*** Rockstar Weekend

On the Rockstar Rating and out of 5 total rockstars, last weekend was a 3 star. Just to clarify the rating system, 5 stars is a Hangover 1 or 2 (The Movies) type of weekend and 0 stars is a weekend on the sofa in front of the TV. Kosta Livaditis and Brian are the official judges of the Rockstar Rating System and are very strict in their rating of the Rockstar Weekend. Ours was definitely a solid 3 stars.

We started the weekend on Friday by going to Dubai to our friend Romain's pub called The Stables for a little dinner and pre-drinking. We then went to the Nicki Minaj concert with VIP tickets, leather sofa seating, and table service with a 1.5 lite of Graygoose Vodka. The concert was crap, but with the help of a sh#t ton of vodka, we all had a great time (some photos were not uploaded to protect the inebriated innocent).

The next morning, Brian woke up early (feeling a little worse for the wear) and went out to play 18 holes of golf with Greg at Saadiyat Golf. The golf was free courtesy of a raffle that Brian won during a party at the British Embassy in December (thanks to Jules and Susan for the invitation). Not exactly his best game ever and was penalized for taking too much time and delaying golfers behind (and in front) of him.

After Brian's golf game, we went to the Mubadala World Tennis Tournament where we were again treated with VIP tickets, the hospitality suite, and court side seats. We got Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic's autographs, a photo with Andy Murray, and some amazing photos of the final match between Janko Tipsarevic and David Fedder and the championship match between Novak and Niko Amagro. The weekend was capped off by martinis and champagne at Greg and Jane's apartment after the tennis tournament.

We now understand why Keith Richards looks the way he does. Our bodies (and livers) are screaming for a reprieve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas - 2012

Even though we both had to work over Christmas this year, we were still able to host a lovely Christmas party for all our friends. Our house was filled with people from all over the world enjoying a traditional feast, festive music, lots of libations, and a special surprise from a group of Filipino carolers that stopped by unannounced with a holiday serenade. We hope that your Christmas was as joyful and that your holidays were filled with good friends and family.

 

 

 

 

Jordan

Living in the Middle East gives us an amazing opportunity to see parts of the world that would be too difficult to access from United States. In that regard, we're trying to make the most of our holidays by travelling to nearby locales. On November 29 we went to Jordan for 5 days to see Petra, the Dead Sea, and the capital of Jordan, Amman. Not sure where Jordan is located, here's a MAP.

Once we landed in Amman, we hired a car to drive us 3 hours south to Petra. After checking into the Petra Moon Hotel, we stopped by the Cave Bar (rumored to be the oldest bar in the world) for a drink and then walked down to the Treasury for a night time tour. The pathways were lit by thousands of candles and it was an surreal welcome to Jordan. The next day, we were up at dawn and began the full tour of Petra. We walked and hiked around the ruins all day and were told that the total distance from the entrance to the Monastery and back was roughly 15 miles. Whew!

On our third day we hired another driver to take us 2 1/2 hours to the northwest toward the Dead Sea. The scenery along the drive was breathtaking as we descended down through the mountains to 1,388 feet below sea level. We checked into the Kempinski Ishtar Hotel and went down to the Sea for a mud bath and a float. The salinity of the sea is such that it is virtually impossible to go under water and floating is effortless. The remainder of our two days at the Dead Sea were spent sitting around the pool and floating.

On our fifth day in Jordan we walked around and toured Amman. We saw the ancient ruins at Citadel Hill, the various souqs, and had lunch at a small local restaurant. Our plane didn't depart until 9 PM, so we found the nearest lounge and hung out until it was time to leave.