Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Dubai

To me, Dubai is like a teenager.

Sometimes he's sulking, moody.  He tells you sullenly several times a day - "Don't forget, you are just a guest in my house!". 
But then he turns around, gives you a pretty smile and asks you not to leave.  "Let's go play", he tells you.  "We'll have a good time, you'll see".

Sometimes Dubai is cruel, selfish and impossible to deal with. But often he's also exorbitantly generous, welcoming and kind.

Dubai is trying really hard to be as suave and sophisticated as the older boys.  For now, however,  he's too small for his britches and still going through some growing pains. 

If you talk to other adults about him, some will say that Dubai is a charmer who'll do very well in life.  Others will claim that he's a spoiled little brat who deserves his ears  boxed.

More often than not I wish that he'd grow up already.  But now and then, I find myself completely smitten with it's boyish charisma!

And these are my thoughts on Dubai.
I wonder what does he think about me?



The pix below is from the wonderful site http://www.dubaiasitusedtobe.com/

Please go there and check out amazing pics of Dubai before the discovery of oil.  It will give you a better understanding of it's people, the way it is now and how much it grew within just a few decades.








Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Things I Covet

These are the things I covet now:

1. Nude colored bag.

I am a big fan of Louis Vuitton bags. I know I will catch a lot of flack for saying that; somehow LV has become a badge of wannabes, chavs (a new world i learned in Dubai) and generally not a cool thing to profess your love to.

But I don't give a flying fig. These bags are exceptionally well made, very sturdy and reliable, will last you a life time and your grand daughters will be delighted to pry them out of your liver-spotted hands on your deathbed.

After all, if they were good enough for Audrey and Katharine, they are good enough for me.


Audrey Hepburn with her LV Speedy




Katharine Hepburn famous LV luggage trunk collection

I have some, but lately I've been coveting Brea in Blanc Corail. I blame Aiisha Ramadan - she blogged about owing Alma in that color and I've been love struck ever since.

LV Brea in Blanc Corail




2. Chanel Midnight Red Nail Colour

Recently I've stopped going to my neighborhood nail salon.

Reason?

Grossness of some clients hoofs.

Ladies, if you have a fungus situation, don't go to a pedicurist. Go to a freaking dermatologist!!!

I had enough of looking at animal claws and worrying whether the tools are properly sanitized, so I quit going there.
I do my own nails now and even though I told my girlfriends I'm not spending $$ on Chanel polishes ever again, I'm afraid I lied.

When I see my fave "Midnight Red" I go weak at the knees.





Ditto "Vamp".


"Midnight Red" has been around since dinosaurs roamed the Earth and "Vamp" since Kate Moss dated Johnny Depp. Which is also eons ago.


3. Rue Cler, Paris

There, I said it. There is no "frenchier" place on earth for me than Rue Cler.

I miss it's fruit and vegetable stands, it's cafes with their hurried efficient waiters. I miss it's pretty french girls (btw, don't be duped by all the books about "French Diet" - save yourself some money and listen to me: they are so skinny because of the steady diet of cigarettes and espresso, sans food). I even miss it's old ladies in stockings, sensible shoes and Hermes scarves. 

Mostly, though, I miss it's Artisan Boulangerie, unassuming but so very popular, stellar and in-expensive bakery.  While Lenotre, that's just around the corner is generally empty on any given day, Artisan Boulangerie is pretty much sold out by mid-day.







P.S. none of the Rue Cler pix are mine - last time we were in Paris we forgot our camera on the bench in the Metro.  Pix are nicked from the interwebz. 




Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Haifa Wehbe

Ok, so i think we all need to cleanse our palate after this bland sticky rice dish.  Feast your eyes on the one and only Haifa Wehbe!

Haifa is not from Dubai, she doesn't live here but she comes here a lot.

As a matter of fact, she's coming over for a concert - line-up, btw, includes TIMBALAND - on June 5, as a part of a free for all celebration of a local pro football club victory.  And also a raffle for Ferrari 458. Or something like that.

Anyway, even though Haifa Wehbe is a lebanese singer with questionable talents, i think she'll be a much better choice as a Face of Dubai.

Allow me to argue my points:

A. Just like Dubai, few of Haifa's features are man-made and acquired within the last decade (but to be fair, she was beautiful even before the surgeries)

B.  Just like Dubai, Haifa Wehbe is comparatively young, but already shows some signs of wear and tear.

C.  Just like Dubai, Haifa Wehbe is crazy about western designers and western designers are crazy about her - she is a frequent guest of Roberto Cavalli, while in Dubai.

D.  In 2006 Haifa Wehbe was ranked among 50 most beautiful people by People Magazine.  In 2007 Dubai was ranked as the top financial center within Middle East by MasterCard Commerce Index.

E.  Lastly, but most importantly - just like Dubai, Haifa Wehbe is all about glitz, glamour and all things OTT! 

Check her out!













Haifa wearing Zuhair Murad

Haifa wearing Zuhair Murad's blue dress


 

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