Formula 1 Grand Prix - Abu Dhabi

What a splendid end to the fifth edition of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The sheer superlative performance of Sebastian Vettel this year was further stamped by a huge 30 second margin from the second placed Mark Webber. After having sealed his championship in the previous race in India, there was no letting go by the world champion. Vettel raced as though this was the deciding one.  

Although a big fan of the Mercedes team, I was happy to see the Red Bull team finish 1 - 2 in the end. They truly deserved the honor. In the end my favorite Lewis Hamilton had a few spots of bother today and was lucky to finish seventh. He could have well finished at the head of the pack today if not for the unfortunate incident in the last lap of the qualifiers yesterday. 

The organizers lived up to most of the promises having put up an extraordinary show for the day. The village was buzzing with excited all through the day with lots of stuff to do. As for me I thoroughly enjoyed the big race experience changing tyres at the NBAD stall.  

One area that needs attention is the maps and directions around the place. While I consider myself a bit challenged when it comes to finding my way around, I was surprised to see the number of confused people struggling to reach their seats. And a few of the attendants seemed as confused as the fans.

In the end what a splendid finale to the 3 days of fun. Well done to the guys in Abu Dhabi. 

Time Stood Still

It was almost as if time stood still for a few minutes. As I walked out of Karama Centre in Karama, I noticed Asatullah. A cobbler by profession, he plys his trade right outside the rear entrance of Karama Centre. Amidst all the glitz and glamour of Dubai, here is the other side of Dubai. The old world charm still survives.

Asatullah is originally from Afghanistan but has moved his family to Pakistan. He claims to be in Dubai for about 15 years although he also mentions that this could be completely wrong and that he may be a resident of Dubai for much longer. There is something amazing about the way he goes on with his work with very little change in his tools over the years. He uses the most basic of tools and may have never seen the kind of tools which cobblers use today.

If one were to observe the spot where he sits, you couldn’t help notice the businesses everywhere. Everybody seems to be in a tearing hurry to get things done. And yet when you sit with Asatullah, it’s almost as if time stands still. It is the old world charm of Dubai that we seem to have lost completely.

Dubai scores another first - Blackberry Q5

Dubai scored yet another first and continues to take a leadership position in the global mobile devices business. Blackberry laucnhed its latest introduction to its portfolio, the Blackberry Q5, at a global launch in Dubai today. Customers in Dubai will be able to buy the model 2 weeks before the rest of the world where the model is expected to launch in the first week of July. This is the first of Blackberry's BB10 offerings in the mid segment with the new model expected to retail at AED 1,499/-. Based on a dual core 1.5 GHz processor and Blackberry's popular keypad, a whole new segment of customers will now be able to experience the new BB10 operating system.

The Blackberry Q5 is available exclusively at the new Blackberry store being opened at Dubai Mall. The launch of Blackberry Q5 also coincides with the opening of the first Blackberry store in the Middle East. As per media reports the store is being operated locally by Axiom Telecom. The store was opened by Blackberry's COO Christian Tear today. Huge queues were seen at the store in Dubai Mall, with customers all waiting to pick up the new Blackberry Q5 while it lasts. 

The largest Cheesecake Factory now in Dubai

It is probably a given that what hits you the most from a visit to The Cheesecake Factory is the food. My experience was a bit different.

It is the sheer size and enormity of the restaurant that shocks you when you visit the recently opened The Cheesecake Factory at The Mall of the Emirates. The exterior of the restaurant could easily fool you. But as you step inside you realize that the restaurant is bigger than most you've seen before. The restaurant can apparently host over 525 guests at any time and includes private dining rooms for that exclusive experience. 

The Mall of the Emirates has certainly scored a winner with The Cheesecake Factory. Without doubt the mall has one of the best collection of restaurants include the first IHOP outside USA. 

Please note its not just the size of the restaurant that surprises you. The portions are very generous too. The herb crusted salmon and shrimp scampi is definitely recommended. The crispy tempura prawns are a winner. The Caeser salad comes in XXL and probably enough for 3. 

A place for friends to meet

I spotted this seating arrangement at a place in Satwa. Located behind the DNRD office, this is symbolic of the local culture of meeting with friends and neighbors in the majlis

Sikh Gurudwara in Dubai

A gurudawara, meaning The Gateway to the Guru, is a place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. This Gurudwa is located off Ibn Batuta Mall near Jebel Ali

A proud moment for us

Many years ago, as I set off to take up my new position in Dubai, little did I realise the magnitude of the change that was about to take place in my life. There were mixed reactions from my family and friends when I broke the news about having taken up the  job offer. Some of them feared for my safety as I was moving to a war torn region of the world. Many of my friends warned me of the perils of moving to an Islamic state. Some of them even recommended a few books that I should read so that I could understand the country a little more. Every job change is a difficult one. But this one was turning out to be a lot more difficult than I had initially anticipated. 

I remember stepping out of the airport at Sharjah where a burly khandura clad local man waited to pick me up. It must have been a little past midnight when we left the airport en route to Dubai. The very old Chevrolet Caprice was not the idea of a taxi I had imagined.  It was dirty and the seats seemed to have weathered many summers. The man did not speak English and I never understood anything of what he said to me. In fact he spoke very little since we shook hands at the airport. The drive to Dubai must have taken what seemed like an hour. I remember imaging all the terrible things that could possibly have happened to me during the drive.

That night I cried a little as I lay in bed, anxiously waiting for my new life in Dubai to begin.

Today I feel proud and in some ways lucky that I chose to make the change. Since moving to UAE, I have grown as much as I have seen this beautiful country transform itself. What UAE has achieved in the last few decades is some thing many countries have taken over a century to accomplish. 

Today UAE is a shining example of how enormous change and growth can be achieved in such a short time. From the tallest building in the world to the largest and glitziest malls, it is all happening right here. I am sure UAE will score high across most measures of success. I am amazed at the stories of success I see everywhere. UAE is an international tourist and business centre as well as a modern, safe and stable country for its residents. It boasts of one of the highest per capita income in the world. UAE is home to over 100 nationalities who make a wonderful mosaic. 

Today everybody wants to be here! 

Many of the fears I felt as I set out for Dubai have been laid to rest. I feel safe here. My family feels safe here. I feel I live in a relatively fair system where I am not treated in any way differently. Contrary to perception, I find that the system here is relatively fairer to expats as compared to other countries. I can practice my religion freely. Not many of my friends back home believe I attend weekly church service without hindrance. 

So is it too good to be true? Like every country, UAE too has its own share of challenges. In many places, the pace of growth has far out striped the pace of changes in its legal system. I can see many things that need to be changed. And quickly. But what makes that big difference is that many of these challenges are being addressed as I write this. Head on. 

Never for a moment can I doubt the transformation that the leadership has brought about in the last 41 years. Success is all about how much better we are as compared to yesterday. Its about how much further we move every day. 

Today as UAE celebrates its 41st National Day, I wish its citizens and residents on this happy occasion. We all need to contribute to the success of UAE as much as we expect the  government to play its role. 

Happy Birthday UAE!

The Twister

This building will surely figure in the list of amazing buildings in the world. Located at Dubai Marina, the building is a few months away from completion and already draws a lot of attention from visitors. 

I am not sure what the actual name of the building is. So I have gone ahead and named it The Twister. Yet another amazing building being added to Dubai's collection.

The Walk - Jumeirah Beach Residence

Ramadan Kareem

So what are my rights?

I picked up these pictures from a recent visit to the Dubai 7s stadium. I am sure many of us have experienced some awesome sporting moments at the 7s.


But many of us may be surprised by this unsporting condition that is displayed prominently outside the 7s stadium. 


One of the conditions reads "The organiser reserves the right to cancel the tournament in whole or in part without notice, for any reason. In such cases a refund or partial refund may be given at the organiser's discretion, but is not guaranteed".


This brings to mind many questions. 

• What if the tournament is cancelled and I have paid a pretty sum for the ticket? Do I as a customer have any rights in this case? 
• As a customer, I would have paid the money to the organisers who in return are required to provide a particular service. Would the organisation in this case have any obligation to me?
• If I had purchased a television from an electronics store, would the above case be equivalent to the the outlet refusing to hand over my money after having failed to deliver a television? 
• Do similar conditions exist at other events, tournaments or concerts?
• And if these conditions are commonly used, is there any law to define the validity of these conditions?
• If such a law does not exist in Dubai, do we need to have one?

If you have an opinion on the subject, please leave a comment. Better still, please share this page within your social circles to get opinion from other residents of Dubai.

Run? Walk?

The KFC Bucket 'Run' will start at "The Walk'!!!!!!!  :-)


Get ready. The KFC Bucket Run is coming up at the weekend and its got a charity objective attached to it. So if you want run..... or walk? or whatever! Turn up at the Walk and get ready to run!

Dubai Pet Show 2012

It was a carnival like atmosphere. There were thousands of people in the most colourful outfits. There were musicians and there were face painters. And there were dogs.


Dogs wearing designer T-Shirts, bandanas, ribbons, scarves or skirts! And some with a little bit of attitude. It was a fun day for the entire family! 

Just got back this evening from the Dubai Pet Show. I am not really sure why its called a Pet show (yes there was an enclosure with cats) as almost all the activity at the venue is all about dogs. 

I love dogs and really happy that I took time of from my other work to head down to Dubai Sevens. Yes. This is the new venue since last year. Dubai Pet Show has moved to a new location down at Dubai Sevens down Al Ain road.

As usual, the police squad put up its show. Police dogs demonstrated their skills sniffing out stuff from drugs to revolvers.


Here is my collection of my favourite dogs from the show.

For details of Dubai Pet Show in 2009, please click here

A face in the crowd

Neighbourhoods

Al Barsha

Victory Heights

Motor City

Jumeirah Lake Tower JLT

The most visited blogposts of 2011

Another year has gone by and its time to look back at the year that was. Here is a list of the popular posts from 2011. This is a list of popular posts not necessarily in order of hits.


1. Karama Market
2. Bur Dubai Souk
3. The only Hindu temple in Dubai
4. Dragon Mart
5. Al Ghusais
6. Mini Manila
7. Dubai's Angels
8. Safa Park
9. Al Fahidi Fort
10. Abras

40 years of pride

UAE is 40 years old and I am proud of being witness to the growth of such a wonderful country.

Its been a long journey from pearl diving to being home to the tallest building in the world. UAE has come a long way. Bear in mind that this nation is no more than 4 decades old and the success it has achieved in this short time is nothing short of phenomenal. There is a lot to celebrate. 

I remember having arrived in UAE many years ago to join my current organisation. Many of my friends in those days used to tell me about how much UAE had changed in just a few years. There were buildings in areas that used to be just patches of sand. Small single lane roads that turned into large highways in a matter of a few years. I remember that a drive to the old Hard Rock Cafe was like driving out into the desert. 

And yet in the last few years that I have resided in UAE, I can look make in amazement. Everything has changed so much. Everything has become so much better.

I am fully aware of some of the problems that continue till date. There is no doubt that UAE lags behind in a few areas. But let's not for a moment lose sight of the huge progress this nation has made over the last few years. I cannot think of many other countries that have achieved so much in 40 years. 

Today I feel proud of being a resident of this wonderful nation.