Dubai Baby!!

I went to Dubai a few days ago and it was a great day trip!  It is Eid and I have been off from work for the past 4 days! We visited the Mall of the Emirates first and them the Dubai Mall, which is the largest mall in the world.  All I know is, we were only able to see the first freakin floor of this mall because it is sooo huge.  You cannot do it all in one day and call yourself shopping too.  This mall has every high end store you can name.  This mall requires 3 maybe 4 trips to actually see it all.  It has three levels.  I nearly lost my mind as I am a self diagnosed shopaholic (yall pray for me).  There was Gucci, Prada, Tiffany, BCBG, Rolex, Christian Louboutin, Louis Vouiton, Chanel, Armani, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Hermes, Marc Jacobs, Coach, Baby Phat, Nine West, Juicy Couture, and the whole shabang of all the other designers you can think of.  Talk about restraint.  Lawd!  I had to reason with myself several times.  No, you may not spend your whole check on a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes no matter how fabulous they are!!  No, you may not buy a $900 purse at this time.  No, you may not buy the smoking hot Gucci boots you have been dying to buy since Day One that cost $1,620 USD!  God help me!  

I'm glad I got out of there with my bank account still in tact.  Of course, I bought a few things from normal stores like Gap and H&M. I know my limits.  I'm not ready.  LOL!

The architecture of Dubai is even more stunning than Abu Dhabi and the skyline is fascinating.  I will be back in Dubai on November 9 to run the Dubai Women's 5K so I will take more pictures...with a real camera.  You know, the kind grown folk use.  I have been the phone photographer so far.  Don't judge me. 

Here are a few pictures!!  

New Shoes...Wooo Whooo! (No they are not Gucci! LOL!)

First stop...The Mall of the Emirates...Dubai

Here it is...The Dubai Mall!! This is so NOT the place for a recovering Shopaholic...

Aquarium inside Dubai Mall

The Burj Khalifa...tallest building in the world...is the tallest man made structure in the world, at 829.8 meters (2,717 feet)!! 

Dubai!!

That brown says The Dubai Mall...Don't ask me what the rest of that Arabic print says...LOL!

Maybe one day I'll go in and actually buy something...hmm

Burj Khalifa...see you soon!!

Crazy is the New Normal

I did another crazy thing today!  I guess my crazy is the new normal though.  I registered to run in a 5K in Dubai in about two weeks from now on November 9!  Wooo Whooo!!  

Yall pray for me as I am going to attempt to run...okay let me change that...jog...the entire race without stopping!  I have done one 5K in the states back in June so I think I can do it.  I haven't been training but I've been working out regularly so I should be fine.  I might do a little training now that I think about it.  Oh who cares?  I'm not about to race any chicks.  I'm really just running for my health and self gratification and because I like doing little crazy stuff like this that only a few people really care about doing.  I'm not running to raise any money for any cause whatsoever.  All I know is I just paid $32 so I can get a race number and maybe a T-shirt, and bragging rights to say I did that!... *Kanye shrug*  LOL!  

I guess the most important part of it will be that I finish the run and feel a sense of accomplishment. (that was supposed to make me feel better....nope didn't work).  Anyway, I will be running on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.  It is absolutely fabulous there.  It is actually a man made archipelago.  The architecture in the United Arab Emirates is sick!  It is phenomenal to see with your own eyes.  Yes, this place does exist!  

Check out where I will be running soon.  I will definitely take pictures and post them.  I'm excited just to be going to Dubai but, this run will be another experience for me to be proud of myself for.  Life's good!

The Palm Jumeirah!  This is a computer simulated aerial view...I think!

The real Palm Jumeirah! 

This is the course I will run!  No I will NAWT be doing the 10K.  I know my limits at this time!  Thank you!  Maybe next time... o_O

Side view of the Palm Jumeirah.

This is the Atlantis Hotel at the top of the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.

Yeah I'm Still Working It Out...How YOU Doing?

Since I refuse to gain weight while in Abu Dhabi and it is simply not an option...I workout at least 4 times a week. Tuesday I ran...okay I did a jog/walk for 3.5 miles. I haven't run outside since July but it felt good out there...around 85 degrees...not too bad.  Abu Dhabi weather is cooling down and it's not 105 degrees at night anymore...yippee!

Today's workout: arms and 65 mins on the elliptical at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club...got her done!  

And this workout was brought to you by some awesome new jazz music I downloaded!  Love it! 

TGIT!

Thank God It's Thursday!

It is the last workday of the week for me in Abu Dhabi! Good job me! More updates and pics are on the way. 

But for now...Here's me in my abaya workflow attire. Check out the sandal bling! Yes straight Abu Dhabi style. ;-)

#ILoveShoes  

Somebody stop me from the shoe shopping. I've only bought 5 pairs since I arrived here in August. Now that I think about it...hmm that's not normal. Lmbo!

Cheers to the freakin weekend!

I Should Be Grading Papers

Well, it's getting near my bedtime here in Abu Dhabi and once again I am finding other things to do besides close my eyes and go to sleep.  I should really be grading papers, but pushing that aside too.  I will do it, just maybe not tonight...okay maybe I'll do 5! 

I'm still living at the luxurious Yas Viceroy Hotel on Yas Island here in Abu Dhabi and our time was just extended today for five additional days.  I will be moving soon, but not sure where exactly.  This has been quite the adventure and most definitely a life experience I will never ever forget!  I think I might have the patience of Job (okay not that much) but it's pretty darn close.  I'm ready to move into my own place now though and it will more than likely happen in the next week or so.  Until then, I will continue to enjoy the "good life" at this here nice five star hotel that I had been secretly wanting to stay in anyway.  God has a sense of humor!  

Last week we had some "fog days" where the fog was so thick you cannot drive.  It was like no fog I had ever seen in my life!  Check it out!

The fog outside of the Yas Viceory Hotel...guess we don't need the valet to get the car for work. Let's go have some coffee and chillax until the fog clears.  That's how they do it here.  

Fog day #2:  My view at breakfast...can't see ish out there!

I had to post this Maybach we saw one night.  Yeah we see this ALOT!! I see Bugattis, several Rolls Royces, Maseratis, Ferraris, Range Rovers, BMWs, and Mercedes vehicles on a daily basis.  Go figure...

I had to post this!  I was in the newspaper and yes that is me with my head down sitting on the curb by my neighbor. No, I was not in distress, but we had been waiting to find out news about what we needed to do for about 2 hours!!  When the photographer came around with the camera, I said oh no I don't want a picture.  So, I put my head down.  No one told me there would be a photo shoot!! I had on my bedroom slippers and my MAC was in my apartment!  Ughhh! Well I never!!

Hopefully we will be settled by November!  Ha ha!  Until then, I will keep you posted.  All is well and I am sure God will once again show me His favor with my new apartment.

I still haven't graded these papers!  I'm putting myself in timeout for that.  Bad teacher!  

All Is Well...at a Five Star Hotel!

First and foremost I thank God everyday and I often find myself saying "Wow!" I am in Abu Dhabi! Recently I was relocated from my apartment to the Yas Viceroy Hotel due to an unforeseen freak accident in the courtyard of the building I live in. The courtyard collapsed into the underground parking garage. No one was hurt.  Now that's God! Plus I got my picture in the National, a newspaper here, not front page...second page though.  I actually put my head down because I was not trying to take a picture since I didn't have my MAC compact with me.  You know how I do.  I did have on my bedroom slippers straight from the Beach Rotana Hotel where I stayed for the month of August.


So now I am at the Yas Viceroy Hotel, a Five Star hotel and it is unbelievable!  I am well taken care of despite the situation.  Tonight we watched BMWs being test driven on the racetrack that surrounds the hotel! We are moving to new residences soon. I will keep you posted. But check out my current residence for now!