On April 10th he arrived, and to me the world has never been the same again; with him being part of my life, adding meaning to it and making everything I do worthwhile.

I just love him.

My days are all about feeding, changing & sleeping, I never get the time to do anything else, I wouldn’t sign up for this if I only knew how demanding this job can be!! Lol

I have a college re-union coming up next month & I really would like to go, I miss people, I wanna see how life is going outside home ! but I don’t think I can make it with the baby needing my full time attention.

Yet, I love being a mom. It is the coolest thing a women can ever be !

I KNOW ! I think I wasn’t born to be a blogger after all . Its really sad how life can take you away from what you like to do and plant you in a never ending cycle of work, routine, social obligations, and home chores .

That’s what my life was all about lately, I barely could find time for myself to do things I used to do. I’ve been neglecting my passion to photography, my web design skills are getting older and older, and my enthusiasm for keeping my Object-Oriented-Mind fitt and up to date has vanished.

Anyhow , day two at Sir Bani Yas, as promised

We had a late breakfast, then started to get ready for the island tour that starts at 3 pm.

Floor Entrance, did I tell you that I luuuv their interior ?

I snapped those shots while waiting in the lobby for all signed up people to arrive.

Our first stop was by the Lama, and how adorable those huge creatures were !!

A cute baby Giraffe

Ugly Ostriches, they looked so mean

Arabian Oryx, can be spotted everywhere on the island

At the end we stopped by Shiekh Zayed rest area

Serene scenes on the way back to the hotel

We got back around 6 pm, dressed up for dinner at Samak, another yummilicious restaurant by the beach.

On the third day we had a final walk around the place and head home by noon.

Departure Center

God this place was neglected for so long !

I wish you all a very belated blessed Eid and a happy National Day.  My Eid was as warm as family gatherings and late night sister chats. I also had the chance to escape to a very relaxing getaway, Sir Bani Yas Desert Islands Resort & Spa.

The island was private natural reserve of the late Shiekh Zayed allah yer7amah for the last two decades, now it has been opend for public to witness Sheikh Zayed’s legacy that is very much alive on the Island to this day.

It took us 3 hrs to get there from Al Ain, you just follow the E11 road, a.k.a darb el sel3 until you reach the city of Ruwais then you turn right to Jabal al Dhana port, from there you’ll find your way to Sir Bani Yas Ferry.

Almost there ..

There we go

Visitors Center

Inside ..

Once we got there, they tagged our luggage and we waited for the jetty to arrive, the jetty operates between the island and mainland every one hour starting from 11:45 am until 5:45 pm.

The Jetty

Inside..

The ride was easy as the sea was calm that day, it takes about 15 min to get to the island which is only 8 Km far from the mainland. The windows were a bit high though, I couldnt see anything but the heads of this couple the whole time.

Arrival Center on the island

Inside..

Upon arrival the guide asked us to write our names, so that a Mangrove tree would be planted on the island’s shore with our names on. How lovely is that ?!

The ride to the Hotel

My Mangrove tree will planted here

The Desert Island Hotel

It was a 10 min drive from the southern to the northern coast of the island, where the hotel is located. The hotel was originally a guest house for Shiekh Zayed’s guests. Now it has been converted to a 5 stars Arabian night style hotel.

Entrance

The lobby

Refreshing welcome delight

Islands style room

I adore their interiors, its so warm, cozy and home-like yet very luxurious.

This is what I see setting in my balcony

We arrived, had some rest then headed to lunch at the Palm. Its an airy open buffet restaurant.

Then we had an exploring walk around the hotel , the staff was incredibly nice, everyone greets you with a smile.

The place was unbelievbly quiet, calm and had a strange soothing effect that would purify your soul and mind.

I leave you with pics shot from around the place, and I’ll be talking about day two in my next post.

I’ve been using Vista for a while now, and I would say that I had a neutral experience with it, not loving it nor hating it. Until recently when I was unable to connect to my wireless home network. It was just then when it started getting on my nerves ! 

Vista referred to my network as Unidentified Networks! Non of the lousy windows diagnose & repair solutions could point out the problem. I thought the problem was with my poor U.S Robotics router, but all other non Vista PCs were connecting just fine through the same router!  anyhow, I tried resetting & updating the device. Not surprisingly, It didn’t work out. 

I figured it could be some sort of fancy communication method that Vista is trying to offer and my poor old router just cant get it ! Especially that this problem occurred after a huge - no reject option - windows update. So I googled the error and I came across this page .

This issue occurs because of a difference in design between Windows Vista and Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Specifically, in Windows XP SP2, the BROADCAST flag in DHCP discovery packets is set to 0 (disabled). In Windows Vista, the BROADCAST flag in DHCP discovery packets is not disabled. Therefore, some routers and some non-Microsoft DHCP servers cannot process the DHCP discovery packets.

Ahaaaa !

I performed the steps under the more information section, and it worked !! yuppie yaaay !

I would like to extend my warmest gratitude to GOOGLE << I love u people , and my apologys to my dear U.S Robotics for doubting its abilities.

And thats one more reason to be added to my why-move-to-MAC list.

Home sweet home !! It really feels good to get back..

Things were all messed up with my previous host, glob2 , since their server’s attack last year. They even blocked my domain name and it was auctioned off !!!! urrrrrrg :@#!!#$&&

I moved to a new host now; ImHosted which was recommended to me by lild, I luv u girl, those people are the best; they have instant support, straight forward setups and an excellent value for money.

Im posting from work, things have been more stable lately though I still hate this place. Oprah says there is an exercise bill, is there an anit-wasta bill ?! uhh, I wish there was a way you can get to people’s minds; erase all stoned thoughts, and wasta, then start setting new values for work that have no room for wasta, emphasize commitment, responsibility and creativity.

Ok, im over my shock now , I guess the place isn’t that bad after all, well it’s not good enough it’s still not convincing me, I don’t like it yet, I wake up every morning dragging myself to work with no motivation what so ever. eeh

Since I started a month ago I’ve been officeless, seated on single chair facing my poor colleague for the whole day, this week I got my new office, just right before I turn into a fossil on that chair, hehe.

Cute, isnt it? i got some matching folders too from Annetaintor,

Anyhow, I’ve been to a training session the other day held by Injazat, it was more of a controlled test group than a training, we were introduced to the second phase of a project that automates almost every single workflow item of the department, & right there I had a cheerful inner yippee yaay moment with halleluiah orchestra played in the back of my head ! lol

The project started February 2007 in response to sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed e-Abu Dhabi initiative that aims to create a “High Performance Government Delivering World Class Services to the Benefit Of All Its Customers” , and to my surprise things are on track, no delays, no wasted money & no change in plans, and this is providing me with the hope & strength I need to survive this job.

Yes, I’m employed, at last. I started last week and my first day was truly disappointing. It was a cultural shock if I may say, their gates must have some built-in time reverse mechanism that takes you back to a different era as you walk in, the place is so outdated.

Aside from the fact that I’m hired in a position that is so not of my interest nor in my area of specialty, the work environment is unhealthy; its like people are not trained to act like employees.

I mean, as a governmental institute that provides vital services to a wide range of customers, and supervises endless number of sections and departments in the city, you would think that it implements the best work practices and hires the most efficient people, yet this is not the case.

The amount of papers they are using is HUGE. There are forms to be filled and signed for every single transaction, and there must be multiples copies of each form to be filed by different entities. Email usage is mainly for forwards and morning msgs, its rarely used for correspondence. Instead you can see the office boy running with mail between offices, sometimes carrying Karak cups or Brata rolls in the other hand.

Time passes there in chit chats and late breakfast, with barely minimum amount of work achieved, I set there with nothing to do most of the time, reading to kill time.

I’m confounded !! and I’m doubting my decision in taking this job, but I guess I can stick around a bit longer and be the change I want to see in this place. eeh ..

Anyhow, I’ll be posting more on that … when this state of shock comes to an end, I think !

Despite the fast spread of ecommerce adoption across the world, you barely experience the same in the UAE; even though it is considered to be among the most highly Internet-connected countries in the Middle East.

The UAE Yearbook for 2007 states that there are more than 578,000 Internet subscribers in the country, and 1.40 million internet users, presenting 35 % of the population. While Etisalat estimates that more than 51% of the country is online.

Besides, UAE people are said to have a good level of welfare with a GDP of $49,700 per capita *, hence, a very huge buying power. Yet, the number of businesses that provide online services – aside from banks and governments- is insignificant. And I can’t truly see the actual reasons behind such paradox!

It might be referred to consumer’s concerns about carrying out online transactions and delivery methods. Businesses are not helping also; there is a lack of efforts to invest in the technology to provide and promote online services.

Personally, I relish online shopping. I mean talking about enjoying the thrill of hitting the mall to splurge on every thing that you lay an eye on while you are indulged by the comfort of your cozy bed sipping a cup of hot chocolate.. it’s a bliss !!

But, seriously.. I’d love to be able to buy a book or a pair of heels without having to wait 10 days-2 weeks for it to be delivered, not mentioning the delivery charges that may sometimes be twice the cost of my purchases. Why don’t we have our own Amazon ?!

I think that the online market in the UAE is still evolving and there are great chances for young entrepreneurs to take the lead and start making money. Anyhow, here is a list of some e-stores that operate within the UAE:

Online Auctions:

• UAEmall.com
• Souq.com
• ERealDeal.com

BookStores:

• BooksArabia.com
• Albatra.com

e-Stores:

• PartyKins.com: Children’s Themed Party Supplies.
• UAEPets.com: Online pet store
• ArabianBazaar.com : Arabian Perfumes
• Jackys.com: Electronic & household goods, computers, mobile phones
• EmiratesFlowers.com: Flower arrangements and bouquets
• BuyLuggageOnline.com: luggage and traveling products
• Al Nomas Interiors : Suppliers of home accessories
• Arabesque - Online shop for french designed sheilas and abayas
• Hobby Center - Purchase hobby aeroplanes, helicopters, cars and trucks, boats, accessories and spare parts
• Emirates Mazyoona Mall - Shop online for women’s clothing, accessories, perfumes, Incense, beauty products, and sweets. Users can also list their products for sale.
• Room Service Deliveries - Online meal ordering services from a selection of Dubai and Abu Dhabi restaurants with home delivery.