Land Rover Discovery

It has come to an end - I have sold my Land Rover Discovery.

It was a dream of mine to have one at some point in my life. I have loved it. It runs and runs, though it is 10 years old and the climate is so hard on autos here. I am now driving a 2009 Peugeot 206 hatchback-not nearly as exciting, but it has wheels and I can go anytime I want to.

Abu Dhabi Carpet Market

I have not been an avid carpet shopper, as some others have. But now that I know my floors in Brussels will be bare hardwood, they have a much greater appeal.

So I and a friend headed off to the Carpet Market at the port to see if we could find some deals. He was looking for handmade wool and I was looking for inexpensive, silk (machine made is okay with me). We did not find very much of the handmade kind, they are very expensive. We did find quite a selection of the less expensive rugs.

In the picture above the ones on the left are wool and the ones on the right are silk...can you see the difference in the shine? I bought several of the silks in gorgeous sage greens with peach/mauve, burgundy and gold.

Afghanistan Music Video

Okay, this post has only entertainment value. You've heard of Lady Gaga even if you don't like her music, but this is absolutely my favorite version of her song "Telephone."

This was made by some guys in Afghanistan having a little fun. Their video went "viral" about a month ago and at first they were afraid of repercussions from their highers, but they did nothing to be ashamed of-it is just fun.

Hope you enjoy! Click here: Telephone - Remake

Ladies Party

One of my best friends here in Abu Dhabi and I held a party over the weekend for all the wonderful women we have met here. We invited both locals and American ladies, each of whom have added considerable joy to our lives during our tour(s), which are quickly coming to an end.

We had a great turnout and and excellent conversation, big hugs and lots of laughs. I will miss them all very much, but then hopefully I will meet more of the same calibre at my next post.

Cyclone Phet

Apparently, neighboring Oman has been hit by Cyclone Phet (similar to a hurricane). The cyclone, which hit the capital city of Muscat had sustained average winds of 120 mph and dumped quite a bit of rain. Approximately a dozen people have died due to flooding.

In a place where people see so little rain, they are unprepared for, and do not understand the danger of, rushing waters; taking chances they should never take. Also, because this area sees so little rain, the city's "drainage system" is virtually non-existent.

I did not even know this happening (we don't have the weather channel or even local TV news) until someone told me that people in Al Ain were warned of a storm surge. The person who told us this was given a lot of humorous grief because Al Ain is a land locked city 1,300 meters above sea level...she is still learning her local geography.

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

There are nuggets of wisdom that we learn as we live. Finn Sisu had several that were oft repeated. One that is steady on my mind at this time is just how important it is to cherish today. Living in the past, thinking of what was and no longer is steals our ability to appreciate the blessings we currently enjoy. And always looking for the achievements, goals of the future can rob us of the same.
We cannot mourn yesterday or yearn for tomorrow without taking time out from today.
My dad hugged me at one of the lowest points of my life and said, "No matter what it is, it will change." The wisdom of that statement is that if it is bad, it has to get better because nothing stays the same. The flip side is that if it is good, it will probably get worse.
I suppose our job as humans is to sing when we are on the mountain tops, wail when in the valleys, and remember both when we are on the road of ambivalence.