Christmas in the UAE

This is my 6th year of spending Christmas in the UAE.

I always have this vision in my head that spending Christmas back home will definitely make me feel homesick and I will eventually find it hard to bring myself back here in the UAE to work. So to avoid that feeling, I always end up deciding not to go home.

It is not so bad really.

I mean, the malls now have Christmas trees, Santa Claus (even the elves!) and the whole shebang. I guess this is a way to thank the expatriates who have made their country where it is now. A nice gesture indeed... I am not sure if they were the first Gulf country to do it but to welcome other people's beliefs and traditions (especially) can be a big step.

The government and the leaders in this country are trying to make the tourists including the expatriates feel 'at home'. Indeed, for some (like me), the UAE has become our second home - a country hopeful that big things come in small packages :)

Merry Christmas everybody!!

Weddings

from http://www.fineprints.ca/

is a favorite topic by ladies and well.... not so much by men. 

With this in the conversation, women, friends or not, can unite and talk about how theirs went and how they want their children (or sometimes) and grandchildren should have their weddings done. 

When I got married, there was no major fuss. First because my marriage was only in a judge's office and second, I just wanted my family to be there and share the moment with us. 

I guess time has changed differently now as a lot of brides and grooms-to-be want to have a last hurrah before they actually tie the knot.

According to this news article from Maktoob Business, a lot of hen and stag parties are being held in Las Vegas, Mexico and the Bahamas. Though some opt to do it where they plan to have their wedding - so if it's a beach wedding, the couples including their entourage hops into one airplane and when they reach the land of promise, they go their separate ways and party like there's no tomorrow. 

I guess this is a good idea so that you do not end up like the movie, The Hangover, where the bachelor's friends lost their groom-to-be that they tried to look for him all over Las Vegas. 

Another convenience about this type of trip is that the wedding planners of the event do not have to worry about bringing / monitoring the bride and groom together because they will all just be in one area. 

I guess this is another way for the travel coordinators, wedding planners and hotelier's scheme of having business in their sleeves which is a good thing - that they can still come up with good sales pitches for their customers despite and in spite of the recession period.  

Valentine's Day

When I was still in school, aside from the Junior-Senior Prom and the Foundation Day (your school's anniversary), the most awaited celebration is Valentine's Day.

During this time, friends who want to be 'more than friends' try to express it by having a bunch of flowers delivered to classrooms, poems are written, restaurants are jampacked for couples who believe that the Heart's Day is worth celebrating.

Aside from that, other couples would wear matching 'red' shirts either to signify that they are a couple or just because they want people to know they are very much in love with one another.

Nevertheless, restaurants, flower shops, candy stores, etc take advantage of this occassion... I think this includes the movie production outfits as well.

A feel good movie is a perfect way to either start that 'fire' (in expressing your love for one another) or to end the night (which can be sealed with a kiss).

Enter Valentine's Day - the movie which has an all-star cast led by Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner,Jessica Alba and more.

Seeing the preview of this film, I thought this is actually the same as 'Love Actually' but I can be wrong. I have not seen the entire movie trailer though I feel that this will definitely one of those movies that you might watch this Valentine's Day (warning for the guys .... suggestion for the girls).

**Image from Timeout Dubai

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