JT & KOL

In the month of May, along with Goldfish and Fat Boy Slim, I got to see two awesome concerts: Justin Timberlake, and my all-time favourite band, the Kings of Leon!

Justin was up first and my friends Hajar, Cassie, and myself made our 4 hour mission over to Abu Dhabi to go and see the Prince of Pop perform.

Here's the thing though, I don't know if you've ever felt what 41 degrees Celsius feels like?

Let me tell you it is MSP HOT.

Take that and add thousands of people all around you, leaving you with no personal space, and it becomes a whole other level of uncomfortableness.

Just breathing makes you sweat profusely, and the LAST thing you want to do is jump up and down screaming, knowing this will only add more movement, forcing your body to become what is essentially an over-loaded sponge.

That's what the JT concert felt like.

That heat is nothing I've ever experienced before, and from the moment the show started I couldn't help but think: "OMG WHEN WILL THIS END SO I CAN GO FIND AIR-CONDITIONING?"

It was just too hot for me to really enjoy it.

Don't get me wrong though, he was AMAZING.

The kid knows how to put on a good show, and I tried my hardest to just enjoy seeing him perform Cry Me A River, My Love, Like I Love You, Rock With You, What Goes Around Comes Around, Mirrors, Señorita, and Sexy Back live.

Even Justin was stopping in between songs to "take a breather" and commenting on just how insanely hot it was that night.

I'm really hoping he performs in Cape Town, giving me an excuse to go home (as if I need one)  just so that I can go and REALLY enjoy his show.

*Side note: If JT ever does come, make SURE you buy a Golden Circle ticket. Seeing him up-close is definitely worth it*

Skip to 1:50 to see JT doing a MJ tribute before easily flowing into What Goes Around Comes Around.

I had one of those really impossible coincidences that night.

Just a few days before the show I had a London Heathrow flight. Coming back to Dubai we had two insanely good-looking guys on the flight, whom all the crew were obsessing over. That night as I was walking towards the stage, I suddenly stopped and shouted "OMG", because there they were! I walked up to them and told them what had just happened and even they were amazed.

What are the chances of that even happening?? The very next day Cassie says she bumped into them again at a beach club here called Barasti. 

Seriously weird.

Of the night, this was one of those songs where not even the torturous heat could stop you from singing and dancing along!

He ended off the concert with my favourite performance of the night: Mirrors

Although Justin (yes, I refer to him on a first-name basis now because technically we HAVE met in real life, okay?) didn't have an encore, but after Mirrors, it wasn't needed.
I saw and heard all the songs I wanted to.
I was happy the show was over and I immediately made a bee-line for the exit in search of a taxi with freezing air-conditioning.
We could not be bothered to head back to Abu Dhabi to take the bus back to Dubai.
Instead, we split the AED 500 (roughly R1440) taxi ride back amongst the 3 of us because really all we wanted to do was get home ASAP, take a shower, and crawl into bed.

Justin Timberlake Setlist at du Arena at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:

Pusher Love Girl
Gimme What I Don't Know (I Want)
Rock Your Body
FutureSex/LoveSound
Like I Love You
My Love
TKO
Summer Love
LoveStoned
Until the End of Time
Holy Grail
Cry Me a River
Only When I Walk Away
Drink You Away
Tunnel Vision
Señorita
Let the Groove Get In
Heartbreak Hotel (Elvis Presley cover)
Not a Bad Thing
Human Nature (Michael Jackson cover)
What Goes Around... Comes Around
Take Back the Night
Jungle Boogie (Kool & The Gang cover)
Murder
Poison (Bell Biv DeVoe cover)
Suit & Tie
SexyBack
Mirrors

The thing you have to understand is that concerts in Dubai aren't like how we do them back home.
There's no build-up to a show; no anticipation. People go because it's an event to attend and a Facebook check-in waiting to happen; it's not the "OMG WE CAN'T MISS THIS, IT'S ALL ANYONE WILL TALK ABOUT FOR WEEKS AFTER" type of thing that happens back in SA, probably because this city is much bigger than CT.
Maybe it's because Dubai is filled with so many expats who are living a transit life here, but there's no one thing or event here that really unifies the people.
Even 5fm (for example) unifies all of the South African youth because we all listen to it; we all hear about upcoming shows through them; we sell out shows within hours of them being announced; and we all build the hype for months ahead of time, until the day finally arrives and we queue for hours outside the stadium way ahead of time.
Here, you can actually buy a ticket the day of the show, arrive late, and still get a good viewing spot, because nobody really cares.
When you go to a concert here, sure people sing and dance, but most of them just stand there, taking photos to post on social media, not really going on like mal naai's, and that's the one thing I really really miss about concerts back home: people going on like MAL NAAI'S.
It's like being in a room full of people sitting on their phones, whilst your favourite song comes on and you're dancing like crazy whilst they just tap their feet.
It's a buzz-killer.
Most of the time I'm just there, wishing they would get out the way so I can get closer to the band/ artist, and really FEEL the moment.

As i'm sure you're aware by now, I have an obsession with Kings of Leon.
Just 7 days after JT, coming off of a Delhi turnaround flight, and I was making my way to Atlantis the Palm, with my friends Laura and Eimear, for the second time this month to see my KOL boys do their thang!

As obsessed as I am with KOL, I only ended up buying my ticket a week before the show, simply because I didn't want to go by myself, and I couldn't find anyone that wanted to go with me!
The thing about my friends is that most of them come from First World countries where they're used to having international bands come and perform on a regular basis.
These people don't understand the real-life struggle that is FOMO.
For them, skipping a concert means nothing because chances are that person will be back in the near future.
Whereas for me, coming from South Africa, we're lucky if an international band or artist comes to perform even once, let alone a second time (with the exception of 30 Seconds To Mars. Really, is a third show necessary?)
I had made up my mind that I was going to go even if it meant going by myself, because I was not about to miss the chance to see KOL live again, when luckily Eimear said she would join me. Yay!
As I was getting ready to go meet up with her, she let me know that Laura had decided last-minute to join us as well. Double yay!

We had to book tickets online via credit card and pick them up at the venue, because that's how they do things here (which is a dom system if you ask me, because hello, QUEUES).

Surprisingly I bumped into some people I knew. Dubai is slowly becoming smaller and smaller.

A little supper on the beach before the show.

Laura's snapchat doesn't do the heat justice, but it definitely wasn't as bad as the JT concert.

And here they come, opening up with Supersoaker!

Oh Caleb. You do know how much I love your Ginger face, don't you?

One of the best moments of the night is when they slowed it down a bit.

Caleb asked everyone to take out their phones and shine their cellphone lights, and they started playing one of my favourite songs Cold Desert (which is ironic because Dubai is a kak hot desert).

They didn't perform it when they came to Cape Town, so I was more than thrilled I got to see them perform it live.

I still think Cold Desert is a HIGHLY underrated song.

I just stood there, listening to them perform it and swaying with the music, marvelling in that moment of pure happiness.

After Use Somebody, they went offstage before coming on again for the encore, beginning with Crawl, followed by Black Thumbnail.

Then they ended of the show with the crowd favourite: Sex On Fire.

I still can't get over the fact that I've now seen them twice. 

I can't tell you how happy this makes me.

Here's a video that someone took that I keep re-watching because it makes me feel like I'm back in that moment again. I really wish they would make a concert DVD of their shows. I'd definitely buy them!:

Coming off the high of that night, we didn't want to leave, so we stayed and partied on the beach whilst a local DJ came on to play, until eventually we had security guards chasing us off the beach.

Even though I've come to learn that seeing a concert here in Dubai is nothing like how we do things back home, it was definitely another amazing night for the memory bank! :)

Kings of Leon Setlist at Atlantis, The Palm Jumeirah, United Arab Emirates:

Supersoaker
Taper Jean Girl
Family Tree
My Party
Closer
On Call
Temple
I Want You (First time they've played it since October 2009!)

Fans
The Bucket
Wait for Me
Pyro
Tonight
Radioactive
Don't Matter
Molly's Chambers
Four Kicks
Cold Desert
Use Somebody

Encore:
Crawl
Black Thumbnail
Sex on Fire

EAT. SLEEP. RAVE. FLY. REPEAT.

May.

*PHEW*

Just give me a second to catch my breath.

Where to even begin?

This month has be CRAY. It "supposedly" has 31 days in it (trust me I checked the calendar to make sure because jet lag and lack of sleep IS making me stupider), but for me it has gone by unbelievably quickly. 

So much has happened in May. It's been a whirlwind and I've barely kept up with it.

To break it down simply into dates:

3-5: Paris

7: Graduation.

9: Sandance.

10-15: Istanbul, Turkey.

17-18: London, Heathrow.

20-22: Shanghai, China.

23: Justin Timberlake!

26: Islamabad (Turnaround).

28: Delhi (Turnaround).

28: Kings of Leon!!! (Yes, the same day as my Delhi flight).

29: Trevor Noah! 

30-31: Hong Kong.

As you can see, I had a lot going on in a very short space of time. This meant very little sleep, depleting them savings, a LOT of travelling in between, and tons of new memories for this Dubai experience I'm currently on.

To start off I went to Paris on what is now my 4th trip. Instead of going out, I decided to spend the 24 hours in the hotel sleeping and saving the allowance we got, so that it could go towards my funds for the rest of May's would-be expenses. Yes, I did nothing in Paris. Not a big deal. Trust me when I say it won't be the last time I get rostered for that flight.

Not the biggest fan of French food, but when it comes to bread, these people know what they are doing!

Two days later I was up bright and early and got all dressed up to head to Training College for my graduation with all my batchmates. We got a brief chance to catch-up and see some familiar faces for the first time in the 6 months that we had started flying.

It was a quick congratulatory ceremony for all of us, followed by cake and a copious amounts of photo's. The best part for me was that I was able to get them to change my country to 'South Africa' when they announced my name. I was born in the US (meaning I have the benefit of travelling on a US passport, and am registered on the system as a US citizen) but I wanted to have that photo of my name immortalised with the South African flag above it because really, that's my home.

That night we all went out and celebrated our graduation, hopping from one place to the next, just dancing our way into the early morning, and I kicked off what would be the month of many late nights, and a total lack of sleep!

My fellow Saffas, Tanith and Jade!

That Friday night I headed to my first Sandance, a concert festival that happens often here in Dubai on the beach of the famous Atlantis on the Palm.

The show included the Pet Shop Boys and Fat Boy Slim, but my sole (excuse the pun) reason for going was to see Goldfish, my beloved South African band who were performing right here in Dubai! 

BEACH PARTY!

The Pet Shop Boys are weird, man.

Majority of the crowd had no idea who Goldfish was, but everyone walked away saying how awesome they are!

That guy knows what I'm talking about.

Fat Boy Slim was just insane!

I may or may not have stolen a balloon from Fat Boy Slim's set.

AND I walked away with a souvenir!

The one thing all of my friends and I were looking forward to with May is the fact that our probation period is now over. This means that we can leave the UAE on days we are not scheduled to be working; we can bid for flights we want; we can swop our flights with other crew of the same qualifications; and we can actually go on leave!

As you probably know by now, for my first leave I went to Istanbul with Mishqa and Yazeed. I know what you're thinking: "You've been saying how much you miss Cape Town, and the first chance you get to leave, you don't even go home?!"

I know, I know. It pained me to do so!

But the timing for Istanbul just made sense, which I will explain in a later post.

So for those 5 days of leave, I went on holiday to what is now one of my favourite cities in the world!

You'd think with it being a holiday and all that I would have had time to rest, but no sir. We walked a TON. 

We saw everything in that very short space of time.

We ate a lot and slept very little, meaning I came back from my "vacation" exhausted, and had to be up practically the next day for a flight to London, Heathrow.

This time around, I knew I was heading to London, so I texted my friends to let them know ahead of time.

Rahma had already made plans to go out of the city for the weekend; Jarryd and Ryan are back in Cape Town; Aura has moved to New York; but luckily Sarah was still in town (albeit the very opposite end of the city, which meant a LONG travel time on the tube).

I bumped into a fellow batch-mate whilst there, and we caught the Underground together.

Another Saffa crew I met just a few days before this flight also happened to be there.

As Sarah would be at work from 11am, and I was still up from the flight, I decided to stop by Leicester Square first.

When Ryan was there, he bought himself a Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows jersey. At the time I was still undecided about whether or not I wanted one. 

Later, when I saw him wearing it in photo's, I had instant regret. So I made sure to pick up a hoodie version of it for myself this time around.

This time I also went to check out the M&M store to see what it's like inside.

Then I was off to Greenwich to meet up with Sarah.

Whilst I waited for Sarah to get off from work, I  explored around the city, stopping by the market, the parks, the University, the National Maritime Museum, and also the actual location of the GMT - Greenwich Mean Time, which is located at the Royal Observatory.

This is the GMT. Standing here basically means you're in the middle of time!

Don't you wish UCT had such a massive park to chill on when you're bunking class?

When Sarah finally finished work at 5pm, she took me around, stopping at the famous O2 arena, the Emirates Air Line gondola lift, and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

At this point, all I could think of was "Cabin crew, prepare for landing".

The Olympic Swimming Pool where Chad Le Clos beat out Michael Phelps for the Gold medal!

Another day well spent in London town. I really have grown fond of that city!

Next up I was off to Shanghai, China. The crap thing was that we arrived on a day where the city was basically closed due to some conference. All the major sightseeing attractions were unaccessible, so instead of going out, I decided to treat myself to a much-needed back massage from a tiny Chinese woman named Cherry. Don't be fooled by their size though. They may be tiny but damn those women are strong!

 

One of the cool things about that hotel is the electric window blind switch next to the bed. At the push of the button it would be nighttime in my room! :D

I had forgotten that with China being China, basically all of social media is blocked, which meant no Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, or even this website! And with me being the social media butterfly that I am, trust me when I say I was happy to be leaving Shanghai!

The very next day after getting back from Shanghai, I was off to Abu Dhabi for a concert to go and check out none other than Mr Sexyback himself- Justin Timberlake! You can read about this and the KOL concert here.

After that I had two turn-around flights. Normally I would moan about having to do turn-arounds, but after this long, tiring month, you can't even imagine how grateful I was for them. I didn't have the hassle that came with packing and getting ready for a trip, or having to make myself go out and see a city. 

The tough part came when I did my Delhi flight. I was up by 1am that morning, returning home around 2pm. I slept for a few hours and then rushed to get to Atlantis the Palm (the same place where Sandance was held) to go and see the Rock Gods that are Kings of Leon!

Even though I was on the verge of falling asleep by the end of the show, I had the BEST time seeing them perform again.

The next day I made my way to Mall of the Emirates (which is all the way on the opposite side of where I live) to go and see stand-up comedian Trevor Noah perform here in Dubai.

It's actually the second time he's been here. He was here in March for 3 sold-out performances, none of which I could attend because I had flights, so I was super happy to hear that he had been brought back by popular demand for another 2 sold-out shows!

I took a fellow Saffa with me, along with Salma, my Egyptian friend whom I've converted to being a Trevor fan!

It was so lekker to hear him make jokes about home and reminded me of how South Africa really is the playground for comedy gold.

The show ended roughly 10pm, and I rushed back home to go and get changed for my 8 hour flight to Hong Kong. 

I almost never made it to that flight as I only had a 30minute window in which to get dressed and get there. I have never gotten done so fast in my entire LIFE.

Luckily I did and (THANKFULLY) I had an awesome crew and an easy flight there.

Back in January, Hong Kong was actually my first operational flight, meaning it was the first flight I did officially marking me as operational cabin crew.

I was too exhausted to leave the hotel, and I slept most of my time there, which I really didn't mind at all!

Yes, LG. Life is indeed good!

I've just returned back from Hong Kong and as much as I loved all the craziness of May, thankfully it is finally OVER.

I have 3 days off and you can be assured those days will be spent catching up on some very much-needed sleep, habibi!