10 things I could whinge about

Sally McDougal, former Australian journalist living the expat life with husband Ian.

Growing old. Last time I could see, I was fresh-faced and had only one chin.

Struggling to understand my kids. When your teenager is ‘chillin’, she’s not cold. And when she calls her brother a ‘tool’ she isn’t referring to hardware. And no, LL Cool J, Ice-T and Coolio are not summer beverages.

Losing the technology war. No, a megabyte is not an upsized meal. And RAM aren’t sheep bounding in a paddock, but Random Access Memory which is something I have very little of. But apparently my computer does.

Being forgotten. ‘No I don’t think we’ve met.’ Seriously dude, we met ten years ago and we’re reintroduced to each other four times a year.

Greed. No sooner do you have the latest high definition flat screen, than you’re desperate for the 3D high definition flat screen. You know the one that makes coffee and gives you a pedicure at the same time? And then there are iPods, iPhones and iAnything-else which means we don’t eat this month.

Traffic. Base jumping, bungee jumping, ski jumping and our newest extreme sport – lane jumping. Nothing says adrenaline junkie more than navigating UAE traffic while holding back the advances of a tailgating hurry-on-wheels.

The partner’s BlackBerry. The little gadget that brings the office into your bedroom. Dude, ever heard of a time zone? Time out!

Whingers! Do I need to say more?

Rude people. To the salesgirl who accosted me loudly in the cosmetics department and suggested I needed age-defying moisturiser. Seriously, are you kidding?

People who never listen to you. You’re telling this great story but your audience is scoping the room for a better act.

– As told to Hina Navin, a Dubai-based freelancer