tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60424354736783413522024-03-13T06:48:52.065+04:00Peace, Love, and Tie DyeA collection of visual and verbal observations from my vagabond life....NoSweatTravelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699583919210470397noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042435473678341352.post-7648800861100440992013-06-21T21:56:00.001+04:002013-06-21T22:04:11.102+04:00Zumba in Dubai<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's taken me a while to jump on the Zumba train but today I participated in <a href="http://www.greatcaloriedrive.com/" target="_blank">The Great Calorie Drive</a> event hosted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Dancebox-w-Rellu-Treasa/154003841425106?ref=ts&fref=ts" target="_blank">My Dance Box</a> at the World Trade Center and had a great time. Me and another rhythmically challenged friend shimmied to the back of the very large group of Zumba'ers and just grooved to our own routine; Although I wanted to shake it like I meant it, I was a little afraid that the laws of kinetic motion might start some jiggling that couldn't be stopped and I would end up in the emergency room.</div>
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But with a little practice, I think I can give those 20-something's, who obviously knew all of the right moves, a run for their money or maybe I'll just make friends with the lady who we saw grooving to the beat at the back with us while eating a cup of ice cream (no lie!). </div>
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Do they serve wine at these events????</div>
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All snarkiness aside, the Great Calorie Drive is a super way to get your backside moving for a great cause. Through the end of the month, Zumba has partnered with two food programs who are working diligently to end hunger. A monumental task but events like these both raise awareness to the need around the world as well as make it fun to get your own health house in order. I definitely need to "move-it, move-it" and the instructors that took part in this event were varied, appealing to every level of fitness and taste in music. If you haven't tried Zumba yet, then get up and shake your tail feather baby! </div>
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It's fun AND it's exercise! </div>
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I NEVER thought those two ingredients would ever mix.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/christinebeckstedimages" target="_blank">©ChristineBeckstedImages</a></td></tr>
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Psst - Zumba has an App available that will help you locate a class near you!</div>
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NoSweatTravelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699583919210470397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042435473678341352.post-4654241225559453072013-05-16T07:20:00.001+04:002013-06-22T09:46:02.253+04:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There are many timelapse video's of Dubai and I never get tired of watching them. </div>
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This city overwhelms the senses and often, for me, I have to selectively see, hear, smell, taste, and touch because it feels like if I open up and take it all in at once, I might just collapse into a gooey mess. </div>
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These time-lapse videos help me see the wonder of this city whilst giving me repose of having to see the dirty details of how the wonder came to be or wonder how it can all be maintained.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/65888557?badge=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <a href="http://vimeo.com/65888557">Dubai Timelapse</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user1232595">dimid</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div>
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NoSweatTravelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699583919210470397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042435473678341352.post-88073616480595722082013-03-31T13:53:00.000+04:002013-03-31T13:53:06.207+04:00Hats off to Animal Kingdom!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have been woefully neglectful of my personal blog, so today I thought I would get back into the swing of things by sharing pictures of the outrageous hats seen at the <a href="http://www.dubaiworldcup.com/" target="_blank">Dubai World Cup Horse Races</a> this past weekend. I wasn't there unfortunately and I would love to give credit to the photographers who took these snaps but they weren't listed in the original <a href="http://www.timeoutdubai.com/gallery/40045-dubai-world-cup-2013-hats#.UVf-eL8zmFI" target="_blank">Time Out gallery</a>, so feel free to comment if these were your pictures and may I <i>please</i> attend with you next year to get some pics of my own???<br />
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The race itself is noteworthy because of the $10M duty-free purse and this year it was handed to the owners of <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/news/1-horse-racing-animal-kingdom-wins-dubai-world-192317959--rah.html" target="_blank">Animal Kingdom</a>, but enough about the real reason for the event, how 'bout them hats?<br />
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NoSweatTravelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699583919210470397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042435473678341352.post-91417843591448152702012-09-19T16:00:00.000+04:002012-09-20T10:51:45.809+04:00Hotter Than Hades<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's 7:00am and my weather app says it's currently 30ºC/86ºF with a side order of relative humidity at 64% making it feel like 39ºC/102ºF! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Really? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At 7:00am it already feels hotter than midday in the middle of a freshly laid asphalt parking lot in Houston?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, a</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">nd I'm chastised as a heat weenie because I think that this is uncomfortable and</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> apparently, this is <i><b>nothing</b></i> compared to the weather I missed during Ramadan.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You see, when I realized that Ramadan, the 9th month on the Islamic Lunar Calendar, fell mid July through mid August, I decided that there were "pressing issues" that needed my attention in the cooler climates of, well - anywhere! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the month long observance of Ramadan there is no smoking, no eating and no drinking (even water) during daylight hours for the followers of Islam; In the summertime, the sun rises at 5:30am and sets at 7:30pm. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fourteen hours of pure fasting everyday for 30 days. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Understandably, it is considered bad form for non-Muslims to eat or drink in public during this time so cafes typically close for the month and restaurants only open for the evening Iftar banquets after sundown. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some might judge me and cluck about how terrible I am to make tracks and leave my husband to fend for himself. Others, might see the wisdom of the decision. And my husband has informed me that he will be following my lead next year. So there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But now I'm back and every so often, I get brave and pack up my camera and wander off exploring. And in my wanderings, I have yet to see one slushy-like machine. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why not? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is this pot-o-gold-opportunity only obvious to me? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Surely not. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are Baskin Robbin shops every 15 yards but who wants that heavy stuff when your insides feel like molten lava? I guess frappachino's and iced latte-da's are the much more grown up way of beating the heat but it seems like a mint limeade slushy machine might just make me a millionaire.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But what do I know, apparently the demand is for furs and not slushies in Dubai.....</span><br />
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NoSweatTravelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699583919210470397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042435473678341352.post-4851049265045337762012-03-23T09:33:00.001+04:002012-09-21T07:33:11.548+04:00Odds & Grins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Moving to a new country is filled with expected challenges and "WhatTheFork" moments. It's just part of the deal and to get through it with sanity in tact, you must muster a smile and brave the gauntlet of bureaucratic brouhaha.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://society6.com/product/What-the-Frk_Print?tag=typography" target="_blank">Art Print by David Schwen (click to order)</a></td></tr>
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It's really just "Odds & Grins". Some things are "ha-ha" funny if you have even the slightest inclination toward a twisted sense of humor:<br />
For example - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Rav9ijyyZk" target="_blank">I have to get my husbands permission to work here</a>.<br />
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Other things are just plain "funny" - like weird, head cocked to one side, what-the-fork?<br />
For example - the process to attest our marriage certificate (which is required to get a residents permit) took 8 weeks and cost about as much as a one-way ticket home.<br />
Wouldn't it have been "ha-ha" funny to find out we weren't actually married for the last 9 years?<br />
But now, I have a document signed by Hillary Rodham Clinton testifying that I'm married - do you?<br />
I thought not.<br />
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After receiving Hillary's stamp of approval on my marriage, my meander through the Residents Visa Obstacle Course could now commence:<br />
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1. Medical Exam: Long line. Lots of forms. Handover cash and proceed to the <a href="http://www.spinninghat.com/product/typescreen" target="_blank">typewriter</a>.<br />
Yes, typewriter.<br />
Give a vial of blood. Take off bra. Pose for a chest Xray with shirt on and no bra and the horrifying thought that this might somehow end up on Facebook. Then try and put bra on again whilst protecting modesty because lady in the dressing room is taking AGES to remove her bra (doesn't she know the Flashdance pull-it-out-through-the-sleeve trick?) - oh screw it - off with the T-shirt. <br />
"Come back and pick up your paperwork and passport in 5 hours please, then wait for your SMS with further instructions." Sigh.<br />
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2. Two weeks later - after they have determined that I don't pose a health hazard to the community I've just spent two weeks in - I get an SMS indicating that in 3 weeks I must go to a designated location far, far away to get fingerprinted and palm-printed for my Resident ID card - which will allow me to have a bank account, get a drivers license, and...ahem, get a job....(snicker).<br />
Taxi gets lost. Pulls over another taxi and they agree that they also went there many years ago but can't seem to remember if the building is behind the Halal supermarket or the mosque. I'm doomed and won't make my appointment time for sure; I have visions of "airport security line chaos" waiting for me and prepare myself for a day of waiting and shuffling cues.<br />
But, I open the door and no one is there except a roomful of government workers and me. It's like they opened for the day just for me. Maybe this was a secret taping of The Amazing Race and one of them is going to hand me a big yellow envelope!<br />
Nope.<br />
Boom - mug shot. Boom - left had on high-tech computer thingy that takes such a clear image of my palm that I wonder if they might give me a photocopy so I can send it to this excellent palm reader I met in Miami....yeah, probably shouldn't ask that.<br />
I'm processed, paid, and out the door in less than five minutes feeling a little breathless and excited at my efficient, uncomplicated and completely smooth bureaucratic experience.<br />
Five minutes of ecstasy in eight weeks time. You should be so lucky.<br />
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My next SMS will be in one month which will tell me that my ID card has arrived and I can go and pick it up at my PO Box.....<br />
oh, hadn't I mentioned that we have to go and get our mail at the post office here?<br />
A few days of searching our building for the tenant mailboxes lead me to the discovery that very few buildings in Dubai have mail delivery....one must wait for an SMS that basically states "You've Got Mail" and then proceed to the postoffice.<br />
Sigh.<br />
Smile.<br />
I've ordered the above print and have a special place above my desk already reserved.<br />
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NoSweatTravelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699583919210470397noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042435473678341352.post-69335604158103731002012-03-11T11:02:00.000+04:002012-09-23T15:05:09.843+04:00GPP2012 - Inspiration Soup<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">©Christine Becksted - all rights reserved</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.gulfphotoplus.com/" target="_blank">Gulf Photo Plus</a> brought together 13 mega talented photographers for a week of workshops and "aha" moments in the desert for GPP2012. The week provided exceptional opportunities to gain perspective from the likes of photojournalist <a href="http://www.davidburnett.com/" target="_blank">David Burnett</a>, who shared the story behind "<a href="http://pfmagazine.com/2011/magazine/david-burnett-what-could-be-better-than-this/" target="_blank">that Ayatollah shot</a>" and other monumental moments he has witnessed as a photographer. And for those of us who signed up for the ride, the absolute madness of <a href="http://www.theflashbus.com/" target="_blank">Flashbus</a> provided a forum to interact with and listen to two masters of flash, <a href="http://davidhobby.zenfolio.com/p729794567" target="_blank">David Hobby</a> and <a href="http://portfolio.joemcnally.com/" target="_blank">Joe McNally</a>, who enlightened the audience with conflicting philosophies about flash photography. The week was pure Inspiration Soup and left me with the desire to really do more with the tools and skills I already have. So, I woke up this morning with a little dash of courage - <br />
I think I can....I think I can... I think I can....<br />
<br />
Two workshops in particular really gave me an opportunity for nearly one-to-one training with photographers <a href="http://www.chromasia.com/" target="_blank">David Nightingale</a> and <a href="http://www.smallstrobesbigresults.com/" target="_blank">David Tejeda</a>. Both workshop groups were small and both photographers had the patience of a saint.<br />
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The week closed with the famous GPP shootout. Three of the 13 photographers were challenged with what seemed to me, an impossible task: One at a time each had to compose, shoot and edit a shot in 20 minutes. They were able to use anything and anyone in the auditorium, but they weren't told the subject of the shoot until just before the timer started. When up, they were tethered to the big screen so we were able to see everything that they were doing with their camera.<br />
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This year the subject caused all three of the participants to die a little bit inside - this year they had to do a self-portait.<br />
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It was absolutely brilliant to watch David Hobby, <a href="http://martinprihoda.com/" target="_blank">Martin Prihoda</a>, and <a href="http://www.gregoryheisler.com/" target="_blank">Greg Heisler</a> work under pressure and deliver tremendous results. David Hobby has an <a href="http://strobist.blogspot.com/2012/03/shootout-in-desert-round-three.html" target="_blank">excellent blog post about the evening</a> so I won't reconstruct the event here - he also has the resulting photos. Heisler spanked the group but I honestly really love all three results. What an experience.<br />
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The week wasn't cheap but it was an investment in something I love and worth every penny. I'll be back next year for sure - especially if Prihoda gives a light painting workshop (HINT HINT HINT).<br />
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NoSweatTravelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699583919210470397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042435473678341352.post-5369879555950458692012-02-23T10:18:00.000+04:002012-02-26T18:20:33.165+04:00Shut the Front Door! Bling & Blackwater<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My jaw hits the floor alot these days. And two little gobsmacking tidbits got my attention yesterday? Two very different types of water.<br />
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Bling, a term used to describe flashy accessories, also happens to be the lable of outrageously priced bottled water. Their $50 bottle, already over-the-top and sold at places like Dean & Deluca, has now been one-upped by the macdaddy of all flash: a 750ml bottle of water, covered in Swarovski crystals that retails for $2600. Of course, <i>this</i> water is part of their "Dubai Collection".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUXIOTbv_Ggq1cehPbAXNtLticVgd7AcddsHGqysL7dpy53OA9MOuT7YlMn1byWeZDa3RRvyNUlKHgDBZ0XP8fgG_VPjLE18k1C6TTQGaRlprb0iAoTVFC6EmiTGL3driuqfVGNEc25A/s1600/Bling-a-lings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUXIOTbv_Ggq1cehPbAXNtLticVgd7AcddsHGqysL7dpy53OA9MOuT7YlMn1byWeZDa3RRvyNUlKHgDBZ0XP8fgG_VPjLE18k1C6TTQGaRlprb0iAoTVFC6EmiTGL3driuqfVGNEc25A/s320/Bling-a-lings.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
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Shut the front door.</div>
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Seriously?<br />
It's water?<br />
Not champagne or vodka or crude oil?</div>
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The company is the creation of a Hollywood film writer turned entrepreneur. Maybe he was a good film writer and possibly a famous one, but now he might actually make money in Hollywood.<br />
<br />
Anyway, as my brain bounced around the multiple levels of irony in a $2600 bottle of water being sold in the desert, I came across the rather dated news that Dubai has a problem with Blackwater.<br />
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Blackwater is not just the name of the infamous private military company now quietly calling itself "Xe Services", ironically it is also a term for sewage.<br />
<br />
In an <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=141858484" target="_blank">astonishing reveal on NPR last November</a>, an ugly little factoid surfaced about flushing toilets in the magnificent Burj Khalifa: The tallest building in the world has a poo problem.<br />
When residents of the famous Burj "drop the kids off at the pool", the blackwater is hauled away by <i>trucks</i> to the treatment plant which then can que in lines for up to 24 hours before.....well, you know the punchline.<br />
It is unbelievable but this pesky poo issue is actually a common one here. Many of the city's skyscrapers are not hooked into the municipal waste management system.<br />
Why not?<br />
Is waste planning just not as glamorous so it's treated as an afterthought? Surely there must be building regulations addressing waste management in new construction? Right?<br />
Or will connecting all of these new buildings to a municipal system actually cause more stress on current water resources as water is needed to facilitate the movement of blackwater through the system?<br />
But why couldn't you use sea-water?<br />
Do they just need to build a bigger plant?<br />
Who is in charge of poo here?<br />
Hello?<br />
<br />
Obviously, I won't solve this issue on just one pot of coffee and I don't fancy spending the rest of the day contemplating Dubai's doodie drama. But, it is rather perplexing non?<br />
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I'll be sure to keep you posted on new developments.<br />
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</div>NoSweatTravelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699583919210470397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042435473678341352.post-24631973483121018152012-02-09T12:51:00.000+04:002012-02-09T12:53:00.992+04:00"Familiarity Destroys and Trumps Fear"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been in Dubai for just over 2 months now and while I've been buried somewhat in the oddities of setting up a new house in a new country, my brain is wildly bookmarking thoughts, epiphanies, and experiences and my fingers have pounded out no less than 15 very unfinished posts.<br />
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However, I think I need to settle down and settle in before I unleash my brilliant observations on everyone :-)</div>
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In the meantime, I thought sharing this 2010 Ted Talk by Sheikha Al Mayassa of Qatar might give you a tiny insight into numerous interesting topics from this part of the world: The Abbaya, Arab Art and Culture, Women in progressive roles in the Middle East.<br />
I've read much about Sheikha Al Mayassa but have never heard her speak. There is quite alot packed into her 10 minutes and I had to intently listen to it twice because my mind would start percolating on something she said and then she would be off into something else before I could catch up!<br />
<br />
But she ended on a very poignant note - "familiarity destroys and trumps fear".<br />
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I agree.<br />
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</div>NoSweatTravelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699583919210470397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042435473678341352.post-23106003025667992572012-01-03T23:56:00.000+04:002012-01-03T23:56:52.751+04:00The Tallest Building in the World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm not afraid to tell you that I'm afraid of heights. But I am afraid that I won't be able to stay away from the tippy top of this gorgeous building - just need some c-c-c-ourage.<br />
Here's an absolutely mesmerizing 28 hour timelapse of Dubai's <a href="http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/" target="_blank">Burj Khalifa</a> by Gerald Donovan...everytime I watch it, I get a little more brave.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/32957081?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe><br />
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<br /></div>NoSweatTravelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699583919210470397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042435473678341352.post-33001263617960975012011-12-28T22:44:00.000+04:002011-12-31T09:35:25.163+04:00Can't Touch This! Alcohol, Cucumbers, and Carrots...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After living in the land of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma%C3%9F" target="_blank">Super Big Gulp Beer</a>, it feels a little odd to go shopping at a very cool supermarket and not be able to pick up a bottle of wine for dinner. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Buffalo Mozzarella? Check! Freshly baked French Bread? Check! Fresh Basil? Check! Garlic Stuffed Olives? Check! Oooh...now for the Merlot....DOH! Crap!Whhhyyyyyy??????</i></span><br />
<br />
And of course it's always interesting to understand how traditions of faith are born and so natch, the two year old inside of me starts "the campaign of why":<br />
Why is alcohol banned for those who follow the traditions of Islam?<br />
<br />
Of course there is the obvious reason: alcohol makes you do dumb things. But, in my humble opinion, so does religion. So there has to be a better reason right?<br />
<br />
Why was wine embraced as the symbol of Christ's blood? <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Dunno...yet.</i></span><br />
Why did European monks so readily embrace the liquid amber? <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Because winter's are freaking cold in Europe...that's why!</i></span><br />
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Of course I have a million other why's, but I came across this very informative article by <a href="http://www.theecomuslim.com/" target="_blank">Zaufishan</a>, on the website <a href="http://www.greenprophet.com/" target="_blank">Green Prophet</a> that explains why Muslim's don't drink alcohol, so I thought I would pass it forward to those of you interested in learning new things.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/11/muslims-alcohol-haraam/" target="_blank">Why Muslims Don't Drink Alcohol</a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EOOkABPuJQM/TvwF4B5Y13I/AAAAAAAACoc/CtjbxNo-i5I/s1600/alcohol-muslims-haram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EOOkABPuJQM/TvwF4B5Y13I/AAAAAAAACoc/CtjbxNo-i5I/s320/alcohol-muslims-haram.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo from <a href="http://www.greenprophet.com/" target="_blank">The Green Prophet</a></td></tr>
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And THEN my eyes fell upon this next bit of interesting information while on the same site (different author) and well, now I think .....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>no, I can't say that</i></span>....well, I think.....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>nope, can't say that either</i></span>..... Umm, I guess that this MUST be via their version of <a href="http://www.theonion.com/" target="_blank">The Onion</a>! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Has to be - right????</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/12/women-cucumbers-carrots/" target="_blank">A Muslim Cleric in Europe has stated that cucumbers and carrots prompt women to have seedy sexual thoughts and that they should therefore be banned from touching them.</a></strong></span></div>
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Wow...I have soooo much more learning to do! <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Cucumbers and Carrots? Check!</i></span><br />
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</div>NoSweatTravelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699583919210470397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6042435473678341352.post-44041194807650079992011-12-26T20:39:00.001+04:002011-12-27T10:19:28.990+04:00Rain Prayer Mandate in the UAE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">There are about a million things here that I need to educate myself on regarding life in the Middle East. I am hoarding information wherever I can and trying to digest bits and pieces of it between figuring out where the food markets are and looking at potential future homes. But yesterdays headlines in an online magazine caught my attention:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13px;"><a href="http://www.emirates247.com/news/government/president-calls-for-rain-prayers-in-uae-2011-12-26-1.434612" target="_blank"></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.emirates247.com/news/government/president-calls-for-rain-prayers-in-uae-2011-12-26-1.434612" target="_blank">President calls for rain prayers in UAE</a></h1>
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<a href="http://www.emirates247.com/news/government/president-calls-for-rain-prayers-in-uae-2011-12-26-1.434612" target="_blank">Appoints 7 judges to Federal Court of Appeal</a></h3>
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As I have lived in Beijing where they make it <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1224475/China-overdoes-cloud-seeding-end-drought--blankets-Beijing-snow.html" target="_blank">rain on command</a>, I didn't immediately question appointing judges to deal with an appeal process of rain prayers but in reading on I realized this was just another editing snafu. Still, it's pretty impressive that a mandate goes out to include rain in the 8am Friday prayer...perhaps I should do my part here too and add this to my 8am Friday Java Rumination, after all <a href="http://www.emirates247.com/business/economy-finance/uae-world-s-top-water-consumer-2011-09-20-1.419582" target="_blank">water consumption here is off the charts</a>....well, consumption in general is off the charts.</div>
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So here is a list of a few things that bubbled to top of mind during my Tuesday Java Rumination. Perhaps some of these might ease the numbers back down a tad? I'm certain that the President will thank me for my brilliance later with a lovely luxury automobile...oooh the new Range Rover is very nice!<br />
-1. Remove the auto flush on toilets, is it really all that difficult to push a button when you've done your business? The good motion sensors tend to flush at least twice before you manage your escape from the stall.<br />
- 2. <a href="http://www.pickhop.com/arts/dubai-dancing-fountain-the-most-fascinating-sights-of-the-night-dubai/" target="_blank">Those fountains at Burj Khalifa</a>....gorgeous but tsk, tsk, tsk.<br />
- 3. Hey, <a href="http://www.skidxb.com/home/about-ski-dubai/factsheet.aspx" target="_blank">Ski Dubai</a>! How much water does it take to manage 3000 cubic of meters of snow in the dessert?<br />
- 4. Golf courses. Does anyone really play golf from May to October? So why water the "greens"? And heck, since we're brain storming, let's change up the game of golf to make it more interesting....just switch the greens and sand hazards! You play on the sand and try to avoid the greens! Introduce Saguaro cactus as your hazards. Oh, stop yer whining. If Thailand can make <a href="http://www.elephantpolo.com/" target="_blank">Elephant Polo</a> work, Sand Golfing should be a breeze!<br />
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And to be fair, I realize that not allowing On the Border to put alcohol in their frozen margaritas was a good jump start in the attempt at water conservation.....certainly the demand for crushed ice has been drastically reduced.</div>
</div>NoSweatTravelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17699583919210470397noreply@blogger.com0