Dubai

So it's almost been a full 4 months in this long distance relationship - with the difficulty of keeping up that kind of relationship, we decided to reward ourselves by visiting each other in very nice places. Paris was our first destination (over the holidays and New Year) and this time around, W chose Dubai. It was about a 12 hour there and 15 hour back flight, which actually wasn't bad when you consider hours of your own movie watching time and comfortable seating.

I landed in Abu Dhabi at 8am and got a chauffered car to take me the 1.5 hours into Dubai city to our resort. It was a gorgeous place, where you get your own apartment in a villa (village of villas). The reception area opened up to a tanning/pool part, with restaurants lining the property until the beach/water. One of the popular places to go out, Sho Cho's was on our resort, and a few really good restaurants with thai and lebanese food.

We spent a lot of the time just catching up and tanning on the lawn chairs, meeting a bunch of W's friends and seeing the city and trying out a local place called Buddha Bar. I got a nice tan, and got to observe a culture that I thought would be radically different from what I knew, but it turns out Russians are all over the place as either business barons or escorts - felt a lot like Poland!

I don't know if I could live there, cause of the distance from my family/friends and the incredibly unbearable heat during the summer (up to 50 degrees C, my God)... but I would definitely want to visit again and add a lot more to my list of things to do, now that I know what to expect.

Had to show this

Although it over a week old, there was a huge story about a fire set to a building filled with Turkish immigrants in Germany. The fire was so aggressive that people couldn't get out in time, and a few people were stuck on the higher floors. The uncle of a baby was leaning out the window trying to get help, and saw a firefighter on the street below him. Apparently in a 2 second decision, he decided to save the baby by THROWING IT OUT THE WINDOW.

Insanity!!

P.S. The baby is ok.

Classy

I read this article today about a judge that sentenced a drug dealer to jail and subsequent deportation. Just read the smackdown the judge gave to the already-convicted moron:

"Your Honour, I've been in custody for almost two years. I've
lost my kids and my wife. Have mercy on me and be fair. I'm only human. There is no blood on my hands."

But Harris [the judge] was scathing as he meted out his sentence.
"You came to this country with a basketful of opportunities and you remained here unlawfully," the judge said. "Since then, you have lived a life of crime. You have adulterated the landscape with an indolent life.
"You came to one of the fairest countries on this planet. Here, you received food and health care for free.
"You lived among hardworking people who put their lunch in a bag and go to work, who pay their debts, kiss their children and cut their lawns. Gentle people.
"You got protection against the wrongdoing of others.
You received freedom, sir. Freedom.
"You received the opportunity to work, to grow, to prosper and to love. And what do you give back? You give back poison to the young and the poor.
"You are the grim reaper, the executioner, the undertaker of the young and the poor who came your way.
"Those 459.7 grams of crack , if divvied up on the street, would feed the addiction of 2,250 others.
"That was a colander of poison. And you say you have no blood on your hands."

BURN!!!