Where hast thou been?

Hello Earthlings! Here I am. The month of May was a hectic one and before I knew it, I took off to the UK & stopped over in Dubai. At the blink of an eye, it's back to reality - back to work.

Anyway, this is it. I'm going to have to drop the bomb on the boss real soon because my MA starts in September and I have to give them time to get a replacement. While I feel no 'remorse' about letting them sort that out, at least I have the "milk of human kindness" to inform them and let them feel the shock for 2.5months before I bow out at the end of August and make my way to Leeds. Watch out for that!

So yes, spent quite a bit of time in England. Enjoyed it totally. Weather-wise, well, I had more sunshine than rain. In fact, I got a little toasted (got an even bigger roast in Dubai - more on that later). Edinburgh was wet, windy and cold but still as charming. I didn't take pictures there because it was raining & I certainly didn't fancy rain pouring onto and into my Canon. Finally got to hear the 1 o'clock canon shot that is fired daily on Edinburgh Castle. Otherwise, I took refuge in the shops, or rather, in Waterstones with a cup of soy latte & a book.

Back down in England, the Lake District was as glorious as ever. I managed to make it to the Beatrix Potter Museum. I managed to catch Miss Potter and really, once you have been to the Lake District, you will finally understand why so many people were inspired by that place and called that place home. Perhaps, I might want to retire there? Haha!

View from the Coffin Path - the 2 mile walk from Rydal Mount to Grasmere

London is as hectic as ever. It's nice to have a mix of both the city and the country in the same trip. I managed to watch 5 productions - Macbeth (watched this at The Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon), The Merchant of Venice (at the Globe Theatre), Wicked, The Blue Men Group & Spamalot! I finally got to watch..yes...SPAMALOT! It's hilarious. All ye Monty Python fans, that is a must-see. It was a last-minute decision to watch it. I rushed like mad and was panting by the time I got to the ticket booth, with the thought that it might be sold out (since I was only 20min before showtime). But yes, I got a ticket for 30 quid and I managed to get pretty good seats too.

The stage of the Globe Theatre during the interval at the Merchant of Venice

I visited museums too. Come on, they are free. No charges, except for that voluntary donation. Otherwise, if you are in London, drop by the museums. The Imperial War Museum is a good one. Even if you don't like or aren't interested in World Wars 1 & 2 or armed conflict in general, at least go there to visit the exhibits on genocides and on The Holocaust. And yes yes yes, I got to visit the Kylie exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum. For a Kylie fan, that exhibition was a treat - her costumes/clothes, pictures, etc...WHHOOOAAA!! Sorry, that exhibition is no more. I caught it on the day before it was wrapped after being on display for 4 months.

The Natural History Museum is a wonder. I'm no talking about the exhibits but I'm talking about the building itself.

Part of the exterior of the Natural History Museum

I spent a nice quiet afternoon in Blackwells on Charing Cross. For all you bookworms out there, Charing Cross has a number of bookstores where you can easily lose yourself. I didn't manage to go into Foyles, this 4-storey bookstore with a variety of varieties of books. I must go in there at some point.

Out of hectic London, I found myself in the desert in Dubai.

Dubai is one city that has been carved out of a desert. It is a city that is still building-in-progress. It is striving to have the tallest, the biggest, the longest...the superlatives of mankind. Frankly, I am not at all impressed. Dubai looks like one huge construction site with cranes and building machines everywhere. Not to mention, it's dusty, dirty and HOT!! Did I mention that word? I was caught in the middle of the city tour enduring 46'C. I was drenched in my own perspiration and cleaning off sweat that formed on my head every 2 seconds. I wasn't even interested in any of the souks (traditional markets) because I felt so roasted.

One of the many construction sites with the already up & running buildings in the background

The lady taxi driver who took me to my hotel (which was the Hilton Jumeirah Beach) told me that everything has changed in the last 10 years. The prices of everything have gone up - 10 fold for her apartment. Sure, the Burj al Arab is the symbol of Dubai's development and prosperity but at the cost of the people who do not own oil wells?

Most of the population is foreign. The construction work is undertaken by the workers from the Indian sub-continent, whose bosses are from Europe, the people in the service line are mainly Filipinos and the taxi drivers are locals who don't own oil wells or from countries in the region.

Traditional transport across the Dubai Creek - mostly foreign workers

I don't think I can ever take it there because of the weather. I planned to spend an hour or so relaxing by the beach but after 5 mintues, I retreated into the room. Indeed, I was being Miss Hilton. I slept, I read and I watched TV in the hotel and only went out in the early evening to the Mall of the Emirates (the biggest shopping mall in the region) for dinner.

View from the 3rd floor overlooking the beach and the Arabian Sea

So here I am back home. Nursing a cold sore - a second one I might say. Looks like it is time for detoxing and purging the 'heat' in my body.