Catching Up

Okay so it's been many days since I wrote an entry which just means that things are starting to pick up at the office. We're having a pretty easy time of it so far (knock wood - lotsa wood). We have a lot of returning staff and tomorrow we begin our official training sessions.

Some observations from the last few days:

Dubai is weird. It has been foggy quite often in the morning over the past week or so. It usually clears up fairly quickly but when it's here it's thick. Personally, I think by build The Palms and The World they've changed the local weather patterns. Mother nature does not like to be Fucked with. Either that or we're just getting some residual ick from the cyclone. Anyhow foggy or not it's still damn hot.

Speaking of hot .... I tan here. That's right TAN! Okay it's really just freckles growing together but it's kinda cool. Thank you Arabian sun.

I hate HTML code. HATE. IT. Just built all the web events in the ticketing system and am happy to say they're done. Now it's just all the other stuff ..... urg.

I have to learn that Ass Clown cannot be a regular part of my vocabulary when I'm in Dubai. I guess, it's kinda shocking in a place where you can be arrested for flipping someone the bird when they cut you off in traffic. Will miss Ass Clown. Such good words ..... Alas.

The concept of time in Dubai is not the same as the rest of the world. All the documentation in the hotel (brochures, guest guide, interactive TV information tells me that the gym/pool opens at 6:30am every day. The nice girl who always shows up at about 7:10am tells me that it opens at 7:00am. Weird. Also, When we have kids scheduled for interviews it's not unusual for someone to show up 45 minutes late or to have 1/2 the scheduled interviewees not show up at all. The ones who show up late never apologize they just kinda look at you and say "it's hard to find parking in Dubai". Soooo not kidding.

Human Capital (Dubai version of Human Resources) is incredibly bad at what they do. I've said this before but it's worth saying again. We have our staff settled but I'm fairly sure I can hear the quiet weeping of the Theatres Dept. Management right now.

DIFF is currently obtaining their ISO standing. This means they must document every SINGLE process. Normally I would encourage this. It makes everyone look at the things they do and really have to think through them. That said, it's not good when we are only a couple of weeks away from putting up a film festival and documenting processes is supposed to be everyone's priority. All I can say is "yeah, that's gonna happen".

I hear Colin Firth is not coming to Dubai anymore. I will mourn the news later even though it gives me much more time to help Lindy now that my stalking schedule has been severly cut down.

I'm gonna post some more pics on my Facebook page of the office and the beach area.

The Land of Sand remains, as ever, Crazy!

Dubai Temp: 33C Time: 7:17pm