 |
| The picture is a charcoal hand-drawn by a local artist of the Santa Maria della Salute, the view from the Gritti Palace hotel (breakfast lounge) across the Grand Canal in Venice. |
Finally
Jul 12, 2014
We have finally moved in and got our internet in today, so it's time to get crackin' on the backlog of posts! Now that major pieces of furniture are in, it's time to install some art.
We are also working on a DIY art project to adorn another wall, which we will share as soon as it is ready, whenever that will be!
Jun 30, 2014
The general expat sentiment towards driving in the UAE revolves around a few of the following words – aggressive, dangerous, horrendous, rude, etc. But having been on the roads for a little over two weeks now, driving here feels rather alright (maybe because it's not too fantastic either in Singapore), save for the unlucky day when you meet a driver who woke up on the wrong side of bed or another that fancies himself to be Lewis Hamilton. It is also true that UAE has the dubious honor of having one of the most lethal roads in the world, and even boasts of oddities like this woman who has racked up a million dirhams worth of traffic fines. With all that said, our Mini adventure has been safe, to assure our loved ones back home, and quite interesting to say the least. A list of top 5 of the quirkiest here:
1. Asking for Directions
*Honk Honk*
*Winds down side window*
“Marina Mall, where?”
“Turn right, then turn left”.
If you find yourself at a traffic light, and a neighboring car honks twice at you, chances are he is asking for directions. It is widely assumed that all taxi drivers know where everything is (not really, from my experience) and so, it becomes commonplace to see this double honk happening to them. Somehow, either I look like a taxi driver (not) or looked like I was local (NOT), and got honked at once. Fortunately, it was a mall I knew how to get to. Achievement unlocked.
By the way, red lights are notoriously long waits, and apparently young people take to making use of this wait to exchange phone numbers when they see someone that sets their hearts a-racing.
2. Salik Sticker / Mawaqif
Well done, Singapore. First the Londoners adopted your fine little invention called the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system, now Dubai has done the same too. Very soon, NYC, Shanghai, Beijing, and god-knows-where-else will have this ERP-like thing too to ‘reduce traffic’. Salik means clear in Arabic. To use, simply buy their prepaid RFID chip orange sticker to affix it on the windshield behind the rear view mirror. As the cars whizz past the gantry (looks eerily similar to the ERP back home), AED 4 (~USD 1) is deducted automatically from the account. Honestly, it doesn’t seem like anyone cares about the charge, at least in Dubai. Salik allows for one to top up online and even helpfully sends an SMS whenever the balance runs low. Everything is electronic, tres convenient.
Same thing for the Mawaqif, which is Abu Dhabi’s parking system. Compose your SMS > Premium or non-premium parking > how many hours > Send! THAT’S IT! No need to worry about anyone coming to fine you with a ticket because everything is electronic and linked to the car registration. And when your time expires, you get an SMS to ask if you wish to extend. Easy does it. All those countries still poking coupons, time for a change (especially if your residents have >1 cellphone on average)!
We honestly far prefer this way of letting people top up themselves upfront through reminders rather than enforcing rules via the threat of fines. Just sayin'.
3. Petrol Kiosks
Kate has mentioned it before. Petrol is incredibly cheap here in the UAE (about a third of the price in Singapore). Also, there’s a certain luxury attached to the petrol kiosks as a consumer:
4. Zebra Crossings
Cars here Just. Do. Not. Stop. The road sign may read 60km/h but speeds will usually traverse in the range of an additional 20km/h. So little wonder why few, if any, care about the zebra crossings. It has gotten to the point when pedestrians are actually surprised that our little Mini actually stopped for them at the crossing, and just today, a pedestrian actually waved for me to go first! Maybe I am not supposed to stop. I’ll figure this out.
5. ‘No-Address’ System
If you haven’t already realized, everything that is posted to the UAE is sent to a P.O. Box. This country somehow found a way to function without a proper address system (there is a system in the works, but wow, it's already 2014!) Even when you order tens of thousands of dirhams worth of furniture, the instruction is just to just send it to Abu Dhabi, ABC Building, Apartment 1234. Likewise when driving, one has to rely on road intersections (which I have yet to master) and more importantly, landmarks (e.g. “opposite or next to ABC Building”). That’s when my fellow passenger’s eyes come in handy – she keeps her radar wide and open when we approach our destination. :)
This is also why we have yet to find the elusive Chinese grocer which is somewhere.. at some intersection.. of some roads..
Bonus Round: Ribbon Glory
When we first collected our keys to the car, we were bemused to find our little new car embellished with red ribbon as part of the showroom's delivery protocol:
And once we are done oohing and aahing and taking pictures, the ribbon is promptly removed. For the next car to be delivered and the next.
1. Asking for Directions
*Honk Honk*
*Winds down side window*
“Marina Mall, where?”
“Turn right, then turn left”.
If you find yourself at a traffic light, and a neighboring car honks twice at you, chances are he is asking for directions. It is widely assumed that all taxi drivers know where everything is (not really, from my experience) and so, it becomes commonplace to see this double honk happening to them. Somehow, either I look like a taxi driver (not) or looked like I was local (NOT), and got honked at once. Fortunately, it was a mall I knew how to get to. Achievement unlocked.
By the way, red lights are notoriously long waits, and apparently young people take to making use of this wait to exchange phone numbers when they see someone that sets their hearts a-racing.
2. Salik Sticker / Mawaqif
Well done, Singapore. First the Londoners adopted your fine little invention called the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system, now Dubai has done the same too. Very soon, NYC, Shanghai, Beijing, and god-knows-where-else will have this ERP-like thing too to ‘reduce traffic’. Salik means clear in Arabic. To use, simply buy their prepaid RFID chip orange sticker to affix it on the windshield behind the rear view mirror. As the cars whizz past the gantry (looks eerily similar to the ERP back home), AED 4 (~USD 1) is deducted automatically from the account. Honestly, it doesn’t seem like anyone cares about the charge, at least in Dubai. Salik allows for one to top up online and even helpfully sends an SMS whenever the balance runs low. Everything is electronic, tres convenient.
 | |
| A cure for homesickness..not. Image Credit: Construction Week Online |
Same thing for the Mawaqif, which is Abu Dhabi’s parking system. Compose your SMS > Premium or non-premium parking > how many hours > Send! THAT’S IT! No need to worry about anyone coming to fine you with a ticket because everything is electronic and linked to the car registration. And when your time expires, you get an SMS to ask if you wish to extend. Easy does it. All those countries still poking coupons, time for a change (especially if your residents have >1 cellphone on average)!
We honestly far prefer this way of letting people top up themselves upfront through reminders rather than enforcing rules via the threat of fines. Just sayin'.
3. Petrol Kiosks
Kate has mentioned it before. Petrol is incredibly cheap here in the UAE (about a third of the price in Singapore). Also, there’s a certain luxury attached to the petrol kiosks as a consumer:
- There's no need to step out of your car - someone will do everything for you;
- He even offers to wipe your windscreen, if you are so inclined, and finally,
- Pay by simply winding down the side window and handing the cash/card over.
4. Zebra Crossings
Cars here Just. Do. Not. Stop. The road sign may read 60km/h but speeds will usually traverse in the range of an additional 20km/h. So little wonder why few, if any, care about the zebra crossings. It has gotten to the point when pedestrians are actually surprised that our little Mini actually stopped for them at the crossing, and just today, a pedestrian actually waved for me to go first! Maybe I am not supposed to stop. I’ll figure this out.
5. ‘No-Address’ System
If you haven’t already realized, everything that is posted to the UAE is sent to a P.O. Box. This country somehow found a way to function without a proper address system (there is a system in the works, but wow, it's already 2014!) Even when you order tens of thousands of dirhams worth of furniture, the instruction is just to just send it to Abu Dhabi, ABC Building, Apartment 1234. Likewise when driving, one has to rely on road intersections (which I have yet to master) and more importantly, landmarks (e.g. “opposite or next to ABC Building”). That’s when my fellow passenger’s eyes come in handy – she keeps her radar wide and open when we approach our destination. :)
This is also why we have yet to find the elusive Chinese grocer which is somewhere.. at some intersection.. of some roads..
Bonus Round: Ribbon Glory
When we first collected our keys to the car, we were bemused to find our little new car embellished with red ribbon as part of the showroom's delivery protocol:
 |
| Final touch ups |
 |
| Take a photo now and forever hold your peace |
Jun 26, 2014
The first real cultural touristy thing I did here that does not involve eating or shopping or watching 22 grown men fight over a ball, it is A History of the World in 100 Objects, an exhibition at the Manarat Al Saadiyat(on Saadiyat Island, where
the Louvre and Guggenheim are under-construction), imported from the British Museum / BBC Radio collection.
It felt wonderful to be back in a museum, finally, a place to walk around and look at items without any pressure to buy them. And being here on a weekday morning means no crowd, yay!
It also makes me feel a little more clever than when I woke up in the morning, lol.
Arranged chronological order, the items were well curated and a fine representation of what it was supposed to showcase, starting from early human stone tools at least a million years ago, classical antiquity (which some may feel is the highlight of human civilization), and finally, a credit card of the modern world.
I understand that not all the objects from the original British Museum collection [the BM website showing the full list of the original here] were able to be shipped over to Abu Dhabi and so substitutes were used in place of those, but the meaning is in no way lost. Ultimately, there are so many objects out there that one can come up with another few sets of 100 items and can still fit the theme. (This is not meant to say that the curators had an easy job by the way.)
The exhibition has received great reviews on TripAdvisor and beyond, so I'll let the more eloquent write the reviews instead, but what this exhibition does excellently is the rich description made of both the object and tying it to its significance to history. Where possible, some background information is also provided to the visitor – such as the story of behind the carvings on this sarcophagus (it can be said that anyone interested can easily wiki it but that's not the point). I didn't use their audio guide but still felt enriched by the material, whereas there are some museums I can think of that are inadequate EVEN with the audio guide. Hmm.
The curators have also been careful to select pieces that come from a great variety of geographical locations and cultures, as opposed to the oftentimes Western (Europe)-centric way of treating every other non-European culture as some inconsequential sideshow.
Photos were not allowed to be taken, but while the memory is fresh, here are some of the exhibits I found quite compelling:
Afghan War Rug
When local tradition meets the harsh reality of war, the result is heartbreaking. This rug depicts a convoy of vehicles going through a mountain pass during the Soviet invasion in 1979, with helicopters and planes above. Seems especially sobering as we going through the somewhat frivolous(?) activity of shopping for rugs for our new home. During the US invasion following 9/11, rugs were also made to depict the war theme.
Counterfeit Drogba shirt
To communicate globalization - this fake jersey was made in Indonesia, sold on the streets of Peru, worn by an Ivorian soccer player who grew up in France, played/worked? in an English football club owned by a Russian (subsequently China and now Turkey). Apparently, there was a lot of controversy of how such a mundane shirt could have possibly made it into the 100, but the theme of globalization in our time is highly apt, and fascinatingly represented by the backstory of this shirt.
War shields from Papua New Guinea
Beer labels on shields used for real battle between warring tribes in PNG. Imagine using these to block out spears, arrows, even bullets. This page describes it far better than I can ever hope to.
If the standard of this exhibition gives us a glimpse of what the new Louvre and Guggenheim will be like, certainly exciting times for the Abu Dhabi cultural scene ahead. And should the man feel like going to Manarat Al Saadiyat after reading this post, I don't think I'll hesitate to repeat the visit.
It felt wonderful to be back in a museum, finally, a place to walk around and look at items without any pressure to buy them. And being here on a weekday morning means no crowd, yay!
It also makes me feel a little more clever than when I woke up in the morning, lol.
Arranged chronological order, the items were well curated and a fine representation of what it was supposed to showcase, starting from early human stone tools at least a million years ago, classical antiquity (which some may feel is the highlight of human civilization), and finally, a credit card of the modern world.
 | ||
| The human race has come a long, long way... It sometimes sure feels like we are regressing though.
Image Credit: British Museum |
I understand that not all the objects from the original British Museum collection [the BM website showing the full list of the original here] were able to be shipped over to Abu Dhabi and so substitutes were used in place of those, but the meaning is in no way lost. Ultimately, there are so many objects out there that one can come up with another few sets of 100 items and can still fit the theme. (This is not meant to say that the curators had an easy job by the way.)
The exhibition has received great reviews on TripAdvisor and beyond, so I'll let the more eloquent write the reviews instead, but what this exhibition does excellently is the rich description made of both the object and tying it to its significance to history. Where possible, some background information is also provided to the visitor – such as the story of behind the carvings on this sarcophagus (it can be said that anyone interested can easily wiki it but that's not the point). I didn't use their audio guide but still felt enriched by the material, whereas there are some museums I can think of that are inadequate EVEN with the audio guide. Hmm.
 |
| If you are interested, the wiki link is here. Image Credit: British Museum |
The curators have also been careful to select pieces that come from a great variety of geographical locations and cultures, as opposed to the oftentimes Western (Europe)-centric way of treating every other non-European culture as some inconsequential sideshow.
Photos were not allowed to be taken, but while the memory is fresh, here are some of the exhibits I found quite compelling:
Afghan War Rug
When local tradition meets the harsh reality of war, the result is heartbreaking. This rug depicts a convoy of vehicles going through a mountain pass during the Soviet invasion in 1979, with helicopters and planes above. Seems especially sobering as we going through the somewhat frivolous(?) activity of shopping for rugs for our new home. During the US invasion following 9/11, rugs were also made to depict the war theme.
 |
| Image Credit: British Museum |
Counterfeit Drogba shirt
To communicate globalization - this fake jersey was made in Indonesia, sold on the streets of Peru, worn by an Ivorian soccer player who grew up in France, played/worked? in an English football club owned by a Russian (subsequently China and now Turkey). Apparently, there was a lot of controversy of how such a mundane shirt could have possibly made it into the 100, but the theme of globalization in our time is highly apt, and fascinatingly represented by the backstory of this shirt.
 |
| Image Credit: British Museum |
War shields from Papua New Guinea
Beer labels on shields used for real battle between warring tribes in PNG. Imagine using these to block out spears, arrows, even bullets. This page describes it far better than I can ever hope to.
 |
| Image Credit: TheNational |
If the standard of this exhibition gives us a glimpse of what the new Louvre and Guggenheim will be like, certainly exciting times for the Abu Dhabi cultural scene ahead. And should the man feel like going to Manarat Al Saadiyat after reading this post, I don't think I'll hesitate to repeat the visit.
Jun 24, 2014
The past week has been hectic, with our slowly shifting our
luggage over to the new place. The Mini is mini, and so can’t fit many things, so it has been
one bag at a time.. starting with the winter clothes,.. non-essential stuff.
Then there is the furniture shopping, which can be described in the diagram below. (I may not be the McKinsey one but I can still try. He shall make the next chart-thingy.)
Of course the World Cup is still No. 1 priority. Our timetable revolves around the matches we want to watch.
Of course the World Cup is still No. 1 priority. Our timetable revolves around the matches we want to watch.
 |
Only a very slight exaggeration from the truth.
But in reality, we got a little bit from the other shops as well, the nicest stuff on sale. We love sales! Even with bargains everywhere, the bank account is, in major depression mode. |
And so we did. Throwing all caution from our parents anyone and
everyone including ourselves that IKEA items are poor-quality to the Arabian sandstorms, and lured by
the seductive promise of cheap Scandinavian chic, our dining room looks like …
 | |
| an IKEA showroom contender sans styling But we have windows. Ha! |
PS. To the inventor of Pinterest, you are a genius.
Jun 20, 2014
We dropped by a cafe to see Uruguay play England, and it turned out to be, well, a more local experience than we realized.
There are no expats here, only local Arab men (0 women - am cursing my decision to wear shorts.. feeling very self-conscious here) in
their full traditional garb. Naturally, the expats have gone to hotels
or other bars that serve alcohol. While waiting for the game to start, one of the guys here took two selfies of himself. No culture is immune..
As we are riveted to the screens, it's a hectic time for the
staff dealing with the orders - it may be 11pm but people still need to
gorge on entire pasta meals, caesar salads and drink smoothies and coffees exotica. Some of them staff are
wearing football jerseys; Neymar was the usher at the parking lot..pity the guy who has to wear the Fabregas shirt..oops.
The commentary is in Arabic - we don't understand any of it but
it sounds far more energetic and passionate than English. We are
waiting for a goal to happen, we will then find out if the locals go
wild too?? (edit - Uruguay scores! The whole room
erupts into frenzy. The beautiful game does have the same power to
everyone.)
Oh btw, we filled up our gas tank at ADNOC and petrol is 1.80 dirhams/liter. Oh my that's 60 Singapore cents we couldn't even believe the meter. And before that we went to by a liter of coconut water that costs 10x more. Ironic stuff.
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