When in the UAE...

Would you care for a sandwish?

kelly watch the stars - air

Spiritual Thought of the Day

Have the heart to forgive souls for being who they are not, and have the respect that inspires souls to become who they are. When I forgive souls for not being who I want them to be, I am actually freeing them to be who they really are. Today let me release all the people I know from the bondage of my expectations and find out who they really are. 

*thank you mama*

"Life is too short for stress," said Cat.

Yay happinessss!

james blake - lindisfarne

aren't weekends meant for rest? need more sleep...

Happy Holidays vs Merry Christmas?

Apparently  the White House referred to Christmas Trees as Holiday Trees for the first time this year which prompted CBS presenter, Ben Stein, to present this piece:

My  confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto.  In fact, I kind of like it.It shows that we are all  brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on  display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu.  If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God ? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a  lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. 

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.
If not, then just discard it.... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in. 

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein


[TheFamily.com]


I thought this was a pretty strong statement. Does anyone have any views? 

To Method Act or Not to Method Act

Have you watched Breaking Dawn yet? This photo really amuses me, this is Pattinson's trademark "in love" look, but really looks more like he's feeling his hernia flare up. I watched it on Saturday and actually enjoyed it. Oh my god... I know. I'm either getting scowls or cheers of agreement right now. See, I decided to give twilight a read my last semester of uni because after a while I got bored of Boston's freezing weather, and staying in to read was a much better idea..... aaand I've always been a geek who's into sci-fi and fantasy. So this was just a quick easy read. Yes it can be stupid, yes it's for kids, yes it's unrealistic, but for some reason it became a guilty pleasure that I'm not embarrassed about. Anyway, back to Breaking Dawn, I was afraid it would suck like the first part of the 7th Harry Potter movie, but I really liked that we actually go to see the baby, and Bella's transformation. I just have one question, how intense was the sex scene because it was censored here... All we saw was them skinny dipping, then Bella waking up with feathers around her. No, I can't visually imagine what sex with a vampire would be like, so I didn't appreciate the cut.

I was impressed by how frail and sick Bella looked. I remember in the book the description was ghastly, but wow did they portray it well. I got really scared at first that Kristen Stewart actually embodied the character and lost all that weight, because as an aspiring actress the last thing I want to think I have to do is put my health on the line for a role. I found this interview where she explains it was all digital:

It appears that you lost a considerable amount of weight between the honeymoon and when you were pregnant. Was that all digital?

Kristen Stewart: "Yeah, digital totally. I didn't have time. We shot everything...everything was sporadically shot. To do that we would've had to shut down production for a couple of months while I lost the weight or gained it back, whichever we did first."

It looks very genuine.

Kristen Stewart: "It's so cool that you're saying that. That’s great because you do fear that. It does make you feel a little bit like, 'Oh, I hope you guys do a good job,' because I can't do that part and it can ruin you, obviously, if you look ridiculous. Obviously, I don't. So, those guys are amazing at what they do."

(click here for the full interview)

After seeing how amazing digital work is, I really felt bad for actors like Christian Bale, who lost 60 lbs. for his role in The Machinist, where he'd live on like espresso and an apple a day. I think method acting is admirable, just not when it puts you at risk, which most times it seems to do just that. I'm sure he'd never regret his choices, he'd say losing all that weight is the only way he could live that role. I would just be curious to see if someone could do it just as well without all the unhealthy physical work. Check out his photos from the film if you haven't seen it already, bloody scary:

Freida Pinto in Black Gold?

I just have one comment:

Freida Pinto. is. NOT. Arabic.

Maybe one day when actual Arabs are used to represent themselves, movies will be more genuine and convincing.

Thank you and have a nice day.

Fun in the Sun at Aquaventure

Last weekend I finally went to Aquaventure in Atlantis and it was sooooooooo much fun! It felt like being on vaca, even though I could see my apt building from the beach... There were loads of tourists, the sun was out but there was a nice breeze, the slides were fun, and the fruit was fresh! I do think that if I go again I won't go at 1pm but rather at 11am to catch a nice tan. Other than the annoying wait for the different slides, it was such a fun day. You know, the leap of faith isn't as scary as I thought it would be. I guess I didn't have much time to analyze what I was getting myself into, but for some reason my back didn't enjoy it. Note to all of you who decide to try it, hold your nose tightly shut. It felt like a hose was placed right under my nostrils, and turned on suddenly to the highest pressure. I didn't appreciate the lack of warning...

Where all the kiddies play and the water is 99% pee!

I took this photo during broad daylight but it came out with such a different mood. I don't feel like it was taken in Dubai when I look at it.

We got the fruit combo and the coconut water tasted great! I lie... but at least it's healthy and I was thirsty, so it really did the job. 

I love pineapple so much. This one was so sweet, we scraped the inside until there was nothing else to eat, proper villager style. It looked super awkward at the end though because there was just this stick protruding from the middle. Yeah... you would have thought it too.

The watermelon wasn't even red and yet was so sweet.

A beautiful sunset to end the day. 

If you do go, remember to bring your Emirates License or ID because rather than paying AED 200 you'll pay AED 140 (they don't advertise that anywhere of course). The photos are ridiculously expensive, priced at AED 150, and the key chain they give is butterz; it's purple with glitter- something you'd find at the Limited II. Don't take photos in the pool with the slide behind you unless you want to experience the most awkward poses with whoever you're with. I don't know if the photographer was bored or genuinely thought he was brought over to take photographs for a soft porn magazine. Either way, very bizarre. 

If you haven't been, make some time for it. We should all feel like kids every once in a while! 

*My Very Special 25th Birthday*

hi.

For my 25th birthday I was very lucky to be able to share it with good company, and to finally organize something I’ve had in mind for a while.

Unfortunately, I’ve been coming across more and more people with cancer. Has it always been this common? Maybe I’m just growing up, but I think that it’s definitely something to watch out for. Do not exempt yourself if you don’t have cancer in your family, because it can hit the people who least expect it. Another thing to keep in mind is that it isn’t age sensitive; I just heard about someone who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 25 years of age. There’s nothing we can do to control if we get it or not, but by actively being aware of it and getting checked, we can catch anything early, if God forbid it comes our way.

So this year on my birthday, I spent the whole day doing exactly what I wanted. At 8am I took part in the Burjuman Pink Walkathon for Breast Cancer, and at night had a gathering where people could donate to a local organization. 


The walk was spectacular. Between the young, old, families, schools, puppies etc there was so much positive energy around. It was truly uplifting to see so many people walking for one cause in all their pink caps and white shirts. This walk made me love Dubai so much more. I loved seeing so many children there, I think it’s a wonderful thing to raise your children with the awareness. Here are some photos:

There was a live band, and the DJ even gave me a shout out for my birthday.

We got stuck in the midst of a really bad fart, which sucked because we couldn't move. Then we noticed this fella right next to us shivering in his owner's arms... definitely guilty.

 ...yes I got a ribbon painted on my cheek. You know how it is... when you're in the midst of so much hype you're just like "I want that and that and that" and by the end you're like, what's on me?

So after that great experience I was able to complete any final touches to the gathering I’d be hosting at night. I was grateful to have Stoli supply the alcohol and NAB Drinks supply my favorite non-alcoholic drink, bai5. As for the food, last year on my birthday, I had some people over and no one touched the Magnolia cupcakes. Actually maybe one was eaten. So I decided to offer a variety of my favorite treats that aren't all dipped in saturated fat because clearly a lot of people are not always into wasting their workout on a single cupcake.

I really love the carrot cake at Health Quest in Abu Dhabi, it's made much lighter but just as addictively yummy, so I definitely had that on the menu. They were so sweet to send it over as a gift, and also sent over some of their lazy cake, which was all gone by the end of the night. There was also vegan banana loaf and vanilla and chocolate cupcakes frosted with vanilla icing and this stunning chocolate hazelnut spread (which beats Nutella for me), all of which are gluten-free. For even smaller bites, our homemade orange-cinnamon biscotti, Pop chips, Daim, Chocodates, vegan/ gluten free Ovenly Baked Cookies, and crackers with peanut butter and the choco-hazelnut spread for scooping. mmmm!

On to the highlight of my birthday. I filled my apartment with pink helium balloons and had people slip AED 50 per balloon into my bonanza box and write a wish on a note that they would tie to the bottom of the balloon’s string. They then enjoyed taking photos with the balloons, and by the end of the night we let all the balloons go into the night sky, setting all our wishes free.

This is my breast cancer bonanza box, which I owe to the creative mind of Theresa Tsui, co-founder of SolidariTea Arabia.

Even little Benoît made a wish.

cancer, vas-t-en, s'il te plait... tu est tres mechant. 

merci.

70 wishes all tangled up..

.. and set free.

Spot the lone wolf making his own way.

I experienced this balloon idea at a random event I happened to go to in NYC a couple years back and thought it was so creative. I never saw them set the balloons free but I can imagine that's what they did. I was so excited to use it for this cause. It's nice to physically see your wishes going somewhere :)

All together we were able to raise AED 4,000, which made me really happy and appreciative, because with just 50 guests a lot of people put in much more. The proceeds all went to Safe & Sound’s Breast Cancer Awareness organization to offer people the opportunity to get free check-ups, mammograms, patient care and further education for the community. All of their fund raising and usage is monitored by the Red Crescent. 

I’ve learnt that one of the best cures for any problem is a positive mind. I wish us all the strength and power to stay positive during the hardest times.

xx