Thursday, April 7, 2011

Observations From A Deflating Wednesday

Yesterday (Wednesday) was mostly a bummer, as my first job interview in UAE ended up getting canceled at the last minute. Furthermore, it was in Dubai (for a company called H2O New Media), so in the end I paid $50 to rent a car and drove 1.5 hours there and 2.5 back (due to rush hour traffic and getting somewhat lost) to see a movie (Limitless, starring Bradley Cooper!). That, my friends, is deflating, and I think I get more quickly deflated by negative job-search developments than most.

On the other hand, I found Limitless to be a fun little drug-science-fiction movie with excellent cinematography - glad I got to see it in theaters. If you're wondering, it was in English but had Arabic and French sub-titles.

I also 1) Survived my first driving experience in UAE and my first inter-city driving experience in UAE without acquiring any new scratches on my rental Honda Civic, which apparently is not a small feat 2) Spent some quality time in the Mall Of The Emirates, where my interview was going to take place, and got my first glimpse of the not-too-shabby Ski Dubai indoor slope 3) Got to eat a wonderful steak dinner with Leslie and her company at Emirates Place (in Abu Dhabi). One of my goals in the early going is not to let my anxiety over things like foreign bewilderment or lack of income prevent my appreciation for the multitude of breath-taking edifices and landscapes I'm getting exposed to.

A few more observations from my day, some of which could become larger entries at some point in time:

  • It's a straight shot 120 km/75 mile drive from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, and my wild westerner fears about it being a Nevada-like dangerous barren desert drive. where any stop is a potential calamity, we're completely off-base. It was a nice four-lane highway drive - the only issue is that some drivers go well over 130 mph, and the rental cars start beeping at you (funny) once you get to the speed limit of 120 kph. This meant that lane changes required vigilant monitoring of the rear view mirror, because people were blowing past me like the wind constantly.
  • The mall next to our apartment suddenly seems pretty meh after being at The Mall Of The Emirates, which I think should be renamed The Time Square Mall to give it an exotic allure. It has a Time Square vibe in terms of shops, restaurants and especially people types with a more upscale and subdued environment (which makes it not very Time Square-like, but the Venetian hotel isn't really like Venice, right?). I liked it very much, and now I'm even more excited to visit The Dubai Mall at some point, the creme de la creme of malls (sorry, Minneapolis). I definitely can't wait to write more about mall culture in UAE, as I get giddy thinking through the elaborate metaphor I'm working on.
  • When you get a rental car in the US and go over the flaws with a representative just before taking it over, do you take a close look? I've usually found the cars to be in great condition back in the States, and just take a cursory look. My little Civic yesterday...12 different problems to note before I stepped foot in it. The little diagram of the car on the rental sheet looked like an ink stain..."I see you noted this scratch and this gash on the drivers-side door, but I can't tell, do you have the dent right below it?"..."oh, yes sir, right there." To the credit of my Indian buddy, he noted everything, but I was still prepared for a bullshit accusation when I returned it. Didn't happen, and in general, returning the rental car led to a massive sigh of relief.
  • The movie theater had assigned seating - allowing you to pick your (fantastic) recliner from those still available when you buy your ticket. That seems like a civilized solution to the Seinfeldian seat-saving madness that goes on in American theaters, I think. Let's adopt it.
  • Bradley Cooper is a leading man, folks. The women love him, The Leslie loves him enough to make me consider hating him every time she says "I LOVE Bradley Cooper" (but I ultimately decide against it), and guys want to roll in his posse. I think debates about whether he can carry a movie, financially or critically, can be put to bed.

5 comments:

  1. Bradley Cooper's salad is banging.

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  2. Dan:
    Thanks so much for doing your blog. It sounds like you have found a lot of things that are making you feel comfortable. Will you get a chance to meet any natives, taste the UAE's cuisine or do their version of hanging out ie. like attending the soccer games? I know Leslie said eating out was going to be very expensive--is that so? Love, Aunt Nancy

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  3. Dan: your writing is superb because it is authentically your voice and gives us all a window into Abu Dhabi. Send more photos of Abu Dhabi on your next blog. I await to read them eagerly. Yo Momma

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  4. We need more Dan-inspired information on the Dabi......Come on Dan, read the real!

    Uncle Steven

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  5. This is some good blogging Dan. I have been away and enjoyed catching up on the happenings over there. If I were you, which I'm not, I'd say screw getting a "real" job and do something that's fun and allows you to enjoy your time over there.

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