Hmm it’s been a long time between emails – Been sick through an extended cold/flu and trying to keep myself afloat with deadlines etc and trying to get home by 7pm to get some rest….anyway am a better now but still kind of stressed.

Summer sales are on right now, it’s a month long event where everything is on sale, from clothes, electronics, hotel rooms to cars. The weather is so hot it’s unbelievable – I couldn’t breathe because of the humidity a few nights ago and when I went swimming at 6pm, it was so hot I couldn’t breathe and had to stop mid length. The weather eased slightly at 7pm, but only just. The pool water was as warm as bath water and pretty uncomfortable so I think I’ll be doing a lot more night time swims. And we’ve just rolled into July, the supposed summer month. Nothing like waiting for a taxi during prayer hour (or world cup match kick off time) with no taxis wanting to stop, while the hot wind (40 C) hot dry roasts you. But yes I am thankful for being able to afford a taxi. Incidentally one day we got a taxi driver who is a member of the Taliban in Pakistan and who had a video on his mobile phone with a guy angrily spouting (he said) revolutionist rhetoric including “let’s off Musharaff” And then the same guy casually commented that he watched child soldiers being trained in the mountains with weapons from China and Russia. And let’s not get into their loony driving skills (or lack thereof) and their apparent allergy to deodorants.

Otherwise the World Cup fever is fully going on here, ranging from skyscrapers plastered with posters to convention centres with grandstand seating and bars packed with expats and cabin crew. Incidentally, home cable tv subscription for the World Cup channel is AED1500 (US$400). Apparently football mad expats and oil-rich arabs must have money to fling around…

On the way out one day, there was this wedding motorcade – well not sure what to call it but it was a bunch of cars with guys hanging out of the windows out the sunroof, sitting on the roof and going through the interchange at 80kph (??). Red flags, stickers of Sheikh Mohamed on the windows – in a parallel universe I could have envisioned these guys riding wildly on camels with rifles instead of in Lexuses.

Mm and the cars – check out the design of that hot car ass!…And yes I did get caught out once when the guy walked back to his lamborghini in the midst of my drool…very embarassing, so please appreciate the photos

Anyway it’s an interesting life here…still feeling the homesickness pangs but am trying to deal with it by keeping busy and planning stuff to do Hello Friday brunch! Thursday and Friday being the weekend here, I think once in a while I will pig out at some fancy hotel and stuff myself silly with seafood and all the chocolate dipped strawberries I can take. Other highlights I hope to do are diving trips (mm overnight boat trips), trip to wild wadi (flowrider!) & ski dubai (“affordable” 2-in-1 summer tickets), desert safari and *drum roll* a trip to London and Paris! Still in planning but should be sometime in September when the ticket prices go down. I’ve got a list of architectural stuff to see and some tips on what to do in London from Londoner native – but am still open to suggestions.

That’s it for now….
shi.