I have been sick all week. It all started with constant sneezing and then
I started getting the chills. Now, I can't get this cough to stop. Luckily, I brought some Advil Cold & Sinus and Mucinex.
Everyone else in the office is also sick. There is some kind of stomach flu going around. Debby and I showed up at
Mardi Gras only to find one person we know. Alana will end up flying home with us on the same flight. I changed my window
seat to an aisle seat to get away from the noise. Tonight's goal is stay up throughout the night so I can sleep on the
flight home. I picked up a book about China. It should be an interesting read. I am getting lazy with my games. I can't
keep up anymore. The imploding continues. Why is that? So I was asked what I want to do, but then my choice was vetoed
in the end. Why bother asking me if my opinion doesn't really count? Should I collect the souvenirs or send
them in batches? I am starting to get acknowledgements from some folks. Others have yet to holler at me. I seriously
need a haircut. Lilian made it out okay. I bet the place is in good order. I wonder when Anh Boy is getting engaged.
The saga continues on the homefront. "The Secret Lives of Pippa Lee" engaged me very early this morning.
I woke up at 4AM and could not go back to sleep. A nap will be nice this afternoon.
April 25, 2012
The close-out meeting went well. Just one more day and I'm outta here.
Gene gets to leave one day early. Something is off about that. When I return, I'm making che thai. Chi Mai is craving some.
April 22, 2012
So the countdown finally begins. Gene arrives later tonight. I hope he decides
to eat in at the hotel restuarant upstairs because our dining options are quite limited within the immediate area. Plus, it is a school
night. Debby and I will take advantage of the all you can eat sushi tonight before Gene's arrival. This past weekend was
all about malling. Yes, we ate dinners and lunches in the local malls. In a span of two days, we visited the Central Market,
Abu Dhabi Mall, Khalidiya Mall, and Marina Mall. "The Lorax" was pretty funny too. I should have bought this one book
from Borders. I found the "Lara" perfume for TD, but I picked up the spray instead of the actual oil. CC needs to find
a new hobby instead of hounding me to make my next move. She sold me on the scramble game. KNT and I have our
own way of communicating. Ngoc never sleeps. I wonder why. Did I mention that I will buy a bathrobe when I return home?
I have been sneezing nonstop today. I wonder if my new shirt has anything to do with the constant sneezing. I fell asleep
to "Eat Pray Love".
April 17, 2012
Happy Birthday, Sandrine! Have a great time at your rooftop shindig!
April 16, 2012
Happy Birthday, Precious! Try not to eat all those cupcakes, fatty!
Here is the Arab World's take on "Feed the World".
April 12, 2012
It's really not cheating. I'm only asking for help because some people cannot
draw. Please add more strokes and colors to your drawings. I am not a mind reader. I am not saying my pictures are
better, but I think I give it a good try...in most cases. So the fitting came out okay last night. It should be ready by Sunday.
Debby and I are off to Dubai and Oman this weekend. We decided not to do the boat cruise for next weekend.
Denver is right. There's really nothing to see locally. Everyone goes to Dubai for all the sightseeing. James, take a sleeping
pill already. Phong, you need to calm yo ass down. You are ten steps ahead of me. I am digging J. Lo's Dance Again and
Nicki Minaj's Starships.
April 8, 2012
I wanted to take advantage of my quiet afternoon by napping, but didn't get to follow
through with a respectable nap. I dozed off for like 15 minutes and woke up. Because this is a Muslim country, we do not have
off on Easter Sunday. Oh, and the workweek starts on Sunday and ends on Thursday. Debby and I crossed the street
to eat lunch at Mirabel. That was our "Easter Brunch". I couldn't wake up this morning. Now I understand when people say, I
couldn't get up this morning. I skipped the gym and breakfast. I was at my desk by 7:50AM. The list of to-do's was completed
within a couple hours. Debby's printer access was still good from last time. I am off to my fitting tonight after work and
eating leftover Thai fried rice. Yes, alone time tonight before the big rush sounds quite pleasant. The Nguyens celebrated
a little victory last night by eating Cornish Hen. Yes, I am aware that "The Hunger Games" is the first book of a trilogy.
I found you, Henrietta...even as I am 6,000 miles away.
April 6, 2012
Happy Birthday, Addison!...just in time for Easter! I hope your parents got you
more trains and tracks for your ever growing set. What the heck is Gaga talking about at the beginning of her "Marry
the Night" video? My top picks, although they are a bit outdated, are Lady Gaga's Marry the Night, Beyonce's End of Time,
Chris Brown's Turn Up the Music, David Guetta's Turn Me On, and Kelly Clarkson's Stronger. Miss Lee left this morning.
Last night, we had dinner at Prego's. I think I'll take Debby back there. Everything was delicious, especially my cheese
pizza. They had a proseco promo for 150 dirhams. That's about $40 USD. Alcohol is usually more expensive here.
I am staying couped up in my apartment all day today. Debby arrives later tonight. I was asked if I would like to take off
on Easter Sunday since it is a holiday. I declined. Mike, congrats on getting your video clip onto American Idol! Those
kids are super cute. Looks like they are going to bilingual, if not already. By the way, I cannot play the drawing game
in my hotel room because my wifi is not strong enough. The "bible" picture got me. I almost gave up. CC, it's okay to give
candy to the less fortunate kids as long as the boys keep their personalized baskets. Precious, are you ready to be
done with school and start your studying all summer? It's a never ending cycle I tell ya. Henrietta, you are always stuffed!
Mr. Foster to the People, you have another month to go. Your next chapter will start thereafter.
April 5, 2012
Beijing had really good Chinese food. The dessert reminded me of the gooey
coconut balls I get from the bakery in my building. We were impressed with the quality and taste. They require a minimum
of AED 100 for delivery. I just dropped off another big bag of laundry at the cleaners. Today is Miss Lee's last day at Sama. She and Michael sang Shania Twain last night. We were out
of there by midnight. Yes, I am Filipino. Just speak to me in Tagalog. I'm not sure if tonight will be an all nighter. I guess The Cranberries are still around. Precious, good
to know you are coming to the Big Apple. I agree with your decision. It makes the most sense. As long as NY's bar is
honored in all other states, you are good to go. I'll have to do away games all summer. I picked up some stuff for the
boys last night. One person leaves and another one arrives. It's a revolving door I tell ya. Happy Thursday!
April 3, 2012
I ended up playing a joke on Lilian. Poor girl almost had a heart attack. I gave her
a couple hours before I called her about something else. I figured it was a Sunday morning and she has not read my text
yet. When I called her about Jacq borrowing the bike, I had to tell her that my text was an April Fool's joke. She was super
relieved. It was a pretty funny joke. Jacq called me up on April 1st about her missing aunt. I thought it was a joke at first, but
she started crying. Luckily the aunt made it to one of the local hospitals. Other than being exhausted and hungry, her aunt
is now safe. Yes, I do have a friend name Phong. He also shares the same last name as me. We Nguyens are all over the place.
I saw the last part of a French Vietnamese movie last night. It was about post-1975 Vietnam in the highlands where
ethnic minorities live. The government rounded up Amerasian boys and made them work in labor camps. Many tried to escape
and died. The actors spoke in French and Vietnamese. There are way too many quotes from last night's endless supply of
encounters. I have to say that Cristal has the most patient and accommodating staff on site. They do everything with a smile.
April 1, 2012
We stayed in town this past weekend. I think one weekend of going out in a given
month is just enough. We ended up at the Emirates Palace on both nights. The first night, Miss Lee was missing. She came
out for round two the following evening. The band at Harvesters could have been better. I guess you can't expect much from
the band considering they are westerners. Carla took us to the private beach. Yes, I paid $45 USD for access to a beach
resort. Elton John did not sing a lot of the songs I know. The Lion King songs never came on. We left early ahead of the
crowd. Do not go shopping or do anything between 1:30 and 4:30PM. Almost all of the stores close down for their afternoon
siestas. Realizing the stores close, I went back to my hotel room and napped for about an hour. The late afternoon breeze
was a pleasant surprise. I found all of the stores we wanted to find. Shakespeare's fish was burnt. I only ate half of it. I was in bed
by 9PM and slept through the 5AM prayer call. I have no April Fool's joke this year. Good times with Faiza and Hill.