Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Wee~! Back from Dubai! Arrived on Monday morning 11am
Went to do Xmas shopping with Cheryl a day before I left for Dubai... Would be weird if i went alone... Dear was in camp, everyone else had plans, so I'll make do and spend some quality time with my little sister instead then! Bought quite some stuff, and suprisingly, was under budget by alot! Haha... Save money... Went home to do last minute packing for my trip... Slept late cuz I was doing up presents before I left for Dubai... I'll return on Xmas eve which is kinda late...
Dubai was fun! Though lotsa sand, they made good use of the land! Its suprisingly cooling! Would you believe that I'd wear my long sleeved shirts to the dessert and still feel cold?!
I arrived in Dubai at their local time of 9.20pm... Traffic is horrible only when we came out of the airport... Dad came late to pick us up cuz he thought we'll be held up be the customs... Man was he wrong... The staff there directed us past lotsa long queued counters so we only had to go through one! We stayed in Dad's room in the mansion his company bought for their staff... Its really small but dad bought a double-decked bed so we'd be accomodated... Hope he does some good about it before he leaves Dubai for good... The first laugh came about my mum bringing Dad's camera over... She literally brought the camera, nothing else... The battery (meant for the camera only) was left in Singapore along with the charger!
Over the next few days, I visited a total of 5 different states of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)... Dad said the other two were just cities and had nothing much to see... I'm too lazy to update pictures now, so I'll leave it to another day and another post...
Dad had our activities well planned for the stay! We went for a dessert safari which included a dessert camp dinner, ride fast 4WD bikes across sand dunes, go up the highest peak (Jebel Harfeet if not wrong) in UAE (by CAR), went to a natural hotspring, visit their giant theme park -Global Village- which opens only a few days a year, visit lots of heritage villages and palaces, go to funfairs and take all those thrill rides, see the 2 greatest hotels in UAE, went to the enormous Mall of the Emirates (didn't try their artificial ski hill though), and did shopping at a few places! It was the public holidays there for 4 days, so we came just in time where dad was free to take us around by taking only a half-day off!
I went off 2 days before Mum and Sis to come back in time to go to Godpa's place to celebrate Xmas... Abit of regrets here and there, and I'll miss dad... He'll only be back next Febuary... I gave him his Xmas present the night before I left... He said his desk didn't have space for more...
My flight back was really eventful... My first flight was from Dubai to Bangkok, with a short pitstop to Chennai... I was seated next to an Indian worker... I think I irritated him by sneezing and going to the toilet (I sat the window seat) alot... And the pen I lent him ran out of ink when he was filling up his immigration card halfway, oops... Suprisingly, he bid goodbye to me twice before he left the plane...
Then at Chennai, the next person who sat next to me was a Canadian named Aaron... I talked and interacted with him alot throughout the flight... Found out that he was on his "small" trip alone around asia which was gonna be about 5 months long... I think he has friends everywhere... He told me about his stay in India and his travels... It was actually his holiday break, and he wanted a break away from his normal lifestyle... This was the first flight where I took 2 meals! Aaron and I were wondering what they were doing serving a meal -and I do not mean light snacks- at 1am! My flu was gone during the flight, but it came back really hard on after I got off... I parted from Aaron then, and started my long wait in Bangkok for my transit flight back to Singapore...
I saw on the departure boards in the airport that my boarding time was 8am... Didn't bother to look at my boarding pass... I left the cafe at 7.30am... When I double checked my gate number at the board, I saw that my flight was already on LAST CALL! It was stated instead on my boarding pass that it was 7.20am! At first I didn't worry cuz I thought that the gate was quite near... Then I started to curse my luck when I found out I had to walk the length of the airport to get to the gate! When I got there, it was almost 7.50, and I was sorta like the only one to walk in at that time...
I realised that this transit plane was Royal Silk class, so I had my own private screen which I can watch my own movies, listen to more songs or play games... Sadly the flight was just over 2 hours, and though I got to watch Pirates (At World's End) over breakfast, I couldn't finish the movie... I got off the plane and got cleared out of the customs fast as the locals' queue was almost empty... I was the first to get to the baggage belt but the last to get my luggage! Seems that my luggage needed extra security check, and so did another guy... After checking, the other guy went off free while I got detained by ICA!!! Seems like I was held back for a -something- which I did not declair before the check... Mum packed it in without me knowing, so how would I know?! Haiz, long procedures... Luckily the officer knew how to call instead of waiting for ICA staff to get over! I signed a form and I could leave after a lecture by the officer...
Got home to unpack and get a quick shower and lunch before sending my grandma home... Then I went out with Dear to City Hall... Lotsa places around City Hall actually, hunting for more presents... Dear gave me part one of my Xmas present from her while I gave her our belated 4th month anni present... Another day with me carrying bags home... We watched National Treasure in the cinema but I fell asleep during the movie... Guess history is not my groove, but I caught the front and end, so its ok if I missed how he solved the clues I guess... I still felt quite lousy about sleeping in a movie... Like a waste of money... Then it was a frantic hunt for Cheryl's Xmas present... I really didn't know what to get her... Thanks to dear, who kept following me and giving me support though I was tired and a little panicky... Initially, I already knew what I wanted to get for her... But it was gone when I got there, not sure if its out of stock or something else... Haiz... It was one of the things I knew would make her happy after talking to her during the shopping trip... Hope I'll get to find it again some other time...
Its my first Xmas with Dear this year! Dear gave me part 2 of the Xmas present while I gave her my Xmas present to her... Thanks dear! I brought her to my family's Xmas party... She got to know the people in my family... Then I got to talk to my cousin whom I usually talk alot to a few years back... He's in NS but we got a few common interests and he told me about some interesting things that happened in his camp... I laughed really hard on those... I received my Xmas present and an early birthday from my Godpa there! I'm gonna wear one of it on my first day back at school... I saw it and I knew it was my Godsis who picked it for me... She thought I wouldn't dare to wear it... Thanks for all my presents! Then Dear and I got to interact and play with my younger cousins after alot of my relatives went off... It was really fun, and I hope dear enjoyed her time!
Sent dear home halfway, with her hugging her present from me home because I had to use the giant plastic bag to carry alot of stuff home... I just wrapped up Mum and Cheryl's Xmas and Birthday presents up... Mum's birthday is just 3 days after Xmas, so I combined 2 presents this year... I'm gaining a little bit more confidence on my wrapping skills now... Hope its something that impressess mum as well... She thinks I can't wrap for nuts...
That's about it for my holidays so far after the common tests... I missed GL training during the week I was away... Heard the attendance was poor, and a new "record" set... Haiz... I placed my presents in a corner of my room and I'm leaving the opening till the night of 26th to open... Heehee... I missed openning presents! Thanks to all again for the presents! So I'll leave it to a nice night set aside just so I can enjoy it! I need sleep! So, from here,
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE! ENJOY BOXING DAY TOO!!! DON'T GET TOO MANY BRUISES! (Ok, I'm just kidding about the last line)
Went to do Xmas shopping with Cheryl a day before I left for Dubai... Would be weird if i went alone... Dear was in camp, everyone else had plans, so I'll make do and spend some quality time with my little sister instead then! Bought quite some stuff, and suprisingly, was under budget by alot! Haha... Save money... Went home to do last minute packing for my trip... Slept late cuz I was doing up presents before I left for Dubai... I'll return on Xmas eve which is kinda late...
Dubai was fun! Though lotsa sand, they made good use of the land! Its suprisingly cooling! Would you believe that I'd wear my long sleeved shirts to the dessert and still feel cold?!
I arrived in Dubai at their local time of 9.20pm... Traffic is horrible only when we came out of the airport... Dad came late to pick us up cuz he thought we'll be held up be the customs... Man was he wrong... The staff there directed us past lotsa long queued counters so we only had to go through one! We stayed in Dad's room in the mansion his company bought for their staff... Its really small but dad bought a double-decked bed so we'd be accomodated... Hope he does some good about it before he leaves Dubai for good... The first laugh came about my mum bringing Dad's camera over... She literally brought the camera, nothing else... The battery (meant for the camera only) was left in Singapore along with the charger!
Over the next few days, I visited a total of 5 different states of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)... Dad said the other two were just cities and had nothing much to see... I'm too lazy to update pictures now, so I'll leave it to another day and another post...
Dad had our activities well planned for the stay! We went for a dessert safari which included a dessert camp dinner, ride fast 4WD bikes across sand dunes, go up the highest peak (Jebel Harfeet if not wrong) in UAE (by CAR), went to a natural hotspring, visit their giant theme park -Global Village- which opens only a few days a year, visit lots of heritage villages and palaces, go to funfairs and take all those thrill rides, see the 2 greatest hotels in UAE, went to the enormous Mall of the Emirates (didn't try their artificial ski hill though), and did shopping at a few places! It was the public holidays there for 4 days, so we came just in time where dad was free to take us around by taking only a half-day off!
I went off 2 days before Mum and Sis to come back in time to go to Godpa's place to celebrate Xmas... Abit of regrets here and there, and I'll miss dad... He'll only be back next Febuary... I gave him his Xmas present the night before I left... He said his desk didn't have space for more...
My flight back was really eventful... My first flight was from Dubai to Bangkok, with a short pitstop to Chennai... I was seated next to an Indian worker... I think I irritated him by sneezing and going to the toilet (I sat the window seat) alot... And the pen I lent him ran out of ink when he was filling up his immigration card halfway, oops... Suprisingly, he bid goodbye to me twice before he left the plane...
Then at Chennai, the next person who sat next to me was a Canadian named Aaron... I talked and interacted with him alot throughout the flight... Found out that he was on his "small" trip alone around asia which was gonna be about 5 months long... I think he has friends everywhere... He told me about his stay in India and his travels... It was actually his holiday break, and he wanted a break away from his normal lifestyle... This was the first flight where I took 2 meals! Aaron and I were wondering what they were doing serving a meal -and I do not mean light snacks- at 1am! My flu was gone during the flight, but it came back really hard on after I got off... I parted from Aaron then, and started my long wait in Bangkok for my transit flight back to Singapore...
I saw on the departure boards in the airport that my boarding time was 8am... Didn't bother to look at my boarding pass... I left the cafe at 7.30am... When I double checked my gate number at the board, I saw that my flight was already on LAST CALL! It was stated instead on my boarding pass that it was 7.20am! At first I didn't worry cuz I thought that the gate was quite near... Then I started to curse my luck when I found out I had to walk the length of the airport to get to the gate! When I got there, it was almost 7.50, and I was sorta like the only one to walk in at that time...
I realised that this transit plane was Royal Silk class, so I had my own private screen which I can watch my own movies, listen to more songs or play games... Sadly the flight was just over 2 hours, and though I got to watch Pirates (At World's End) over breakfast, I couldn't finish the movie... I got off the plane and got cleared out of the customs fast as the locals' queue was almost empty... I was the first to get to the baggage belt but the last to get my luggage! Seems that my luggage needed extra security check, and so did another guy... After checking, the other guy went off free while I got detained by ICA!!! Seems like I was held back for a -something- which I did not declair before the check... Mum packed it in without me knowing, so how would I know?! Haiz, long procedures... Luckily the officer knew how to call instead of waiting for ICA staff to get over! I signed a form and I could leave after a lecture by the officer...
Got home to unpack and get a quick shower and lunch before sending my grandma home... Then I went out with Dear to City Hall... Lotsa places around City Hall actually, hunting for more presents... Dear gave me part one of my Xmas present from her while I gave her our belated 4th month anni present... Another day with me carrying bags home... We watched National Treasure in the cinema but I fell asleep during the movie... Guess history is not my groove, but I caught the front and end, so its ok if I missed how he solved the clues I guess... I still felt quite lousy about sleeping in a movie... Like a waste of money... Then it was a frantic hunt for Cheryl's Xmas present... I really didn't know what to get her... Thanks to dear, who kept following me and giving me support though I was tired and a little panicky... Initially, I already knew what I wanted to get for her... But it was gone when I got there, not sure if its out of stock or something else... Haiz... It was one of the things I knew would make her happy after talking to her during the shopping trip... Hope I'll get to find it again some other time...
Its my first Xmas with Dear this year! Dear gave me part 2 of the Xmas present while I gave her my Xmas present to her... Thanks dear! I brought her to my family's Xmas party... She got to know the people in my family... Then I got to talk to my cousin whom I usually talk alot to a few years back... He's in NS but we got a few common interests and he told me about some interesting things that happened in his camp... I laughed really hard on those... I received my Xmas present and an early birthday from my Godpa there! I'm gonna wear one of it on my first day back at school... I saw it and I knew it was my Godsis who picked it for me... She thought I wouldn't dare to wear it... Thanks for all my presents! Then Dear and I got to interact and play with my younger cousins after alot of my relatives went off... It was really fun, and I hope dear enjoyed her time!
Sent dear home halfway, with her hugging her present from me home because I had to use the giant plastic bag to carry alot of stuff home... I just wrapped up Mum and Cheryl's Xmas and Birthday presents up... Mum's birthday is just 3 days after Xmas, so I combined 2 presents this year... I'm gaining a little bit more confidence on my wrapping skills now... Hope its something that impressess mum as well... She thinks I can't wrap for nuts...
That's about it for my holidays so far after the common tests... I missed GL training during the week I was away... Heard the attendance was poor, and a new "record" set... Haiz... I placed my presents in a corner of my room and I'm leaving the opening till the night of 26th to open... Heehee... I missed openning presents! Thanks to all again for the presents! So I'll leave it to a nice night set aside just so I can enjoy it! I need sleep! So, from here,
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE! ENJOY BOXING DAY TOO!!! DON'T GET TOO MANY BRUISES! (Ok, I'm just kidding about the last line)