How’s the weather from where you are? Here in Dubai, as far as the midday sun is concerned, ‘winter’ is already over. But on early mornings and evenings, it is still cool – or cold, depending on the years you have lived here.

~ Dubai winter sky in my side view mirror ~

So when I mentioned on Twitter that I was feeling really cold, our room temperature being at 20C (68F), I got some reactions:

“You’re kidding! Dubai is NEVER cold.”

“At 20C, I will sleep naked!”

“Maybe cool but not cold, that would be the perfect room temp!”

Ah, yeah, these all came from cold bloodied people from the north of Northern Hemisphere.

Truth is, it DOES get cold in Dubai, those days when we wear fleece jackets and don’t want to come out of our duvets in the morning. DUVETS. In the desert. What an abomination, right? But really, no one has the right definition of what is cold and hot. It all goes down to acclimatization and all in perspective. Saying it doesn’t get cold in Dubai is like saying it doesn’t get hot in Canada but I know Toronto can reach as far as 35C in the summer!

It does get cold in Dubai in the months of December to February. It’s the time we shy away from the glorious beaches because the water is cold. It’s the time we take out our ‘winter’ jackets despite the mocking looks of red neck tourists coming from snowy places!.

We tell our friends coming to bring warm clothes and light jackets and of course they don’t…then regret it later and spend their travel pocket money buying one here. True story!

My family and I, as family tradition, spend every new year’s eve at home. We don’t go out to party, to a concert or spend it in another house. We believe that we all have to stick together in our own home as the new year rolls in as it signifies unity.

Also? we wear something with polka dots. The reason behind this? The dots are circle in shape same with coins so it is believed to bring in prosperity (wealth). Yeah right…as I grew older, I started to think, it would be better to wear something with rectangles, the shape of money bills, not coins! Anyway, I still follow the tradition up to now and my daughter happily obliges.

>> The polka dots thing is just one of the many funny, superstition laden New Year traditions from all over the world.

While we were in the comfort of our home with home made dishes waiting in the dinner table and eyes watching TV for the new year countdown, so many of the people were outside in the cold, some waiting silly for hours just to watch a 5 minute firework show at the world’s tallest building:

There were two other big fireworks show going on at the same time – one at Burj Al Arab and another at Atlantis The Palm.

I wish they would just join forces and make ONE firework display like in Sydney or New York.

The firework shows all look so beautiful but the agonizing traffic afterwards? Never mind. I don’t want to spend the first day of the year stuck in the road tired, sleepy and hungry.

How was your new year’s celebration?

It’s not a rare scenario: parents judging other parents just because judging is too easy compared to understanding the whole story. It is easy to point fingers and say, “bad parents!”.

Lately there had been many times I have thought of those words.

Here in the UAE, we are shocked at the recent spate of high-rise building deaths – people falling down off balconies. Children. Building codes and safety regulations had been discussed. True – windows of high rise buildings should not even open but seriously? Aren’t we missing a bigger piece of the puzzle here? The root cause of the problem?

Parental negligence.

Parents who left their 4 year old and 1 1/2 year old sleeping in their 14th floor apartment – with balcony door open to go shopping late at night. The 4 year old woke up, walked to the balcony and fell to her death.

A mom who left her 3 year old son while she went down, again, leaving doors/windows open.

Parents placing chairs in the balcony for children to climb on to, resulting in their deaths…

In these cases, how can not one judge and say “bad parents!”?

Many children have fallen to their deaths because they were left alone by parents. When this kind of news first I wished hard that Dubai would open its eyes and divert its attention to these parents instead of talking about building codes. Finally, the parents of the girl who recently died are going to be charged.

Losing a child is unimaginable. I just hope that families living in high rise buildings will be more careful with small children. Before pointing out building design, codes and whatnots, learn about safety first. Isn’t that common sense?

Photo credit: Gulf News

Have you slept on a train? I have and I am sure plenty of other people have too. Who doesn’t love taking cat naps or even hour long naps on long train journeys?

I think of Japan whenever I hear the words, “sleeping on train” because they take sleeping in a whole new different level, especially on late Friday nights.

~ not dead, just probably really drunk ~

And then there are people who look really tired.

If you have a habit of sleeping on the train, a word of caution: don’t do it at the Dubai Metro. News has broken that sleeping on the Dubai metro could cost you a Dhs 300 fine!

I really wish this is a huge joke!

What has come to their minds in imposing such ridiculous law? The news article is vague, as always:

The general rule, however, states that a Dh300 fine will be slapped for “sleeping in the waiting areas, shelters or any place where it is prohibited”. Asked why people get fined for sleeping on the train, an RTA official gave a slightly different definition: “It is the rule … [no] sleeping in the waiting areas, shelters or any place in a public transport environment. Fine will be Dh300″.

I hope when the new day unfolds tomorrow, this news article is edited to add, “Sorry for the misinterpretation. Use the Metro, sleeping is allowed.”

What do you think of fining people who sleep on trains? (Stupid, I know…)

I was traveling by train a few days back with Pristine. She had a heavy back pack, was tired from an activity she attended and me, well, I am pregnant which immediately, automatically equals fatigued. We chose the ladies only car in the train though it was full because I was hopeful someone would give one seat at least for me – women would know the pains of pregnancy, right?

WRONG.

[Top Photo Credit]

Not one moved a muscle. Some pretended to sleep, others were busy chatting, talking on their phones or staring into space – just generally going about with their individual lives to mind a standing prego. I know I could have said something but was afraid to make a scene? Pristine and I moved to the ‘mixed gender’ car part of the train, immediately, two men stood up for us.

Even at 36 weeks heavy, I think I am a pretty self-sufficient prego. I still drive, do the groceries, WORK 6 days a week and do the usual stuff. But on a train after a long day? I expect people to be more sympathetic. I would like to sit down.

When we changed trains though, no one bothered – men, women, everyone cared for their butts more than my elephant feet. The train was full because it’s a weekend. I stood near a man who permanently looked away. I gave hints. Nothing. Ah, to these men who don’t give up their seats to pregnant ladies, may your balls be a hundred times heavier when you get off the train!

By the way, here’s the priority seat sign inside one of the trains in Japan.

Apparently in Japan, you have to give up your seat even to the brokenhearted*. LOL!

[Photo Credit]

* Kidding of course! The sign is for people having a pacemaker device installed in their heart.

If you are pregnant/elderly would you demand someone sitting in the priority seating section to give up their seat for you or would you just wait to be offered?

Four years ago, the nearby street where I work looked like this:

and the workers, toiled day and night, braving the fierce Dubai summer during the day.

It was dust, noise, a lot of detours and traffic this past four years. But now, it is done. (Below photo taken September 12, 2011)

The construction of the elevated train rails in 2007/2008 was a sight I thought would stay forever.

Two years since the opening of the first train system in Dubai (the Dubai Metro Red Line) in September 9, 2009, the Green Line was inaugurated last Friday and was open to the public last Saturday, 10th September 2011. Of course, I had to get on it! There’s a Metro station near where we live – maybe a 15 minute walk away. Not ‘near’? I see it as a good morning exercise but not now, I’ll walk when the weather cools down! Luckily, there are buses going the stations so I used that.

Salahuddin Station is where I get down. I love how they painted it red – literally! Look!

A unique chandelier.

And something corded off – it’s beautiful.

Commuters are delighted with the opening of this new train line. I am happy that my commute to work time is only 10 minutes and I don’t have to drive (with a seat belt around my pregnant belly!) or wiggle through traffic anymore!

As the train pulled away, I thought: People who will come to Dubai from now on are so lucky. They don’t have to struggle with traffic, lack of buses, the crap public transport (even taxis were scarce), they won’t have to fight for a seat in the bus like what we have gone through in 2007 when we arrived.

I’ve written about those public transport nightmares before and cried and asked myself “What the hell am I doing here?” Those were dark times, dark times.

Anyway – here’s a short video of the train before it goes to its first underground station – Salahuddin Station in Deira:

When we arrived and Dubai was just starting to construct what would be the city’s solution to horrible public transport and heavy, choking traffic, we vowed we will not leave Dubai until we get on those trains!

I am glad we’re still here to witness and experience another milestone.

Yesterday as we were heading out for dinner, we saw a cat lying outside our building door, conveniently positioning herself near the small gap between the floor and the glass door. What a smart kitty. In this  hot weather, she found respite from that small gap where cool air from inside of the building ‘leaks’.

A stray cat – not uncommon scene here in Dubai. In fact, we have picked up a few and homed one through social media in 2009.

But by the looks of this one, we knew this was not an ordinary stray cat bred on the streets. The body is round and healthy (fat if you may put it), fur is clean and most of all, it was obviously very used to people touching it.

The cat was new on the street. If our speculation is true, this cat has just been abandoned and thrown by its owner.

Of course Pristine immediately asked if we could keep the cat, forgetting the fact that we are all allergic to fur. And that cats have the smelliest poo in the animal kingdom!

Update:

(1) I looked for the cat again this morning but I couldn’t find it.

(2) When I came home at 5pm after work, I found the cat with dirtier fur and with a hint of exhaustion in its eyes!

I was in Deira City Center a couple of days ago to pick up a prize I won from a Twitter contest sponsored by Virgin Megastore. There I saw Modhesh – that yellow clad character in the photo.

Four years ago when we were new to Dubai, I could not answer my daughter when she asked, what exactly is Modhesh – with that face like one of the Smileys, those blue and yellow strips of…horns? antennas? on its head and the worm like body.

Well, Modhesh is nothing but a character like that of jack in the box…so the springy body(?) He’s the character symbolizing the Dubai Summer Surprises, an annual event featuring 40 days of family entertainment and great (I really mean GREAT) shopping deals.

Dubai Summer Surprises will start tomorrow, 22nd June 2011.

My sister who is very new to Dubai is excited at the huge “SALE” posters at the malls while here I am 5 Dubai Summer Surprises later, only had one thought in mind: the husband working until late nights on some of his shifts to cater to late night shoppers in the retail world he works.

By the way, I won a Zumba Fitness Total Body Transformation System DVD Set which made me squeal in delight. I love Zumba and I may never have to rely on sometimes grainy YouTube zumba videos from now on. Thank you so much, Virgin Megastore!!

There’s this unique house near where we live that resembles a Bakugan toy. In case you don’t know, Bakugan toys are round pieces of plastic that transform into something else. It comes originally from Japan. It looks like this:

Photo credit

Then it transforms into robot-like stuff like this:

Photo credit

So back to the unique house on the side of a main Dubai road.

I am intrigued how it would look like inside!

I thought Dubai’s fad for unique (sometimes weird) shaped buildings are only recent but this house doesn’t look new. I wonder if it transforms into something else when no one’s looking?

We were out in Dubai Creek today and I saw this:

What do you think it is?

It’s actually one of those traditional wooden boats called dhows that sunk in the water. I don’t know how or why but it was just there, 3/4 of its body submerged.