tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-202234432012-02-16T19:10:09.117+04:00Adventures in Dubai and beyond of a Gypsy Girl, her Gypsy Boy and their Gypsy DogGYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.comBlogger1851100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-39896099154872761552007-07-18T08:29:00.000+04:002007-07-22T10:37:36.422+04:00

On Friday the 13th, we set off on our weekend getaway to Abu Dhabi - the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. We dropped Gypsy Dog off at his best pal's, Groucho's, for his weekend of fun before starting our 90-minute drive to Abu Dhabi.It's basically one straight road to the capital city from Dubai, and much of the scenery along this stretch is of 'the green belt' - basically cultivated

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-68709132341464801422007-07-12T09:03:00.000+04:002007-07-12T09:05:22.133+04:00

According to my last monthly check-up at the obstetrician's a couple of weeks ago, I've put on a grand total of 3kg! This may not seem like much, but you definitely can't miss the baby bump now and I feel ginormous at 40kg. Funnily enough, I still weigh 3kg less than I did when I left NZ a year and a half ago which goes to show how overweight I was!I've also seemed to have developed some of the

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-69008122142385968022007-07-11T08:16:00.000+04:002007-07-11T08:19:15.850+04:00

This time last year, we were getting ready to leave for our European Escapade, and what a trip it turned out to be! I've really missed travelling the last 6 months, and now at 27 weeks pregnant, it's really too late to fly anywhere.Not to despair! We've got a short weekend getaway planned to Abu Dhabi which I know, does not sound all that exciting, nonetheless it's something we're both really

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-24313123052273770512007-07-10T09:58:00.000+04:002007-07-10T10:09:12.522+04:00

Every night at around 9.45pm BabyG stirs in anticipation for what feels like his big dance performance at 10.15pm. This has been going on since I first started feeling his movements at week 19. He moves quite a lot during the day as well, and the obstetricians we've seen have made comments such as 'a very active baby' and 'baby never stops moving'! I can certainly vouch for that. It really feels

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-77239216773469565462007-06-13T07:48:00.000+04:002007-06-13T07:56:48.297+04:00

Oh, it's good to be back online! Moving house meant changing ISP which was a bit of a pain as it took time with the usual running around and paperwork required to get anything cancelled or set up here. Worth it though in my book, as I can now access flickr.com and Skype!

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-17573484854800729042007-06-03T11:44:00.002+04:002007-06-03T16:34:48.483+04:00

We're on the move again! Just within Dubai this time but into a place with a bit more room for a growing Gypsy family!Having only lived in apartments during our married life together, we are extremely excited to be moving into a house. Or as they call it here, a 'villa'! Yes, very posh isn't it. Unfortunately though, it's more like a shoe box. Nonetheless, a villa it is, double-storey and with

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-45288966687490208752007-05-30T11:25:00.000+04:002007-05-30T11:40:00.537+04:00

It's a BOY! It's a BOY! It's a BOY!We had the morphology scan over the weekend, and we were so happy to find out that all is well. To celebrate, we had ice-cream at Swensens before heading to Babyshop to buy a carseat, a pram and some clothes for BabyG.

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-51175779458875107512007-05-21T11:02:00.000+04:002007-05-21T16:00:18.258+04:00

About a week ago, I rolled over in bed and I felt BabyG do a tumble roll too! Ever since, I've been feeling little rolls, nudges and kicks. Even Gypsy Boy has felt a couple of little movements with his hand on my belly.I have to admit it freaked me out a little bit the first time I felt BabyG move, most probably because it was an actual roll and not just a small kick, but I'm getting quite used

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-42161595477214931852007-05-10T10:28:00.000+04:002007-05-10T11:21:33.912+04:00

I love music! As a little girl, I used to listen to my Mum play the organ and sit beside her singing along to songs. When I was 4, she discovered that I could play by ear and decided to enrol me in Yamaha Music classes. Later, I got my very own piano and started piano lessons.Over the years, I've been into all kinds of music and still enjoy listening to a wide variety of genres depending on what

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-45920895880991005982007-05-08T14:07:00.000+04:002007-05-08T14:23:01.801+04:00

On Sunday, Baby O turned 1 and I went along to his birthday party to celebrate with all his little friends. There were lots of cute babies and toddlers there, I wish I remembered to bring my camera! It was really nice to see all the kids playing with each other and also get to meet with and talk to lots of mothers.Baby O's Mum did such a great job with making the cake and all the delicious food

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-80515519742511494732007-05-03T13:53:00.000+04:002007-05-03T14:07:45.481+04:00

I've been having vivid and very eventful dreams lately, another one of those weird things that is said to go with pregnancy.Last night, I dreamt I was playing poker on a gaming machine, except I wasn't in a casino. I was in my aunt's study, in her house in Kuala Lumpur. Also, it turned out I wasn't gambling with my own money but with one of my brother's! By the end of the night, it seemed like

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1300980864339591482007-05-02T12:47:00.000+04:002007-05-02T20:18:34.422+04:00

Almost halfway there! I've been advised that by this time, I should be 'glowing' and 'blossoming', but I'm neither and I've also accepted that I'm just not one of those women that do. In fact, I've lost weight. I'm now 36.5kg, and my normal ideal weight is 37-38kg [when I'm not preggers that is!]. Light, I know but I am as everyone puts it, tiny.So, those of you who've been asking me for photos,

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-59554446866034424752007-04-22T11:17:00.000+04:002007-05-02T20:19:52.498+04:00

It looks like I have caught the cold off Gypsy Boy. He's been sick for a week now but has not taken any time off work, which drives me mad because it takes him ages to recover, and of course he spreads the germs. Hmrph!

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-45670052665016917882007-04-18T21:15:00.000+04:002007-04-18T21:20:38.017+04:00

Gypsy Boy comes home today! He's only been away two days in Bahrain for work, but I'm really not used to him being the one going away and me staying home. It used to be the other way around when I was working, and both Gypsy Dog and I have missed him heaps even though it's just been a couple of days.Anyhow, he is on his way home now and Gypsy Dog and I are anxiously waiting!

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-43522936582121482562007-04-15T19:21:00.000+04:002007-04-15T19:34:26.906+04:00

OMG. Summer has arrived. Yesterday, we were out and about and the temperature was 41 degrees celcius by 1030!It has been said that because we had an unusually cold winter here this year, we can expect summer to be hotter than normal. Ugh. I didn't think it'd be arriving this early though. It's still only April and I'm not looking forward to July or August!Also, instead of having a central hot

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-61898635217278246802007-04-12T17:35:00.000+04:002007-04-12T17:44:01.633+04:00

A couple of weeks ago the 3 seasons of Nip / Tuck we ordered from Amazon.com arrived. We finished watching the first season last week, and haven't really watched much more this week as Gypsy Boy's been working late. I'm not watching it during the day 'cos I'd probably finish all three seasons in one week, and then have to sit through them again while Gypsy Boy slowly catches up.So, I'm looking

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-38080802415556870582007-04-08T09:35:00.000+04:002007-04-08T10:04:26.376+04:00

Gypsy Boy has taken one of his two religious days he's entitled to per year off work today. We plan to go to mass later this morning, then lunch and spend the afternoon shopping. There are some things we need to pick up and I desperately need some new clothes to fit my growing bump! I can't comfortably fit into any of my pants or shorts any longer.Here's wishing you all a safe and happy Easter

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-17561203285157346982007-04-06T19:48:00.000+04:002007-04-06T20:13:50.033+04:00

It's no secret that I haven't been having much fun the last couple of months being pregnant. Mostly due to being riddled with all-day sickness plus every other symptom in the book. Then just as the nausea abates, I find I can't satisfy [m]any of my food cravings. Not cool when I'd been surviving on dry crackers, toast, and cereal for weeks! I'm not even really asking for anything extraordinary,

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-75799109198364284872007-04-04T19:38:00.000+04:002007-05-02T19:23:44.493+04:00

Gypsy Boy and I are expecting a new arrival later this year - yep, our very own Baby Gypsy [BabyG]. This is what's been making me feel so sick the last couple of months, and I'm glad to say that the nausea is finally beginning to subside! Woohoo!

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-61063585997686544902007-03-29T16:00:00.000+04:002007-04-04T15:44:24.019+04:00

Gypsy Dog had his best friend, Groucho stay over in the weekend. Together, they are a bundle of mischief and full of energy! They got up to their usual antics of play fighting and tug of war when inside and playing tag when outside! ...At the Greens: I think I found a scent!... ...and it's a race!... ...woah! Look at me go!... ...We're pooped, no more photos till we get home please... In 3 days,

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-91754501310716510972007-03-25T11:32:00.000+04:002007-04-04T14:02:08.058+04:00

The LCD display on my old Sony stereo has given way for the third time in about as many years. I picked up this little baby from Tokyo's 'Electronic City', Akihabara, during the summer holidays of my first year of university while on my travels in Japan. At the time, the model was pre-world release (test market for Japan only), and I still remember asking myself if I'd gone mad while I lugged the

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-40647762691673197542007-03-22T15:41:00.000+04:002007-03-22T16:05:09.648+04:00

I just received a really nice phone call from one of the lead editors of the publishing company I just completed a job for. I know it's been absolutely frantic at that office as they have five new travel guides going to print this week, and she still took the time to call me and give me feedback on my work.I usually make it a point to ask for feedback after a job completed, as I think it's a

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-22198101469962364622007-03-21T11:52:00.000+04:002007-03-21T12:45:41.469+04:00

This time last week, I was attending my last Arabic Language for Beginners class. It was an 8-week (16-hour) course, but I managed to miss 3 weeks of classes due to enrolling a week late, being sick, and work commitments.The aspects of the course I really enjoyed were learning the language, the interaction between tutor and students, and the opportunity to ask questions about Arabic culture or

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-26706962734063243792007-03-19T18:58:00.000+04:002007-03-19T19:32:29.086+04:00

Gypsy Dog had his best friend Groucho over for the day, and like all the other times he has a doggy date with little Groucho, he is beside himself with excitement!About half an hour before Groucho was due to arrive, I told Gypsy Dog "Groucho is coming!". Upon hearing this he darted from the comforts of the cushion in his room to the front door, tail wagging, then proceeded to sniff under the door

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-89156695498000984062007-03-18T09:48:00.000+04:002007-05-02T20:21:02.114+04:00

Ok, so I know I've been AWOL from blogging over the last 6 weeks or so, but I've had a valid excuse. I've been feeling very under the weather over the last month, and I'm still not quite over it.Nevertheless, while I've not been snug under the covers in bed (or veg-ed out on the couch) feeling like absolute hell, I've been pretty busy. So here is an update of what's been happening in a Gypsy

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-61276068375672170112007-02-04T21:42:00.000+04:002007-02-04T22:15:18.070+04:00

The UAE won the Gulf Cup last week, and there was a parade held in their honour over the weekend. We didn't think to go, but were caught up in the horrendous traffic jam that resulted after it had ended.Being stuck in traffic for 2 hours on Sheikh Zayed Road would usually be extremely frustrating. This time however, we had quite a bit of entertainment watching UAE nationals who had come from the

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-8594950107922200142007-01-31T21:57:00.000+04:002007-02-01T08:56:35.402+04:00

Keef hakum? Ana zaina, shukran! Al hamdilaila!These are some of the phrases I learnt in my first Arabic language lesson today. I've been really looking forward to learning another new language but couldn't help being a little worried that I was going to be lost and left behind as I'm enrolling a week late into the course.The administrator tried to reassure me with comments like "yes, it'll be

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-64987673200058808402007-01-28T10:31:00.000+04:002007-01-28T21:59:49.085+04:00

The ads and promos looked so good and the 5-star venue is just a stone's throw away from where we live at the Madinat Jumeirah. We both love and miss chilli crabs, so when we heard about the Singapore Chilli Crab Festival we were very much looking forward to a gastronomic weekend. Advertised as being held from 1pm-10pm on Friday and Saturday, the weekend here in the UAE, we arrived at

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-85836362610544531052007-01-22T10:16:00.000+04:002007-01-22T12:52:20.954+04:00

Gypsy Boy's brother left Dubai last Friday after a 2-week stay with us. The last six weeks or so have been an extremely busy one for us, with the festive season, entertaining visitors, and farewelling friends. During this time, we've had the foldable beds out in the lounge and some of the furniture rearranged to accommodate....aboard an abra...We've also had friends leave Dubai and thus,

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-78550654186814449532007-01-01T22:28:00.000+04:002007-01-01T22:41:21.801+04:00

It's been a rather relaxing first day of the year for us. We spent the day talking to family on the phone and online, watching a bit of tele, attending mass and finally doing a spot of shopping.New Year's Eve for us this year was also extremely low-key. Plans to spend the night camping out in the desert with friends were foiled due to a miscommunication between Gypsy Boy and I. Gypsy Boy failed

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-79132106273032527382006-12-30T08:14:00.000+04:002006-12-30T08:30:30.597+04:00

It's Eid Al Adha today, our second in the UAE. This feast of sacrifice marks Abraham's (or Ibrahim's) willingness to obey God by sacrificing his son.Many Muslims here observe the act of sacrificing a goat and donating the meat to the less fortunate. Early this morning, I was woken up by the bleating sounds of a goat that's been locked up in the car park of the apartment block next to us! It's

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-86074405451916186792006-12-28T12:10:00.000+04:002006-12-28T12:23:36.799+04:00

My aunt and uncle left for the airport early this morning, after a 2-week stay with us in Dubai. It's been a year since I last saw them, and it was really good having them here over Christmas and showing them what life in Dubai is like.We both went back to bed after they left, and when I woke up later this morning, the house felt a little empty! Funny how I always feel this whenever I've had

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-33446833075411963382006-12-20T23:39:00.000+04:002006-12-20T23:45:28.368+04:00

I've been a little busy of late with my aunt and uncle visiting from Malaysia. To those of you who've sent me emails or left comments on this blog, I'm sorry I haven't been very diligent in replying. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I'm thinking of all of you, but just have not had the chance to respond!I'm expecting that this will be the case until Christmas is over, so I'll take the

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-50291273458997363082006-12-16T23:03:00.000+04:002006-12-20T23:23:42.398+04:00

As members of the Dubai International Art Centre, we were invited to attend the opening of Mounir Lakkis' exhibition of painting, photography and sculpture held at the Burj al Arab tonight.Knowing that my aunt and uncle who are visiting Dubai at the moment, have been extremely keen to visit the famous 7-star hotel, I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to take them and catch some of

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-66636373685696530422006-12-13T15:50:00.000+04:002006-12-14T12:19:40.291+04:00

Like other parts of the world, the Christmas season in Dubai seems to have arrived earlier this year. Christmas jingles are being played regularly on the radio and lots of shops and malls being decked out with the usual red, green and gold decorations. Shoppers also seem to be out in full force doing all their Christmas shopping.Still, I'm finding it hard to get into the Christmas spirit this

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-83930370639063931512006-12-12T21:55:00.000+04:002006-12-12T09:07:46.013+04:00

Winter's here. It's been raining off and on the last couple of weeks. The day we got back to Dubai from Europe it was raining all day and we've only really had the odd day of sunshine since. The temperatures have also dropped a fair bit and the mercury's down to as low as 16 degrees C.While this may seem mild to most, it's cold enough for me to have switched the air-conditioning off and don my

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-85450808059765508032006-12-11T17:21:00.000+04:002006-12-12T09:00:24.022+04:00

Gypsy Boy and I had our last art class over the weekend. I felt a little sad to be finishing off our art classes as I've really enjoyed being under the instruction of our art teacher Kamen and meeting new people. On the other hand, I'm also happy to have our Saturday mornings back!I'm not really the best morning person to start with, and this coupled with our usual late nights out on Friday

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-40055181234753046282006-12-10T12:05:00.000+04:002006-12-10T16:11:17.911+04:00

It's been over a year now that Gypsy Boy and I have been living in Dubai, which prompted me recently to reflect on my feelings about life in this city.What I like:1. Geographical location. It's central and I love the fact that it's so close to Europe and Asia. Living here has given us ample opportunity to explore countries and areas that we've never had the chance to see before. Dubai airport is

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-62911557464741122142006-12-05T22:46:00.001+04:002006-12-06T13:42:40.024+04:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }It was recently in the news that Dubai is set to become a geo-city next year. It will be interesting to see progress with this, in a city amongst the highest per capita waste generation in the world.Recycling at Brussels Airport

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-32286206132716053892006-12-04T14:38:00.000+04:002006-12-05T20:34:55.835+04:00

Istanbul has got to be one of my favourite cities in the world! I never expected that I'd like it as much as I did, but I couldn't help falling in love with this beautiful, historic city and its warm, friendly people.We started off by taking a nice long walk after checking into our hotel, just a stones throw away from the famous Blue Mosque, Haghia Sohpia, Topkapi Palace, the Grand Bazaar and the

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-77446372537493311982006-12-03T10:00:00.000+04:002006-12-03T11:42:43.862+04:00

Yay it's arrived! I pre-ordered this from amazon.com in August, waiting for the DVD release which was 2 weeks ago. We were a little concerned about receiving packages here, but seeing that this got delivered fine it looks like we can do a bit more online shopping!

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-49468524520867654962006-12-02T20:51:00.000+04:002006-12-02T20:57:55.805+04:00

Today is National Day in the United Arab Emirates, marking the 35th year the seven Emirates came together to form a country. As it's on a Saturday this year, most of the private sector companies have chosen not to give its employees a day off in lieu tomorrow. So unfortunately for Gypsy Boy, it's back to work after a lovely short break away.

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-84488921497905052672006-11-29T00:15:00.001+04:002006-12-02T20:59:06.145+04:00

So here we are in Brussels, where Gypsy Boy is attending a short course for work and I am taking full advantage of the benefits! ...Heading in the wrong direction!...Yesterday afternoon, I set out looking for the famous Grand Place which is just a stone's throw away from our hotel, but I missed the turning and got a little lost. I gave up using my little map and decided to practise my French by

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-72214121414469045942006-11-28T23:40:00.000+04:002006-11-29T00:17:46.311+04:00

We have arrived in Brussels, after what seemed like a very long 8 hour trip via Istanbul early this morning with Turkish Airways.The fares were very well priced at 2340AED per person, including all taxes and a stopover in Istanbul on our way home. This being our very first flight with Turkish Airways, we did not fail to notice that the clientele is very different from Emirates', the check-in

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-47734851840869438112006-11-27T09:41:00.000+04:002007-05-02T20:22:00.089+04:00

Gypsy Boy has just had a car accident. I don't have all the details as yet, but it is one of my worst fears here in Dubai. All I can say is thank God, it's not serious. As far as I know, Gypsy Boy said he was at fault and hit another car in front of him.Where many nationalities and driving styles come together, coupled with high speeds, Dubai is home to the most dangerous roads in the world.

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-40939307540210070602006-11-26T14:07:00.000+04:002006-11-26T14:25:59.847+04:00

I've been a bit slack with posting lately partly due to laziness, lack of motivation to post, and I guess it's been a little busier than normal.The most exciting thing I guess was throwing a surprise party for Gypsy Boy's Birthday over the weekend, and getting my first piece of work completed.Gypsy Boy's little party was fun, thanks to all our friends who came over to celebrate, and special

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-68957948227047773152006-11-15T11:52:00.000+04:002006-11-15T13:59:34.174+04:00

Over the last year, I've been 'unemployed' at worst, and a 'housewife' at best. This has been the longest I've ever been without a job in my working life. In fact, it's the only time I've ever been unemployed in my working life but it was a choice I made when we moved to Dubai to take a much needed break.As of tomorrow I will start work proofreading for a well-known local publishing company. It

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-66565032566022245342006-11-13T22:37:00.000+04:002006-11-14T10:54:31.512+04:00

I kinda got sidetracked from posting about the rest of our recent trip to Europe. Anyway, I guess I will do it slowly over time.For now, here are some of my favourite shots from the short time we had in Nice, the South of France.

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-87099122584017738502006-11-13T11:31:00.000+04:002006-11-13T11:56:17.387+04:00

Gypsy Boy kindly forwarded me this link to a version of the Myers Briggs Personality test this morning, which looks like it's making its rounds through the office.The full description that followed on what makes an ESTJ tick showed no surprises. After a year of life altering changes in lifestyle, job and environment, I'm still the same old me!A short description of the ESTJ personality type:ESTJs

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-46624163089672531842006-11-08T15:33:00.001+04:002006-11-08T15:40:34.684+04:00

As a little girl living in Malaysia, my brother and I used to wait for the 'Roti Man' to come around on his motorbike every evening.He'd simply drive around the streets of the neighbourhood and beep his horn calling out 'Roti!, Roti!' meaning 'bread' in Malay. Mounted on the back of his bike was a box full of bread, and hanging on the outside of the box were bags full of delicious chips, sweet

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-13882504719814910672006-11-07T14:57:00.000+04:002006-11-08T15:34:03.896+04:00

It's coming up to a year that we've left New Zealand and made Dubai our home. After a year of being away from work, family and friends, I have to say that a little homesickness is kicking in...Spring in NZ is one of my favourite times of the year. The weather starts to warm up, Christmas is around the corner, and nature is at its best. I have a soft spot for tree lined avenues and there aren't

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-38975134552811271732006-11-05T14:16:00.000+04:002007-05-02T20:28:12.975+04:00

Our art class has been steadily growing. Even though we are half way through the term, we still have new students joining the course. We started with 5 students and as of next week there will be 8!...A little street in Nice, by Gypsy Boy...Gypsy Boy is still working on his piece, but there are continuing discussions between him and our art teacher Kamen on whether the work is complete. Gypsy Boy

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-78463332622733563952006-11-04T21:29:00.000+04:002006-11-04T21:48:18.978+04:00

Even royalty apparently!Gypsy Boy and I were at Carrefour in the Mall of the Emirates this evening to pick up a few groceries for the week when His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum walked right past us. He was heading towards the fish section and was flanked by two other men also dressed in white dishdashas.As he walked through the hypermarket, shoppers stopped in their tracks and

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-49004645712011243052006-11-03T15:10:00.000+04:002006-11-04T21:24:47.230+04:00

A reporter from the Emirates Today publication visited the DIAC (Dubai International Art Centre) last week and if you got the paper on 31 October, you would have seen that the feature picture for this article is one of our art class! Gypsy Boy and I are in this photo and our art teacher Kamen was interviewed for the article. You can read the full article online, however the photo of our class is

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-90557042980213369072006-11-01T19:45:00.000+04:002006-11-01T20:48:16.441+04:00

Today, I accompanied my gorgeous Greek friend M. to a Mum's coffee morning. Don't get excited, I haven't been hiding anything and I can assure you there are no Baby G's in the Gypsy household yet!I wasn't sure how to feel at first about going to this coffee morning for Mums sans baby, and once we got there I felt a little out of place when I saw a group of women gathered in the corner of

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-88322620652895029712006-10-30T18:08:00.000+04:002006-10-30T18:45:50.163+04:00

While I've only been blogging for less than a year, I've been a fervent reader of blogs for the last five years. There seems to be an addictive quality to reading up about the lives and daily or weekly rants of [sometimes] complete strangers.What's interesting is the online friendships that eventuate within the blogging community. I know of instances where physical meetings with fellow bloggers

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-68646241447794242892006-10-25T10:51:00.000+04:002006-10-25T11:47:45.007+04:00

Over the last couple of days [Eid], the streets were really quiet and the shopping malls have been absolutely packed! There was a festive feeling in the air that reminded me of Christmas as friends and families meet up to wish each other a Happy Eid and bring one another gifts. It was lovely to see children dressed up in their brand new outfits while the adults paraded in their 'Sunday bests'.The

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-86729942013327496252006-10-23T10:09:00.000+04:002006-10-23T10:20:58.580+04:00

Selamat Hari Raya!We have decided to take a last minute road trip today to the Garden city of Al Ain. It is approximately one and a half hours drive away and is part of the Abu Dhabi Emirate, bordering on Oman.Safe and happy holidays to you all and your families!

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-8904850255578994662006-10-21T12:49:00.000+04:002006-10-21T12:59:50.484+04:00

It's Diwali today, also known as Deepavali or the Festival of Lights. Gypsy Boy and I happened to be out and about last night trying to hunt down an Indian restaurant recommended by some of Gypsy Boy's Indian colleagues. While driving around the other side of town we saw lots of decorative lights adorning balconies of apartments, and at the restaurant many diners were wishing one another a Happy

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-18761989393255824702006-10-18T18:38:00.000+04:002006-10-18T20:12:04.537+04:00

The month of Ramadan is almost over, and will be marked by Eid Al Fitr sometime next week. The exact date is to be confirmed and will be subject to change depending on the sighting of the new moon.What's interesting is the private sector will get 2 days holiday while the public sector will be graced with a whopping 9 days off! Go figure...Tomorrow night we're booked to have dinner at a Ramadan

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-18978148398031754972006-10-17T08:27:00.000+04:002007-05-02T20:25:32.697+04:00

Over the last few weeks, I've been exhausted. Not from doing anything in particular which was what puzzled me and caused me to think perhaps I'd come down with some tiredness virus. I'd simply wake up after a good night's sleep and feel tired. Getting on to doing my normal house chores left me feeling exhausted after a few minutes. I was even down to having afternoon naps and having no trouble

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-73113376126735679702006-10-16T13:14:00.000+04:002006-10-16T13:41:34.274+04:00

While cooking dinner last night, I noticed the water pressure in the kitchen was unusually low. Slight panic hit when I remembered that the restaurant downstairs has been under renovation and doing some pretty heavy duty drilling of sorts. Thinking maybe they'd accidentally hit one of our water pipes, I did a quick check on the rest of the taps in the apartment to see if the water pressure

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-83070725050488396862006-10-09T09:02:00.000+04:002006-10-08T22:52:47.952+04:00

In all the cities I've visited and lived in, I've found none seemingly to be as impermanent as life in Dubai. Everything in every sense is temporary. Overnight, new roads are built, old roads are blocked and buildings erected. Expats make up 80-90% of the population and it is a place where quite simply people come and go.It's strange to think that in our short 11 months here, we've had our share

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-15459229606386273072006-10-08T15:51:00.000+04:002007-05-02T20:28:31.600+04:00

Gypsy Boy and I made a little more progress this week at art class. We both added more detailing to our paintings and here are the results below. ...Pink, by Gypsy Girl... ...A little street in Nice, by Gypsy Boy...I think I'm almost done with mine, I just need to do a little more work on the background and I also want to finish the sides. Gypsy Boy will probably work on his for another few more

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-26088382373250824602006-10-06T20:25:00.000+04:002006-10-06T20:43:19.123+04:00

Last week, our art teacher Kamen asked us to try and do some sketching at home this week if we got time. I love sketching, but I prefer to sketch from a photo or from real life as opposed to trying to picture an image or scene in my mind. This is one of the quick sketches I did a couple of days ago from a photo taken of our flower girl outside the church we got married in.I think my sketch makes

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-47679135729373693612006-10-04T19:16:00.000+04:002006-10-04T19:56:01.839+04:00

Today, Joy and I had our weekly lunch date except since it's Ramadan and from our previous experience, we were expecting all the eateries to be shut, so we planned to have our own lunch at home then meet up at the mall and watch a movie.It turned out that neither of us managed to have lunch and as we both felt a bit peckish we thought we'd scoot next door to the Kempinski Hotel and see what we

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-67407654891866651132006-10-03T08:39:00.000+04:002006-10-03T09:01:28.858+04:00

More random thoughts and experiences so far in our second week of Ramadan:After that mad rush grocery shopping at our local Carrefour 2 weekends ago, we tried shopping after iftar. This worked out well in that it was much quieter, but the shelves were also much emptier. No chicken breast (again!), no asparagus, very limited range and choice of fresh herbs and vegetables that I usually pick up too

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-22089142114165773392006-10-02T08:25:00.000+04:002006-10-02T09:18:05.585+04:00

As promised some time ago in a previous post, here are photos of the recent additions to my little private gallery - 3 paintings I brought back from our trip to Europe in August.The first, is an oil painting of a café scene in St. Germain-des-pres in Paris. It is also the smallest of the 3, and was purchased in Paris. I really liked this district [where the Musée D'orsay is located], and just

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-83716915391582634062006-10-01T13:02:00.000+04:002007-05-02T20:28:31.601+04:00

I didn't feel I made as much progress this week at art school and the 3 hours this morning seemed to go by really slowly. It probably had to do with the air conditioning not working and the room getting quite hot and stuffy. It got so warm I really just wanted to have a drink of water, but of course it's Ramadan now....Pink - unfinished by Gypsy Girl...Gypsy Boy and I were fading at 1130 and we

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-121696030132100762006-09-30T00:19:00.000+04:002006-09-30T00:34:25.386+04:00

I decided to finally make a few changes to this blog [thanks to the new beta release of Blogger!], mostly aesthetic so you've probably already noticed the difference.The new template has enabled me to post a few of my favourite pictures up on the sidebar - YAY! These are all photographs Gypsy Boy and I took on our adventures around the world. Oh, and somewhere below above all these pretty

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-65085318395213467982006-09-29T23:24:00.000+04:002006-09-29T23:57:15.223+04:00

As we left our apartment to go out for dinner tonight, it was hard to miss the very shiny black Corvette parked next to us in the basement carpark. What's interesting is yesterday, there was a sparkling white Hummer parked in that same spot! Very preeeetty. We think they're new in the building as our previous carpark neighbours drove a white Landcruiser. Of course, they could've upgraded...Anyway

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-3548152910873088272006-09-28T13:31:00.000+04:002006-09-28T13:48:37.135+04:00

Cafés, restaurants, foodcourts - the choices are endless. Well, usually anyway. Yesterday, I was hoping to take Joy out for a special Birthday lunch and we ended up having a bit of an adventure looking for somewhere [anywhere!] that was open for business.Ramadan is here and I knew that some cafés would be closed but for some reason did not expect everything to be shut, especially not at the Mall

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-49497990109189807952006-09-24T21:48:00.000+04:002006-09-24T21:54:34.675+04:00

With the introduction of recycling in the early 1990's on Auckland's North Shore [where my family lived in NZ], the City Council ran huge campaigns educating its residents about landfills, how to recycle, and the benefits of going 'green'.This made quite an impression on me and as a young pre-teen, I took the role of making sure no recylable bits ended up in the rubbish bin by fishing them out [

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-12270514124246471052006-09-24T11:08:00.000+04:002007-05-02T20:28:31.602+04:00

The new semester has started, and I've enrolled and had my first class at art school. The biggest surprise is that Gypsy Boy has decided to join me!We have a 3 hour class in oil painting each Saturday this semester at the Dubai International Art Centre. Housed in a large villa, the Centre has a real community feel with a reception area, an art shop, its own cafe and of course, classrooms.Our

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-76231710088626916062006-09-23T16:27:00.000+04:002006-09-23T17:50:13.443+04:00

Ramadan starts today. As it's our first experience of Ramadan in the Middle East, we're being extra careful to observe this special holy time for Muslims fasting during daylight hours here.During this time, one should dress more conservatively than normal and should not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum in public during the day. The restaurants or few cafés that are open are extremely discreet with

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-11481607535374610452006-09-22T08:30:00.000+04:002006-09-22T09:00:56.739+04:00

About 10 days ago, I decided to take my chances with sending some mail other than the electronic kind. Under the guidance of my friend Joy, who sends letters and parcels off quite often to the UK, I decided to send 3 articles: a Birthday card to my dear aunt in NZ, a Birthday parcel for my darling brother in Melbourne and some baby gear for a new nephew in Vancouver!Brave for a first timer, I

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-64559573316852088522006-09-21T08:48:00.000+04:002006-09-21T08:52:12.205+04:00

Summer has come to an end in Dubai and we survived the heat!Ok, so we cheated a little with our European Escapade but we did stick out 2 of the 3 months. It did get as hot as they said it would and also extremely humid. We're talking temperatures of up to 50 degrees C [unofficially, probably higher], and humidity levels of approx. 80-90%.It basically felt like we were in an oven, but surprisingly

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-18785594547288680742006-09-20T21:49:00.000+04:002006-09-20T21:58:40.056+04:00

We decided to subscribe to Showtime last weekend and the installation guys came to set it up a couple of days ago. It's actually the first time we've ever had pay TV in the Gypsy household, and we are lapping it up.Both Gypsy Boy and I are self confessed TV addicts so it's a good thing, as well as a bad thing if you know what I mean!

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-70980969680427072752006-09-16T22:32:00.000+04:002006-09-16T23:03:36.401+04:00

It's so surreal. It's 2230 and Gypsy Boy and I have just come home from Snow school! We've both been skiing before but it was our first time snowboarding, just so weird to have this experience here in the middle of the desert!We've been wanting to try snowboarding for awhile, and so when Gypsy Boy came across a special promotion in a magazine yesterday, we decided to give this a shot! The promo

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-42583298787183094782006-09-14T10:17:00.000+04:002006-09-14T16:03:59.262+04:00

...is what I cooked for dinner last night!This is a Florentine specialty that I first tried on our recent trip there and needless to say it was love at first bite! In our 4 days in Florence, Italy, I must've ordered this dish at least 3 times! Before we left, we came across some bottled truffles in the food market and bought a small bottle to take home. We also bought a bottle of truffle and

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-26728157940520711962006-09-13T21:26:00.000+04:002006-09-13T21:51:44.065+04:00

Ok. So an update on our rental situation. The one year lease on our apartment officially expires on the 6th of December this year. However, in a clause on our lease agreement, we have to give 3 months written notice if we do not wish to renew our lease upon expiry - a common phenomenon here.So 10 days ago, I decided to ring the landlord's office [who by the way owns all the apartments in our

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-3293376896597150882006-09-12T18:36:00.000+04:002006-09-12T18:39:14.863+04:00

I love Belgian waffles, and there is a possibility that Gypsy Boy and I could be doing this very thing in November! How perfect!It just so happens that we did not go to Belgium at all on our recent European escapade. Fingers crossed, will keep you posted on more as details unfold...

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-91047708740669744602006-09-10T11:01:00.000+04:002006-09-10T11:40:42.180+04:00

In the weekend, Gypsy Boy and I decided to check out some of the new buildings in our neighbourhood. There's a lot of construction in this developing area and we've noticed some very swanky, new apartment blocks coming up.As the lease on the apartment we are renting is coming up for renewal in December, I thought it would be a good idea to check out what is available in the market. Rents have

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-27183754773840188682006-09-05T16:04:00.000+04:002006-09-05T16:26:05.229+04:00

So the rumour is we might actually get an address sometime in the future. The Dubai Municipality and the Road and Transport Authority plan to give streets names so that mail can actually be delivered to ones doorstep.Believe it or not, at the moment there is no real address system and all post is delivered to PO Boxes. We had fun and games when we first arrived, unfamiliar with the city, trying

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-77633122400447357722006-09-04T21:06:00.000+04:002006-09-04T21:18:27.957+04:00

I couldn't believe when I read the news this morning about Steve Irwin's death. Gypsy Boy and I used to love watching The Crocodile Hunter Diaries on TV... he seemed invincible!

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1157141418353117572006-09-02T00:06:00.000+04:002006-09-03T22:57:12.606+04:00

Last week, I was really excited to hear about the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre opening soon just down the road at the Mall of the Emirates. It only gets better, I just found out today that the centre will also be housing an [English language] book library. Bring it on!

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1157000745822786822006-08-31T08:54:00.000+04:002006-08-31T10:08:41.776+04:00

I've finally published a rather lengthy post on our time in Paris that I typed out a few days ago, but for some reason my internet browser of choice, Mozilla Firefox kept crashing on me whenever I was in the middle of uploading images. Frustrating, to say the least. Anyway, I finally managed to get some of our photos uploaded using Internet Explorer.Today is Hari Merdeka - Independence day,

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1156682899236368742006-08-27T16:46:00.000+04:002006-08-27T16:48:19.253+04:00

In the weekend, we picked up my 3 paintings from the framers and put them up. I'm really pleased with the job the framers did! [Photos to follow...]

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1156317376890161632006-08-23T11:15:00.000+04:002006-08-23T11:29:46.470+04:00

I've been thinking about changing the name of this blog for some time. Really, it's been ever since my dear 80-something-year-old Grandmother checked it out for the first time at an internet cafe in Malaysia (really!), and thought it was something incredibly rude. Hee hee!Anyway, the title has changed but the URL [www.adventuresindubai.blogspot.com] is still the same.

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1156238524450517962006-08-22T13:19:00.000+04:002006-08-31T08:52:53.663+04:00

I loved absolutely everything about this beautiful city - the language, the people, the art, the museums, the food, the wine, the architecture, the pretty façade of the buildings, the french windows... Really, what is there not to love? ...the view of Paris from atop L'arc de triomphe, CDG Etoile!......Gypsy Boy by L'Arc de Triomphe...Paris was hands down my favourite city on this whole trip, and

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1156104256569469132006-08-20T23:59:00.000+04:002006-08-24T12:03:40.896+04:00

First stop: London....view of London from the London Eye...Liked: The view from the London Eye, Tate Modern, Piccadilly Circus & SOHO, cute dogs going everywhere with their masters including on the Tube! | View | Add FavoriteLoved: The Big Ben, the Monopoly feel, where we stayed - Twenty Nevern Square Hotel.Highlights: Notting Hill, The Lion King.*******************London had such a great vibe. I

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1155724103291319682006-08-16T12:01:00.000+04:002006-08-17T09:30:23.916+04:00

To all of you who sent me Birthday wishes last month, it was really neat getting to read all your emails and messages! I had a wooooonderful day in Paris. Still sorting out the gazillion photos we took, amongst other things, so once that's done I'll post some on here.

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1155627665128125212006-08-15T09:54:00.000+04:002006-08-17T09:28:20.636+04:00

We made it back to our apartment in Dubai yesterday morning at 3am after experiencing delays in both our flights yesterday due to the imminent security threats in the UK.We spent the last few days of our holiday in Amsterdam, however we had to fly home to Dubai from London. On the bright side, it was London Gatwick and not London Heathrow.Having disembarked an hour later than scheduled from our

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1152732824927255642006-07-12T23:32:00.000+04:002006-07-12T23:35:59.926+04:00

Here are some of the first shots taken with our new Canon 350D.Awwww... we're gonna miss this little boy. With a face like this, who wouldn't??

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1152526698797473102006-07-10T13:41:00.000+04:002006-07-10T20:08:04.903+04:00

...to London!

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1152384244998876112006-07-08T22:21:00.000+04:002006-07-08T23:02:48.030+04:00

You read it right, there is an Arabian wolf on the loose in a very residential area of Dubai at the moment! Apparently there haven't been sightings of this extremely rare animal in the UAE for the last 25 years, but at the moment it's hanging out in the streets of a neighbourhood just a few kilometres away from where we live.Those who have seen the wolf have said that it seems domesticated which

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1152090989570501002006-07-05T13:04:00.000+04:002006-07-05T13:16:29.603+04:00

After weeks of looking for the best deal and tossing up between Olympus and Canon, we bought the Canon 350D last night.There are some pretty good summer sales on now, so it was perfect timing as we were looking to get an SLR camera to take on our Europe trip. We will still be taking our trusty, old point and shoot Canon ixus400, but this will be particularly good for those night shots and wide

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1151910498998921102006-07-03T10:50:00.000+04:002006-07-07T23:32:32.340+04:00

Back in May, when MIL (i.e. Gypsy Boy's Mum) was in town, we visited the beautiful Jumeira Mosque - one of the most beautiful and hence, most photographed mosques in Dubai. It also opens its doors and runs tours twice a week to foster cultural exchange and understanding.As a sign of respect, legs and shoulders should be covered and for women, a head scarf or shawl should also be worn. Our tour

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1151652466112667002006-06-30T10:32:00.000+04:002006-06-30T11:36:03.120+04:00

I've just found out that during our overnight stay in the Cote d'Azur, the Nice Jazz Festival will be on! I didn't think too much of this at first, but checked out the programme and was blown away by the line up. It just so happens that Kanye West and Neneh Cherry amongst others will be performing.I now wish we had a little more time in this beautiful area of the South of France. Perched on the

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20223443.post-1151387946965604292006-06-27T09:52:00.000+04:002006-06-27T09:59:06.976+04:00

1. You meet Malaysians that have just arrived and they are complaining about the heat2. Your sunnies/glasses fog up everytime you step outside3. You see cars with curtains hanging on the inside?!?

GYPSY GIRLhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05532326077040158478noreply@blogger.com0