My Diary

Last week was Independent Learning Week so there weren't many students in the college. For teachers, however, IL Week is always very busy as we have lots of meetings and exams to mark.
What did I do last week? I went to Al Ain last weekend and I went swimming at the Hilton and had a lovely meal in a restaurant. I read some books and magazines, I attended an online conference and did some work for a course I am studying.
It was not an exciting week, but it was a nice change.

Labels: IL week

I chose this clip because my father was from Hungary and this is one of the most famous goals ever scored. Also, my dad went to this match where Hungary beat England at Wembley 6:3.

In our classes this week we discussed whether it is best to relax in your free time or to be busy. I am usually busy at weekends, but this weekend I just relaxed. I was exhausted after my friends' visit last week so it was lovely to spend a quiet weekend home alone! I watched TV, did some paperwork, cooked, read some magazines and organised my photos on the computer. I went for 2 short walks and talked to my friends on the phone and ... that's all!

Labels: weekend

Last week was really exhausting! My two friends from the UK were staying with me so I was working during the day and then going sight-seeing with them after work.
On Sunday afternoon I drove to the Nakeel Harbour Metro Station. We caught the metro to the Burjaman Centre and looked around the shops. On the way back to Abu Dhabi we stopped at The Walk for dinner. It was a lovely evening so we sat outside to eat. We got back to Abu Dhabi around midnight.

On Monday morning my friends went to the beach and after work I took them to the Wadha Mall and then we had Lebanese food for dinner. On Tuesday they went to a cookery demonstration at the Officers' Club afterwards they went to Marina Mall and ate in the Tower Restaurant. They saw another cookery demonstration on Wednesday morning, and then came home and went swimming in the pool on the roof of my building. In the evening we went to the Abu Dhabi Mall and then had dinner at the Meridian.

The weekend was really busy, too. On Thursday afternoon we went to Yas Island. We drove around the island and then had tea on the roof of the Yas Hotel. Some cars were practising for the V8 Championship so we watched them. On the way back to Abu Dhabi, we stopped and looked at the exhibition on Saadiyat Island.


On Friday, we went to Dubai. I had tickets to go up the Burj Khalifa, but it was closed so I got a refund. We had coffee on the terrace at the Dubai Mall and then went to the Souk al Baher. After that we went to the Wafi Centre and looked in the new souk there. Finally we visited the Global Village. It was very crowded, but interesting. We just looked at the pavillions, we didn't try the rides!

My friends left today. We had lots of fun and a good time and I hope they will visit me again next year.

Labels: visit

Some friends are visiting me from the UK so this weekend was very busy. I spent Friday preparing for their visit, so I did a lot of shopping and cooking.

Labels: weekend

At weekends, I usually get up late, I rarely get up before 11am on Fridays. I sometimes go to Al Ain to see my friends or go to the dentist! I often sit on the roof of my building and read magazines when it is sunny. In the hot weather, I always go swimming at weekends. I occasionally go to Dubai to meet friends or go shopping. I also have friends in RAK, so 3 or 4 times a year, I spend a weekend in RAK. I like museums so I frequently visit the museums in Sharjah on Saturdays. I never stay at home all weekend

Labels: weekend routine

I had a very busy week at work so I was very tired when I got home on Thursday and all I wanted to do was sleep! However, my friend who works on Delma Island had come to Abu Dhabi for the weekend, so we met and went out for an Indian meal.
On Friday I got up very early as I had to go to Dubai for a meeting. The meeting started at 9.30, so I left home at 7.30. After the meeting, I went to Dubai Mall and bought tickets to go up the Burj Khalifa. I was surprised because there wasn't a queue for tickets. I will go up it in 2 weeks' time when my friends from the UK are here.
On Saturday, I got up late and did nothing special. I worked on the computer, went for a walk, cooked and read magazines - it was a boring but relaxing day.

Labels: weekend

It's Saturday night, so the weekend is finished!
On Thursday after work I went to the Golf Tournament on Saadiyat Island. It was the first competition at the new course there. I don't really know anything about golf, but I wanted to see the new golf club. It was beautiful. It has a great location by the sea. We walked all round the course, but unfortunately it was rather cold and windy!
I stayed home all day on Friday and tried to organise my photos on the computer, and I made lots of web albums to send to my friends. On Saturday, I sat on the roof of my building and read magazines for two hours. In the evening, I went to the cinema. I saw 'Up in the Air' starring George Clooney. I enjoyed the film very much. In the film, Clooney does workshops with people where they have to imagine all their things and all the people in their lives fitting into a backpack. Obviously the backpack is very heavy. Then he asks people what they could take out, or throw away and what they would save if there was a fire. I started wondering about all my stuff and what I would save if there were a fire! What would YOU save?

Labels: weekend

I stayed in the UAE for the midterm break this year. I thought about going to England but the weather there was very cold and there was lots of snow. I hate winter and cold weather!

One day I went to Al Ain to see some friends. We went to the Hilton for lunch and then read magazines by the pool. Another day I met a friend at the Ibn Battuta Mall and did some shopping. What else did I do? I saw some movies, went to the horse-races and to the beach.

I have a friend who works on Delma Island so I went to visit her. I drove to Jebel Dhanna and caught the ferry. I spent 3 days on Delma and had a lovely time. We drove all around the island and saw some super beaches, the mangroves, some deer and ostriches and lots of new and old houses. I had a tour of the museum which was very interesting. It was an interesting trip - and great to see a new place.

Last week a friend came to stay so we did lots of sight-seeing in Abu Dhabi: the Emirates Palace, Yas Island, the exhibition on Sadiyat Island, and, of course, we also went to the shopping malls!

The 2 weeks passed very quickly, and I had lots of fun and quite a busy holiday.

Labels: Midyear break 2010

Hi
We have been talking about reading in the last week. Here is an interesting expression and concept: Never Judge a Book by its Cover. Do you understand it? It means never look only at the outside of a person or thing, look on the inside, too. In particular, don't judge a person by how they look, wait and discover the person before you make an opinion.
Here is a famous recent example from a British TV show called 'Britain's Got Talent' which is like 'American Idol':

I am sorry I couldn't get a better clip of this, but most of the clips aren't embeddable. if you want to see more about this story, type 'Susan Boyle' into Youtube.

So, you can see that this lady looked middle-aged, unfashionable and crazy, and the people thought she was going to sing badly and do crazy stuff - but, when she started to sing, everyone was amazed. So, that's a lesson for life: Never Judge a Book (or anything else) by its Cover (or outside, or external view).

Labels: Susan Boyle

Last weekend I only had one day off because of the CEPA Maths Exam. Because of this, I decided to relax as much as possible on Thursday and Friday. I spent my time watching the TV and reading magazines. I read a lot of information in the magazines about health, especially about healthy eating. I decided that I must try to eat more healthily so I went to the supermarket and bought lots of fruit, vegetables and low-fat products - and I hid all the biscuits and chocolates I have in my house. I hope I can lose a few kilos before the summer.
On Saturday I had to get up early and go to the college. Fortunately, the group of students in the classroom for the exam were very nice and well-behaved. I finished at 11 and then went shopping. In the evening I went for a walk because I must get more exercise, too!

Labels: weekend

Last week was Independent Learning Week at college. Many of the teachers went to the Education Without Borders Conference, but I stayed in the college because I had lots of work to do. I marked exam papers and etasks, cleaned my desk, filed my papers, had meetings, did some preparation and helped students with Voicethread and WebCT. I was very busy all week.
One day I went to the Shangri-la Hotel for coffee and sat on the terrace and looked at the view. Afterwards we went to the Souk at Quryat Al Beri. It was the first time I had been there. I didn't buy anything, however! Next time I have visitors, I must remember to take them there.

Labels: IL week

Last weekend I went to Sharjah again. This time I went to the Museum of Islamic Civilisation with a friend. We spent about 3 hours in the museum looking at the exhibits, trying the interactive features like computer screens and models and discussing the exhibits.



Then we visited the Lure of the East Exhibition - that was my third time there. After that, we wandered around the heritage area and found a teashop. Then I drove back to Abu Dhabi. I was very happy that it didn't rain while we were out, but when we reached Abu Dhabi there was an amazing thunderstorm!

Labels: Sharjah, weekend

Last Monday I went to the Emirates Palace again. This time I saw the Bolshoi Ballet perform. It was wonderful. The music was fantastic, the costumes were beautiful and the dancing was spectacular. Here's a YouTube of a Bolshoi Ballet performance:

Labels: Bolshoi

After attending 2 conferences last week, I was really tired this week, so I wanted a relaxing weekend. I spent Thursday night reading magazines,. surfing the internet and watching TV. On Friday and Saturday I studied all day because I am behind with my new MA course. Some of what I studied was really boring and repetitive - all about management and marketing.
On Saturday evening I went to the Emirates Palace Hotel to see the Opera Gala performed by the Bolshoi Orchestra. It was absolutely wonderful. I enjoyed the opera singing and the music so much. It was fantastic.
Here's one of the opera singers (Jonas Kaufmann) in action in Berlin earlier this year:


Here's the website if you want to read about the music festival: http://www.admafestival.com/index.php

Labels: weekend