What it takes ...

.. is a little shopping to make the world a better place? HAHAHA

This photo is taken in one of the many malls of Bangkok. Yup I have actually not been there since the early 80s when I was a kid with my folks and during the past month, thanks to Fabrice and Yana, I actually dropped by and found the city to be as charming as my memories of the place ... lots of good shopping and eating too ...

And that's what one can expect here in Dubai ... this is the city wherein I actually started to go shopping ... aggressively ... I became a mallrat ... is that the right word? Going to Mall of Emirates twice to three times a week was the norm during my first month here ... subsequently this was interspersed with Ibn Batuta Mall, Madinat Jumeirah and of course, Bur Juman and Festival City ... of course going to Malls does not mean buying things. This Carlos and She Chen will easily attest to I am sure ... we had an in-joke where when salary comes we will go on an indulgence ... instigated by yours truly, natch!

And then when we are there, I somehow could not bring myself to splurge except on music and movies ... and they would bitch that they ended up buying more than me on each trip ... hehehe ... thanks guys for joining me though. I liked window shopping, looking at people and things ...

I promise I will learn how to splurge one of these days ...

Moving On ...

This is such a beautiful place in Dubai that I just have to stick it here ... even though I am now back home in KL, Malaysia ... I have just collected the keys to my new apartment (my first ever purchase) yesterday ... and I learnt all about the rights to get minor defects fixed! Thank goodness for helpful parents who have experience in such matters as I am generally non-confrontational ...

Anyway the title of this posting is moving on ... and that's precisely what I have decided upon ... something happened to me in 1998/ 1999 ... and no it is not the worldwide crumbling recession ... since then I have said no more regrets ... and recently over the past 12 months ... I guess I got swept up in the hysteria of making more $$$ ... I was surrounded by people who had clear objectives and needs and they are so driven ... so when I compare myself to them (never a wise thing to do), I realized that though I am capable of so much more, I have been an underachiever never going out to tax my mental capabilities or physical abilities much ... not that I have a terrible life, mind you

So I went overboard always looking for the next job that pays more and more and more ... forgetting my principle of no-regrets ... the truth is that we have one life to live ... and while working, we must ensure that we enjoy doing what we do ... then at the end of it all, it will have been a life worth living

Do I have regrets going to Dubai? No. It's not the job that I will remember 20 years from now ... although I may recall being employed there ... but what I will remember most are the people I met along the way ... the people who matters ... and here is a quick roll call (I may missed some ... please don't get mad!):

Carlos & Chung - my first friends from our days staying in Nuran - they are the people I call up to chat when something pisses me off at work - always important to have folks who are there for you when you move to a new place

Dang - a genuine brilliant chap who goes out of his way to share what he has with people

She Chen - she makes the phrase a small world really real. We come from the same neighbourhood, in the same state in the same country of the same age group and working for the same company in Dubai. How about that, eh? And best of all, she has a patient ear for all my unending tirades against the ills of the world. HAH!

Laur - who learnt a thing or two about what it means to be non-judgmental to the people around you. I am glad you are able to see and value my contribution to your working life however brief it may be

So although some unpleasant things happened, yet for all these relationships, I am so glad I was in Dubai ... ummm I may still be in Dubai or I may not ... but for the rest of my life, I am grateful for this brief interlude ... otherwise I will never have the opportunity to meet these wonderful people ... and my life will be a little less bright for that. I may move on to elsewhere but you guys and gals are always welcome in my life

(I decided not to rant my frustrations here after all ... hehehe!)

Stream of Consciousness

Too many serious blog posts ... this is something different ... typing anything that is on my mental plate now ... kind of like bloody psychologist shit ... know what I mean?

My parents are going to Singapore this weekend ... finally ... meet my dad's other relatives ... I am here in dynamic Dubai ... hear that you beautiful Bahrain people? Dubai = Dynamic ... Bahrain = Beautiful ... Manama = Magnificent ... Me = Pathetic ... thanks!

I am flying home 19th June via Sri Lankan airways ... Going to Bangkok for a couple of nights ... then back home with some friends for a couple of nights ... then parents n clearing of stuff for another couple of nights ... then back to Dubai again ... sigh! I LOVE to be on the move ... I need a break after my break ...

Sex & The City is in the cinemas ... Indy Jone 4 was on a few weeks ago ... more of the same ... good same though ... Why does Jet Li's voice sound so odd when he speaks English? ALmost like someone else ...

Reading a ton of comics ... Mile High shipment came through ... no novels for 2 weeks now ... rot my brains ... to all those I converted to comics ... sorry ... not really ... there are some amazing stuff out there ... try Moonshadow (about a kid whose mom was a 60s hippy and got impregnated by a globe of light ... I kid you not this is the true storyline) ... Books of Magic ... a serious take on Harry Potter ... came out in the early 90s ... first 75 issues were dead brilliant .. British kid with potential to be greatest magician on earth ... everyone after him ... Or Sandman ... about 7 ... I don't know what ... representing different aspects of reality ... Sandman, Destiny, Dream, Delirium, Desire, Despair, Destruction ... good stuff ...

I am NOT trying to be arty farty

Feeling guilty ... should be working on my own novel or artwork ... procrastination ... I am champ! Same shit with those old world diaries ... and every time I will buy a new book ... every time I said I will keep at it .... hahhahahaha ... 20 years .. not once successful!

Having another bout of gout attack ... never gonna be successful at weight loss ... damn! Go wikipedia ... check it out ... what gout is ... TB is contagious ... scary shit too ...

Depression coming ... hope it won't last more than a few minutes ... I need a COCA COLA ... no zero, no light ... just sugar bomb me! Yeah ... gotta go buy one now ... damn it ... I am so full ... glutton ... gluttony is a sin right?

This is all rubbish this post ... if you are reading this, it means I have wasted a chunk of your life ... something that is gone forever ... time ... sigh ... sorry ... I will end this post here ... now ... next one is better ... promise ...

Death

Why is the title DEATH? Because I wish to share this piece of really personal news with everyone who will eventually drop by and read ... some day ... and even if no one ... well that's fine.

Since I came to Dubai, I got to know a wonderful person who coincidentally works in the same company as I and is from the same country, state, home town and neighbourhood where I grew up ... Pulau Tikus, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia. If this isn't a small world, then I don't know what is. Anyway ... she went home for a well deserved vacation last month. A couple of weeks ago, she received the disturbing news that her grandma is not doing so well. So she rushed home to be with the grandma. Originally it was meant to be this past Monday but due to ticketing she left on Tuesday reaching home Wednesday. Today she sms me that grandma has passed away. I don't know the dear old lady ... but I still feel for my friend ... at least her grandma fought to the last bit waiting for her to be home before letting go ...

And this got me to thinking once again that life is so fleeting. We never know when it ends. Sometimes we are afraid to try things, to do what our heart yearns for ... instead we keep on delaying, procrastinating ... how many of us have read those chain emails about the friend who lost touch ... and when he has his best friend's phone number ... decided not to disturb ... waiting for another day ... and when he finally called ... he found out his friend had just passed away?

Well, that is true. Life is unexpected. We never know the number of years we all have. So to all of you out there, try to live your life ... to the max. Plan for the future, yes, but also live for the present. Remember lessons from the past but do not let the past scare you from acting in the present

HAVE AN APPETITE FOR THIS LIFE YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH

I know this sadness since last year ... when a friend I know since 2000 ... I lost touch with in 2004 ... late last year ... we contacted each other through friendster ... we chatted on line and exchange emails ... and we are planning to meet up end of last year or early this year ... only to my surprise ... after Christmas I received a note on my friendster ... that this friend had passed away! I thought the sender was nasty ... I replied that she shouldn't send such messages. She told me to verify with anyone else I may know. So I did. I sms a mutual friend who checked and to our surprise she passed away on Christmas day. She is in her early 40s, slim, energetic with a young daughter. It was a shock to all of us who knew her. I wish I could say I knew her well. The truth is I didn't. But for all that I know of her, I treasured her honesty and integrity best of all. And I value the friendship we shared, those precious moments

Although I am saddened that we never kept in touch more ... I am at least thankful for the past 3 months of contact ... I learnt a lot from this woman ... in her life and in her death ... and for that I am grateful

May God bless you always, Yap Lai Choo!

Bitchin' Safari

I have been bugged since I arrived here in Dubai about the need to experience a safari .. and the only safaris I know are basically those done in the jungles of Africa. Since everyone says it's an experience ... and my company was so kind to organize a freebie event ... well, how can I say no, right?

Aside from the fact that it is free, it is a social activity ... there is the bonus point of getting to know people ... and potential @$$ kissing opportunities ... hehehehe ....

Anyway .. it takes about an hour of cramming into these 4WD station wagon type vehicles before we reach the dessert proper ... then it was all about going up and down sand dunes ... funny incidents are when some of the cars got stuck ... everyone comes out to help each other ... funny for us to watch ... but you can appreciate the potentially life hazardous risk ... i.e. if no one around, you will die of hunger and thirst!!!! Ok I know I am being a bit melodramatic ...

So after the first few minutes had passed by ... it was pretty much the same throughout ... the next highlight was when we got the chance to do sand boarding ... hopping on and sliding down the slope ... the bitching part was when you had to march back up the slope ... because this ain't no ski resort with lifts ... after 30 mins of this in the 45 degree heat ... trust me ... you want the AC in your bloody car

We decided we had enough and told the driver to head to the final event ... now this was actually cool. They had camel riding on the outside ... and lots of traditional lamp on the walkway ... right up to this huge simple looking fort ... within there is a flat area for performances etc ... we can sit around there ... and on the perimeter are more sitting area but with tent-like structures ... tons of traditional food are being cooked right there and then ... with all the trappings of Arabian culture ... you can try on the dish-dash or abaya .... falcon ... henna painting ... sand sculpture ... seesha smoking ... and we ended the night with belly dancing!

So the end was great ... many people ask me if I want to go again ... ummmmm ... the safari? NO If straight to the tent ... YES Sorry I am not that outdoorsy type a chap ... oh and the photo accompanying this blog ... it's from Bahrain, not UAE ... more of my misleading stuff hahahaah

What is Good

Somebody sent ... well not sent but rather many somebody-s commented that I always complain n complain n complain ... what to do ah ... that is my nature mah ... but anyway ... they ask me if I have something positive to share with people who read my blog ... of course lah I have ... so here is a quick run-down of all the good bits n pieces about living in Dubai ...

Religious Freedom - first country I have been to where the government, during Easter, knowing the crowd, blocked off the roads to the church compound in Jebel Ali, have police re-direct people to a flattened ground for carpark, then provide free AC buses to shuttle churchgoers to the church of your choice ... not only that but the police are really nice and friendly and they helped old people up and down the buses!!! Like I said, this doesn't happen in all the other countries I lived in ... Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Korea, Japan, etc. Cheers to the government of Dubai ...

Malls - since 2003 I have been hiding out in Maldives, Cambodia, Maldives, Seychelles - and suddenly to be smacked into Dubai is like ... WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am not a shopaholic ... I don't even shop ... but since coming here ... what started out as a lark ... pretending to be a mallrat ... has actually become quite enjoyable ... only my wallet is bitching ... otherwise in my first month ... I was going to the mall every other day ... and always coming back with something small ... always!!! Now I have restricted myself ... one big purchase after payroll (last month was a Swatch) ... and the rest ... window shop ... hehehehehe!!!!

So that's 2 positives, 2 thumbs up ... for dynamic dubai ...

Banking in Dubai

If you are wondering what this image has got to do with the title, the answer is .... drum rolls please ..... drrrr .... drrrr ..... NOTHING! Yup absolutely nothing ... so there ... HAH!

I want to talk about the wonderful banks here in Middle East and their unmatchable service ... I mean it ... I am not slagging local banks but rather the wonderful international institutions ... Citibank ... Stan Chart ... and the world's local bank, HSBC ...

Did you know that in Bahrain, if you give them your TT form ... it can take up to 8 working days for the transfer to be effective? Once on a lark, though we had the HSBCNet services ... we decided to go on an evening to submit the TT form manually ... the counter bloke assured it will be done first thing tomorrow morning ... every day we log in to check ... after 5 working days ... the money vanished from our account ... thanks to HSBC, the world's local bank

Next, let's take Stan Chart in Dubai ... if you open an account with them and supply them with all the info, you can get your account number within one working day ... this is subject to the officer handling your case not going on vacation ... I kid you not ... the lady handling my case asked if I need it urgently as she was going on a week's leave!!! So no one covers each other ...

Anyway, after you get your account number ... note that it takes another 2 to 3 days for the account to be active ... because they didn't want to accept my cheques ... that's how I know ... And then sometime during the next 10 days, you are supposed to receive you pin number, atm card and cheque books ...

I received via courier ... PIN number and cheque books separately ... but no ATM card ... after a few days ... I called the branch ... twice ... before someone finally tracked it down and said the card is not with them ... nothing they can do ... they give you HQ number and asked you to call yourself ... I called a few times ... until finally someone again tracked it down and the answer was .. can you guess ... it was not with them ... nothing they could do ... they gave me DHL number ... and I was asked to call myself ... I think the banks must have a very strict budget issue on phone calls permissable ... so the tellers are probably saving their quota for personal calls only ... HAHAHAH ...

So I called and found that DHL decided not to deliver to me ... why I have no idea ... they wouldn't tell me ... and I have to go to the Mall where DHL counter nearest to my office is located to collect my ATM card!!!

When I was there ... the guy wanted my ID ... and my bank account number ... when I asked why the latter ... he sullenly gave me the envelope ...

Well talk about wonderful service! If you want to get annoyed, better not. Otherwise your blood pressure will shoot through the roof! Better to just shake your head and walk away ...

Coffee Money

I thought I had seen a lot of different scenarios where "coffee money" are being utilized since I have made my way around Asia from home of Malaysia through Thailand and Indonesia rounding out China, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Seychelles, Bahrain and a few other places thanks to my work of the past years ...... but Dubai has certainly something of its own ... just like a lot of its attractions ... here is probably one of the biggest downers ...



If you go to Google or Yahoo or any other search engine, just type words like corruption, bribery along with Dubai and driving and/ or license and you will see what I mean on other people's blogs ... and I kid you not ... they are real ... I don't have a licence yet ... in this country ... but I have driven here on tourist visa and driven in most of the other countries I have worked in ...



Why haven't I gotten a licence? Well because my Malaysian licence is not convertible unlike Singapore or some European country ... in some countries, we are required to do the theory part which is understandable ... but not Dubai ...



We have to sign up in driving schools (all of them are huge chains), pay a hefty chunk of fees ... and pray ... why? All the basic packages begin with a waiting time of anything up to 4 months before your lessons start ... lessons can take about 5 weeks to finish ... then you have a few exams ... and if you pass ... chances are they will ask you to do a few more lessons ... before the final road test ... and for that, no one can answer when you will get it ... waiting time can be up to 2 months ... so worse case scenario, if you pass everything at once, you should be able to get a licence after about 7 to 9 months in the country ...



Of course along the way there are many options wherein you can opt for express or vip or super-vip packages ... mind you ... these are legit ... cos you pay more you get to start lessons first ... you pay more you get tests first ... these the driving schools actually tell you ...



I asked colleagues and friends ... they said as the years go by it is getting harder and harder to pass ... because there is a quota ... and each time you fail the real cost can be about aed1000 ... so people who can afford it are "buying" the quota ... I have no idea how much ... like I said I am new ... and I rather not comment on something I cannot prove ... but you can guess where I am driving this towards .... hah!



Anyway just based on actual costs ... if u factor in the taxis you have to use to driving lessons, taxis to work, taxis on weekend ... a normal licence without any extras thrown in will set u back for easily AED5k to 9.5k ... that's like nearly USD3k ... I kid you not ... you go to all those driving schools on the web and email them about their rates and do the math ... shocking isn't it?



And with that quota system it is not helping to improve the skills of licenced drivers but to assist in ever rampant coffee money situation ... I heard that the inflation on this is astronomical ... up to as much as 50 to 100% year on year ... sigh ... the joys of living in Dubai



Or as the expats here love to say ... Welcome to Dubai!