I am going "Inside the National"

I am a little bit excited right now, as I am T-minus two hours away from making my debut on Inside the National where I will talk about what I gleaned from meeting with representatives of Google this morning. (Hint: do not hold your breath for Street View) One can only watch this half-hour program at 7.30pm Sunday through Wednesday on Abu Dhabi TV. Inside the National actually previews stories in the next day's paper and includes interviews with the people writing them. (That the half-hour is not a little more like The Office, UAE style, I assure you, is not for a lack of drama or comedy.)

It may seem like an amazing thing that The National has its own, very well done television program, complete with producer, sound person, several camera operators and two presenters, one of them a former correspondent for the BBC, but I assure you, it's true.

It's been a couple of months, so I have just gotten used to the idea myself.

Check out Al Dhafra, my old 'hood

After 10 glorious months in the Ramee Hotel Apartments (as The National's Jen Gerson reported today, 25% of hotel rooms in Abu Dhabi are being taken up with people waiting for flats or white collar workers here on short-term contracts - no wonder prices are so high) I moved out in February. But I got to spend some loving hours cataloguing the neighbourhood's attributes for a piece in the Saturday paper's House & Home section here. Check it out, there is a nice slide show that gives you a window on one of the small, accessible parts of Abu Dhabi.

In many ways Al Dhafra is Abu Dhabi, scaled down. A mix of new and old villas and converted residences fill the centre of the block, which is bordered by high-rise accommodations, mid-range hotel apartments and those that have seen better days. A quick peek inside a random open door reveals a series of bunk beds, one of the myriad tiny rooms that house the workers who drive the city’s growth.
Safarnas Vellerical, an office worker at a medical insurance company, lives in a room off Muroor. The 24-year-old from Kerala spent a recent evening visiting a friend at the tiny Al Qafila New Gift Trading Store, one of many that fill out his neighbourhood. “The atmosphere is very good,” he says.

I had to get a copy for someone and read it again today; now I kind of miss it over there.

Continuing on with the theme "much of the world seems to be obsessed with having white or whiter skin"

My friends and I were hanging out by the pool at the Sandy Beach Hotel in the emirate of Fujairah (a highly entertaining way to pass an afternoon, just trust me on this) and we almost fell off our beach chairs at the sight of this SPF lotion-loving lady.

I had never seen anything like it. She kept reapplying, and reapplying, so it never had a chance to absorb. That was the point, I think.

(She also smoked, quite a bit, so we figured it wasn't skin cancer she was worried about.)

Fair & Lovely targets shoppers; insecurity ensues

Skin whitening creams are big business in this part of the world. This was shocking to me at first. I guess I was pretty naive, but the truth is that lighter skin is desired over here and people do odd things to get it.

One of the most popular products (and I often lurk around the display at Lulu Hypermarket, just to see the women and men checking them out) is Fair & Lovely. A commercial plays over here sometimes. It shows a young girl getting ready for a dance competition a month away. She is using Fair & Lovely as well and dancing her heart out, and on the night of her performance, she is clearly a star because of her moves and the lighter tone of her skin. Sigh.

The preponderance of these products is mildly irritating on another level, and that is because it truncates every other line of skin care products. Take Oil of Olay; I can't get my favourite thermal mini-peel here and that's probably because most of their freaking shelf space is taken up by whitening creams and potions.



This is a Fair & Lovely display that was on in Abu Dhabi Mall. I found it disturbing on a number of levels - that one has to be "fair" to be "lovely", for staters – and not least for the creepy "Mirror mirror on the wall" vibe it gave off. I have no idea why these Filipinas are in there.

Conversations with cab drivers

Cab driver: Are you married?

Me: Ummm (hesitating while I decide whether I have the energy to lie) no.

Cab driver: Oh my god.

Overheard in the ladies room at Emirates Palace

Conversation between an adult woman and her mom, who is clearly here for a visit

Adult woman: Do you want to see a movie tonight?

Her mom: Oh, I can see a movie at home.

Adult woman: Should we go get manicures?

Her mom: Oh no, my nails are far too short.

Adult woman: Well we have to do something.

Her mom: Okay, we'll do something.

A little context, Abu Dhabi Distribution Co.

I have just been told "don't call until you arrive" is the slogan for a campaign to stop people using their cell phones while driving. I failed to noticed the tiny triangle, steering wheel and pair of hands to the left of it.

My bad.