Ramadan '07

Ramadan - that "wonderful" month where previously hedonistic people find god and pretend to be devout.

I love Ramadan for 2 reasons. One is the lack of traffic on the roads. Its absolutely amazing to be confronted with an empty road at 6:00pm.

The second is how quiet bars become. A conversation in a bar suddenly becomes possible. Music is turned down and it actually is a pleasant place. Why can't they be like this more? Why do most bars believe you have to blast music to ear-drum-splitting levels at all times?

What I hate about Ramadan is that you get to see Intolerance. Sanctioned Intolerance at that - sugar coated with that wonderful word: Respect.

Basically since we HAVE to respect their right not to be tempted, we should not eat. So how about some respect for my right to eat. I am hungry, why can't I eat? If you think you will get tempted, look away. But no. Since they might get tempted, we have to curtail our rights. Sounds very similar to the reasons why women need to be covered - since men might get tempted.....

Anyway Ramadan also gives me the opportunity to sample some buffets. And one incident stood out. An acquaintance of mine decided to join me and a friend for an iftar buffet. Unfortunately we ended up being at the receiving end of a sermon.

First we were grilled about our fasting. When I said that I did not fast, he began to berate me that I should follow the culture of the country he was staying in. My retort to this was asking him whether he ever celebrated christmas when he was studying in London. Obviously his answer was a big NO.

But the most shocking bit of the evening, was when he went onto to lecture my friend, who is a Hindu, on the "idiocy" of the Hindu religion. And how he doesn't really blame my friend for being a non-believer because his parents didn't teach him the right path. Well, the hindus might worship idols but atleast they don't go about persecuting non-believers and killing all who offend them.

Needless to say, we are not acquaintances anymore. A few choice words were exchanged and we headed out for a drink of the infidel's brew.

The really scary bit was that this fanatical acquaintance does not come across as an intolerant person in day to day life. He looks and acts like you and me. But inside there was a wave of hate waiting to be unleashed. Must have been the fasting blues.

Anyway, I'm Back.

Driving standards in Dubai

Kettle calling the pot black.....

Visions of Grandeur

Something's not right here.... yep those pipes are a safety hazard - someone is bound to trip on it.

Now where is that darned crane. I keep misplacing the bloody thing. I wish they would make them a bit bigger so they are more noticeable.

Is that Grosvenor house in the top left?? I guess the flooded area must be the new prestigious underwater development we have been hearing so much about.

Dubai Labour Shortage

Dubai has been hit with an acute labour shortage.

The constant bad press generated by those "strikes" by those ungrateful subcon workers has resulted in a drop in the number of subcons getting onto the plane to Dubai.

With the rapidly disintegrating situation a younger and less troublesome group are now being actively recruited from across the world.

Being smaller has its advantages as we can now squeeze 3 times as many into rooms and buses. And they work for a handful of candies.

The first project this new workforce has been given is to paint some new signs along the world famous Shk Zayed Roads.

Here is one of them hard at work:

Despair

Had to leave town on a bit of an emergency.

Unfortunately, am back now. With Gitex looming around the corner, I can look forward to some long nights.

The traffic has gotten worse, with last evening’s trip from Work to Home (a 30Km drive) taking a homicide inducing 2 hours. At one point I actually got out of the car (while it was in the middle of the road), walked over to a café nearby, bought a sandwich and came back to find that nothing had moved.

We seem to have had the same mindless drivel being spouted in the newspapers, with KT leading the assault on common sense.

The Pope spoke his mind and pissed off a bunch of people, who then went onto do exactly what the Pope had inferred.

This just blows my mind. We have the Pope in one corner making some remarks linking Islam and violence, which angers a bunch of muslims who then proceed to get violent.

Seriously, if there ever was a time to prove to the world that Islam does not encourage violence, then this is it. Instead what we have is some of these people burning down churches and have gone as far as killing a nun (words fail me here).

Thanks for proving the Pope right, guys.

On a related note: notice how whenever there was a terrorist attack, we had a lot of the middle eastern leaders calling for the western population not to retaliate against the average “peace loving” muslim. But , they seem to be very content in retaliating against totally unrelated Christians. One rule for them and another for the west.

If we were to take this same logic and apply it to the WTC and London bombings, how many muslims should have been killed in the west????

Onto more idiocy:

I don’t understand how anyone can support Iran’s attempts to get a nuclear weapon. We are talking about Iran here people. You know, the country which loves to oppress its own people. Where hanging and stoning women is common. Where your rights are not respected. We are talking about the same country right????
What makes you think that Iran will treat its neighbours well, if it gets nuclear weapons?

You do realize that a bunch of nutcases run the gov’t in Iran, right???


Even more idiocy:

Etisalat….. (I don’t think anything else needs to be said)


And Finally…

My quest for a cheaper accommodations, led me into the office of a realty agent who let me in on some developments – 99% of the projects which are being advertised as sold out, are in fact struggling to find investors. Less than 15% have been bought up. The rest are being offered (on the down-low) to realty agents at a 10% discount over the market rate. And even this is not finding many takers.

She also very nicely advised me that a good idea would be to contact the new buildings and make an offer to them. A lot of them are willing to drop prices. But the contract will be signed at the advertised amount.

Now back to the banging my head against the wall as I watch humankind attempt to destroy itself.

p.s: two videos that I would recommend:

Obsession

An inconvenient truth

and if you are too cheap to buy it:

Download

Unrelated...

Been very hectic at work so no posts at the moment.

Today's news of the foiled bomb plot has taken over the airwaves for now.

How long do you think before some "enlightened" dubaiite writes to one of the newspapers about a conspiracy theory which puts the U.S and the evil Juice behind this plot as well?

I got $100 - Saturday the 12th

Blah! and Ibn Sh****ta Mall

Blah! is the only word I can use to describe life these days. As times just seem to get worse in general and everything wrong seems to be giving a collective "Bonk on the head" to the last battalions of decency and common sense.

I guess, the temperature and the maddening traffic doesn't help either. Has life in the sandlands ever been this Blah?

And to add to the giant turd of evil, is Ibn Battuta Mall.

Their decision to ban the boys in blue just adds to the stink of the already rotting corpse of human rights.

I absolutely love their decision to ban bachelors and the shabbily dressed on Fridays. It gives them the chance to turn around and smile condescendingly as they point out that "Fridays are for families. They can come back any other day." This knowing full well, that the working class can only come on Fridays.

Well, I guess since the boys in blue are not good enough for Ibn Battuta Mall, I am definitely not good enough either. And so I shall continue my boycott...........

And if you believe that Ibn Battuta is wrong, then boycott it as well.
Spread the word, tell everyone....... BOYCOTT IBN BATTUTA






p.s: Wouldn't it have been something if all those countries practiced a "No Sweaty World Traveller Day" when Ibn Battuta came alling all those years ago? We wouldn't have this crappy mall now, at the very least