Random Pictures from My New Home

“Thursday could be the coldest sunny day in the UAE this winter,” says The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology, “A strong current of Shamal is expected to hit the Arabian Gulf, making the sea rough and forcing the mercury to fall across the country on Wednesday evening. We advise fishermen and small vessels to stay on shore. Motorists must exercise caution as the horizontal visibility will drop.”

Then someone leaves this comment below that article, “Dear GN (Gulf News, our local paper)! It is not “unstable weather”. It is called PLEASANT weather. We are blessed to have this weather pattern. Instead of stating this news in a complaining way, try to present it in a thankful way.”

You see, we have a very long summer here in the desert each year so whenever the temperature drops to 18ºC and the wind gets cold enough to make us wear our spring jackets and sweaters, we welcome the chilly breeze with open windows and doors. Hence the reason for that slightly irritated comment from a resident. The weather might be unstable for fishermen, but the rest of us are enjoying every single moment.

The wind was the strongest today, however. I would normally throw all the windows and the sliding door to the balcony open the moment I get out of bed each morning, but I couldn’t stand the wind today; it was just too strong and cold. I had to close the kitchen window whilst doing the dishes because the wind has blown my hair all over my face.

Masood and I moved to a new apartment in January. We now live on the 18th floor of a newly constructed building that faces the Persian Gulf. It was one of my requirements that we should be the first tenants of the building. But I couldn’t blog until today because we did not get the internet connection until two weeks ago. It would drizzle whenever our service provider would schedule to come, and then he’d call to say he couldn’t make it due to bad weather.

Except for my favorite dark brown leather sofa, we did not bring any furniture from the previous apartment. We didn’t have a gas range when we moved here and had to eat takeout for two weeks. That’s the thing here in the U.A.E., you will rarely find a furnished apartment. A handful of those that are furnished (which means you’ll get a fridge, gas range, a washing machine, and built-in wardrobes) are way above our budget. So yeah, we moved into a completely bare apartment.

That’s the wooden toy train we bought at Mount Washington. It now rests on my white dressing table, or vanity, whatever you call it. Speaking of which, I finally have the white bedroom set that I had longed for since forever.

We also had Sophia’s paintings framed in white, and it looks so much prettier now!

Before:

After:

Awkward photograph, but you get the point. It would have looked much better had I taken the photograph from the front, but then the bed would come into the frame, and I didn’t want that because the sheets are crumpled, haha. Anyway, these pretty white frames are from IKEA and that is my bedroom wall painted in a color called duck egg. The rest of the walls are still bare and sad. We need to hang something in the living room but Sophia is too busy to paint these days.

That is my version of the Burj Khalifa. I have no proper place to store these books yet so on they go, piled up high and tall on the dressing table. Most of these books were bought from this awesome used-books store in Hyderabad that I make sure to visit each time I am in India. I should probably feature that bookstore during my next trip to Hyderabad.

I bought this Peace Lily from IKEA as well. I love this plant because it’s known to purify the air by breaking down and neutralizing toxic gases like formaldehyde and carbon monoxide inside its pores.

Another reason why I absolutely love this plant is because it requires minimum care and attention. One of the great advantages in caring for the Peace Lily is the fact that it sags a bit when it needs water. So it actually lets you know when it’s thirsty!

Masood only had three requirements when we were searching for a new apartment: masjid should be close by, good security, and covered car parking. We now hear the call to prayers from three different masjids and we can not be any happier. Masood now gets to join the Fajr congregation each morning, and I am so proud of him!

I think this post has gotten somewhat personal, something which I haven’t done in a very long time. But after writing about travel, food, and reviews for so long, it feels good to share a little bit about my private life.

Also, I hope to get back to posting recipes soon! I’ve been receiving so many requests from you (love your emails! thank you so much!). In the meantime, I need to go grocery shopping for I’m hosting dinner at home for our friends tomorrow.