Muscat X Dubai

Bungee Jumping In Dubai

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 15:44:00 +0000

I can finally say that I did it. I bungee jumped a couple of days back and I loved it. Bungee jumping is one the things in my to-do before you die list so you can imagine hoe excited I was.

Lucky for you, I have a video.

This was located at JBR, Dubai. It is part of Dubai Shopping Festival which is now over. It cost me 250 Dirhams and was worth every fils.

Have you done it before? What do you think about it?

Valentine's Party @ Alpha Club

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:39:00 +0000

Alpha Club is throwing a valentine's party on the 15th of February. When asked why the 15th and not the 14th, they explained that the 14th (valentine's day) is a more personal and intimate day - a day that you would spend having a nice dinner with your partner. And the day after, you party your brains out.

This way, you can either extend your valentines to the next day or, for those who did not get the privilege to enjoy valentines, to celebrate their singleness and go out hunting.

Tickets go for 100AED and 150AED if bought at the door. So here is the deal. I got very limited tickets that go for 75AED only!
These tickets are not widely spread and are mostly reserved for people who the organizer personally knows. I was able to convince him to give me a few to sell to you.

So call now for your tickets at 050 7113490 before they get sold out!

PS. I hope this deal makes up for my lack of posts in the last month.

Back With A PARTY!

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:52:00 +0000

Hello, hello. It has been a while hasn't it? O well, what can I say, life is... what can I say?

I guess I am going to repeat the same old thing that I always say when I don't Blog for a while and that is, I don't promise frequent posts but I will try to do the best that I can. Even though the last time I said that, I made no posts until this one and that was a month ago.

So what about the party, you ask?

Here is the deal, there is this valentine's party that will be happening soon in a club in Dubai and I am helping a friend organize it. And because of that, I can get you tickets cheaper than what you will get it in other places. Consider this as an apology gift or, a bribe for me to get away with not posting more frequently in the coming future.

Anyways, details on that will be put in a new post very soon (and I really do mean very soon). So stay tuned for that.

See you all soon.

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:12:00 +0000

MXD is soaked with things that it has to do and it apologizes for the inactivity for over a month. MXD is still alive and not dead, in case you are wondering. MXD still lives in Dubai and will bring you news and events directly from Dubai and the nabouring emirates some time in the near future.

Due to some circumstances, MXD will no longer promise you a fixed number of posts a week. It has tried that many times in the past but it always ended up being a broken promise. With all honesty, blogging is not a priority at this point of time but that also doesn't mean that value posts will not be added here from time to time.

MXD apologizes for the inconvenience and hopes for better things to come in the 2009.

P.S. By MXD, I mean me :p

UAE's 37th National Day

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:26:00 +0000

The UAE celebrates its National Day on the 2nd of December. I never knew this before because it never really mattered to me since I never lived in the UAE. But now, I do and I would love to be part of this great day even if by only greeting everyone on that occasion.

Last year, keeping with the UAE's tradition, the world's largest flag was raised up in the air in Abu Dhabi, the capital, for this occasion. The 50,000 square foot flag of the UAE was towed by helicopter above the Corniche. Based on what I read, the flag was visible up to 20 kilometers and it was moved around Abu Dhabi for everyone to get the chance to see it.

I don't have any information on what world record will be broken this year but all I know so far is that there is a series of events going on from a couple of days ago until a few days after the national day. These events involve walks, concerts and other various activities.

As much as I would like to be part of those events and maybe even document them for you, I am very much involved with my studies at the moment and I won't be able to. However, on the 2nd of December, even though I will be free from my studies, I have prior plans. Incase you forgot, I will be attending the Russell Peters show. Despite that, I will make sure that I let you know of any other broken records.

Again, congratulations, UAE, on your great and very proud day! It is amazing to look at the difference now and 37 years ago. Who would have thought then that the UAE would be one of the world's most talked about countries. I guess the leaders did and that's why you are where you are today.

SkyDubai

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:03:00 +0000

Say you are in Dubai and you want to do something a little different. You know how Dubai could be really beautiful during night - the city lights and that feeling of glamor. I happen to know the perfect way to experience that at full extent. And that's through SkyDubai.

SkyDubai is an air balloon located in Ibn Battuta Mall. The balloon goes up high enough for you to have a full view of the city (150 meters). No, it doesn't change locations, it is strapped down by a rope but it's definitely worth a visit.

Checkout this slide show of my visit:

This will cost you 60 Dirhams per head for about 15 minutes. Not too expensive for Dubai standards if you ask me.

PS. I would definitely recommend this for your first date.

The Most Expensive Launch In History

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:28:00 +0000

If you haven't heard of it, you must be living in a cave. Atlantis, The Palm has launched its opening by having the most expensive and largest party on the face of earth. And the main reason why it was so expensive is because it held a firework display 10 times larger than the Beijing Olympics' - which also happens to be the largest and most expensive firework display in history.

I was there to witness parts of it but I didn't have the privilege to take pictures or any video footage. Nonetheless, CNN had a live coverage of the event and I happened to find a video of that on Youtube.

click the play Button to watch video:

The event hosted a number of A-list celebrities such as Denzel Washington, Robert De Niro and Janet Jackson. It was the party of the century and it was held, if not predictably, in Dubai - land of the tallest, biggest and greatest of everything.

Think Outside The Bun

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:46:00 +0000

In case you don't know yet, the title of this post is Tacobell's slogan. And in case you don't know yet, Tacobell is in Dubai already.
With all honesty, I never knew about Tacobell until a week or two when it started being advertised. Many were ecstatic about it coming here and said good things about it.
I stumbled upon it while visiting Dubai Mall (the newly open largest mall in the world) and thought I had to try it after all I heard.

Usually after hearing a lot of good things about a certain something, I end up getting disappointed because it doesn't match my expectations. That wasn't the case with Tacobell.
Yes you guys, all of you who told me a lot about Tacobell and why I should be eagerly expecting it, you are all right. It is amazing. And the sauces offered with the tacos are delicious and hot like they are supposed to be.
Forget the fact that it is amazingly delicious, it is priced pretty well in comparison with the other fast-food joints.

One Taco will cost you 5 Dirham and with an additional 6 Dirham, you get a full meal that comes with a drink and either nachos or fries.

A pattern that I've always noticed in any food court that I've ever visited is that McDonald's is always the one to be packed with people and all of the others have less customers.
Look at at these two pictures taken at Dubai Mall:

It was about 2pm and I took these pictures at approximately the same time. I never seen this before. People are actually leaving McDees for something else. I wonder if this was just a coincidence or it will continue to happen.

The Land Of Concerts

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:53:00 +0000

I never knew how many concerts take place in the UAE until I actually came here. In Muscat, they hardly ever have any English singing artists come over for concerts even in the major festivals and I assumed that it is not much different in the UAE.

I will list a few concerts that will be taking place before the end of this year in the UAE, along with some details about it (tickets prices, concert timings, etc).

- Fergie Live in Dubai

Venue: Dubai Media City Date:14th November, 2008 Ticket Prices:
• 295 AED Silver
• 495 AED Gold
• 995 AED Platinum
Session Hour: 8pm

- Queen and Paul Rodgers Live in Dubai

Venue: Dubai Festival City Date: 14 November, 2008 Ticket Prices:
• AED 400
• AED 800
• 1500 AED
Session Hour: 9pm

- Kylie x2008

Venue: Dubai Festival CityDate: 21st November, 2008 Ticket Prices:
• AED195 Rimmel
• AED 395 Front Standing
• AED 595 Flank seating
• AED 695 Centre seating
• AED 995 Cage
Session Hour: 9pm

- George Michael and Alicia Keys Live in Abu Dhabi

Venue: Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi Date: 1st December, 2008 Ticket Prices:
• 995 AED
• 495 AED
• 195 AED
• 395 AED
• 295 AED
• 395 AED
• 395 AED
• 295 AED
• 395 AED
Session Hour: 8pm

- Simple Plan

Venue: Madinat Arena,Madinat Jumeirah Date: 5th December, 2008 Ticket Prices:
• AED 200 Regular
• AED 500 VIP Fan Pit
Session Hour: 9pm

- Maroon 5 "Live at The Palladium Dubai"

Venue: The Palladium, Dubai Media City
Date: 10th December, 2008 Ticket Prices:
• AED 295 - GAP Front Pit Standing
• AED 235 - GAP Regular Standing (SOLD OUT)
Session Hour: 9pm

To book your ticket online, visit www.boxofficeme.com.

Russell Peters In Dubai

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:19:00 +0000

You heard that right. He is coming to Dubai and I will sell my self to attend. Russell Peters is one of the most popular and most loved comedians in the world. Ironically, even though his jokes are mostly made towards Asians, he mostly popular and loved amongst them.

Here are some details about the event.

Start Time: 8:00pm, 1st December, 2008.
End Time: 9pm. 3rd December, 2008.
Venue: Madinat Arena, Dubai
Ticket Price: Are not out yet but last year, prices ranged from 100 Dirhams to 200.

Tickets are supposed to be out within the next 2 weeks. That will be announced in the comment section of this post. Stay tuned.

Why No Burger King?

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:19:00 +0000

I have to admit, one of the reasons why I was really excited to come to Dubai was because they have Burger King here. I know it sounds weird but I know that I am not the only one thinking this way. Many of my friends envied the fact that I am going to Dubai and what they had to say about it was: "Dude, you are so lucky. You can have Burger King everyday".
All of this may bring out the question: why don't we have Burger King back in Muscat and how do the people in Muscat know how good it is if they don't have one?

Once upon a time, back in the 90s, we had Burger King in Muscat and it was extremely popular. That used to be where my family and I go to every weekend to hangout and have dinner. Most birthday parties were held at Burger King. We all loved it - everyone I knew loved it. It was simply... perfect.
Then one day, out of the blues, for no apparent reason, Burger King was banished in Muscat. All of the branches were closed and up till today, they don't have permission to re-open. No reason was given as to why it was banned but rumors fled and everyone seemed to have a theory to why this crisis took place.
Some say that they have violated health regulations, some say that people died after having a meal there, others say that the owners of Burger King were not in good terms with the authorities but I can't make sure what the real reason was.

Now, I am in Dubai and I am enjoying it. I think after years and years of not having Burger King and years and years of fantasies of how Burger King would taste like got me a little disappointed after actually trying it again when I came here. You know how the mind tends to exaggerate reality. But no complaints.

There are more than 130 Burger King Branches in the GCC, 19 of which are in the UAE - 4 in Sharjah, 10 in Dubai, 4 in Abu Dhabi and one in Al Ain. This is a painful fact because it seems like Oman is the only one from the GCC that doesn't have Burger King. Just so that you know, Burger King in the UAE is owned by First Food Services LLC (UAE), under the management of Olayan Food Services (KSA). This fact also makes me wonder, why is KSA involved in almost anything fast-food?

So here are a few questions I would like us to discuss in the comments section:
   - Why was Burger King banned in Oman? (Theories, facts, ideas, etc)
   - Do you like Burger King? And do you enjoy the fact that they flame grill rather than fry their burgers?
   - How come Burger King is not getting as much publicity as McDonald's?
   - How come KSA is involved in the management of Burger King?
Please feel free to discuss whatever else related to Burger King.

Halloween In Dubai

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 11:08:00 +0000

Congratulations, everyone, on this new and exciting month - November. Don't you all just feel refreshed and ready to start strong? I know that people here in Dubai should feel slightly better than the people in Muscat due to the fact that it's a weekend today in Dubai but the first day of work in Muscat.

Yesterday, we celebrated Halloween. I never celebrated Halloween before because I can't remember Halloween being much of a fuss in Muscat. I am sure there are parties and all but it's different in Dubai. Or maybe it's just different because I am a college student and almost everyone in my college is from some other country and Halloween has always been part their culture.

For me, this was a reason to celebrate and so I did. Almost every night club in Dubai had the fright night theme for this occasion and if you walked on the streets or entered a convenient store after 3 am, you will find all sorts of funky characters looking wasted as hell fresh off the clubs.

I went to 'Chi@The Lodge' which is a very well-renowned night club in Dubai. The Lodge is a specious venue that hold four rooms. The inside of The Lodge, Chi, usually plays Hip-Hop, R&B and that sorts of music. For Halloween, Chi had fight night - 6pm to 10pm - and fright night - 10pm to 3pm.

I know that all of this information would have been great before the party actually happened and ended but that was the month of October and this is the month of November.

Bottom line is, since Dubai is so multi-cultural and very diverse, events such as Halloween will be taken more into consideration and will be looked at as more of a business potential than a place that is more localized like Muscat. I am sure Muscat had fun but I am also sure it was nowhere close from the fun we had here.

How was your Halloween?

Goals For November

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:52:00 +0000

October has been and still is a dead month in this Blog. I can go on and on - like I did many times before - about the reasons why I haven't been Blogging but I won't. Instead, I am going to do something a little bit more constructive. I am going to set a few goals that I would like to achieve in this Blog for the month of November. And there for, I will feel obligated to update it from time to time to meet these goals.

I won't leave October a blank month here. I will share some of what happened in October in the near future. The reason why I am not sharing it now is because it will seem like it's an excuse for not Blogging. I want to share them as experiences rather than excuses and the best way to do so is when talking about relevant topics.

Back to my goals for November. I will try to make them as simple and straight to the point as possible. Here goes:

- At least 3 posts per week.
- 30% of the number of posts published has to be Dubai related "news" which may include news from the media.
- More pictures.
- More facts and value.
- More focus on the topics suggested by readers.
- Faster response to comments.
- Deletion of all spam from the comments' section.

These are the goals put in a very plain and simple way. I don't think it could get anymore straight forward.

As much as this may seem simple and easy to achieve, I know I will be facing a very rough time. You will know why when you know what has happened during October. But now that I put it down in writing and you all are seeing it, it will also be harder not to try to achieve them.

I need your help in this. I get motivated by the comments that come in. And the more motivated I am, the more value I can offer you. So let's work together to make this happen. See you all in November!

Eid Mubarek

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:58:00 +0000

Congratulations on Eid, everyone!

The month of Ramdhan has went by so fast. I hardly even felt it. And this is the case every year with almost every Muslim. For some reason, if you fast during this month, it almost feels like it flies by quick.

And I have a theory to why that happens.

This is only my explanation and is only based on my experience so please don't take it too seriously.
In Ramadhan, during day, all you can think about is for the day to end so that you can start eating. And when the sun sets, all you think about is what you are eating and by the time you are done, it's already time for bed and there comes the next day.

I know that Ramadhan shouldn't be about food because it has a much deeper meaning than that but this is the case with many people I know.

So how is this post related to Muscat or Dubai?

It isn't really. I just wanted to greet you all for Eid but didn't want to create a short and weird looking post so I decided to throw in a couple of thoughts and theories. And I wanted to let you know that I am in Muscat for the holidays until the 4th.

What I am looking forward from Dubai now that Ramadhan is over is to finally start exploring the very infamous night-life. Let's see how that goes.

Krispy Kreme

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:47:00 +0000

Here is a fun one for you guys.
I never had a Krispy Kreme doughnut before because I don't think we have one in Muscat. When I said that to my friends, they thought I was kidding and said that I never ate a real doughnut until I actually had a Krispy Kreme.

So naturally, my curiosity got the best of me and I had one. And guess what...? I have it all on video!

This video was taken by my friends and I think it is hilarious. I look like an idiot but whatever!

What do you think of Krispy Kreme doughnuts?

I Can't Even Brush My Teath: Yet Another Excuse

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:21:00 +0000

I know that your are as tired as I am of me giving excuses in every post on why I don't post much. Trust me, I am starting to get irritated by the fact that I am doing that also.

I might have exaggerated the title a little by saying that I can't even brush my teeth because I can. All I meant was, I hardly have the time to do anything that is not university related these days.

University related also includes hanging out with friends. How? I don't know. Maybe because I met them in the university? I am sure you get what I am saying.

The beauty of my University is that I get to choose my schedule. Not entirely but I am given a list of options for every subject and I get to choose the ones I want. Of course classes have limited capacity so, a person may not be so lucky and get the time that they want. Me, in the other hand, I got to fit my classes all in 3 days which gives me a 4 day weekend. Yep, I have a class on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday! So where all my time is going?

I may have four days off but I also joined the Basketball team. The practice are very random at the moment because of Ramadan but that's one thing that takes a chunk of my time. Another is that we have tons of presentations and projects that we have to work on for our subjects. We have to form groups for them which is, personally, the worse part because I can get things done much faster if I do them on my own. And the fact that I am fasting means that I am always tired during day and too full during night so I never have the motivation of getting online and getting stuff done. Stuff like Blogging along with some other projects that I promised I would help some people with.

Yes, this post is one big fat excuse but I swear it is all true. I hate excuses but you guys deserve an explanation because the comments that I've been getting in the last few posts were amazing and I absolutely thank you for it all.

I still have a bunch more of excuses left that I didn't mention which are, again, all true but I don't want to bore you even more. All I'm going to say is that I am not sure how things are going to be like in the next couple of days in this Blog. I might make tons of posts like a maniac or I might go dead for the next few weeks. I don't know!

I sincerely apologize and hope that you all understand my situation. Don't feel sorry for me, though, because I am having the time of my life. Things are going much better now than they used to (apart from the snoring situation because that is still going on). You guys have been great and I will try to offer more value on this Blog as soon as I can.

UAE Banks Hit By Wave Of Card Fraud

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 08:42:00 +0000

I received this as an email and thought that I must share it with you because if it's true, it could potentially be very dangerous.

And as the title suggests, it's about ATM card frauds.

UAE banks have been hit by a wave of ATM card fraud, with criminal gangs using counterfeit cards to access local accounts from abroad, HSBC said on Tuesday.

The lender said it has refunded the "small number" of its customers have been affected and warned others to change their PIN numbers as a precaution, without giving further details about the fraud.

"Together with other UAE-based banks, we have been experiencing an attack on our local accounts from counterfeit ATM card usage abroad," Jonathan Campbell-James, regional head of security and fraud risk at HSBC Middle East, said in a statement.

"We have been pro-actively communicating to our customers via SMS to change their PIN numbers at any HSBC ATM as a precaution, and have implemented various containment strategies to minimize the threat posed."

HSBC warned customers to be wary when using ATM machines as criminal gangs can place a false card reader on the entry slot of an ATM and a micro-camera above the ATM to read the PIN as it is input.

The information can then be used to manufacture counterfeit cards, known as card skimming.

Card fraud is becoming a growing problem in the UAE, with several high-profile cases coming to light this year.

A six-man gang was jailed in March for forging dozens of credit cards and stealing more than $250,000.

The same month the UAE central bank announced that the card details of potentially thousands of residents were stolen by a gang of fraudsters who hacked into a bank's ATM machine.

I am not sure how true this is but it is always a good thing to keep an eye on matters like these as they might cause very serious damages.

If anyone has any idea about this, please make sure you let us know in the comment section so that we can all be a little safer the next we withdraw some cash.

First Night In Dubai Update

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:28:00 +0000

This post is a continuation of of this story (link). I started out by talking about my first night in Dubai and thus, the title. But today's post will go beyond just my first night. I am going to tell you how the whole thing turned out and where it is today.

OK, what did I do about it? Well, I spoke to him and told him very frankly about the whole situation. I told him that he snores and I couldn't sleep because of that. I also told him that if we couldn't find a solution to this, I will be forced to leave. And I told him all of that in a very nice way of course.

So we thought of ways to fix this problem and I remembered something about nasal strips. After my search online, I decided to go to a pharmacy and buy it. Getting to the Pharmacy and coming back is a story all on its own. Let's just say, I left at 10pm and came back at 1am.

So I came back and handed him the strips and went to bed. About 4am, I woke up. He was still snoring. I told him about that in the morning and that I will have to leave. I told the owner that I will have to leave and I will be willing to pay for the two days that I stayed here. Of course I already payed in advance for up to the end of the month which was about 7 days. So I was expecting to get my money back but he didn't want to give it to me. I was forced to continue staying there for 5 more days. I slept that night and I was not interrupted by his snore this time. The night after that, the same deal. I thought I already got used to it and things are fine now. I told the owner that I am happy to stay here and not move anymore because other than the snore problem, everything else is good.

Three nights before the end of the month, I started waking up again because of his snore. I didn't say anything the first night but asked him to try the strips again in the second night which happens to be yesterday. He promised that he would but I woke up last night because he was snoring and found that he wasn't wearing the trip.
This morning I asked him about it and I was shocked with the way he responded to me. He yelled and asked me to stop bugging him.

Now at this point, everything changed and the whole situation has turned around. It has changed from us working together towards fixing this problem to us working against each other for our comfort.
I didn't hold back. I told him that it is one thing for you to be snoring because it is out of your hand and it is a completely different thing for you not to do anything about it or even try to help fix it.

So now it is very obvious, right? I have no reason to stay and I am better off leaving and finding a new place to live, ya? If only things were that easy.
You see, yesterday happened to be the 31st so, I payed the owner for the whole month. That means, I will have to live with a roomy who I don't get along with and can't sleep because of him for the next month. And to make things that much worse, this whole month happens to be Ramadhan.

Ramadhan Kareem everybody. I hope you have a good one.

Notice, University And Ramadhan Kareem

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:32:00 +0000

As the title suggests, there are three different things that I will be mentioning in this post accordingly.

I will start with title number one.

I wanted to put out a quick notice about my past Blog posts. I've made some posts in the past with promises of a second part of that topic but never delivered. The reason why is lack of interest in the comment section.
I've failed to mention in the end of those posts that part two will depend on your comments and so, I apologize.
From now onwards, if I think that another part of a post is dependent on your interest, I will mention that the only way I will be posting another part in by a certain number of comments. I hope that is all very clear.

Now to the second title, University.
Tomorrow is an exciting day for me because it will be my first day of University. Not yet officially though because I will only be attending, along with the other freshmen, to sign up for the subjects that I will be taking and to pay the fees. Either way, I am looking forward and can't wait to meet the students.

Ramadhan Kareem.
Ramadhan is most likely to be in the 1st of September here in Dubai. I've always loved Ramadhan because of the whole feel and mood of it. A big part of that is because the whole family always comes together almost everyday during the whole month.
This will be my first Ramadhan away from the family but I am still excited. I know it won't be as good as the others but it will be different and I am very curious as to how it's going to turn out.

Dubai Map

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:14:00 +0000

I noticed that many people are searching for a map of Dubai through Google so I decided to cater to that.
Since there are many other website that already offer maps of Dubai, I am going to do it a little different. I am going to use a more advanced tool that enables you to surf the map and look at exact locations within Dubai.

Here is a map of Dubai using a tool offered by Google. All you got to do is use the tools on the top left side of the map to zoom in and out and navigate through the map by clicking on it and dragging it around.

Note: Dubai has been bordered by a blue line. Zoom in to the blue mark on the map in order to find it.

View Larger Map

First Night In Dubai

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 06:03:00 +0000

It hasn't been long since I came to Dubai. I promised that I would share how my first night went and now, here it is.
I don't know what could be learned from this story. All I know is that when I told this story to some of my family members, they cracked up really hard. I guess I would have found it funny if it didn't happen to me. Now, I would like to share it with you.

I arrived in Dubai a little early in the morning - about 9 am. The plan was for me to stay with a family member until I find a place. So, I thought I would come early to find a place as soon as possible.

I did have a couple of places that I was planing to have a look at after finding them online. One of which sounded much better and if that didn't work, I will go have a look at the other.
Lucky enough, the first place was decent and livable so I went for that. By that time, it was about 11 am which was much faster than we though I might get a place.

The people that I would be sharing the apartment with (one guy in the same room and another in a separate one) all seemed very nice. I spoke to my roomy and I was pretty comfortable with him. I thought that this place is actually "the one". All was good until, it was time to sleep.

I slept early - about 10:30pm. My roomy was watching TV which I am completely comfortable with. At about 1am, for some reason, I woke up. I was tired as hell but I just woke up just like that.
And here is something we didn't expect, my roomy was sleeping and he was snoring. REALLY. REALLY. LOUD!
Seriously, I never heard anyone snore this laud in my life. I was sleepy and I was able to sleep really fast but because of how laud he was snoring, I was not able to.
I put a pillow on my ears, face and everywhere else trying to mute this nasty, laud, disgusting sound that is coming from his throat but nothing worked. I got so annoyed that I went down to my car and tried to sleep there but it was humid and uncomfortable so I wasn't able to.

I didn't want to go back up so I started to drive around the neighborhood for no reason. I didn't know what to do, I was just driving around the same place for nothing.
I came back and went up to the apartment and he was still making that noise. I still couldn't sleep so I took the laptop and stated surfing the net. I was so tired that I didn't know what I was doing exactly.

To make the long story short, I ended up not sleeping and after he woke up and went to work, I slept. And that was about 10am.

So what did I do about it? That's a story for another day. So, make sure you click here and choose one of the update options to always get updated.

Finding Accommodation In Dubai Through The Internet

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 19:05:00 +0000

I made a post with the same title as this once before. I only mentioned two websites because those were the only two that were worth mentioning. I already found an accommodation since then and found another two very useful websites in the process which I am going to share with you now.

Let's start with the two websites that I mentioned in my earlier post and then proceed to the other two new ones.

1- http://www.emirates-ads.ae - This is the first website that I found which was worth a while. It is completely free and has a forum style format. The website also allows you to advertise other things and not only properties.
All that needs to be done is for you to create an account and submit your ad to be reviewed by the Admin and added to the website.

2- http://www.khaleejtimes.com - A very popular newspaper in the emirates and you might find what you are looking for by surfing the classified. The problem is, since you have to pay to place your ad, not much ads are added regularly which really is frustrating and almost not worth looking at. But give it a shot. Why not?

3- http://www.gnads4u.com/properties - This website, in my opinion, is the best of all. The reason is because you could find much more ads in one day than all the other websites. That means, more opportunity and more choice. What could be frustrating about this website is that, unlike the other websites, it doesn't give you a brief of the details of every listing. So you'll have to click on every ad to see the requirements. Heads up, if you are not Karalite, Indian, Pakistani, Filipino or a woman, you will understand why the brief is needed.

4- http//:www.dubizzle.com - What attracted me to this website is the "snoop doug" kinda name. You know, the whole "shizzle my nizzle" style of saying things?
The website is really good and very well organized but you may struggle a little bit at first on how to use the search tool. It does not have as much ads as the one above but it has a good number of listings. But then again, it has the listings' details brief which is very handy. Like the other websites, you can advertise more than just properties. (Note: For some reason, since the last two days and the website doesn't load. They might be facing some technical problems).

I found my apartment from option number three. But it was a hustle because of the lack the listings' details brief. I had to click on every ad only to find out that I am not eligible to almost any of them.
Take a shot at all of them and see if you are as lucky as I was and maybe even luckier. And always remember to try to enjoy it or else you will be very frustrated.

I Moved To Dubai

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:44:00 +0000

It has been three days now since I moved to Dubai. I know I promised more posts once I arrive here but I didn't imagine I would have this little time to do so.

I have to say, that things are not quiet as I imagined them to be. Not necessarily in a bad way, just different. I can get more into details but I am going to be an ass and save them up for later.

Well, that's not the only reason why I won't give the details up, it's just that a lot has happened and a lot could be learned from them. I don't want to put them all in one post and bore you so, I am going to have separate posts of some of the many situations that I found myself facing in my first couple of days in Dubai. And that includes my very first night and where I had to sleep.

I don't know how often I will be posting in the next few days because I am uncertain of my schedule but I will try to keep you updated.

Updates On The Big Move

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:53:00 +0000

The big move is almost here. I finally have an actual date for it and that's the 22nd, Friday, which is only about 4 days from today.

I will be staying in a studio apartment when I arrive there with a family member until I find a place of my own. I don't want to bother them much so the search has to be done quickly.

Like I said in a previous post, I am doing all my search through the internet and since my last post, I found a couple of more websites which I will make a post tomorrow.

An important thing that I learned during my house hunt is that accommodation ads don't last for too long. If an ad is more than a day old, it will most likely be taken and so, you gotta be quick and lucky.
You see, my case is really bad here because my search is done from Oman and I am scheduled to come a few days later. I want to do it from here so that I can spend as little time as possible at the house of that family member but at the same time, almost all that I find will be completely useless by then.
I am taking the chance and hopefully I will get something by the time I get there.

Another thing, as I was surfing my university's website, I found that they scheduled some field trips for new international students during the orientation week. The places that they will be visiting are amazing and this will give me a head start on the stuff that I will be Blogging about here. I will make a post during the next few days of the places that we will be visiting so stay tuned for that.

Adding to the Agenda: A Part-Time Job

noreply@blogger.com (Al-Maawali) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 14:00:00 +0000

I still did not move to Dubai and I absolutely can not wait. I thought I would leave by last week but some change in plans led me to stay longer and I am not too happy about it.
Since I did not leave yet, I am going to add one more huge thing to my to-do agenda once I arrive in Dubai

I already mentioned that I am looking for accommodation and that will be in the top of the list once my foot lands on UAE soil. After I do so and hopefully start college, I will be looking for a part-time job.

Yes, this is my other big thing to do. I am looking for a well paying part-time job. After calculating my living expenses and how much my parents will be giving me, I found that it will only be enough to keep me alive (hardly). And let me tell you, I rather die than live in that condition.

I always thought of working during my college years but now it is serious. I need the money and thus, need the job. The problem is, I don't know what kind of job I would be qualified for and what kind of job pays well. With my little knowledge of Dubai, I figure a good pay for a part-time job should be no less than 3000 Dirhams, am I right? In Muscat, if you don't have a degree, that's what a well payed full-time Omani employee would get. But then again, that's Muscat and this is Dubai.

So now, not only that I will be living the life of a student in Dubai, I will also be living the life of a working individual in Dubai and that's good news for people who want to learn from this Blog because I cover pretty much every aspect.

I would like to know what kind of jobs can a student get in Dubai and what kind of salary should this student expect to get. Advice is very welcomed from anyone and everyone.