25 Random Things…or 25 Useless Facts About Me

Of late, I’ve been hit by a deluge of tags from facebook buddies pimping the “25 Random Things” meme.

And as much as I’ve tried to ignore it, the tags just kept on coming, and so I finally succumbed and duly posted mine.

I’ve decided to post my official 25 Random Things list to the yawning content maw that is social networking. Consider yourself tagged.

1.  I’m a recent Mac convert, and now lament over those wasted Windows years.

2.  I love my little nephew far beyond any emotion I would have previously believed myself capable of.  Of course, he knows this and now thinks he owns me.

3.  My first car was a ‘93 bottle-green Toyota Tercel, and I once squeezed 7 friends in it…at the same time.

4.  I’m a social media junkie and addicted to the WWW. I’ll twitter your dad if you leave me online long enough.

5.  I am a photography enthusiast, and wish I shot more. When I grow up, I want a Canon 5D Mark II.

6.  People that constantly moan annoy me. They, along with the incompetent and the rude, should be banished to a remote island where they can all be angry little useless complaining muppets.

7.  My family mean the world to me. My friends come a close second. You know who you are.

8.  I’m terribly materialistic. Shiny, expensive things make me happy.

9.  I think I need to be tested for OCD.

10. I love country music, and am not afraid to admit it, y’all.

11. I was part of the 0.01% of college students that made it on the U.S. National Dean’s List.

12. I am the eternal optimist. I believe in positive attitudes, and I will bitchslap your pessimistic, whining a** if you moan (refer to #6).

13. I hate politics. And ponder how wonderful the world would be if everyone just smoked a peace pipe, and then discussed world affairs over a Denny’s Meatlovers Skillet.

14. I love liver pate, but I hate liver.

15. I love Dubai. No matter what stupid things they continue to do, it is where I was born, it is where I was raised, it is where I will always call home.

16. I “grew up” in Florida where I lived, loved and learned…and met some of the coolest party people I’ve ever known.

17. I am spiritual, but wished I went to church more often.

18. I am working towards one day getting the corner office. So far, so good.

19. I think the iPod is the greatest invention…since the Walkman.

20. I love wine, and am partial to a little occasional red. And no, I’m not an alcoholic.

21. The one person I’d like to meet is Dave Barry. He’s a goddamn genius.

22. I love reading books on photography, business, personal and professional development.

23. But…I have never read a Harry Potter or Lord of The Rings book, and have no desire to do so.

24. I struggle with workaholism. When I’m working on something interesting and my brain is firing on all cylinders, I can zone out for several hours at a time before realizing how much time has passed.

25. I think this 25 Random Things list is a form of viral narcissism, and can’t believe I succumbed to it.

I’ve been shootin…

In keeping with my new promise to photograph more of Blingopolis before my departure, I ventured down (read forcibly dragged by Mom) to the gleefully-congested, gargantuan shopfest otherwise known as Global Pillage.

I doubt if I’ve ever seen that many thousands of people assembled in a singular entertainment venue before.

Scratch that. I have. At Disneyland.

Whilst the grown up in me could not fathom how so many people were out shopping in a financially tumultous era, the free-spirited side succumbed to the brightly lit funfair, with its delightful pastiche of sights, sounds, and smells.  Grandly-designed country pavilions housed many indigenous vendors, clearly uninterested in haggling with the bargain-hunting, dirham-wielding masses.

And so, the shoppers shopped…and shopped like there was no tomorrow (which, technically, was true, as it was the last day of the festival).

Between being fascinated by multi-lingual Chinese sellers (who switched from pitch perfect Arabic to Hindi to English), to deciding which pavilion to visit next (usually the empty ones I felt sorry for), to trying to figure out why it was my mother’s personal mission to stop by every single shop (sigh), I did eventually manage to take a few shots.

If truth be told, I found myself sucked in by the sheer energy of the ‘Village’, and having my DSLR on me, definitely made the trip much more worthwhile.

As you may agree, the subject gave a whole new meaning to the expression, “Chasing the light”. Enjoy.

James Blunt sang to me last night…

…well, he did…in my head…as I watched him live at the latest edition of the Dubai Jazz Festival.

If you’re sitting there, scratching your head, thinking “James Blunt & Jazz??“, well then yes, I’m with you on that one.

Still, I like his work, so when an invitation to celebrate a friend’s birthday at the Festival came along (and coincidentally, have the chance to see Blunt perform live in concert), I was eager to accept.

It was a decision well-made. And just for a single moment in time, it was just me and Jamie boy against the world.

Blunt was the consummate performer, serenading the masses with his lovelorn lyrics (“another miserable song”, as he jokingly put it), before storming into the crowd, planting kisses on unsuspecting female fans, and getting everyone roused up for the next, less-tearful set.

What made this a truly Dubai spectacle (apart from some of the vapid audience in the “VIP” areas) was seeing Blunt perform against a backdrop of (and surrounded by, I might add) a wall of gleaming high-rise towers and Media City buildings. It kind of made the show…perfect…for the big construction site we call Dubai.

And that’s special.

A pat on the back goes to the organisers of the festival, Chillout Productions. But one small request – next time, can we actually try and get some JAZZ?

Trigger happy

I own a DSLR. In fact, I own two. And I just don’t use them enough.

Yes, they do see the light of day if I’m shooting an event, or the occasional social gathering, or trying to capture my 17-month old nephew’s latest, anxiety-causing caper.

Otherwise, they’re all neatly packed away – camera, lenses, filters, strobes, tripods – the whole kit and caboodle.

Those that argue that Dubai’s faded skies, crane-cramped skylines, and unnatural environs offer no vistas for striking photography  are sadly mistaken. I admit I was one of those people, until I discovered Momentary Awe and Basil’s Photo Blog – two of the many digital photo enthusiasts that have viewed Blingopolis in a very different light. Impressive stuff, I must say.

Thus, I have formed a new pact with myself to capture as much of this city as I possibly can, before I bid it adieu, and subsequently update my flickr page more often than I do. So, watch this space.

That’s all for now, folks.

Until next time… and as the great Joe McNally once said to me… “Keep chasing the light“.

The end is (almost) near

There’s something about spending your final week at work, as a paid employee.

Suddenly, one finds themselves transformed into a heroic Super-Exec – solver of all complex tasks, savior of all missed deadlines, and redeemer of all ailing PCs. Well, you get the idea.

It’s as if your mind, body and spirit decide to  join forces and work double time, almost in an effort to show your soon-to-be-ex-employers just what an indispensable employee you are; show them how the wheels of their little corporate bus will eventually stop turning the second you walk out that door.

Fortunately, I’m not that stupid.

What’s made my passing-of-the-torch scenario a lot easier is one very honest, efficient and hard-working young Filipina who will, from next week onwards, attempt to do her job and some of mine.

Being a person of many talents myself (modesty clearly not one of them), there are very few people that grasp how I do the things I do the way I do. Very, very rarely do I meet individuals that get it right from the get go (as the saying goes). It is refreshing (and a true delight) to pass on my limited knowledge and skills to a young professional who is just as eager to learn and grow from it.

With that spirit, this young lady is surely bound for greatness…

…unless of course, the events industry drives her completely up the wall, makes her distrust every PR agency she meets, sucks up every ounce of energy she has,  and makes her wish that in her next life, she comes back as a blood-sucking mosquito that preys on all those cheating clients that defaulted on payments for services rendered.

It’s been known to happen.

Reality? Check

The realization that there are a magnitude of things to be dealt with before my departure has just struck me. Again.

Whilst the procrastinator in me just pushes the thought away to another weekend, the realist in me is trying to come to grips with the fact that time is now my elusive friend.

Debts to clear, subscriptions to cancel, accounts to close, extravagant indulgences to sell – it’s a veritable list of to-dos that really makes me wish I had another six months in Blingopolis. Sadly, two is all I have, and this will soon become a race against time to close up all and sundry.

In the meantime, if anyone’s in the market for a ’04 Lexus RX330, feel free to holla.

Let the games begin

The Dubtown Brat, formerly of http://dubtownbrat.blogspot.com, welcomes you to my latest attempt to rejoin the blogging masses.

After a six-month sabbatical from blogging, I’ve decided that there really is no better avenue to relay my thoughts, and vocalise my musings than this here web thing.

And so, as I spend my last few months in the city of Bling (aka Dubai) — the city that I will eternally call home — I’ve decided to chronicle my upcoming departure and reveal why I share a love/hate relationship with the city of my birth.

I’m exchanging “a grain of sand for a mound of snow” (copyright: Ben); a big sex and the city lifestyle for a more humble, suburban life; a Lexus for a Kia; and most probably, a well-paid job in the events industry to something akin to a checkout girl at Walmart. Not that there’s anything wrong with being a checkout girl at Walmart. I’m sure the perks are great.

Whatever does happen, I’m confident there will be a life far nicer in store – personally, professionally and spiritually – and I welcome you to share (if you will) in my journey of discovery.