Hello people,
If you think the Rio Carnival Parade is a Festival, think again! If you thought nothing could be better than the magical Disney parade, think again! What could be better? The Parades that are happening all over Dubai, and for good reason. The UAE football team won the Gulf Cup, with one of their player scoring in the 72nd minute into the game. The final was against Oman. Saudi Arabia was knocked out by UAE in the semi final, much to my disappointment, as I was rooting for the Saudi team, purely on the basis that I am an an ex-Saudi expat. But it was the case of May the Best Team Win, and UAE certainly were the better team of them all. Many congratulations to the UAE as they celebrate their joyous moments.
Right now, outside on Jumeirah Beach Road, the streets are strewn with confetti, snow spray and party spray leftovers. Young men climbing out of their jeeps, sitting on the roofs, trunks and bonnets, waving flags. Many have their faces painted in the national colors. Flags are covering the cars entirely. Traffic is being held up with men get out of cars and dance on the roads, oblivious to the traffic blockage behind them. Some local Emirati women are alsi joining in on the fun, celebrating their nation. A few police cars are arresting a few miscreants, but there are only so many the police can catch. Majority of them are having a ball of a time, honking their cars, blasting away into the night. I pity the people in this neighborhood as they will have a sleepless night tonight.
Well done UAE. An Emirati would be proud of their nation today.
Mansur
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Terry Fox Run
Hey everyone,
So today morning, at 8am my friend and I went to Mamzar Park to register for the Terry Fox Run in Dubai. Terry Fox was a young man who had cancer, and vowed to walk across Canada to raise money for cancer research back in1980. Talk about paying it forward, as his determination has led to Terry Fox Run all over the world.
About 10,000 people were expected at the park today morning. Once we got there, I got into my roller blades, while my friend walked/ ran in between. The race begane at 930. We walked/roller bladed/ sprinted/ jogged the entire 8.4km. It didn't seem that long, and it was good doing all that knowing our donations went for cancer research. There were lots of people from schools, and apparently come companies who had surrely paid theie employees to run the race. People ran, walked, cycled, roller bladed, skate boarded. The weather was pleasant, the roads were wide open with enough space for people to do their walk without bumping into anyone else. One exciting thing that happened was a group of yuong teenagers fighting with one another. I had never seen a young teen kick another teen in the head and chest so hard. I was freaking out a little seeing such violence. Despite that, we all got our certificates at the end and several bananas and sandwiches.
I came home, and then to the Fitness First gym at the Ibn Battuta Mall. They are celebrating their first anniversary and so today, tomorrow and day after is open to the public. I thought I might as well check it out. I thought it was an ok gym. The equipments were all high tech and all, with complete flat screen tvs everywhere. This club is exclusive and caters to a certain cleintele. The funniest thing I saw was the notice in the changing room, where it asked everyone to respect other people and be modest. What I saw in there was far from modest!
Mansur
So today morning, at 8am my friend and I went to Mamzar Park to register for the Terry Fox Run in Dubai. Terry Fox was a young man who had cancer, and vowed to walk across Canada to raise money for cancer research back in1980. Talk about paying it forward, as his determination has led to Terry Fox Run all over the world.
About 10,000 people were expected at the park today morning. Once we got there, I got into my roller blades, while my friend walked/ ran in between. The race begane at 930. We walked/roller bladed/ sprinted/ jogged the entire 8.4km. It didn't seem that long, and it was good doing all that knowing our donations went for cancer research. There were lots of people from schools, and apparently come companies who had surrely paid theie employees to run the race. People ran, walked, cycled, roller bladed, skate boarded. The weather was pleasant, the roads were wide open with enough space for people to do their walk without bumping into anyone else. One exciting thing that happened was a group of yuong teenagers fighting with one another. I had never seen a young teen kick another teen in the head and chest so hard. I was freaking out a little seeing such violence. Despite that, we all got our certificates at the end and several bananas and sandwiches.
I came home, and then to the Fitness First gym at the Ibn Battuta Mall. They are celebrating their first anniversary and so today, tomorrow and day after is open to the public. I thought I might as well check it out. I thought it was an ok gym. The equipments were all high tech and all, with complete flat screen tvs everywhere. This club is exclusive and caters to a certain cleintele. The funniest thing I saw was the notice in the changing room, where it asked everyone to respect other people and be modest. What I saw in there was far from modest!
Mansur
Saturday, January 20, 2007
A break...
Hello people,
Since my new place in the Meadows is so far away from everything, I don't have close access to the net. I cannot blog from my work place anyways. So for now, I will not be blogging as extensively as I would like to. I will be taking a short break for about a week or two and wait to settle in and get all the net connections and all, and will then start actively blogging again. However, if I find someone I absolutely have to blog about, I will do so.
Mansur
Since my new place in the Meadows is so far away from everything, I don't have close access to the net. I cannot blog from my work place anyways. So for now, I will not be blogging as extensively as I would like to. I will be taking a short break for about a week or two and wait to settle in and get all the net connections and all, and will then start actively blogging again. However, if I find someone I absolutely have to blog about, I will do so.
Mansur
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Random Acts of Kindness
Hello friends,
I talked about the Pay it Forward issue just a few days ago, and today I did just that. Since I am out of my apartment in Sharjah and moved to Meadows in Dubai for a short while till my apartments in International City are ready, I thought I should say a thank you to two places near my home where I frequented on an almost daily basis.
First stop was Al Ahlam Net Cafe. I used their net cafe almost daily (for emails- chatting with a certain friend in Saudi, and blogging) and was always given a warm welcome. Sometimes he would even let me chat and not charge me. I said a huge thank you to him for his wonderful services, and his reaction was that of an awkward silence followed by a long time of " you-are-one-of-my-best-customer" kind of talk.
However, it was the second place where I got a reaction that left me stunned. I got a Thank You card and addressed it to the staff and serves at my local McDonalds. I thanked them for always serving me with a smile. For two years I had been coming to McDonalds right in front of my house on an almost weekly basis, and got to know all the people working in there, so much so, one of them even gave me two burgers when I ordered for one. So, I walked in and asked to talk to the manager, and told him that I wanted to thank him and the rest of his staff for doing a good job and handed him the card. His reaction, as well as that off the filipino servers there, was that of a long, shocked, stunned silence. They didn't know what to say. All I could say then was "thanks so much for everything, and I will miss coming here."
It gave a rush as I sat back in my car and realized how amaxing I could feel when I said thanks to people who I don't really know. It's the same kind of rush/ thrill I get when I am on a roller coaster. I am encouraged now to do more acts of random kindness now and enjoy the adrenaline rush I get from it.
Mansur
I talked about the Pay it Forward issue just a few days ago, and today I did just that. Since I am out of my apartment in Sharjah and moved to Meadows in Dubai for a short while till my apartments in International City are ready, I thought I should say a thank you to two places near my home where I frequented on an almost daily basis.
First stop was Al Ahlam Net Cafe. I used their net cafe almost daily (for emails- chatting with a certain friend in Saudi, and blogging) and was always given a warm welcome. Sometimes he would even let me chat and not charge me. I said a huge thank you to him for his wonderful services, and his reaction was that of an awkward silence followed by a long time of " you-are-one-of-my-best-customer" kind of talk.
However, it was the second place where I got a reaction that left me stunned. I got a Thank You card and addressed it to the staff and serves at my local McDonalds. I thanked them for always serving me with a smile. For two years I had been coming to McDonalds right in front of my house on an almost weekly basis, and got to know all the people working in there, so much so, one of them even gave me two burgers when I ordered for one. So, I walked in and asked to talk to the manager, and told him that I wanted to thank him and the rest of his staff for doing a good job and handed him the card. His reaction, as well as that off the filipino servers there, was that of a long, shocked, stunned silence. They didn't know what to say. All I could say then was "thanks so much for everything, and I will miss coming here."
It gave a rush as I sat back in my car and realized how amaxing I could feel when I said thanks to people who I don't really know. It's the same kind of rush/ thrill I get when I am on a roller coaster. I am encouraged now to do more acts of random kindness now and enjoy the adrenaline rush I get from it.
Mansur
Saturday, January 13, 2007
A Day Out in Dubai
Hello friends,
So we went to Ace Hardware at first to pick up some items my friend wanted for her car, and after that we didn't know where to go. While driving down Emirates Road, we made a spontaneous decision to go to Bab Al Shams, which is part of Jumeirah International- the chain that has Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Emirates Towers and Wild Wadi. Bab Al Shams is about 35kms outside of Dubai, and so after a quick lunch at Arabian Ranches, we made our way to Bab Al Shams.
The drive is not exactly a scenic one and very straightforward, but once you come to the main entrance to Bab Al Shams, it's all about tradition and arabian delights. Hanging lamps lead us through winding roads to the main entrance where men in traditional Arabic clothing greet us and valet park my car. Walking down curved pathways lit with oil lamps brings us to the center courtyard where we climbed up to the rooftop to get to the cafe. The sun was setting and the skies were turning purple, red, orange and a dark blue. There was music emanating from the other end by a Filipino band singing Latino songs, where the lead singer was all dressed up like Shakira. The mood was festive, lively, enjoyable and most of all romantic. I wish I were here with someone who I truly loved so the time here would be more enjoyable- not that I was not having a good time with my friend.
We ordered cheesecake- probably the most expensive one I had in my life, about 30dhs- and all I got out of it were 5 small bites. After watching the sunset, and witnessing the whole rooftop cafe lit up in traditional Arabian lanterns, we made our way back to Dubai driving down a patch of dark road in the empty desert. Sometimes, it's an amazing experience to be able to go out in the desert with modern gadgets and cimmune with nature.
On our way back, we stopped over at the Dubai Autodrome, where there was a 24 hour drifting/ racing taking place. The first thing that hits you is the intensity of the noise emanating from the cars that whiz past by you. We climbed up to the seating area and saw cars zoom past by so fast. It was an experience to witness. However, no one was drifting their cars.
Went to Lamcy later on to check out roller blades which we plan on buying to go for the Terry Fox Run happening on January 26th '07.
More on what's happening in Life of Mansur later. As for now, I am going to be moving out of my place in Sharjah to Dubai on Monday, 15th Jan. Will get back to you after that day.
Mansur
So we went to Ace Hardware at first to pick up some items my friend wanted for her car, and after that we didn't know where to go. While driving down Emirates Road, we made a spontaneous decision to go to Bab Al Shams, which is part of Jumeirah International- the chain that has Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Emirates Towers and Wild Wadi. Bab Al Shams is about 35kms outside of Dubai, and so after a quick lunch at Arabian Ranches, we made our way to Bab Al Shams.
The drive is not exactly a scenic one and very straightforward, but once you come to the main entrance to Bab Al Shams, it's all about tradition and arabian delights. Hanging lamps lead us through winding roads to the main entrance where men in traditional Arabic clothing greet us and valet park my car. Walking down curved pathways lit with oil lamps brings us to the center courtyard where we climbed up to the rooftop to get to the cafe. The sun was setting and the skies were turning purple, red, orange and a dark blue. There was music emanating from the other end by a Filipino band singing Latino songs, where the lead singer was all dressed up like Shakira. The mood was festive, lively, enjoyable and most of all romantic. I wish I were here with someone who I truly loved so the time here would be more enjoyable- not that I was not having a good time with my friend.
We ordered cheesecake- probably the most expensive one I had in my life, about 30dhs- and all I got out of it were 5 small bites. After watching the sunset, and witnessing the whole rooftop cafe lit up in traditional Arabian lanterns, we made our way back to Dubai driving down a patch of dark road in the empty desert. Sometimes, it's an amazing experience to be able to go out in the desert with modern gadgets and cimmune with nature.
On our way back, we stopped over at the Dubai Autodrome, where there was a 24 hour drifting/ racing taking place. The first thing that hits you is the intensity of the noise emanating from the cars that whiz past by you. We climbed up to the seating area and saw cars zoom past by so fast. It was an experience to witness. However, no one was drifting their cars.
Went to Lamcy later on to check out roller blades which we plan on buying to go for the Terry Fox Run happening on January 26th '07.
More on what's happening in Life of Mansur later. As for now, I am going to be moving out of my place in Sharjah to Dubai on Monday, 15th Jan. Will get back to you after that day.
Mansur
Friday, January 12, 2007
Pay It Forward
Hey friends,
Several weeks ago I happened to watch an episode of Oprah show whereby she claimed it was her favorite give away ever (what could be greater than giving away a brand new car to every member of the audience as she did at the start of her new season?) As the show progressed, the give away turned out to be $1000 on the Bank of American card, and a new Sony DVD camcorder. There was a condition to this give-away. Every member of the audience had to use the money on a complete stranger(s) and make a difference in his/ her life. They could do absolutely anything with the money, in whatever way they wish to use and all of it had to be documented on the camcorder.
A week ago, the follow up to that show was aired, and the results were phenomenonal. In short, there were some people who use that $1000 in such amazing and wonderful ways that it made me realize how easy it is to make such a huge difference in people's lives. However, the best part of giving away of this money was the satisfaction you would get in yourself for doing such a thing. With some of the situations I saw, it gave me a thrill and an adrenalin rush too.
The concept of pay it forward was explored in the movie Pay It Forward, and the concept is indeed worthwhile. The main thing one has to do is to do a good deed to a person, or several people, and have them do a good deed to someone else, and in this way the doing goodness to others will spread. It may seem like a dead and near-impossible concept, but I remember in 2004 where I got talking to a labor on my work site in Saudi and he told me of my mom's kindness to him. Point being, many times we don't realize that we are actually helping people and making a huge difference in their lives.
I tell you, the feeling you get from helping others around you is one of the best feeling you can get. It is indeed better to give, and receive something else so amazing back into your life. I am already thinking of three people in my life who could benefit tremendously if I give something to them totally unexpected that will help them in their lives. And the feeling is even more amazing when that someone is a complete stranger!
And you know something really startling? Everytime I give something to someone, be it monetary gift, or my time, or gifts generally, I get something back ten times as much. Sometimes the "thanks" I get from others in return is bigger than the gift itself. God has a funny way of working things out that whoever gives gets something bigger in return.
Mansur
Several weeks ago I happened to watch an episode of Oprah show whereby she claimed it was her favorite give away ever (what could be greater than giving away a brand new car to every member of the audience as she did at the start of her new season?) As the show progressed, the give away turned out to be $1000 on the Bank of American card, and a new Sony DVD camcorder. There was a condition to this give-away. Every member of the audience had to use the money on a complete stranger(s) and make a difference in his/ her life. They could do absolutely anything with the money, in whatever way they wish to use and all of it had to be documented on the camcorder.
A week ago, the follow up to that show was aired, and the results were phenomenonal. In short, there were some people who use that $1000 in such amazing and wonderful ways that it made me realize how easy it is to make such a huge difference in people's lives. However, the best part of giving away of this money was the satisfaction you would get in yourself for doing such a thing. With some of the situations I saw, it gave me a thrill and an adrenalin rush too.
The concept of pay it forward was explored in the movie Pay It Forward, and the concept is indeed worthwhile. The main thing one has to do is to do a good deed to a person, or several people, and have them do a good deed to someone else, and in this way the doing goodness to others will spread. It may seem like a dead and near-impossible concept, but I remember in 2004 where I got talking to a labor on my work site in Saudi and he told me of my mom's kindness to him. Point being, many times we don't realize that we are actually helping people and making a huge difference in their lives.
I tell you, the feeling you get from helping others around you is one of the best feeling you can get. It is indeed better to give, and receive something else so amazing back into your life. I am already thinking of three people in my life who could benefit tremendously if I give something to them totally unexpected that will help them in their lives. And the feeling is even more amazing when that someone is a complete stranger!
And you know something really startling? Everytime I give something to someone, be it monetary gift, or my time, or gifts generally, I get something back ten times as much. Sometimes the "thanks" I get from others in return is bigger than the gift itself. God has a funny way of working things out that whoever gives gets something bigger in return.
Mansur
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Moving
Hello people,
I apologize for not posting on a regular basis, but I have been busy with my packing and all. I am currently moving to my aunt's place in the Meadows temporarily, which is at the other end of Dubai, till my apartments in International City are ready. I am excited about moving into the apartment at International City. They are located in the Italy cluster.
I have got a studio and a one bed room apartment. I am now deciding which one I should move into. Moving into the studio means I will able to get a higher rent from the 1-bed room (going for 60,000dhs per year) as opposed to moving into a 1-bed and getting rental income of 50,000dhs per year from the studio.
Moving into the studio means people would be reluctant to stay with me, including my parents. Moving into the 1-bed means I will be able to have guests over and stay with me. Right now, I am weighing the pros and cons of moving into either one.
I already have ideas in my head of how I will decorate the interiors of whatever apartment I will move into. If it's the studio, then I will get one of those beds which is raised above the work desk, which will give me a lot of floor space. I will also paint one side of the walls dark brown to make the room look more cosy. However, if I move into the one bed room apartment, I will have a lot more options to play with. I plan on doing that bed room a deep dark red color and hang a victorian chandelier from the ceiling to give a classic, Victorian English look to the bedroom. But on the other hand, I want to have an African/ Kenyan theme in the living room to express my love for the Kenyan culture. I used to go to Kenya as a child, since my mom and her entire family were brougt up there. I love the people there, and the wildlife is to die for. Anyways, back to my room decoration, I have already scouted for the right Kenyan paintings and accessories to fill my room with. I want all things black, dark brown and wildlife stuff in there, all tastefully done of course.
More on my Kenyan culture fascination later (not to mention one of my best friend in this world is from Kenya- hey friend, you know who you are: Jambo, Habari Yako!)
Mansur
I apologize for not posting on a regular basis, but I have been busy with my packing and all. I am currently moving to my aunt's place in the Meadows temporarily, which is at the other end of Dubai, till my apartments in International City are ready. I am excited about moving into the apartment at International City. They are located in the Italy cluster.
I have got a studio and a one bed room apartment. I am now deciding which one I should move into. Moving into the studio means I will able to get a higher rent from the 1-bed room (going for 60,000dhs per year) as opposed to moving into a 1-bed and getting rental income of 50,000dhs per year from the studio.
Moving into the studio means people would be reluctant to stay with me, including my parents. Moving into the 1-bed means I will be able to have guests over and stay with me. Right now, I am weighing the pros and cons of moving into either one.
I already have ideas in my head of how I will decorate the interiors of whatever apartment I will move into. If it's the studio, then I will get one of those beds which is raised above the work desk, which will give me a lot of floor space. I will also paint one side of the walls dark brown to make the room look more cosy. However, if I move into the one bed room apartment, I will have a lot more options to play with. I plan on doing that bed room a deep dark red color and hang a victorian chandelier from the ceiling to give a classic, Victorian English look to the bedroom. But on the other hand, I want to have an African/ Kenyan theme in the living room to express my love for the Kenyan culture. I used to go to Kenya as a child, since my mom and her entire family were brougt up there. I love the people there, and the wildlife is to die for. Anyways, back to my room decoration, I have already scouted for the right Kenyan paintings and accessories to fill my room with. I want all things black, dark brown and wildlife stuff in there, all tastefully done of course.
More on my Kenyan culture fascination later (not to mention one of my best friend in this world is from Kenya- hey friend, you know who you are: Jambo, Habari Yako!)
Mansur
Monday, January 01, 2007
New Year 2007
Hey friends,
So we have entered a brand new year: 2007. What can I say except that I feel like it's still 2006. However, there had been a flurry of excitement as within a span of a week, we had Christmas, Eid, New Years and the execution of a dictator on a festive day for Muslims.
The night before the Eid, I was glue to my television following the news that Saddam Hussein could be hanged any time now. The sentenced was given five days ago, which said that he should be executed within 30 days. The sudden announcement that he would be hanged just before 6am on the day of Eid for Muslims upset and angered me. From all the days of the 30 days, they had to do it on the day of Eid. Why not after? It seemed like a deliberate calculated step on the part of the so called new Iraqi government, who we all know is controlled by outside influence,to hang Saddam on Eid day to upset all Muslims, regardless if they were supporters or anti-Saddam. I didn't support him. I thought he was a mad man. But to hurt the sensibilities of Muslims on their most joyous occasions is asking for too much. It would be akin to hanging President Bush (who should be tried for crimes for humanity as well) on Christmas day.
All that didn't deter myself or my friends from making our plans to celebrate New Years. Dubai was in full swing, with every single night club packed to the max, charging exhorbitant prices, with all resturants heavily booked with overpriced package deals. We decided to go out in the desert and build our own bonfire and share stories. That didn't work out. We decided to go watch the fireworks at the Burj Al Arab hotel, but that plan was flushed away too. So we went to the mall, where we browsed around and ended up at the perfume shop, where my friend and I bought our favorite colognes, and got those in the gift box set, and had it wrapped. Of course, I got my favorite one: Burberry for men!
My other friend started feeling sick at the mall, with all the over-crowding, smoke and poor ventilation, that it started provoking his stomach to expel the burger he had from Fuddruckers. On our way home, he threw up lots and lots of food, and we ended stuck at home, as it was too late to go back out on the roads and be stuck in the traffic. So, our New Years was spent at home, where at the stroke of midnight, my friend and I opened up our gifts which we had purchased for ourselves, while my other friend was lying down on the sofa sick. I saw the fireworks at the creek from the kitchen balcony, which were pretty amazing.
My sick friend went to sleep, while my friend and I went over what our tasks and committments are for the year 2007. We kind of laid out our plans for our future, what we would be doing and what we should be doing.
All I can say is that the year 2007 could possibly be the one for my getting engaged (at least), job change and a possible re-location to another country. I have already given my end of contract notice to my landlord and moving out on the 15th of Januray to Dubai. Sometimes mid-March, I may leave the country and work elsewhere. So exciting things are coming up.
In the meantime, you all have an awesome New Year and a great 2007.
Mansur
So we have entered a brand new year: 2007. What can I say except that I feel like it's still 2006. However, there had been a flurry of excitement as within a span of a week, we had Christmas, Eid, New Years and the execution of a dictator on a festive day for Muslims.
The night before the Eid, I was glue to my television following the news that Saddam Hussein could be hanged any time now. The sentenced was given five days ago, which said that he should be executed within 30 days. The sudden announcement that he would be hanged just before 6am on the day of Eid for Muslims upset and angered me. From all the days of the 30 days, they had to do it on the day of Eid. Why not after? It seemed like a deliberate calculated step on the part of the so called new Iraqi government, who we all know is controlled by outside influence,to hang Saddam on Eid day to upset all Muslims, regardless if they were supporters or anti-Saddam. I didn't support him. I thought he was a mad man. But to hurt the sensibilities of Muslims on their most joyous occasions is asking for too much. It would be akin to hanging President Bush (who should be tried for crimes for humanity as well) on Christmas day.
All that didn't deter myself or my friends from making our plans to celebrate New Years. Dubai was in full swing, with every single night club packed to the max, charging exhorbitant prices, with all resturants heavily booked with overpriced package deals. We decided to go out in the desert and build our own bonfire and share stories. That didn't work out. We decided to go watch the fireworks at the Burj Al Arab hotel, but that plan was flushed away too. So we went to the mall, where we browsed around and ended up at the perfume shop, where my friend and I bought our favorite colognes, and got those in the gift box set, and had it wrapped. Of course, I got my favorite one: Burberry for men!
My other friend started feeling sick at the mall, with all the over-crowding, smoke and poor ventilation, that it started provoking his stomach to expel the burger he had from Fuddruckers. On our way home, he threw up lots and lots of food, and we ended stuck at home, as it was too late to go back out on the roads and be stuck in the traffic. So, our New Years was spent at home, where at the stroke of midnight, my friend and I opened up our gifts which we had purchased for ourselves, while my other friend was lying down on the sofa sick. I saw the fireworks at the creek from the kitchen balcony, which were pretty amazing.
My sick friend went to sleep, while my friend and I went over what our tasks and committments are for the year 2007. We kind of laid out our plans for our future, what we would be doing and what we should be doing.
All I can say is that the year 2007 could possibly be the one for my getting engaged (at least), job change and a possible re-location to another country. I have already given my end of contract notice to my landlord and moving out on the 15th of Januray to Dubai. Sometimes mid-March, I may leave the country and work elsewhere. So exciting things are coming up.
In the meantime, you all have an awesome New Year and a great 2007.
Mansur
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