One more day....
More of the same on Wednesday - had to finish studying. I managed to get caught up and a bit ahead in one course. So, I shouldn't have to worry about it while I am in NYC. I have readings to take with me for the second course, but the tasks can be done once I get to Oregon, if I focus! My first assignments are due the first week back at work, so that should be interesting....
Anyway, I went to the pool in the afternoon, but they were cleaning it. So, I took a nap laying in the sun while trying to finish up my book, _Collapse_. I realized for the first time, though, that I am brown. Imagine what I would look like if I lived here!
In the evening, Allan was still not feeling well with a very sore throat, so we stayed local and went to a Chinese restaurant, called Spring Bamboo. It was actually quite nice and it was good to see Chinese people eating there as well since that is usually a good sign. Afterwards, we had Coldstone Creamery ice cream at Lamcy Plaza, which was very hard to finish and then came home to relax.
Tomorrow is my last day. I may not write until I get back to Oregon, but if I have a chance while in NYC, I will try to post a bit then. Nothing planned for the day, tomorrow, packing and sunning. My flight is at night, so at least I have the day to relax and make one last meal at Allan's. :D
Until next time,
-T
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Dubai Day 20
Only two more days left.... :(
Unfortunately, Tuesday was all about getting studying done. I plowed through another module (unit) in my "Discourse in Professional and Organizational Contexts" course. It's not my favorite I have to admit, but it has interesting bits here and there. I started a module that I should have finished last week for my "Concepts in Managing Language Programs" course, which is much more interesting for me, but I only got half way through the module, so it will require another day of studying.
I did stop early afternoon to do some cooking since we were having guests over for dinner. Michael (pronounced Me-hal) and his wife, Maride (Marith) from Ireland came for dinner in the evening. Michael and Allan work together and Maride works at a high school in Dubai. They have been here for about 9 years, so there must be something nice about it here. ;D Anyway, we had a nice time.
Before that, I made it down to the pool as I needed a break from everything for a bit. Somehow the pool was only about half level full, so not sure what is going on. Maybe they are cleaning it for Ramadan?? Will have to see if it stays that way tomorrow.
Until next time,
-T
Unfortunately, Tuesday was all about getting studying done. I plowed through another module (unit) in my "Discourse in Professional and Organizational Contexts" course. It's not my favorite I have to admit, but it has interesting bits here and there. I started a module that I should have finished last week for my "Concepts in Managing Language Programs" course, which is much more interesting for me, but I only got half way through the module, so it will require another day of studying.
I did stop early afternoon to do some cooking since we were having guests over for dinner. Michael (pronounced Me-hal) and his wife, Maride (Marith) from Ireland came for dinner in the evening. Michael and Allan work together and Maride works at a high school in Dubai. They have been here for about 9 years, so there must be something nice about it here. ;D Anyway, we had a nice time.
Before that, I made it down to the pool as I needed a break from everything for a bit. Somehow the pool was only about half level full, so not sure what is going on. Maybe they are cleaning it for Ramadan?? Will have to see if it stays that way tomorrow.
Until next time,
-T
Monday, September 1, 2008
Dubai Day 19
My days will be very quiet for the next few left in Dubai.
For Monday (Day 19), I ended up getting up fairly early since we did go to bed around 9:30pm. Allan has caught a cold or something, so hasn't been so energetic the past couple of days. So, on Sunday night, we relaxed, watched soccer and went to bed early!
Thus, I woke up early on Monday and was determined to get some work done as I'm a little bit behind on things. I managed to get work-work done, but still have one syllabus to put together, which will have to wait until I get back to Japan.
Then, it was on to studying. For some reason I cannot get into this discourse course I am taking...so, I spent most of the morning trying to plow through that with very little success. I finished a few tasks in the assignments, but was distracted by laundry and finally gave up around 10am and went to the City Centre to get groceries.
So, at City Centre I intended to just get the groceries and go home, but instead shopped for sunglasses since I recently determined that mine are all scratched and lacking in some style, though still good. So, I searched. I had searched before, but as I have a very flat face and high cheekbones, it is often difficult for me to find a pair of glasses that fit just right on my face. In other stores, I found that Armani and D&G glasses fit me relatively well with still some style to them. Though, the style I most like will NOT fit my face no matter how many pairs I try on.
I walked into a store. Tried a few on. The salesman was unusually less stalking or watching than other stores, so I felt comfortable to keep trying on different styles. He knew what would fit my face and gave me a few others to try on. I found a pair that worked. I held on to them as I tried on more. I kept going back to the pair in my hand to confirm I liked them and they fit. After looking at basically everything, I bought the pair in my hand. They are Giorgio Armani and they cost a pretty penny - never spent so much on a pair of sunglasses before, but I'm living on the edge. They aren't gaudy, but still somewhat stylish, I think. Maybe you'll get a photo of them on later!
After that, I tried to go to Starbucks to buy coffee beans. Forgetting that Ramadan had started, I found it eerie that all the food stalls including Starbucks were closed!!! So, I bought groceries and headed home.
In the evening, we went out to Thai food at the nearby Lemongrass restaurant near Lamcy Plaza. It was really good Thai food and since the sun had gone done, the Ramadan fast was broken for the day and people were out and about eating. We stopped in Lamcy Plaza again to look for some medicine and gifts before heading home. It was another early night for us, but I suppose it will make getting back to work easier!
Until next time,
-T
For Monday (Day 19), I ended up getting up fairly early since we did go to bed around 9:30pm. Allan has caught a cold or something, so hasn't been so energetic the past couple of days. So, on Sunday night, we relaxed, watched soccer and went to bed early!
Thus, I woke up early on Monday and was determined to get some work done as I'm a little bit behind on things. I managed to get work-work done, but still have one syllabus to put together, which will have to wait until I get back to Japan.
Then, it was on to studying. For some reason I cannot get into this discourse course I am taking...so, I spent most of the morning trying to plow through that with very little success. I finished a few tasks in the assignments, but was distracted by laundry and finally gave up around 10am and went to the City Centre to get groceries.
So, at City Centre I intended to just get the groceries and go home, but instead shopped for sunglasses since I recently determined that mine are all scratched and lacking in some style, though still good. So, I searched. I had searched before, but as I have a very flat face and high cheekbones, it is often difficult for me to find a pair of glasses that fit just right on my face. In other stores, I found that Armani and D&G glasses fit me relatively well with still some style to them. Though, the style I most like will NOT fit my face no matter how many pairs I try on.
I walked into a store. Tried a few on. The salesman was unusually less stalking or watching than other stores, so I felt comfortable to keep trying on different styles. He knew what would fit my face and gave me a few others to try on. I found a pair that worked. I held on to them as I tried on more. I kept going back to the pair in my hand to confirm I liked them and they fit. After looking at basically everything, I bought the pair in my hand. They are Giorgio Armani and they cost a pretty penny - never spent so much on a pair of sunglasses before, but I'm living on the edge. They aren't gaudy, but still somewhat stylish, I think. Maybe you'll get a photo of them on later!
After that, I tried to go to Starbucks to buy coffee beans. Forgetting that Ramadan had started, I found it eerie that all the food stalls including Starbucks were closed!!! So, I bought groceries and headed home.
In the evening, we went out to Thai food at the nearby Lemongrass restaurant near Lamcy Plaza. It was really good Thai food and since the sun had gone done, the Ramadan fast was broken for the day and people were out and about eating. We stopped in Lamcy Plaza again to look for some medicine and gifts before heading home. It was another early night for us, but I suppose it will make getting back to work easier!
Until next time,
-T
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Dubai Day 18
Ah, the time is flying.
Yesterday was my Ski Dubai day. It is an amazing experience to ski/snowboard in the middle of the desert. I almost forgot that it was actually hot outside. The Ski Dubai slope is located in the Mall of the Emirates, which is a 40 dirham taxi ride from Allan's apartment. (Can we say incentive to rent/buy a car??).
To ensure that I had the freedom to ski as long as I want, I bought a day pass and then signed up for Discovery snowboarding lessons (pre-beginner). With the day pass I was able to switch to snowboarding after a few hours of skiing. Now, the two-hour pass is 180AED. If you are a pretty good skiier, this is more than enough time. I skied for about 2.5 hours and made close to 30 - 40 runs. They claim to have 5 runs, but from what I could tell there were about three and short still, though challenging and long enough to work on form or race down the slope. Since I haven't skied in a year or so, it was really nice to be back on the snow again and I like just practicing form and style more than racing down, so it was worth it to pay for the day pass at 300AED (or $30US more).
After about 90 minutes, I took a 45-minute lunch break at the Avanlanche Cafe where they serve a mean hot chocolate, though I skipped the whip cream, M&Ms and marshmallow topping.
It was time to switch to the snowboard after that. So, I did a couple of runs on the shorter slope, but got tired since my last ski run had me biting it hard and my leg got sore.... Once I finished the second run on the board, I took a wee break and then went to meet up for the lesson. The lesson was 160AED for an hour. There were 4 others in my group and we did basic moves to get down the training slope. It wasn't so hard for me since I had boarded before, but it was good to remind myself of the basic skills required. If I were here a bit longer, I would go regularly and take the different lessons and I think I could actually board down the main slope after a couple more lessons. Still, it is hard, but I didn't fall hard on the board, which is amazing!
I could have gone again to keep boarding, but by then I had been on the slope for 4 hours and my ankles were sore from the boots, so I called it a day. Financially, it probably would have been cheaper to just have done the 2-hour pass and lesson, but hey now I know and I did have the freedom to go back if I had been up for it. I am getting old as I felt very sore and unable to move much once I got home. Then, I was out for the count before 10pm!
Yesterday was my Ski Dubai day. It is an amazing experience to ski/snowboard in the middle of the desert. I almost forgot that it was actually hot outside. The Ski Dubai slope is located in the Mall of the Emirates, which is a 40 dirham taxi ride from Allan's apartment. (Can we say incentive to rent/buy a car??).
To ensure that I had the freedom to ski as long as I want, I bought a day pass and then signed up for Discovery snowboarding lessons (pre-beginner). With the day pass I was able to switch to snowboarding after a few hours of skiing. Now, the two-hour pass is 180AED. If you are a pretty good skiier, this is more than enough time. I skied for about 2.5 hours and made close to 30 - 40 runs. They claim to have 5 runs, but from what I could tell there were about three and short still, though challenging and long enough to work on form or race down the slope. Since I haven't skied in a year or so, it was really nice to be back on the snow again and I like just practicing form and style more than racing down, so it was worth it to pay for the day pass at 300AED (or $30US more).
It was time to switch to the snowboard after that. So, I did a couple of runs on the shorter slope, but got tired since my last ski run had me biting it hard and my leg got sore.... Once I finished the second run on the board, I took a wee break and then went to meet up for the lesson. The lesson was 160AED for an hour. There were 4 others in my group and we did basic moves to get down the training slope. It wasn't so hard for me since I had boarded before, but it was good to remind myself of the basic skills required. If I were here a bit longer, I would go regularly and take the different lessons and I think I could actually board down the main slope after a couple more lessons. Still, it is hard, but I didn't fall hard on the board, which is amazing!
I could have gone again to keep boarding, but by then I had been on the slope for 4 hours and my ankles were sore from the boots, so I called it a day. Financially, it probably would have been cheaper to just have done the 2-hour pass and lesson, but hey now I know and I did have the freedom to go back if I had been up for it. I am getting old as I felt very sore and unable to move much once I got home. Then, I was out for the count before 10pm!
If I were to live here, I would be a regular on the slopes, though. For a couple of hours a day, I'd pay it! Rumor is that they are making an outside slope for the winter months. Should be interesting to see the ocean and desert while skiing!
Until next time,
-T
Until next time,
-T
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