An Unforgettable Invitation from Dubai

It's my first time to go to Dubai.  The country does not hold much interest to me because I was deathly afraid of a culture I do not understand.  But then, I got an invitation from Abdulla J M Kalban to attend the 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic. So, like any ordinary person, how can I say NO to a freebie like this.

I did not know what to expect as I boarded the Singapore Airlines going to Dubai.  But when I reached their immigration, I was dumbfounded as I saw for the first time the Arabs wearing their traditional dress.  I only saw them in my TinTin comics, and they always played the villain there, so I was afraid once again. But I cannot deny the fact that they have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen.  Soulful eyes, simply breathtaking!  I just wondered what was beneath their white garb.

We were greeted by a hospitality girl assigned especially for us at the very doors of the aircraft.   She saw to it that we breezed through the immigration with minimal efforts.   We were then driven to our hotel, Al Qasr Hotel, which means "The Palace" and is the summer home of the Sheik.  It is one of the hotels in Madinat Jumeirah.

 http://www.jumeirah.com/hotels-and-resorts/Destinations/Dubai/Madinat-Jumeirah/Al-Qasr-Hotel/

The villa is so beautiful, very very spacious.  The hotel has its own boats to bring  you from one place to another, if that isn't spacious I don't know what is.  The hotel boasts of 44 restaurants and we are given an unlimited credit to the restaurants 24/7.

One of the restaurants I went to is Pierchic.  It is an award-winning restaurant that serves seafood with the beautiful view of the Gulf.  The restaurant is actually situated in the middle of the Gulf.  So there's a walkway they built from the beach to the restaurant.  Former President GMA dined in this same restaurant when she visited Dubai.  (The Filipino waiters shared me this news, else I was not interested with any news from GMA)

Pierchic

                                     So, how do they fare?  Hmmm....  if I were to give an award to this restaurant, I would give it top awards for location.  Aside from that, I don't see its difference with our own fancy dining places in Manila.

my breakfast table for 8 days

One of the joys is their breakfast.  It is nowhere near our lavish breakfast buffets here in Manila, but the selection is something to behold.  They have fresh blueberry smoothies, fresh raspberry juice, fresh strawberry juice, etc.  I truly enjoy fresh fruit juices and smoothies in the morning.  It makes a world of difference to me.  And having to eat breakfast beside the swimming pool is very relaxing for me.  Not much people opt for this restaurant for breakfast because the selections are fewer.  But for me, this would do.  This definitely would do.




But my most unforgettable food in this whole place was the humble cafe beside the beach.  It is because they served me such a great Caesar Salad.  See the Jumbo Shrimps with my Caesar Salad?  that was spontaneous.  When I ordered Caesar Salad, the waiter asked "do you want to order a main course to be served after your caesar salad?"  I answered, "No, I just want a light fare today."  And he said "well, if you aren't ordering anything else, maybe you want something to add to your caesar salad."  And I replied "Given the choice, I would choose Prawns to be added to my caesar salad, but you don't have to do that if it's any trouble."  And the waiter assured me it's no trouble at all.  The result was the picture below.  Awesome!  Simply Ultra Delicious! The sauce was very airy and light.  It did not dampen the crunchiness of the lettuce at all.  And the prawns were so fresh.  And fresh seafood is everything in a dish.  Their croutons were a bit larger than usual but it only highlighted the garlicky butter that was generously applied to it.

Filipinos are known for its hospitality.  But the Arabs re-defined it for me. Upon arriving the hotel, they welcome us with a beautiful gift of a pocket TV.   And every meeting I attended would mean another gift bag.   Hotel staff are always ready to assist me in any matter.  They don't just smile at me, they actually help me out till I solve my problem.  Once, I got lost in the hotel, and I was just asking a hotel staff passing by, if I should turn right or left, and she accompanied me all the way to my room.  And that was a long way from where I was, so I truly appreciated their sincere help.   Now, that is premium service!

I love their beach.   They see to your every comfort at every turn.  If it's too hot, they give you ice, offer you cold fresh juices, change the towels.  This is the first time I encountered a hotel staff that actually anticipate your every need.  And it's such a huge hotel.  It rankles my brain on how HR manage to instill in the hotel staff this kind of service.  

Burj al Arab Hotel, with Pierchic and the beach

Our hotel is located 5 minutes away from Burj al Arab, the 7 star hotel in Dubai.  We actually share the same beach as the guests of this hotel.  I wish I took the time out to visit this hotel, but I didn't.  I'm just not too interested to see a 7 star hotel.  I'd rather lie down in this beach and read a book while sipping my cold cold juice.

The rest of the days were filled up with interesting activities such as horse racing at Al Meydan Race Course, that included a sumptuous dinner buffet, with champagne, a desert safari adventure in a 4X4 with dinner in a Bedouin-style camp that has a very enticing belly dancer showing us her talents, and an Arabian-themed evening at Dolphin Bay (Atlantis The Palm) with a bevy of belly dancers and an Arabian buffet dinner.  I didn't even bother to check the buffet before getting my choice of food.  It was just too many.  My feet would get swollen before I finish making my rounds.  So I just picked up a plate, and get what I found interesting.  To complete the Arabian-themed dinner, they provided all of us with an Arabian dress to put us all in the mood for an Arabian night.   Camels were abound and belly dancers were everywhere to entertain us.  My seatmates who hailed from Hong Kong and are respected suppliers of coal, turned into silly schoolboys upon meeting the half-dressed belly dancers.

Look what I found in the desert?  

Dubai is an eye-sore for car lovers.  Beautiful sexy women that you only see in James Bond movies are found here on a daily basis.  Standing at the lobby, I felt like Im in the middle of a Hollywood movie.  Surely, I would wake up soon enough.

I'm very thankful for the hospitality that our Arab friends have shown us.  It was surely beyond any of our expectations.  But what touched my heart the most was when I talked to our fellow compatriots in this country and I learned that their Arab employers shoulder their children's tuition fees, provided them a decent house and a generous salary with a good pension plan.  Now, that's what I call "world-class".

10 Common Mistakes of Wives

1.  Stop treating your husband like your kids.
   
    Your husbands are your partners, not your children.  You met them as adults with their own set of behavior and way of thinking.  It’s a common mistake for wives trying to mold their husbands to persons they aspire for.  When a wife becomes a mother, it is easy to fall into the role of a mother to everyone.  Have the conscious effort to accept the individual traits of your husband and stop yourself from teaching him good manners and attitude all the time.   This can be very irritating if done all the time.


2.   Refrain from testing your husband's fidelity.


      One Valentine’s Day, a friend invited me to go to Rockwell.  And over lunch, she excitedly relate to me how she sent flowers to her husband’s office bearing an anonymous note.  (she has never been introduced to the office staff of her husband)  I didn’t share her enthusiasm.  It smelled trouble for me.  True enough, the husband called and in an irritated voice said “What’s your big idea of sending me flowers here anonymously?!  What are you trying to prove?! “  It broke my heart to see my friend’s face with such pain.  No one wanted to be tested.  And if you really have to do this, try to be more creative than sending flowers anonymously to your husband’s office.  


3.  Don't shame your husband in public.


     If you have issues , please keep them inside the four corners of your bedroom.  A wife who washes the dirty linen in public shames a husband because it shows how the husband fails to control the temper and behavior of his wife. The Philippines is a matriarchal society.  However in formal functions, the husband is still the head of the family and he needs to be able to keep everyone in line, at least in front of everyone else.   Can you imagine if the boss sees you reprimanding your husband?  It would undermine his respect and doubt his management abilities.  How can he be trusted in managing a team if he cannot even control his wife?


4.  Control your expectations for grand gestures.


    We know how husbands are during courtship.  Anniversaries would mean a bouquet of roses, a trip out of town and a beautiful gift.  Now, if you have a husband who is able to continue such gestures, congratulations to you.  But the rest of them are merely human.  It’s hard to keep having grand gestures to every holiday in the calendar, while managing a successful career and being father to your kids.  I have a friend who has the habit of placing all the out of town trips and gifts and romantic dinners of her husband for their monthsaries (anniversaries done every month).  Most of our girlfriends look at their pictures with such envy.  When I told my sister about this, she said “That’s the first couple to go on their separate ways.  It’s very hard to keep up the expectations of such a girl.” True enough, after two years, their marriage is heading towards splitsville


5.  Be prudent with his money.


    A woman who knows how to manage her husband’s money is truly a treasure to behold.  Most men court women who are beautiful and sexy.  They bring you to the altar when you are a bitch in bed.  But only a wise man would make sure the woman is good in handling money before making her the mother of his kids.  Since men possess two heads, they sometimes forget that getting a wife is like getting a business partner.  But money is an integral part of managing family.  You need to do budgets and still ensure that kids are sent to school and are eating right.  Credit card bills must be a reasonable percentage with the salary of your husband.  Everyone cannot marry an accountant (more‘s the pity), but a bit of prudence on the woman’s part will go a long way in the hearts of your men.  It shows you care enough to control your urges to shop for a new bag when you have dozens in your closet.  However, if the man is as rich as Croesus, then you can skip this part of the list.  


6.  Stop the nags.


    The next time you open your mouth, think first.  Process it through your brain if it’s really necessary to comment on his long overdued promotion, or his choice of friends or his choice of tie, day in and day out.   Second, would it really make any difference if you keep harping the same issues on a regular basis ,or are you doing this merely out of habit ?    Always remember that you are two very different individuals with different lives before you married each other.  He has those set of friends before he met you.  You think he is not bringing home enough bacon for the family?  Well, nobody  feels that more than him.   And the next time you want to play dress-up, just buy a fucking doll. 


7.  Treat your husband like you would treat your bestfriend.


     Husbands are not merely there to carry the big luggage, to change the bulbs, or to provide the cash when you shop.  It is so easy to fall into a pattern when you live with a person.  But we have to remind ourselves that they are people too who have feelings and they need to feel wanted, cared for and appreciated.  Treat them like your best girlfriend.  Love them without trying to control their lives.  Be open to them about what you think but deliver them nicely.   


8.  Stop digging up the past.


     My sister-in-law and her husband have migrated to the U.S. in the 90’s.  One time, my sister-in-law came to the Philippines for a visit that lasted for months.  When she came back, the husband greeted her with the news that he got another girl pregnant.  That is very painful. The husband was very very sorry of his momentary weakness but declared that his one true love is my sister-in-law.  They have kissed and made up.  But my sister-in-law never forgot his only lapse of infidelity.  For ten years, she would always bring up this old issue.  Finally, the husband got fed up and left the house.  He said he just can’t live another ten years with this old issue.   


9.  Get a grip on your jealous streaks.


    Women are often jealous creatures.  How our tempers rise with just an inkling of an affair.  But sometimes, things get out of hand.  And a simple friendly gesture becomes a flirtatious move?  And too much of jealous outbursts can be frustrating to your husband.   Just remember this, if your husband is having an affair, a real one, you would know.  And you cannot stop it because he will find ways to do it.  They are not mindless creatures.  They would do what they want to do.  Unless you are willing to divorce him on this issue or keep him in Rapunzel’s tower. 


10.  Don't try to account for all your husband's time.


      A friend demands that her husband comes home at precisely 5:30pm.  The husband works as an executive assistant to the president of a local bank.  When the husband gets home later than 5:30pm , my friend would deliver a verbal bashing that would shame Annabel Rama.  During weekends, the husband is fond of going for a round of basketball with friends.  So one day, my friend decided to just cut his jersey in bits of pieces.  This is a   perfect recipe for driving your husband in the arms of another woman.  He is not a robot who exists merely to deliver the cash, play father to your kids and anticipate your every need.  He is  a man who has diverse interests, who needs his own quality time and who is answerable to his demanding boss. 

Research in Motion (RIMM): A Speculative Stock for the Speculative Trader

After weeks of waiting for my E*trade account to be activated, I finally got the go-signal to trade last friday.  And nothing , absolutely nothing, can take me away from my laptop and do a trade.  

My first trade was the blackberry-maker, Research in Motion (RIMM).  Because it was my first time to use the E*Trade platform, it took me some time before I got the hang of buying stocks there.  So it was around past 10PM Manila time when I finally bid for RIMM at $14.05.  

I knew from the start that this is a speculative trade.   They have a shrinking market share,  lower than expected low earnings, significant inventory write-downs , and the list goes on.  In the midst of the mass resignation of the top brass in that company, they got a new CEO, Thorsten Heins,  who promises to make strategic decisions over the course of the year to respond to the company's continued decline in sales, and one of those options is selling the company or part of it to another company.   RIMM attracted many suitors.  And why not?  The company has 75 million users and garners 17% of the market share.  Its Blackberry is still considered a premium product among the corporate market.  I mean, no less than the US President is using it.   And this is an attractive stock at this point, having a P/E ratio of around 4 , when industry average is around 26.  This stock is trading almost at the low end of their 52-week range.   But what set this stock price to soar up last Friday was the rumor of a buyout.  

As for me, I continue to be in the dark.  The market appreciated that the new CEO is addressing the company's problems head-on but what is glaring to me is the lack of specific strategic plans in his announcement.  He merely discussed their desire to do a review and make strategic decisions but in what direction....  that is anyone's guess.   It's as if his pronouncement opened a can of worms.  And when the public realizes their lack of specific answers to real problems , the future does look bleak for this company.   So, if I were Heins, I think it is time he comes up with real solutions to their problems and minimize the uncertainty of the future of this firm, before the public wizens up.