Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi

His Highness Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi (the handsome one on the left) is a son of the current ruler of Sharjah and also a designer, a recognized fashion photographer and a founder of Qasimi Fashion. 

I got tired just typing all this stuff down.  That's a lot of things to juggle.

Dude on the right is someone named Elliott J.Frieze is his business partner and fashion collaborator for Qasimi Fashion.

According to Prince's wiki page, Qasimi Fashion designed and subsequently was worn by Lady Gaga, Cheryl Cole and Florence Welch from Florence + The Machine. 



Cheryl Cole wearing Qasimi Fashion for X-Factor Results Show 2009


Anyway, here's is Qasimi Fashion's creations below; I personally like the blue floaty number in the middle of the last triptyque:


There's also Qasimi Homme line, which i would say is not for the faint of heart and geared toward specific demographics.  Check it out:

Chocolate Fridge Cake

One of the perils of living in the former British Raj colony is it's obsession with upcoming Royal Wedding.  Will and Kate are everywhere - newspapers, magazines, on the radio.

Two rich and priviliged kids, who are living far away are getting married. 

Who gives a flying fig?

Tons of people apparently.  There are big fancy viewing parties are scheduled all over Dubai, which i imagine will be attended not only by UK citizens.

Well, one useful bit of info (at least for me) came out of this - local newspaper, The National published recipe of Prince William's favourite dessert, Chocolate Fridge Cake.

It looks easy to make, delish to eat and i think it's a chocolaty staple in the UK - Jamie Oliver has the recipe, so does grocerey chain Waitrose, chef to the royals Carolyn Robb, etc.

Anyway, here's the version from http://www.bbc.co.uk/ with my own comments:

• 250g/8oz digestive buscuits (i think in America you can use Graham Crackers)
• 150g/5oz   milk chocolate
• 150g/5oz   dark chocolate
• 100g/3½oz  unsalted butter
• 150g/5oz golden syrup (that's what brits use instead of good old Karo Syrup/corn syrup)
• 100g/3½oz chopped dried apricots
• 75g/2½oz raisins
• 60g/2oz pecans chopped (optional)

1. Use cling film to line a 20cm (8in) shallow, square-shaped tin. Leave extra cling film hanging over the sides.
2. Bash the biscuits into pieces using a rolling pin. (Put them in a plastic bag first so they don't go everywhere!)
3. Melt chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally.
4. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the broken biscuits, apricots, raisins and pecans (optional).
5. Spoon the mixture into the tin. Level the surface by pressing it down with a potato masher.
6. Leave to cool, then put the chocolate mixture in the fridge for 1-2 hours to set.
7. Turn out the cake and peel off the cling film. Cut the cake into 12 squares and enjoy!

I'm making it with my kids on April the 29th. I think the Royal Wedding Fever is contageous - Long Live the Queen!

Sheikh Hamdan's Pets

When you and I decide on a pet, it's usually a cat or a dog.  Sometimes it's a ferret, a guinea pig or a parakeet.  Most adventurous pet owner I know has a tarantula.

Wanna know what local royalties keep as pets?

I knew you would!

Crown Prince of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum has 2 very rare white tigers:

2 white lions (although i think the lions grew too big for safe keeping and they were generously donated to a zoo in Al Ain):

a heard of camels worth at least $2.7 million:

various horses, dogs and falcons:

Looks like Sheikh Hamdan geniunely loves his unusual pets and all big cats in general.  Here's he's spending some quality time with another gorgeous animal on his safari trip to Tanzania:

And now you know!

Just Me Abayas

In the quest to feed my obsession with abayas i stumbled upon Just Me Abayas or sometimes they are introduced as Only Me Abayas.
Unfortunately, i was not able to find anything about them other than this is a local, Dubai company and sometimes they send their models barefoot on the runway. 

Original, but rather unhygienic.

Anyway, enjoy their abayas below - i'm particularly loving the lace, mantilla-like number.  Also, the model on last two pix is cute beyond words.  She looks like Sheherezada from 1000 and 1 Night.

Look Who's Coming Over! - April & May

Let's play a game!
She is loca, loca, loca and her hips usually don't lie.  Her daddy is Lebanese, but she doesn't mention it much in the western media.
If you guessed Shakira - duh! - you're right and she's coming over to Abu Dhabi on April 29!!!!  I better hurry and buy me some tix!

He's a youngish Jewish (he has a Hebrew tattoo to prove it, among other things) boy who fronts mediocre faux-rock band with incomprehensible name.  Mostly famous for romancing the pants of Jessica Simpson while she was still married.  Sorry, but there's nothin else i know or care to find out about him :(

If you guessed Adam Levine of Maroon 5, then you're right and he and his band are giving a concert in Dubai on April 21.

This All-American original gangsta is big!  Famous marijuana advocate and connoisseur, got criminal record (drug & gun possession) and long-suffering wife.  He was denied entry to Australia and consequently he's concert was cancelled, but apparently his criminal past is not a problem for Abu Dhabi! 

I'm concerned how he's gonna stay baked in UAE, which has zero tolerance policy.

If you guessed Snoop Dogg, then you're right and he's performing in Abu Dhabi on May 6!

Michael Cinco

Here is another precious, precious Dubai-based Filipino designer.  Look at him!  Admire the fierceness!
Kneel at his beauty!

All jokes aside, those who live in the Middle East know how hard it is for the South Asians to make it big here.  Majority of south-asians hold menial jobs in UAE - house maids, sales clerks and such - so kudos to those fabulous Philippines-born designers who break the stigma and raise the flag.

Michael Cinco came to Dubai in 1997 to work for some fashion house.  He left shortly to take courses in St. Martin's School of Art in London for about a year.  Upon his return Mr. Cinco opened up his own fashion house and now is a much demanded designer around here.

Check out his gowns and beautiful Filiipina actresses/models here:

Pix from www.michaelcinco.com