Finding Nermal

Garfield (yes the fat, lazy, lasagna-loving orange cartoon cat) always used to put the cute, little gray kitten, named Nermal into a big old cardboard box with holes punched into it. And mail him to Abu Dhabi.

So I always wondered where on earth that was.

Until now. I drove to Abu Dhabi and back today. Quite a smooth ride, were it not for the fog that obliterated stretches of road. And oh yes, people don't deem it necessary to switch on their headlights. The thrill-factor is right up there with being on a rollercoaster with no safety bar.

Anyway, so I went to visit my friend, Dave who was in turn, visiting Abu Dhabi for the weekend. Now Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE, and has a lovely, big palace.
But doesn't see much action on a Friday, which is the holy day here. So we proceeded to drive up and down the length of the city, seemingly trying to find Nermal.

I headed back to Dubai just after 3, since I was going to an Arno Carstens concert in the evening. Supporting SA music! The funniest thing happened before the start of the concert. A guy came up to me asking me if a) my name was Lezanne and b) if I attended Suid-Natal High (in Port Shepstone). What are the chances really?
So I didn't recognise him at all, but turns out that it was Ernst van der Poll, who took my best friend to the matric dance. I was having flash-backs of my school days, long after the show ended! The show was fantastic, by the way.

So on the question of finding Nermal. Not yet. But I intend to keep looking.

Getting from A to B

I am the first to admit that I certainly did liken Mathematics to Rocket Science at school. I really should have studied typing, or maybe even woodwork instead.
So having said that, I can't seem to do the equation of getting from point A to B over here, but having to pass through point Q first, taking a left at point T, a sharp right at point V and then finally doing a U-turn (haha) at point X, before finally, inexplicably reaching point B.

But this seems to be how reaching one's point B adds up to over here. I mean, you can literally see your destination, it's right THERE, but once you've navigated around all the detours, you end up thinking it might have only been a mirage.

Crack open the champagne!

Dave, a good friend from SA, who now lives in Kuwait came to visit over the weekend. In true Dave-fashion, he showed up with a bottle of Veuve and a big smile.

Needless to say, we did a lot of mall-hopping, which is possibly similar to pub-crawling but without the hangover in the morning. And he insisted on getting me proper shoes. He is trying hard to convert me from wearing ONLY flip-flops. It might be a long and difficult process... The shoes are fab, by the way.

So in conclusion, let it be known that anyone that shows up with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot is most welcome to come and visit. At anytime. Seriously, no questions asked. 3 o'clock in the morning? No problem!

Payday! Yay!

Need I say more!!! Off to go SHOPPING! Oh yes, and buy something other than aubergines to eat...