A view of the creek from the penthouse in Bur Dubai

3rd Week in Dubai

So I finally found an apartment.  It’s a one bedroom unit in a brand new building near Panorama Hotel across Mankhool if you’re coming from Burjuman.  I had to meet my broker on Wednesday to pay the deposit so I took a cab from work.  I was trying to explain where it was and how to get there but somehow it was all either lost in translation or it could have been just because of the unusual lack of street addresses.  The driver was familiar enough with Panorama Hotel so I was telling him that the buliding was just right behind it.  I was trying to describe how to get there, that we’d have to take Bank Street (which isn’t the real name of the street, people just call it that because there’s a lot of banks) and turn right at Mankhool.  From Mankhool, we needed to take another right at the cemetery.  He looked at me dumbfounded by the instruction when he finally asked, "Cemetery, what is this cemetery?"  I replied, "When you die, they bury you there." "Ah," he goes.

It was mid-day and I hadn’t really had a chance to go around a select a specific unit.  I went around the first floor with the broker and selected room 112 which has a good view of the street in front and two intersecting streets on the left and right.  You can also see the cemetery.

The cost of renting is 90000AED annually (95000 if the broker isn’t able to convince the landlord), plus a few other things like 5000AED refundable security deposit, 4500AED commission for the broker, 1000AED refundable deposit for electricity and some other smaller items.  Of course I also have to purchase some appliances and the furniture.  The apartment does have a pool, gym, sauna and, I think, a jacuzzi, all of which I haven’t seen.  These are all pretty standard in most new apartments in Dubai and you shouldn’t really expect a lot anyway.  As long as you’re in a good, clean, and convenient location, you’re all good. I also get a parkin slot, but until I get a car, that’s pretty useless.  I do know that some people rent out these parking spaces to those other people who can afford to have more than one car.

The bulding constructions isn’t completed yet but my apartment is done.  I should be able to move in, hopefully, by the 2nd or 3rd week of May.  Otherwise, I will have to move in on the 2nd or 3rd week of June.

It was my nephew’s birthday yesterday and, to celebrate, my sister has arranged a party at her apartment today.  I was tasked to decorate the cupcakes they had baked.  Each was a masterpiece in its own right.

Cars is supposedly Darien’s favorite cartoon character and is the theme of his party.

Can you see the resemblance to the Mona Lisa? 

No I didn’t design or have anything to do with this cake.  But it’s a cool cake.

The UAE flag.

Creative juices were running low.

Really low. 

DEWA is the Dubai Electric and Water Authority.  The Slab is a way of segmenting consumers based on their average consumption, and is their campaign to make people more environmentally reponsible.  It’s a good methodology and I believe should be implemented by Meralco.

A little commemoration to our sponsors. Haha 

2nd Week in Dubai

My trip to Ibn Battuta mall is probably the only highlight of my 2nd week in Dubai.  Aside from the fact that the mall is split into different sections representing different cultures and that it’s named after a famous Islamic traveller, there’s really not much special about it. 

Much like the UAE, it doesn’t seem like any cost was spared in building the mall to produce a theme park like atmosphere.

This could be Ibn Battuta

I spent some time looking at furniture for my soon-to-be apartment.  A couple of thing caught my attention.  The dining set together with all the chairs is about 2500AED, which is approximale 28000PHP.  The corner sofa set is also about the same price.  This is a bargain considering the quality but I also need to go through Ikea to look at some semi-disposable furniture.  I certainly don’t want to be investing too much into items that I won’t really be carrying along with me if I ever move apartments, which is sort of a common occurrence in Dubai.  Real Estate has a life of its own in Dubai, prices are one of the highest if not already the highest in the world and inflation is astronimical. People tend to move in and out of apartments trying to find more affordable living.  Recently, residential areas have been built farther and farther out from the city center.  Expats in Dubai are semi-transient or, more appropriately, semi-permanent.  More precisely, on a professional level, people come here for work, either for the salary or the international experience and then move on to greener pastures.

Many Filipinos are employed in the retail and service industry.  It’s not unusual to get some small bargains and freebies if you find a fellow Kabayan behind the counter of a store or restaurant.

Just one of the little idiosyncracies you find in and around Dubai.

On a separate note, I found this ad in the newspaper for Gulf News.  If you look at it carefully, it say "Gnads for You!" Hahahahaha.

First Week in Dubai

I’ve been in Dubai for 5 days now.  The first couple of days were horrible and it took a while to get used to how things are done.  Transportation is terrible, no form of mass transit is available and the only real means of getting around are taxis.  There are busses but only in limited areas.  There’re supposed to be around 5000 taxi units in the area but since everyone wants to take a cab, it’s really hard to get one especially on workdays.  Speaking of workdays, here it’s Sunday to Thursday. 

The main form of entertainment in Dubai is malling and shopping.  There’s really not a lot of things to do unless you’re willing to spend some money enjoying the many touristy activities available such as skiing in the Mall of the Emirates or roughing it up in the desert in 4×4s.

My first order of business was to get some form of entertainment at my serviced apartment since the TV doesn’t really offer a lot of choices.  I bought an Xbox 360 Elite and an original copy of the game Rainbow Six Vegas 2, significantly cheaper than in Manila.  Although my favorite game Call of Duty 4 isn’t available anywhere because it’s banned - a stage in the game has you shooting Arab terrorists.  Graphic Novels and comics are also direly lacking in their bookstores.  There are some, usually under the Young Adult section but nothing compared to the huge selections available in Manila.

My beautiful new Xbox 360 Elite

Thankfully enough the apartment is just a couple of minutes walk away from the Burjuman mall and right in front is a 24 hour convenience store with some Filipino stuff.  There’re so many Filipinos here that it’s hard for the place not to feel familiar.  You see them usually in the service industry manning stores and shops, and once in a while you get the question, "Kabayan?"  There’s even a Filipino section in Carrefour - right next to the Exotic Foods section.  If you get really homesick, I guess going to the local Chowking, Jollibee or any of the several Filipino restaurants will help you reminisce.  The apartment itself is nothing to be excited about but the facilities are complete.

People drive really fast in Dubai but they’re not exactly the most disciplined drivers on the planet.  Sheik Zayed Road is notorious for car accidents and pile ups, it’s like the Commonwealth Avenue of Dubai.  It’s also like the EDSA of Dubai because it is the main road in the whole of Dubai and has up to 8 lanes in each direction.  There’re a lot of fancy cars such as Porsches and Ferraris as well as big SUVs like the Hummer and Range Rover.

The Sheik Zayed Road

The Burj, tallest man-made structure in the world

Just a little piece of trivia, their Vick’s here are huge.