April 16, 2009
So having moved into my new villa there was the proverbial snag list to be listed and sub-contractors sent in by maintenance to fix the building snags - one minor one being two damaged kitchen unit doors that needed replacing. So whilst the other contractors were tearing up the marble doorway into the main ensuite bathroom which the a/c guys had damaged with their ladder ( yes, it is a comedy of errors), I was washing dishes whilst the kitchen doors were being replaced by a young tall Egyptian who wanted to chat in his broken English. it transpires that he was a qualified social worker, and diver but having witnessed his best friend die in a diving accident he had promised his mother to give up diving and to follow his father's profession as a carpenter despite being a degreed social worker ( he cannot practise in Dubai). But it was his manners which set him apart from the other contractors - quiet, polite, smiling and he gave me the most beautiful compliment I have ever received ... You smell like ... sunshine ! That touched me deeply because despite the chaos around me and my nerves being frazzled after being told that the livingroom floor would also have to be ripped up because of hollow tiles... he had recognised something beautiful and unusual in me . Smile , yes I did ... and glowed ... and am still glowing two days later !
Last night I went out with my good friend Dominic to photograph the world's largest fountains at the base of the Burj Dubai - I have never seen anything as beautiful and challenging to photograph. So whilst he used his wide angle lens on his Nikon D300 firmly settled on a tripod ( maybe one day I will listen to you and bring the triffid with me) , I settled for some handheld shots of the water fountain itself . By no means an easy task - as the lighting of the water is extreme - thank goodness for my Canon 50D, exposure compensation which I stopped down by -3. This was far more challenging for me as a photographer than the firework display that heralded the opening of Atlantis last year... and this was the result : 
And that was only the one end of a huge fountain that is impossible to capture in a single shot ... the only way to achieve that will be from the Burj Dubai when it is eventually opened to the public. Another shot which will give you an idea of the complexity of the fountain itself ...
CLICK!
Posted by Pippa McHale.
April 5, 2009
For any of you who watch BBC Prime , you know they broadcast these wonderful DIY programmes in which you can change the look of your room or garden in 48 hours. Well, having taken eight years to establish my dream garden in South Africa - I was give a patch no bigger than my swimming pool in SA in my new villa in Dubai as a garden. So I put all the hours of watching Alan Titmarsh and co in designing a new garden... Judge for yourself if I was successful - it took two days. There is still bed... Continue reading...
Posted by Pippa McHale.
April 2, 2009
As you know we have ben allocated our permanent accommodation - approx 50m away from Sheik Zayed Road - the busiest 6 lane double freeway in the whole of the UAE and a royal palace that has chickens and camels in the back yars. Yes, the noise is a problem but that I am sure we will be come accustomed to it in time ... and it is louder than the proverbial white noise! But the villa is central to all the amenities and is after all right next to a palace - so we have royal neighbours to rub shou... Continue reading...
Posted by Pippa McHale.
March 27, 2009
Just to let those of you who do not know - I am currently moving home - for the fourth time in less than a year. Hopefully I will be back online and ready to pick up my camera in a few days. Please contact me via the contact page for any photographic work or enquiries you may have. Thanks ... CLICK! Continue reading...
Posted by Pippa McHale.
March 20, 2009
The Ides of March ( 15th) made famous centuries ago by Julius Caesar's brutal assassination ( yet another fallen icon to cross my mind whilst writing this blog entry) gave way to an unusual practice which heralded the first day of Spring ... in which the masters traded places with their servants and for an entire 24 hours the social order in Ancient Rome was turned on its head. I am sure the servants enjoyed swopping roles, clothing, duties and even their homes with their masters and ever... Continue reading...
Posted by Pippa McHale.
March 12, 2009
I know I have been recently referring to fallen political icons of bygone eras such as Ozymandias in light of the accommodation crisis which my family continues to endure almost a year after packing up our beautiful home in South Africa on the contractual promise of you will be in your villa after one week of temporary accommodation... it appears that Middle Eastern time is clearly much slower than African time and that the rules of the game change according to the whim of the powers that be.... Continue reading...
Posted by Pippa McHale.
March 5, 2009
Being bought up in a South Africa in which much blood was spilt during the war of political liberation, I witnessed the empowerment of women, the attainment of democracy for all and valued my rights to freedom of speech. And as a white South African today I know and have seen what happens to those in power who rule with fear and who wield the weapon of censorship over those they hope to subdue. See what happened to Ozymandias, Napoleon, Hitler and Mussolini to name a few other world leaders ... Continue reading...
Posted by Pippa McHale.
March 2, 2009
Just to let you know that I will be in SA from 3-8 March 2009. Anybody wanting me for any urgent photographic work please send me an email as I will be retrieving mail whilst away....and I am leaving my gear in Dubai! CLICK! Continue reading...
Posted by Pippa McHale.
March 1, 2009
So the housing debacle continues - xxxxxxxxx does not care a fig ... or should I rather say a date since we should be using a Middle-Eastern fruity metaphor that they can identify with. Ah well... they suggest we contact the company psychologists but to hurry up because they book up quickly! That is quite hilarious ... but a sad statement of truth that reflects the situation for those employed by xxxxxxxx. And seeing those junior to us with fewer children being allocated luxury palatial villa... Continue reading...
Posted by Pippa McHale.
February 27, 2009
When my husband I were given the famous tour of Dubai by xxxxxxxx we were shown the type of accomodation we would be living in a palaltial 4 bed villa with all the mod cons available. So in good faith we came to Dubai armed with the line in his contract that we would be in our permanent villa in a week. but for those of you who think Africa time is bad , xxxxxxxxx have their own sense of immoral timing and decsion-making and have kept us in temporary accomodation for 9 months - 7 of which wa... Continue reading...
Posted by Pippa McHale.
April 16, 2009
So having moved into my new villa there was the proverbial snag list to be listed and sub-contractors sent in by maintenance to fix the building snags - one minor one being two damaged kitchen unit doors that needed replacing. So whilst the other contractors were tearing up the marble doorway into the main ensuite bathroom which the a/c guys had damaged with their ladder ( yes, it is a comedy of errors), I was washing dishes whilst the kitchen doors were being replaced by a young tall Egyptian who wanted to chat in his broken English. it transpires that he was a qualified social worker, and diver but having witnessed his best friend die in a diving accident he had promised his mother to give up diving and to follow his father's profession as a carpenter despite being a degreed social worker ( he cannot practise in Dubai). But it was his manners which set him apart from the other contractors - quiet, polite, smiling and he gave me the most beautiful compliment I have ever received ... You smell like ... sunshine ! That touched me deeply because despite the chaos around me and my nerves being frazzled after being told that the livingroom floor would also have to be ripped up because of hollow tiles... he had recognised something beautiful and unusual in me . Smile , yes I did ... and glowed ... and am still glowing two days later !
Last night I went out with my good friend Dominic to photograph the world's largest fountains at the base of the Burj Dubai - I have never seen anything as beautiful and challenging to photograph. So whilst he used his wide angle lens on his Nikon D300 firmly settled on a tripod ( maybe one day I will listen to you and bring the triffid with me) , I settled for some handheld shots of the water fountain itself . By no means an easy task - as the lighting of the water is extreme - thank goodness for my Canon 50D, exposure compensation which I stopped down by -3. This was far more challenging for me as a photographer than the firework display that heralded the opening of Atlantis last year... and this was the result :
And that was only the one end of a huge fountain that is impossible to capture in a single shot ... the only way to achieve that will be from the Burj Dubai when it is eventually opened to the public. Another shot which will give you an idea of the complexity of the fountain itself ...
CLICK!
Posted by Pippa McHale.
April 5, 2009
For any of you who watch BBC Prime , you know they broadcast these wonderful DIY programmes in which you can change the look of your room or garden in 48 hours. Well, having taken eight years to establish my dream garden in South Africa - I was give a patch no bigger than my swimming pool in SA in my new villa in Dubai as a garden. So I put all the hours of watching Alan Titmarsh and co in designing a new garden... Judge for yourself if I was successful - it took two days. There is still bed planting beneath the trees to take place but the basic garden is here in all its glory. So here is the before pic:
And here is the garden landscaped...
Posted by Pippa McHale.
April 2, 2009
As you know we have ben allocated our permanent accommodation - approx 50m away from Sheik Zayed Road - the busiest 6 lane double freeway in the whole of the UAE and a royal palace that has chickens and camels in the back yars. Yes, the noise is a problem but that I am sure we will be come accustomed to it in time ... and it is louder than the proverbial white noise! But the villa is central to all the amenities and is after all right next to a palace - so we have royal neighbours to rub shoulders with. A far cry from the derelict , dirty villa we were in over the past 4 months.
Sadly 70 families still remain in temporary accommodation - and their situation is uncertain as the Arabian Ranches villas are still not available to xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx and apparently the Green Lakes apartments on the Marina have advised these families that they have till the 21st of April to vacate the building. So many people have had their lives put on hold by this accommodation debacle ... a year of absolute uncertainty which has left an indelible mark on each of the 225 families who were placed in temporary accommodation a year ago because of poor planning and a lack of inter-departmental communication.
Yes, I guess we are poor sparrows despite living next to the royal peacocks ... but there is I am certain a bird mafia that rules the avian roost here in Dubai - note I said avian not aviation although I am certain the same could be said of xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx. Anyway - after having moved into our new villa last Saturday in Safa 1 in our postage stamp garden which by the way is the same size if not smaller than my pool in my lovely home in Cowies Hill South Africa, the cat family on wednesday morning managed to catch a small sparrow and brought it unharmed into the kitchen where they released it much to my and my husband's consternation. We caught the sparrow before it came to any harm and after a while released the bird. A few minutes later whilst cleaning the upstairs bathroom, my youngest son told me that there were peacocks on the fence who were barking at the cats. And lo and behold there they were - the bird mafia in all their glory angrily sqwarking a lesson to the cat family ( all six of them) who were sitting up at the peacocks with amazement at how their small morsel of a sparrow had transformed itself into 3 humungous birds that were far bigger than them in size and weight! Although knowing my cats they were probably wondering how they would consume such a creature if they caught one!
Lesson to be learned - don't play with small sparrows because their connections might just be peacocks!!
CLICK! or dare I say "SQWARK"
Posted by Pippa McHale.
March 27, 2009
Just to let those of you who do not know - I am currently moving home - for the fourth time in less than a year. Hopefully I will be back online and ready to pick up my camera in a few days. Please contact me via the contact page for any photographic work or enquiries you may have. Thanks ...
CLICK!
Posted by Pippa McHale.
March 20, 2009
The Ides of March ( 15th) made famous centuries ago by Julius Caesar's brutal assassination ( yet another fallen icon to cross my mind whilst writing this blog entry) gave way to an unusual practice which heralded the first day of Spring ... in which the masters traded places with their servants and for an entire 24 hours the social order in Ancient Rome was turned on its head. I am sure the servants enjoyed swopping roles, clothing, duties and even their homes with their masters and every man, woman and child learned much from walking in the shoes of others -an equally empowering but also humbling experience.
Makes me wonder about the lesson to be learned in topsy-turviness. A year ago I was packing up my dream home in South Africa - to move to the UAE. This was not a decision taken lightly but having been promised a 4 bedroom villa and having been shown one as the common standard of company living on the selection tour, we acted in good faith and came to Dubai to be put into a two bedroom apartment with our 3 children ... and our lives were topsy-turvied.
It has not been the easiest of times - there has been much heartache for many reasons some of which were unnecessary lies and the frequent building up and dashing down of false hope of having a suitable home - and being told to accept the situation or to leave as you could be easily replaced. Granted we did not expect the topsy-turvy time of a global recession/ depression but it happened and we have watched as the cars on Sh Zayed Road dwindle in number, as friends and colleagues are retrenched and large companies' fortunes are topsy-turvied.
Would a horse be willing to be rehoused in a derelict camel camp? I don't think so ...Would a tortoise swop his shell for a furry coat ? I don't think so ... Would a parrot swop its feathers for fish scales ? I don't think so ... Would you change your outlook on life if you were suddenly and unexpectedly given a new villa in which to live and pick up the pieces of your life and that of your family which has been on hold for almost year ? I am sure you would ...
Fortune smiled on us yesterday ... intercessionary prayers from across the globe were answered ... and our lives tospy-turvied for the better.
We were allocated our permanent accommodation - a NEW villa ! So in the style of the Ancient Romans - it is time to celebrate. Spring has sprung and with it ...new hope!
CLICK!
Posted by Pippa McHale.
March 12, 2009
I know I have been recently referring to fallen political icons of bygone eras such as Ozymandias in light of the accommodation crisis which my family continues to endure almost a year after packing up our beautiful home in South Africa on the contractual promise of you will be in your villa after one week of temporary accommodation... it appears that Middle Eastern time is clearly much slower than African time and that the rules of the game change according to the whim of the powers that be. But having returned from my very fleeting visit to SA, I saw something at the Madinat which struck a chord deep inside... more fallen icons. Icons in the true religious sense that is.
I was brought up and confirmed in the Catholic faith - which by the way means 'universal' - and have always practised tolerance and total respect for differing religious faiths. But from a young age my mother always instilled me that it was wrong to sell religious artifacts ... not new items of course... but things like prayer books, rosary beads etc that belonged to someone or a place of worship on the second-hand market. This was firmly brought home to me a week after I married at Mariannhill Monastery in South Africa when the statue of St Joseph was stolen from the alcove outside the church entrance and was never found. These statues have great antique value and are sought after collectors' items and it really is appalling that someone would steal such an artefact despite it being very large and heavy from a place of worship.
I went to the Madinat on Tuesday to teach a one-on -one photo lesson to Jane - someone I have much in common with and whose company is great fun - and whilst we were exploring the intricacies of her camera I came across four such religious iconic statues standing on the floor amongst a whole pile of other antique second hand goods. Battered, and broken they looked very forlorn - and very out of place ... fallen icons! And my lesson as a child surged back and I felt very sad that they were there in that state of disrespect. Broken fingers of the Holy Child, and the mute appeal on the battered faces of Mary and Joseph worn by the ravages of time really struck a deep chord - and the marble statue of Mary sorely needed her rosary.
So I continued around the corner and found the most beautiful antique wooden wall plaque late 18thc complete with antique brass fittings which should have been hanging in a church of the Holy Mother and Child surrounded by a host of angelic cherub faces , lying discarded against a wooden upright on the floor. The patina of age was clearly etched on this piece and despite the obvious wear and tear and the Child having lost his hand , the beauty of the piece still radiated from it. I was too afraid to ask the price as I knew I would have to take it home ... so I photographed it.
I went home somewhat saddened by the fallen icons... far more beautiful and poignant in their state of disrepair that reflected the battering that the Catholic Christian faith has taken over the years and I was instantly reminded of that poem " Dover Beach " written by Matthew Arnold in 1867. Here is the relevant extract...
The Sea of Faith Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled. But now I only hear Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar, Retreating, to the breath Of the night wind, down the vast edges drear And naked shingles of the world. Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.
And suddenly it strikes me how relevant this piece of poetry is not only to the fallen icons of the Catholic faith found in the Madinat - but also to my family's current housing problem and the past year's experiences we have had in Dubai.... which is indeed a land of dreams, so various, so beautiful, so new that hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, nor certitude, nor peace , nor help for pain. And the only thing that remains is for my family to be true to one another ...whilst ignorant armies clash by night!
Click!
Posted by Pippa McHale.
March 5, 2009
Being bought up in a South Africa in which much blood was spilt during the war of political liberation, I witnessed the empowerment of women, the attainment of democracy for all and valued my rights to freedom of speech. And as a white South African today I know and have seen what happens to those in power who rule with fear and who wield the weapon of censorship over those they hope to subdue. See what happened to Ozymandias, Napoleon, Hitler and Mussolini to name a few other world leaders of bygone eras. They all suffered the same fate because of their selfish pide and egomania. Histoy books across the globe tell the same story for each of these men.
Social injustice abounds around the world in more ways than one but ultimately it is the truth that will prevail and is the only tool that will set you free.
During the Apartheid era, Black poets did not give up writing protest poetry, white playwrights like Athol Fugard continued reflecting life in South Africa as it really was on stage and singers like Miriam Makeba continued to sing the truth about the reality of the world in which she lived. And women continued to bury those fallen who tried to free the oppressed. Only the truth set them and the rest of South Africa free. And they stood by their beliefs and witnessed as history was being made.
So what is a blog - a place to share your thoughts and ideas - a place to tell the truth and yes.... even a place where occasionally the truth will be x-rated. My thoughts on this blog have been censored because of my telling the truth about the circumstances in which I and my family are currently living through no fault of my own. I have elected to X-rate the relevant entries in a manner that I see fit ...
Click!
Posted by Pippa McHale.
March 2, 2009
Just to let you know that I will be in SA from 3-8 March 2009. Anybody wanting me for any urgent photographic work please send me an email as I will be retrieving mail whilst away....and I am leaving my gear in Dubai! CLICK!
Posted by Pippa McHale.
March 1, 2009
So the housing debacle continues - xxxxxxxxx does not care a fig ... or should I rather say a date since we should be using a Middle-Eastern fruity metaphor that they can identify with. Ah well... they suggest we contact the company psychologists but to hurry up because they book up quickly! That is quite hilarious ... but a sad statement of truth that reflects the situation for those employed by xxxxxxxx. And seeing those junior to us with fewer children being allocated luxury palatial villas sticks deep in one's craw - a bitter pill for the many families with 3 children who were overlooked for families with only two and even one . Just how far has the corrosion of morality gone in Dubai ? Perhaps as far as this key found in a lock on the prow of an abandoned boat on the beach at Jumeirah...
And so we as a family continue to sit in squalor - but I can take comfort in the fact that ultimately you reap as you sow and the tide has to turn ... and I can only hope those that sit on thrones of power realise that the positions they are in are just as tenuous as the sand (xxxxx) on which they were built. It reminds me so much of Shelley's poem OZYMANDIAS - the great king ( yes, he too was all powerful in the Middle East) who built this gianormous statue of himself for all to worship from afar - yet that statue crumbled and lies shattered in pieces all over the desert floor and he who was once so mighty is now forgotten and purely remembered for his selfish pride and egomania.
Now every king has has his corona aka a crown or coronet and whereas many a king and queen has lost his or hers along with their heads, today I am pleased to say I was rewarded with my first ever rose bloom in Dubai. I have a single plant in a pot - a far cry from the 400 in my rosegarden in South Africa. But despite the odds this twig grew and 42 days later I have a rose in bloom and a further 4 buds to open. It defied all odds - and maybe a sign of hope.
Kathryn , I owe you a huge word of thanks for your support ... more than I can adequately express at the moment . In fact I would like to pick that rose and give it to you ... for being there when I needed you most.
CLICK!
Posted by Pippa McHale.
February 27, 2009
When my husband I were given the famous tour of Dubai by xxxxxxxx we were shown the type of accomodation we would be living in a palaltial 4 bed villa with all the mod cons available. So in good faith we came to Dubai armed with the line in his contract that we would be in our permanent villa in a week. but for those of you who think Africa time is bad , xxxxxxxxx have their own sense of immoral timing and decsion-making and have kept us in temporary accomodation for 9 months - 7 of which was in a small 2 bed apartment 26 floors high plus the past 8 weeks in a building also deemed very temporary due for demolition becuase we were told it would not affect our being allocated our permanent accomodation. This week all those who joined at the same time as my husband were given BRAND NEW villas as were many people below him in seniority and we were deliberately overlooked because they believe we can live like this . I would like you all to have a look at the condition we are living in in a villa that no-body will maintain. The floors are a result of xx the supervisor removing the floor coverings and leaving bare concrete and glue. we have exposed electrical plugs, cracks in ceilings, leaking toilets holes in our bath and why ...... becausexxxxxxxxxhave no morals and they do not treat people equally. besides we are punished for my being outspolken and honest about the nefarious activities of the Axxxxx Department.
Yesterday I thought of ending it all... I can no longer continue like this. I have lost everything.
So consider twice when you book a xxxx on xxxxxxx- you may have a fatigued xxxxx flying your xxxxx as there are others like us also living in dire straits.
Welcome to my current home in Dubai courtesy of xxxxxxxxxx.
CLICK - perhaps that should be BANG!!
Posted by Pippa McHale.
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About Me
| White Butterfly aka Pippa McHale |
| Displaced In Dubai |
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