Regarding the interview, by all means apply (if you haven't done so). From the information that I have, your times look competitive. There are some Emirates pilots on the forum who can answer specific questions about recent experience, etc.

Read everything you can about Dubai. I think it is a fascinating story and I would love to see the place, but it's obviously not a situation that would suit everyone. There's a lot of information on this forum and Pprune about living in Dubai and working for Emirates.