..Is awesome. An emergency taxi from Dundee to Edinburgh at half six in the morning, connections tighter than a nun’s proverbials and a seven hour flight next to a silly arab woman whose attitude makes my blood gently simmer even four days later, meant that the journey was far from comfortable. I’ve been all over now. I’m begining to actually understand the layout of Heathrow’s terminals and that’s no mean feat. That said, I was almost in tantrum mode at the other end this time. Being a chick on your own in even this liberal an arab country is enough to intimidate. It’s not that people aren’t helpful, it’s just.. I dunno. I was completely fucked and feeling indignant.
Anyway! Hotel is lovely. Spent the first night at Le Meridien by the airport, and randomly got upgraded to el presidente suite type effort for the same money. Cue champagne quaffage with bf in a bath the size of my flat back home. Surreal stuff, then bf hooks up with a couple of RAF hercules pilot mates who are over from Basra for a couple of days. Their chat was AWESOME! Much giggling about frickin’ lasers meant that bed didn’t happen at all that night. Next morning, bleary eyed transfer to the jumeira beach, checked in, explored, ooh aah, darkness, zzzz. Yesterday we went a shopping. I boughtsed one a those razr phones? a black one. Fuck, it’s pretty. And then a wee gucci bag to put it in, which was worth it just for the packaging. Had dinner at the Burj Al Arab, which was an almost carnal experience, then drinks at the bar. Much goggling at the price of the chateau mouton rothschilde! Out of our league? I think so. Really more of a Lambrini girl.
Anyway, today is diving and boyfriend is hovering in the background. If only the rest of my life was like this! Have an interview with advertising legends, TBWA tomorrow from a chance encounter with their creative director. Very much doubt if anything will come of it, but fingers crossed. Pretty much decided that this is the plan, long term. Think I need to find my feet first though. We’ll wait and see.
Anyway! Salaam, and hope things are good with y’all.
jilly x
23-Jun-05 at 5:51 pm | Permalink
Jesus fucking christ. Before I read this, I always felt slightly guilty about being that wincy bit more financially stable than a São Paulo kid. And I should devote more time to culling wealth disparity. Because, sometimes it feels like I was born with a silver spoon up my ass.
Now I know the spoon was actually wooden. And splintered.
But I likes it
24-Jun-05 at 12:41 pm | Permalink
Hee. I am that Sao Paulo kid, my boyfriend just thinks he’s David Beckham. No silver spoonage in arses. Or anything else for that matter..
We had such an awesome time. The interview went really well I think, but I really don’t want to jinx it. Dubai is a really weird place at the moment. It’s at that point where amazing money has been injected in, but construction is only just begining. In twenty years I have no doubt that it’ll be just as large a financial centre as New York or London, but for the time being it’s a bit of a building site. There are shopping centres where you can spend ten grand in an hour next to spice souks selling stuff in the open air, with dead cockroaches lying on the floor. Girls in Bikini’s walking the streets past other girls in full muslim abiya. In some ways, it’s still really paroquial and fearcely proud of it’s heritage, but you can’t help but get the feeling that it’s about to go stellar, in a very western sort of way. Nakeel, the people who are reclaiming land from the sea on the coastline of Dubai have posted some amazing demographics up on their website regarding construction, money, hotel rooms and GDP’s etc. It’s going to be a new metropolis. Amazing to see.
24-Jun-05 at 12:46 pm | Permalink
And i’m sorry if I came accross as a boastful wanker! I didn’t mean to..
25-Jun-05 at 4:18 pm | Permalink
No – ’twas an enjoyable read, and is justifiable self indulgent, as any blog entry should be. Don’t read it, if you’re not interested.
Besides, what right to I have complaining about wealthy 1% (YOU) not flattening the economic scales in the world, when the wealthy 10% (I) still do sod all about it?
Dubai. I don’t know what will happen there. My big questions are 1)education, 2)immigration, and 3)the governments attitude towards foreigners. Capital flight will always occur in lands where the the residents, whether home grown or not, do not feel stable.
1) Education. Perhaps this is changing, and it will take time, but Singapore and the Asian mentality is too far ahead here. The Arabs have got to start investing big time in their own schools and higher education, getting prof’s to do research locally, and making companies grow from that. I don’t see that happening at the moment, and they are going to need it badly, in full form, in 20 years. Time to start on this was 5 years ago.
2) This is mainly with 3). No-one that goes to Dubai actually sees it as a long term prospect, with an intention to spend a serious chunk of their useful life there. It is not in the top ten of places to emmigrate to for anyone other than Arabs Pseudo Journalism Pseudo Fact. And I can’t see that changing in a hurry.
3) Take Russia, with it’s ridiculous current account surplus, but even more bewildering net cash outflow. This does not bode well long term – I don’t think Dubai is yet seen as a place to keep money. This is mainly due to the government treating people as 2nd class citizens (question 3).
This is all probably rubbish, i’ve never been to Dubai, and i’ve only ever had a serious conversation about it with a handful of Dubai local over the past 3 years. Their opinions were mixed. Besides – this blog entry (first point) from me proves i’m talking rubbish.
28-Jul-05 at 2:05 pm | Permalink
Gomez,,
Ms bean.,,
I havent read this sort of literature about Dubai since i came back..
I agree! An awesome experience!
Email me!