A blast of cold air to keep you young - trying out Cryo Health.

Cryotherapy - treatments at sub-zero temperatures, have been used for years by the worlds top athletes before and after competing, to help keep them in tip top condition and reduce injuries, pain and swelling and to aid recovery.

Cryo treatments, as well as being used for a whole body experience, where you stand in a tank and are blasted with cold, nitrogen and oxygen mixed air for 3 minutes, is also used for localised treatments on parts of the body.

These localised treatments are giving the beauty industry a boost.

I went off to Cryo Dubai, to try out their Cryo Glow Facial. You lie down on a treatment bed, and the technician uses a special wand, to gently blow cold air over your face for 10 minutes. Thankfully, it's not a harsh blast of freezing cold air, the temperature gradually drops down to -170 degrees and the circular motions used give a very relaxing and therapeutic experience.

The benefits of these treatments, is the stimulating effect they have on the body - stimulating blood flow, which increases oxygenation of the muscles and skin. It reduces pores and tightens the skin and also encourages natural collagen production, which helps to rejuvenate the skin and can help in the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles.

To get the maximum benefit for anti-aging and improving skin tone and texture, it's recommended to have three treatments a week to see maximum benefits. But after just one session, my skin felt tighter and smoother and I felt really quite refreshed.

Cryo Dubai offer several different facials, depending on your requirements.

The Cryo Glow Facial is 325 Dhs for the 10 minute treatment and there are package deals available.

Cryo therapy has lots of different uses and I already have a few friends who swear by it, for muscle recovery after they've been competing.

Cryo have several spas across the emirates: Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai Ladies Club, FitRepublik, Energy Plus in Al Ain and they're now open in Abu Dhabi.

For more information visit: www.cryo.com

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Trekkies in Dubai queue up to be part of the next Hollywood blockbuster.

When casting agency Miranda Davidson Studios announced that they were holding a three day, open casting call for the BIGGEST Hollywood movie to be shot in Dubai in the last five years - people turned up in droves.

Never officially announced, but the timings, research and whisperings seemed to suggest that this was for the latest installment of the Star Trek franchise: Star Trek Beyond.

JJ Abrams sadly isn't directing this one, as he's too busy with a certain other franchise set in a 'Galaxy far far away'. But at the helm is seasoned director Justin Lin, who directed many of the Fast and the Furious movies. Also worth noting is that brilliant British actor, writer, producer Simon Pegg, who also plays Chief Engineer 'Scotty' has co-written this latest trekfest.

Anyway, I digress.....

When myself and a few work mates saw this - yup the 'nerds and geeks' of the office, we thought, why the heck not? And trotted off for the casting sessions. These were held in the sound stages (where movie companies build giant indoor sets to shoot their films on), of Dubai's Studio City.

We got there early!

After filling out all our details, showing some ID's, we then had our photos taken. These are the standard head shot, full body shot from the front and side. The we had all our measurements taken, which was all very thorough. After this we were on our merry way again and all you do is sit and wait to see if you get a call.

The cool thing about being an extra is, whether it's for TV, film, commercials or corporate, agencies need people of all shapes, sizes, nationalities and backgrounds - it just depends what they're looking for for each individual project. With this in mind, there's no reason why anyone can't go and register themselves.

Working as an extra is a whole lot of fun! I used to do a lot of it for various TV shows in the UK. 

It's brilliant to see so many big budget Hollywood movies being shot in the UAE now and giving people in the locality the chance to get involved and be part of this incredible industry.

Good luck to everyone who went. If you get picked, I'm sure you'll be fabulous.

Spartan Race UAE.......We did it!!

So on a dusty Friday morning, around 5,000 people turned up to test themselves both physically and mentally at the first ever Spartan Race in the UAE. 5kms of sandy course, with 15 obstacles to navigate stood between the start and finish lines.

 I think just running over desert terrain, up and down sand dunes, tested many of the participants before they even got to any of the obstacles, but whether it was rope climbs, tyre flips, scaling walls, commando crawling under barbed wire or wading through mud, everyone gave it their all.

Some of the obstacles definitely required team work and it was wonderful to see people gratefully taking that 'outstretched hand' to help them along the way.

Events like this are amazing and it was wonderful to see so many people of all different fitness levels and abilities giving it a go for their own personal goals. We just wanted to finish! And finish we did.......looking very worse for wear, after wading through all the mud, which was probably one of my favourite things.

The first race seemed to be an unquestionable success and I hope they will bring the event back to the UAE next year, including the longer, tougher, Super and Beast courses which will add extra challenges for people taking part.

If you've never thought of signing up for something like this, why not give it a go? You never know what you can achieve if you don't set goals and try. I'm now looking forward to similar races to test myself further and having a whole lot of fun whilst doing it.

Coffee - kicking fat to the curb! COFFEEKIX Review Pt 2

So it's been a couple of weeks now since I started drinking CoffeeKIX, the new slimming green coffee, which is now available in the UAE. Have I seen some results? The answer is a resounding YES. I'm probably down just over 2kgs now since I started drinking it - although some days I will have only one sachet instead of two. I've also started putting a splash of milk in it, just to sweeten up the slightly bitter flavour.

I've found that the coffee curbs my appetite quite a bit as well as having the detox effects - which I will say, if you weren't a regular loo user before, you will be now!!! (to put it politely). One major thing to note, is that you absolutely MUST drink lots of water, because of the afore  mentioned detox effects, you need to replenish the hydration that you could be losing. Also worth noting is that if you suffer from any gastric issues, the effects could be a bit worse for you.

Overall though, so far so good. I still have a few weeks supply to go through, so will update on the end results once I've finished my month. Happy coffee drinking :-)

For more information check out: https://www.facebook.com/coffeekix

Coffee - kicking fat to the curb! COFFEEKIX Review Pt 1

Anyone who's ever been told to lose a few pounds, will know that they start looking around for that miracle fat loss product. Well could coffee be it? I've recently been told to lose 10% of my body weight - around 6 kgs, to be healthier. So, I jumped at the chance when offered the opportunity to try out the latest product on the market in the Middle East.

COFFEEKIX slimming green coffee, promises to shed 10% of your body weight in a month, simply by drinking two sachets a day, one 20 mins before breakfast and lunch.

You might already be aware of this product, which has been featured on the Dr Oz Show, and he's all about the best ways to stay healthy and has hailed COFFEEKIX as the 'miracle bean'.

How does it work? Here comes the science bit :-)

Chlorogenic Acid commonly known as green coffee extract is completely natural and found in unroasted coffee beans. It works in 2 very simple ways, It burns glucose, sugar and fat. It also slows the release of sugar into the blood stream, preventing sugar build up in the blood. This combination Burns, Blocks and Stops Fat! 

Having my first cup, what is my first impression? Well many diet and weight loss products taste, quite frankly awful and I've been given the option of adding a splash of low fat milk and /or sweetner to taste, but actually COFFEEKIX tastes good on its own. I'd liken it to an Arabic coffee with a slight licorice flavour - both of which I happen to like, so no issues there. 

COFFEEKIX promises safe and healthy weight loss, with no side effects, so I have high hopes for this all natural product.

COFFEEKIX is available in the UAE from Harvey Nichols, Bloomingdales, Health Food Stores and 5* Hotel Spa. The recommended retail price is 220 Dhs.

For more information, check out the facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/coffeekix

The Dubai property minefield

What can I say, it all seemed like a really good idea at the time. You have some savings lying around from previous investments and look for something good to put it towards for your future. Sadly what was once many peoples dream, has turned into a living nightmare - myself included.

So, you find that ideal investment, with the nice shiny buildings, wonderful landscaping and good surrounding attractions, with reasonable payment plans - all is hunky dory, so you sign up, put your deposits down, take out your finance and wait for this wonderful development to be completed. But you wait and you wait, oh and you wait some more. A couple of years pass and it's going ok, construction is slow, better than others which are still very much a hole in the ground or never even got to that stage.

Over a couple of years circumstances change, many have lost their jobs or been forced to take a pay cut just to stay in a job, you inform your bank and developer only to find zero sympathy, no reduction in costs or extended payment plans, just a 'give us the money' attitude. What do you do then? Or when your mortgage payments have been put on-hold until handover of the property, but then you're expected to pay a huge lump sum of interest, plus maintenance fees, plus, plus, plus.

So you paw back through your contract and viola! There are clauses to help you get out of this mess, or so you thought! Because you see these SPA and add on contracts aren't even worth the paper they're written on. YOU the investor basically has no rights at all. The beyond ridiculous excuses that are given to stop you getting a money lender to implement a termination clause, which clearly states - that if a development is a year past the anticipated completion date, that you have the right to terminate - will be along the lines of 'there is no completion date in the contract'. erm really? What's that printed in black and white on page three then?

So what are your choices? Take the bank and/or the developer to arbitration or court, which costs an awful lot of money and if you lose, you not only lose that money but end up having to pay all costs as well. Try and sell? The property market, contrary to the belief of many that it's picking up, is still dead as the dodo, unless your development is nearing handover, but then the chances of getting anywhere near what you paid for it are slim. Negotiate a reduction in price and restructure the payment plans? Possible, but many are reluctant to do this. Or do a runner, which means a case would be brought against you and if you ever return to the country or get diverted for some reason, go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass go or collect 200 Dirhams!

There are literally thousands of people in this situation, with hundreds going down the arbitration/court route, but are they winning? Are there better rights for investors? Not really. It's another of Dubai's failings, where it tries to operate in the real world, but just doesn't quite hit the mark. Putting people in prison for not being able to pay is just silly, how can they earn money to pay back what they owe, if they're behind bars? Where's the negotiation? Surely getting money back, at an albeit slower rate is better than people hopping on the nearest plane and never getting it back at all?!

But we shall have to wait and see what happens. I have to decide which route I want to take - doing a runner is not even in my head at this point, as I firmly believe that where there's a will, there's a way.

Will keep updating this one......

The mass exodus

It's tough times in Dubai and many people have had enough. There has been a mass exodus going on for a while and I never thought it would affect me, until the last few weeks when more and more of my closest friends told me they'd decided to leave. The main reasons being that they've lost their jobs, can't make enough money to make ends meet anymore or need a change of scene.

It's started to get me seriously thinking about my future in the UAE, how long can I stay here for, how long do I WANT to stay here for. You see Dubai is very much like a bubble, it's not the real world, you go back to reality when you take a holiday. But to be honest the days, weeks, months all start to meld together and you find yourself doing the same routine day in and day out, plus when when you're an old timer like me, there's nothing really new to try anymore and monotony can set in very easily. Add to that the problems that you have in progressing career wise because of being tied to a company because of sponsorship visas and you can find yourself stuck very very easily.

I think it's very easy to get to a point where you're just literally living from day to day, and that's not me! I want to live life, to explore, to achieve, to have the drive to do the things I've always wanted to do, but I feel like I'm losing that, like the excited twinkle in my eyes has become a dull glazed, apathetic look and that really makes me very sad and also scared. Why scared? Because I'm starting to feel like it's time wasted. When life is too short to begin with, why waste it being in a place where you have no future and can't achieve anything.

So I think now realistically in the next six months time will tell whether I decide to stay in Dubai or look for pastures new. There's a whole big wide world out there for exploring - let's not waste anymore time :-)

The Dubai waiting game

Today's blog I am writing out of sheer and utter frustration as I sit here waiting for the AC repair man to turn up! I've been waiting since 1pm and it's now nearly 8pm! This seems to be a constant theme in the UAE, where customer service and satisfaction is basically non-existent. For the life of me, I cannot understand why things are so difficult all the time. Is it the age old saying, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys, people who just don't care enough to assist you?

Another example is my health insurance claim. Companies seem to drag out the whole process and make it so unbearably painful. Is it a ploy to make sure that you never go through the process again, therefore making them more money? Who knows! All I know is that I put in a claim over three months ago now, for a not so small amount - and I'm still waiting. A comedy of errors, farce and fiasco from start to finish. We don't accept faxes or emails, you need to send the lab reports (nice of you to tell me two months after I submitted the rest of the paper work!). I finally get an email today saying that a cheque has been raised for only a quarter of the amount I'm claiming for, because the lab reports weren't received - oh wait, you mean the ones that were sent two months ago - ARGH!!!!

It makes me want to go back to my private health insurance! Okay it was a bit pricey, but they always paid 100% in full within a couple of weeks, no hassle, no fuss - brilliant!

I keep thinking that if you started a company here to train and educate staff and businesses how to treat their customers and work more efficiently, you'd make an absolute fortune.

Anyway that's my little vent for the time being.

The AC man has finally decided to rock up, although he doesn't understand a word of English, so this really could take a long time - ah such is life :-)

A Festival of all things Hop

Another year, another Hopfest at the Irish Village in Dubai. To say that this event has become a victim of its own success would be an understatement. Every year for three days a medium sized tent with the capacity to hold around five hundred people (increase this by a couple of hundred just to make sure it gets super hot and sweaty) is erected to showcase over 120 beers and ciders (for those who choose not to partake of the brewed variety) from a round the world. There's an elevated stage for the amazing bands to perform and superstar DJ extraordinaire Chris Fisher to spin his tunes from. Many of the picnic tables were removed this year, to allow for more standing space, just to cram an extra few people in for good measure.

The first day (Thursday) is always the best for me. Purely because I can get there early, whereas most people are still at work so the venue is only at 70-75% capacity until late on in the evening. The atmosphere is always great and the main emphasis for attendees is to have a good time in a relaxed environment. It's always a giggle though seeing the various groups of people rock up. Some in fancy dress, others on a mission, some girls completely inappropriately dressed upto the nines with six inch heels where flip flops are far more the norm for wading through the sawdust scattered on the floor.

It always starts off very civilized, until a few bottles, pints, jugs down when inhibitions come down, people loosen up and the fun really begins - or I become a bit 'special' as I was enthusiastically reminded by a few of my friends. Or 'aggressive man hater' I think were the exact words. Really? I don't remember being that bad, surely my so called friends are just making these things up! Especially as I managed to rescue one close male friend from making the same mistake he always does, by getting hammered and cosying up to a certain psycho maniac who finds it amusing to mess him about like there's no tomorrow. Oh wait maybe it was the fact that I tore strips off her and told her what I really think - yeah hmmm that could be it!

Thursday was a great night out - loved it, couldn't have had more fun bouncing around like Zebedee from the Magic Roundabout on Speed.

Friday however was a whole other story. Because you see on Fridays virtually everyone is off and it was a race to get there early before the queue nightmare of the year before became an awful reality. So I rock up pretty early and end up pin balling around the venue saying high to various groups of friends (as you do). However after a couple of hours and the two bottles of cider that I'd fallen in love with the night before, having the reverse effect of making me feel good and forgetting that I am still actually sick with cold and flu, and instead making me feel quite nauseated, I decide it's time to bail, cut my losses, go home and chill out for the evening. That and the fact that it is now so packed, hot and sweaty, that nothing in the world is now going to make me feel like I'm having a good time. So I say my 'goodbyes' and toddle off into the sunset.

Today is Saturday and the final day of the Hopfest and I'm giving it a wide berth altogether, clearly as I'm sitting here writing this blog! :-) But it is a nice thing to experience every year, however the trick I think is not to over do it. Some people will go all three days and spend their time quite literally in a drunken stupor, or have a good day and a bad day, like my poor friend C who texted me quite upset when he'd got into a fight, been projectile vomited on and had a bird poop on him! (Isn't that supposed to be lucky?) Sadly in his case I think it was the icing on a crappy day.

Ah well until next year, or the Rugby 7's! But for now we have a month of quiet reflection, detoxing and chilling out as Ramadan approaches, before we all get back on it again.