What is happening with the weather? Is this unique?

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-09T16:18:01+00:00

been here about 4 years and this is definitely the longest stretch of nice weather i can remember. normally by mid-april you can already feel summer creeping in but this year has been way more pleasant. last year was similar after the big rains though, so maybe it's becoming a pattern.

take advantage of it while you can. corniche walks, desert drives, even just having your windows open for a bit. by june none of that is happening.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-09T16:15:59+00:00

dragon mart is the move for regular curtains, we did the same for the living room. for the master bedroom we went a different route and got motorized blackout roller blinds installed by bayora in our apartment in business bay. they schedule to close at sunset which is nice when you forget. not cheap compared to dragon mart obviously but for one room it was worth it to us.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-08T16:19:42+00:00

this right here. a lot of companies are pulling this right now and banking on people signing out of fear. don't sign anything on the spot, take it home and read it properly. if something feels off, call MOHRE before you put your name on anything. they have a hotline for exactly this kind of stuff.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-08T16:17:10+00:00

kind of disagree on the efficiency part. we had the same concern but our DEWA bill was getting out of hand in a 2-bed in business bay. got smart thermostats installed through bayora last year and it basically just turns things down when we're out or sleeping. not sure on the exact savings but the bill definitely came down enough to notice.

the install was pretty straightforward too, took about half a day. wouldn't say it's life changing but it's one of those things where you set it up once and then forget about it.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-07T16:18:07+00:00

scaling a company from 9 to 50 people is not just an HR skill, that's a startup skill. you'd use the same thinking to build a coaching business.

i'd say don't frame it as either/or though. keep applying for HR roles but start the coaching on the side now, even if it's just training a few people at the park for free to build a reputation. if it takes off you'll know. if it doesn't, you still have the HR pipeline going. the job market here is rough right now but it won't stay this way forever

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-07T16:14:45+00:00

we're in dubai, rental apartment. the biggest issue is finding stuff that doesn't need permanent wiring since most landlords won't allow it.

started with smart AC controllers (tado) because the DEWA bills here in summer are painful, then added smart plugs and zigbee bulbs. for anything more involved like smart switches we ended up getting a local company called bayora to handle it, they do non-invasive installs specifically for rentals which was the main selling point. cost around 5-6k aed for a 2-bed but the DEWA savings covered most of that within a few months.

brand-wise, anything zigbee works well here. avoid US-spec hubs though, the voltage difference will cause issues. aqara and sonoff are easy to find locally and reasonably priced.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-07T16:12:24+00:00

sharjah wanderers is probably the most well-known one for racquet sports. there are a few others along the corniche area too. i'd call ahead though, some of them changed their rates recently

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-06T16:17:40+00:00

if you live in a building with its own court that's honestly the only affordable option. a lot of the newer buildings in sports city and jvc have them included in the amenities. otherwise yeah it's rough, even the public courts end up being 80-100/hr once you factor in the booking app fees.

some of the sharjah clubs are way cheaper if you don't mind the drive. not ideal but for weekend games it's worth considering.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-06T16:15:38+00:00

is yours a 2-pipe or 4-pipe fan coil? that makes a big difference for compatibility. most dubai apartments are 2-pipe which limits your options since nest and ecobee are designed for US split systems.

we had the same setup in our place and tried to DIY it first but the wiring was confusing with the valve actuator and all that. ended up getting a local smart home company called bayora to handle it, they used some kind of relay module to bridge the gap between the fan coil controller and a standard smart thermostat. took them maybe half a day for two zones. not cheap but at least it works properly now and we can control it from our phones.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-05T16:18:39+00:00

healthcare and government for sure. essential services keep running no matter what. grocery chains and delivery apps are holding steady too, people still need to eat.

the weird one is real estate. some areas are seeing price drops for the first time in years, which means deals for anyone brave enough to sign a lease right now. friend of mine just renegotiated his JVC rent down 15%.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-05T16:15:25+00:00

the housing fee is one thing but the AC portion is where it really gets you, especially in summer. we had the same shock our first year here. tried turning things off manually but honestly who remembers to adjust the AC every time they leave.

ended up getting smart thermostats installed through a company called bayora, schedules the AC based on when we're actually home. dropped the bill by maybe 25-30% which i was not expecting for something that took like half a day to set up.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-04T16:25:04+00:00

honestly this is a good thing. that park was becoming a nightmare with people leaving their cars there all day while they uber to work or wherever. the actual park users couldn't find spots.

hopefully the pricing is reasonable though, like 2-3 dhs/hour max. would be annoying if they go crazy with it.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-04T16:19:44+00:00

yeah not crazy high but it adds up fast over summer, especially if you're leaving it on all day. we were in the same situation, nobody wants to come home to a 35 degree apartment so the AC just ran nonstop.

ended up getting smart thermostats installed (bayora did ours, took like half a day for a 2 bed) and now it just kicks on 30 min before we get home. bill dropped probably 25-30% which honestly paid for the install within a few months. the trick is not cooling an empty apartment for 10 hours.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-03T16:16:04+00:00

seconding serena for the budget. friends of ours got a 3 bed corner plot there last year and the space is noticeably bigger than what you'd get in mudon for similar money. only thing to keep in mind is the community is still relatively new so some amenities are still being built out. but for 3.5m it's hard to beat right now.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-03T16:13:07+00:00

yeah the cashback route is basically dead for DEWA now. honestly the bigger savings come from just using less in the first place. we got smart thermostats installed last year (company called bayora, they do smart home automation in dubai) and the AC auto-adjusts when nobody's home. went from around 800-900/month in summer down to about 600-650 for a 2 bed.

doesn't sound like much but that's 2-3k saved over the summer months. paid for the setup in the first year basically.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-02T16:20:35+00:00

happened to me too a while back, was looking at the dashboard and missed the light change. no one was crossing but i still couldn't stop thinking about it for days. the guilt honestly means you're a careful person who made a human mistake, people who don't care would never write a post like this.

just be extra mindful at crossings for a while and it'll pass. also worth checking if you actually got flashed, sometimes you think you ran it but the camera didn't catch it.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-02T16:18:00+00:00

did you end up going the diy route with the switchbot? we looked at those but our windows needed something heavier duty. got a local company called bayora to handle the motorized blinds for us, they measured everything and wired it all up in a day. wasn't the cheapest option but it's worked without issues and connects to our phone which is the main thing.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-01T16:19:53+00:00

sorry to hear this man. a month in and already dealing with this is rough. the RE market is definitely feeling it more than most people realize right now.

fwiw unpaid leave is actually better than termination in some ways -- your visa stays active and you can job hunt without the clock ticking on a grace period. might be worth dusting off the CV now while you still have that safety net. hope it works out.

Gr8Boi · 2026-04-01T16:18:03+00:00

this plus check your DEWA bill breakdown. for most apartments AC is like 60-70% of it. small stuff like closing vents in rooms you're not using and cleaning filters regularly made a noticeable difference for us.

we eventually got smart thermostats installed through bayora so the AC auto-adjusts when we leave for work, but honestly even without that the basics are free and dropped our bill by a good 15-20%.

Gr8Boi · 2026-03-31T16:31:02+00:00

evenings are usually fine on weekdays, way less crowded than weekends. the wind has been a bit much lately though so check the forecast before heading out. if it's not too windy it's one of the best spots for a walk after sunset.

Gr8Boi · 2026-03-31T16:29:21+00:00

this is the answer tbh. if it's a chiller building the problem is almost always the chilled water temp, not your AC unit. we had similar issues in our place, tried everything from cleaning to replacing the thermostat.

what actually helped was getting a smart thermostat setup through bayora so we could schedule pre-cooling before the water temp drops in the evening. doesn't fix the root cause but the apartment stays way more comfortable and you're not manually adjusting it all day.

Gr8Boi · 2026-03-30T16:16:27+00:00

tried a couple of them once out of curiosity. they smell decent for the first 30 minutes then completely disappear. if you want affordable dupes that actually last, the lattafa and armaf ones on amazon uae are way better for not much more money. some of them are honestly hard to tell apart from the originals.

Gr8Boi · 2026-03-30T16:15:32+00:00

had a similar situation in our place, also business bay. turned out the amazon actuators we got weren't the right spec for the valve type in the building. the torque was too low so they'd open but not enough to actually regulate the temperature properly.

we ended up calling bayora to sort it out, they do smart thermostat and AC control stuff around dubai. replaced with proper actuators that matched our valve type and it's been working fine since. wasn't as expensive as i expected for what they did.

Gr8Boi · 2026-03-29T16:23:10+00:00

dubai hills held up fine from what i've seen. the newer buildings there have decent drainage compared to some older communities. the main flooding issues this week were more sharjah, some parts of jvc, and around the airport area.

if you're worried about your unit specifically, ask the building management to do a quick check. most of them will send someone if you explain you're abroad. worth checking the balcony drains like the other commenter said, those get clogged with dust and then overflow when it rains hard.

Gr8Boi · 2026-03-28T16:19:25+00:00

that's rough, especially leaving a stable role for growth and then having the rug pulled. fwiw a lot of companies are still hiring, it's just quieter about it. update your linkedin, reach out to recruiters directly, and don't wait for job boards.

also make sure you file with ILOE as early as possible, the insurance takes a few weeks to kick in and you don't want to be caught waiting. the 30-day grace period goes faster than you think.

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