Vermicelli in UAE

I have always thought that our vermicelli (popularly known as bee hoon) is very much a Chinese food usually either fried or cooked in soup. However, in UAE vermicelli is eaten in quite a different way. Ever been to a Chinese breakfast stall and you choose your combination of rice – noodles, kuey teow – noodles, bee hoon – noodles and so on? But I bet hardly anyone would usually make a combination of bee hoon – rice. But here, vermicelli rice is the exact combination they use! You could find bits and pieces of vermicelli in your rice to go with your kebab! And just as I thought it is weird enough, today I sampled a dessert made of vermicelli! It’s some kind of jelly with lots of vermicelli (cut into smaller pieces) served with some peanuts. A sweet and chilled concoction – not bad although sweet vermicelli tasted a bit weird in my mouth. And there is also rice jelly – a concoction of jelly with rice (almost porridge like) with some raisins sprinkled over. I thought that this tasted better than the vermicelli dessert. Oh… and perhaps the weirdest food name I’ve come across was ‘kenduckly chicken’ – is it a chicken or a duck?

I am still counting my days to the end of my 5-month affair with UAE. Everyone seems to be aware I’m about to go off – I made little secret of it since I’m clearing up the office and demolishing everything around it. As one pointed out – I am demolishing his nostalgic memory of the site office! Well… everything has to come to an end.

The Empty Quarter

Do you know there is a place here called the Empty Quarter? Also known as Rub’ al Khali (الربع الخالي), this area covers an area about the quarter of the Arabian peninsula. The quarter is around the border areas of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman & Yemen. The conditions here are so hostile that even the Bedouins only skirt around the edges of this desert land. It is virtually uninhabited and hardly anyone has ever ventured deep into the quarter. The summer temperature reaches up to 55degC and the sand dunes are taller than Eiffel Tower. The area can go for years without any rain. It has intrigued many adventurers and some have dared to explore this vast emptiness. Visit this National Geographic website - Sights & Sounds: The Empty Quarter for more insights on the world's largest sea of sand.

Some trivial information I've just plucked out of the internet: The hottest place on the planet is Al Azizia (somewhere in Libya) where the highest temperature recorded was 66degC! Wouldnt want to be there at that time! Meanwhile, it's only 43degC today in UAE!

UAE National Costumes

Today, let us take a look at the traditional costumes of the Emiratis (and most of the Arabs)

Male

Kandura - Also called a dishdasha, this white long cloak that the Emiratis wear always look elegant and crease-free (not on me though!) They never look dirty and gives a sense of authority on the Arabs. I felt they looked great on them.

Guthra - This is the headscarf that the males wear. It is usually either white or in red/white checks. I find them quite useful to shield yourself from the heat and to protect your face during a sandstorm.

Egal - This is the black rope that is used to secure the guthra on the head. Apparently in the olden days, the Bedouins will also use the egal to tie the camel's feet down at night when they travel!

Kerkusha - This is a little string flowing from the neck like a tie. You can see Emiratis sitting at Starbucks and swinging this around as they chat!

Female

Abaya - This is the long flowing black gown that ladies wear to cover up the elegant and colorful clothing beneath!

Niqab - The face veil that ladies wear to cover up their face as part of the hijab.

Gishwa - Some ladies wear this too. This is basically a piece of cloth used to cover the entire face (including the eyes). It is just dark enough so that you can't see through it and light enough that the lady can see through!

Burqa - Just remember the Taliban days and you'll remember the Burqa. This is seldom worn here in UAE. But there are some old ladies who wear a different form of burqa - a metallic object used to cover their face. But so far I've only seen this once in Dubai at the heritage village.

Relaxing days

I am in much more relaxed state-of-mind in the past few days. In fact I could even leave office after lunch and enjoy an evening nap! The work load has decreased dramatically over the past few days with conclusion of several important jobs. In fact, my boss just submitted papers for final completion of the Electrical Shared Facilities (ESF). And soon I'll strike off the last of the punch list item and we could apply for final completion of the Power Island (PI) which means final completion of our project here. It is nice to know that the end is in view now. Let see, my pending jobs including that punch item would be:

• Modify the gas chromatograph software
• Rectify some defects on some cranes
• Rectify some defects on an air-con unit
• Bring in the BOGE people to modify the compressors
• Clear the site office area & demobilize the office.

That is all to keep me occupied till end of next month. Very busy months indeed, hahaha. Wish me luck and I'll be back in KL in no time!

Meeting the TNB of Abu Dhabi

Had the opportunity to deal with the TNB of Abu Dhabi – TRANSCO(ترانسكو). Actually this is the company responsible for the transmission network system. I had a small punch list to clear in the 400/220kV substation which comes under their jurisdiction. As for most government-linked company, I had expected lots of red tape from such an organization. An indeed there were lots of procedures and enquiries for a small job. The job itself was not so smooth because my manager made a mistake and sent a 2” valve to be installed on a 1” line! Trying to present me with a puzzle! He thought the control circuit for this valve is there but actually the valve figured nowhere within the original design and I had to design the control! Somehow by hook or crook I managed to install it and commission the valve. Surprisingly, TRANSCO was very helpful and accommodating and I got the job done!

The TRANSCO engineer is a very talkative guy who could pluck a topic from the sky and discuss it at length. And they have an eccentric behavior of keeping all the lights off in the substation leaving the entire building in total darkness. Another weird thing is he likes to ask 'How do you do?' after an hour of meeting me. Funny....But nevertheless, I enjoyed working with him and I had the opportunity to take a peek at a 400kV substation! The picture is that of that bloody valve I had to install by hook or crook – a valve that nobody wants and is now not in service anyway but is required by contract!

Now that this is done, I only have 1 more punch item to complete and the plant is ready for final completion! Hooray!

Past vs Present

I have always been fascinated by old photos (especially B&W ones). Especially so, when I compare the past with the present. In fact, history was my favorite subject in school although I'm bored with the overemphasis on Malaysian history - it would have been more interesting if they had included more of world history. After all how much is there to bother about - 11 years of history classes on the short history of Malaysia ends up being dead boring! Anyway, I've stumbled across some pictures of Dubai -old vs new. Just amazing to see how much that city has changed over the years. I've seen these pictures too when I visited the Dubai Museum and Sheikh Saeed al-Maktoum House. Simply incredible how Dubai has grown to become what it is today.

View around Dubai Creek in 1950 - I can even see Al-Fahidi Fort which is now Dubai Museum!

Dubai Creek area in 2004 - Bur Dubai side has grown incredibly!

Sheikh Zayed Road in 1980's - still very much desert land.

Sheikh Zayed Road in 2005 (Now it's even more vibrant with massive construction going on around Burj Dubai, Jumeirah & Jebel Ali areas!)

Getting to know the Dirham (درهم)

‘Dirham’ (درهم) is the unit of currency used in UAE. The word is derived from a unit of mass used in the Ottoman Empire. 1 dirham in those days was equivalent to 3.207 grams. 400 dirham was equal to 1 oka. The word itself (dirham) is derived from ‘dirhem’, which came from the name of a Greek coin – Drachm. Later on it was used as the currency of some Arabic countries. The UAE dirham was introduced in 1973 to replace the Qatari and Dubai riyal. It became the currency of the 7 emirates which formed the UAE.

The bank notes are printed in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 dirhams. One side in Arabic and the other side in English. Coins are available in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 fils and 1 dirham. (1 dirham = 100 fils). The coins are written in Arabic only – which could be troublesome if you could not read Arabic numerals.

As it stands now, the UAE dirham is pegged to the US dollar. And with the sliding USD versus major currencies, there is intense pressure to revalue the dirham. The huge foreign worker population here is faced with less earning power when they convert their dirhams into euros, pounds or rupees. At the same time, imported inflation due to a weak dirham is raising the cost of living in UAE. When I came here the exchange rate versus ringgit was Dh1.04 = RM1. Now the dirham has depreciated to Dh1.10 = RM1. There was a lot speculation that the Central Bank may revalue the Dirham, but it has been steadfast in maintaining the peg. For those who may not know, the Gulf countries of Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE are planning to form a monetary union (ala Euro) in a couple of years time. As part of the plan they have pegged all their currencies to the USD.

Weekend shopping

Went to Ruwais for my grocery shopping. Had a hair cut at the Indian barber shop. I have never been to an Indian barber until I come to Abu Dhabi but the service was good and I got a complimentary neck massage! Although I was a bit worried because he was engrossed in some Bollywood news on TV as he was cutting away near the sides of my ears!

Had my prata (roti canai) - not as nice as in Malaysia but enough to satisfy my craving for something Malaysian. And finally I bought myself a sun block lotion - I figured that I need it now with the scorching summer heat!

And guess what? I finally found Milo! And it's made in Malaysia too! Ok... maybe Milo is available in Dubai or Abu Dhabi city but I've been looking for some time in Ruwais and finally found Milo on the supermarket shelf today! Limited quantity too... I guess people here just don't drink chocolatey drinks. This is one of the things that you can hardly find in UAE and it makes a Malaysian miss home. Other stuffs - nasi lemak, pork, dim sum, trees, Malaysian, chap fan, to-fu and the list goes on....

Getting Tagged

Map of My Present Work Site

Apparently I was ‘tagged’ by Sara and as the tradition goes I have to follow the instructions in her blog. And well I shall pass this on to my readers too! Here it goes...

If you read the following blog, you are tagged... and have to copy the contents, change to your answers and paste it on your blog.

Describe the last animal or insect you saw.
Arabian flies – there are plenty of them here!

What was the last thing you ate?
2 pieces of prata with dhal! I kinda missed roti canai and today decided to go down to Ruwais for a roti breakfast. Not as nice as in Malaysia but still satisfied my little craving.

Who was the last person you talked to online?
Bui – just as I was typing this!

Where are you now?
NCC Shuweihat Village – previously known as Siemens Camp.

Who do you have appointments with today?
None. It’s my rest day.

Which song is playing on your PC now?
Hmmm…. None.

What was the last blunder you made?
I was looking for my clothes wash detergent in the fridge! Silly me...

Cover your hand over your eyes, and imagine something. What do you see?
Home sweet home.

What smell is lingering on your clothes right now?
I just came back from a hair cut. Some hair cut smell.

Where was the last place you went to before sitting in front of the PC?
Kitchen. I was just unpacking my grocery after shopping in Ruwais.

What was the worst thing you tasted this week?
Indian vegetable with a western set - just don't go along!

Name your favourite movies.
As Good As It Gets, There's Something About Mary, Fly Me To Polaris

Pick 10 random nouns from your answers above.
Arabian - Prata - Bui - Camp - Rest - None - Fridge - Home - Kitchen - Polaris

Make a nonsensical or interesting paragraph from the nouns you picked to shoutout something to the world!
I was driving out into the dark Arabian desert when I chanced upon a quiet hut by the road side selling prata. Since it was supper time, I stopped by to fill my stomach. Lo and hehold I met Bui. She must be really bored in Kuching so she decided to come over for a camp trip. A rest she was hoping - none too little too! I walked over to the fridge to get some ice cubes for my Milo (I found Milo in UAE!!) I stopped on the path as the fridge reminded me of home - made in Malaysia fridge (MEC!) Ooops, but I saw the kitchen which I should not have just as you should never look into the kicthen of your favorite Mamak stall. For it will make you wish you are in the Polaris. (???)

Dramas nowadays

The Chinese drama I’ve been watching is beginning to turn quite perverted, I feel… Imagine the following scenarios:

• The sister is in love with the 2nd brother.
• The 2nd brother is in love with the 5th mother (step-mother) and it is actually mutual.
• The 1st brother almost raped the 5th mother.
• The 1st brother had at one time wooed the 4th mother.
• The 2nd mother fals for one of the servant and is engaged in some not-so-natural nights!
• The 6th uncle tried to convince the 4th mother to sleep with an army general for 8 nights to settle some debts.

Gosh… what kind of culture are they trying to promote nowadays. But aside for such distasteful relationships, the show evokes quite a lot of intrigue and curiosity. It started off with the 1st mother getting strangled to death and the father being kidnapped. Then a young lady claiming to be the 5th mother went to claim her position with a body supposedly of the dead father. Then there was intense rivalry among the mothers and even plots to kill. And everyone is suspicious of the intentions of the 5th mother. Of course, the 5th mother indeed seems to be a very mysterious person with some hidden agenda. And as usual, the fortune of such huge families with so much in-fighting seldom last long. So eventually, the family became poor or so it seems. Everyone wanted to leave and was almost about to leave when news of some hidden family treasure was leaked out. So again the rivalry started in search of this treasure! And so the story continues with all the twists and turns of a complicated wealthy family in olden day China.
The drama may be over-exaggerated. I mean I’ve not come across any family that is really in such deep shit. But rivalry amongst family members is not something new especially in a wealthy Chinese family. Brothers & sisters who grow up together end up becoming sworn enemies over material possessions. Very sad but true scenario in many families even in modern times. As the saying goes, “wealth seldom lasts for more than 3 generations.”

WEATHER UPDATE

The day started off quite pleasant with temperatures not quite as high as in the past couple of days (alas below 40degC). It was sunny but pretty calm. But the weather took a turn for the worse just after lunch. Winds suddenly started picking up and before I realize it, I was in the middle of a sandstorm. Had not had a sandstorm for more than a month and today’s was quite bad. This usually means one thing – it is going to get hotter soon! In fact I heard that it touched 47degC yesterday in Abu Dhabi. Wish me luck as I brave more sandstorms and the rising mercury! By the way, everyone is telling me that I am becoming darker with all the sunshine here.

Hot... hot..

Wow… the temperature today really reached 44degC. You can really feel the extreme heat the moment you walk out of an air-conditioned building. The heat burns right into your skin and the sun seems to shine with added fervor! The heat wave is only abated slightly by the strong winds today. But then again, the winds are blowing from the south which usually means more heat is on its way here! You can feel the stuffiness in the air and perhaps it takes slightly more effort to breathe in air when outdoors. And the humidity is still low at around 30%. What will it be like when the humidity reaches 100%? I can now imagine why some say you can hardly breathe outdoors at that time! With such a weather, there is only one place to been in – a room with strong air-conditioning! Even that, I dare not set the temperature too low to avoid falling sick with the drastic difference in temperatures as I walk in and out of my office. The hottest part of the day is from 11pm to 3pm. This is when the sun is at its peak energy. There is now no stopping the summer heat and all I hope is for my swift departure from here!

Hot Saturday afternoon

It's getting really hot today - 42 degC. I wonder how can people survive here when the humidity starts rising too??? But apparently some plants seem to be enjoying the heat. I notice some kind of small shrubs/ grass growing in abundance lately with the rising mercury. Seems to be everywhere giving rise to small patches of green around the desert area.

Have been watching a Chinese series - 血色残阳 (don't know it's English title) for the past few days. First time I've been following a Chinese show since I've arrived in UAE. The show is from China and is about the conspiracies and rivalry of a big Chinese family somewhere in the early 1900's. Plenty of mystery, dark secrets and murderous plots. Overly exaggerated but at the same time an interesting story to follow. Each episode reveals a bit of new secret and it keeps you intrigued all the way. Murder, kidnap, rape, poisoning, love, romance - they have it all. The actors & actresses are good (though I've never seen them before).

The show is shown on the New Tang Dynasty (NTD) channel which is an overseas Chinese satellite TV channel based in New York. Another interesting thing about this channel is its obsession with opposing the communist party in China. My Chinese series is interrupted all the time with advertisements calling the communist party an evil organization. Talk about political propaganda.

Counting the days

I have been in the UAE for 101 days! This is the longest I have ever been away from Malaysia. And probably this is the longest I’ve not gone back to home in KL. In fact I have been an illegal immigrant for the past 10 days because my visa has expired and my passport was in Abu Dhabi for visa renewal. Feels scary especially when there is always a military patrol around. And the past few days they even stationed an army right at the power station entrance!

I have another 51 days to go before I board the flight back to KL! Counting the days… The eagerness to go back home is building up. You know why? Coz some of the Arabs here are going to Malaysia for holidays and they are asking me for tips. Just what you need to make you feel home-sick! Apparently, Malaysia was voted by the citizens of UAE as the ‘Best Summer Holiday Destination’! Kudos Malaysia! Yup… Malaysia is definitely a favorite amongst Arabs when it comes to holiday. And with the summer now setting in, more Arabs will be headed to our ‘tanahair tercinta’ to spend their holidays. And big spenders they are too… a news report said that on average the Arabs spend RM1000 per day per person while in Malaysia. So come July & August (when summer is at its peak!), Bukit Bintang and KLCC will be Little Arabs!

Well... as far as I know my assignment end date will not be postponed. There are a few more important tasks to complete and we'll be applying for FAC - the final completion of this project. And with that, the EPC contractor will get a release for the performance bond and I'll get my release to return home!

It only gets hotter

Gosh... the summer heat is unrelenting and it can only get hotter. But somehow, last night was pleasantly cool (cooler than what has been for some time!) But this is just ahort cool stint which will be followed by even hotter days! This is definitely not the best time to be in Middle East!

New record highs in weather forecasted over the next few days:

• Thursday: Max 41degC Min 28degC
• Friday: Max 41degC Min 28degC
• Saturday: Max 42degC Min 30degC
• Sunday: Max 44degC Min 31degC
• Monday: Max 44degC Min 31degC

Luncheon Meat

Just made a discovery today... turkey luncheon meat tastes exactly the same as pork luncheon meat! Made myself spagetti with turkey luncheon meat today. Tastes great!

One of the small sacrifices a Chinese has to make in order to survive in the Middle East is to abstain from pork since it's not so easy to get them here. I'm not really crazy about pork but somehow this is the first time in months I had something that tasted like pork in my mouth! Though it's not even pork.

Well... much to my surprise, pork is actually available in the U.A.E. although it is at inflated prices. One can purchase pork in Abu Dhabi and Dubai at the Spinney's supermarket chain (in some obscure/ secluded corner). Besides that, you can also buy liquor provided you have a license! And I found out that in order to have a license to buy liquor, one must have certain earning power because the license is given based on income. And the amount of liquor you can buy per year is a percentage of that income! Interesting fact! But of course, if all you want is a drink, just go to a hotel/ pub and liquor is served without any license required. Oh... one more thing a drinker must know in UAE. It's not only illegal to drink and drive, apparently it is also illegal to drink and walk out into the streets! Yup, if you drink then get someone to drive you home afterwards. Don't roam around because that can land you in the jail!

Well... considering that this is an Islamic country, I guess the social liberty available is quite good and if you are in Dubai for example, you'll feel like you are in any western/ modernized nation.

Assalamu’alaikum

The greeting "assalamu’alaikum - السلام عليكم" (peace be upon you) is used quite often in the Middle East and would be replied with "wa ’alaikum salam" (and upon you peace). Such greetings are used by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. However, I recalled that a Malay friend of mine in Malaysia told me once that a Muslim is not supposed to reply to such a greeting from a non-Muslim. Now to think of it, I find that rather weird since there seems to be nothing wrong about such greetings here in the Middle East - and I'm sure the Arabs would be more authoritative on such matters!

Apparently in the days of the Prophet, non-Muslims who are hostile to Muslims greeted them slightly differently by "assamu ‘alaikum" (destruction upon you). Therefore, a Muslim in those days was asked to reply with "wa ’alaika" (and upon you). So you see... such confusion (slight difference in pronunciation) has led to some cynical people in Malaysia to say that a Muslim cannot reply to the perfectly friendly "assalamu’alaikum". So you see, some misunderstanding and ignorance among some people in Malaysia!

Summer has officially arrived!

WEATHER FORECAST FOR THE NEXT 5 DAYS:
SUNNY
HIGH: 41 DEG C
LOW: 28 DEG C

Time really flies... it's now May. Another 2 months to go before I return to Malaysia. The weather now is mostly around 40degC during the day time. Some parts of UAE has even reached 44 degC. The newspaper yesterday announced that with this, the summer has arrived! It is indeed feeling hot in the afternoon but the weather is still dry and thus bearable. Anyway, here are some tips from the Gulf News on protecting yourself from the blazing sun:

• Have plenty to drink, do not wait until you are thirsty.
• Wear a hat and sunglasses. - Hmmm.... I don't have any sunglasses.
• Use plenty of high-factor sun cream, especially if you are light-skinned. - Need to remember to get some from the town this weekend.
• Do not work in the open during the hottest part of the day.
• Take frequent breaks in the shade.
• If you stop sweating go for a check-up, as sweating is the body's mechanism for keeping cool.
• If you suspect sunstroke, don't ignore it.

Breaking a record

Have not been blogging for the past few days - too busy at work. I've broken a new record - 22 hours of continuous work! Yup, I broke my previous record of 19 hours. Hahaha.... achievement of sorts. I was at work at 9.30pm and worked till 7.30pm the next day. By the time I reached back to camp I was beat tired and had probably the most fulfilling sleep ever (I've stayed awake for more than 24hours) - only to be disturbed by some calls from the plant at midnight. Had not been so busy at work for ages - but the worst is over. Some sense of normality is creeping back and thus I'm finally free to blog again!

And by the way... while the rest of Malaysia is celebrating Labor's Day & Vesak Day - miraculously Labor's Day is not a public holiday in UAE!

Anyway, I've taken to some cooking nowadays (except the few days when I was really very busy). Cooked some spagetti - something simple. I remembered when I first moved to JB and I used to cook Chinese dishes with Tze Chuan - my specialty: oyster sauce chicken! But I doubt I can really cook those now! Spagetti is something much simpler - which can't go wrong. So another record here - I'm finally cooking again!