Archive for July, 2011

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People can surprise you

July 13, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Just moments after my last, rather frivolous, post, three terrorist bombs went off in Mumbai, India. Twitter lit up. First with announcements, then with well wishes, then with requests for assistance in contacting family and offers of shelter in neighboring areas. People were even openly posting their phone numbers saying “if you need shelter, call me.”

Thankfully, there are more good people in this world than there are creeps with explosives.

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Balls

July 13, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

cans of five different dough ball foods

My fine Indian friends, it is time to educate me. Aside from the colors, these appear to be the same thing. So, what is rossogolla, rajbhog, cham cham, rasgulla, and gulab jamun and how do they differ?

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Ikea, How We Love Thee

July 11, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

sign on restroom stall door regarding furniture assembly services

There’s nothing quite like signs inside restroom stalls involving power tools.

hanging lamp that looks like a sea urchin

Sea Urchin Lamp, that’s not it’s name, of course, but it is what it looks like.

office chairs that look like they are wearing Star Trek uniforms

Star Trek, The Next Generation chairs! The price is astronomical. 895AED/$244.00 on sale.

sign in which the name of the item is more prominent than the picture

I found it interesting that the name of this product (and we all love Ikea product names, don’t we?) is more prominent than the picture of the product.

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New Job Off to Interesting Start

July 10, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Here’s a taste of what my desk looked like when I arrived at my new job.

pile of papers

I spent the first few hours filling the recycling bin.

Contrast to how my old desk looked. I filled that recycle bin, too.

an empty desk

There are some signs that will have to go, too. No Saturday hours, thank you.

library hours Saturday to Wednesday 7:30 am to 4:00 pm

This poor library has been neglected for a long time and there is a huge amount of work to be done, but that is what I like about the job. Every book in the place will have to be cataloged and put in it’s rightful place. There are eight boxes of new books to unpack and more of the same coming later this week. Right up my alley!

Several teachers dropped by to welcome me and express their excitement at the idea that the library would be fully functional in the fall. Eager to make use of the books.

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Diesel Tanker For Rent

July 9, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Time for some signs, don’t you think?

tanker with "diesel tanker for rent" painted on it

Four all your diesel transport needs, you can rent a tanker.

freight container with a sign "caution nine feet six inches high"

I’m glad they warned me about this one. I’m afraid of heights.

Sky Sparkles Tiles Fixing

Some signs speak for themselves.

gate sign "stop for check up"

We stopped for our check up. (The building framed by the gateway is next to our apartment building which is obscured by the gate.)

tanker spelled tankar

And to go with your rented diesel tanker, here is a water tankar.

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Welcome to Oliver’s House

July 8, 2011

Posted by Oliver the Loud.

Mah-Woo, everybody! Kanga and DaddyBird are letting me guest post on their blog. So, I thought I would show you around my new home.

First, let me say that moving was TOTALLY traumatizing and I don’t ever want to do that again! Luckily, all my old stuff came along – cat toys, food dish, scratching pads, favorite napping chairs, Bert, Kanga and Daddybird, so it’s not so bad, after all.

The best, the very BEST, thing about this new place is the window sills. They are wide enough and long enough for Bert and I to lay/sleep/tussle on. Day or night this is my favorite place. You can see a lot from the 16th floor.

tabby cat sitting in a window sill

There are lots of cool tile floors to lie on. When I’ve been naughty, I run and flop down so that I look innocent.

white cat lying on tile floor amidst moving boxes

This is the room I have to share with Bert. Kanga and DaddyBird lock us up in there when they go out, and I don’t like that much. Really drives Bert crazy. But, I just curl up inside the old suitcase and take a nap until they come back.

white cat in small room with toys

My one complaint is that the sinks make it hard to get a drink.

white cat drinking out of a bathroom sink faucet

All in all, I am pretty happy.

tabby and white cats curled up together

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And So It Begins…

July 7, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

plate of fish and chips

We’ve begun to identify and collect favorite restaurants in Fujairah. Freddy’s Restrobar in the new Fortune Royal Hotel offers good food at a reasonable price, free wifi, and they know to turn on Bollywood movies when we arrive.

plate of rice and chicken breast

Today, we tried out the Thai Express on the corniche, next to McDonald’s and Subway Sandwiches. The dining area is too small to accommodate the customers it draws. Very good food and reasonably priced. There were actually three chicken breasts on my plate. No skimping on the portions.

Thai Express would not be able to handle a tweet-up crowd and not everyone is comfortable at a bar, so we will keep looking for appropriate venues.

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Joys of Shopping

July 3, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

The joys of discount store shopping in Fujairah match those of doing it in Dubai. Here’s a few highlights from today’s adventure.

store shelf full of realistic hand guns

First, some quite realistic looking toy handguns and plastic rifles. I’m fairly sure that these have been eradicated from American store shelves.

store aisle full of Barbie doll imitations

Not far away are the Barbie wannabes. There were some brunettes in the bunch, but they were all fair of complexion.

coffee mug that includes a spoon

This “one piece mug” apparently comes with two pieces – mug and spoon.

baskets that look like they are made of popsickle sticks

If you wondered where all those summer camp popsickle stick craft projects went, here they are.

laundry detergent boxes resembling Tide

Do these remind you of any well known detergent brand? Maybe it wouldn’t be so obvious if they weren’t displayed side by side.

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One of These Things is not Like the Others

July 3, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Let’s play a game.

grocery fruit section with sign for "kaka fruit"

Can you find the Kaka Fruit?

I think, by elimination, I narrowed it down to the persimmons.

(If you don’t see any humor in “kaka fruit,” allow me to explain that “kaka” in some countries is slang for poop.)

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Appetizing Fare

July 2, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Tonight’s dinner:

labeled Chic Garlic and Butt

Who can resist? Sounds so yummy.