I don’t know what goes on inside these houses but I see lighted up houses in my neighborhood from time to time. Since we don’t have any Arab/local friends, I don’t have any idea.

What do you think?

My husband and I are driving with the utmost caution at all times but we are still scared. We trust our own driving but what about the other drivers around us? The news says radars in Dubai spotted more than 300,000 traffic violations in just 3 months.

Simple computation would make that, on the average, 3,333 traffic offences including speeding and jumping red lights made in ONE single day!

I am speechless.

I never hated Will Smith, in fact, I loved the guy in Men in Black and Enemy of the State. Amazing how publicity can really trick movie goers/DVD renters! The movie I am Legend is to date, the most boring movie I have ever seen! I rarely have time to see a movie and now this!?

I wish I spent my time sleeping rather than staying awake late at night going through the boring and dragging details of the movie and explaining to our underaged daughter that all the bang-bang in the movie is not good, there’s no living dead in real life, it’s just a movie, all those parental guidance blahs.

******

The other DVD we saw last weekend was Enchanted. It was played in our house for four times at the span of 6 hours. Straight. One can’t get enough of Patrick Dempsey Disney, right?

We adore the movie. By the word “we”, I meant the girl population in our home. Me, Pristine and my mother. The lone man (M) went in hiding and shut the door.

I highly recommend the movie. A very welcoming respite from the I am Legend freak show. It’s like eating heavenly ice cream after a very bad main dish that caused gastric pain. We love the songs, the story, everything. Highly recommended if you have a little princess in  your house or if you are a Patrick Dempsey fan. I was not a fan of Patrick Dempsey until this movie - don’t mention Grey’s Anatomy because we have no TV and I haven’t seen any episode of that show.

It’s a great enchanting family film you should watch.

This week’s theme: What is that!?

You take a guess in the comments! No prize up for grabs though. I’ll just put all your guesses (and link to you) on this post.

Robin, Maribeth, Addie and Donetta all guessed CORRECTLY that this is inside a hotel. Betty, however was spot on, as this was taken inside the Burj Al Arab hotel!

75 words

*****

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my father, who’s typing skills is truly inspirational - he types as fast and on the typewriter when I was younger.

During the past twelve months, I have posted random topics about:

1. Reasons to love Dubai, although at this time of the year, there’s nothing to love about the heat and humidity! As of this writing, it’s 45C outside with 60% humidity!

2.  How did you arrive on this blog? 13 keywords that brought readers to Sandier Pastures were interesting.

3. I never knew dates (the fruit) until I relocated to the Middle East. Writing about Date Facts were educational for me as well.

4. On some days I don’t have any other idea what to post but don’t want to miss writing for Thursday Thirteen, I post about my favorite scents.

5. Or yak about the veggies in my salad bowl.

6. Living in Dubai provides a lot of writing opportunity - the things I see in the beach made up a good Thursday Thirteen list.

7. How do you know Dubai? This is not a typical Arab country so I posted about the misconceptions about Dubai.

8. When I’m totally clueless (happens from time to time), I grab random interesting facts from the net. Have you seen square watermelons?

9. I’ve lived in Japan for more than 10 years before relocating to Dubai so I’ve listed the signs Part 1 & Part 2 that tell one have been living in Japan too long.

10. On a random date, I posted about the events that happened in November 22.

11. I also posted photos of our great desert adventure.

12. I loves quotes and these motherhood quotes melt my heart.

13. Lastly, not entirely unrelated to Dubai, the 2 cows and a system post is one of my favorites!

Here’s to another year of Thursday Thirteen!

Even a hired limo gets stuck in traffic! I spotted this loong car while waiting for the bus to take me home a couple of days back.

We had a dry heat here yesterday afternoon. Some parts of the Emirates registered 52C at midday. However, the humidity was low but with accompanying wind. Just imagine having a hair dryer aimed straight at your face! Dry heat spells are going to continue for the next days but I’m glad I won’t have to take the bus again.

Anyway, it’s only 14 more working days before my vacation (I only have Fridays off). Can’t wait to get out of here (even for just a month).

The word hot probably wouldn’t come as a surprise when talking about Dubai in summer but today, the mercury hit 51C (124F)! Outside, people are rushing from one airconditioned building to another. Within seconds, my back was wet with sweat. No doubt, today is the hottest day since summer started and too bad I had to take the bus today as M is on an urgent errand for work and in the other side of the city!

I wonder how hot is hot later at 6 pm. It would be a little bearable since the sun has almost set but still, the 50%humidity is still there. Let’s hope the bus comes fast and that I’ll be able to get on it without wrestling through other passengers in the afternoon rush nightmare.

The news of the woman arrested and probably facing as much as six years of jail time for having sex on the beach must have reached you now. No? I even read it sensationalized in Perez Hilton, a Hollywood gossip page.

As the news said, the woman who’s smiling photograph and real name is displayed in The Sun, is charged for the following:

• Drinking alcohol in public
• Caught drunk in public
• Having sex in public
• …with a man not her husband (I suppose it’s half ok if it’s your husband? Just kidding)
• Verbally assaulting a police officer who reprimanded her by calling him, “f****** Muslim **** “
• Physically assaulting the same cop with her high-heeled shoe (she was wearing shoes while having sex?)

I’ve read comments like, “Don’t go to Dubai because of its backward, traditional, stone-age rules”, or “Beware, you’ll get charged for having sex in public in Dubai”.

Having lived here for almost two years now, I find that the mentality towards foreigners in the Emirates, most especially Dubai is very relaxed, forward thinking, progressive and accepting. Remember, the policeman warned them the first time and yet they continued to have a second round! 

Doing the act in public is a crime not only here but in any Western country as well. Not? Having it in public (plus hitting a police officer) is just plain ignorance and appalling disrespect, regardless of wherever country you are!