Sign Up for your spot at the Arcadia experience to meet the Principal and the leadership team and visit the state-of-the-art facilities! Don’t miss out. Click the image below to complete the form for attendance.
Sign Up for your spot at the Arcadia experience to meet the Principal and the leadership team and visit the state-of-the-art facilities! Don’t miss out. Click the image below to complete the form for attendance.
Don’t miss the Arcadia Farmer’s Market on Saturday 3rd March in JVT.
With the arrival of the New Year, JVT has a number of new after school activities now available.
Ballet classes have started at Arcadia Preparatory school run by New York Sports Services on Saturday mornings for the little ones.
If dance is your thing, the Shiamak Super 7 is starting this week at Sunmarke school. The high energy classes will teach you 7 different styles in 8 classes. Bolly Jive, Bhangra Swag, Salsa Fusion, Gully Hip Hop, Theatre Contemporary, MJ Zinghat and Swag Jazz. Time to dust off your dancing shoes and get over to Sunmarke every Sunday and Tuesday. Who is going to join me? I’m giving this a try next Sunday night. Check out the JVT activities list for the class timings and details to register!
Our friends at Budo Juku have now started classes also in Arcadia so we have double the opportunities in 2018 to learn a new martial art! Try out Taekwondo, Judo, Karate or the Mixed Martial Arts class. I’m very tempted to try the MMA class myself. They teach both kids and adults. No excuses for the parents not to stay fit too!
Swimming is an excellent sport to get toned and work all the muscles in your body. Hanging out at the pool can also be a great way to make new friends! There are classes on every day between High Performance Swimming, Warrior Sport and now NYSS classes at Arcadia too. Visit the Activities Page or the JVT Calendar for all the details.
The Winter Walkers can also be spotted around JVT every Wednesday evening. Get in touch with them and join the band for some free physical activity.
Not so sporty? Why not enroll the kids in after school Chess Club or take a language lesson with Headway Institute. They have a whole lot of choices on offer.
If none of this sounds appealing, there are also tennis classes, basketball, aikido, drama classes, belly dancing, football, pilates, yoga or Zumba. All this as we wait for Nakheel to build and open the cycle path through JVT.
Looking to keep your children active and engaged this summer?
Working parents will be pleased to know that the Arcadia Preparatory school is offering a wonderful summer camp opportunity right here in the neighborhood.
Sign up now by email or call 04 552 2600 for more info.
Happy Summer!
Today is World Health Day and the perfect time to write about one of our newest residents. Dr Michael Timms is a Consultant ENT and Cochlear Implant Surgeon who recently moved in to Jumeirah Village Triangle. After almost 7 years in Riyadh, he and his family have returned to Dubai and settled in JVT last fall. He decided to move back to Dubai primarily for his family and the enjoyable lifestyle. This time around, he chose to be self employed and also enjoy the freedom to work at several clinics and hospitals setting his own timetables. “Thirty six years as an employee is more than enough and I wish I had done this (self-employment) years ago,” he explained.
Dr Michael surely must enjoy the freedom of being your own boss. He also seems to have a great bedside manner. For some reason, I find that so many doctors I have consulted (and there have been quite a few) generally see me as a number – another patient, another illness. It often seems like a big racket to me, getting in the most patients per day, ordering many tests and never particularly looking for the root cause just prescribing another pill. It was quite refreshing to hear from Dr Michael about his approach. “I get patients of every nationality telling me I am the first doctor who understood their problem, looked them in the eye while listening and explained the treatment plan so they feel part of it,” explained Dr Michael. “The thing is, I don’t see why this should be special, as it costs me nothing and feels natural,” he commented.
He treats all ENT conditions in adults and children. I plan to look him up for my daughter’s next ear infection which seems to be a regular occurrence in my life! You can call on Dr Michael for all the routine things like tonsil & adenoid problems, ear infections and sinus diseases. He also handles more complex things like Cochlear Implants for babies born deaf, rhinoplasty for people with noses they don’t like and endoscopic relief of obstructed tear ducts. I’ve also learned that if you have someone in the household with a snoring problem you might want to consult with Dr Michael as he is an international teacher on ENT and surgery using a minimally invasive procedure called ‘coblation’ (Google it!).
When I asked him about some fun stories to share, he told me about doing live surgery in front of medical audiences in 42 different countries which he calls ‘great fun’! However, being rather queasy myself, I wasn’t too keen for details. “I wanted to be a doctor since I was a child. Dissecting animals at school made me want to be a surgeon,” Dr Michael told me. “I am no saint, but there is something very rewarding about fixing peoples’ problems and getting thank you’s many times a day. Operating is great fun if you do it well and I feel incredibly lucky to have a job that is also a hobby. I actually like going to work,” he said.
One of his more recent amusing moments was seeing three sisters all with the same problem of snoring. Instead of seeing them individually, I interviewed them as a group. It was like having a party, with a lot of giggling as they tried to describe keeping everyone in business class awake with their symphony of snoring. They all had the same abnormalities causing the problem and will end up having the same treatment. I don’t know why, but the whole thing made me crack up.
The most touching story was how he met his wife Mona on a teaching trip to Dubai 🙂
If you need an ENT specialist, he can be found for consultations at a variety of locations – at the nearby Saudi German Hospital, at the Advanced Hearing & Balance Centre in WAFI Mall and Al Zahra Hospital in Sharjah.
Dr Michael Timms is qualified in Leeds, UK in June 1980. He completed his higher surgical training in Manchester and became an ENT Consultant in Blackburn & Burnley in 1992. He was clinical director of ENT, Ophthalmology & Maxillo-facial Surgery there until April 2010. He then became ENT Consultant & Cochlear Implant Surgeon at King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Riyadh until moving to Dubai and has been living in JVT since September 2016. Since he’s in the neighborhood, he might even do a house call as follow up to any post-op procedures if need be!
Contact him via his website to arrange appointments: profmichaeltimms.com
After a resounding success, 7 billion ideas is back with their unique children’s entreprenuer workshop at The Arcadia Preparatory School. Don’t miss it; sign up now for this complimentary session to get you kids thinking outside of the box!
JVT is synonymous with animal lovers. I believe we must live in the most pet-friendly community in Dubai. We only acquired our four-legged friend just over a year ago but I now find my daily walks are even more pleasant when I cross paths with chatty and happy dog owners.
Therefore, I was especially thrilled to find out that the owners of Snoopy Pets happen to live right in our own community. I came across them when I was out on a long jaunt around the Village and noticed their branded van in front of a villa. Having piqued my curiosity, I got in touch and found out that they are happy residents here too!
I am especially excited to introduce the rest of JVT to Jim and Lindsey. Having lived in Dubai for ten years now, they set up home in our community in 2015. Together, they own and operate Snoopy Pets down in Al Quoz. A hop, skip and jump from JVT, I think any of our pet-owning residents should look into boarding their loved ones at Snoopy’s warm and caring home! Plus, Jim and Lindsey are offering bona-fide JVT residents a nice discount on their services. Read more to find out!
If you make a visit of their kennel, you’ll find 13 full time staff members caring for your domestic pets. They can board your dogs and cats as well as offering a vacation spot for rabbits and tortoises. If you need help for a day or a week, Snoopy is happy to oblige. With their own vehicles, they also offer Pet Taxis to pick-up and return your animals. I’m sure that really helps out when hectic holiday packing sets in and one forgets to plan time to take Fido to the kennel! Even better, for those routine vet visits, Snoopy will accompany your pet to the clinic and bring him or her back home, safe and sound. At their facility, they also have skilled groomers to give your kitty or doggy a nice trim.
For those of us who may be thinking it’s time to move on from Dubai, keep Snoopy in mind to handle your pet relocation. They manage both import and export of your treasured pets anywhere in the world. A specialty of the husband and wife team, relocations can be made easy when you have an experienced crew to help out. I enjoyed chatting with Jim about all the logistics involved with the paperwork and airport transfer. When we head back to Europe, I’d surely be happy to rely on someone so reassuring. “Moving is stressful at the best of times. In the UAE, often families are moving at short notice and not always under the most appropriate of times or circumstances. We’ve got a one stop shop to assist families to move their fur babies with as little stress as possible,” Jim noted. Lindsey explained how they plan and find individual solutions for each situation which allows the family to concentrate on other areas. “There is nothing better than seeing the relief when people realize they don’t need to worry about their pet and then the joy on their faces when they are reunited following the relocation,” she commented. In all their relocation jobs, they told me their philosophy is ‘pet first’. They always focus on the best option for the pet, then they consider the owner’s expense and last on their mind is Snoopy’s profit.
With a ten year track record, Snoopy Pets has built up a great clientele. Lindsey clearly loved working there since she joined them in 2011 and when the owner decided to leave the UAE, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take over the business. Jim agreed to give her a hand for three months on the business plan and strategy development and hasn’t looked back since. Having decided to take the plunge to become business owners in 2013, they clearly believe in their formula and are passionate about their business.
When I asked them about one of the most memorable moments at work, it was the story of trying to catch 33 rescue cats that stood out. Arriving at the empty villa, they had to put them into correctly labelled, allocated and numbered travel boxes. With the only hiding spot being behind the oven, they didn’t expect much of a challenge. But it seems all the cats figured the oven was the best place to hide and they discovered that cats truly can run vertically and horizontally up walls! It seems all the shenanigans were watched by two dogs who sat in the middle of the floor, who did not move throughout the whole process until the last cat door was closed. At that point, they very calmly stood up, walked to their own boxes without being prompted and simply laid down in them. Thankfully, all cats and dogs arrived safe and well in their new home.
I couldn’t get them to let me in on life as a husband and wife team working together 24/7. Surely, this brings its own set of comedy sketches, but those are not for sharing I was told! But they did tell me they love living in JVT with the ability to enjoy plenty of outdoor walking with their own three dogs.
If you managed to read this piece to the end, you’ll be rewarded to learn that fellow Villagers will be offered considerable discounts if you quote the JVT blog and prove your residence! Go meet Jim and Lindsey today for all your pet care needs and enjoy:
Let us know if you spot Jim and Lindsey out for a stroll and be sure to thank them for their contribution to the pet care community in Dubai!
Find them here:
Snoopy Pets LLC, Warehouse 6, Umm Sequim Street, (Near Marina Home Interiors), Al Quoz 4, Dubai, UAE
Web: www.snoopypets.com
FB: www.facebook.com/SnoopyPetsDubai
GPS coordinates: 25.108106, 55.224925
Google maps link under Snoopy Pets Relocations
In case you missed the news last week, Nakheel has announced a deal with Alshaya group to bring many big brand names to the Al Khail Avenue Mall right here in the Village!
Here’s what we can expect:
More than 75 per cent of shop space at Al Khail Avenue is now booked, with more deals in the pipeline. Dubai’s Landmark Group and Al Tayer Group are also confirmed, occupying almost 275,000 sq ft between them through brands such as Home Centre, Centrepoint, Reiss, Fun City, Gap, Banana Republic and Mamas & Papas.
Waitrose and Reel Cinemas are also signed up!
Al Khail Avenue, currently under construction along Dubai’s Al Khail Road on the eastern edge of Nakheel’s Jumeirah Village Triangle community, has 1.2 million sq ft of retail space containing 350 shops, a 14-screen cinema complex and a wide range of dining outlets. The mall, which will be attached to a 256-room DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, is set for completion in 2018.
I’m especially happy to write about this particular JVT neighbor just before the year end. As many homes are getting decorated and all spruced up for some sparkling New Year celebrations at home, it would be a shame to forget to give those high up windows and balconies a glisten.
We surely have a lot of multi-talented and enterprising residents in JVT and I recently met yet another – Suzanne Kalloghlian. She is not only a children’s author, a teaching assistant and a personal tutor, but a budding entrepreneur to boot! She has found a perfect niche in the market when she started her own business a few years back called The Gleam Team. Her team of seven will make your windows sparkle, trust me, I’ve tried. They specialize in window cleaning both inside and out. While they are outside, you can also have them power wash your patios, balconies and garage doors. Specialized in windows, they can change the netting on your sliding door fly-screens as well. Window cleaning is such a drag that I think it’s marvelous to have a great little crew you can call in for a super reasonable price to do one of those perennial dreadful chores.
Suzanne’s straightforward and simple idea took some work to set up. But, after getting the paperwork sorted, the business has taken off thanks to happy client recommendations. I can understand why as Suzanne explained to me her guiding mantra – ‘the customer is always right’ she asserts. “If a customer is not happy, which thank goodness is very rare, it bothers me immensely and I always attempt to rectify the problem if I can,” she told me. Clearly, this strategy is working well for The Gleam Team.
Suzanne and her Gleam Team !
I also think her success boils down to the personal touch. We called in The Gleam Team to fix our ripped and broken fly screens. Unfortunately, the company which had installed them did a terrible job and it was impossible to snap out the frames, as would be customary. I never noticed this issue until we needed the repairs. At first, the team informed me that they would be unable to accept the job for fear of damaging the aluminum frames. But the very next day, Suzanne’s husband came around to check on the difficulties his team had encountered and identified the right solution to remove and repair the screens.
The Gleam Team is truly a family affair. Husband George does the bookings (as Suzanne holds down a full time school job). His professional work is done remotely from home, so it’s easier for him to handle the administrative side of things Suzanne tells me with a twinkle in her eye! Their two sons, Raffi and Zak sort out all the necessary day-to-day running of GLEAM making a big contribution to the business. Suzanne is also quite adamant about taking good care of her staff. She especially raved about Raby & Jason, her main window cleaners, and one of whom you would surely find on every job. “We work as a real team,” Suzanne explained.
Another thing that Suzanne really takes to heart is caring for the planet. They use environmentally friendly products with no chemicals that are safe to both children and animals. Their procedures also account for our desert climate to ensure the minimal water usage. They take special care to avoid water leakage in through the window frames which can happen very easily in some of the construction here and cause lots of damage. The team also wears shoe covers and gloves inside your home to protect carpets and furnishings.
Ho, Ho, Ho! No, it’s not Santa, it’s The Gleam Team!
When I asked Suzanne why she started this business, it came down to simple supply and demand. She had tried to find a company some years ago to come and clean the windows at her home and found the costs extortionate and the service poor. She felt she could offer a quality and friendly service. “I wanted some polite, hygienic, well trained guys that would come and do the job efficiently and quickly, with a smile,” Suzanne remarked. “Since I couldn’t find that kind of service I decided to start my own.”
Suzanne is a curious woman at heart and has been involved in a number of small business ventures throughout her life from owning a bouncy castle company to setting up a costume jewelry distribution business. She is one to always stay busy and has explored many professions along the way. She’s trained in a number of different specialties from medical secretary to interior designer. Suzanne followed her husband to this region 16 years ago. They never had the intention to make this their home, but like many, they’ve established roots here. Her son now lives in JVT with his young family and this is what brought Suzanne and her husband to our neighborhood in the summer of 2016. “It’s a friendly place to live,” she commented. “Now that the weather is cooler, I will be donning my trainers and setting out for a few walks with the dogs and my new grandson to explore the area more fully.” You’ll surely happen upon Suzanne if you also like to walk about. If you do, I encourage you to start a conversation and you’ll certainly be enthralled with her vivacious attitude towards life!
In case a few neighbors want to call in the Gleam Team to spruce up their homes for the New Year, ask about their special offer for group bookings of 4 or 5 homes on the same day! Regardless, Suzanne always gives her neighbors a special deal and quotes JVT residents at 10% less then the going rate. I can highly recommend the service; very professional, very courteous and very clean.
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Phone number: 050 387 4557
Jumeirah Village Triangle 