Hey guys,
BBC has devoted a section on their website to the youth in the Middle East. It's quite interesting, with a lot of things that have sparked debates, like the music videos that are going too far. Also mention is made of clandestine meetings between men and women through mobile phones. Other issues about women working in Dubai paint a positive picture. I think on the whole it gives as true a picture as it can. In the reporter's words:
"However, the snapshots of young lives that we saw did demonstrate, at least among some, a yawning gulf between what is considered acceptable and what really takes place.
The phrase "it happens under the table" kept cropping up in Egypt - while the words "it's not considered appropriate" were often used among UAE nationals.
Adults and young people alike commented on the gulf between parents and their offspring.
And one overarching theme was clear - the desire to be heard."
-----
Mansur
Monday, August 01, 2005
King Fahd Dies!
Hey all,
I am sure you all know by now, but just this minute, I was informed that King Fahd died.
He was 82 years old. My deepest condolences to the people in Saudi Arabia and to Saudis all around the world. I pray for peace for his soul, and for peace and patience for a nation in mourning. I also pray for a smooth transition as new leaders take their place. Good luck to Saudi Arabia!
Mansur
I am sure you all know by now, but just this minute, I was informed that King Fahd died.
He was 82 years old. My deepest condolences to the people in Saudi Arabia and to Saudis all around the world. I pray for peace for his soul, and for peace and patience for a nation in mourning. I also pray for a smooth transition as new leaders take their place. Good luck to Saudi Arabia!
Mansur
Technology Misused?
Hey friends,
Saudi Arabia will soon be launching the "visual phone" service, whereby people can talk to each other via video through their mobile phones. Nokia is one phone which has two cameras, one which is facing back at you. Soon, people will talking to each other on video.
No dount, something new like always stirs up a debate, but this time, its the youth who are debating it. Should it be allowed? Should it be banned? The main gist of this debate is the age old argument: it will be misused!
I remember hearing the same thing about internet, the satellite, the camera phones, the bluetooth and what not. So, when some new like a video-phone arrives causing people to be furious about it, does that show something about the people or is technology bad?
I believe technology can be a good thing, provided it is used intelligently. I mean, take a car. A car can obviously be used for good purposes. But there are some rotten apples who will misuse it. The internet and bluetooth can be used for good purposes, but no, some rotten apples misuse it. I am not restricting this to Saudi, but you can apply this to any society anywhere in the world.
So let this video phone enter the market. Why waste time discussing and debating over it? Afer all, people have web cams in their homes!
Mansur
Saudi Arabia will soon be launching the "visual phone" service, whereby people can talk to each other via video through their mobile phones. Nokia is one phone which has two cameras, one which is facing back at you. Soon, people will talking to each other on video.
No dount, something new like always stirs up a debate, but this time, its the youth who are debating it. Should it be allowed? Should it be banned? The main gist of this debate is the age old argument: it will be misused!
I remember hearing the same thing about internet, the satellite, the camera phones, the bluetooth and what not. So, when some new like a video-phone arrives causing people to be furious about it, does that show something about the people or is technology bad?
I believe technology can be a good thing, provided it is used intelligently. I mean, take a car. A car can obviously be used for good purposes. But there are some rotten apples who will misuse it. The internet and bluetooth can be used for good purposes, but no, some rotten apples misuse it. I am not restricting this to Saudi, but you can apply this to any society anywhere in the world.
So let this video phone enter the market. Why waste time discussing and debating over it? Afer all, people have web cams in their homes!
Mansur
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Random Saudi News.....
Hi guys,
My friend sms-ed me yesterday saying the electricity was out and she and her family were sweltering in the hot and humid weather. Jeddah is one of the brightest cities in the world. I am not surprised that power outages occur, although they usually occur in the older parts of the city. This time it was the metropolitan parts of Jeddah that suffered. I liked the attitudes of several people who decided to use the power outage to go to Chuck E. Cheese or Hera Mall. Nice!
Oh, it's never too late to go to school. A 60-year old man in Khamis Mushayt got his high school degree! How cool! To all of you who worry you are graduating at a late age, take some relief in knowing you are not the only one!
How quickly moods can change. From joy to grief as chocolate distributing hosts found out the groom died in a car accident on his way to the wedding. Grim reminder that life is short.
Something is definitely wrong when a beggar makes SR15,000 in a month. These figures might encourage some to leave their regular jobs and start beggary. Of course, they would need some acting lessons to make sad faces and all!
A great article on how young girls may be shocked to see that women do a lot more than they do in Saudi. This particular Saudi girl was shocked to see a maid driving her car. Very important to help young boys and girl broaden their horizons.
A girl refused to go to Africa for summer holidays, leading her mother to believe that her daughter was realizing the importance of money. Instead, the girl wanted to go to Europe or America, leading her mom argue with her! Peer pressure and materialism leads young students with impressionable minds to develop such kinds of attitude.
Why do women need to consult men on everything they do, ranging from education to travel to doing paper work at ministries? I don't know. Maybe you do?
Oh oh...Prince Sultan Bin Salman, secretary general for the Supreme Commission for Tourism has said that "tourism in the Kingdom is unorganized and consequently it needs complete reorganization and a creation of tourist sites to attract tourists." He expects for the tourism industry to pick up in a year or two's time.
How can a mere camel cause damage worth SR2million? By standing in the way of a Chevrolet Caprice, three BMWs, a Toyota Land Cruiser, a Mercedes Benz, a Range Rover and a trailer truck. Amazingly, no one was hurt. The poor camel was left behind while all the drivers and crashed cars left the scene.
All right, I am outta here...have a great day!
Mansur
My friend sms-ed me yesterday saying the electricity was out and she and her family were sweltering in the hot and humid weather. Jeddah is one of the brightest cities in the world. I am not surprised that power outages occur, although they usually occur in the older parts of the city. This time it was the metropolitan parts of Jeddah that suffered. I liked the attitudes of several people who decided to use the power outage to go to Chuck E. Cheese or Hera Mall. Nice!
Oh, it's never too late to go to school. A 60-year old man in Khamis Mushayt got his high school degree! How cool! To all of you who worry you are graduating at a late age, take some relief in knowing you are not the only one!
How quickly moods can change. From joy to grief as chocolate distributing hosts found out the groom died in a car accident on his way to the wedding. Grim reminder that life is short.
Something is definitely wrong when a beggar makes SR15,000 in a month. These figures might encourage some to leave their regular jobs and start beggary. Of course, they would need some acting lessons to make sad faces and all!
A great article on how young girls may be shocked to see that women do a lot more than they do in Saudi. This particular Saudi girl was shocked to see a maid driving her car. Very important to help young boys and girl broaden their horizons.
A girl refused to go to Africa for summer holidays, leading her mother to believe that her daughter was realizing the importance of money. Instead, the girl wanted to go to Europe or America, leading her mom argue with her! Peer pressure and materialism leads young students with impressionable minds to develop such kinds of attitude.
Why do women need to consult men on everything they do, ranging from education to travel to doing paper work at ministries? I don't know. Maybe you do?
Oh oh...Prince Sultan Bin Salman, secretary general for the Supreme Commission for Tourism has said that "tourism in the Kingdom is unorganized and consequently it needs complete reorganization and a creation of tourist sites to attract tourists." He expects for the tourism industry to pick up in a year or two's time.
How can a mere camel cause damage worth SR2million? By standing in the way of a Chevrolet Caprice, three BMWs, a Toyota Land Cruiser, a Mercedes Benz, a Range Rover and a trailer truck. Amazingly, no one was hurt. The poor camel was left behind while all the drivers and crashed cars left the scene.
All right, I am outta here...have a great day!
Mansur
UAE Safe from Terrorism
Hello friends,
What a relief! The Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research recently conducted a research and concluded that those countries where there are sectarian and ethnic violence have higher chances of violence. UAE, the study claims, has no such sectarian or ethnic violence, so it is safe from terrorism. However, preventive measures will be taken. The key to a safe country is to maintain moderation in its political and religious policies.
Anyways, too much money has been poured into Dubai now, so should anything happen, Dubai has enough money to recover.
Mansur
What a relief! The Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research recently conducted a research and concluded that those countries where there are sectarian and ethnic violence have higher chances of violence. UAE, the study claims, has no such sectarian or ethnic violence, so it is safe from terrorism. However, preventive measures will be taken. The key to a safe country is to maintain moderation in its political and religious policies.
Anyways, too much money has been poured into Dubai now, so should anything happen, Dubai has enough money to recover.
Mansur
Saturday, July 30, 2005
F***! Sh*t! A**hole! B*tch!
Hello guys,
OK, there is one thing I dont do ever in this world. I don't swear. I don't say bad words. I don't shout expletives at anyone. The most common swear words are f***, a**hole sh*t and b*itch. While these words are included in any dictonary and could be used academically as well (f***= sexual intercourse, sh*t= excretement, a**= donkey and b*tch= female dog), they are best known as curse words. I remember when I was in 6th grade, we had to go through masculine and feminine words of animals and the words b*tch and a** would be there too. It did not seem funny then. However, these words have been used endlessly to death today, so much so they have formed a part of our everyday vocabulary. Watching Hollywood movies, these words are used as if it was something these characters learn at school. Meet the Fockers has a baby that says a**hoole cutely, and people find that hilarious. The TV sitcoms fare better because they don't allow for swear words (thankfully enough). Gosh, what I hate the most is how some people use God's name in vain. That ticks me off.
So despite watching movies where swear words are the norms, how come I have never uttered expletives?
Well, to be honest, there have been two occasions where I did shout out loud with a curse word. Hello? You there in the back row...are you all right? Don't be shocked! :-)
In 1993, when I was in 10th grade, I failed one exam very badly. I had spent a lot of time studying for it, and it was a crucial exam. If I did not pass this exam I was not going to go into the next semester. The day I found out the results, and realized I failed, I stayed quiet. I came home, went upstairs quietly, closed the door, locked it and sat on my desk facing the window. SH*T SH*T SH*T SH*T SH*T I shouted out to the window. I was so angry at myself, so much so, I said the curse word! Thankfully, the following week it turned out that I did not fail but passed the exam. So much for my sh*tty words
In 1998, when I was in university in Sharjah, I was becoming frustrated at the people and the university. See, I was the pioneer student and there was nothing on campus apart from dorms and classrooms. Main building was incomplete, no library, no sports complex, no student center, one pathetic cafeteria. After several weeks, I was also getting frustrated with the 10pm curfew. I felt like I was in kindergarten. On top of that the people were very difficult people to converse with. My roommate was a suicidal. So, one fine evening over the weekend, I stared out my window into the empty vast desert (which should have had grass) like a sad person, and shouted out into the air f***, f***, f***, f***. So there. At least I felt better.
So, since then, I have never uttered any curse or swear words. I have never insulted anyone. This is what I tell myself: The same mouth that I use to pray, to thank God, to ask for blessings, should not be the same mouth to utter curses and expletives. There are so many people I know who swear and curse as if it were part of their everyday vocabulary. I am so anti-swear words that I cannot even write them out. I do get angry at times, but I have learnt to not curse or shout at the other person, no matter how much rage there inside me. People should be fined for swearing.
Mansur
OK, there is one thing I dont do ever in this world. I don't swear. I don't say bad words. I don't shout expletives at anyone. The most common swear words are f***, a**hole sh*t and b*itch. While these words are included in any dictonary and could be used academically as well (f***= sexual intercourse, sh*t= excretement, a**= donkey and b*tch= female dog), they are best known as curse words. I remember when I was in 6th grade, we had to go through masculine and feminine words of animals and the words b*tch and a** would be there too. It did not seem funny then. However, these words have been used endlessly to death today, so much so they have formed a part of our everyday vocabulary. Watching Hollywood movies, these words are used as if it was something these characters learn at school. Meet the Fockers has a baby that says a**hoole cutely, and people find that hilarious. The TV sitcoms fare better because they don't allow for swear words (thankfully enough). Gosh, what I hate the most is how some people use God's name in vain. That ticks me off.
So despite watching movies where swear words are the norms, how come I have never uttered expletives?
Well, to be honest, there have been two occasions where I did shout out loud with a curse word. Hello? You there in the back row...are you all right? Don't be shocked! :-)
In 1993, when I was in 10th grade, I failed one exam very badly. I had spent a lot of time studying for it, and it was a crucial exam. If I did not pass this exam I was not going to go into the next semester. The day I found out the results, and realized I failed, I stayed quiet. I came home, went upstairs quietly, closed the door, locked it and sat on my desk facing the window. SH*T SH*T SH*T SH*T SH*T I shouted out to the window. I was so angry at myself, so much so, I said the curse word! Thankfully, the following week it turned out that I did not fail but passed the exam. So much for my sh*tty words
In 1998, when I was in university in Sharjah, I was becoming frustrated at the people and the university. See, I was the pioneer student and there was nothing on campus apart from dorms and classrooms. Main building was incomplete, no library, no sports complex, no student center, one pathetic cafeteria. After several weeks, I was also getting frustrated with the 10pm curfew. I felt like I was in kindergarten. On top of that the people were very difficult people to converse with. My roommate was a suicidal. So, one fine evening over the weekend, I stared out my window into the empty vast desert (which should have had grass) like a sad person, and shouted out into the air f***, f***, f***, f***. So there. At least I felt better.
So, since then, I have never uttered any curse or swear words. I have never insulted anyone. This is what I tell myself: The same mouth that I use to pray, to thank God, to ask for blessings, should not be the same mouth to utter curses and expletives. There are so many people I know who swear and curse as if it were part of their everyday vocabulary. I am so anti-swear words that I cannot even write them out. I do get angry at times, but I have learnt to not curse or shout at the other person, no matter how much rage there inside me. People should be fined for swearing.
Mansur
Friday, July 29, 2005
Movie :: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Hi everyone,
So I finally saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I remember being excited when it was first announced this movie was being made again. It would be unfair to compare this movie to the one made in 1971 with Gene Wilder playing Willy Wonka. I take the newer version as more faithful to the book and a re-interpretation of the book and not merely a remake of the older movie version.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is about a weird chocolate factory owner, Willy Wonka, who sends out five golden tickets hidden in chocolate bars. Five kids find them, which include Charlie, and they are led inside the factory. One by one, each kid is eliminated and soon Charlie is left with his “prize.” (For detailed synopsis, you can refer to my older post.)
I, for one, have a special affection for this story by Roald Dahl, who wrote among others BFG, The Witches, The Twits, James and the Giant Peach. I also enjoyed reading his Tales of the Unexpected. Dahl’s stories have always been different, wild and extremely imaginative, bordering on fantastical. With Tim Burton as the director, I expected this movie to play a lot with your visual senses. Burton has directed Edward Scissorhands, Planet of the Apes, Big Fish and Batman. His movies have always been fantasy-type and visually rich, with a bit of weird-ness thrown in. Johnny Depp, who plays Willy Wonka, has worked with Burton on four movies. Freddie Highmore, who plays Charlie, worked with Depp on Finding Neverland, which explains for the great chemistry between Willy Wonka and Charlie.
This movie may be mistaken as a pure kiddie movie, but I think adults can enjoy it as much. This movie was like a commentary on the social fabric of our society today. Each of the kids represented a section of the society. Augustus Gloop represents the alarming obesity conditions in kids. Violet Beuaragarde represents the over-competitiveness in small children. Veruca Salt represents the Paris Hiltons of this world. Mike Teavee represents those kids hooked onto television and violent video games. Charlie himself represents, what I would think be a minority, the selfless, near-saint-like kid, who values the family values more than the materialism.
This movie was also internationalized, which the book did not have. We have an anecdote of an Indian prince who wanted a palace made out of chocolate. We see Wonka chocolate bars being exported to Tokyo, London and Cairo. We see chocolates being sold in Japan, Germany and Morocco. When the first flyer is put up in the town, you see Sikhs, Asians, Chinese and others gathering to see the post. There were also so many in-jokes, or references to other movies: namely Psycho and 2001: Space Odyssey. At one point, it almost bordered on near scary as we see one kid being dumped into an incinerator (which we are told is filled with three weeks of trash). It’s venturing beyond the realm of a kiddie movie, as we see another being inflated and yet another being stretched paper thin.
The oompa-loompah, who were depicted correctly here, was played by one Indian actor, who was then digitally cloned to represents 100s others. The older movie had green and orange colored oompah-loompah and seemed scarier. In the new on, this Indian actor plays a jungle chef, newscaster, rock-star and also Doris, the female secretary. The songs he sang were of different styles: bollywood, hippie, funk and rock. I remember the songs in the older version, which may seem tame to the newer version, being more meaningful lyrics wise.
There were some extra scenes, which I personally felt slowed down the pace of the movie. These included the flashbacks to reveal more of Wonka’s childhood and his dentist-father, played by Christopher Lee. It dragged the movie down, as we would leave the excitement of the factory to flashbacks. This movie also ventured beyond the elevator “up and out” scene in the book in order to create a fuller story, with the basic theme of how a family support system is integral, which I think will speak to the people in the West as they see their family structure breakdown.
There were some great scenes with Charlie and his two sets of grandparents. The chocolate factory was very imaginatively designed. The Chocolate River set was stupendous. The boat ride in the disco-lit tunnel was amazing. The squirrel, which were all trained, cracking nuts was amazingly done. The glass elevator was fitted with jet engines. There were definitely more pluses than minuses (one glaring problem I had was the reaction of parents while their kids were being eliminated- Why didn’t Veruca’s dad climb over the railing to save her daughter? Why didn’t Augustus’ mom shriek in terror when her son was being sucked into the pipe?)
Depp did a wonderful job acting as Willy Wonka. (Any notion of him being Michael Jackson with that make-up inviting kids into his factory should be dispelled!) He for sure has displayed his versatility (remember The Pirates of the Caribbean?). Charlie brought a lot of innocence, maturity and almost angelic-like into his character. I mean, we know Charlie will be the last one to get the ticket, but after two failed attempts, when he finally does get the ticket, we feel as emotional as he does. The other kids also acted above average. Charlie’s grandparents did a good job too.
In summary, keeping in mind that this movie is coming from the Burton-Depp camp, we can expect to see a weird- fantastical experience into the chocolate factory, all the while learning more about Willy Wonka. A sweet-filled, dee-licious journey that drums home the fact that at the end of day, it is your family that will love and support you the most.
4.5 out of 5.
Mansur
(I don’t know why but when I came home, I was craving for one of that huge Wonka bars too!)
So I finally saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I remember being excited when it was first announced this movie was being made again. It would be unfair to compare this movie to the one made in 1971 with Gene Wilder playing Willy Wonka. I take the newer version as more faithful to the book and a re-interpretation of the book and not merely a remake of the older movie version.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is about a weird chocolate factory owner, Willy Wonka, who sends out five golden tickets hidden in chocolate bars. Five kids find them, which include Charlie, and they are led inside the factory. One by one, each kid is eliminated and soon Charlie is left with his “prize.” (For detailed synopsis, you can refer to my older post.)
I, for one, have a special affection for this story by Roald Dahl, who wrote among others BFG, The Witches, The Twits, James and the Giant Peach. I also enjoyed reading his Tales of the Unexpected. Dahl’s stories have always been different, wild and extremely imaginative, bordering on fantastical. With Tim Burton as the director, I expected this movie to play a lot with your visual senses. Burton has directed Edward Scissorhands, Planet of the Apes, Big Fish and Batman. His movies have always been fantasy-type and visually rich, with a bit of weird-ness thrown in. Johnny Depp, who plays Willy Wonka, has worked with Burton on four movies. Freddie Highmore, who plays Charlie, worked with Depp on Finding Neverland, which explains for the great chemistry between Willy Wonka and Charlie.
This movie may be mistaken as a pure kiddie movie, but I think adults can enjoy it as much. This movie was like a commentary on the social fabric of our society today. Each of the kids represented a section of the society. Augustus Gloop represents the alarming obesity conditions in kids. Violet Beuaragarde represents the over-competitiveness in small children. Veruca Salt represents the Paris Hiltons of this world. Mike Teavee represents those kids hooked onto television and violent video games. Charlie himself represents, what I would think be a minority, the selfless, near-saint-like kid, who values the family values more than the materialism.
This movie was also internationalized, which the book did not have. We have an anecdote of an Indian prince who wanted a palace made out of chocolate. We see Wonka chocolate bars being exported to Tokyo, London and Cairo. We see chocolates being sold in Japan, Germany and Morocco. When the first flyer is put up in the town, you see Sikhs, Asians, Chinese and others gathering to see the post. There were also so many in-jokes, or references to other movies: namely Psycho and 2001: Space Odyssey. At one point, it almost bordered on near scary as we see one kid being dumped into an incinerator (which we are told is filled with three weeks of trash). It’s venturing beyond the realm of a kiddie movie, as we see another being inflated and yet another being stretched paper thin.
The oompa-loompah, who were depicted correctly here, was played by one Indian actor, who was then digitally cloned to represents 100s others. The older movie had green and orange colored oompah-loompah and seemed scarier. In the new on, this Indian actor plays a jungle chef, newscaster, rock-star and also Doris, the female secretary. The songs he sang were of different styles: bollywood, hippie, funk and rock. I remember the songs in the older version, which may seem tame to the newer version, being more meaningful lyrics wise.
There were some extra scenes, which I personally felt slowed down the pace of the movie. These included the flashbacks to reveal more of Wonka’s childhood and his dentist-father, played by Christopher Lee. It dragged the movie down, as we would leave the excitement of the factory to flashbacks. This movie also ventured beyond the elevator “up and out” scene in the book in order to create a fuller story, with the basic theme of how a family support system is integral, which I think will speak to the people in the West as they see their family structure breakdown.
There were some great scenes with Charlie and his two sets of grandparents. The chocolate factory was very imaginatively designed. The Chocolate River set was stupendous. The boat ride in the disco-lit tunnel was amazing. The squirrel, which were all trained, cracking nuts was amazingly done. The glass elevator was fitted with jet engines. There were definitely more pluses than minuses (one glaring problem I had was the reaction of parents while their kids were being eliminated- Why didn’t Veruca’s dad climb over the railing to save her daughter? Why didn’t Augustus’ mom shriek in terror when her son was being sucked into the pipe?)
Depp did a wonderful job acting as Willy Wonka. (Any notion of him being Michael Jackson with that make-up inviting kids into his factory should be dispelled!) He for sure has displayed his versatility (remember The Pirates of the Caribbean?). Charlie brought a lot of innocence, maturity and almost angelic-like into his character. I mean, we know Charlie will be the last one to get the ticket, but after two failed attempts, when he finally does get the ticket, we feel as emotional as he does. The other kids also acted above average. Charlie’s grandparents did a good job too.
In summary, keeping in mind that this movie is coming from the Burton-Depp camp, we can expect to see a weird- fantastical experience into the chocolate factory, all the while learning more about Willy Wonka. A sweet-filled, dee-licious journey that drums home the fact that at the end of day, it is your family that will love and support you the most.
4.5 out of 5.
Mansur
(I don’t know why but when I came home, I was craving for one of that huge Wonka bars too!)
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Ahlaaaiin Dubai!!!
Ahlaaaain friends,
Welcome to Dubai. Jo wanted some info on what to do in Dubai, and I will be attempting to give Jo an insider's information on what to do where! Ok, so Dubai has recently been voted by a leading retail magazine as the leading destination for shopping, so I shall start there.
SHOPPING!!
1. City Center- This is the most central place to do your shopping. It includes the hypermarket as well, and you are bound to find something that will fit your budget. I like this mall because it has food courts and restaurants, a good bookshop (Magrudys) and movie theatres.
2. Sharjah Blue Souk- I love this place because if you go the second floor, you can find great bargains on those little artifacts and souvenirs you know you have been meaning to buy your grandmother back home! It's a great haunt, and bargain a lot with the shopkeepers. Don't buy anything like souvenirs from the malls. I bought a camel candle holder, which were being sold in the mall for dhs140, and I got it for dhs30 at the Blue Souk.
3. Ibn Battuta Mall- This is the latest mall to come up in Dubai. It's a nice place to stroll around as the shops are the same. Geant, another hypermarket is also there. This mall also has the imax, but no good movies are being shown on it. The regular cinemas are there. This mall is good for a casual visit. Be prepared to walk a lot though as you go through six different countries.
4. Souk Madinat Jumeirah- A re-creation of an ancient souk, this is nice to experience, but be aware that the prices are quite high for the unsuspecting tourists. Just go there for the experience of it.
(Note: There are other malls as well like Bur Juman and Wafi, but they are exclusive malls, with highly priced boutiques and designer shops. Al Ghurair is a disappointment so don't bother going there. Lamcy is all right- it's entirely Indian, and sometimes you can find good bargains. Other smaller malls are ok, like Reef mall on Murragabat street.)
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES!!!
1. Wadi Bashing- This is a must-do thing if you are in Dubai. Call any tour operator and they shall arrange it for you. This is the closest thing you will come to a roller coaster in Dubai. Riders are frisked away in 4-wheel jeeps out into the desert, where they embark on a dune bashing, whereby the jeeps go up and down on the dunes. It's an adrenaline filled ride. I remember when I went on it, I was screaming on it the whole time mainly because it's so unpredictable and scarily fun!
2. Dinner Creek- Book your dinner for a ride on the creek. I have been with them through Al-Boom Tourist Village, and a dinner on the creek in the evening is a great experience to witness Dubai's skyline and creek.
3. Abra rides- Abras are the water-taxis. You merely pay about 1dhs and you get a ride from Bur Dubai to Deira or the other way. All sorts of people go on this, and is an experience in itself.
4. Beach sports- There are loads of options to do beach-y stuff: diving, snorkelling, surfing, banana boat rides, jet skiing, or just lazying on the beach. Usually the beach front hotels will provide all these facilities though you have to pay an entrance fee. I like mamzar beach, as opposed to Jumeirah beach where you find more sleazy people.
5. Wild Wadi- Bit expensive, but a great day out. It's an awesome water park, with some of the coolest rides in there.
FOOD!!!
1. Automatic- The best lebanese food...nothing can beat this. Cheap, very efficient and always tasty and dee-licious!
2. Goodies- Another lebanese restaurant in Wafi Mall. Make sure you get to sit outside on the balcony for amazing views and experience. Sheesha is also great there.
3. Boardwalk- This is an outdoor restaurant, situated on the creek, opposite City Center mall. The menu is the usual, but its the experience of sitting outside on the creek.
4. Madinat Jumeirah- Several good restaurants. Don't try the Times of Arabia- highly over priced Lebanese. The Meat Co. is awesome.
HOTELS!!!
1. Madinat Jumeirah- Again, a great place to just hang out, have coffee, ice cream or dinner.
2. Grand Hyatt- A city hotel, there are some good restaurants here (Indochine is nice). It's a happening hotel and apparently has the best club in town (The MIX).
3. Royal Mirage- I like this hotel because its in its own world. Peace and serenity are the keywords here. If you want to relax and have a peaceful time, this is it.
EXTRAS!!!
There are loads of cinema multiplexes here, and they all show the same movies! Art galleries and museums are also here. There are areas in old Dubai where you can get good bargains on electronics. There is the Gold Souk. Lots of other smaller stuff. I don't go clubbing so I am not knowledgable on what clubs are nice or not. I only hear from other people.
All right, I hope I covered everything. If you have specific questions, let me know. If you have any particular interest, ask me and I can try to help you more. By the way, I only refer to Time Out Dubai as the essential guide. They are a great guide to what's happening in Dubai. There is another magazine What's On, but that's quite boring. Also, there is a book Dubai Explorer, which is all right too...more handy if you are living here for a longer time.
By the way, I extend out an invitation to you. I am not sure who you are coming with, but it would be awesome if we could meet up for coffee or something!
Mansur
Welcome to Dubai. Jo wanted some info on what to do in Dubai, and I will be attempting to give Jo an insider's information on what to do where! Ok, so Dubai has recently been voted by a leading retail magazine as the leading destination for shopping, so I shall start there.
SHOPPING!!
1. City Center- This is the most central place to do your shopping. It includes the hypermarket as well, and you are bound to find something that will fit your budget. I like this mall because it has food courts and restaurants, a good bookshop (Magrudys) and movie theatres.
2. Sharjah Blue Souk- I love this place because if you go the second floor, you can find great bargains on those little artifacts and souvenirs you know you have been meaning to buy your grandmother back home! It's a great haunt, and bargain a lot with the shopkeepers. Don't buy anything like souvenirs from the malls. I bought a camel candle holder, which were being sold in the mall for dhs140, and I got it for dhs30 at the Blue Souk.
3. Ibn Battuta Mall- This is the latest mall to come up in Dubai. It's a nice place to stroll around as the shops are the same. Geant, another hypermarket is also there. This mall also has the imax, but no good movies are being shown on it. The regular cinemas are there. This mall is good for a casual visit. Be prepared to walk a lot though as you go through six different countries.
4. Souk Madinat Jumeirah- A re-creation of an ancient souk, this is nice to experience, but be aware that the prices are quite high for the unsuspecting tourists. Just go there for the experience of it.
(Note: There are other malls as well like Bur Juman and Wafi, but they are exclusive malls, with highly priced boutiques and designer shops. Al Ghurair is a disappointment so don't bother going there. Lamcy is all right- it's entirely Indian, and sometimes you can find good bargains. Other smaller malls are ok, like Reef mall on Murragabat street.)
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES!!!
1. Wadi Bashing- This is a must-do thing if you are in Dubai. Call any tour operator and they shall arrange it for you. This is the closest thing you will come to a roller coaster in Dubai. Riders are frisked away in 4-wheel jeeps out into the desert, where they embark on a dune bashing, whereby the jeeps go up and down on the dunes. It's an adrenaline filled ride. I remember when I went on it, I was screaming on it the whole time mainly because it's so unpredictable and scarily fun!
2. Dinner Creek- Book your dinner for a ride on the creek. I have been with them through Al-Boom Tourist Village, and a dinner on the creek in the evening is a great experience to witness Dubai's skyline and creek.
3. Abra rides- Abras are the water-taxis. You merely pay about 1dhs and you get a ride from Bur Dubai to Deira or the other way. All sorts of people go on this, and is an experience in itself.
4. Beach sports- There are loads of options to do beach-y stuff: diving, snorkelling, surfing, banana boat rides, jet skiing, or just lazying on the beach. Usually the beach front hotels will provide all these facilities though you have to pay an entrance fee. I like mamzar beach, as opposed to Jumeirah beach where you find more sleazy people.
5. Wild Wadi- Bit expensive, but a great day out. It's an awesome water park, with some of the coolest rides in there.
FOOD!!!
1. Automatic- The best lebanese food...nothing can beat this. Cheap, very efficient and always tasty and dee-licious!
2. Goodies- Another lebanese restaurant in Wafi Mall. Make sure you get to sit outside on the balcony for amazing views and experience. Sheesha is also great there.
3. Boardwalk- This is an outdoor restaurant, situated on the creek, opposite City Center mall. The menu is the usual, but its the experience of sitting outside on the creek.
4. Madinat Jumeirah- Several good restaurants. Don't try the Times of Arabia- highly over priced Lebanese. The Meat Co. is awesome.
HOTELS!!!
1. Madinat Jumeirah- Again, a great place to just hang out, have coffee, ice cream or dinner.
2. Grand Hyatt- A city hotel, there are some good restaurants here (Indochine is nice). It's a happening hotel and apparently has the best club in town (The MIX).
3. Royal Mirage- I like this hotel because its in its own world. Peace and serenity are the keywords here. If you want to relax and have a peaceful time, this is it.
EXTRAS!!!
There are loads of cinema multiplexes here, and they all show the same movies! Art galleries and museums are also here. There are areas in old Dubai where you can get good bargains on electronics. There is the Gold Souk. Lots of other smaller stuff. I don't go clubbing so I am not knowledgable on what clubs are nice or not. I only hear from other people.
All right, I hope I covered everything. If you have specific questions, let me know. If you have any particular interest, ask me and I can try to help you more. By the way, I only refer to Time Out Dubai as the essential guide. They are a great guide to what's happening in Dubai. There is another magazine What's On, but that's quite boring. Also, there is a book Dubai Explorer, which is all right too...more handy if you are living here for a longer time.
By the way, I extend out an invitation to you. I am not sure who you are coming with, but it would be awesome if we could meet up for coffee or something!
Mansur
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Incomprehensible...
Hello friends,
Since the attacks in London, all the analysts and experts have been discussing and analyzing the reasons for a group of four people carrying out the attacks. I wathed Nawaf Obaid, the Saudi Security Adviser, on BBC Hardtalk last night, and he gave his reasons as well. People from all angles have been pouring in with their reasons. Some of these include:
* The attacks in London were in retaliation for the attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan
* The people who carried out the attacks were disengaged from society
* These attackers are unemployed, disenfranchised and not yet assimilated into society
* The bombers have been brainwashed by a superior mastermind, probably linked to Al-Qaeda
There are loads of other reasons, and I don't think there is one solid reason, but at the end of the day, it could be several reasons. Now, what I don't understand is why a group of Iraqi insurgents, or whatever you would like to call them, abduct a group of Algerian diplomats and execute them. I don't understand why these insurgents would want to ambush a group of Iraqi men who were returning from police training. Sure, some could argue that this internal kilings between Muslims has been started by the US. As if everything that goes wrong has been started by the US. Do we kill all Muslims who are not with Al-Qaeda? Do we kill innocents whose government support the US and their allies?
What it all boils down to essentially is that Muslims are killing Muslims. Leave all the politics aside and look at it from a human's perspective. It's a Muslim killing another Muslim. I just don't understand this: why would Muslims kill Muslims?
Mansur
Since the attacks in London, all the analysts and experts have been discussing and analyzing the reasons for a group of four people carrying out the attacks. I wathed Nawaf Obaid, the Saudi Security Adviser, on BBC Hardtalk last night, and he gave his reasons as well. People from all angles have been pouring in with their reasons. Some of these include:
* The attacks in London were in retaliation for the attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan
* The people who carried out the attacks were disengaged from society
* These attackers are unemployed, disenfranchised and not yet assimilated into society
* The bombers have been brainwashed by a superior mastermind, probably linked to Al-Qaeda
There are loads of other reasons, and I don't think there is one solid reason, but at the end of the day, it could be several reasons. Now, what I don't understand is why a group of Iraqi insurgents, or whatever you would like to call them, abduct a group of Algerian diplomats and execute them. I don't understand why these insurgents would want to ambush a group of Iraqi men who were returning from police training. Sure, some could argue that this internal kilings between Muslims has been started by the US. As if everything that goes wrong has been started by the US. Do we kill all Muslims who are not with Al-Qaeda? Do we kill innocents whose government support the US and their allies?
What it all boils down to essentially is that Muslims are killing Muslims. Leave all the politics aside and look at it from a human's perspective. It's a Muslim killing another Muslim. I just don't understand this: why would Muslims kill Muslims?
Mansur
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