few days, and surprised her with a ticket to join him. Apparently he comes out several times a year. Rachel's husband John is a pilot for Etihad. Apparently our hotel is a temporary home to many pilots from Etihad. Rachel has been out here for 3 months, but it looks like Friday will be there last day, as they have finally gotten through all the hoops required to secure their flat. She is leaving behind a lovely home in the U.K., but like myself, is withholding all judgements on AD for at least 6 months (after she has her own place).
It felt really nice to spend some time talking to other adults. I have been finding the charms of living in a hotel are waning. I am really looking forward to moving into our villa and having some space (like, at least another room) so that poor P doesn't have to tiptoe around in the mornings, so as not to wake us up (which, sadly, due to my light-sleeping nature, he does anyway).
Anyways, on to the things I am thankful for (and I'm sure I'll miss a few). I am thankful that my parents called me this morning. Despite the fact that I was half-asleep, and that the two phones in the room did not work and I had to run to the third phone in the bathroom to get it, I was very glad to hear their voices. I miss them a lot! I wish they would call me more (even though there isn't really all that much to talk about). I am thankful that they are taking such good care of Phinn. I miss Phinn a great deal. I miss his little nails scratching my hand and demanding a belly-rub, his snuffles at night, and I miss hearing A say 'mmmm-ahhhh' as she gives him a kiss. I can't wait till she can do that again. I am thankful that A is such a wonderful and sweet little baby. I am glad that she is healthy and strong, and that really, she doesn't give me a lot of grief. It is so amazing to see her walking around all over the place, and mimicking all of these new actions (last night she was practising how to hail a taxi cab in AD..neither her nor I had much success). I can tell that she is going to grow up too fast for my liking. Also, she is really helping me to make new friends...her cuteness is a real ice-breaker! I am thankful that her newest tooth (bottom centre left) has finally almost errupted out of the gum-line, without giving her too much pain. I am thankful to P...for many things, but mostly for being a good friend to me. He has brought me to a new life, half a world away from my old one...would I ever have considered this without him? He encourages me to always do what I want to do, when I want to do it. He always has so much confidence in me, in my abilities to handle myself in new and different experiences. I am thankful for all of my old friends, for all the e-mails...you make me feel not so far away. And finally, I'm thankful for everything new...the places, the people, the experiences, that are coming into my life now.