Sandier Pastures

I am 12 chapters ahead since the last time I touched the HP book last night before I slept. Wow, 10 more chapters excluding the last “unnumbered ending chapter” and I am done.

Don’t worry, I will not be spilling any spoilers here.

I hope to finish the book tonight or maybe tomorrow afternoon while I wait for my mother to come back from her trip to Muscat, Oman. Changes have been made for her visa run* and instead of all of us going to the UAE-Oman border at Hatta, my mother has to board the plane alone, go to Muscat and then come back within 2 hours. She has to physically leave UAE to get another 60 days visa as her application for residency was denied last week.

So tomorrow afternoon, while I wait for her to board the plane and then come back from Oman, I will be reading the book and hoping not to read it too fast and find myself bored inside the airport.

* Visa run - leaving the UAE by driving through the border or getting a quick flight out to neighbouring Doha or Muscat and re-entering Dubai on a new visit visa, which is valid for 60 days.

The Carnival of Family Life is up at An Island Life. This week’s host, Kailani has done an awesome job! There were so many entries for this week and sorting all that out is one thing and another to categorize each of them!

I am now officially nervous and pressured to host this carnival for the first time by the end of August!

Next, go to the Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe for the latest issue of The Carnival of Cities where I submitted an entry to tell the people from other cities that some pile of bricks in Dubai has become the world’s tallest.

* Lastly, I just feel like spotlighting someone today *

I go to Stacey’s blog to travel for free. She takes me to places without having me board the plane and be absent from work. She has travelled to almost all corners on Earth. Check out The Travels of Stacey and see the places she’s been to. Wonderful pictures and great stories to tell every time. Be sure to check out her right side bar for the list of places she’s been. You’ll be very impressed, as I am.

I made a big leap from Chapter 3 yesterday by eating my lunch for less than 10 minutes and reading for the rest of my one hour lunch break.

Spent about an hour reading last night and then again on lunch break today - in the dark. Lights come off at lunch, to conserve electricity. I would be happier if they lowered the a/c setting and just left some of the lights on.

Anyway, it looks like I am 1/3 of my way to finishing the last book. A couple more days of reading time in between normal living and I’ll know the fate of Harry and his friends.

Basically one chapter at a time with breaks in between would not possible to finish a 600+ pages book in 10 hours! Who was I kidding?

Maybe non-stop 10 hours would stand a chance but to combine reading and normal living is harder than I thought it would be.

But of course I am determined to finish it before the week ends, I can’t stand seeing it within my reach and not reading it. My daughter asked me last night what is the thick hard book all about. When I told her it’s Harry Potter, she inquisitively asked for it and skimmed through the pages. Words, words and all words…! at least the US version had some illustration/sketches on it. She gave it back to me and told me she’ll borrow it when she can read. Right.

After the lights were off and I could hear Pristine’s soft snore, I switched places with M to have access to the bedside lamp. Opened the HP book once again, rubbed my eyes and readied my guts. After 5 minutes, I surrendered to the temptation of my pillow.

It feels funny to sleep on the wrong side of the bed. Literally! I am so sleepy today not because I had an all-night reading (although I wish I did) but because I kept on tossing and turning last night. That side of the bed wasn’t just right. Sue me but I can’t even sleep if I am not using my own pillow!

He finally gave in. After all those days of prodding, threats and some drama, the house accountant took me to Magrudy’s and handed me some cash to buy:

Just so you know I actually have the copy, I included my hand in the picture!

So no more closing blogs that discuss the fate of Harry and his friends. No more feeling envious towards people who has the book. Time for some good reading has come. Give me at least 10 hours and I will be back with the review.

This week’s theme: Creative

This is Pristine, my 3.5 year old daughter proudly pointing her first work of art. I am so glad she painted smileys and not monsters! Photo taken June 2007.

I went to the immigration department this week regarding my mom’s visa application. I have lots to moan but while I am gathering my senses and trying to keep my cool, here’s the original moaning meme:

5 people who will be annoyed you tagged them:

Sorry, I am not going to put anyone here. Annoyed or not annoyed with this meme, if you like to do it, fire away!

4 things that should go into room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth:

• Mosquitoes - this is not a thing but should be removed from the face of the earth nonethelessly. From my science/biology classes, EVERY single  creature is part of the circle of life. I just don’t get the function of the mosquito on earth - to spread disease and reduce the population?

• Cigarettes - Killing you and your pocket in one stick. It burns your money and toasts your lungs.

• Cancer - because I hate to see people losing the battle. We are supposed to be the highest form of God’s creation yet the cure to cancer is yet to be found.

• Religion Fanatics - the kind that promotes martyrdom (suicide bombers) as a way to happiness. They should test their happiness device far away from anyone else.

3 things that people do that makes you want to shake them violently:

• Racism and all forms of discrimination -  Whoever made up the rule that the lighter your skin is, the better you are?

• Asking a question before searching Google! - I mean, isn’t obvious already? You ask, Google answers!

• Parents hitting their children - If you don’t like your kids and on the verge of killing them, give them up for adoption. This might be a very blunt opinion but I am tired of news with parents killing their children, deliberately or not. There are so many people wanting to have children and can provide them the love and care they truly deserve.

 2 things you find yourself moaning about:

• Heat and humidity - Averaging from lows of 35C to highs of 47C with a stunning humidity of 70%. Now, even Superman can’t stand that!

• Immigration Bureaucracy - I detest to be at the mercy of these people and feel like a criminal everytime my feet takes me to their office entrance.

1 thing the above answers tell you about yourself:

• I need a vacation where there are no smokers, mosquitoes, strict visa rules to prevent me from being with my loved ones and with less heat, if possible.

RULES

• Link to the original meme at freelancecynic.com so people know what it’s all about!
• Be as honest as possible, This is about letting people get to know the real you!
• Try not to insult anyone - unless they really deserve it or are very, very ugly!
• Post these rules at the end of every meme!

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY I WANT ANOTHER CHILD

• I grew up in a large family. I have 4 brothers and 1 sister. So much fun.

• Large family is riot but I love children’s laughter.

• The more, the merrier.

• I think I have so much love to give.

• The thought of possibly getting pregnant with twins excites me. My grandmother has a twin and I hear it runs in families?

• It would be a blast for my daughter to have a playmate/playmates right in the comfort of our own home.

• It’s great to see people with the same family name having different personalities!

• All the baby stuff I keep at home should be put to use.

• I love the smell of babies.

• Pristine is asking me a million times why she is alone and it’s better to provide physical evidence.

• I want to know if the labor and delivery the second time around would be easier as they all say. (I have 40 hours of labor under my belt.)

• I don’t want Pristine to go through the roughest time alone like in case both us parents die young. Knock on wood!!

• Lastly, I think it’s my obligation as a parent to give my only daughter a company.

Summing it up:

They pretended to accept my application and asked me to wait for a week. Told me they call. That’s a progress after being denied so many times.

No calls at all. I went there again to follow-up after 7 days. As expected, ho-hum…

It’s not ready. Wait again for a week. They never run out of tomorrows or next weeks…

One week has passed, off I go again, sacrificing my time at work and blogging. Don’t even mention the heat and the dead cold office and the migraine in between.

My number was called. Application returned. REFUSED. What!? because my father is still living (I told you they want him dead). Haven’t we passed through this!??

Was told to see this so-and-so person for appeal. Begged for mercy Tried to be as diplomatic and possible. REFUSED. DENIED. “But sir, if my mother is not here, I will not be able to work.”

Two words: “Then leave.”

The only option I got is to get a new visit visa for mom. We need to exit to Oman, drive through the border and take a u-turn. Need to do it THIS weekend, have to follow the signs that says “Hatta Fort” or “Oman”, or follow the camel trails.

Spent hefty amount for the new visa. As of last week, new visa cost tripled. They are literally robbing the foreigners. Some no tax BS huh.

I am poorer by more than a thousand dirhams because of the broken promises. And I don’t even have my Harry Potter book YET.

Extremely hot and humid temperature continues today. I can’t imagine how it is to walk for more than 2 minutes outside. Imagine how it would be for my mother and my young daughter to be spending time at home with this heat - without a/c!!!

No, my mom didn’t turn the a/c off deliberately. There was an inexplicable power shutdown of some sorts in our area or just in our building(?) this morning.

My mother sent me an sms to tell me that they are on the building ground floor because they could not bear the heat inside our flat. We have no electric fans and completely reliant on the centralized airconditioning of the building.

Goodness, they can’t even escape the heat inside the building by going out. They’d be toasted outside.

She sent the first sms at 7:38 a.m….and the time I discovered it? Just a few minutes ago and it is already nearing 12 noon (hottest time of the day)!! What have I done!

Damn this Nokia phone I have! The incoming messages were not getting through because my freakin’ mailbox is full. Full as in what, 30 messages?? I hate this phone or at least I hate the low class Nokia phone. Frankly I am not used to using my own phone and so not used to being concious of mailbox capacity as my previous phone’s capacity is almost limitless. Too bad I can’t use the unit here.

M will be picking up my mom and Pristine from our building and send them to some place temperature controlled. Duh, where else but to the mall!!