Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Al Ain Benches Series #2

Posted on the November 18th, 2011 under Uncategorized by

It’s Friday once again and it’s time for my Al Ain Benches series. 
I had a ‘toxic’ night shift–my first of 2 graveyard shifts. I couldn’t imagine that I have been to 3 different units within the 12-hour shift. Last night seemed to be one of my busiest nights—it was like a roller coaster ride. To sum it up, I am dead tired! Too bad that I punched out at half past eight in the morning because of the last minute orders. Good thing that today’s weather is nice. I opted to take the bus. I was on my way to the bus stop when I saw these green benches at the parking area…punctuating in a constant distance and in between date palms and trees. Located at Tawam Hospital’s Polyclinic area, a few meters away from the bust stop. Since I was late for the 8:15 bus, I sat on one of the benches while waiting for the next bus. These benches are not comfortable for the butt to sit on–they are made out of steel and puddled iron. Anyway, I had a 15-minute rest…it was good enough for my aching legs and feet.
See you next week for another Al Ain Benches series. Apologies for not visiting today–I am still on tonight. I need to hit the sack and take a rest. Have a great day ahead everyone! Salaam!

Photos: Dubai Motor Show ’11

Posted on the November 17th, 2011 under Uncategorized by

Photos from our visit to the DMS '11, and which were our highlights of the show. You'll notice that we have a thing for concept cars. Feast your eyes on these gorgeous cars.
BMW's stunning Vision concept

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Hand Hygiene Day

Posted on the November 16th, 2011 under Uncategorized by

Germs are in the air, on our hands, on our feet, on the table, and everywhere. They can even get on the foods that we eat. To get rid of them and prevent them from invading our system, we have to wash our hands. Remember that the most important thing we could do to prevent the spread of illness is to wash our hands often and thoroughly.

We (nurses, doctors and allied health professionals) believe that hand washing, when done correctly, is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of communicable diseases and hospital acquired infections. To remind and to re-educate ourselves, we participated in the recently concluded PICU/PECU Hand Hygiene Day held in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Conference room. Our Infection Control Link nurses gave us a lecture about the said topic followed by hand washing technique activity. Our hands were tested under the ultraviolet light after an application of “germs” in a form of powder and washed with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Here are some of the photos taken by myself during the activity. Thank you Joy, Nazy and Helen. Congratulations on the job well done!
Thelma’s hands under the ultraviolet light
Nazy was inspecting Dr. Nidal’s hands

Two Special Occasions and a Giveaway!

Posted on the November 16th, 2011 under Uncategorized by

This December marks a dear occasion to all of us here in the UAE. The nation’s 40th National Day is on the 2nd of December. Celebrations around the UAE has already begun, and you’ll notice that Emiratesque is already in a celebratory mode with the new UAE flag colors’ logo in the header. This December also marks Emiratesque’s 2nd anniversary. We are proud that our anniversary and the nation’s fall on the same month, and are only days apart. There have been many developments in the website, such as the look and feel, but most importantly is that our lovely readers are growing, and so we are. Your support and encouraging words, whether here, by email or Twitter, is what keeps us going. Thank you!

In the spirit of celebrating these two special occasions, we’re feeling a bit generous, and you – our awesome readers- deserve it! We happen to have an extra cool gadget, and we happen to love to share. 


So, we’ll be giving away an iPad 2 (Brand new: 16GB 3G+wifi) for one lucky Emiratesque reader.

Participation is simple; there are no rules. There will be a random draw and the winner will be announced on the 2nd of Dec - on National Day. You’ll automatically enter the draw once you leave a comment, although a relevant comment to either occasion would be great. The winner should contact us – see contact page – within 48 hours of announcement to arrange for delivery.

Anyone is eligible to participate as long as you are in the UAE, or, have a delivery contact in the UAE.

Happy National Day in advance fellow Emiratis, and to everyone who lives on and loves this wonderful land!

- Official site of UAE’s 40th National Day.


Two Activities.One Purpose…

Posted on the November 14th, 2011 under Uncategorized by

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, families are not only affected emotionally, but financially as well. They struggle to pay for hospitalization and treatment necessities while trying to cope up with the emotional turmoil. The disease does not only affect and changes child’s life, but also poses challenges to parents, relatives and even some friends to cope with this life threatening illness. The family process is definitely affected including their coping mechanisms. This is so true for Therese Faye Macabbabad’s case, a little girl suffering with sarcoma of the liver.

As a nurse working in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), I have seen several cases and most of them are admitted to PICU post operatively or whenever their condition deteriorates– requiring intensive medical and nursing care and close monitoring of hematologic and cardiopulmonary status.
A few weeks ago, I received a message from a friend informing me that he’s planning for an activity– a shoot for a cause, to help his friends. It never crossed my mind that he was referring to the parents of Therese. I have seen them once while they were taking care of Therese in PICU. I was on duty on that particular night but I was not the assigned nurse for Therese. The realization sinked in when I saw these images in my facebook account. The shoot for a cause didn’t materialize; instead, these two activities were planned and posted. An hour ago, I’ve learned from my friend that Therese is readmitted in the hospital for another cycle of chemotherapy.
As a compatriot and as a nurse, I wanted to help Therese but my capacity to do so is very limited. This post was written to encourage the people to help and support the said activities for the benefit of Therese.

image credit: Sir Mike of Abu Dhabi Lecture Series with consent  of Therese’s parents

From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you in advance for helping Therese and her family. Shukran and God bless you for your kindness.

Chocolate Blessings

Posted on the November 14th, 2011 under Uncategorized by

First of all, the name of the store couldn't be anymore product-approperiate. Chocolates and desserts are indeed a blessing for a sweet tooth people, and Blessing shop does a great job to live up to its name. 
There are a lot of chocolate stores around, but not all offer a variety of selections, not to mention interesting ones, and to provide inclusive services. Blessing; however, offers an unusual selections and exotic flavors of chocolates and desserts such as the Strawberry Cheesecake filled chocolate, and mini chocolate covered vanilla cupcakes – two of my favorites – to name few. In addition, they accommodate special occasions – like UAE National day- with personalized chocolates, elegant invitation cards and gifts. The keyword here is elegant; none of that tacky stuff you see elsewhere.

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Culture: Treasures of Dali Exhibition

Posted on the November 13th, 2011 under Uncategorized by

Dali’s Triumphant Elephant sculpture

My first encounter with surrealism art is when I was around 10. One of the first watches I had was a funky looking Dali-branded watch, and was shaped in Dali’s signature ‘melted time’ clock.  I never wore it but it left an artistic impression on me. Fast-forward 15 years later, one of the first museums I visited in Paris was not the Louvre, it was Espace Dali’s at Montamartre. A bizarre little museum you shouldn’t miss when in Paris.

Lucky for you, you don’t have to travel thousands of miles to Paris because 40 of Dali’s exquisite pieces are displayed, for a short period, at The Dubai Mall.


‘The Dali collection will include two Monumental sculptures of the Space Elephant and Triumphant Elephant at the Grand Entrance of the Dubai Mall, supported by individual museum-size pieces as well as exclusive table sculptures, jeweled sculptures and artworks in The Opera Gallery and throughout The Dubai Mall.’ [Source]

Treasures of Dali exhibition is located on the ground floor of The Dubai Mall, between Galeries Lafayette and Bloomingdales, and will be running from 2 – 29 November. The exhibition is open for free viewing.
A little cultural activity while shopping won’t hurt, and when it’s Dali you know it would be a really interesting one.

New Burger Joint Coming to Abu Dhabi

Posted on the November 11th, 2011 under Uncategorized by

I know there are a lot of Burger Fuel fans in the capital – excluding me – who’d be happy to know that it will open a new joint near them soon under a joint venture agreement with Bin Hamoodah Group. The location is unknown yet, but if you know where it will be landing in Abu Dhabi let us know. 
Burger Fuel is a gourmet burger chain from New Zealand that are famous for their Aioli sauce, spuds (potatoes), fresh ingredients, and their smartly designed folding cardboard burger holder. BF has already opened three stores in Dubai; at The Dubai Mall, Merdif City Centre, and JBR. 
It’s great that finally the capital is getting some burger action. Waiting for the rest to join. The ones I like.

[Source]

Al Ain Benches Series #1

Posted on the November 11th, 2011 under Uncategorized by

I am a keen observant and I’m always spotting new things especially when I am taking the bus or any public transportation. This characteristic of mine led me to discover the beautiful roundabouts and fences with varying artworks in most of the major roads in downtown Al Ain. After posting several photos of Al Ain roundabouts and fences, here comes Al Ain benches series. Let me start with these benches along Al Jimi District, a few kilometers away from Al Baladiya roundabout.

I’ve been to Al Jimi District at the Department of Naturalization and Residence yesterday afternoon to get my brother a tourist visa. After spending a couple of minutes in the typing center, I’ve realized that I forgot the sponsor letter that I needed to submit together with the other documents. Since it’s already three in afternoon, I decided to go home and come back next week. While waiting for the taxi, I sat on one of the benches. I must say that these benches are commuter-friendly. You will never get tired while waiting for the bus or taxi. They are made out of wood and steel, slightly reclined to simply support the back.

One thing that made me wonder was the presence of several cigarette stubs on the grass. I understand that there is a law prohibiting smoking at the public places. How can one lit a cigarette in this place even in a broad daylight if he’s aware of the NO SMOKING LAW? 

See you next week for another Al Ain Benches series!!
(photos were taken with N8 mobile camera)

ATAYEB – Yas Hotel

Posted on the November 9th, 2011 under Uncategorized by

I am a skeptic when it comes to restaurants' menus containing dishes from different cuisines; an Italian and Japanese combo for example, or worse, international menus, and international menus I never trust. They loose focus and end up offering mediocre dishes.

Atayeb's menu, however; contains 4 different cuisines: Moroccan, Syrian, Lebanese, and a small Emirati menu. An Arabic theme in general, but each of the four cuisines has distinctive characteristics nonetheless, so combining them all in one menu should be a challenge, but it wasn't for Atayeb.

I posted before how disappointed I was several times in restaurants at Yas Island. However, Atayeb has restored my confidence in the fine dining experience on the island. We tried traditional dishes from several cuisines at Atayeb and we were impressed by taste, presentation, and the generosity of portions of each dish every time we were there. We like restaurants that are consistent in their service. One of few restaurants that's worth the 20 minutes drive to Yas island.

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