Gym and Swim

I went to the gym today...after solat Asar.....I was so bored....at least, 20 minutes on the bike, and a few minutes here and there, took my mind out of the boredom. I met 3 guys playing a the pool table....yeah, turned out they were Malaysians....2 of them....the other one is their colleague a Filipino. They live on the 6th floor.....they are on a four-month contract working for a Hitachi sub-con at the Burj Dubai....the next sensation in Dubai....at 160-floor high....it's gonna be the tallest building in the world.....but still the actual height is kept as a secret....

Then, I call up Amin and went to the swimming pool to take a dip.....what a wonderful view of the New Dubai from the rooftop swimming....We met the guys again at swimming pool a had a lengthy chat about work and about life in Dubai....It's good to meet other Malaysians once i while.....

The New Dubai....on the right-center is the Burj Dubai (the Tower of Dubai)

The Al-Karama Walk

I just couldn't believe it......Amin as well I'm sure.....When Venkat dropped us just in front of LuLu Supermarket in Al-Karama.....we decided to take a cab home.....Saurav suggested that as well.

But I talked Amin in walking home.....and walk home we did.....I guess it's almost 4km from Al-Karama area to Al-Raffa area where we live. Here we were....two Malaysian guys, doing the unthinkable.....walking in the middle of the night....with our knap-sack on our bags.....

Maybe we had proven a point.....Dubai is safe.....well you should be weary about the traffic though......but other than that....it's safe.....

We were about to cross the Al-Mankhool....a main street that borders the Al-Raffa and the Al-Mankhool communities.....when we saw a Burger King sign.....after a meal that cost almost Dhs25 each....we continued home....It turned out that the joint's just a few minute's walk from our apartment building.....now we have more options for a decent meal....Amin even took the home delivery number....just in case....hehehe....

We got into the elevator...and I got out at my floor...enter the apartment and found out that Shanawaz has not fixed my stove yet.....well, I was already full....maybe he'll finish it tomorrow.....

A Botched Plan

I got off work at 630pm.....thinking tonite is the nite.....to start cooking....Shanawaz the maintenance guys had agreed to fix my stove yesterday when he came to break the door lock....(I left the keys at the office and the mgmt office didn't keep a spare....how nice...hhhmmm)

I stopped by a grocery store to buy a loaf of bread and some cheese....to make my famous omelette sandwich....and I found this on the partially dismantled stove.....

A Post-it note at the edge of the stove....that reads......

Well....there goes another noble plan.....hehehehe.....and the conclusion is.....the ever-loyal MAGGI.....hehehe......

Maybe tomorrow.....I had told Amin that I'm gonna buy a chicken tomorrow at the Speedex.....so, we'll having chicken tomorrow, hopefully....if the stove's fixed.....If not....we might settle for the Al-Ismaily delicacies or some Shawarma....(by far Amin's favorite Dubai food).....

My Own Place At Last....

Thank to Amin....I have an internet connection at home at last....He just got his wireless internet installed by the Etisalat guys this morning.....We agreed to split the bills 50-50.....

Actually....I have other things to be installed in the house.....or flat as they call it here. I need to install the outstation calls....the in-house telephone can only call Dubai landlines.....no mobile or international calls.....and cable TV for entertainment....at least the ones that allow me to watch the Barclays Premier League games and for my kids to watch cartoons etc.

I bought a rice cooker this evening...at the Choitram Supermarket....an AED140 Black & Decker RC35....equipped with a steamer.....so that we can cook rice and steam something else at the same time.....I bought butter, some eggs and a beef mortadella (some kind of salami I think) for breakfast. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to work the stove.....maybe I'll ask Shanawaz the resident maintenance guy to teach me about it.

I'm settling in quite well now....Alhamdulillah.....at least I know my way around the area.....

A Malaysian Weekend

We had a dinner with some of our Malaysian friends in Dubai.....After getting off the coaster, Amin and I went straight to the Al-Khaleej Center....perform Isyak prayer led by an Indian with a really thick Indian accent (even when reciting the Takbir & Surahs)....

Then off we went to the Automatic Restaurant....a Lebanese restaurant. There we met Zakaria and his wife Nurul (they just arrived 2 days ago, according to Zakaria). Shortly after that, Putri and Sofia came....followed by Syed Nasir, Bro Yusuf, Azmi, Tang, Din & Sharif. Bro Ibrahim came af few minutes later.

They are the first Malaysians I met (aside from Amin) here in Dubai. We had a really hearty dinner.....I didn't even the names of all the food. Just after dinner, Zoe and Thiru arrived....Thiru just came back from Doha I think......

These are what we ate....13 of us....and look at the price

After that we went to another Lebanese restaurant just opposite Al-Khaleej....this time its supper....under the Dubai sky.....I didn't eat anything....just had ice lemon tea. I was so full from eating the dinner.

We talked about life in Dubai.....the veterans talked about their experience in Dubai.....Tang, told us about his experience of being an "illegal labor" when he first arrived in Dubai one and a half years ago.....courtesy of a "stinky" agent.....

We split at almost 230 in the morning....Amin and I just happened to pass by a brawl just outside the Imperial Suites Hotel......didn't know why.....but it was really a "free-for-all".....My guess is that somebody was not satisfied with somebody over a girl....because the Hotel is famous for its "meat" business (get it?).....

We get home at almost 3am....had shower and slept until about 9am....

We went to the Masjid for the Jumaat solat.....we met another group of Malaysians.....Suhaimi was bring his 3 friends who were on a business trip from Doha.....(Hhmm...when it rains, it pours).....I chanced upon Zakaria who happens to live in the nearby Richmond Hotel.....but didn't get to talk to him.....maybe he's on a rush as he left his wife alone at the hotel......

No other activities today....I plan to move to my own place downstairs but........maybe this afternoon or tomorrow morning....