Home time

So I'm off home tonight, for 6 days, for Vicky and Mike's wedding. And my pre 30th drinks of course ;-) Yay!!

It's Ramadan here, which is awfuly quiet, and takes some adjusting to! No eating or drinking or smoking permitted in any public places until after 7pm, no alcohol served anywhere until after 7pm. No live music allowed AT ALL in bars and clubs. Background music is permitted after 7pm, but only if it's BACKGROUND music.

The practicing muslims work from 10am to 3pm (we work 9am to 4pm during Ramadan) and seriously eat at as soon as they think it's sunset - approx 6.30pm - and I mean they prepare the food from aboout 5pm and heat the oven, and pour their juice and put everything on a tray on the kitchen counter, and it takes about 3 mins to finish cooking after prayers! Then they sleep until midnight, and then go for Iftaar, the traditional breaking fast celebration, which happens anywhere from on the beach, to in the malls to at peoples house etc. We had Iftaar at our house on Sunday night, for Eyad, the Saudi guy that lives with us. We had to combine tradition, as it was my other housemate, James', birthday as well, so Eyad let us drink alcohol at the table, and we ate traditional Arab food with him... What fun!

More on SA when I'm there...
P

Beach parties

It was overcast this morning. That statement in itself is not that unusual, usually. But this is the first time in 70 odd days that it's been cloudy here!

Went to a wakeboarding competition in Jazira (at the Golden Tulip) on Friday and then a beach party afterwards (Jazira Beach club) which was awesome and is now my favourite pastime. I love the beach, and I love that I can go every weekend - or even every day - if I want to. Growing up I went to the beach once a year on holiday and really do feel like I'm holiday every weekend now ;-)

Getting cooler here - I still drive to gym in 31 degrees and 60% humidity at 7am, but it's only 42 at lunchtime now - positively mild I tell you ;-)

Oh, and I stll hate working on a Sunday - although can leave early today to catch the rugby which starts at 6pm here, so it isn't all bad!

Happiness

So I realised this morning that happiness, whilst never underrated, is not something one thinks about until they are either miserable, or exceptionally happy. I have never been an unhappy person generally, but am starting to realise that that doesn't mean I was happy all the time either. Today, I'm happy. And I think I will continue to be happy for a while to come. I am back at gym, I've lost weight, settled into work, love my new house and am making some of the most awesome friends ever over here.

I am going back to SA in 3 weeks for a wedding (and hopefully a carefully-planned-by-me 'surprise' 30th party - Wayne?), and will see the whole family again, which rocks. 2 of my best mates are coming to Dubai in Oct for my 30th, and the RWC. I'm off to Brazil for Christmas, a wedding and New Year in December, and will be seeing the Dutch side of the family in February for my brother-in-law's 40th, and my nephew's 1st birthdays. Life is fabulous today.