Explosion in Dubai

there was a fire this morning at around 7 am. i could see the huge fountain of black smoke ascending over the industrial area of dubai on my way to a conference. i knew something had happened so i tuned into a local radio station and the guy on the radio was kinda freaking out. he was explaining that the authorities were closing sections of the major highway and that they recommended people don't go outside. this could only mean that the smoke was toxic. after my conference, i came home and saw that the smoke persisted. it was 11 hours later. i went to my rooftop and took these pics and video. rumours say that it was a fireworks factory or something that exploded. i can only imagine how many low-waged south-asian workers died. we will probably never know and just be told that no one was seriously injured. such is the daily news in 'paradise'. This video is way cool.

it's been a long long long long time

It's been forever!
i apologize to everyone who cares. anyway, things in general are good. i miss home now and again but am generally pretty busy and i don't see things calming anytime soon. here is my update, please feel free to comment and let me know what you think. it will also be good to know who still reads this. :)
My house - I live in a very large house with marble flooring, huge rooms, 2 balconies, a giant kitchen in a complex with a shared pool (really big), a gym and in a quiet neighbourhood with many expat and local families. Technically we are not supposed to be living there because the government has this law that bachelors can't live in villas in this part of town. not sure why... anyway, if we get in any trouble we will be kicked out. lots of people do it though so we'll see.

My roommates - I was introduced to a Princeton Alumni from Vancouver through a mutual friend and we originally went looking together for a villa after realizing you can get so much more space for the same amount of money. along the way we met a French guy who also knew a Tunisian guy from his work. We have since also started renting to a Palestinian guy from my work. Everyone else is in some sort of banking/investment job and makes probably double what i make, which is good because they put up all the money up front (which is what you have to do here) and so basically they are my landlords and i pay monthly. we bought a lot of stuff for the house together; a 42 inch LCD TV, leather couches, dining room table and chairs, carpets, curtains and all the crap for the kitchen. it cost a lot and somehow the house still feels empty. i've been spending my time trying to get my room set up and just purchased a king size bed and new computer, a guitar and futon. it's a big investment but i figure i'll be here for a while and i could always ship stuff back if need be. basically we don't see each other that much as we all work different schedules and the others seem to do a lot of business travel.

My fun - I don't seem to go out as much as when I first moved here. I think the novelty is wearing off and because I have a girlfriend I don't feel the need to go to clubs or these huge parties. I'm finding some interesting things to do and will probably try to do some road trips now that i have a car. Oman is nearby and there are lots of cool spots along the coast. Tai just came to visit on his way to HK. it was great seeing him. we went out, ayham, diab, tai and i just like we used to. it's great because every year, no matter where we are, the bunch of us always manage to get together somewhere. last year was vancouver, the year before was hk, this year dubai... I've now played basketball with Tai in like 3 continents. i was writing some music when i first arrived here but have since stopped because i got a new computer and haven't had time to move all my programs and everything. i bought a guitar though and look forward to getting into it.

My work - Right now i am busy wrapping up a diabetes campaign i was doing for Eli Lilly in Egypt, Lebanon and the UAE. it was really successful and i am going to do a case study and submit it to our ketchum global network. For the diabetes campaign, i made friends with a local band that is really doing well in the Middle East to be celebrity spokespeople. I did a big feature on them and their support of the campaign. i should be working right now actually but i can't concentrate today. i am researching for a pitch to a major major potential client and have to prepare for media training i am doing tomorrow with another client. this week is going to be busy.

Everything Else - I don't know what else to say really. Today I sat by the pool and smoked sheesha, potted some plants, went grocery shopping and made some dinner. fun times. anyway, to my family and friends, i want to say that i miss you and love you dearly. kaitlyn, happy birthday by the way. to everyone else who stumbles upon this, hi, hope you enjoyed my life update. stick around, hopefully there will be progress again soon.