Not in Dubai

I am searching for backpack and trust me finding a backpack in Dubai is like trying to find a needle in haystack. So very difficult one!! I’ve been to all major shopping malls and can’t find any. Well of course, there’s small daypack by Kipling but I am looking for something like Berghaus or Karrimor or Lowe Alpine, a real deal.

All this searches started when I finally confirmed my trip to Iran, backpacking style...OMG hahaha yup backpacking style which i have not done for the past 4-5 years i guess. A friend of mine quipped why bother to buy since I will use it most probably 1 time only. Well, I have been thinking a lot about all my past diving trips and I do miss it. Started to get in touch with the gang and of course, many of them are asking too many questions on when I am going to join them back. So, I planned that once I am back to Malaysia next year, I will go for one or even 2 diving trips to my favorite Island. So, if I have plan, I need to have the gears.

I’m still searching and googling with a hope that by end of this month I will find it. That’s another 2 weeks to go. But but but.. I read a comment in a forum that there’s none of ths product in Dubai... oh NOOOOOO. Think tonight I will be dreaming of my dirty full with dust Deuter in the storeroom back at home in KL...sob sob sob

Magrudy's warehouse sale

Earlier planned to go yesterday but malas la tetiba pulak.

So I went this morning. Tried to be there early as read reviews that there's lots of people yesterday. When arrived at 7.45am there's lotsa people queing already.. hmmm almost similar as scene back in Malaysia.

All books are for Dhs 5 each. huhhhh...very the cheap one?? yuppppp..It is dirt cheap. I bought 5 books for Dhs25 and 2 is hardcover, 2 paperback and 1 NatGeo Encyclopedia of world history. cheap rite???

While queing to pay, a mat saleh lady infront said that she was there yesterday as well and there's more selection. cheyyyy...i should force myself to go yesterday..

.

Stationery all gone. Children books quite a lot but i guess good ones are all finished. Lots of school books. Some travel books but i only see Lonely planet and DK for Taiwan, Germany, Central Asia and few other countries that didnt interest me. I'm looking for Egypt but didnt find any.. ohh some of the travel books are 2007 edition so it's not all old books.

Gold Rush

Aku nak jadi towkey emas lah.. beli kat Dubai and jual kat Malaysia. Semalam harga kat sini 83/gm dah immediately untung $21/gm kalu jual kat Malaysia. est lepas tolak some susutnilai, still boleh untung few $$$$$..muahahaha

Gulfnews:
Drop in prices sparks gold rush
By Dr Abdul-Hadi Al-Timimi, Abu Dhabi Editor and Mahmood Saberi, Senior ReporterLast

Abu Dhabi/Dubai: Thousands of people jammed the town centre Thursday night and Friday afternoon as they rushed to buy gold with prices plummetting to as low as Dh 80 for a gram of 22 carat gold.
A combination of lower oil prices, financial meltdown, profit-making and the upcoming Diwali festivities had played a vital role to push gold prices down by 20 percent, a major gold jewellery dealer said.
"The volume of sales increased 400 percent Thursday night,” said Tushar Patni, Chairman of Golden Jewellery Group of Abu Dhabi. He said sales at each sales amounts to between 30 to 50 Kilos of gold in one shift ", he explained.
Gulf News witnessed the rush to buy gold which lasted until midnight. Gold shops owners said that the buyers are all expats who wanted to cash on this "golden" opportunity.

"I think it is a one-off chance to invest in gold", said Baqir Akbar, a Pakistani IT engineer who has been working in Abu Dhabi for two years.
"I could maximize the returns of my saving through buying into cheap gold", he explained.
Patni agreed saying that expats who missed a similar opportunity two months ago are determined to grab this one.
"We had similar drop in the gold prices in August down to Dh 84.", he said. "Some people were not financially ready and a lot of them were away on holidays and they missed that opportunity."
Those who bought gold then made a profit when the prices went up again to Dh 104 a gram after that short period.
There are about 125 gold shops in Abu Dhabi, 85 of them are members of the Gold Jewellery Group.
The drop in gold prices will also be short-lived and retailers expected it to last for a week before picking up again.
"We expect this low price to last for one week only", Patni said. "Gold shops will have a special sales day on Sunday. At the end of next week prices can go up and those who are now buying gold can make a profit".
‘Our raffle barrels were full’
In Dubai, the famous Gold Souq and gold shops were also swamped by buyers. Swapna Nair, general manager of Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group, said she expects the same huge rush on Danteras, when Indians have to traditionally buy gold on that day.
“This is biggest drop in price for a long time,” she said. The last time prices dipped down was during the Dubai Summer Surprises, to Dh 84.5 per gram.
“Our raffle draw barrels could not turn (beacuse of the vouchers inside). The large population of Indians in the UAE makes a lot of difference (to the sale of gold),” she said.
A gram of 24 carat gold is presently selling at Dh 86. Indians prefer 24 carat gold jewelery.
Nair said it was very difficult to predict gold prices in the near future as it depends on many factors. “Oil prices are down, so gold prices are down. But the dollar is strong,” she noted.

Barang Barang

Dah lama tak cerita pasal aktiviti menghabiskan duit. Yelah since balik Malaysia tak sempat nak pi jalan2. In fact i haven't been to my favourite mall Garden and Pavillion yet and havent been to any spa or salon. Anyway, it's not unusual, there's a time when i dont make a trip to shopping complex for 3-4 mths or so but this only happened when i'm too busy with work that after office and weekend i just want to rest at home. I remember 1 time when i didnt shop for few mths and when i had time to go i spent like "beribu-ribu lemon" hahaha..yelah cover balik.

And things about me yang my husband selalu marah is when i already made-up my mind that i want to spend that much, i will make sure that i spent that much and selagi tak reach quota, i'll keep on buying eventhough i dont need it. Kalau dah tak ada barang to buy for diri sendiri i'll buy things for hubby or for my house, yang pasti selagi duit tak habih seperti yang diplankan i won't go home a happy woman..memang buruk perangai.

Kalau ikutkan macam-macam aku nak, but i know that i have to control my spending. Lagi la now when the whole world is concern about recession, i need to save money..welllll, we never know what's going to happen in future kan. So instead of shopping macam saudagar minyak, i start to make a list of things that i want and after that consider if i really need it (ini sebab banyak kali beli beli and beli saja tengok2 alamak kat rumah dah ada barang tu cuma sebab dah lama tak pakai luperr...). So hopefully with the list i wud be able to change my spending habit yang buruk tu.

1. Handbags

a) Miu Miu tote

b) Burberry oversize shoulder bag

LV store in Bintang Walk - masuk selalu tapi tak pernah beli pon muahahahaha

i decides that i can't buy new bags until i manage to sell off 4 of the many handbags that i have in stock. kalu tak mau nye kena lecture setahun dengan husband.

2. Entertainment and self pampering

a) Massage - twice a mth(satu tu termasuk spa) instead of sesuka hati sampai 4/5 kali sebulan

b) Spa - once a mth

c) Salon - ini oklah since banyak mana sangat la can u spent in a salon, takkan nak buat treatment everyday or colour yr hair on weekly basis kan.

d)Fine dine - since aku nak diet so ini kena minimum kan or better let go hahahaha

3. Gadget

a) PSP - dah lama nak beli tapi tak beli-beli

b) Ipod Touch - dah lama jugak nak beli but my MP3 player tak rosak2 so rasa macam membazir la pulak kalau beli.

since i'm a typical girly girl yang memang bodo pasal electronic gadget ni duit aku tak ada la habis kat benda2 nih..lucky me

4. Car

my husband had asked me to change car lama dah but aku buat bo layan before lagila bila dah habis bayar lagi malas nak tukar. Lain la kalu dia nak bagi hadiah kat aku ker, dapat keta free macam tu OK le. Anyway, been thinking lately to change the car. Yelah dah 6 tahun dah pakai keta tu nanti simpan lama2 tak ada value nanti lagi susah nak jual.

But nak tukar keta apa??? Told hubby that i want SUV tak nak pakai Sedan dah. Tapiiii..semua SUV yang dia suggest aku tak suka. i want Volvo XC90 tapi i cant afford it ..errr not that we can't afford it but i definitely tak nak la bayar keta sampai 3 - 4 K sebulan..gilor aper baik le aku beli rumah baru. so sekarang ni still tengah confuse nak tukar keta apa..susah-susah pakai je la keta sekarang sampai hancusss... kekekekeke

my dream car buat masa ini...tapi since nama pon dream car so dreaming sajalah. nak beli sendiri tak ada nye

Last few days tetiba jadi busy la pulak. Not only busy kerja but busy with aktiviti menghabihkan duit.

But before cerita about shopping, nak eksen, that for the first time in my life, aku berjaya membuat kueh melayu..hahahaha.. and the lucky kueh is of course one of my favourite - cik mek molek. Masa kecik sampai anak dara tak pernah berminat nak balajar buat kueh. masa dok dengan mak, mak ada so buat apa nak belajar..hehehe and masa dok bujang2 dulu, kueh melayu merata, rasa nak makan apa pegi je la cari mana2, pasar malam ke tepi jalan ke mesti ada. Lepas kawin pun sama. Mana ada masa nak buat kueh, balik kerja pun dah malam. weekend selalunya we had late lunch so tak pernah rasa nak buat kueh. Aku cuma pandai buat bubur je sebab senang and cucur udang sebab tu favourite husband..so untuk menjadi isteri yg disayangikan mestila kena pandai buat fav foods dia...hehehe

Now dok kat Dubai ni mana la nak cari kueh-mueh tradisional melayu, so last week sebab rasa nak makan kan so aku pun merajinkan diri untuk buat kueh cik mek tu.. tak tau la sebab kueh tu senang ke or aku ni memang ada bakat memasak semulajadi, it turns out OK, semua cukup so sedap la bagi aku..buat 2 biji sweet potato dapat la 5 keping.. tapi kan aku tensen gak sebab rasanya dah banyak gula aku letak nak suruh air gula jadi kow2 tapi bila dah masak, air gulanya kureng..and i've conclude that it's not my fault tapi gula kat sini halus so x sedap not like our gula kasar kat malaysia yg membuatkan air gula dia meleleh..slurrrpp

Thursday nite, went to Sharja Blue Souq dengan Che'na and Putri. dah lama plan nak pergi and finally berjaya juga kami menjejak kan kaki ke sana. First time for Che'na and I but Putri had been there few times.

Che'na nak beli souvenirs and myself nak cari jubah yg colleagues kirim and tudung Turkey for mom.. Itula mak aku, masa aku pegi Turkey dulu tak cakap nak, tetiba lepas tengok cerita apa ntah dalam tv, suruh aku carikan dia tudung Turkey..


Ini kedai tudung yg first kami masuk. Putri kenal towke kedai, Abdullah nama dia. Aku beli 4 je tudung dia sebab not really my taste tapi terbeli 2 pashmina that i dont really need since aku dah ada like 5 but oklah sebab aku ni memang jenis tak tahan sejuk so all my pashmina memang di fully utilized kan.


Lepas kedai tudung, kami pi kedai souvenir sebab Che'na nak beli souvenirs for her family. kedai ni a bit scary for me sebab penuh dengan ala-ala antiques things, macam kepala monyet la, ular la, some scary look patung and kawasan yg sewaktu dengannya. Che'na tensen sebab towke kedai tak paham.. but memang kelakar tengok depa dok communicate macam itik dengan ayam..but i do understand the frustration..hehehe

Ini depan kedai jubah yang aku beli jubah for my collagues and tudung Turkey for my mom. murah dan cantik. Aku beli banyaks sebab nak bagi for adiks and in-laws


Lepas tu masuk satu lagi kedai souvenir. Ini towke kedai(yg pakai kandura) yg pandai. Dia ada indian assistant yg boleh cakap omputeh. so no comunication breakdown..


Ini highlite of the nite for me. Masa dalam keta dah cakap that aku nak beli emas. Dah lama plan tapi tak beli2 lagipun i'm not really a gold person. Aku cuma ada 2 set jewellery saja tu pun jarang2 pakai cuma wedding ring and bangle saja aku suka pakai. Tapi since Che'na mentioned that her colleagues cakap that ths week harga emas jatuh and depa suruh beli masa ni, so i thought nak survey2 la. masuk first kedai, SA tak layan. Maybe tengok aku macam Kabayan kot ingat aku saja2 tengok2. pastu masa nak kluar gi parking dah, kita tengok rantai yg display cantik2, so masuk le tengok. Towke kedai dia Leena tu service baik punya really friendly eventhough kedai dia dah nak tutup. Sabar je dok melayan kitaorg belek sana belek sini tanya harga.

So lepas fikir like 20 mins, i decided to beli saja. Yay!!..cakap kat Putri and Che'na ni my first jewellery purchase (before this sumer gift from husband) and Putri terus suruh aku bergambar ngan Leena to commemorate ths purchase..lalalala

Balik tu terus call husband sebab tak sabar nak criter pengembaraan menghabihkan duit aku. First kena lecture sebab balik pagi2 buta tapi amazingly dia tak marah aku beli jewellery sebab dia cakap itu investment... dia cakap dari aku menghabihkan duit beli handbag and nonsense2 yg sewaktu dengannya baik la aku habihkan duit beli emas..hahahaha Tapikan Yang, kalu tak pakai kena bayar zakat, sapa yg nak bayar tu ???? and i need a bracelet to match my new chain... *hint hint*

Ohhh yang tak boleh lupa is masa tengah dok pikir2 tu masuk la sorang mak Arab. Dia keluarkan satu box bagi Leena tu. Leena tu pandai cakap Arab so kitaorg tak paham la apa diaorg dok borak, tengok2 masa Leena bukak box tu penuh dengan rantai la gelang la aku rasa senang2 ada like 10-20 urat..wow, terernya mak arab tu bawak dalam box lepas tu letak dalam paper bag macam bawak barang 20ringgit jer.. kita org pon dok pikir, banyak2 macam tu bila dia pakai sumer tu ?? aku ayg ada satu dua ni pun tak terpakai..hmmm

Shopping Ala Minah Arab

Wahh..sejak dok kat Arab ni, taste shopping pun ala-ala minah Arab jugak. Walaupun aku ni telah ditakdirkan untuk menjadi kaki shopping sejak azali lagi, tapi sejak dok sini, makin menjadi-jadi la pulak.

Huh apa ? Shopping ala-ala minah Arab tu macam mana ?? Ohhh shopping ala-ala minah Arab tu macam gambar kat bawah ni..hehehehe


Don't look at me, tengok minah Arab kat belakang tu. Sekali shopping 3 paperbag Gucci dia angkut. Handbag - Dhs 7000, Wallet - Dhs 2300, Kasut - Dhs 1750. Perasaan bahagia dapat perabih duit - PRICELESS..
Minah Arab made in Malaysia - besar sungguh hasil tangkapan mu di Coach itu.. Senyum lebar sebab bahagia berjaya perabih duit..



Emirates Tower Boulevard. Tempat ni berhantu tau. Keluar dari tempat ni, tengok2 duit dah hilang ribu2 punya..

There's about 30-50 high end designers boutique, 1 Starbuck and 3 restaurants. Brand-brand cap Ah Chong tak payah la cari kat sini, memang tak ada. Errr.. Minah Arab made in Malaysia...tak cukup lagi ke hasil tangkapan mu di Coach tu ??? Tengok Gucci macam nak ajer.. nanti kang balik rumah kena lecture dengan MB la pulak kang..

Hasil pendapat sepanjang 3 jam di Emirates Tower Boulevard. 2 Coach, 1 Gucci. Kan aku dah kata tempat tu berhantu..

Tapi..alhamdulillah berkat bacaan jampi2 dari my Darling hubby, aku tidak diganggu oleh hantu2 itu...semoga jampi2 tu, tahan sampai balik raya ni..hehehehe

How to spot fake LV

With so much interest on designer labels, many had became a prime target for knockoff artist and manufacturers. Counterfeit all time favourite is Louis Vuitton bags. Some of the counterfiet are so convincing, they easily fool the average consumers. So if you are in the market for real deal, this video will ensure that you will not be conned by the fake items.

I'm sure it will be of use to you.

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=29269454
Courtesy of videojug

Global Village in Dubai

The Global Village is a unique place where it's housing diverse customs and cultures covering a broad spectrum of activities including music, dances, arts and handicrafts, theatre, costumes and cuisine of different countries around the world.

I've went there with Kamarul and Janelle, and i've told them " aku nak makan banyak2 today kalu ada Malaysia foods" Unfortunately there's no Malaysian stall at all :-( except for Ali cafe. Ohh FYI, ALi cafe is no 1 brand of instant coffee in it's category in UAE. Surprise ?? Don't be.. Malaysia boleh..

Anyway, Global Village only operates during winter from December till mid/end Feb every year. It's like 1 KM radius spread and not too bad place to find things from countries all over the world.

Behind is China House. It's one of the largest house in Global Village. There's like 100+ shops selling all the China's product. Handphone are cheap.


India and the spices stall




Yemen House is one of my favourite. You can find cheap woman's accessories there.



Ali Cafe is a leading instant coffee in it's category in UAE. Malaysia Boleh!!!

Jalan-jalan cari carpet in Abu Dhabi

Today, Putri, Syela, Anita and myself went to Abu Dhabi for our carpet shopping exploration. As per planned, i bought 1 carpet for my living room as i've started to treat that place as my own place. Before this, despite have been in Dubai for 8 months, i always treat it as my temporary shelter. So, i think i had started to adjust and accept the fact that i’m here now and better make the most out of it.

Syela is right, the carpets are cheap if compared to the price in Malaysia.
- Syela bought it earlier at 500Dhs, but the shop charge me 520Dhs..that's why long face. (Photo courtesy of Syela)



After carpet shopping, we went to Emirates Palace to see Picasso exhibition. Spent only 1.5 hours there. I guess we are not really art’s lover except for Anita but she’d been there 3 times already.

By the time we finish our art exploration, our tummy were screaming for foods. We had agreed earlier to have lunch at Suria in Eclipse Hotel, the one and only Malaysian restaurant in Abu Dhabi. So after checking with few friends for direction and after many-many u-turns, we manage to find the place.

The luxurious Emirate Palace and see how small Anita look on that enormous sofa

All of us are so hungry that everything on the menu looks good (not that it has so many choices). We decided to go with Lunch Set. Popia as a starter, Nasi Ayam as main course and Pengat Pisang as dessert. Yummy, foods are good. It really taste like foods back home, taste of typical Malay foods sell at warung or gerai at the road side. But unfortunately service is really-really bad. At 1 point of time, Anita had to storm into the kitchen as there’s no waiting staff outside.

We reach Dubai at 5pm and i complained that the day is not productive but Putri abruptly said what’s not productive ?? we breakfasting in Emarat, go carpet shopping, we see Picasso, we tour Abu Dhabi (since we getting lost while looking for Suria), we makan in Suria. So it’s 5 things we manage to do today. Yes Putri, you are right.. as always :-)

Next trip, jalan-jalan cari carpet in Fujairah.

To buy or not to buy ???

Finally... after few weeks consideration.. to buy or not to buy.. i succumb to the devil screaming inside my brain..hehehe

I bought ths LV Galliera last 3 weeks ago. What a beauty. I'm not really a LV fan as i dont really fancy most of their design, but this Galliera is really a fantastic creation. When i first saw it in a mag, i've straight away decided that i must own this bag.. But of course after my last shopping spree in Istanbul, i'm quite scared that my husband will start his "motivational speech about the importance of saving money" ... Alas, darling i'm sorry, this will be my last splash this season.. (i hope hmmmmm)