Upcoming Concerts in Dubai and Abu Dhabi – Which Ones Are You Seeing?

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It’s the time of the year once again – when our favorite celebrities troop the region for concerts and some series of shows. Here are some of the famous acts coming in the country:

  1. JANET JACKSON – October 13 | Yas Island
  2. THE PUSSYCAT DOLL KAYA JONES – October 13 | Amika One, The Monarch Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Road
  3. METALLICA – October 25 | Yas Island
  4. CRAIG DAVID – October 27 | N’Dulge Club, Atlantis
  5. MICHAEL BOLTON – November 4 | Madinat Arena
  6. WYCLEF JEAN (Beats on the Beach) – November 9 | Abu Dhabi Corniche
  7. BRITNEY SPEARS – November 11 | Yas Island
  8. FATBOY SLIM (Beats on the Beach)- November 11 | Abu Dhabi Corniche
  9. JAY SEAN (Beats on the Beach) – November 11 |Abu Dhabi Corniche
  10. EXAMPLE (Beats on the Beach) – November 11 | Abu Dhabi Corniche
  11. JULIANA DOWN (Beats on the Beach – November 12 | Abu Dhabi Corniche
  12. INCUBUS – November 12 | Yas Island
  13. THE CULT – November 12 | Yas Island
  14. PAUL McCARTNEY – November 13 | Yas Island
  15. THE SCRIPT (Sandance) – November 18 | Sandance Beach, Atlantis
  16. SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTER | November 24 | Burj Park, Downtown Dubai
  17. BASEMENT JAXX – November 25 | Atlantis
  18. CREAMFIELDS (TIESTO, TINIE TEMPAH, ETC) | December 8-9 | Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
  19. CHRIS BROWN – December 9 | Dubai Festival City

Are we gonna see Lady Gaga live in Dubai or Abu Dhabi as well? Rumors are everywhere

Ladies Alert! Vanity Box Beauty Salon Opens in Dubai

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My businesswoman friend has just opened their new salon for ladies. My wife (GirlDubai) says it looks really posh and she can’t wait to go there. VANITY BOX BEAUTY SALON is the latest talk in town over at Bur Dubai – Karama. It is a full-service beauty center dedicated in providing customer satisfaction by delivering excellent service, quality products, and offering pleasing atmosphere at acceptable price/value relationship. Check the photos below for the ambiance.

 

They cater to individuals and groups.  You can enjoy relaxing bathing facility, beauty and treatment sections. It is a perfect place to enjoy beauty services and promote the social aspect of a pampering day, a relaxation area and fully customized packages to suit your needs.

Packages starts from AED 80 and a range of options for you to choose from.

Check out and Like their Facebook Page here to get updated and also read some customer feedback.

CONTACTS:
Please call 04 370 9911 or 056 139 2708
Email info@vanityboxdubai.com

LOCATION:
Shop # 1, Al Telal Bldg. # 7, Karama, 126309 Dubai (on the opposite side of Burjuman, near Pizza Hut just a block away from Kabayan Supermarket and Pyramid building with ample parking space exactly near the salon)
Click here for the location map

Public Inter-city Buses in Dubai will have a WiFi

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Finally! Installing WiFi spots on public buses is what I’ve been long waiting for.  According to an article in Dubai-Bus website, “The authority is also planning to launch a number of value added services like wifi connectivity on some intercity bus routes to attract young and net-savvy commuters.

As far as I know, intercity bus routes means Dubai to Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Ajman or other Emirates only (?).

Public buses in Dubai are mostly patronized by up to middle-class, average-income earning populate in the Emirates. And most often, you will see the a lot of commuters using their Blackberry, iPhones and iPADs while traveling.

It is not clearly mentioned though if the WiFi will be free. In Dubai Metro, you have to subscribe to Du and pay per consumption – that just sucks.

The most efficient & convenient way to circle the city
Since Dubai Bus aims to be the most efficient and convenient public transport to circle the city, I hope they also address some concerns. How can it be convenient if they always fill up the bus to more than its fullest? Last year they were strict on not allowing anyone standing on any Dubai-Sharjah-Dubai buses. How can it be comfortable if they allow unhygienic people aboard?  They prohibit food and drinks to preserve the cleanliness in the bus, and to avoid unwanted smelly foods. But you know what, I’d rather have those smelly foods in than other unpleasant odor coming from… sure, you know what I mean.

Worst(est) Traffic in Al Ittihad, Sharjah-Dubai Road Ever

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Photo from Khaleej TImes Online

This past week has been the worst(est) traffic jam I’ve ever experienced in Ittihad Sharjah-Dubai Road. I left Sharjah 6:40am and reached Hor Al Anz, DEIRA 8:50am. That’s a whopping 2 hours and 10 minutes road trip for a distance less than 12km.  My everyday travel used to be an hour given the constant morning rush. This week, 90minutes is the shortest I could.

The reason? Some construction is going on at the border of Dubai and Sharjah. Khaleej Times reported that the 6-year closed Mamzar Exit is being reconstructed and will be converted into an exclusive ‘Bus and Taxi Only’ lane.  Any private vehicles that would enter will be fined AED600.

Bus and Taxi Lane for Sharjah-Dubai Road

Will it really ease the traffic? Honestly, it’s highly unlikely that much. The lane is just about a kilometer long, and starts at the foot of Al Nahda bridge. The morning traffic clog in Sharjah commonly starts beyond the 2nd subway in Al Wahda Road.

Also, public buses in Sharjah leave every 20minutes, and there are only about 6-8 Dubai terminal destinations – that’s just 8 Dubai-bound buses leaving every 20 minutes (add the one Abu Dhabi bound bus that leaves every hour). I don’t see that much Dubai-bound taxis every morning as well. Bottom line, it is still the private cars that clog the roads. 

Public buses also only use the Al Wahda Road. Traffic jam starts actually from other sub-highways that leads to the bottleneck Ittihad Road. Al Khan and Al Nahda bridges alone bring a volume of cars in the morning.

But anyway, the effort is appreciable. I hope my theories are wrong. I hope this move would at least slowly ease the spelled Sharjah-Dubai traffic. Rumors say that this lane will be opened on 1st of November which is the RTA Public Transport Day.

Get TEDx Dubai Admissions Through FreeRice

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TEDxDubai is giving you a chance for a free admission to this edition’s TEDx. All you have to do is play on Freerice.com, and play til you get your rice donations higher. Here’s how:

  1. Create an account on FreeRice.com here. You can use Facebook or Twitter Connect too.
  2. Join TEDx Dubai Group here
  3. Start playing
Click here for the rules to guide you in playing.
By October 15th, the top 5 rice donors will get an admission to TEDxDubai 2011 ″The Beauty of Small Things” taking place on the 22nd of October. Winners will be also asked to go onstage during the FreeRice segment.
Not only that you’re helping yourself into a free admission, you’re also assisting the cause. At FreeRice.com the more you play by testing your knowledge in different areas, the more grains of rice are donated through the World Food Program.
*Created in the spirit of TED’s mission, “ideas worth spreading,” the TEDx program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level. TEDx events are fully planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis.

Google Day UAE 2011

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Calling all Developers, Entrepreneurs, Students, Webmasters, IT and Business Professionals!

For the first time ever in the United Arab Emirates, Google will be hosting g|uae on October 19 & 20 in Dubai.

“Google is very excited to meet with computer science students, software developers, small businesses and tech entrepreneurs in the UAE. We will be demonstrating Google’s suite of products that are driving innovation in technology and business across the globe, and here in the Middle East.”

Visit this link – as it will be updated regularly and will soon include details on the agenda, so make sure to come back to the site for regular updates! Registration is free but slots are limited. You may take the quiz, err, register on the same link and choose which day/s would you attend to, and your registration will be confirmed until some few weeks (which is weird though). Be sure you’re ready to answer a few algorithmic and syntactical questions eh…

Again, visit the site – https://sites.google.com/site/guae2011/

How to win free tickets to see Britney Spears Live in Abu Dhabi

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Simply visit www.yasalam.ae to sign-up and get a chance to win two of 10,000 invitations to see Britney Spears perform at the Yasalam first after-race concert.

YASALAM AFTER RACE CONCERTS happen on 11 to 13 November at the Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Aside from the pop princess, American rock band Incubus, British rock band The Cult and music legend Sir Paul McCartney are set to light up Abu Dhabi as part of this year’s ‘Live on Yas Island’ concert series.

Ushering the main events is BEATS ON THE BEACH, happening on 09 to 12 November. It has become one of the hottest events within the Yasalam programme – ‘Beats on the Beach’ has acted as a platform for local artists to showcase their talent alongside some of the most popular performers from across the region and the world.

Expected to perform on the BEATS are: Example, Fat Boy Slim, Jay Sean, Najwa Karam, and Saber Rebai among others.

LIKE ThinkFlash on Facebook to keep on the loop.

The Rib Room Experience at Emirates Towers

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We’ve just had one fine Thursday evening again, this time at The Rib Room in Jumeirah Emirates Towers.  This newly re-launched steakhouse already boasts of its stylish cozy interiors, before you even savor with what’s on the menu.  The serenading live saxophone adds class to the already-posh atmosphere.  We were welcomed and ushered politely into our table by the receptionist. Offered and asked about what we wanted to have for a drink.

THE MENU
The Rib Room is famous for their, well, signature rib dishes.  The appetizers are more of seafood varieties (oyster, mussels, prawns, calamari, lobster) than beef and salads. The mains have classic steaks and ribs. Chateaubriand, Australian Beef Tomahawk, Beef Fillet Wellington, Wagyu Beef and Pork Baby Spareribs are some of their drooling main course.  Rest of the menu you’ll find Grilled, Fish and Shellfish, Vegetarian Options, and of course the side dishes and sauces.

Have a look at The Rib Room PDF menu here.

We were served with a complimentary bread. Also, recommended with a Zinfandel Red Wine (I forgot the name), rich in taste and is very smooth. Perfect match for our meaty and seafood orders.

OUR ORDERS

Prawn Cocktail

I had Prawn Cocktail for appetizer. I’ve seen this one on a cooking demo during Taste of Dubai and finally I’ve had a taste. It’s a 7-8 layers of medium-sized prawns with slices of avocado in it, in a ketchup-mayo-like dressing, topped with some herbs, and a rye bread at bottom of it. It was served semi-chilled.  It’s excellent! The combination of the tasty prawns and the medium-sweet avocado is perfect. But I guess I would have preferred it better when it’s not chilled when served.

Spicy Fried Calamari with Tartar Sauce

Wife had Spicy Fried Calamari served with lemon and Tartar Sauce. I like that the calamari isn’t rubber-like.  The breading is mildly spicy and really tasty when dipped with tartar sauce. We didn’t even need to squeeze the lemon in the sauce.

Australian Wagyu Beef Stockyard Rib Eye

Wife had 200 grams Australian Wagyu Beef Stockyard Rib Eye – because this is the only ‘fat’ she loves. Yes, well done (how cute is that potato strip on that photo huh). It’s not the typical thick steak cut and she’s happy about it. I tried it, tastes good, but I guess it would taste best with a black peppercorn sauce rather than the Lemon and Tarragon sauce she asked for it.  It comes with a bowl of flavorful Tempura Wasabi Fries too (look below behind the lobster) – it’s a must try!

Atlantic Lobster (and the bowl of Tempura Wasabi Fries)

For me is the Atlantic Lobster – the typical grilled one. One thing about big lobsters is sometimes they have less flavor than the smaller ones.  I’m not sure if there’s a better dip for it than the Hollandaise – that was what our server recommended.  Maybe because it’s too big, I find it a bit slimy in the long eating. Generally, this one’s a winner! My side is a Baked Potato with Sour Cream, not bad.

American Cheesecake with Strawberry Ice Cream

Warm Chocolate Liquid Fondant

To end the night, we had American Cheesecake with Strawberry Ice Cream and Warm Chocolate Liquid Fondant. Nothing really extraordinary about the cheesecake and the ice cream, but they were good. I like the chunky berries and the syrup on top. And so with my chocolate fondant, the liquid chocolate inside was not too warm though.  Although the chiffon was not as soft as I was expecting.

We left the restaurant happy, satisfied and thinking of going back again. We left with a complimentary cupcake each.

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The Rib Room, located on the Lobby Level, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, is open for lunch from 12.30pm and dinner from 7.00p. Visit their website here.