Back to house arrest

Yep - that time of the year - everybody that can afford it is fast leaving the UAE for the summer months, the rest of us is just surviving, minimizing the time we need to spend running from our houses to out cars to our offices and back again as its just too damn hot (hmm that is a catchy tune) . Nobody can actually believe the effect of 40C with a high humidity as we experience here.

So what happens here during summer - most of the expat wifes who are not working has moved of home, the left over husbands :) - I know- is just struggling to work and back, wipping the sweat from their brows and waiting for tjaila time so that they can take a taxi to the pub for a bit of re-hydration.

The building is continuing - workers can now rest(for a shorter peiod) during the middle of the day. Problem is - midnight it is still above 30 Celcius with humidity thatwould make a statue sweat - so the rest period is just so much help .... .

For the first few years I was quite impressed with the Summer Surprises - this year - buy more than AED200 and get a voucher to take part in a draw (Do I hear you ask about gambling) and no real discounts as previous.

Anyway - the family is gone, I have the villa to myself and it is really boring! Showtime ( a local Satelite provider) is showing the same series of Charmed now for at least the third time since I moved here... guys - I am paying good money for your sports deficient, world cup deficient (actually entertainment deficient) channels and this is the best you can show on the prime time 7-8 slot??!!

Anyway - traffic is slightly better, service stills sucks - weird how you can buy something from an electronics shop for more then $200US and the salesperson never speaks directly to you? WTF??? Hint to the people managers at these stores - we are spending good money to keep your business going, the lowest salary will get you a body who is not really an asset- employ people who have some sort of a personality at least!

The political games in organizations here far exceeds what I was used to back home - why? Just struck me - because of the competitive enviroment and the type of people who is attracted to this environment (where we are all just temps) causes people to climb over others even easier than in the corporate dogfights back home as it is everyone for himself - the mighty money god RULES!

Weird place - a can of coke will be US25c while a hambuger can be up to $5 at McDonalds? Cars are just as or even cheaper than in the US, roads are wide with lots of lanes and you still have some idiot in a Nissan Sunny insisting on be traveling at 80Km/h in the seconds fastest lane while talking on his mobile, oblivious of the cars flashing past him on either side! It would be funny if it was not so tragic! And then when he wakes up at his exit he will just cut accross 4 lanes to exit the highway - once again oblivious to the chaos he leaves in his wake.