Day 220: Team Spirit!

Tuesday: September 30, 2014

Today I had to take a few photos for my little brother's football team. He's number 10. In the upcoming weeks, they'll be facing up against one of Germany's national youth teams. So, they're getting press stuff arranged for those games, as well as training extra hard to be prepared. Go Falcons!

Day 219: Gated Garden

Monday: September 29, 2014

I passed this little area of greenery on my run. The new neighborhood I live in isn't nearly as green as the previous one. That makes sense, because I used to live in the Green Community, so they obviously had a reputation to uphold in that regard. This place is definitely more tan, because some of the houses are actually tan, and there's tons of sand everywhere. But I found this little patch of green, and I thought it looked nice.

Day 218: Perfect Form

Sunday: September 28, 2014

This is the waterfall in the Dubai Mall. It's always been one of my favorite places to look at, because the rushing water is very calming. I also like the sculptures, because I can't quite see where they connect. As I was researching this sculpture, it turns out that the main idea behind the waterfalls was to provide something to look at, as well as a meeting point for families. Without even knowing it, my own family has used the spot for that exact reason!

Day 217: What The Pho?

Saturday: September 27, 2014

 The Dubai Mall has been staying open until 2 AM lately, in honor of Eid al-Adha. I don't know if "honor" is the right word, really. Either way, we took the opportunity for some late night dining, and hit up Social House. They have a wide variety of food to choose from. I spotted pho on the menu, and got really excited. I'd never had it before, and I'd heard lots of great things about the dish! So I did a quick search on my phone about Vietnamese pho, to see what was in it. Apparently they use rice noodles instead of egg noodles, which is great for me! And let me tell you, it was absolutely delicious. It made all other soup noodles look really, really bad.

Day 216: Pistachios and People

Friday: September 26, 2014
 
Today we went over to a friend's house for a small dinner gathering. My brother's football team is going up against one of the national youth teams from Germany in about two weeks, and they're still trying to iron out the bumps in the plan. So, we all sat in on a conference call to talk about it. I didn't talk much [or at all] because I just have a small role in the big plan. Instead, I snacked on pistachios. I tried to be very quiet, but pistachios are not quiet food.

Day 215: Sequins and Embroidery

Thursday: September 25, 2014

So, I placed an order on Target.com about a week and a half ago. They had just released their items from the Altuzarra for Target collection. Every season or so, Target does a collaboration with a designer to bring cute designer styles without the designer price tag. I don't always jump on board with the collections, but this one caught my eye. I ended up ordering two long sleeve dresses. One is shown here, in the wine color and the other one is black. I wasn't sure which size to choose, since I'm rather short, but luckily they both fit really well. They also cover my knees, which means they're suitable for Dubai, too! I also didn't expect the package to get here so soon, since it was free shipping to a military address. It was a nice surprise!

Day 214: Family O' Pink Pods

Wednesday: September 24, 2014

So, I was cleaning out my drawers and electronics box, and I found these guys! They're different generations and styles of the iPod. And they're all pink!!! It was pretty hilarious going through all the music I had on each music player. On the shuffle, I had like, Michael Jackson's entire discography. Don't ask me why. On the iPod nano, I had music from old Disney stars, like Vanessa Hudgens, and Aly & AJ. And on the iPod mini [the giant one] I had random music, like Adam Lambert and Of Monsters and Men. It was pretty fun going through all the selections on my old iPods.

Day 213: Little Drinking Cup

Tuesday: September 23, 2014

I promise I'm not going to pull another flowers-only miniseries again. I'm going to have to fight the urge, because there are tons of pretty flowers all around me. It'll be a struggle. But look, these yellow flowers are so pretty! They look like tiny cups! I'll bet if fairies were real, they'd drink from these flowers. Wouldn't that be adorable?

Day 212: I'm Like a Bird

Monday: September 22, 2014

Today I went on a run and passed this house. They have these really great bird decorations on the back side of their house. I'm actually kind of embarrassed, because I'd passed by this house once already without noticing anything out of place. But once I saw it, I just had to stop to take a picture.

Day 211: Football in the UAE

Sunday: September 21, 2014

My brother plays football. American, not soccer. He's played for around three years, I think, and he really loves it. I'll admit, practices look brutal sometimes because of the weather. It's still incredibly hot here, and will be for quite some time. But all the kids are great, and rarely complain. Here's a shot of their post-workout pep talk.

Day 210: Cubania

Saturday: September 20, 2014

I was at the Mall of the Emirates again yesterday. My family went to go eat. I had a hamburger at the Cheesecake Factory. I found their food allergy menu online, and I had no idea my options were so limited there. It's okay, though. I also went to one of my favorite stores, Pull and Bear, and picked up a few fun rings. I'm excited. After eating, we stopped by the Nespresso store to get more coffee. I really liked their display of the limited edition Cubania flavor. It's incredibly strong! Definitely not as strong as say, Iraqi coffee, but definitely more bold than anything Starbucks sells.

Day 209: Glass and Steel

Friday: September 19, 2014

Today I was at Mall of the Emirates and snapped a photo of the ceiling. I think it's rather impressive. This is the only place in the mall where you really get a good view of life outside. Other parts of the mall lack windows, and it's easy [for me] to get disoriented and not know the weather outside. I also watched If I Stay with my friend. It was a great movie, and I felt all the feels.

Day 208: Greenery

Thursday: September 18, 2014

These are plants just outside my house. I'm not sure what variety they are. From afar, they kind of look like little corn stalks. But I highly doubt any plants, much less corn, can really grow here. They need lots of care and watering just to survive.

Day 207: Satellites

Wednesday: September 17, 2014

I've passed by these satellite dishes on my run. I'm not sure what they're for. Maybe some guy or girl has super stellar television channels. They're all pointed in different directions, so obviously they can get any channel available. I also didn't notice until just now, but the background is very washed out because of all the sand in the air. Typically, you can easily make out the skyline from here, but not today.

Day 206: Figgy Figs

Tuesday: September 16, 2014

Hurray! My mom picked up giant Turkish figs from the supermarket, and they're delicious. Figs are my favorite fruit ever.

Day 205: Peek-A-Boo!

Monday: September 15, 2014

I went on a very hot run today. The temperature was at 91F, but managed to feel like 115F [according to weather.com] because of the humidity and what not. I always overestimate how well I can take the heat. Within the first five minutes, I convince myself that it's not that bad and that I'm getting better. In the last five minutes, I'm mentally shaking my fist at the sun and vowing to live somewhere cold when I get the chance. But hey, at least the view is pretty nice sometimes. As the sun was setting, I saw it peek out from the branches and I just had to stop to take a picture [the stopping obviously had nothing to do with the fact my lungs were on fire.]

Day 204: Forty Floors Up

Sunday: September 14, 2014

Today I was in the Jumeirah Lakes Towers area, and I went up forty floors [in case you're wondering, no, I didn't sneak up there.] The view was absolutely beautiful. As much as I love seeing grand skyscrapers from below, it's also nice to see them eye-to-eye. I'm not a big fan of heights, but I can handle this.

Day 203: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

Saturday: September 13, 2013

My family and I decided to have a little "staycation." We went to a hotel and did a tourist activity, all just an hour away from our home! I've wanted to visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque for years now. It's an architectural wonder that is absolutely astounding. It took eleven years to build, and it's home to the world's largest one-piece handmade carpet. Insanity! It's my favorite place in the UAE, hands down.

Day 202: Good Food With Good People

Friday: September 12, 2014

Today we had two families over for dinner [we ordered Lebanese food.] They're families that we've known for years now, and they're great. We're all football families, which is how we originally met, but we're also each others' family. None of us is originally from the UAE, and none of us have extended family here. The great thing about the expat community is that we're much closer than your typical friends.

Day 201: Metallic Mani

Thursday: September 11, 2014

[Note: today is a reverent day for the United States, in honor of those who died in 9/11. I wish I could tell you where I was when I found out, but I honestly don't remember. I was four then. In any case, my thoughts and prayer go out to those affected by this tragedy.] I let my brother choose my nail polish color. I wanted something metallic, and he chose this. It's a really great shade, because it's iridescent and looks lovely in the sunlight. However, I was really disappointed with the consistency. It was very gloopy and hard to work with. I think it looks okay after two coats, though.

Day 200: Coffee and Wooo!

Wednesday: September 10, 2014

We've reached day 200!! This is so exciting, and I'm so glad I've kept up with this blog! I didn't realize how much I'd appreciate it until I took the time to look back through all my old photos. I think the photograph from Day 2 is still a favorite of mine. I also think it's fitting that such a milestone is celebrated with coffee, haha. This is a photo of today's cup. I use the Nespresso maker, and it's fabulous. Today's coffee pod was the limited edition Cubania flavor. It's supposed to have extra amounts of caffeine, and it's super strong. There's no mistaking that this is a serious brew.

Day 199: Desert Sunsets

Tuesday: September 9, 2014

Okay so this is the like the millionth time I post a sunset picture, but bear with me. I just really like sunsets. What I like about this particular photograph is how you can see the satellite dish off in the distance. Plus, it looks like the sun is a little egg yolk dipping into ground. I reminds me of the book Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, where the sun is a pat of butter.

Day 198: Baby Monitor

Monday: September 8, 2014

Today I babysat two toddlers. One just turned three, and the other turns two in a few months. They're very loving and fun boys, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't look forward to their bedtime. They are both very active and love to play with puzzles and Legos. As a matter of fact, their favorite game is "throw Legos at the babysitter." Either way, I just watched them while they released their energy. And they had lots of energy. However, I noticed that even after I put them to bed, I didn't feel calm. I found myself obsessing over the baby monitors and checking to make sure they still had battery left. I could have just skipped the monitors and stayed in the room with them, but that would have been creepy.

Day 197: Current Efforts

Sunday: September 7, 2014

I've been trying to learn Arabic. I started learning the letters this past spring, and I've been slowly making progress. It's difficult, because so much is different. The alphabet is different, the reading direction is backwards, and many sounds exist in the Arabic language that don't in English [and vice versa.] However, from what I can tell so far, the verb use is similar to that of Spanish, so I at least have that advantage. My goal is to use Arabic in everyday situations, like ordering at a restaurant or bartering in a market.

Day 196: Coffee, Please

Saturday: September 6, 2014

Today I went out to eat with my family at PF Changs. I love their food, even if I have to be careful since there's a lot on their menu that I can't eat. After, we stopped by the Nespresso store to pick up more coffee for the Nespresso maker. It's way better than the Keurig, even though there aren't as many novelty flavors. If you like things like tea and pumpkin spice lattes, the Keurig is a better solution. However, if you just want a cup of strong and bold coffee, Nespresso is the way to go. Also, I realized that this is kind of a throwback photo similar to Day 5. Time flies!

Day 195: How To Save A Life

Friday: September 5, 2014

On the flight to Dubai, my new bronzer broke. I was sad at first, but I realized it was an opportunity to try a trick I'd only ever heard about. It involves adding rubbing alcohol to the powder, and re-mixing it. I was able to turn the broken pieces into a whole, usable powder again. It doesn't have the cool sun design anymore, but it's also not broken anymore.

Day 194: Class Is Back In Session

Thursday: September 4, 2014

School started for me today. Technically, it began yesterday, but first day is just orientation day. Today, I had a few of my classes start. The super neat thing about K12 is that they stagger the classes, so you don't start them all at once. It's a good thing too, because my AP statistics course was accidentally left out from the schedule, so I had to talk to my counselor about that. Otherwise, everything looks good so far and I'm very excited about all of my classes. For once, there isn't a single class that I don't already love, so I'm looking forward to a good year!

Day 193: Birthday, Birthday!

Wednesday: September 3, 2014

Today is my mom's birthday!! Featured below are my little brother and my mom. We went to a restaurant called The Ottomans to celebrate. It's a Turkish place, and they had amazing food. We were the only ones seated indoors. I didn't notice how alone we were until a belly dancer came out. Normally, I'm sure she'd dance around. But since we were the only ones there, she danced just for our table. Anyway, I love spending time with my family and I have the coolest mom, seriously.

Day 192: Modern Art

Tuesday: September 2, 2014

I really like finding cool photos in random elements. This light fixture isn't exactly something you'd see in an art museum, but it's still full of art. Someone designed it [carefully, I would imagine] and someone else liked it enough to install it.

Day 191: Current Currency

Monday: September 1, 2014

I was rearranging some things and I went through all of my old travel souvenirs. It was really weird reading journal entries from when I was eleven. I read one passage from 2008, and it was during our trip to Egypt. I was so young [and stupid] then. Anyway, I was also looking through my memory box, and I re-discovered my collection of currencies. It includes British pounds, Egyptian pounds, Qatari rials, and a few others. I also have Cypriot pounds, which aren't printed anymore since Cyprus joined the European Union.