First post!

Never thought I'd be one to keep a blog, but thought this would be good practice for my future "best job in the world" post. ;-) Well, even if that didn't work out, I'd still be able to use this as a travel journal to help me remember the little details about my future trips. Plus my mom (who, by the way, has her own blog for anyone interested and can read Chinese) never got the hang of logging on to flickr, so this way she can check out my photos more easily.

I'm very excited about my upcoming trip to the UAE. So lucky that a friend is now there and kind enough to host me (thanks, Yumi & Kevin!) - I've checked out prices for hotels in Dubai, and let me tell you - I can probably afford to stay for maybe 3 days, tops. This is a crazy city of developments and a playground for the ultra-rich. Hopefully I'll get a glimpse (and some photos) of the luxuries this man-made paradise has to offer, plus spend some nice afternoons on the beach with my friend and her twin boys. I'm also planning to take side-trips to Abu Dhabi and Oman, so I welcome recommendations or advice from anyone who's been there.