The Jube Eye

THIS BLOG HAS A NEW HOME!

2008-02-13T10:20:00.004+04:00

http://web.mac.com/danielpwatson/THE_JUBE_EYE/Welcome.html

Please bookmark the new page and stick with it as it becomes fully operational. Thankyou!

SEP - Ain't Nothing Gonna Break My Stride....

2007-12-28T20:33:00.000+04:00

Safety and Emergency Procedures or SEP.
Emergency evacuations, fire fighting, resuscitation, life raft survival.

There is a good argument that cabin crew should know these things.
There is a good argument that cabin crew should regularly refresh their knowledge on these subjects on, let's say, an annual basis.
There is a good argument that Jesus is the son of God and his birthday is December 25, and that work should be cancelled that day.

Yes. Life is full of good arguments.

Ok, this is my way of venting re having to do my two day SEP refresher on Christmas Eve AND back again Christmas Day. It SUCKED. No question about it.

Good news?

Getting to spend Christmas night with some of my very closest friends, munching away on a German buffet plus alcohol. Merry Christmas. Or as they say in Japan - Sumi Masen. Nicole, Franck, Mat, Brigitte, Holly, Ema were guests of the Hofbrauhaus and we had a ball, tired as we all were.

(and on that note, I just realised all the good photos are on Nicole's camera)

Marcos arrived that night from Sao Paulo (his parents came to Dubai to see him for Christmas and he spent the holiday back home thanks to Emirates!) and we exchanged gifts the next day... But more on that in a moment.....

....ok, the moment's over. I scored a PS3 and an EMPORIO ARMANI WATCH! I was always taught never to gloat, but come on! It's the best friggin present anyone could ask for (Middle East peace and an end to poverty aside.) Mind you, Marcos didn't do to badly in the exchange. In a few weeks when he gets his new Mac computer he'll be composing symphonies thanks to his brand new Logic Studio software, the music software of champions! Look out Paul McCartney!

It's Christmas time in the City!

2007-12-23T19:22:00.000+04:00

Moscow - catch flight to...

Dubai - catch bus to...

UP Tower, Apartment 306 - pack bags then....

Bed for an hour - catch bus to....

Abu Dhabi - catch flight to....

Singapore - buy obligatory magazines on stopover then....

Brisbane - get picked up by Mum (lovely treat) then....

Caloundra - for Christmas dinner!

My brother Ben, sister Jessica and mum Lolita

I only realised I had 5 days of leave a few weeks back and got very excited. I wanted to go back to Brisbane to meet Mitch and Tracy's new baby and get into some pre-Christmas Aussie atmosphere. Think sun, retail, parties, food, retail and retail. I'm embarrassed to admit how much I spent in ten days (yes, I extended my leave and almost my credit card limit) but I had a fantastic time - beginning with Christmas dinner (albeit a week early) and the family spending some time together. As usual the Brisbane sector was hectic and wonderful. It too began with Christmas dinner, Asian style, thanks to Kim, Ben and Jodie, with special guest appearances by Catherine, Sandra and Graeme (Zara was at home with Mr and Mrs Sampson but we got to play later in the week.) I stayed with Jodie due to the new guest at 12 Skinner St, West End. I also managed an array of catchups with the likes of Nathan, Sacha and Rochelle, Tania, Shannon, Benassi, Melita, Dominic, Josh and of course Macy, Ava and Ed!

An awesome week - won't bore you any more with the details - as always we'll get to the photographs.

Christmas dinner, nee-ho-ma style, at Addiction Asian. L-R: Graeme, Sandra, Ben, Jodie, Kim and me.

Rochelle and Sacha Beautiful Zara

The crowds hit the Queen St Mall

AND MAKING HIS JUBE EYE DEBUT........

MR ED JULES GAYNOR

and his supporting acts, Jube Eye regulars, Macy and Ava....

Yes, hello Moscow! How ARE you?

2007-12-13T12:01:00.000+04:00

What a cheery mob those Russians are! What a lust for life, or "rassa sayang" as we say in Indonesian class. The incessant snow fall, after-effects of communism, karaoke - it's all there in Mockba and then some!

Armed with a lovely set of cabin crew, we made the 5 hour plus journey from the sandpit to the snowpit with smiles on our faces and warmth in our hearts. And when we got there I was in heaven. I had been in snow before but not while it was actually falling. Nor had I been in temperatures that cold possibly ever. I LOVED it.

The trip on the crew bus to the hotel was painful to say the least. Over two hours of layover eaten up by the rush hour Moscowian traffic. From there however it was all systems go. 30 minutes to change into winter woolies, and onto the subway. Next stop: Red Square.

Removing all sarcasm and wit and being flat out honest, it was one of the most wonderful places I have ever seen. Stunning architecture, falling snow, Christmas spirit in the air. Even the crew who had seen it before were a little gob smacked about how amazing it was. I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

(view from my hotel room the next morning - joyous!)

And from Moscow it was a quick night flight back to Dubai, a few hours sleep before driving to Abu Dhabi for my first Etihad experience to Brisbane, but more on that in the next post...

Give the boy his wings!

2007-12-12T18:54:00.000+04:00

ONLINE meaning 1) being on an actual line, eg. string, cocaine, clothes; 2) on the internet (col.); 3) getting ripped from training college and thrown on an aircraft with a vague recollection of how things are actually done in business class.

This was the predicament I found myself in (option 3 that is) on Saturday just gone. I was scheduled for Glasgow, but found the idea of Malta a little more enticing. Yes, we stop on Larnaca, Cyprus, both ways. But it is worth it. The hotel is perfectly in reach of the beach, the clubs, the restaurants, the movies, and Maccas! I LOVE this country!

It was cold and wet when I got there so I took in a Quentin Tarantino movie I had been desperate to see. This was immediately followed by dinner with a very uninterested crew. I have never had to try so hard to start a conversation before! One exception being the lovely Kemi who was one of my very own angels (see below). It was strange being her trainer one minute and her colleague the next!

Dinner was followed by 12 vodka/red bull shots in a bar with the few men standing, and by the end of it, as evidenced in the picture below, I was well and truly ready for bed!

12 hours later.....

Time for a brief walk around the area to digest the hotel buffet breakfast and kill some of the three hour delay we had due to fog at Dubai airport. I really love this place and look forward to coming back for a holiday some time soon....

Sumi Masen ;-)

On ground in Larnaca. I couldn't resist the feeling of fresh air, cool breeze and sunshine - so I jumped on the stairs ramp for some happy snaps. The ones of me were definitely not fit for blog consumption...

Crappy weather on arrival (think Geelong in July) but SO happy to be there!

and now they're all very empty... oh my head!

and finally, the empty economy class on the way home. Oh, to be in economy again!

I have just applied for the Senior Flight Steward program, which is the person in charge of each cabin during the flight (one step below the Purser) so I find out in the next month or so if I get it. I'm hoping all that report writing being a trainer will get me over the line!

Daniel's Angels

2007-12-11T12:24:00.000+04:00

"Oh you're that trainer that still works in business class?!"

"Why, yes I am. Can I buy you a drink and bed you?"

This is just another typical conversation I find myself having every couple of hours here in Dubai. Tough, I know. Delusional? Possibly.

I love training. Or as is trendy to say these days, I heart training. I don't really miss flying at all save the great destinations. But bloating, exhaustion and stress I can live without!

Here are the graduation photos of my stars - the wonderful new additions to the company that I've had the pleasure of teaching and getting to know. Some of them have become good friends, others at the very least are people I will give a big hug to if I see them on board. Yes, a few have caused me sleepless nights (and not in a good way!) but 99% are awesome.

So here are Daniel's Angels:

Dear Tania and Paul,

2007-12-11T11:21:00.001+04:00

I just want to say another big thankyou for coming to visit me on the way to your not-honeymoon in Italy. Apart from family, you are the first people to come and see me and get to know more about where I live slash am stuck.

It was lots of fun for me as well, visiting the Dubai Creek and the old shipping wharves (Paul felt right at home) and then the massive Mall of the Emirates (Tania felt more at home there!)

On the second day, off we trotted to the desert f0r the traditional Dubai Safari, and boy didn't we have a blast! Who could forget our driver who had personality plus! Or Margaret and Ann in the back seat?! Two words Tania: Good times!

Camel riding, camel feeding, quad biking, beautiful henna painting (which Tania just LOVED!) and the best bit - bellydancing! Remember I told you in advance how I always get picked for that crap - voila! Look what happens!

Anyway, thankyou for coming to stay and meeting Marcos and Nicole and all my people! I loved every second you were here. :)

love,

Daniel

PS. Here are some photos for you to remember!

City Snapshot

2007-12-10T21:54:00.000+04:00

Driving to work last week, amongst the traffic and construction, a beautiful Dubai sunrise...

Dubai's impressive skyline at sunset (that's the world's tallest tower) from the 7th floor of the Emirates training college. As long as you're not in the traffic, it can be a very attractive city...

Nap time for the under-paid, over-worked labourers. I noticed them while I was having lunch and saw a photo op. Hello, Time Magazine?

Christmas shopping at Gap in City Centre. I saw it as an opportunity to bulk up. Marcos's face says it all! With the crowds and sheer size of the malls, it can be a little bit O.T.T.

Tennis, anyone?

2007-12-10T18:54:00.001+04:00

Well everyone knows I like to dabble in the odd game of tennis. If it weren't for not going to the gym, watching tv, shopping and being a hard core facebook addict, I'd play a lot more. So many demands on my time!

Speaking of all things game, set and match, the Champion's Tour recently made a stop in this fair city. Basically, once the best players are forced to retire due to injury and old age etc, they have the option to play in the Seniors events. It's a little bizarre in that they're still usually under 40 and better than half the world's top 100, but Seniors slash Champions we shall call them.

My friend Locky and I made a quick decision to buy tickets and go watch the semi finals a few weekends ago. Paul Haarhuis v Michael Stich and the marquee match, Jim Courier v Thomas Muster. Was a lot of fun, and well worth the measly 60 dhs ($17) admission - sitting 4 rows from centre court!

Locky and I getting fired up with the crowd. Dubai is getting into tennis more and more, which is noice I feel.

The pre game entertainment was no Delta Goodrem, but was still pretty impressive... and then Michael Stich (closest) got thumped by Paul Haarhuis from the Netherlands.

THOMAS MUSTER

lost to

JIM COURIER

All hail ye olde Emirates Towers. Hear ye, hear ye!

2007-12-07T19:36:00.001+04:00

I'm very lucky to have the accommodation I do working for Emirates. Crew are spread out over 30-40 buildings throughout Dubai, some obviously better than others. For some the attraction is space and extra bedrooms - a luxury which comes at a price as most of these larger apartments are in the middle of nowhere ie. desert! And then for folk like me, there is the wonders of Sheikh Zayed Rd. Slightly smaller, slightly older apartments located right in the heart of the action. My building, UP Tower (pronounced You-Pee Tower) is one of Dubai's most iconic buildings and situated next to the architecturally stunning Emirates Towers. Therefore getting a taxi to take you home is a piece of cake!

Here is my blog tribute to the Towers.... December 2nd was UAE National Day, and they really went to town!

To compare, I took some photos of the Emirates Towers and UP, on the foggiest day of the year (a few weeks ago). There was major chaos on the roads and at the airport with many flights cancelled or diverted to Abu Dhabi, Doha and Muscat. I drove Marcos to the airport that morning as he was going home to Sao Paulo, and when I went back to get him (after the flight was cancelled) you couldn't see more than ten metres in front of the car in the middle of the morning!

Here are some before and after shots taken just three hours apart!

Welcome to the world, Ed!

2007-12-02T10:25:00.000+04:00

Ok, let's start getting you all up to speed!

First of all, Mitch and Tracy welcomed a baby boy into the world two weeks ago on the 17th of November. Please put your hands together for little ED JULES GAYNOR! I actually have two very good (straight) friends here in Dubai who are best friends with each other and one is Ed and the other is Jules, so they're pretty chuffed!

It felt like just last week I was in Brisbane playing catchups and bonding, though it was somewhere back in the vicinity of September! Holy crap time flies! I had a great time as usual catching up with everybody and spending way too much money!

Please welcome some fresh photos to the Jube Eye!

Macy is almost 5, and is already a seasoned poser!

Ava on the other hand is 2 going on 16, and is as laid back as they come

This was a FUN photo-shoot!

Ed has the two best big sisters! IF he tows the line!

....now speaking of sisters, here are a couple of mine :)

Georgia and Jessica for the uninitiated....

And finally on my Prime Ministerial-style tour of babies and family, I got to have dinner with Kim and Jodie (my wonderful and amazing friends who are as good as family) and Kim (and Ben's) baby, Zara - isn't she cute? Aren't I tanned?!?!

TOO long between drinks!

2007-12-01T10:06:00.000+04:00

The Jube Eye is back in business!

After a ridiculously LONG time, I am slowly overcoming my demons and addictions (cheers, Facebook) to realise that life isn't always about poking for instant gratification! I have been encouraged by some new blog readers in far flung corners of the globe, as well as some faithful older ones as well, to get back on the horse and get the Jube Eye happening, and here I am.

I have MANY updates to put on here, and will try to space them evenly over the next two weeks to give you a steady stream of new material.

Kind regards, lots of love, yours sincerely, Later,

Daniel

Daniel and the City

2007-09-29T08:50:00.000+04:00

Movies and tv shows always show you the glamour and excitement of Manhattan, so I found it quite fascinating to stroll the streets of Brooklyn to experience a different side to New York.

My headache was pounding, I felt like my temperature was taking a little stroll into the mid-forties and I was coughing like I'd just polished off a carton of Marlboro reds for breakfast, but there was no holding me back from a visit to Manhattan...

The Empire State Building and Times Square had me gagging for more, but nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING, gets even close to the tingles I got at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue. They are building one very similar in Sydney opening next year... The lucky ducks!

And finally I crawled up in a ball on the lush lawns of Central Park, my antibiotics and pain relief all but worn off - begging for the gift of teleportation to take me back to the hotel. Alas, I am not Hiro Nakamura, and it was not to be :( But still a wonderful day. I only wish I had company and less deathy radicals in my body...

Daniel's Top 10 films - first half of 2007

2007-09-09T19:40:00.000+04:00

number one
"...an unexpectedly original, entertaining, laugh-out-loud adventure..."

number two
"...an eerie, mysteriously captivating journey into the mind of a war child..."

number three
"...bold, brass, show-stopping Hollywood glamour that kept my toes a-tappin'..."

number four
"...one dares one to take a three-minute bathroom break during this and not regret it later..."

number five
"...it may have left out half the book, but no other HP film has captured the spirit like Phoenix..."

number six
"...if friendship and imagination are remotely important to you, the tears will flow, trust me..."

number seven
"...sincere, uplifting, touching...and completely filthy-minded. The unexpected box office gem of '07..."

number eight
"...the first Pixar-less Disney venture into computer animation is a triumph in many ways..."

number nine
"...it's Drop Dead Gorgeous meets Strictly Ballroom in the funniest Oz comedy in 12 years..."

number ten
"...who'd have thought that 19th Century Austria could bee so darn interesting..."

Renovation Rescue 2007

2007-09-06T01:53:00.002+04:00

Talking about doing stuff. Doing stuff.

This is probably my number one area of development in life. However I am not alone.

Franck and I have talked about painting our apartment for over a year to no avail. Finally, with the help of Mr Colour himself - Mr Mazurkiewicz - we decided to bite the bullet and pull our fingers out.

Colours were chosen, walls were prepped, beers were chilled, and away we went. Marcos, Peter and myself. Franck was conveniently out of town, lucky for him!

Looking rather bland, we were ready to rock and roll. This was the manliest thing I'd done all year!

Peter and Marcos get involved. 'Twas the key to success I felt!

Man, do I have the bestest boy in the world or what?!

Now it's slowly taking shape as the hours drag on and the enthusiasm begins to die!

....and now, the final product!

Only in Dubai!

2007-09-05T17:56:00.000+04:00

About a month ago, Nicole's parents and sister came to visit and for the first few days, Nicole was away on a trip so I had the pleasure of being tour guide. First stop: Ibn Batutta Mall - one of the world's biggest and certainly most interesting malls. It is on the outskirts of Dubai which will one day be the centre of all the action. The mall is divided into sections which have been themed to be different parts of Asia and the Middle East: China, Egpyt, Persia, India etc. Here are a few happy snaps...

Now get your backsides to Dubai to come see it!

2007-08-26T20:39:00.000+04:00

Hey my lovely family and friends,

I have just arrived home from my impromptu visit back to Brisbane and I have heaps of cool things to post on here. I didn't take my laptop so was unable to do it there. Unfortunately, I have to wake up in a few hours to go on my very first Hamburg/New York flight, and I am nervous and excited about flying again. It has been over 3 months since I worked as cabin crew - we'll see if I still have the Emirates touch!

Looking forward to updating you with all my New York shenanigans in a week from now.

Daniel

One week. One inch of sanity.

2007-08-09T18:26:00.001+04:00

The new Emirates Training College opens next week -
amazing photos like this on every other wall

It has been a strange transition for me from the life of a cabin crew to that of a 9-5 (or in my case 7-6) man. I am now half way through my third group of trainees and very much looking forward to having a rest when I have days off the week after. It makes me feel very privileged to work in a job that is such an interesting and diverse mix of people and skills. Am I nervous about going back on to an aircraft? Absolutely! I have forgotten what to do! I have spent twice as much time on the ground than I ever did working in business class!

Here are some different pics of my last batch which, by and large, were a fantastic group of interesting and funny people - take a look...

The view from the cafeteria at the top of the new Emirates College - not a bad place to go to work every day!

Jeevan, myself, Holley and Belinda - the four of us started this job together.
Holley was my co-instructor for the first two batches, Belinda is stuck with me for the third...

Our ab-initio (1053) got together to surprise Holley for her birthday which made the whole day special

I was as sick as dog on their graduation day, so this is my last photo of them :(
Miklos, Kristy, Angelika, Kriti, Marit, Nelia, Khushboo, Gemma, Tando, Jo, Ziba, Michelle, Ingrid, Louise, Lucie

Letting loose at Shangas

2007-08-04T15:35:00.000+04:00

The Shang-Ri-La.

In Chinese it means, shang-ri-la.

Nicole and I had BIG expectations for this evening. The sms and facebook invites went out and we waited. It's always hard getting a big group together with everybody's crazy rosters but a good group we indeed managed. The plan was to eat and beverage ourselves into a regretful stupor then hit Zinc (perennial cabin crew haunt) for a lesson in Embarassing Drunken Situations 101. I think if you follow the timeline of the photos you'll get the drift. Thankfully I was taking the photos not in most of them...

8PM

Daniel, Nic and Holley, and the gang

9PM

with Michelle and Nicole, and Ed (Michelle's boy) and Julian. I keep telling these guys they should come train with me at the gym but all they're interested in is staying home and eating junk food. Honestly boys!

10PM

My plate has become a penis, and Jen from Liverpool rocks up. Yes, the alcohol IS unlimited here!

2AM

When you have the two cutest ladies in the room on your arm, suddenly the drinks become free!

3AM

Cab drivers in Dubai could not possibly be paid enough for driving people like us home!

A little bit of Ginseng goes a long way

2007-08-04T14:48:00.001+04:00

On a school night no less, Nicole, Franck and Holly managed to twist my arm and drag me out to dinner. Now as you know, I am ADDICTED to cooking healthy, fresh food at home and find the idea of spending unnecessary funds on restaurant food an abomination, so it was NOT an easy choice. However I relented and off we went to our old, pre-Shangrila haunt - Ginseng. I hear on the vine of grapes that the night went off after I had to depart for bed, but here are a few snaps of the team.

Nicole, Marcos, Franck, Holly and Daniel....and again sans Francko

Nicole talking about who knows what to Faisal and Shanna Banana; and Holly gets involved with the boys...

My little ones are all grown up!

2007-07-21T18:36:00.000+04:00

Well my first official group of trainees have graduated and I could not be any prouder if I tried... and I'm also a wee bit chuffed with myself and Holley my co-instructor!

Andre, Azusa, Candice, Cheah, Elaine, Ewa, Fatimah, Kaamini, Karly, Kavita, Kevork, Panida, Sarinluck and Yumi were our first guinea pigs (representing 11 nationalities) and they exceeded our expectations and have set a very high standard for my next group starting tomorrow.

Sorry for the constant blog delays - I wake up at 5.30 every day and get home around 5.30-6 which is much a like a normal person, however it's VERY unusual for a cabin crew. Seeing my friends and housemates go to parties and getting texts to come along but knowing you have to be awake for fourteen pairs of eyes the next morning is tough, but as Shakespeare so eloquently said when he wrote True Lies "Someone's got to do it!"

Here are some photos of my first group on Graduation Day- a very proud moment for them and for me...

The day before graduation (Wednesday) we gave them a cake to say thankyou and tell them they were our first batch of trainees. It was a fantastic and emotional moment :)

After receiving their certificates at the graduation they were so happy!

Wanted: Spare Time

2007-07-14T15:32:00.000+04:00

I'm really sorry for the constant delays in writing on here. My new life as a proper trainer is full on to say the very least and it leaves me with very little time to have a life let alone write about it on the blog! So I will bring you a wrap-up of the first two weeks as soon as they are done on Thursday.

In the meantime I somehow manage to fit Facebook into my life and it has more immediate details of my comings and goings. I recommend joining if you haven't already :)

Yours in EXTREME BUSYNESS,

Cap'n Dan

About to wet my pants!

2007-07-07T13:02:00.000+04:00

Well tomorrow it all begins for real! I'm very nervous even writing this and last night I had my first proper dream that I was in front of all these new faces with nothing to say!

I have been in training to be a trainer for the last five weeks and in the morning at 8am I come face to face with my first official batch of cabin crew - Ab-Initio 1049 as they are collectively known. I was Ab-Initio 809 18 months ago, and now I'm standing at the front not sitting at the back.

I have been through the journey of the last few weeks with Holley (my co-instructor), Belinda and Jeevan and we have all learned a lot from each other and are ready for this new challenge. They have paired us up to teach together rather than putting us with more experienced trainers. I guess it's the sink-or-swim mentality...

Anyway, here are some pictures from my last few weeks being one of 'The Others' :-)

Holley and Jeevan preparing 'Emotional Intelligence' and 'Customer First'

One of our training officers, Kiran, whose job it was to stop us every two minutes to change words, correct mistakes and make us REPEAT!

Daniel had had enough towards the end of the 5 weeks, and this is where we eat lunch every day (though I plan to kiss my lunch breaks goodbye as of tomorrow)

Forty white roses will do the trick!

2007-07-05T18:37:00.000+04:00

Franck and I emptied our wallets and filled up Marcos' car the other day with a trip to Ikea, and what an adventure it was! I will take more photos as we complete our apartment makeover with a paint job next week, but so far there is AMBIENCE GALORE!

The roses were a present from Marcos and they were such an awesome surprise :-)

Daniel DOES have a life!

2007-07-05T17:32:00.000+04:00

If you look up Emirates Training College in the dictionary you might find the definition: completely negates the social life of anyone who dares to work there! So with the last five weeks being purely devoted to work and study, I have found few opportunities to mingle like the social butterfly I usually am! To prove to you and to myself that life is not all hard work, I'm posting a few of my favourite photos of the last few weeks.

My friend Miranda popped in from Saudi Arabia for dinner a couple of weeks back. I was so excited to see her, she is ex-Emirates now working for private charter in Jeddah. And my first favourite photo of Marcos and I :)

The Daniel and Nicole Show is going strong, 18 months on! Tune in daily!

Tuesday Musings

2007-06-26T17:13:00.000+04:00

Could Paris Hilton change the world for the better if she wanted to?

Will the Spice Girls tour Australia or Dubai later this year, and if so will I call sick for work to get my hands on tickets?

Is K-Rudd fever on the decline?

Can Roger Federer win 5-in-a-row at the All England Club?

Is Martina Hingis injured or over?

Will Channel Seven continue to pip Nine every week once all their big series finish?

How long until I get to come back to Australia?

Will I be a good service trainer when I am let loose on fresh trainees next Sunday?

It's time to go....Andrew

2007-06-24T15:24:00.000+04:00

Well he's gone! With a huge gender imbalance of 3 ladies and 8 men, Big Brother decided it was a boys only nomination week which didn't impress many, least of all Andrew...

And in a a surprise double eviction it was my big cousin and Thomas who were given the boot.

Now I have to have another favourite, and I think I may set my sights on the Brazilian beauty Daniela :)

Geelong's Favourite Baby Awards 1981 - Highly Commended

2007-06-23T12:22:00.000+04:00

On my most recent visit to Geelong I raided some photo albums at Dad's and these are some of the gems I came up with!

At Eastern Beach in the days where it was acceptable for kids to fall off playground equipment and break bones without suing anyone..

With Dad and Ben on the day he built our first cubby house at Chancellor Place in Highton... and on my first birthday with Mum and Dad :)

Family glamour in 1988. Gotta love the hair, the fashion, the haze around the edges of the photo for effect!

Emily and Beetle (my youngest siblings) a few days after he was born in 1994...

...and 10 years later in 2004.

Dad and Jessica when she was about 5 or 6 in the early 90s

With Dad, Deb, Ben and Jessica on a family holiday to Warrnambool on the Great Ocean Road

This one should have been burned and it's quite possible that every individual person in this picture will want to shoot me for publishing it! RollerSKATING not blading was still cool, as were parachute pants, Simpsons tshirts and fluoro in general!

Shower time! Just after I went to South Africa again in 2000, Jodie came with me to visit Dad and Deb in Geelong. I love this photo...not so much my hair!

This was taken a few short weeks before Alaina and I became engaged in February 2001 - we were babies, but we were in love :)

Size counts!

2007-06-23T11:01:00.000+04:00

Now I think any Jube Eye blogger would have a feeling in his or her waters that I have a mild obsession with the BURJ DUBAI building currently under construction not one kilometre from my apartment. Every day I see it I'm in awe at it's size and can't wait for it to be finished. Nicole on the other hand is convinced it will fall down one day and has therefore sworn never to grace the lobby with her presence when it's open to the public! Giorgio Armani has designed the interior and his first hotel in the world will occupy the first 37 floors.

As it stands it is the second tallest building in the world at 500 metres, and when completed next year it will be the tallest structure ever created in human history. Dramatic or what!?

Dubai's traffic is set to get a shake-up next week when the very first road toll is imposed on the most overused bridge in the city. There are only three ways to cross the Dubai creek and get from one side of town to the other, and it so happens that the toll is being slapped on the one I need to get from home to work and back! As a consequence, we have been trying out our alternatives of late, trying to find ways to avoid paying $3 a day... These photos of the Sheikh Zayed Road strip from a distance at sunset, show you just how ENORMOUS the Burj Dubai is compared to everything else. They work best when you click on them and see them enlarged...

2007-06-15T22:45:00.001+04:00

Today it was a lovely 44 degrees in Dubai, with delightfully high humidity!

At this very moment at 10.49pm Friday night, the outside temperature is still 33 degrees with 79% humidity.

Back to you, Bob!

Batch 1039, take a bow!

2007-06-15T15:02:00.000+04:00

As you are probably aware (due to the fact that I tell anyone who will listen) that I am now well on my way to being a service instructor with Emirates. Yesterday was the graduation ceremony for my first batch of trainees who did me very proud! I was mainly observing the training style of the senior instructors and learning the course content but it was hard to not bond with such a fantastic bunch of young people! Last night we hit Zinc on Sheikh Zayed Rd to celebrate their achievements and I am feeling pretty sorry for myself today! So I thought I would pay my blog some attention and provide some happy snaps from my last two weeks...

My classroom, and the view from the window. If you blow it up (the picture, not the city) you'll see some interesting stuff including the new A380 terminal at Dubai airport...

Inside the cabin service simulator. In July we are moving to a brand new facility next door which will be awesome, apparently...

Emirates Aviation College, and sunset driving home on Sheikh Zayed Rd (for the record, I wasn't driving the vehicle and operating a camera at the same time)

My first batch on Graduation day! So proud! (4 Aussie girls, 3 British girls, 2 Thai girls, 2 Lebanese girls, 1 South African girl, 1 Indian girl, 1 Romanian guy, 1 Filipino guy and 1 Mauritian guy)

Tour de Geelong, Melbourne, Brisbane, Caloundra, Perth

2007-06-08T19:23:00.000+04:00

First port of call on my last trip to Australia before bunkering down for a life at training college, was Geelong to visit Dad, Deb, Emily and Beetle. My sister Jessica was also visiting at the time which made for a full box of crayons except for brother Ben who had visited the week earlier. I arrived on the Monday morning and on Tuesday Jessica and I headed for Melbourne to visit one of our other sisters, Brooke. While I didn't capture that particular reunion, I did get snap happy with my friend Sammy who you may recognise as having worked at Emirates. She left in December and is working in Toorak, right next door to Brooke! Small world. Anyway, here are a couple of photos before we move on!

It was great to see our cousin Louise when we went to Nanna and Grandpa's for coffee and cake and spend some time playing with our 11 month old cousin Brodie (he'll be 1 on July 3) - he's really cute as you can see, and very well behaved!

Later that night we got a chance to catch up with brother Aaron which was really good.

Emily loves Prince Eddie who more or less rules the house these days. Queen Daisy is heading to retirement. She still has the final word but I think she is getting ready to abdicate the throne and relax in her old age. (We are talking about dogs here so you know!)

I am quite certain I get my vanity streak from my father! Pictured here after a day of intense shopping to update his questionable non-work wardrobe...

On the last afternoon of my stay I insisted on a sunset walk down at Eastern Beach, Geelong's most famous place. The promenade around the beach was restored about 13 years ago and was in part funded by the public who purchased personalised brass plaques to go on each plank of the walkway. As you can see, our family got involved quite early on in the piece! And finally we headed off to dinner with our mob, the Coles and Ebbotts to celebrate me leaving!

Next stop on my Tour of Oz was Brisbane where I had only a very short time to see some of my friends before I went to see Mum and David and co in Caloundra. The pictures more or less end here, but Mitch and Tracy, Macy and Ava, Nathan, Paul and Drew, Sue, Tania, Jodie and Ben all kept me entertained even if it was for a short time each and even that was pretty exhausting. So for those I didn't get a chance to catch up with, you'll be first on my list when I'm home next :)

Then finally it was off to Caloundra to spend a couple of days with Mum, David, Jessica and Georgia. It was David's birthday on the middle day and I'm sure he must have enjoyed it, because I had a ball. We finished the night at the nicest restaurant on the Sunshine Coast (The Spirit House) and Ben and Julie came to that - this time it really was a full pack of crayons!

No mishaps this time on the way back to Dubai via Perth, where I began my trainers course last Sunday. Photos and words to come really soon!

The Emirates' Top Ten

2007-06-02T17:48:00.000+04:00

Ever wondered who it is I work with? No? Okay then.... Here is a not-so-secret list of the top ten nationalities of cabin crew currently hired by Emirates. There are approximately 8000 crew from 120 countries altogether if that helps put it into perspective...

1. India (753 crew)
2. Australia (699)
3. UK (654)
4. Philippines (531)
5. South Korea (526)
6. Lebanon (442)
7. Egypt (367)
8. South Africa (330)
9. Thailand (328)
10.Singapore (239)

The view from the pool...

2007-06-02T17:33:00.000+04:00

In case you are new to the blog, this is the building I live in - U.P. Tower - and the street slash dangerous highway I call home - Sheikh Zayed Road - where more car accidents happen every kilometre than any other known road in the world! The two towers are Emirates Towers, one of the most iconic pieces of architecture in Dubai (and they're right next door!)

My last layover!

2007-06-02T17:07:00.000+04:00

I really couldn't have been more excited! It was my last layover for the foreseeable future and I was going out in style - MUNICH. My favourite city in Europe and of my favourite in the world. Whats more is we had very light passenger loads which meant a comfortable trip and overall a memorable, pleasurable experience. If only they were all like this I wouldn't need to work at training college!

I did so much on this trip AND still got enough sleep which was a small miracle. After arriving at 9pm I got dressed and headed straight for party central with a friend of a friend Detlev and proceeded to drink no less than ten beers on an empty stomach. Clever! Unfortunately I was too far gone to take any photos so you'll have to take my word for it! It was, however, a fantastic night that exceeded my expectations.

Day two I fared somewhat better than I had expected. No hangover, only a burning sensation for food and lots of it. First stop: Delicatessen for my leberkes roll with mustard and tomato sauce - heavenly! Next stop: Back into Munich itself for an afternoon in the sunshine, mingling with the crowds, enjoying the architecture and atmosphere, and you guessed right - shopping! I scored the BEST pair of jeans I have ever bought for only 40Euros in case anyone cares! At least I'll look presentable when I need to beg on the streets for the rest of the month!

On the autobahn heading the hotel, passing the amazing Allianz Arena surrounded by a giant fibreglass ring of colour!

The Arabella Sheraton where we stay.... it's the one on the left.

It was such a beautiful day, best weather in ages so say the locals...

Previously, on 'Daniel goes to Brisbane'

2007-05-25T09:34:00.000+04:00

Well before I whack you with the 'I'm on leave again' stick, I feel a final recap needs to take place of my last Queensland adventure in April which is best summed up by these pictures and/or words:

SUNDAY FUN with NATHAN AND ALISSA!

ZARA TIME with BEN AND KIM!

TOYS'R'US SHENANIGANS with MACY AND AVA!

Tania gets all grown up!

2007-05-18T03:40:00.000+04:00

Friday the 13th (of April) was the day of Tania and Paul's wedding. It was the reason I went on leave in the first place! And it didn't disappoint that's for sure. The ceremony, reception, company, food, drinks, cake... Tania you hit the nail on the head! I hear the honeymoon was a minor disaster but I will need to gather my details before reporting on that one. Something to do with getting bumped off a flight in Hong Kong and being stranded at an airport. Now where have I heard that story before......?

With one of my oldest friends Rochelle (our friendship is old, not Rochelle herself! and with the bride, Muriel.

I'm sorry, but could any one look hotter or more elegant eating cake on a stool?

Toto, we're not in Madagascar anymore!

2007-05-17T20:18:00.000+04:00

People are always stopping me on the street asking me what the real theme of my blog is. "What's it all about?", they say. Without blinking I reply "the plight of wild animals in tiny cages in overheated zoos!" I mean it's pretty obvious isn't it?!

Here is photo record of my visit to the Dubai Zoo back in March - part of my birthday surprise from Nicole that hadn't yet made the pages of this here blog. I was so excited to go the zoo (the way a little kid gets excited about a new 50 Cent album) but it was a different story when we saw the saddest animals in the world :( captions not necessary, I feel...

Lightning Strikes Twice!

2007-05-16T14:55:00.000+04:00

I think somewhere in the Vatican rule book it states that a miracle needs to happen twice for it to be certified as such. Well lock it in Eddie, by jingy it's happened! Another layover, another 45 quid! Can somebody stop this save-a-holic? No! Okay let's move on!

I had the pleasure catching up with my old housemate Rachel on this last trip to London, and we had dinner and drinks in a cool little pub in Hammersmith, about half way between the city and Heathrow where I stay with work. It was raining and miserable but as you can see by the end of the day the sun was out and the biggest rainbow I'd ever seen.

Just two more flights left - Karachi and Munich - before I take one last leave. Then it's TRAINING COLLEGE and the start of my new Dubai life!

Rachel and I at the Queen Adelade, and the view from the top of a red double decker bus!

The biggest rainbow... and flying over Venice.

...and for all the sports car enthusiasts out there, this baby was being loaded onto the aircraft as the crew were boarding. Nice!

No thanks, just having a look!

2007-05-12T22:23:00.000+04:00

Borders. Marks and Spencer. Woolworths. HMV. Waterstones. WH Smith. John Lewis. The Perfume Shop.

What do these stores have in common apart from being among my favourite places to part with pounds in the UK?

If you guessed a) Daniel didn't part with ANY pounds in ANY of these stores on his latest UK layover, you'd be spot on!

In the latest miracle soon to be recognised by the Pope, I didn't spend any money on anything apart from basic food for the second layover in a row! Anyone who knows me well and guessing that would be most of my 170 odd weekly readers, it is a huge feat for this little spend-a-holic! They don't call me drowning-in-debt Daniel for nothing!

It was wet, windy and otherwise wonderful in Birmingham. Light passenger loads, my first time operating the business class galley, and an excellent change from Dubai's 40 degree, 100% sunshine policy!

Nothing like waiting another half an hour outside a dirty wet airport for the crew bus to lift one's business-battered spirits!

Looking and feeling like crap, especially compared to the beautiful Mariela from Bulgaria! And later...shopping (but spending nothing) with the incomparable Holly! My umbrella was no match for the British wind that day!

Whole green capsicum?

2007-05-08T21:18:00.000+04:00

Let's look at the positives: I have now finished reserve for another seven months.
Let's look at the negatives: I have flown four, yes four, times in the last 35 days, which means plenty of time to galavant around, just no money in which to galavant in my usual OTT style...

The upshot of all this: Eight consecutive days off ending today resulting in the following musical montage. It's actually not musical as such. Maybe if you hum or whistle it could be. Or play the fiddle.

First stop: Dinner Club got off to a good start at Seville's Spanish restaurant at Wafi City. Crew get 50% off the bill which makes it even sweeter. Evidently I was the only one who really enjoyed my food. Here I am with Caio and Nicole. Lara, Ben and Kelly were also attendees...

Second stop: Dinner with the newest gang in town. My gang I mean there's three of us. More of a posse than a gang...and we don't carry knives on our person. This time Nicole, Marcos and I are at Sezzam in the Mall of the Emirates, overlooking the indoor ski slope. Yes it really exists!

Next on the agenda: Daniel gets a UAE driving license and then a few days later....

Daniel drives for the first time! Very scary and strange to drive in the left hand side of the car on the right hand side of the road but I am practising hard thanks to Marcos' and soon Nicole's vehicles and I'll be gunning it to training college in no time! Which brings me to my final photo:

Don't ask questions, just go with it. Dinner at a Lebanese restaurant in Dubai is many things. Cheap and tasty are but two of those things. The plate of raw uncut vegetables is another thing all together. Why? That's right, it's best not to ask...

Now, off to Birmingham!

Behind the secret door....

2007-05-03T17:16:00.000+04:00

Next to the front door of our apartment is the door to the telephone and electrical room of our floor. We don't question it. It is what it is... or is it?

On many an occasion the door is left open by maintenance staff revealing what we all expect. A small room with electrical boxes and cupboards. But at the end of the room is ANOTHER door. A door that is NEVER open.

Then one day, just the other day, Franck, Jason and I were rather bored (I was on standby yet again) and we peeked inside to see that the mystery door was ajar! We couldn't let it go unnoticed, so here for your eyes only - behind the secret door....

Sweat Fest 2007

2007-05-03T16:35:00.000+04:00

As I am on reserve this month, Emirates can screw me any which way they please and boy have they ever! Mumbai, Mumbai, Delhi, Mumbai in a ROW! All night flights one after the other. Can't believe I haven't been sick! Anyway, the upside is you find more joy and value in the moments you're NOT schlepping to the sub continent and back. The other night we (Nicole, Franck and myself) felt a visit to 360 was in order. 360 is my favourite club in Dubai, overlooking the Burj Al Arab. I hadn't been since my birthday so I felt it was high time for another look. What a difference a month or so can make. On my birthday it was about 16-18 degrees at night and were shivering; on this our most recent trip it was more like 32-34 degrees. SweatFest indeed!

So you know the days are now never below 35, and often catching 40-41... and it's only May! Scary!

Introducing Nicole's new hairstyle!

Franck gets pose-happy with Debs and then Nicole

Julian got just a bit sweaty in the mid thirty temps which led many to beg the question: just when does excessive sweat make a hot man not?... and the All Australian team photo for the night!

Phoenix. Ashes. Need I say more?

2007-05-03T15:56:00.000+04:00

The Burj Dubai is on track to become the tallest man made structure on earth when it is completed at the end of next year. At present it sits at 120 storeys tall (already more floors than any other building in the world) and is just over half it's projected completed height of 800 plus metres! To give you an idea, the current tallest building in the world is the Taipei 101 which is massive as it is, and is a mere 555 metres in comparison. As Dubai is so flat, you can see the Burj more or less from everywhere in the city, just not from my bedroom window as they've begun work on Big Ben next door! Originality people! So here's a quick phone snap coming home from work the other day.

More info at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Dubai

2007-04-23T15:35:00.000+04:00

It was a very happy surprise to see that my cousin Andrew is one of the housemates on Australian Big Brother this year! Anyone who knows will be aware I am a complete and utter media whore who will milk this for all it's worth! And if you were watching Monday night's episode, you will know now that Andrew's girlfriend Hayley is also in the house (they are the secret couple) and that Mr X is Billy, Hayley's ex, who has come in to stir up trouble... and no one in the house including Andrew, knows about it!

So to help me in my quest for global media stardom, I need you to help them! If the chance to vote Billy out is up for grabs, DO IT, and if either Andrew or Hayley is up for eviction, SAVE THEM!!!!!

Lost in Transit 4: Mind Over Matter

2007-04-22T08:39:00.000+04:00

Perth. Home to Eagles, black swans, Rove, Pat Mullins, Kim Beazley and for a short time, Daniel Watson.

I rocked up at 12.30am on Saturday morning, in desperate need of many things, not the least of which was horizontal sleep. Almost no-one was at at the terminal after the passengers went home, I had my suitcase with a change of clothes and I had four thinly padded metal armchairs to relax on - BLISS!

At 3am I checked in for the 6am direct to Dubai, and told to wait until 5am to see if there would be space for me on the flight.

There wasn't.

I cried... well almost. How could this stupid story drag out any longer? I was doing my level best to not scream at somebody. I just wanted to go home. After some consideration I decided $200 was too much to spend on accommodation for the day and that I would remain at the airport to try my luck on the 10.30pm, yes PM, flight.

In surprisingly good spirits at 6am, and even more surprising at 9.30pm!

Think of a time where you have been bored beyond all belief and multiply that by alot. Look at your watch every 3 minutes for 22 hours. Read half a big novel, read 35 magazines, eat 6 meals, watch 18 planes take off.... look at your watch again. That was my day. It was a serious mental marathon that required all of my inner sensibility to not go crazy. If I didn't get on that night flight I was going to have myself committed.

As the day drew on with no sleep, my body started to shut down. My muscles ached, my hands were twitching, and the airport was slowly filling with people ready to go to Dubai. I HAD to be one of them!

It was a lady named Jen who told me the good news around 7.30.... even if everyone shows up for the flight, there will be one spare seat for me! I was so happy I went to the bar and downed a few pints in the true spirit of said happiness hoping it wasn't all a bt premature.

Well in the end, I discovered that some days it pays to be gay. The airport manager Tod, got me on to the flight with the one and only extra spare seat right next to me. When you're 6 foot 6, words can't describe the true value of an extra seat next to you when you're stuck in economy!

Finally, after 5 nights and 4 days traversing two countries, Daniel was going home to Dubai.

Then we landed.

Emirates lost my bag.....

(to be continued...)

Lost in Transit 3: The Long Road Home

2007-04-20T11:35:00.000+04:00

As they say in accounting and plumbing circles: another day, another 24 hours. Singapore WAS one of my favourite cities; now I'm really, really over it. Last night I failed once again to get on an Emirates flight to Dubai and found myself back at Hotel 81. Pulling my hair out at 4am I headed for an internet cafe to research full fare flights on other airlines. All I can say is THANKYOU QANTAS!!!! I have never felt any true emotion for our national carrier until this morning. They are getting me to Perth tonight for only $300 which is more or less a miracle! From there it's (hopefully) only a 6 hour wait til the first Emirates flight of the day, and then in 11-12 hours I should be in my apartment. Sounds too easy, so chances are it won't be... but Schapelle Corby wasn't released from prison because she was negative! Oh, that's right... :(

Raffles Square during the day - I thought I'd take the chance to see some sights, and outside the internet cafe at 5 in the morning after booking my ticket to Perth. Deserted!

Lost in Transit 2: Still Friggin' Lost!

2007-04-19T10:32:00.000+04:00

Well it goes from bad to worse to awful to not-so-bad!

At 2am this morning (Thursday - that's 10pm Wed in Dubai, 4am Thurs in Australia) the lovely Ming Hu Wa informs Craig that he has the last seat on the last Emirates flight out of Singas. Daniel hyperventilates. Daniel is getting rather deliriously tired and frustrated and is wearing very old, smelly clothes. Where are Daniel's fresh-ish clothes? In his suitcase in the arrivals hall since Tuesday. So off Daniel goes to change his clothes after being informed that he will be able to return to the transit area immediately.

WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

(Returning to first person, this is too tricky)

I quickly enquired on a hotel room while I was outside the confines of the transit desk only to be told that your average room goes for around $400 a night. Nice. I was not that desperate.... YET! After attempting to blackmail every last official in Changi I soon discovered that I was about to spend at least TWENTY hours waiting at the check-in counter. No bed, no edible food, no peace, no sanity. In comparison the transit area had beds, internet, X-Box 360 and shopping! I was praying for strength and holding back the tears trying to remember everyone in prisons around the world and how they were slightly worse off than I was.

When I knew sane people in Australia would be awake, I texted Mum my story of stupidity and frustration and she was right on to Wotif.com to score me the cheapest hotel room in town. Mum, you did good - as Helen Mirren said in Battlestar Galactica.

I am writing this from an internet cafe in Bugis Junction surrounded by about 200 Singaporean teenagers playing World of Warcraft against each other in deafening surround sound, but it sure beats shacking up with my fellow poverty stricken travellers on plastic seats at the airport! Will of course be back at the airport tonight trying to get on a flight home and we will see where we go from there!

Until next time!

Lost in Transit :(

2007-04-18T19:09:00.000+04:00

Hello all,

Greetings from Singapore's Changi International Airport where I have now been stuck for almost 24 hours! Ever watched Tom Hanks in 'The Terminal'? Well it's not much different! The flight from Singapore to Dubai (the 2nd leg of the flight I began in Brisbane on Tuesday night) was completely overbooked, and since there were already 14 people on waitlist there was NO hope for me! I was was flying with my friends Leah and Craig and thank God for them or I would have given in to the madness by now! Leah was lucky enough to get on to the Dubai leg as she was on an annual leave ticket, but no so Craig and myself. We checked into the glorious Ambassador Transit Hotel (it's like 3, yes, 3 stars!) and had some much needed sleep. In between we have looked in every shop 5 times, been to Burger King, Subway, Chinese and very soon the bar via the chocolate shop... I searched high and low for a tv playing American Idol which I was informed by Lucy Liu at the transfer desk would be on at 10pm. With less than one minute to go and after a frantic search through terminals one AND two, I found a giant plasma with my name on the seat and was very, very content! Anyway that brings me to now... typing furiously to get this done within my allocated 15 free minutes. Next flight leaves at 2.30am, then 3.30am then 12.30am THE NEXT DAY!!!! We had better get on or I will really lose it!

Stay tuned for more!

Livin' la vida loca!

2007-04-10T04:30:00.000+04:00

The last week or so has been a busy one for young Daniel. Besides his Lagos and Colombo flights, he has operated the all-night Mumbai twice in three days, and been up to pussy's bow in duty-free sales! Now to relieve the stress that comes from being a young, modern professional in this here busy world, Daniel has been out alot of late. Normally his nights out are not for blog consumption, but here we have a small highlights package of the last few....

NIGHT ONE: SHO CHO'S at Dubai Marine Beach Resort. The players: Daniel, Nicole and Julian with support from Chantal and Cristina

Jules owns the show - with Cristina, Nicole and Chantal.... then the rest are combinations of the above with a bit of Dan thrown in the mix!

NIGHT TWO: ZINC at Crowne Plaza on Sheikh Zayed Rd. The players: Daniel and Franck with support from Fiona

Let it be said now: Fishbowls should be banned. either that or made the national beverage. A highly potent cocktail of 5 or 6 alcohols, red bull, lemon juice and blue stuff that sends you spinning in minutes. Enough juice for 3 to 4 people at a time. If you like to share your drinks and share your hangover, get a fishbowl into you NOW!

NIGHT THREE: HARRY GHATTOS at Emirates Towers. The players: Daniel, Nicole and Marcos with support from Diego, Jeremy and Zed (fare)

I walked in with the intention of having a quick beverage with my friends before departing to Brisbane. I thought we'd have a bit of a laugh at the wannabes singing the regular karaoke standards. I thought I'd be home by 12.

Let it be said, Diego kicks my karaoke ass!

By 1.30 I had polished off four vodka/bitter lemons, and subjected the bar to average-at-best renditions of World Of Our Own, She Bangs, A Whole New World and You Raise Me Up. It's now 5am and I'm writing this, less than an hour from leaving for the airport to fly to Brisbane. Someone shoot me now!

Like the rhythm, Colombo is gonna get you!

2007-04-10T03:50:00.000+04:00

My Nigerian expedition was quickly followed by a journey, a sojourn if you will, to the capital of Sri Lanka. Wild horses slash Tamil Tigers couldn't stop me! Was my first flight operating officially in business class which was more fun than I had expected, and not quite as stressful. I have a LOT to master but the basics are getting there - though they said that about me in kindergarten and my parents are still hopeful! A relaxing stay in an overcooked country, highlighted by multiple episodes of Ugly Betty and Heroes, and a shopping trip to mingle with the locals. Think Myer Boxing Day sale and triple the people whilst halving the size of the store. That's Colombo shopping for you!

The highlight of the whole shebang was flying home in the cockpit via the beautiful Maldives. Take off and landing were simply phenomenal, as partially evidenced in the forthcoming photos....

Surviving the 'House of Fashions' MADNESS! Lucky I had my lovely Polish friend Mariane with me!

An Emirates Boeing 777-300 taking off in front of us in Colombo, probably headed for Jakarta or Singapore, and an aerial view of Colombo shortly after take-off.

What the inside of a VERy turbulent storm looks like from the cockpit... and our first view of the Maldives islands.

Coming into the capital Male (pronounced like Bali) - the tourists were NOT happy their holiday in the sun was to begin in a thunderstorm!

The islands still look beautiful at 20,000 feet in the rain.

In your best Mufasa from the Lion King voice: WELCOME TO NIGERIA!

2007-04-09T13:53:00.000+04:00

Our first layover together! Our final flight in economy! Oh, the milestones! Oh, the memories!

There is but one way to survive a flight to Lagos, Nigeria in the ass end of a Boeing 777 - with your friends slash other funny cabin crew! Apart from Nicole, we were lucky enough to be joined by fellow comedians Ammor, Catherina, Sabah (henceforth known as Sabs) and our batchmates from the very beginning, Cookie and Rio. That said the flight was pretty damn awful. Well I guess it depends on whether you would enjoy being hissed at, yelled at and pulled every which way to achieve miracles with 7Up, red wine and beer that Jesus himself would be impressed with! Maybe business class will be different, but for the time being, unless Nicole is glued to my hip at the very least, it's PRESS 2 (Emirates code for call sick) should another Lagos appear on the horizon...

In Lagos itself we are unable to leave the confines of the hotel for safety reasons so all the fun and games goes on by the pool, by the bar, wherever it can be mustered. Transport from the airport to the hotel is also interesting. A separate bus takes the luggage so if we are attacked by militia they can take our suitcases and run without pumping us with ammunition. Noice! We were also escorted by police which made me feel a bit like a celebrity except for the fact that it seemed no one outside could have cared less!

The onboard photos show happy, smiling, generally joyous people. Don't be too mistaken. We are a) only an hour or two from touch down in Dubai, hence coming to the end of a seven hour journey into hell and back, and b) we are more or less delirious from constant aformentioned miracle working, and have all switched on to 'do not give a flying .....' mode. That said it was quite fun to be all together. I did get a bit snap happy, so enjoy :D

The bag bus...and the crew bus: a tale of two buses. by Enid Blyton.

This one hopefully gives you an idea of how a 4-5 star hotel sits in the middle of abject poverty...

My paparazzi shot of Cat and Nic from across the pool, and in pic 2, Nicole enjoys the pretty blue pit of chlorine :)

Cat, Ammor Ammor, Nicole and Cap'n Dan

Oh the silliness! Oh the unprofessionalism!

Nicole is chirpy and posing like the model she is, everywhere she can. Daniel is happy to not be on homicide charges (how many plane loads of people does it take to become genocide?)

What else to do with 8 bored and tired crew hiding from the passengers in the tiny mid-galley?

Surviving a Mac tantrum...

2007-04-01T14:07:00.000+04:00

My computer decided to have a LIndsay Lohan style meltdown last week and my photos are in a tangled mess, much like Britney's hair the day before she cut it all off... Anyway, the point of all this is I lost some of my graduation photos, but now they are found, ready to be viewed by the tens of people who read this every day!

Oh and how about Kath and Kim back on Channel 7 - good or bad? The jury is still out here...

Just got back from a very fun but very tiring trip to Lagos in Nigeria. Photos up very soon, just got to wake up first!

The 306 boys all together in a photo for the first time! Franck on the left, Jason on the right

With Dache and also Cristina, enjoying our big day! Sionara economy!

Exactly 64 weeks later...

2007-03-29T00:33:00.000+04:00

No more crappy little savoury biscuits, no more running down the aisle at night with my eyes closed to avoid call bells and eye contact, no more "...yes, your passenger load for today is 400"

That's right folks, NO MORE ECONOMY! As of last week, this fearless flight attendant is now a business class cabin crew for Emirates! Please bow down in my presence I beseech thee! (I have no idea if I have correctly used the word beseech in a sentence, however as I am working in business class, I command that it be so!)

Here are some pictures from my week in training college, learning the myriad of menial tasks I now need to remember: wines, cheeses, menu items, duty free $$$$$$ and the rest. Many of my good friends upgraded at the same time as me, in particular Nicole, Dache, Denise and Cristina. My first flight in said new swanky class is not til next Tuesday when I go to Colombo, so trying to keep it all stuffed in my brain for then.

Anyway, I'm off on a 35 minute flight to Doha in Qatar in a few hours, so best I go back to sleep!

With Stephanie (UK), Cristina (Spain) and Jeanine (France), in the 'mock-up' - the day we have a complete run through of the full service and get marked on how we do... and me again with Dache!

I took this one of Nicole's new housemate Ann Maree who was attending Nicole's mock-up in the second simulator. We all bring guests to act as passengers so we have people to show off our new skills to! This next one I took of Franck (from the galley) who came to mine- thanks Francky!

The Towering Inferno!

2007-03-20T12:44:00.000+04:00

After a rather intense night at training college last night, we were finally released at 12.30am after 9 and a half hours of business class practise! (Mind you we get paid for a whole 3 and a half of that!) So I wasn't home and in bed til well after 2am. You can imagine my surprise and confusion when Nicole calls me at 6.45am talking very quickly about a fire! As it turns out, the building directly across the road from us - a half finished high-rise - had caught fire and was billowing flams, black smoke and a LOT of flying debri onto Sheikh Zayed Road below and this was peak hour traffic!

They closed off the road causing what I can only imagine as total traffic chaos in a city where heavy traffic is an excepted way of life. The main strip of Sheikh Zayed Road where Nicole and I live is the main road in Dubai and more or less the ONLY way to get directly from one end of town to the other, so when its completely closed in both directions.... I ran up to Nicole's apartment in my boxers to get a better look at the flames (her apartment faces the road directly and is higher up) and it was quite a spectacle. The falling flaming debris turned signs and bushes below into separate mini fires, and at one point the balcony of a next door building was completely alight.

However I couldn't watch for too long as sleep was beggng me to come back, and as I write this getting ready to go back to college, I am mentally preparing for a big theory and practical exam later in the day... SCARY!

Also my lovely, pseudo sister-in-law, Julie, is having major heart surgery tomorrow (Wednesday) so if you feel you can or want to, prayers for her and brother Ben are appreciated.

Now off to cram more information in my head!

The building on the left is the one that caught fire from the debris although it was extinguished soon after...

No cars... that NEVER happens around here - very surreal!

Dache and Denise got involved in the firewatching too - all of us have our final practical exam today!

Back in business: BUSINESS CLASS CALLING!

2007-03-18T00:42:00.000+04:00

One could call it the most horrible roster known to mankind, but if we look at the positives - and I'm all about the positives - I had the pleasure of three, yes three, flights with Nicole. Sure they may have been crappy turnarounds to places no one should go, but with the Nicster by one's side, how can one go wrong?! We are both in the middle of our business class upgrades, so the last week has been a big mix of birthday celebrations, flights and crazy study. We both flew through the exam on Thursday just gone, and the rest of the course starts later today (Sunday). Menu terms, wine lists, cheese flavours and textures - we are cramming all this useless information into our brains. The blog mind you is benefiting from all this as I am resisting study at all costs!

On ground in Alexandria (flight one), and on our way to Muscat (flight two)... Flight three was middle of the night on the day of the huge airport delays and we were WAY too tired to work let alone take a photo.

Back in business: HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIEL!

2007-03-18T00:19:00.000+04:00

What can I say about my 26th birthday last week other than that it was simply great. Unexpectedly fantastic actually. On the night of the 10th I held an impromptu party for my Emirates friends and it turned into a rather large, all night affair. When I said goodbye to the last guest at 7am, it was 3 hours sleep, then straight off to the Dubai Zoo for an afternoon stroll in the sun admiring the inhumanely caged animals - NOICE! It really was pretty sick to see fully grown tigers and gorillas in tiny cement enclosures... As this entry is all about hedomism and birthday fun, I will be saving my world conservation rant for next week!

To throw off the emotion and stress we thought we'd put on our Sunday best and head out to the best place in Dubai - 360. It's out in the ocean next to the famous Burj Al Arab 7-star hotel. It was so great and such an awesome way to end my big day on the 11th. And I looked damn good too :p

Ch'an and Nicole, and with my great friends Ashleigh and Denise...

All of us together.... and as you can see, the alcohol begins to set in!

WIth Andres and Lasandro on the left, Ash and Jess on the right..

Nicole and Toby after an intense bowling match on the Wii... and my wonderful friend and housemate Francky. It was a big shame that our other housemate Jason was flying and couldn't hang out with us that night.

Heading out past the most iconic Dubai landmark and the most amazing hotel in the world!

The second most iconic landmark in Dubai - the Jumeirah Beach Hotel... and Franck and Nicole heading into 360: the venue for our festivities!

The Burj looked amazing as the night progressed - and this was from where we were sitting!

Ann-Maree was out for the count after vodka bottle number two! And this is me not looking that much better with Ann-Maree's bestie Vanessa!

Back in business: FAMILY BIRTHDAY!

2007-03-17T23:47:00.000+04:00

On the Saturday night I was in Brisbane, Mitch dropped me at the train to go up to Caloundra, but accidentally drove me all the way! What madcap slapstick you say! Mum and David and the fam had planned a night out for some birthdays - mine and my sister Jessica's. It began with a car accident in the maxi taxi on the way to the restaurant (luckily no one was hurt, but a bit scary nonetheless.) We had a very fun night despite the headache in the morning, and it was great to have some family time.

The aftermath of the car crash...

The original Watson mob: Ben, Jessica and Daniel.... and Mitch and myself unwinding after a LONG day of swimming and drinking!

Jessica with Mum, and again with Georgia (sister number three!)

Jessica, Georgia and my older cousin from Geelong, Nadine - and brother Ben with his girlfriend, Julie

Back in business: BRISBANE!

2007-03-17T20:14:00.000+04:00

No trip to the capital of Queensland is complete without going there, and that is what I did when I hit Brisbane a two weeks ago. Besides the love and goodness from the Westlife concert (see below), I had but a few days to mingle with my A-listers and to meet my new little best friend Zara Sampson (daughter of Ben and Kim) who was born on the 20th of February. Well Uncle Dan is getting clucky and looking for a suitable fertile mate to bear his offspring. My phone number is 050 2832783 should you know anyone... Also on the agenda: Movie bonding with Nathan following Thai dinner bonding with Alissa, Sizzler bonding with Jodie, roadtrip bonding with Mitch, Who Weekly bonding with Tracy, Bindi bonding with Macy and Ava, Beat bonding with Mal and Dan and James St bonding with Brian!

Like always, everyone made me feel welcome and important, as if no time had passed at all in the last 14 months. I was a bit light on with the camera on this part of the trip but the best of what I have is here:

Uncle Dan and baby Zara! Ben fell asleep putting the baby to sleep, and who could resist taking a picture of that!

Ava and bunny, Tracy and Macy after our swimming day

Back in business: WESTLIFE!

2007-03-17T17:35:00.000+04:00

Shakespeare had Gwyneth Paltrow, Leonardo had Kate Winslet, I evidently, have Westlife. I'm all for original, innovative music (this month's flavour is MIKA's Grace Kelly) but I'm also very much in favour of being serenaded with rehashed classics by four well above-average looking Irish lads - and I have basically felt this way since 1999 with no signs of abating. I pledge to stand and defend them in the face slash barrage of criticism I recieve for feeling the way I do, and for parting with my hard earned dirhams every time they release so much as a souvenir toilet paper holder. So you can more or less imagine my unbridled excitement when they announced there first ever Australian tour last year! For whatever reason (and don't anyone suggest poor ticket sales!) they postponed from last September until February 28th this year. I call it the centrepiece of my vacation. Others may call it lunacy. For the loyal who have stuck with The Jube Eye, this will be your second Westlife pictorial (after June last year) and may it not be your last!

To Jodie, Alissa, Shannon, Mal and Dan who braved the lonely path with me and 5000 other mostly fat, old women, THANKYOU!

The obligatory pre-show beverage with Jodie in the pink, Shannon and Alissa. I was doing my level best to get them in the mood and I think largely succeeded...

The boys went all out and we loved it! It wasn't the full version of the show that the UK gets, but still pretty great and hope they put the wind in my sail again next year!

Back in business: GEELONG

2007-03-17T15:19:00.000+04:00

Soon as I landed back in Dubai it was home for a quick shower and change, then straight back to the airport for a flight to Melbourne for the first half of my holiday... Geelong is one of my favourite places in the world, and not just because I was born there. I love it because if you don't live there you don't get it. I love it because Melbourne people hate it. I love it because it's laid back and relaxing and the weather is NEVER boring! And I love it because a lot of my family is there - particularly my Dad, stepmum Deb, and Emily and Beetle my youngest siblings... Oh and the dogs, Daisy the Supermodel and Eddie the heir apparent. I also got to meet my new cousin Brodie Baker and he is cuter than cute!

The Emily and Daniel show!

The Beetle and Daniel show - this is the episode where he beats me at Wii Tennis AGAIN!

With my cousin's new baby boy Brodie, and the Watson family royalty - Queen Daisy and Prince Eddie!

Back in business: PERTH

2007-03-17T15:04:00.000+04:00

My first flight since the international sickness debacle of early February 07 came in the form of Perth, WA. One of my favourite places in the Emirates network, Perth again did not disappoint. In fact it was close to perfect. If you could take the weather that day, bottle it and sell it, you would make a good $400 including GST...

Step One: Indulge in Monday night game shows in my pyjamas (The Rich List is much better, all those in favour say 'I')
Step Two: Nine hours of uninterrupted sleep!
Step Three: Wander the sun-soaked streets of the world's most isolated city AND not spend any money! (This does NOT include the Who Weekly I read on a park bench whilst attempting to tan)
Step Four: Hook up with great Dubai friend slash Perth resident, Bridgette, for a money-can't-buy tour of the city and suburbs and beaches (getting a speeding ticket on the way, see photo)
Step Five: Down two coldies at the Cottesloe Hotel overlooking the famous Cottesloe Beach in the suburb of Cottesloe
Step Six: Meet up with a tall, dark, ridiculously handsome Turkish boy for chats and dinner before flying home on a near empty flight to Dubai

BLISS!

Quick pic while the cop wrote out Bridgette's ticket! And two random models we saw at the beach!

I took this to show you how damn perfect the weather was! One down, one to go at 'The Cot'...

Grounded like a Bangladeshi Airline!

2007-03-12T13:33:00.000+04:00

So Dubai Airport has been closed - fingers and toes it means I won't be doing my flight to Muscat this evening. It's funny how Emirates took 8 months to refund me $100 for a pair of work shoes I had to buy, but somehow I bet anything, they will manage to clear the flight schedule just in time for my 10.45 departure tonight!

Further apologies for the continued delay to The Jube Eye - I am beginning my business class upgrade course on Thursday which requires a ridiculous amount of homework and study, robbing me of much needed 'blog time.' I have photos from Perth, Geelong, Westlife, Brisbane and my birthday for you to laugh and or cry over.... but all in good time, all in good time.

Finally, thankyou very very much for my birthday texts and calls - I definitely marked 26 years in style!

Now here's hoping I get my flight cancelled!

Stay tuned, update just days away...

2007-03-02T05:51:00.000+04:00

To all my fantastic blog readers,

I'm currently in Brisbane with still a few days before I head home to Dubai - what joy!

Staying with Dad, Deb and the kids in Geelong was excellent and then as you may know I flew to Brisbane on Wednesday for the Westlife concert which most certainly didn't disappoint! I am unable to add pictures til I get home, so I will re-post then.

Thankyou for sticking with the blog and making it more popular than ever!

Daniel
aka Cap'n Dan
aka Sir Dancalot

Perth, Irish Boybands and a New Baby: One Man's Journey

2007-02-21T06:43:00.000+04:00

And so the Westlife 2007 journey begins! Just got home to Dubai from a great trip to Perth and will be touching down in Melbourne in about 18 hours from now - craziness I tell you, craziness! I'm taking ye olde laptoppe on my holiday this time so can report from Ground Zero when I arrive.

And a big congratulations to my great friends Kim and Ben who had a baby girl on Tuesday morning - Zara Kim Sampson. Word has it that it was Kim that actually had the baby but Ben is widely regarded to have been involved somewhere along the line.... :)

My intercontinental sickness debacle :(

2007-02-13T10:55:00.000+04:00

I should never have set foot upon that plane, in fact I should never have set foot out of bed in the first place. Sore throat, sore skin and joints, menopausal hot flushes... this was not going to be a fun day. But when Emirates dangles a carrot in front of your face and the carrot says "come on Daniel! Let's go to Singapore and Melbourne for 5 days" it's hard to not take a bite!

By and large it was a good crew, all fairly new and inexperienced in economy which made me look like a dinosaur, but I was happy to look after the mid-economy galley and guide and assist the newbies where required. It was tricky however, in between throwing up in the back toilets, blacking out in the galley and generally feeling like death had come for a quick weekend getaway in my body.... So what does an infection-riddled boy like myself do when he arrives in Singapore? Sleep? No. Hot tea with honey and a bath? No. That's right, he commandeers a tour bus and heads for the night safari at SIngapore Zoo! Not the smartest move, but I'm not the smartest cookie!

It was a twilight tram ride through natural habitats of elephants, lions, tigers, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, cows..... These photos are the best of a bad lot... Then it was on to the nightly show in the amphitheatre - again, no flash photography allowed, so there are no photos of me with a massive boa constrictor wrapped around my arms and shoulders. I nearly peed my pants! Oh, the memories!

Our kind-one-minute-Nazi-the-next tour guide Lina, and a photo with sleepy Vivi (Thai) Oscar (Argentina) and Annabel (UK)

The animal palooza begins!

I SWEAR that's a lion on the hill!

The 'Creatures of the Night' show where I was mauled by a giant snake, and not the good kind!

My view from the 19th floor of the Carlton Hotel in downtown Singapore!

Well I decided to press on to Melbourne. Calling the International SOS medical service that Emirates provides worldwide seemed like a daunting experience and I thought if I'm going to do it, I'd rather do it in Melbourne. Assuming the doctor would make me stay behind and for the crew to operate home without me, better I'm within general proximity to my family and friends I say. Lo and behold, the doc says I can't go anywhere, and before I know it 3 days in bed sick have passed. The Hilton is certainly not the worst place to find yourself sick! I took a few short strolls to alleviate my intense boredom resulting in some beautiful Melbourne photos... I also caught up with my very good friend Sam who left Emirates in December - we miss her!

More hotel views, this time from the 12th floor of Hilton On The Park - MCG, Rod Laver Arena, Fitzroy Gardens.... so magnificent!

Not feeling the best, but so great to see Sam and her new man slash latest Emirates recruit (oh, the irony!) Adam

Now for the best bit of this sickly tale.... flying home direct to Dubai (14 hours) in a FIRST CLASS SUITE! Seriously, this seat set my fellow passengers back $6095 ONE WAY - not dirhams, DOLLARS! I felt so lucky even though I was coughing and or vomiting all the way home. Private suite, mini-bar, basket of chocolate bars, 20 inch television with the usual 600 channels, close to fully reclining leather arm chair slash bed, gourmet food on demand, complete silver service the list goes on. I tried to take a few photos to give you an idea but this was the best one :)

I DO feel like dancin'!

2007-02-12T12:17:00.000+04:00

Well back-to-back visits to Australia minus my trusty iBook have kept me away from the Jube Eye for about a week, so while I'm stuck in bed sick I will commence with some serious updating. First stop: Brisbane.

I was desperate for the days off so I could accompany Nathan to the Scissor Sisters on the 3rd of Feb, and crew scheduling heard my wailing pleas and thought it might be best for all to give me what I wanted so the noise would stop!

Put simply, the Sisters were the best live act I've ever seen and that includes Westlife! Nate and I were right up the front boogeying down with all the other married straight slash single gay couples! Honestly it was simply brilliant and so glad the opportunity came to go see it.... I may have been sick ever since but it was worth every cough, vomit and loose motion I've had!

The weekend was topped off with a day boating out on the boat with the family in Caloundra - noice!

My biggest fans, Macy and Ava, let me stay at their place for a few days!

Another great reunion - before new years it had been a long time since I had been in a room with Kim, Ben, Jodie and Aaron at the same time and it feels like nothing has changed. Kim is 5 days over due for baby #1 at the time we went to press...

Preparing for the Scissor Sisters with Nathan and Alissa in the Queen St Mall at their cd signing!

Jake Shears, Ana Matronic, Babydaddy, Del Marquis and Paddy Boom kept us grooving like young hip things for hours!

With my sister Jessica on the family boat, brother Ben is driving...

Next stop on my world concert tour: WESTLIFE! 28th Feb!

Salamat Datang!

2007-02-05T12:41:00.000+04:00

A great crew makes all the difference as Aristotle once said. I wasn't in briefing for 1 minute when I struck up a conversation with Grace from Ireland and we were thick as thieves for the whole trip! In fact everybody in economy was fantastic, as was the purser and SFS (no, they didn't pay me to write that!)

After sleeping straight after landing, we were up and at'em first thing. Petronas Towers (tallest set of two buildings in the world), the KL tower (4th tallest tower in the world) mixed with lunch, shopping and perfect weather made for an awesome day. I was off to Brisbane on Scissor Sisters-induced leave the next day and this was an excellent send off.

(above picture from left: Miroslava (Czech), Ian (Maltese), Mohammed (Egyptian), Grace (Irish) and me)

The Petronas Towers from the street below, and looking up to the KL Tower in the background

Views from the top of KL Tower
Every green light in KL is the start af a new drag race, so much fun to watch!

How many crew can you fit inside a refrigerated galley space? Evidently only four when Daniel's backside has to fit in there too!

2007-01-30T06:42:00.000+04:00

Just back from Kuala Lumpur and it was a fantastic trip, fantastic crew, love and goodness all 'round! Don't have time to put the pictures up now as about to get on yet another plane to head home to Brisbane.... Scissor Sisters with Nathan on Saturday night promises to be positively YUGE!

Have a great week and see you early next week for more Jube Eye!

Emirates Sunrise

2007-01-27T14:54:00.000+04:00

6.30am Saturday morning after an all-night trek to Madras, India and back.... oh the joys of flying!

100

2007-01-25T19:00:00.000+04:00

Who would have thunk it?! ONE HUNDRED POSTS and counting! Go Jube Eye, GO!

Last night was the longest turnaround I have ever done - 9 hours 47 minutes in the air with more or less no breaks, 385 mostly illiterate Bangladeshis begging for Heinekens and whisky - they don't call Dacca the capital of hell for nothing! They understood no English, they smoked in their seats in front of us, stood up in the aisles as we landed, and one collapsed from WAY too much "whiskey seven" which in civilised terms means a Scotch and Lemonade. His friend who we called to see if he could help him in his own language, just looked at me said: "This is fucked up!" My friend, I couldn't agree more. Bring on my new life in training college!

The saving grace was I got to fly with a superb crew who made all the difference, particularly my friend Vita from Latvia (see Hong Kong post) and a new joiner, Youssef from Lebanon.

The engine's reverse thrusts were still screeching, we're going at around 300 kph and they ALL stood up! - the business girls taking a break in the back row. It was a bit of a glamour flight!

When 48D got cheeky...

With Vita and Youssef - thank God for people like them!

My roster is in for February and it is indeed a winner FINALLY - Singapore/Melbourne 6th - 10th, and Perth 19th-21st being the highlights... not to mention days off for leave at the beginning and end of the month. Scissor Sisters on the 3rd with Nathan, and WESTLIFE on the 28th with Jodie and whoever wants to come and use the spare tickets I have! (brownie points who read this far...)

Watson: Service Trainer

2007-01-23T16:55:00.000+04:00

Good news alert: I've just been chosen as the first ever economy class cabin crew to become a service trainer at Emirates College! I begin in March at this stage after being through a number of selection rounds involving exams, presentations and interviews. Hopefully this will be good for both my sanity and my bank balance!

Below are two pictures I took yesterday of the newly completed 'Magic Planet' amusement centre within one of the local malls. No wonder kids grow up to be deranged lunatics these days - look at the freaky orb-like creatures and disco lights on the carousel! What happened to the horses, old-fashioned piano score and freaky carnival men with missing teeth!

Yeah, lots of rabbits...in China

2007-01-21T21:18:00.000+04:00

My first flight back after 3 weeks of holidays and sickness, and to where did I steward? To good ol' Shangers, or Shanghai as some hoity-toity purists would call it. Awesome cabin crew, awesomer hotel, bargain city (in the plus column) freezing cold, oily food, hard to read Chinese (in the minus column) It was too cold to go far, and I'm in a money saving mood of late, so I don't have too many photos to share - however, give these a whirl... Next time, if you want quality dvds of any tv show - send the Jube Eye an email or comment and he'll be more than happy to oblige when next in the Chinese vicinity.

My room - one of the very nicest I've ever stayed in...not to brag or anything!

The street outside the hotel from outside....

...and above the hotel. It's so cold the air is misty, yet people still cycle and walk around work though they probably have no choice. Shanghai is quite commercial and depressing from what I saw, but for the dvds...Emirates, please send me back!

The Jube Eye - TOP 10 of 2006

2007-01-16T12:09:00.000+04:00

Well i say 7 out of 8 is pretty damn excellent! Didn't count on Babel bringing down The Departed, although both are great movies as you will see from my 2006 top ten list below :)

#10 #9 #8 #7 #6
#5 #4 #3 #2 #1

Jube Eye goes to the Golden Globes...

2007-01-15T12:26:00.000+04:00

Best Picture - Drama: Best Picture - Comedy:

Best Actor - Drama:
Forest Whittaker for 'The Last King of Scotland' though I think it should be
Leonardo DiCaprio for 'Blood Diamond'

Best Actress - Drama:
Helen Mirren for 'The Queen' and while she's pretty great, I'd like to see
Kate Winslet win for 'Little Children'

Best Actor - Comedy:
Sacha Baren Cohen for 'Borat' and I will happily second my own motion on that one.

Best Actress - Comedy:
Meryl Streep for 'The Devil Wears Prada' yet my sense of patriotism calls for the award to go to
Toni Collette for 'Little Miss Sunshine'

Best Supporting Actor:
Eddie Murphy for 'Dreamgirls' but I'd rather see the big career comeback award go to
Ben Affleck for 'Hollywoodland'

Best Supporting Actress:
Jennifer 'American Idol reject' Hudson for 'Dreamgirls, while of course I need to back our girl
Cate Blanchett for 'Notes On A Scandal'

I'll check back tomorrow to see if I was on the money.....

Viva Bris-Vegas!

2007-01-13T13:50:00.000+04:00

Welcome back to a new year of the best blog this side of Lahore.

I myself am settling into reality after a rather fantastic 13 days at home, marred only by a few days of sickness and a general budget blow-out. It gave me a good sense of perspective as to my future goals and I look forward to heading in a few new directions this year - career, financial, health and spiritually. A little deep? Okay well perhaps we just focus on the photos!

STOP 1: FAMILY IN CALOUNDRA

Out on my brother's boat on the Pumicestone Passage - a perfect day...to get sunburnt just in time for New Year's Eve!

STOP 2: NEW YEAR'S EVE IN BRISBANE

It was the Jodie-Daniel-Aaron reunion show this New Year's, and it was a winner. First stop, a toast to Mrs McLaren at the Mt Gravatt cemetery, which was a special time for Jodes and myself as we hadn't seen each other for over a year. Next stop was Jodie and Barb's new apartment in Annerley, then off to the Kangaroo Point cliffs to watch fireworks and reminisce on days of yore...

STOP 3: BUNKING DOWN AT MITCH AND TRACY'S

Due to lack of accommodation at Brian's, I had to source alternative arrangements, and I felt very loved that so many of my friends put their hand up to have me stay. Nathan and Alissa, Jodie and Barb, Ben and Kim, Shannon and Mitch and Tracy all offered their beds and floors and it was the nicest feeling to come back after a year away and still feel that I had a home to go to :) Everybody....awwwwwww. Award for the cutest of cute kids goes to Macy and Ava who kept me entertained (and awake) for over a week, and I can't say enough good things about them!

Ava, being Ava - and Macy and the boys got haircuts together!

STOP 4: BARB'S 30th BIRTHDAY AT FAMILY

The one benefit of getting sick and staying for 6 extra days was being able to go to Barb's birthday in the private room of Family nightclub - a place I've always wanted to see the inside of! Mitch came with me, and we joined Jodie, Aaron and a myriad of special acquaintances for a very fun night!

STOP 5: AROUND THE TRAPS

The casino from the new Brisbane Square building (I didn't go in), and a chance meeting with Alaina before she flew home to Canberra was a very pleasant surprise!

The beauty that is New Farm Park, and the magnificent view from Shelley's apartment in Festival Towers.

Why, oh why, did I leave?!?!?!

Anyways, the blog is all good to go. Check back for much more regular updates :)

Having myself a merry little Christmas!

2006-12-28T01:25:00.000+04:00

Anyone who knows me, and I mean ANYONE, knows I am addicted to Christmas. It combines all my favourite things into one big and exciting palooza - shopping slash spending, Baby Jesus, eating, present opening, retail hype - need I go on? This year was always going to be a very different year for me, namely being the only the third time (and first in 6 years) that I had been away from family on the big day. Well anyone who knows me, and I mean ANYONE, knows I was cavorting around the centre of the modern universe - NEW YORK!

Lucky that going to New York ranked very high on my all-time 'must do' list, otherwise there is NO way I would repeat the flight. 14 hours of non-stop service to a completely packed economy section left me shagged and not in the good way. I could get a job at Starbucks tomorrow after the amount of tea and coffee I dished out. There were a few grateful souls, but by and large the flight was full of people NOT celebrating Christmas, which put a slight downer on the whole affair.

NYC itself was a completely different story however. It lived up to the hype inside my head and THEN SOME. Two of my sisters have been to New York in the past year and now it was my turn to experience what I now believe to be the greatest city in the world. I spent most of the day with the Heiner family - good family friends for many years - and they made the day special for me. Just walking around with Fiona and the three kids (Isabel, Claudia and Nick) and absorbing the atmosphere and sights was simply a perfect day and a much better Christmas than I had anticipated.

I am now a few hours away from my annual leave flight to Brisbane where I will be until the 5th of January, so no blog til then.

Enjoy my New York pictures (most of them taken in the rain, a wonder my camera still functions) and I look forward to continuing the Jube Eye into 2007.

The crew hotel in Long Island - oh so suburban America!

My credit card should be very grateful Macy's was closed!

Where else can you feel the true warmth of family and home-cooked food on Christmas with three lovely children? MACCAS!

Inside, and outside, said fine-dining establishment

The set of Good Morning America (think Sunrise) and News Corporation HQ - one day Daniel, one day!

The famous Christmas tree at Rockefeller Centre

Me by the tree.... and cruising down Fifth Avenue!

The outskirts of Central Park - ducks on the water, horse-and-carriages, the bridge over the lake, the driving sleet in my eyes.... oh and yeah, the massive store in Times Square dedicated to M&Ms - MAGIC!

TIMES SQUARE!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-24T18:44:00.000+04:00

I have just recieved my January roster!

I'll be in Brisbane from December 31 to January 5 on leave.

Would love to catch up with all and/or sundry.

Off to New York in a few hours though, and can't wait to tell you all about it!

So far, so great!

2006-12-20T22:04:00.000+04:00

Next Friday marks my one year anniversary as an employee of Emirates, and to be precise, 10 months and 13 days since the very first entry of The Jube Eye (known then as The Adventures of Daniel in DXB.) My first foray into blogdom was entitled "My first blog entry! Let's see if there'll be a second..." - well we are now up to 92 posts and counting! In May I installed the SiteMetre on to the blog to track progress (these figures are skewed by randoms stumbling on to the site and when I work on the blog myself) but they give a general idea of how many of my esteemed peoples are checking it out. See graph below:

We are now close to 1500 readers and 3000 page views in 8 months and even if the real figure is half that, it is very gratifying indeed.

I have BIG plans for a best of 2006 post in the next couple of days, a New York wrap-up from my Christmas Day trip, and then I'm home for a few days over New Year.

A very Merry Christmas whether you're with family or friends in Australia, alone in Dubai trying to get through a bottle or two of red, or on a layover with a less-than-impressive crew - and every best wish for success, happiness, and good health in 2007.

Daniel, on behalf of The Jube Eye

Black, Odd and 11

2006-12-20T20:17:00.000+04:00

Welcome to the best hotel in the Emirates layover network - the Kilimanjaro Kempinski Hotel in the Tanzanian capital, Dar Es Salaam. As there is very little to do in the town itself, I thought the in-house casino might be a good idea - a good idea to the tune of 76,000 Tanzanian Schillings. If you feel adventurous you can look that up to see how many Australian dollars that works out to be, over a two hour period. Oh well, it was alot of fun, especially as it was Emirates cash I was throwing down on Black, Odd and 11.

These are pictures of my room which was simply LUSH, and a few of me balanced precariously on the roof of the lobby.

Room 237 - noice!

Getting all churchy again!

2006-12-15T01:56:00.000+04:00

I have told very few of you back home but about six weeks ago I finally found a church in Dubai - Emirates Baptist Church. Last night was the annual choir production, so I thought I'd throw up a few pictures for good measure.

Every year people from the church particpate in what is called 'Shoebox Ministry' whereby we fill empty shoeboxes with a set list of items (cologne, toothbrush/paste, soap, hand towel, phone card, chocolate bar) and we Christmas wrap them and give them to the poor labourers who are basically paid nothing to build all of Dubai's amazing landmarks.

I managed to put together 5 boxes with the help of Nicole, Carly (Nicole's housemate) and Jason (my housemate) and today they get sent to the labour camps. I was all set to help distribute them (the Mother Teresa that I am and all...) but Emirates is sending me to Damascus in Syria this morning. JOY!

Marge, the rains are STILL here!

2006-12-14T11:40:00.000+04:00

A couple of weeks ago it rained in Dubai and such was the excitement I rushed out, took photos, and posted them to The Jube Eye poste haste.

Well it seems I jumped the gun a little.

It has more or less rained EVERY DAY since then, making this the wettest year in a very long time. The newspaper from two days ago says the most in 11 years, it is now the most ever. Not to mention the temperature which has plummeted to a balmy 17 degrees as at midday!

Just so you know, I have just finished my 3 days of reserve of the month, and in keeping with my crapola roster, I was sent to Kuwait and then Islamabad in Pakistan the night after.

NOT what I signed up for!

COMMENCING CPR! SFS START THE DEFIB!

2006-12-14T00:13:00.000+04:00

As promised, here are some photos taken during my Safety and Emergency two-day refresher on the 5th and 6th. I wasn't able to pull my camera out for everything, but I tried where I could. Apart from the written exam, we did a CPR course, fire fighting, door operation amongst other things and I took pictures where I could.

Hopefully you'll feel a little safer flying Emirates in the future :)

Oh Tannenbaum!

2006-12-09T02:47:00.000+04:00

It took three hours, a Westlife dvd (no, I NEVER get sick of them!) and a shot or two of Mauritian rum, but I finally have a Dubai Christmas tree of my very own! The boys (Franck and Jason) won't be home for a few days so this should be a pleasant/festive surprise. At this point I'm stuck in Rome with people I don't know for Christmas, but I am trying my best to make it to Australia.

Also, the Jube Eye wishes Tania a very happy birthday for the 8th :) xox

A Jolly Holiday!

2006-12-07T20:01:00.000+04:00

I know it was a few days since I dragged Nicole kicking and screaming for her birthday extravaganza in London, but as they say exclusively in blogging circles' better late than never.'

Day one was the 7 hour flight to London on British Airways (good, but not as good as us!) and settling into our room (2 beds for our parents who may be reading this!) at the Hilton London Metropole near the shopping mecca that is Oxford St. Nicole was sick as a dog but we battled through the near zero conditions and managed to spend a couple months of salary before heading for dinner at a funky bar in Soho.

Day two was Project Battlestations: Nicole's birthday! The morning was spent eating a small African nation's monthly food rations at the breakfast buffet, followed by a 'flight' on the London Eye - the world's tallest observation wheel. Next stop was Selfridges department store where Nicole scored a Giorgio Armani makeover and proceeded to buy half the counter. She was kind enough to pose for before-and-after photos for the Jube Eye community as a great advertisement for Armani more than anything! And the reason for all this trouble? Top seats at Mary Poppins in the West End! It was so amazing, more than I can describe or imagine. I obviously couldn't get too many pictures inside but I've added a few from the web to give you an idea. If you happen to be stopping by the English capital in the next year or so, I highly recommend it. I'm also planning on marrying Bert the chimney-sweep if that's cool with everybody...

Day three was the long flight back home crammed in the middle of the middle at the back of economy - joy! Arriving back home at 2am on Saturday, I had abour 2 hours sleep before I had to be back at work for an 11-hour flight to Perth! Oh the joys of international flight attending!

Dubai airport one minute, black English cab the next!

Just a couple of foxy twenty-somethings minding their own business on an oversized ferris wheel!
Selfridges' funky shop windows

Before Armani, and after Armani - VOILA!
We snuck in a few photos at intermission...
...and again during an ATM run for an extra box of Maltesers!
Weary and exhausted, we reluctantly head home.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICOLE!

I'm just a man trying to run his race...

2006-12-06T19:56:00.000+04:00

Well my two days of Safety and Emergency exams are now over. Very, very strange to think that basically a year has passed since I came to Dubai and was first in training college. Back then the idea of attending my first annual refresher course felt like an impossible goal in the distance and now it's already behind me! Much like an aeroplane, time flies.

After 8 days of traveling to London and back, Perth and back, studying like mad, then two 12 hour days of classes and exams I am well and truly exhausted and have called in sick for my 7.25am (3.50am wake up) flight to Amman in Jordan.

So now, when I wake up, I will get cracking on London and training college blogs.

By the way, (Mitch) I passed.

Daniel Takes A Test!

2006-12-05T00:08:00.000+04:00

A fantastic London blog is brewing in this little head of mine, but alas I won't be able to post it for a few more days. You see starting in the morning (Wednesday) I start two days of my annual Safety and Emergency exams. I have been CRAMMING for the last couple of days and hopefully it's enough. No-one looks forward to the annual refresher, least of all this spring chicken!

Will let you know how I go later today, and I should be able to let you know about London and Perth then.

Just a spoon full of sugar....

2006-11-29T01:12:00.000+04:00

To all loyal blog readers,

I feel you should be privy to one of the great Daniel blunders of all time. Following on from the rave reviews for "Daniel Loses $400 in Birthday Cash and Cheques" which had audiences captivated in 1994, comes the long anticipated sequel: "Daniel Loses Non-Replacable British Airways Ticket the Day Before He Takes Nicole to London!"

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be glad you're not me.

After spending all day legging it around this, the financial epicentre of the Middle East, trying to get the tickets in the first place (I won't even bother denying the bribery of officials charges that may be filed against me), I managed to lose them within 10, yes, 10, yes, 10 MINUTES in a shopping centre. Somewhere between Virgin Megastore and Mango, I lost a 700 dirham ($236) air ticket!

To cut a long story, I had to schlep all the way back to the airport after dinner to throw another 700 dirhams at the cow-to-beat-all-cows at the staff travel counter. Time to breathe easy kids - it's just money. Suddenly I found myself back ON the flight in the morning (8 hours time from NOW.) When I got home, ready to collapse and in denial about the amount of packing, washing and cleaning that needed to be done, I got a call from the security officer from the mall - my ticket had been handed in! So back in another cab to the mall (situated 80% of the way to the airport) I collected said tickets and now here I am. I can bring my identical twin with me ! Good news is staff tickets are refundable (just not when they're lost!)

So why am I going to London on British Airways anyway? Well it is Nicole's birthday on Thursday and I am taking her there for her present. Staying at one of the London Hilton's and going to see Mary Poppins on the night of her birthday. We come back Saturday morning. Aren't I nice?! Well it's fun for me too, so I'm not entirely selfless, just mostly.... :)

Congratulations Damien Leith! The best man won!

2006-11-27T05:44:00.000+04:00

Marge! Look! The rains are 'ere!

2006-11-25T23:50:00.000+04:00

Last Tuesday, an unsettling cloud hung over the perennially sunny Gulf city of JewBye (is that how you spell it?) and I don't mean the metaphorical morning-after-the-night-before kind of cloud. I'm talking PRECIPITATION peoples! YES, actual droplets of rain gracing us with their presence for the first time since February. Immediately traffic came to a grinding halt because people normally capable of casually cruising at 160 kp/h down Sheikh Zayed Road, couldn't seem to muster the courage to go faster than 50 in what could best be described as a light shower. I was having an incredibly uncharacteristic watching dvds and eating takeout kind of day over at my friend Nena's place (with a MUCH better view than my own) and so out came the camera for some blogging love.

I live in the building at the end on the right with the ballpoint pen-style peak on the top... Apartment 306 if you want to stop by!

Behind the Dusit Hotel on the left (blocked from view) is the construction of the Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building. It is already 86 stories tall and only half it's estimated completed height!

Holey cheese, army knives, amazing tennis players.... Where am I?

2006-11-18T15:43:00.000+04:00

Just came back from Zurich yesterday and had a truly amazing experience. My fellow crew members in economy were fun, entertaining people and the passengers were friendly and accomodating (any crew reading this will know how few and far between flights like this are!) We made a quick stop at the hotel for a shower etc and then headed into the city centre to explore. I find great pleasure in simply wandering around a new city for the first time, observing everything - the people, the architecture, the atmosphere, the weather, the SHOPPING! I almost enjoy doing this more than seeing the traditional tourist attractions themselves.

On the advice of my friend Toby, I led the 3 other economy crew through the cold and the fading daylight to search for the hallowed BLINDEKUH - a famous Swiss dining institution. My extremely limited German was put to the test as we negotiated the public transport system to find this place, praying it was not going to be awful after I'd dragged the faithful down hills and up dales for over an hour...

Well, awful it was not. After securing all possessions in a locker and choosing your menu, you are led by your certified BLIND waiter into a PITCH BLACK ROOM where you EAT, DRINK, and CONVERSE in the DARK! No lights, no nothing! A completely unique experience for all of us. It's so bizarre pouring a drink, locating cutlery and eating a hot meal with no eyesight - it made everything taste and smell so much better. The others really loved it too which made the whole thing a very 'Emirates - Keep Discovering' moment for all.

Loitering with intent in downtown Zurich

Outside the Blindekuh. Close your eyes. Now you have all the photos you need of what it looks like inside...