Hello friends,
It is with much disappointment that I am writing this post. My friend I went to see the midnight screening of Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, which is based on book # 5. Book # 7, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is about to be released soon here in the UAE, and there is just so much mega-excitement all over town, to the point where one superstore is bringing a Daniel Radcliffe lookalike to town to take pictures with the kids (lame I think!)
The Order of Phoenix was a very drab affair. The formula for the movie seemed pretty much like the first part, where we see Harry suffer with his relatives and being teased by his cousin. An owl sends a message to Harry, whereby he is told he is expelled from Hogwarts because he used his magic powers outside of school. Yawn! There is a court scene where they decide whether to keep Harry in school or expel him. Yawn! A new professor comes to Hogwarts and restricts everything for the kids. Yawn! Harry starts up his own army to fight Lord Voldemort and in the process starts to develop romantic feelings for an Asian girl (who is conveniently forgotten at the end of the movie!) Yawn! Harry starts to feel the evil inside of him (pretty much like Spiderman who had this evil nature in him in part 3) Yawn! A final climatic battle takes place, and everything is resolved and the kids go back home in their train! YAWN!
I didn't understand what the hype was all about. Sure, it's an interesting movie, but the predictability factor set in and everything I was seeing in this movie, I had seen before. There was nothing new to it, apart from a couple of new creatures and characters, which wasn't good because Harry's friend Ron was relegated into the background! However it was refreshing to see the kids grown up and at times it felt like this was not a kiddie movie anymore. Harry Potter 5 is a serious, dark movie with a lot of underlying adult themes and with a lot more talking and less action. No doubt, the visual effects were amazing, but that didn't help me retain my interest in the movie like the first 3 parts.
If this is the way part 6 and 7 will be like, then I say there should be no more books after part 7. I hope they do something drastic and bring new stuff to the next sequel.
As for now, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix gets a 2 out 5 for me.
Mansur
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
A Salute to Dubai
Hello friends,
Now that I am preparing to leave Dubai for good, I thought I would do a quick recap of all the good moments I have had in Dubai. More than the city itself, I think what made my stay memorable here were my friends and the fun things we got to do together. I don't even know where to start: concerts, desert safari, rain dance, countless dinners and movies, ski Dubai, beaches, snorkel ling, Hatta trips, museums, art exhibitions, dining in fancy five start restaurants, seeing Burj Al Arab from the inside, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain trips, malls, shopping, Global Village, Dubai Shopping Festival, Wild Wadi and the list goes on. Sadly enough, there have also been some tragic moments here in Dubai, of which I will not get into because I want to leave with good memories. :-)
So a salute to Dubai for giving me an amazing 8 years, and I hope I get to live here again sometimes soon (right after all the traffic mess is sorted out and construction has been completed!)
Mansur
Now that I am preparing to leave Dubai for good, I thought I would do a quick recap of all the good moments I have had in Dubai. More than the city itself, I think what made my stay memorable here were my friends and the fun things we got to do together. I don't even know where to start: concerts, desert safari, rain dance, countless dinners and movies, ski Dubai, beaches, snorkel ling, Hatta trips, museums, art exhibitions, dining in fancy five start restaurants, seeing Burj Al Arab from the inside, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain trips, malls, shopping, Global Village, Dubai Shopping Festival, Wild Wadi and the list goes on. Sadly enough, there have also been some tragic moments here in Dubai, of which I will not get into because I want to leave with good memories. :-)
So a salute to Dubai for giving me an amazing 8 years, and I hope I get to live here again sometimes soon (right after all the traffic mess is sorted out and construction has been completed!)
Mansur
Monday, July 02, 2007
Surprise Farewell!
Hello friends,
On Thursday night, I made plans to hang out with Sam. I gave him the option of meeting wherever and wherever and he came back to me asking to meet up with him at the Jumeirah Beach Park. I was a little late getting there, and when I did, I was not allowed in. It was after a little bit of haggling with the local lady inside the booth that she let me in. I met up with Sam, and we sat down on the grass. I thought maybe this would be the last time I would get to hang out with him.
I don't know how to explain to you what happened next. The quietness that Sam and I were in was suddenly pierced with loud shouts, and from behind me Adam, Karun and Gaelle jumped on me, screaming as loud as they could. It was just a YELL! A SCREAM I can not tell you how shocked I was. I had a million swear words running in my head, and I had to cover my mouth to prevent myself from saying out all the expletives! (I always cover my mouth everytime I want to say a swear word!) It was so surreal, I literally had to take deep breaths as I savored the moment. Now there 7 more people in the group!
After the initial shock and surprise, we went to the local cafeteria and had dinner and juices. There is just something about this group of people that lifts my spirits. Just being their presences gives me so much comfort and joy, I cannot even begin to explain why. We hung out at Nisin's place where we stayed till 1am. It certainly was a surprise to see everyone giving me such an awesome farewell. These are friends who I know I will cherish, and for them to even think of doing something like this for meant the world to me. I love the fact that I have international friends. Let me count the nationalities in this group: Pakistani (1), Indian (2), Egyptian/ Scot (2), Germany (2), Cameroon (1), Argentinian (1).
Mansur
On Thursday night, I made plans to hang out with Sam. I gave him the option of meeting wherever and wherever and he came back to me asking to meet up with him at the Jumeirah Beach Park. I was a little late getting there, and when I did, I was not allowed in. It was after a little bit of haggling with the local lady inside the booth that she let me in. I met up with Sam, and we sat down on the grass. I thought maybe this would be the last time I would get to hang out with him.
I don't know how to explain to you what happened next. The quietness that Sam and I were in was suddenly pierced with loud shouts, and from behind me Adam, Karun and Gaelle jumped on me, screaming as loud as they could. It was just a YELL! A SCREAM I can not tell you how shocked I was. I had a million swear words running in my head, and I had to cover my mouth to prevent myself from saying out all the expletives! (I always cover my mouth everytime I want to say a swear word!) It was so surreal, I literally had to take deep breaths as I savored the moment. Now there 7 more people in the group!
After the initial shock and surprise, we went to the local cafeteria and had dinner and juices. There is just something about this group of people that lifts my spirits. Just being their presences gives me so much comfort and joy, I cannot even begin to explain why. We hung out at Nisin's place where we stayed till 1am. It certainly was a surprise to see everyone giving me such an awesome farewell. These are friends who I know I will cherish, and for them to even think of doing something like this for meant the world to me. I love the fact that I have international friends. Let me count the nationalities in this group: Pakistani (1), Indian (2), Egyptian/ Scot (2), Germany (2), Cameroon (1), Argentinian (1).
Mansur
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