This video (of time lapse photos) came to my attention today and I thought I'd share it with you. It is a great depiction of where Abu Dhabi is and what it used to be. It's only four minutes long, but I think you'll be amazed.
http://vimeo.com/22936856
I can tell you all these scenes and photos taken from different vantage points truly show the Abu Dhabi I live in. It's a phenomenal city, but I've told you that before. I've finished 9 months here and the summer has arrived, 95 - 100 degrees of heat and humidity.
QOB -"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'" C.S. Lewis
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
He looks familiar
Indulge me while I tell you a story about my lunch last week with two colleagues. My boss, Pete, is a lawyer by profession and Maggie is also a lawyer and our compliance officer here at NYUAD. We went to this nice little place "Jones the Grocer" which is an Australian place. I've been 3 times before and the service was always terrible, but the food is good so if you go at lunchtime you just have to be prepared to wait for your meal.
Strangely enough this time the service was quick so the three of us got our orders in about 10 mintues and proceeded to eat. We were at a table with three chairs, Pete across from me and Maggie to my right and his left beside us. We were discussing nothing in general or even specific just enjoying the meal talking about east coast stuff, sports, crimes etc...
Jones the Grocer is mostly a business type crowd that fills the place at lunch time because of the office buildings around it. People in ties, skirts, Kandura's (the long white garment men here wear) and Abaya's, essentially business attire. The table beside us which is truly on 3 feet away from me is empty and has chairs for four. Finally a guy in a sport coat comes in and sits down along with an Emirati in a Kandura.
Maggie makes a quiet comment "there goes our freedom of speech about education in the UAE". I wasn't sure what she was referring to and thought I had just missed part of the conversation while I was eating. So we continue talking, but I keep looking at the guy next to me Mr. Sportcoat and thinking he looks familiar to me and so does the guy in the kandura, but I just can't put my finger on it for either one of them. Pete said something and I laughed out loud and it was loud, like I'm known to do.
In the meantime I'm still looking at the guy next to me and I almost leaned over and told him "do you know you look like Tony Blair?, but I thought better of it and didn't want to interrupt their conversation. During dessert a third gentleman sat down next to us and he was also an Emirati. After dessert we finally left and and when we got outside I looked at Pete and Maggie and said "hey didn't the guy next to me look like Tony Blair?" Of course they both responded in unison with looks of disbelief "that was Tony Blair you idiot". Then Pete said "do you realize the guy across from him is the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi?" My response was "he looked familiar too, but I couldn't place him".
If you have ever been here you'd know how often you see a picture, billboard or poster of the Crown Prince, it's alot. Evidently the third guy is also a Sheikh who is also NYUAD's benefactor and the Chairman of Manchester City Soccer Club in England.
So there's some lesson or moral to the story and it may simply be when you go to Jones the Grocer for lunch you never know who is going to sit down beside you. Evidently the Crown Prince has an office in that building and goes there for lunch often. Of course I will now claim that I had lunch with Tony Blair and the Crown Prince (they just weren't aware of it).
I've never seen anyone like that in Pastrami Joe's or OT's Barbeque.
QOB - "There are two theories to arguing with a woman. Neither one works." Will Rogers
I haven't done any arguing with any women, but I thought this was funny, true and funny.
Strangely enough this time the service was quick so the three of us got our orders in about 10 mintues and proceeded to eat. We were at a table with three chairs, Pete across from me and Maggie to my right and his left beside us. We were discussing nothing in general or even specific just enjoying the meal talking about east coast stuff, sports, crimes etc...
Jones the Grocer is mostly a business type crowd that fills the place at lunch time because of the office buildings around it. People in ties, skirts, Kandura's (the long white garment men here wear) and Abaya's, essentially business attire. The table beside us which is truly on 3 feet away from me is empty and has chairs for four. Finally a guy in a sport coat comes in and sits down along with an Emirati in a Kandura.
Maggie makes a quiet comment "there goes our freedom of speech about education in the UAE". I wasn't sure what she was referring to and thought I had just missed part of the conversation while I was eating. So we continue talking, but I keep looking at the guy next to me Mr. Sportcoat and thinking he looks familiar to me and so does the guy in the kandura, but I just can't put my finger on it for either one of them. Pete said something and I laughed out loud and it was loud, like I'm known to do.
In the meantime I'm still looking at the guy next to me and I almost leaned over and told him "do you know you look like Tony Blair?, but I thought better of it and didn't want to interrupt their conversation. During dessert a third gentleman sat down next to us and he was also an Emirati. After dessert we finally left and and when we got outside I looked at Pete and Maggie and said "hey didn't the guy next to me look like Tony Blair?" Of course they both responded in unison with looks of disbelief "that was Tony Blair you idiot". Then Pete said "do you realize the guy across from him is the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi?" My response was "he looked familiar too, but I couldn't place him".
If you have ever been here you'd know how often you see a picture, billboard or poster of the Crown Prince, it's alot. Evidently the third guy is also a Sheikh who is also NYUAD's benefactor and the Chairman of Manchester City Soccer Club in England.
So there's some lesson or moral to the story and it may simply be when you go to Jones the Grocer for lunch you never know who is going to sit down beside you. Evidently the Crown Prince has an office in that building and goes there for lunch often. Of course I will now claim that I had lunch with Tony Blair and the Crown Prince (they just weren't aware of it).
I've never seen anyone like that in Pastrami Joe's or OT's Barbeque.
QOB - "There are two theories to arguing with a woman. Neither one works." Will Rogers
I haven't done any arguing with any women, but I thought this was funny, true and funny.
Population Boom
There was an article in the newspaper last week regarding the population in the UAE which has gone up 65 percent between 2006 and 2010 from 5.1 million people to 8.26 million. Wow, that's quite a boom.
The number of Emirati nationals grew by about 100,000 from 851,164 to 947,997, but the overall percentage of nationals fell to 11.47 percent since there was so much increase in foreign workers.
Abu Dhabi, the emirate, not the city had about 3,469,200 of those 8.26 million people.
Alot of the foreign workers are at the labor level, but there is still significant numbers of professionals and skilled workers who come here for the weather, environment and tax breaks.
I think the folks from the UK lead the way along with Australians in the professionals category.
QOB - "The thing that is really hard and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself."
Anna Quindlen
Personally I gave up on being perfect when I was a little kid, there was no chance for me. I have enjoyed becoming myself though.
The number of Emirati nationals grew by about 100,000 from 851,164 to 947,997, but the overall percentage of nationals fell to 11.47 percent since there was so much increase in foreign workers.
Abu Dhabi, the emirate, not the city had about 3,469,200 of those 8.26 million people.
Alot of the foreign workers are at the labor level, but there is still significant numbers of professionals and skilled workers who come here for the weather, environment and tax breaks.
I think the folks from the UK lead the way along with Australians in the professionals category.
QOB - "The thing that is really hard and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself."
Anna Quindlen
Personally I gave up on being perfect when I was a little kid, there was no chance for me. I have enjoyed becoming myself though.
Rules for the UAE
Actually these are rules for guests or suggestions for guests or people that are thinking about being guests. These are things I've realized over the last 9 months. Ironically I came here for my visit to determine if I wanted to work here exactly one year ago this weekend. So let's get on with the suggestions.
1. Don't come during the months of May - late October unless you want to experience heat and humidity. It's already hitting 35 degrees here, that's celsius and equates to 95 fahrenheit. As you know it will get very hot and muggy so unless you like sweating when outside doing nothing be smart and stay home.
2. I have a spare bedroom (two single beds) and 3 spare bathrooms. So if you come with someone else you'll be sharing the spare rooms.
3. I don't cook, but you can if you'd like.
4. I can probably take some time off while you're here, but don't plan for it. You need to be pretty indepedent and willing to explore on your own.
5. You won't be driving while here, plan on taking cabs, they are abundant and inexpensive.
6. The weekend is Friday and Saturday so that may help you plan your trip and when I will have time to see some things with you and go places.
7. I enjoy having guests I just don't wait on them. I've giving you a place to stay I hope you'll make yourself comfortable and feel free to help yourself to anything in the fridge.
8. The remote for the tv belongs to me if I'm home. If I'm not, feel free to channel surf.
9. There's a Starbucks downstairs or I guess you can brew coffee in the apartment, I just don't make any because I don't drink it.
10. Hair dryer and curling iron are provided here. So is soap and shampoo/conditioner.
11. The maid comes on Wednesday, make sure you're out of bed so she can change the sheets.
12. I have a laptop in the apartment so you don't need to bring one if you don't want to. You can skype and check your e-mail from this one.
I welcome guests and encourage them I just wanted everyone to know what's available and what works.
The door is open, make your reservations.
QOB - "Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them."
Baron de Montesquieu
1. Don't come during the months of May - late October unless you want to experience heat and humidity. It's already hitting 35 degrees here, that's celsius and equates to 95 fahrenheit. As you know it will get very hot and muggy so unless you like sweating when outside doing nothing be smart and stay home.
2. I have a spare bedroom (two single beds) and 3 spare bathrooms. So if you come with someone else you'll be sharing the spare rooms.
3. I don't cook, but you can if you'd like.
4. I can probably take some time off while you're here, but don't plan for it. You need to be pretty indepedent and willing to explore on your own.
5. You won't be driving while here, plan on taking cabs, they are abundant and inexpensive.
6. The weekend is Friday and Saturday so that may help you plan your trip and when I will have time to see some things with you and go places.
7. I enjoy having guests I just don't wait on them. I've giving you a place to stay I hope you'll make yourself comfortable and feel free to help yourself to anything in the fridge.
8. The remote for the tv belongs to me if I'm home. If I'm not, feel free to channel surf.
9. There's a Starbucks downstairs or I guess you can brew coffee in the apartment, I just don't make any because I don't drink it.
10. Hair dryer and curling iron are provided here. So is soap and shampoo/conditioner.
11. The maid comes on Wednesday, make sure you're out of bed so she can change the sheets.
12. I have a laptop in the apartment so you don't need to bring one if you don't want to. You can skype and check your e-mail from this one.
I welcome guests and encourage them I just wanted everyone to know what's available and what works.
The door is open, make your reservations.
QOB - "Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them."
Baron de Montesquieu
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Spring Break!!!!!
There is nothing significant about the Middle East in this post, but it's about what I did on my spring break.....I flew and flew and flew. I had scheduled two coaching certification classes one in Las Vegas and one in NYC (Brooklyn to be exact) for consecutive weekends leaving me about 4 days in between to find something to do with myself or someone else.
So I departed Abu Dhabi at 10:30am on March 17th, flew 8 time zones (7000 miles, 14.5 hours) west to JFK in NYC, two hour layover and then grabbed my flight to Las Vegas which was another 3 time zones and about 5 hours. Landed in Vegas about 11:00pm on Thursday night. Who's plan was this anyway?
While in Vegas I attended class all weekend and got to see my youngest brother Keith who lives there.
Finished in Vegas on Sunday evening and headed to the airport at 5:00am Monday for my flight to Honolulu which was another 3 time zones west and about 3000 miles. Courtney (daughter #2) was spending spring break at my friend's home on Oahu so I had a place to go. Got to Honolulu and my friend Elizabeth picked me up at the airport and we simply waited another 90 minutes until Courtney landed and we headed to the Schowalter's for the next 3 days.
Court and I headed out on Tuesday and were able 
to spend some quality time together driving around Oahu, stopping for photo op's...
to spend some quality time together driving around Oahu, stopping for photo op's...climbing Diamond Head, oh look a photo of us at the top of the extinct crater:
Diamond Head requires a pretty long walk up paved paths, dirt and rock trails, 99 steps, a dark tunnel, a circular staircase and finally a climb out through a somewhat narrow opening in an old concrete bunker.
After the climb we headed west to show her where I lived when I was stationed at Schofield Barrack's back in the mid 80's. A quick stop to point out a non-descript condo in a non-descript development in Makakilo then it was heading further west to Makaha Beach, a favorite Saturday afternoon relaxation location for me back in the 80's. Here's a shot of us out there.
There appears to be a lot of glare of my head.
Day two, Wednesday, found us heading west and north to check out the waves on the north shore and some of the most famous surfing beaches in the world. We also got pretty close to Chinaman's Hat, which is actually visible from the Schowalter's home, but we drove by so thought we'd get a photo too.
After Chinaman's Hat it was a quick stop at Sunset Beach for a photo, with the waves crashing in behind her. She is probably wearing the only Dead 2 Red Relay shirt in the United States. 
From there it was past Waimea Bay and on to Haleiwa for lunch and walks through some art galleries. Courtney is an artist and we got a chance to look at some great work by local artists after a great Chicken Teriyaki sandwich at the Kua Aina Sandwich Shop, a place I frequented as did many of my guests back in the 80's. Finally it was back to the Schowalter's for a third dinner with them and a chance for me to pack since I was off early Thursday morning on an 8:00am flight.
Back to Vegas for a one night layover where I got to take my brother out to dinner again and early the next morning (Friday for those keeping track) hopped on a plane at 8:00 am heading back to JFK. Grabbed a cab to my class in Brooklyn which went from 5:30pm - 10:00pm on Friday, 8:00am - 9:00pm on Saturday and 8:00am - 4:00pm on Sunday. Finished class and headed to the airport to catch the 10:50pm flight out of JFK back home to Abu Dhabi, where I arrived 13 hours later.
12 days, 28 time zones (14 out and 14 back), 26,000 miles and when I got back I had no jet lag. I went to bed on Monday night at midnight and woke up at 7:00am Tuesday. I got to see friends, my baby brother and Courtney, the Courtmeister, The Best daughter as she is known in the family as opposed to her sister's who are The Smartest and the Favorite.
It was a whirlwind trip, but well worth it. When you can mix business with pleasure you're lucky.
QOB: "The most interesting thing about being a parent is being witness and supporting what they already are. It's standing there in awe. You get to be the one on the sidelines clapping."
This comes from the talented actress Jodie Foster and my time with Courtney reminded of how I feel about all three of my daughters. They already have me clapping and I'll get to do it for the rest of my life. Thanks girls.
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