the big 3-0

last week i was laughing at Fadi (not so nice of me) because he had caught a flu, in the middle of the desert, where temperatures are well over 35C these days...well it came back to bite me in the a**...i've been sick with the flu since...GREATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

i had a 2 day stint in an interior design company, a big one, to find out i was hired to do something else that they had promised me...so even though i haven't had a job in a longggggggggg time, i decided not to be fooled, and actually came to realise (more like voice out to myself and stop denying) that it's not what i want to spend the rest of my life doing, and i also realised (more or less) what i wanted to do...yes people, i am heading back to the blackboards and notebooks...
i will either finish my hotel management diploma (1 year left if they credit my 2 years i did back in the cavemen ages) or start a project management diploma...

yes i like bossing people around , i had a hard time admitting it...but now i'm going to learn how to do it well :)

i hope i will always stay in the design/architecture/construction world but not as a creative part of it...cross your fingers for me!

i'm glad i have my supportive man and family backing me up, because as my looming big 3-0 is coming (ya ya i only have a few days left of my twenties...) a change in career orientation is somewhat hard...i've been meaning to call my friend Steph for a pep talk :)

anyways...2010 is a big year... new country, new husband, new career...what else?

Can i rant?

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that is the best "word" to describe how i feel...

It all started 48 hours ago, when I was sitting at home waiting for our TV to be delivered, and waited, and waited and waited...until FINALLY! the phone rings and delivery man said: "we're lost we can't find your building"...aahh
Fast forward to 11h30pm, fadi and I both in deep sleeping mode, when loud a** techno starts...Stupid neighbours having a party, on monday night,right next to us...as if our bed was in the middle of their room...greattttttt...go get security in my pj and big sleepy hair... 3 times...everytime getting louder and louder...on purpose...the lady (to remain polite and not use the b word) has the balls to come ring our doorbell and act all mad:"we disturb you?" duhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!! "1 night in the whole year i make party for husband birthday, 1 day..." i absolutely don't care please turn off your damn music, stop your clapping, whistling, foot thumping, stiletto wearing, yelling...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lasted until 3am...let's just say fadi's 4h30am wake up call never happened (at least i got him for the whole day :)

But wait...the story doesn't end there.....
Yesterday we were waiting for our washing machine who was supposed to be delivered in the am...stayed at home until 1h30pm, called the delivery man 48 TIMES and no answer....they decide to call us at 3h30pm saying they would deliver the next day because they hadn't heard from us...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Guess that's the price to pay when you go to a different country expecting things to be done when they should be done, done the right way, done the kat way ...

I had an evil little revenge though this morning...woke up at 6h30 am, blasted "welcome to the jungle" G'n'R, followed by "Sabotage" Beastie Boys, followed by techno...just a little wake up call for my neighbours...

in search of words...

my best friend in the world just lost a very important family member...

no words could ever describe her pain or the pain we feel for her and her family...

we love you and are thinking about you, even if we are a million miles away...

From Abu Dhabi to Dubai...

what a hectic week it has been...

Apartment-check
Visa renewed- check
Abu Dhabi yacht show + gigayacht party-check
Berkeley visit-check
Moving-check
Furniture buying...nothing more than 3 spoons and forks...

first thing we did was drive (7 hours total) from Abu to Oman and we basically drove only 200km!!??!! their border system is so unorganised, we can do U-turns right in front of an agent! we can get exit-entry visas into Oman for the price of 6 omani rials (which = to 60 dirhams= to 17 $) but the catch is you have to pay to exit UAE and pay to get back in...

Oman is beautiful, mountains everywhere, and camels laying around ... feels a bit like Afghanistan, although no talibans there!

on the way back we got hit by a sandstorm followed by 2 rainstorms and it has completely destabilized the country...flooded highways, pools instead of parking lots, uprooted trees...this country never planned on having a regular rainstorm, it's as if we were hit by Katrina 2 when we barely had a little rain...

i'm starting to understand how this country functions...slowly!

ournew apartment has a kitchen (yes a luxury here not to share a kitchen with everyone else) and a very comfy blow up matress (hint hint). That's the only piece we own but not for long! Ikea trip is on the list for tonight!!! never been so excited to buy furniture!

Tomorrow we're going to Abu for the "wakestock" (ok people have to stop copying woodstock!!!!) a wakeboard event on the Corniche, with free concerts and waves and beach!!! (bet some of you are a little jealous :)

then we're hitting the old town Deira for some native feel (i.e. market ) i'll let you know about that...i'm sure i will talk about some smells, which here are mandatory..ranging from indian taxi driver armpit, to heavy incense, to Dubai water (we're in the process of buying a water dispenser, never going to cook with our tap water...eeew) to over-perfumed veiled ladies...
if only pictures captured smells you could understand what i'm saying ...