Posted by Kanga.
The late afternoon drive into Dubai rarely disappoints. There is usually something amazing happening in the sky.
Yesterday, it was a sunbow. If you want to see all the pictures, click here.
Archive for March, 2013
The Search for Indian Garb
March 27, 2013Posted by Kanga.
On the 30th, two good friends of ours are getting married. It’s an Indian wedding, so our search for appropriate apparel began.
I started by asking for advice from my former coworkers. This gave me a few places to begin looking and some idea of what price to expect.
We started in Fujairah by just walking into a fabric shop. This was the best place – the best fabric, helpful and honest staff. Fabrics for salwar kameez usually come in pre-cut matched packages. This is a problem for me because the sets are cut with much shorter, smaller women in mind. There was a matched set that caught my eye, but the staff was honest and pointed out that there would not be enough material for someone my size. At the time, I wasn’t smart enough to just buy two matching sets to double the material. 20/20 hindsight. I bought a lovely teal fabric instead – 5 yards for 100 AED ($27.00).
One of the staff then escorted us to a tailor shop in the next building along with a picture to help communicate what I wanted. The tailor took my measurements and said that it would take four days and cost 80 AED ($22). We wandered around the building to see what other shops were there. DaddyBird has been wanting his own salwar/kameez for quite a while. We discovered another tailor with some nice wares in the window. DaddyBird headed in and negotiated with the tailor for two black salwar kameez sets out of some lovely soft fabric. His bill was 100 AED ($27) per set (fabric and sewing), but it would take two days longer than my tailoring.
The salwar kameez would not really be fancy enough men’s wear for the wedding. We continued shopping in other fabric stores, looking for fabric suitable for a sherwani jacket. However, we encountered blank stares when we mentioned sherwani. Even the printed out picture we showed them didn’t help much. None of the fabric was to DaddyBird’s liking, so off to the Mina Bazaar in Dubai we went.
I’m not sure why I continued to look at fabric for myself, but I did. You may remember that we are lousy at negotiation and Eastern style shopping/negotiation. We should have agreed on our tactics and signals before heading into the first shop. I ended up buying two fabric sets for more than I should have. In my defense, it was a matter of bad communication. The salesman mentioned the word “tailor,” so I specifically asked “do you have a tailor here?” I even pointed with my finger on the counter. He answered “yes” and then indicated that it would only take two hours to sew. Thinking that the purchase price included the sewing, I agreed to prices that were too high for what I ended up with. I lived and learned. I have actually started sewing one of the pieces obtained at this shop, but found that there was a two inch hole cut in the middle of the back and that the lining material is not colorfast. The project is somewhat stalled for the moment.
DaddyBird was also checking in the shops to see what men’s attire might be available, but the largest size available was 46 or 48 and he needs a 50 or 52. Several salesmen tried to tell him that the 46 would do. He actually tried one on to prove his point.
We went into a second shop with fabrics for women and endured quite a show put on by the salesman who probably would have shown me everything on their shelves if I had let him. He repeated his sales pitches frequently which included “this one is classic,” “the dupatta (scarf) is mind blowing,” “this one is the one for you.” I ended up buying two more sets from this shop. They are of better quality than the others, but still don’t have quite enough material.
More fabric was needed for lining and sleeves for both of these.
So, it was back to the first fabric store in Fujairah where I got eight yards of teal satin for 6 AED/yd ($13.00) and three yards of pink for the same big 6 AED/yd. The staff were again very helpful finding just the right shade and giving us discounts.
Then we headed across the street to the lace and trim store. I wanted a little bit of extra bling for my teal salwar/kameez and some white lace for another set of material I hope to sew, someday. ($3.75/yd)
Now, as for DaddyBird’s search for a sherwani, we found a tailor in the Mina Bazaar area of Dubai. It turned out to be pretty pricy, so my six outfits don’t seem so bad in comparison. I still came out cheaper than he did.
We went back on Monday for a preliminary fitting. We pick the masterpiece up on Friday. DaddyBird very wisely listened to his wifey and chose the blue material instead of the black.
It has been quite an adventure and a lot of work for just a few hours at a wedding party. We need to line up a few more weddings to get more use out of our hard earned threads. We would have missed all this fun if we could have just bought something off the rack.
Sad to see the Kitch Go
March 22, 2013Posted by Kanga.
We stopped by Lamcy Plaza last night. Lamcy is a unique mall, or was. It had truly eclectic decor. When you first walked in, you saw a waterfall that stretched over all three floors.
(2009)
To the right there was a robotic clown climbing up and down a rope. And, behind you, over the entrance was the Tower Bridge, a medieval castle also stretching up three floors.
I didn’t check for the clown last night, but I don’t remember seeing him and I think he may already be gone. The waterfall looked like this:
The signs said “coming soon” a new passager elevator. OH NO!
Belated Thanksgiving
March 17, 2013Posted by Kanga.
Saturday we finally had our postponed Thanksgiving meal. We shared the traditional meal with our Indian, Pakistani, British and African friends.
There was turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, candied yams, green bean casserole, cornbread dressing, California olives, and dill pickles. Two pumpkin pies and a pecan pie topped it off.
Daddybird orchestrated the cooking. Volunteers were put to work dicing veggies or mashing potatoes.
It was a pleasant evening with good friends and great food.
China Sea
March 15, 2013Posted by Kanga.
Recently friends introduced us to the China Sea Restaurant. We dropped in a second time.
Ordering was a little odd because the waiter said “huh?” after everything. “Sizzling shrimps, huh?” “Crispy duck, huh?” “Steamed broccoli, huh?”
It was all very tasty. Watching the cooks through glass windows adds action. It is one hoppin’ kitchen.
China Sea restaurant is located in Deira, Dubai, near the clock roundabout. Cash only. Five items, a pot of tea and large water = 209 AED ($55.00)
Emirates Airlines International Festival of Literature Part 2
March 10, 2013Posted by Kanga.
Saturday at the festival began with Maitha Al Khayat and her newest book When A Camel Loves Loqaimat. Loqaimat is a traditional Emirati dessert similar to doughnut holes, although not as sweet as doughnuts. After sharing the story with her rapt audience –
-she shared fresh loqaimat with them. It was a big hit, as you might imagine.
And there were cookies at the book signing.
Next was John Connolly, author of The Book of Lost Things, which sounds interesting to me, but the bookstore was sold out. I’ll have to look for it later. It’s not like I’m caught up on my reading and desperately in need of it. (He didn’t intend for it to be a “children’s book,” but having a young protagonist almost guarantees being pigeon holed as children’s lit.) The book incorporates fairy tales, although they are not necessarily told the way we remember them. About a fourth of the book at the end is essays about the tales and early versions of each (before the Brothers Grimm cleaned them up).
Then I was off to a two (and a half) hour book binding workshop.
I really enjoyed this. The instructor, Mark Cockram, who is a book artist and teacher was quite a comedian. The time flew by. I was amused when one of the participants told him he should have brought some of the books he has made to sell them. He found a way to politely say “you couldn’t afford them.”
I made this!
Next was Chris Cleave, author of Incendiary, The Other Hand (aka Little Bee), and his newest Gold. It was interesting to hear the different authors describing how they write. Chris says he chooses a challenging question and then finds characters, places them in pressure situations to force them to answer the question. For example, the question behind Gold is “what would you sacrifice for your career? Family? Friends?”
Last was Anthony Horowitz and the young fans of his Alex Rider series and Power of Five series. Kids are always fun and have the best questions during Q&A time.
Addendum: More information about Jeffrey Deaver and Anthony Horowitz writing books about Bond and Holmes was requested. So, here is what I remember. Jeffrey Deaver was approached by the Fleming estate because he had mentioned in a speech that he was a Bond fan and had begun reading Bond novels when he was eight years old. He was given room to update Bond, making him a veteran of the Afghanistan war instead of World War II. He also softened Bond’s mysogyny. Other characteristics of a Bond story were retained – creative character names, the over the top villain, and, of course, gadgets. I missed how Mr. Horowitz came to write the Holmes novel, but he was given more latitude in his writing. Arthur Conan Doyle’s own inconsistencies made being faithful to the previous stories difficult. He chose not to have Moriarity be the main villain, but he did give him a cameo appearance. He pointed out that what makes Holmes stories captivating is not the plot, but the relationship of Holmes (cold, intellectual, addicted) and Watson (warm, helpful, caring).
Emirates Airlines International Festival of Literature
March 8, 2013Posted by Kanga.
We are spending the weekend immersing ourselves in the Emirates Airlines International Festival of Literature. (The conference center very kindly provided paper and pencil. It seemed like a retro gesture.)
I started Thursday evening with Alan Dean Foster, writer of science fiction and movie novelizations such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Aliens, etc. His talk was very interesting. He could not give us details, but promises that the newest Star Trek movie coming this May will be even better than the last.
Then we attended the Poeticians recitation. The Poeticians are people here in Dubai who write poetry and meet regularly to read their works. Pictured above is our lovely friend Hind.
Friday morning, I began with Jeffery Deaver and Anthony Horowitz. Mr. Deaver recently wrote a new James Bond novel and Mr. Horowitz wrote a Sherlock Holmes novel, so they were discussing the ins and outs of working with such iconic characters.
Then I went to a two hour workshop on plot development led by Greg Mosse. It was very interesting and the two hours went by quickly.
Next was Deborah Moggach author of These Foolish Things, which became The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. (If you haven’t seen the movie, you should.) She was very funny and delightful. We could have sat there for another hour or two happily.
Then I went off to a “workshop” on bullying, but didn’t learn anything new about bullying or how to deal with it.
Next was Geraldine McCaughrean. The session was designed for children. I arrived late because the bullying session ran over. When I got there Geraldine was telling the story of Perseus killing Medusa. She then went on to invite volunteers up onto the stage and led a very engaging session that had all the kids paying attention and participating. I was so attentive that I forgot to take a picture. The question and answer period was fun, too. One tiny little voice asked “Why do you EVEN like writing?” Another asked “How many books have you written?” The answer was “167” to which there was a loud exclamation somewhere in the audience “Oh, my god!” Kids are so fun.
Whole 30 Diet
March 5, 2013Posted by Kanga.
For the last month I have been on the Whole 30 Diet. It boils down to no dairy, no grains, no sugars or sugar substitutes, and no alcohol. I’ve been eating meat, vegetables and fruits.
The main purpose of this diet is to improve health. We learned of this from my mother-in-law whose testimonial can be read here. I have to admit that weight loss was the main motivator for me. However, I was tiring of the increased fibromyalgia, and painful muscle cramps. My blood pressure had been high and the doctor had placed me on medication for it. I was more than ready for better health and less weight.
The diet is actually very easy. It is just a matter of what is eaten, not how much is eaten. I stuffed myself plenty of times with yummy food and still lost weight. The only thing I truly longed for was chocolate.
The result of one month is that I’m 13 pounds lighter. I don’t wake up with muscle soreness. I’ve had very few muscle cramps. My blood pressure is nice and low.
I’ve added chocolate back in, in moderation. It is organic dark chocolate lightly sweetened with raw cane sugar. The diet continues and we’ll see what happens.
Xiao Wei Yang
March 4, 2013Posted by Kanga.
In attending a friend’s birthday party, we got to try out a “new to us” restaurant. Xiao Wei Yang (apparently means “little lamb”) is a Chinese restaurant featuring hot pots. You can order a spicy pot, non-spicy pot, or a half-n-half pot plus raw ingredients which you then cook in the boiling pot.
There is a wide variety of ingredients – lamb, beef, chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, veggies, and more. It is fun and tasty.
Living the Travel Channel 