Mission Impossible 4, The Ghost Protocol

If you live in Dubai and you have a credit or debit card, I suggest that you go online now and purchase yourself a ticket for the Mission Impossible 4: The Ghost Protocol movie.

Today is the first day of showing and there was no seat left unoccupied. I heard that all seats have also been sold for the Friday and Saturday showings in the evening. Inhabitants of Dubai have been waiting for this film for quite sometime now. This is because a big and very exciting part of the film was shot
here, featuring the tallest building in the world --- Burj Khalifa.

The movie kept me at the edge of my seat from beginning to the end. I am very satisfied and feel like watching MI4 is 30 Dirhams well spent.

Mango Handbags and Shoes Sale

If you are a regular woman, then you should love handbags.

Good news! Mango Touch in Deira City Centre is on sale and all of their products are marked with a discounted price.

I don't know until when the sale will go on. Ladies have gone gaga when they saw the sale and the store was jam-packed so I didn't get the chance to ask the sales ladies.

For those who are not familiar with Deira City Centre, Mango Touch is close to one of the entrances of Carrefour.

Show You Care, Donate Some Hair

Photo from Read Magazine - October 30 - November 5 issue

I was reading some back issues of Read. magazine, the weekly magazine circulated for free at Dubai Metro stations, and an article entitled Hair for Hope caught my eye. Well, it was actually the picture on the front page that intrigued me at first, but the article was so inspiring, I thought I'd help spread the word.

To summarize, the piece is about sharing your hair to be made into wigs for cancer patients. It is a project started by Lola Lopez and is supported by a group called "Volunteer in Dubai" 

The hair you donate should be at least 20 cm long and you can contact these numbers to get your hair cut for free just mention that it is for the Hair for Hope project.

Ladies - Jet Set Altitude Salon (04 330 0886)

Men - 1847 in Emirates Towers (04 330 1847)

We have often heard of the hardships of people undergoing cancer treatment and chemotherapy but have we actually done anything about it? I'm sure cancer patients will appreciate our sympathy and words of encouragement however to empathize and do something to help would be more valued and might even give you that nice, tingly feeling of self satisfaction, knowing that you have helped somebody.

To read the Hair for Hope article from the Read. website, click here

To know more about the project, click here

Tips to Enjoy the Dubai Desert Safri

Going for a Desert Safari Tour is one best things that you can do in Dubai. Whether you are here for work, business or pleasure, the desert safari is a 'must experience' adventure.

See how much fun we had when we went last Friday (Nov 18, 2011)

other 4WD's behind us --- it's dune bashing time!!!

Sand, sand, and more sand!!!

colorful sand packed in bottles --- sold as souvenirs

Persian rugs for sale!

Not satisfied with dune bashing inside a car? Rent a quad bike for an hour

Chillax! Enjoy! Share a Hubble bubble with friends --  more commonly known as Shisha

Free sweets! Quite confused why it's served before dinner though...

The buffet consisted of veg and non veg food. Good for me I eat both :)

there is also free henna for women

The night's main attraction --- a half naked, belly dancing woman and...

an incredibly balanced man who twirled for hundreds of times without  losing his footing, dancing the Tanoura

Here are some tips for you guys who are planning to book a desert safari tour:

- Do not eat for an hour or 2 before the dune bashing. If you do, then don't forget to bring a plastic bag in case you lose your lunch. Remember... dune bashing is quite similar to a roller coaster ride.

- Wear comfortable clothes. The most recommended outfit are t-shirts, capris, and slippers. You might also need to bring jackets if you go during the months of Dec to Feb.

- Once you arrive at the camp, grab a table and leave some unimportant stuff on it so others won't think it's unoccupied.

- If you arrive early, don't stay inside the camp. Bask is the sun and play with the sand. This way, you wont miss the camels when they come out for picture taking

- Bring some chips or snacks. Food is usually part of the tour packages but they serve food really late.

- If you want to try the shisha, sit in the shisha area before it gets too crowded. You wouldn't want to share spit with everyone else, do you?

- The belly dancer might pull you up to the stage. Be a good sport and dance your heart out. Believe me, you will only get a 'boo' if you don't dance.

- Last tip. No trip will be fun if you don't set your mood to enjoy. Just relax, eat, and laugh.  Leave your criticisms at home and treat your desert safari tour as a new experience. If you do that then it is guaranteed that you'll have fun.

10 Days Sale at Carrefour

Carrefour --- It's the first word that comes in mind when I think about buying groceries. If you have been in Dubai or other UAE emirates then you would also be familiar with the brand.

One of their ads caught my eye last night, and even though I was scolded by my friend for pointing, I insisted that she should also take a look at what I was staring at. 

As expected, she was also captivated. You want to know why?

Because it said 5...10...20Dhs buys! Alas! The stinginess in us resurfaced and got excited with the prospect of buying Dubai t-shirts and China-made Ben Ten shoes for only 10 Dhs!

So for those of you who are trying to fill your balik-bayan jumbo boxes. This is it! Instead of sending home tons and tons of sugar (which I have done in my last package), with this sale, you can send milk and coffee for a change :)

The sale will only last for 10 days, so see you in Carrefour later!

Read. at the Metro

Everyday, you will find thousand of commuters in Dubai, scampering to get on board the Metro, especially during the hours of 6 to 9 in the morning. 

Don't be surprised if a colleague who took the train comes to the office in a foul mood and with eyebrows that  meet in the middle. This is because the morning commute by Metro is really challenging and  if you are not an expert dodger, you might get a body slam or two.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not complaining. The Dubai Metro has made commuting a lot more comfortable. You can ride the train for 75 km without any traffic, enjoy the air-conditioning and be relieved of Dubai's sometimes unbearable heat, plus save a lot of money in contrast to riding a taxi. I think we can all agree that morning rush is normal and it happens to almost all cities in the world. But sometimes it is easy to forget how great the metro is when your face is only a few centimeters away from somebody else's armpit. 

Thankfully, a company called Continental Media FZ LLC, came up with a FREE weekly magazine for all Metro commuters called Read. It contains very informative and interesting articles that entertain bored and agitated passengers and it alleviates the heavy atmosphere at train stations during rush hour.

So, the next time that you are inside a Metro station, move your head from left to right, not only for neck exercises but also to look for a Read. magazine. I personally recommend it and just for emphasis...my friends, It's FREE!

Celebrating Eid Al Adha

4 days of no-work last week! This is for the celebration of Eid al Adha or "Big Eid" as we, non-Muslims call it. (Small Eid is the earlier one - Eid al Fitr)

Government employees are more lucky they get 5 days -- the week end plus 3 days holiday, but the real fortunate ones are those who work in schools. They got 9 days straight of no work! Kind of makes one think twice before choosing a career :)

Since the weather isn't too hot anymore, the parks and open beaches were jam packed. Almost everyone is in celebratory mood except for those who work in sales and customer service. Sadly, no Eid holiday for them.

It's my second Eid al Adha celebration but I don't really know why Muslims celebrate it so I made a visit to my friend 'Wikipedia' and found out that this occasion is to commemorate the end of Hajj or the Pilgrimage to Mecca.

And why do Muslims go to Mecca?

According to Arabic history, Mecca is a dry, uninhabited place which is now known as Saudi Arabia. This is where Abraham left his concubine Hagar and his son Ishmael, according to the command of Allah... when their food ran out, she desperately ran up and down between 2 hills seven times to search for water but was unsuccessful so she cried to Allah for deliverance and miraculously a well of water appeared.

Mecca then became a center for trade because of its reliable source of water.

When Ishmael turned 13, Allah instructed Abraham to offer him as a sacrifice. Abraham obeyed even though he didn't want to but asked for Ishmael's consent before he went through with the sacrifice. Knowing that it was Allah's will, Ishmael agreed without hesitation and offered himself for the sacrifice. Thus, Muslims celebrate Eid al Adha to commemorate the ultimate act of sacrifice.

I do not wish to offend anyone, but I do not believe in this story. In the Bible, it is Isaac who was almost sacrifice and not Ishmael. So, I guess for me, there is nothing to celebrate during Eid al Adha except for the fact that we get additional days of no work and a lot more time for sleeping. :)