I can't believe that I've already spent 3 weeks here! Time really files and I still feel like I'm a tourist. Not that I'm really doing a lot of sightseeing but I guess I've not immersed myself fully into my work yet. I'm still grasping bits and pieces here and there. Probably I just need more time. Perhaps 3 months? I took about close to 3 months to get myself fully aware of what I was doing in my previous role. Moreover, I'd be going back for 2 weeks in Feb, so probably 3.5 months to get myself fully aware? So my target for full job assimilation: end April 2010.
Many people asked me how long I'd be staying here. To reiterate again, I'm on a permanent transfer, so the employment contract is open dated. But if you guys want a rough timeframe, I guess it's about 2 to 3 years thereabout if all goes well. 2 to 3 years is about the average period for a person to work on a role and he/she should take on a new role after this period to avoid being too comfortable and complacent. After all, work is also about learning new things and improving oneself, so I prefer not to stay too long in a position as after about 2 to 3 years, I would have probably learnt most of the things in my job scope. It would be about time to move on to another role in search for new things to learn.
So what's nice here? Hmm... Will I get beaten up if I mention the weather? Yeah, it's cool and the kind of perfect weather I'm looking for. But such weather is only around for a short period each year (Nov-Jan). By the time I return back after CNY, I'd be saying goodbye to this weather and the real hot experience is about to begin. I'm also amazed at the pace they construct new buildings (and I only mean specifically buildings). They're slow in other areas of construction (e.g.: the metro). The opening of the remaining stations of the Dubai Metro red line has been further delayed by another 2 months. Look at Burj Khalifa, it was done in 3 years! 160 stories in 3 years is equivalent to building 1 level per week!
What else? Oh yes, I love Sundays. It's not because it's my rest day but because I can do all my grocery shopping and other sightseeing on Sundays when most of the working population are at work! I've tried thronging the shopping malls on both Saturdays and Sundays and there's indeed a vast difference between the 2 days. The malls are virtually empty on Sundays (except for now when the Dubai Shopping Festival is going on which attracts tourists from all over the world). On the other hand, I go to work on Fridays when everyone else is resting at home. Not a bad idea actually as there is hardly anyone on the streets on Friday mornings (I guess everyone sleeps in on Friday mornings). Furthermore, due to such working arrangements, I can dress down on Thursdays (polo tee and jeans) and dress in any way on Fridays (no restrictions - I usually go with a round-neck tee and jeans)!
What's cheap in Dubai? The cheap stuff can be pretty expensive. Branded stuff are cheap if you compare with Singapore or UK standards but still expensive if you're like me who goes for cheap and durable rather than the brand. Gold and diamonds are also cheap but yeah, I won't be buying them as I'm not interested in those precious metals or stones. Transport is also cheap. A metro ride can be as cheap as AED1.80 (~SGD0.70) and the average fare is about AED2.50 (~SGD1.00). Taxis are also slightly cheaper than Singapore as flag-down fare is AED3.00 (~SGD1.20) and it's AED0.50 (~SGD0.20) per 312m. Fuel is dirt cheap here, AED6.20 per gallon (or SGD0.55 per litre). That's about 1/4 of the price of the fuel in Singapore! Consider a car? Well, not at this stage for me. But just in case those who are curious enough, a Merz SLK is about AED175K (~SGD70K). You can't even get the cheapest Merz with 70K back in Singapore, or for that matter, even a Toyota Corolla is out of reach!
Wow, I've typed so much for the past half hour. Ok, this can probably compensate for the lack of updates. Hopefully I can post another update before I leave for CNY.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Dubai can be COLD!
This is not a myth. I actually FEEL COLD here! The temperature at night for the past 2 nights was hovering around 9 degrees. Then it went back to around 16 degrees tonight, which is the normal night temperature for Dubai's winter. So yeah, if someone tells you that he/she feels cold in Dubai, don't be surprised...
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Doing things beyond what I can perceive
Sipping a drink while taking a dip in the pool... Being handed a bath towel to dry yourself while dinner is being served... Tucked comfortably into the chair and dining by the poolside while watching the sunset... All these seemed to exist in dramas and movies only. I've never thought that I would have such an experience...
It was experienced this evening at the swimming pool of the service apartment I'm currently residing in... What more can I ask for... I don't even ask for a second experience as once is sufficient... Perhaps I'm easily satisfied... Haha...
It was experienced this evening at the swimming pool of the service apartment I'm currently residing in... What more can I ask for... I don't even ask for a second experience as once is sufficient... Perhaps I'm easily satisfied... Haha...
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
It's all about expectations
I am assimilating to my new job role here and have been trying very hard to pick up what I have to do here but did not have prior experience in my previous role. There are many new things waiting for me to learn. I'm interested in knowing them but I hope I have sufficient time to know and learn them. I know my boss wants me to know my job scope and get things going as soon as possible and I don't wanna fall short of her expectations. I just need more time and perhaps, a few cycles of hands-on experience for me to get the hang of it. This role is definitely an interesting one and I hope I can live up to my boss' expectations and my own expectations as well.
I'm recalling an impromptu question brought up during work yesterday. My boss puts forward a question to me: If I enter into a basis swap which I pay USD1M and receive USD3M, where would the spreads be added to? I did know the answer if I had thought it over calmly but I just can't help but panic when the question was suddenly brought up. I think my inability to answer at that point in time has caused some discomfort and raised an eyebrow in my boss. This is probably one of the fundamental questions a market risk analyst must be able to answer at the snap of the fingers! What was I doing?!
I'm recalling an impromptu question brought up during work yesterday. My boss puts forward a question to me: If I enter into a basis swap which I pay USD1M and receive USD3M, where would the spreads be added to? I did know the answer if I had thought it over calmly but I just can't help but panic when the question was suddenly brought up. I think my inability to answer at that point in time has caused some discomfort and raised an eyebrow in my boss. This is probably one of the fundamental questions a market risk analyst must be able to answer at the snap of the fingers! What was I doing?!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A roundup of the first 10 days
It's my 10th day into Dubai and I'm still not fully settled down yet. Not sure if this is considered slow or not. Have been looking through countless ads for apartments and have seen a couple of them. Many of them are comparable to hotel standard but the rent is on the steep side. There's one unit which is offering at a cheaper rent but the appliances and building is not well maintained. I guess it's just 一分钱，一分货.
Well, my first weekend here isn't entirely spent on apartment viewing. I went to 2 of the largest shopping malls in Dubai, the Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates. These 2 malls house rather exotic stuff in them. Dubai Mall contains an indoor aquarium and ice skating rink while Mall of the Emirates houses an indoor ski resort! Check out FB for the pics.
On Middle East cuisine, I haven't really tried a wide variety of it yet. I've tasted Lebanese and Turkish cuisine (Turkish cuisine isn't really Middle East cuisine anyway). Most of the time, I'm still on Western food. Well, a few things are missing here. Initially, I thought it was rice but surprisingly, I could still find rice without much difficulty but price is on the high side. Ok, chillies are like non-existent. Substitutes such as chilli sauce, hot sauce and Tabasco are used instead. Curry is quite easily found though. Vending machines are also scarce here, so are hawker centres and food courts. If you don't wanna dine at fast food outlets, you will have to eat in a restaurant (and of course, pay restaurant prices for your food).
Service charge and GST are also non-existent here although some restaurants add a service charge of between 5 to 15% which you can get away without paying if you bring up the UAE law as they are not supposed to impose mandatory service charges to the patrons. Tips are supposed to be given on discretion. So within a short stint of 10 days, I've learnt that if the restaurants impose a service charge, I will not tip. If no service charge is added, I usually leave behind a couple of dirhams as tips.
Perhaps at this point, you may be put off to come over for a holiday. So let me paint you the brighter side of the picture. Food is more expensive when dined outside but the consolation is that raw food price is about the same as Singapore for most food, if not cheaper! Only a few items are steeper in costs here such as rice and chillies. I went to Carrefour and did a simple scan through the hypermart. Most of the necessities such as toiletries and essential food items such as vegetables and meat are comparable to Singapore. Soft drinks are quite cheap here. A can of coke costs only 1 dirham (about SGD0.40) while a 2.25 litres bottle (not 1.5 litres) cost 4 dirhams (about SGD1.60). Locally produced cooking oil is about 10 dirhams (SGD4) for 2 litres. Even the prohibited food item, pork, is available at Waitrose (a UK supermarket chain) and the price is acceptable (I thought it would be a premium to buy pork here!).
Well, my first weekend here isn't entirely spent on apartment viewing. I went to 2 of the largest shopping malls in Dubai, the Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates. These 2 malls house rather exotic stuff in them. Dubai Mall contains an indoor aquarium and ice skating rink while Mall of the Emirates houses an indoor ski resort! Check out FB for the pics.
On Middle East cuisine, I haven't really tried a wide variety of it yet. I've tasted Lebanese and Turkish cuisine (Turkish cuisine isn't really Middle East cuisine anyway). Most of the time, I'm still on Western food. Well, a few things are missing here. Initially, I thought it was rice but surprisingly, I could still find rice without much difficulty but price is on the high side. Ok, chillies are like non-existent. Substitutes such as chilli sauce, hot sauce and Tabasco are used instead. Curry is quite easily found though. Vending machines are also scarce here, so are hawker centres and food courts. If you don't wanna dine at fast food outlets, you will have to eat in a restaurant (and of course, pay restaurant prices for your food).
Service charge and GST are also non-existent here although some restaurants add a service charge of between 5 to 15% which you can get away without paying if you bring up the UAE law as they are not supposed to impose mandatory service charges to the patrons. Tips are supposed to be given on discretion. So within a short stint of 10 days, I've learnt that if the restaurants impose a service charge, I will not tip. If no service charge is added, I usually leave behind a couple of dirhams as tips.
Perhaps at this point, you may be put off to come over for a holiday. So let me paint you the brighter side of the picture. Food is more expensive when dined outside but the consolation is that raw food price is about the same as Singapore for most food, if not cheaper! Only a few items are steeper in costs here such as rice and chillies. I went to Carrefour and did a simple scan through the hypermart. Most of the necessities such as toiletries and essential food items such as vegetables and meat are comparable to Singapore. Soft drinks are quite cheap here. A can of coke costs only 1 dirham (about SGD0.40) while a 2.25 litres bottle (not 1.5 litres) cost 4 dirhams (about SGD1.60). Locally produced cooking oil is about 10 dirhams (SGD4) for 2 litres. Even the prohibited food item, pork, is available at Waitrose (a UK supermarket chain) and the price is acceptable (I thought it would be a premium to buy pork here!).
Sunday, January 10, 2010
New Environment, New Life, Start Anew
Today marks the day I'm stepping into the Land of Sand. Leaving in a jet plane for a new environment, a new workplace and a new life. Though I can't bear to leave my current workplace but the only thing constant is changes and people come and go every now and then. No one stays in a position for too long. This is one of the effects of globalization.
A small note for my readers. All posts here are timestamped according to UAE time. There is a time difference of 4 hours between Singapore and the UAE (e.g. It's 8.15am in Singapore and the corresponding time would be 4.15am in Dubai). Hence, don't be alarmed if you see postings at weird hours of the day.
Alright, next update in Dubai. See ya!
A small note for my readers. All posts here are timestamped according to UAE time. There is a time difference of 4 hours between Singapore and the UAE (e.g. It's 8.15am in Singapore and the corresponding time would be 4.15am in Dubai). Hence, don't be alarmed if you see postings at weird hours of the day.
Alright, next update in Dubai. See ya!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)