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Today's Music Monday goes out to Rob from Channel 4 FM, for giving me a great start to the day!






Follow all the madness of the iMorningZoo here!

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Technology never ceases to amaze me. Today I had the pleasure of dealing with my first automated telephone operator when I called a shopping mall desk to try to get the phone number of one of their stores.

OP: Hello! Welcome to ________! (Arabic voice instructing to press 1 or 2 for language)
Me: (presses 2)
OP: What would you like to inquire? About?
Me: Shop inquiry
OP: Okay then. Shop Inquiry. Please say the name of the shop you would like to inquire about
Me: Emirates Computers
OP: I'm sorry. I did not understand that. Please say the name of the shop you would like to inquire about
Me: EMIRATES COMPUTERS
OP: Okay. You said European Jewellery. Is this correct? Please say Yes or No
Me: NO
OP: Please say the name of the shop you would like to inquire about
Me: EMMMIIIRRRAAAAYYTESSSS KOMPUUUTERZZZZ
OP: Okay. You said European Jewellery. Is this correct? Please say Yes or No
Me: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I'm just going to fucking drive over to the mall and visit the damn store myself.

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To my secret admirer,

I know I've got my little delivery already on my birthday, but if there ever was another time that I could use a little cheering up, it would be now.


xxx

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You are reading this post on a blog is no longer maintained - please visit www.outinmyhead.com instead!

Ramadan began this week in Dubai, and the first thing that I see is how everything suddenly becomes about food. I drive along SZR and there are adverts for KFC, Hardees, and Pizza Hut, offering spectacular 'Ramadan Meals'. Not to be offensive, but I really don't think anyone in their right mind would want to break their fast with 3 pieces of chicken and a Pepsi. Magazines scream "Dubai's most stylish Iftar buffets" and "Best Iftar deals around!", truly forgetting that Iftar isn't for shoveling food into your mouth. Then of course, there is the relentless advertising by hotels for their 'Iftar buffets'. As someone who regularly plans office events, I'm pretty much on every hotel's mailing list, so this week my Inbox has been flooded with deals from various hotel chains in town. It's sad to see that something as meaningful as Iftar has been hijacked by many hotels as a frantic bid to stay in business during these coming weeks.

I decided to head over to a hotel's Iftar buffet yesterday just to see what all the commotion was about. At AED 150 per person, it was a scene reminiscent of Dubai's fabled Friday brunches. People piling food on to plates, chefs running around replenishing dwindling trays of food, children running around tables, and people with nauseating looks on their faces as they polished off their third plate of food. As someone who was invited to a family Iftar last year, this hotel scene is very different from what I experienced at my friend's place. We sat down to trays of rice, roast chicken, bread, vegetables, salad, and a seemingly endless supply of watermelon and fresh fruit. There was conversation, laughter, sharing, more laughter, and a real feeling of community. As a non-Muslim, it was a tremendous privilege to be a part of this family Iftar, and it certainly bested any bland hotel buffet.

Wiki defines Iftar as "the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together." This is exactly my point - Iftars are a personal affair, and focus more on the bringing together of people than the food itself. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of, and as such I highly recommend the Iftar at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, which offers a more traditional and enjoyable Iftar. I'm not saying that you should boycott hotel buffets or anything, but instead of shelling out money to go for an all-you-can-eat fiasco, just have a meal at home with friends and donate the cash you've saved to charity.

Ramadan Kareem to you all!

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One of the things that pops up on Twitter is #MusicMonday, where people post what music they're listening to. I've decided to try and make this a weekly feature on the blog, so prepare to be inundated with my very random taste in music.

For today, these are the following songs I certainly recommend listening to:








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This is why it's always a good idea to go through your Junk folder, just for laughs.

Hello Dear,

My name is Loyce, honest and nice looking girl .i am 24yrs old 165cm tall,chocolate skinned,with brown sexy eye balls looking for a man who can be a true friend and a close confidant,so i checked the site of acquaintance and found your profile very interesting and i would love for us to have communication.so please mail me on my email address and lets know each other better. have a lovely,beautiful,love filled week ahead as i expect your mail remember age and distance should not be a barrier to finding true friendship,it should not limit us from discovering the beauty that lies in between us ok, and i will send you my photo and tell you more about myself as soon as i get a mail from you thanks.
Kiss
Loyce


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Words

fail

me.



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