Yesterday, was ANZAC Day. Every year on the 25th of April, New Zealand and Australia commemorate members of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps and those who have served their country.
In Dubai, there was a dawn service at which 300 attended.
Yesterday, I became an aunty again! My cousin in NZ had her first baby and it's a boy.
Looks like there's a baby bug and it's spreading! We just got news a few days ago that yet another friend is expecting - that makes the 9th couple having a wee 'un this year in our circle of family and friends.
On Friday, we went to watch the IRB Under 19's 2006 Championships. New Zealand was playing Australia in the finals.
With tickets at a mere 40dhs per person, it was a great and cheap night out! There was a good range of food stalls and you could also grab a beer or a wine while you watch the games. The entrance fee entitled us to a whole day of rugby, but we were just there to watch the final match.
The crowd was mainly made up of other Kiwis and Aussies and the atmosphere was fantastic. Unfortunately though for the guys in black, the team in yellow and green took the championship with a score of 17-13.
Since we got to Dubai, we signed up for wireless broadband which is fabulous. This allows me to move my laptop from the lounge, to the bath, and even to bed while still being online. To think we were still using dialup in New Zealand just 4 months ago...
A very Happy Easter to you all!
It's not a public holiday here in the Dubai, but there are Easter eggs for sale! The Easter Bunny brought me a huge mint dark chocolate easter egg that came with a pack of After Eight chocolate dinner mints - yum, my favourite!
May the Easter Bunny be kind to you too!
Browsing through art galleries is one of my favourite things to do, and while I've been here I've been to a few. Always on the lookout for something special, but usually just admiring art!
Since we moved into our apartment, I've been looking out for a large painting to go on the main wall in our lounge. I've seen many that I like, but nothing that was perfect. I then had the idea to use one of the many beautiful photos that we've taken from our travels, and started to look for a lab that could do what I wanted.
It couldn't have been easier! I found a place pretty close to where we live, that is a professional digital lab specialising in commercial printing. I simply took in the shots I had in mind on our memory card, and spoke to the very professional and helpful guys at the lab.
...Coronet Peak, Queenstown, New Zealand...It sounds strange, and I never expected to come down with a cold when the temperature outside is 30+degrees celcius. I know no time's a good time to be sick but it really couldn't have come at a worst time. Yesterday was a public holiday being Prophet Mohammed's Birthday. Gypsy Boy surprised me and took Sunday off as well to have a long weekend.
We weren't planning on going away but were going to spend time catching up with friends. We managed to get two good nights out with friends, being Thursday and Friday, but on Saturday night we were meant to meet up with my [long lost] cousin who's in town for work over the next 2 weeks. Just when we jumped in the car, it refused to start due to a flat battery.
We ended up cancelling dinner as it was already 10pm and I started to feel sick. Gypsy Boy started his day off getting a new car battery, walking Gypsy Dog, then cooked me a delicious chicken soup! Plans to spend the day and evening with some other friends had to be cancelled as Gypsy Boy then caught the bug and we had a very quiet rest of the weekend.
Last night we went to watch the Harlem Globetrotters. These guys are absolute entertainment. They played a team from New York, but before during and after the game they do all sorts of tricks. You definitely get to see some awesome basketball and get lots of laughs at the same time.
A couple of the guys from the team and the ref have microphones on and you get a running commentary of what's going on, on the court. Lots of audience participation, it's more a show with comedy, athleticism and great entertainment all round.
Fan or not, if you do get a chance to see these guys, you'd be in for lots of laughs and good times.
This is a wonderful place to eat and unleash the inner artist in you. After a scrumptious lunch at Cafe Ceramique with my lovely friend Joy, we browsed the shelves holding a variety of white ceramic pieces ranging from jewellery boxes to platters and ornaments.
We carefully decided and selected a piece that was to become our work of art and brought it back to our table while the friendly waiters set up our paints, brushes and palettes for us. The waiters are helpful with tips and generous encouragement to get us started and even offer stencils, stamps, and books for inspiration if needed.
It took me over 2 hours to complete my piece, and all I can say is that patience is definitely a virtue that Joy has! Our works of art are now at the cafe where they will be glazed and ready for pick up in 7 days. I can't wait to pick it up and will post a picture of the final result here!
Last night was movies at the beach night again! Gypsy Boy, Fullofit and I took ourselves down to the Jumeirah Beach Club Resort and Spa and for the first time in our lives watched Dr. Zhivago.
We found the movie to be a little dry and hard to follow, so we just kicked back in our beach chairs, enjoyed our beers, wines and shisha and did some serious stargazing.
I also recently found out that there is also a free movie night at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort on Mondays and one at Wafi City Rooftop Garden on Sundays! Each screening different movies every week, we are really spoilt for choice!
Who needs a free lunch?
Finally, the ban on Danish products in the UAE are over and my favourite brand of sausages are back on the shelves!
I was so happy to see them when we arrived in Dubai, as this was something we could not get back in NZ. Plumrose and Tulip sausages - I've missed you!!
Today, Gypsy Dog turned 1! He started the day off with a long walk at the Greens - his favourite haunt, where he played with Sunny a beautiful big Golden Retriever. Then, we stopped by Petland and got him a big bone.
The rest of the afternoon was spent snoozing, playing and eating. A dog's life, aye.
