Dubai Guy

Belated Eid Mubarak

2009-09-22T21:18:00.005+04:00

Hello friends, hope all of you are doing great. A belated Eid Mubarak to all the Muslim bloggers out there. Hope you had a blessed & fun-filled eid.

Most old readers must have noticed almost a dead blog. Are you curious to know the reason? No no, I did not get married. You want to know who is slowly killing this blog? It is the Twitter box you see on the left side, ladies & gentlemen, that is the culprit. Dubai Guy is officially addicted to Twitter & invites you to become an addict, that is if you haven't already become one ;-)

What else? Well nothing much. It was a very slow Eid. Every Eid, the number of people you personally go to greet or receive them is going down. Apart from the close family relatives, the number of people I met on the Eid day can be easily counted on fingers of my hand. This was not the case only a few years ago. Maybe its technology, which although has diminished the distances over the air waves, but has also increased the distances between people.

The way things are going, I believe face to face interactions would totally disappear soon. We are becoming self-centered people. You will find most muslims boasting about how they have preserved their family values, perhaps it was true before, but I think the landscape has considerably changed, at least in the "developed" muslim countries.

Okay, enough blabbering for the day. Pray that God gives me enough motivation to write another post soon. Till then, Peace be on all of you :)

A Walk by the River

2009-09-06T18:19:00.003+04:00

Once there was a small house near to a river bank. There were three people living in the house. A man his wife and his old father. The man was very happy with his wife and they had good life. But his father was very old and sick and often used to be a trouble for both of them whole day and night.

During day they had to serve him food and medicine and at night he used to cough up a lot. That's why they were not able to sleep properly. This routine kept on going for sometime.

One night the man and his wife discussed something in their room and then the man came out and he asked his father to ride on his back.

The father asked "O my son where are you taking me to?"

The man replied "Dad! I want you to take out for a change since it's been long time you didn't see the world outside of the house".

The father was riding on back of his son tightly and the son started walking towards river unless he reached near the river. The father thought his son would stop on edge of the river and let him enjoy the natural scene.

But the son entered into the river unless he reached deep into the water, where water was touching his chest.

The son was about to throw his father in the water that suddenlly father asked his son to stop for a bit.

The son froze where he was.

The father said "O my son I knew why and where you were going to take me, but before you throw me in the river I want to tell you something. The place where you are standing right now is exactly the place where I threw my father in the river. So please throw me in a little bit deeper water, so when it comes your turn then your son has to walk a little bit more...

Source

A Brief Encounter with a Real Hero

2009-06-19T07:06:00.003+04:00

I was really touched by an incident I witnessed two days ago. While waiting at the traffic light, I saw one gentleman leave the comfort of his air-conditioned car, pick up a small dead bird lying on the hot asphalt surface & place it gently on the shaded grassy surface away from traffic & then resume his driving.

It all happened in a matter of few seconds but it really left me spell bound & almost brought tears to my eyes. Strange are the ways of son of Adam, I thought. There are some who are blood thirsty for their own kind & then there are others who never let go of an opportunity to show their mercy towards other creatures of the Creator.

When was the last time you witnessed a similar incident which left you lost for words? Do share your thoughts :-)

Debt Stimulated Growth

2009-05-16T16:07:00.003+04:00

One issue that has been bugging me recently is the constant preaching by some economists in the media that the only solution for the current crisis lies in the relaxation of lending rules by the banks. But isn't this excessive lending which brought about this whole crisis in the first place?

Why do you want people to take more debt? So that they spend more than their means? So that the economies of their countries 'grow'? What kind of growth is this which increases the income divide in the society whereby the rich get richer & poor people get squeezed further? I really don't understant this whole growth model when all it does is make thing exhorbitantly expensive & out of reach of most people in the society, unless of course if they have enough bank loans & credit cards. Isn't this a modern form of slavery? The whole issue reminds me of the Pied Piper of Hamelin story taught to us in schools.

Is it really impossible to have an independent economic system, a system which has a minimum reliance on bank finance? Did all the great civilizations of the past achieve greatness with the help of bank finance? If the answer is no, why can't we implement a similar model today?

Enough dry talk, I know I am a boring person :-)

I know friends that it has been a long time since I last posted, but I am sure you would excuse me for my procrastination this time. I hear you ask, what's so special this time? Well, currently my life revolves around work, work & only work. And you know what, I work 7 days a week. I guess now you guys got the full picture. The only spare time I get is 'gratefully' spent in dreamland, but you know what, even dreams are also themed around work these days :-D

I guess enough blabbering. A big thank you to all the friends who missed my posts. May all your days be filled with happiness. And the rest of you who did not miss them, you know what, no comments :-D

Abu Dhabi Book Fair

2009-03-20T13:46:00.006+04:00

Yesterday I visited Abu Dhabi Book Fair. This is the first time I visited the Abu Dhabi event & I must say that I was really impressed by the variety of books available. The fair in Sharjah is more focussed on arabic content but this one had a good foreign representation. And the most impressive section was the Antiquarian Book Fair, where they displayed old manuscripts from the 15th century onwards, including few copies of Holy Quran.

Although I must admit that I was a bit disappointed by the lack of sufficient elevators in the parking building. Not only they were too small, but also lacked ventilation. And you had to wait for at least two or three trips before your turn to enter the elevator came. Other than that, it was a well organized event.

If you are a book lover & you live in UAE, it is a must visit event. And you better hurry up too, the show will end on 22nd of March :-)

One more thing before I sign off, this is the 100th post on this blog, have finally achieved the 100 post landmark after 32 months of blogging :-D

Out of Hibernation

2009-03-07T23:52:00.003+04:00

Alright friends, I guess enough hibernation, the weather is not cold anymore. Needed something to motivate me to write something, and what better way than an overhaul of the template to achieve that goal. Do share your opinion about the new layout :-)

Secondly, a big thank you to the 83 people who took the survey. I never expected this over-whelming response. And in true spirit of democracy, I will try to accomodate all the opinions expressed by you guys in the survey. I must say, it has somewhat satisfied my curiosity & also confirmed some of my doubts :-D

Another thing, DG has also embraced Twitter. You can follow me if you want :-)

One more thing before I sign off, I want to introduce you to a cool site run by a friend. The site acts as a guide for people looking for employment in the Emirates. Well worth a visit.

Dubai Employment Tips

Thats it folks. Hopefully the next post would come soon, pray that I don't enter hibernation mode again ;-)

I am curious :-)

2009-02-04T11:38:00.010+04:00

Alright people, its survey time. Tell me things about yourself, and don't be lazy, these are only nine multiple choice questions. Now get going :-)

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Update: Guys, thanks for pointing out the errors. Since it was not possible to edit the same survey, I have created a new one, and it has one extra question. Hope you guys who had done it already won't mind doing it again. And for people who can't see the quiz, here is the direct link :-)

Money Worship

2009-01-30T11:27:00.003+04:00

According to Muslim tradition, people near you deserve your charity more. But here, the opposite seems to be true. Our "businessmen" are busy exploiting the consumers at home but when charity initiative such as Dubai Cares are announced, they pledge huge sums of money. Wouldn't it have been better that instead of sending huge amounts of money abroad, they spent a fraction of that here inside the country itself. Or at least reduced the prices of products or services they offered.

But, Corporate Social Resposibility perhaps teaches you to maximize your profits as much as you can & then to show that you do "care" for the less priviliaged member of the society, you spend pennies on social projects but you do make sure that you get enough coverage in the media. The result: you kill two birds with one stone.

Confused? Well, let me try to explain, although I myself don't really know what is going on here :-)

What do you call such a behavior? On one hand, you pay 100 million dirhams for Dubai Cares initiative, and on the other hand, you raise 90% of tuition fees at one of your schools & yet are shameless enough to come on radio to defend that decision.

Money worship at its best !!

Good Luck Obama

2009-01-27T22:25:00.007+04:00

What I want to communicate is the fact that in all my travels throughout the Muslim world, what I've come to understand is that regardless of your faith -- and America is a country of Muslims, Jews, Christians, non-believers -- regardless of your faith, people all have certain common hopes and common dreams.

" Sending George Mitchell to the Middle East is fulfilling my campaign promise that we're not going to wait until the end of my administration to deal with Palestinian and Israeli peace, we're going to start now "

And my job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives. My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect.

But if you look at the track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that. And that I think is going to be an important task.

Watching Obama's interview has somewhat brought back the lost optimism in me. The fact that he gave his first official interview to an arabic channel says alot. And also the fact that he plans to address the muslim world in his first 100 days from one of the Muslim Capitals further strengthened my faith that he means business.

I just hope that he translates his words into actions, as he himself said during the interview that people will judge him not by his word but by his actions & his administration's actions.

You can read the full transcript of his interview at Al Arabiya's website here.

Snow in RAK

2009-01-26T01:55:00.004+04:00

Click to Enlarge

For more pics, click here :-)

Hopeless in Gaza: it didn’t have to be this way

2009-01-20T11:55:00.003+04:00

Sultan Al Qassemi is one writer I truly admire. During the current Gaza crisis, perhaps he was the only UAE columnist who dared to look at things from a different perspective. Let me share with you guys an excerpt from his latest article which appeared in The National.

In 1994, Yasser Arafat, the PLO leader, arrived in the Palestinian Territories for the first time in decades and declared that he would turn Gaza into the Singapore of the Middle East. Fifteen years later it couldn’t be more different. Arafat’s prediction of Gaza being used as an example will certainly come true, but not in the way he envisioned.

Today, Gaza is more like Somalia than a Mediterranean port. In fact, one day soon people will be using Gaza as the example of a failed state as Somalia continues to fade into distant memory. Thus Afghanistan will be called the Gaza of Central Asia, and Zimbabwe will be the Gaza of Africa.

But it didn’t have to be that way, if it wasn’t for the fear of certain countries in the region that they would lose the Palestinian cause as a bargaining tool if the Palestinians made their peace with the devil. What would they be left with as negotiating leverage?

The idea of using Palestinian youth as an outsourced army to fight the Israelis was too appealing to lose. Setting them up with firepower and turning their dials – fire at will. But it was less their will than that of certain characters who have come and gone in the Middle East. Endless blood and destruction. The Holy Land, indeed: unholy is more like it.

No, it didn’t have to be that way at all. It’s February 2005. The Israelis announce their withdrawal from Gaza. The occupiers are leaving. Good riddance. Let’s build something now, shall we?

In walks none other than a Dubai tycoon, the man responsible at one time or another for the most valuable property company in the world, operating in 17 countries with a global portfolio worth more than $100 billion that includes the tallest building on Earth and the biggest mall on the planet, and above all one of the right-hand men of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai. Enter Mohammed al Abbar, chairman of Emaar with all its pomp and glory, to start building. His offer was to pay $56m for the 21 settlements that the Israelis were to evacuate. Finally, we can get started with turning this port city into Singapore, as Arafat wanted.

But wait. How can the sensationalist Arabic press let go of this golden opportunity? Rather than headlines reading “Dubai to spearhead Gaza development”, there were headlines that accused the UAE of normalisation with Israel. “Rewarding aggression in Palestine”, read one editorial. The horror! Public outcry ensued. Mohammed Al Abbar was forced to appear on Dubai TV and defend his position. “These journalists,” he said, “they’ve so much spare time. They should use it better. Go visit Gaza and see how they live there.”

Suddenly the initiative to create Emaar Palestine was no longer there. The result was that the Gazans were left with scant employment opportunities. “The crossings are still controlled by the enemy,” was the broken record that Arab patriots played.

I say, why not make the best of a bad situation instead of making the worst of it? A few more years of such mentality guaranteed further radicalisation. Good evening, Hamas. Hello, hopelessness. Enter Israeli terror.

By the way, you can check Sultan's blog here.

All Muslimah Blogs

2009-01-17T13:48:00.006+04:00

For some strange reason, majority of readers of my blog are females. At least this is what the comments tell me. Maybe the male readers are silent spectators :-)

Anyways, so ladies I want to introduce you to a new blog by American Muslima Writer, a fellow UAE blogger. The blog is a directory of female bloggers & well worth a visit. Do pay a visit to show your appreciation for her effort. The address is:

http://allmuslimah.blogspot.com/

US Dollar = Toilet Paper?

2009-01-05T15:01:00.002+04:00

I came across this comment while reading the article "In banks we trust should not be the mantra for 2009" by Simon Jenkins.

The entire global economy has, since the end of WW2, been based on the premise that toilet paper (ie the US dollar) provided the basis for sound economic progress and prosperity. That myth has now been "found out" and its just a question of time before all the major holders of this tissue (ie the Chinese, Japanese and Saudis etc) decide that loo paper is an inappropriate vehicle for economic transaction.

It's worth noting that there are many observers who believe that a significant reason for the war in Iraq was Saddam's decision to sell his country's oil for euros rather than dollars.

Unfortunately, any attempt to undermine the dollar in global currency dealings will displease the military / industrial complex in the US ( or the banksters who fund it), so don't be surprised to see Obama go on a war "spree" shortly after his inauguration. After all, the loo paper show must go on...

Perhaps what the commentor said is pretty much true. At least this is what I feel.

In other news, I have changed the template for Blogs UAE. Hope you guys like the new look :-)

Genuine Leather

2008-12-21T12:08:00.003+04:00

One evening around five years ago, while exploring the markets of Karachi during a business trip, I came across a small road side stall selling leather wallets. I loved one wallet but was a bit hesitant to buy it because I was not sure if it was genuine leather & whether it deserved the price he asked. He showed me a trick, he took out his lighter, clicked it to life and touched the skin of the wallet. It did not catch fire. I was convinced. I bought the wallet.

That wallet is still with me, it has been with me through thick & thin. It was with me when I hit rock bottom & now I feel shy to let it go.

I wish I could say the same about people in my life too.

Let The Shoe Do The Talking?

2008-12-15T20:21:00.005+04:00

Everybody around me seems very happy because an Iraqi journalist tried to hit Mr. Bush with his shoes. But I am not amused, in fact I am sad. The way people have reacted only gives one impression about us Muslims, that we are people who in fact do love violence & yes we are intellectually bankrupt. Well at least this is the impression we give to non-Muslims.

All of a sudden, that journalist has become a hero overnight. But does he really deserves that hero status? The amount of reaction this incident has generated in the arab media is truly amazing. I was wondering what would have been the reaction in our part of the world if one of our leaders received a similar treatment from one of the journalists in America? Perhaps burning of flags in our cities, destruction of public & private property? Yes, this is what we are only good at. Have we forgotten the art of civilized debate?

Yes West has double standards, but then we are also not much different either.

Tagged Again

2008-12-12T13:58:00.004+04:00

Notorious tagged me, and I am confused because I find myself in a very difficult position :-)

The tag says I am supposed to write about one blogger & then tag 5 others. What I plan to do instead is write about 5 UAE based bloggers & no, I am not tagging anyone. These five bloggers, guys if you come across this post & if you feel you want to become a part of this tag, you are welcome to do so :-)

So here we go.

One of the first blogs I came across & still one of my favourites is Dubai At Random, it looks at life in the Emirates from a humourus point of view, although I am not sure if that is intentional or not :-)

I really admire Fujairah in Focus for his effort in highlighting the often neglected but beautiful Emirate of Fujairah. It was one of his posts which really motivated me to go to Fujairah & witness the Bull Fight :-)

The Emirates Economist is another blog I regularly read. As the name implies, it is an economics focussed blog, quite serious & very informative.

The Lost Dot is one of the blogs that started around the same time I started blogging. Her posts are interesting, especially the Jar of Dots series :-)

Yearning for Something is another blog I found interesting & also motivating at the same time. She was one of my regular commentors but I guess she is in "hibernation" mode now :D

Thats it guys :-)

A Different Eid

2008-12-09T12:52:00.003+04:00

First of all, I wish all of you a Happy & Blessed Eid. I know its a bit late this time, but as they say, its never too late :-)

Secondly, have you guys also noticed something different about Eid this time? Don't you think the element of festivity is not there this time? The night before Eid, roads appeared deserted, as if it was a mourning occasion. Is the UAE population so much dependent on bank credit to lead their lives? Well at least that is the conclusion I have drawn.

And if it is true, then I guess it is a good thing in the long term. People need to learn how to live within their means. We don't want a consumerist & materialistic society, something which unfortunately we had become.

Another thought is circling around my head. As all of us know, UAE & Dubai has become known for things tall, long, large, etc. But can they really come up with a new financial system that will be different from the current system of exploitation, and that includes the so called Islamic banking system? Can they do it? If they achieve that, I think that will be the real progress & development. What do you guys think? :-)

Want to feel rich? Curb your desires

2008-12-05T14:15:00.004+04:00

This post is somewhat related to the previous one. Today morning I came across this interesting article in Gulf News. I can relate myself to what the writer said, and from personal experience I can confidently say that what she said is very much true.

Wealth is relative to desire.

Every time we yearn for something we can't afford, we become poor - regardless of our resources. It's when we are satisfied with what we have, that we become rich. The hard part is understanding that and adjusting accordingly.

We know there are nicer things and we see people who have them. For this you can blame television and magazines.

Through them, we can see easily what others buy and own and wear. Every new thing whispers its promise of happiness then gradually slides into the background of everyday life. Then we notice that someone else has a different or nicer thing. And we suddenly need it, too. This isn't the same as ambition or reaching for a goal; it's more about tweaking how we think about what we want.

This is why many of us recall feeling better when we were younger. We felt as if we had enough because we hadn't yet begun to compare ourselves with others. We didn't expect that we should have a lot more. It's our expectations that trip us up. We substitute one material desire for another, convinced each time that the next whatever will make us happy. And we then seek out that happiness through spending money.

But what we need is less desire, not more money. There are two ways to make a man richer, writer-philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau reasoned: Give him more money or curb his desires.

The solution this year: Expect less and want less. Perhaps the way to sort a real desire from just wanting is to wait a few weeks and see if the want changes. Or maybe to listen carefully to the dialogue inside. Is the inner voice saying "I like this"... or "They will be impressed"?
Source

What about you? Do you agree or disagree? Do you consider yourself rich or poor? :-)

Economic Slowdown?

2008-11-29T14:59:00.003+04:00

Every day we hear scary stories about the impact the so called current financial slowdown will have on the lives of ordinary people like me. And it makes me wonder, how will it have a negative impact on me now when you consider the fact that I was much better off prior to this so called period of boom?

By better off, I mean my purchasing power was stronger than it was during the last 6-7 years of economic "growth" when prices started climbing like crazy, when everything started revolving around money & money worship became the main religion of our "businessmen".

Have you guys noticed something? It is the so called "businessmen" who are complaining. For the rest of us, most probably it has brought smile to our faces, at least this is true for me. In fact, I see the current "decline" as the real growth as long as it helps brings down the prices to realistic levels. Enough exploitation in the name of economic "growth".

On a side note, I have set up a new blog which basically is a collection of UAE themed blogs. It is a small effort to unite UAE based bloggers & it will only succeed with your cooperation. And you know what motivated me? It was this post by a fellow blogger Aisha. Have a look & do share your opinion.

I have tried my best to include all the UAE blogs I was aware of, but if I have missed you, let me know. Enjoy the weather :-)

Quote Of The Day

2008-11-08T21:41:00.005+04:00

By 2025 you will be able to buy the computing power of the human brain for $1,000, according to Dr Colin Harrison, a director and Master Inventor for IBM.
Source

What is the first thought inside your brain after reading the above quote? To be honest, I am scared :-)

Western Values

2008-10-13T20:26:00.005+04:00

What are the Western values? Are they compatible with Islam? Is Islam really a danger to Western values?

These questions came to my mind after stumbling upon this website, which is dedicated to highlighting the dangers of Islamic Finance. To be honest, I am not a big fan of financial system, both conventional & Islamic. But I find some people really exaggerate when they indirectly try to portray Islam as a danger to the modern world.

The same site pointed to another website which describes itself as "a new, growing coalition of human rights, women’s rights, religious rights and First Amendment advocacy groups. Its mission is to educate the public about how Shariah is creeping into American society and compromising constitutional freedoms."

Is Islam or Shariah the evil of modern times that needs to be eliminated? I think non-muslims or muslims living in the West who have experienced Western values are better qualified to answer this question. If you are one, raise your hand & do share your thoughts :-)

As you sow so shall you reap

2008-09-29T02:42:00.003+04:00

I have not posted a story since long time. So here you go :-)

There is a story that Charlemagne sent a most perfect rose as a gift to the caliph Harun Rashid.

He gave it to his gardener and told him to plant it with great care and as soon as the first rose came from it to bring it to him. The gardener carefully planted the rose in a beautiful part of the garden.

The next day a crow came and ate the rose. Trembling, the gardener told the news to Harun Rashid. He told the gardener not to worry for the punishment of the crow will be the same as that of the rose.

A few days later a snake came upon the crow and killed him. The gardener told the news to the caliph who again told him that the fate of the snake will be the same as the crow.

The next day the gardener was working in the garden when he spotted the snake. He picked up an axe and killed the snake. The caliph told him that his fate would be the same.

As it happened the gardener did something wrong and was thrown in jail. The day he was to be hanged he requested to see Harun Rashid.

He reminded the caliph of the rose, the crow and the snake and said that if the caliph would show forgiveness toward him, then he would save himself from a like fate.
Source

Slow Down

2008-09-23T01:18:00.007+04:00

Few days ago, this article caught my attention. Maybe some or rather most of you may disagree but the points raised by the writer made sense to me.

Multitasking and instant communication have given us many benefits. But they also produce frazzled nerves, sleep problems, strained relationships, irritability, and drug dependencies. That's why it's important for people to rejuvenate themselves by slowing down.

If we value healthy living, creativity, and peace of mind, we should recognize the need to be idle. By doing so, we may discover the benefits of simply watching a sunset.

What do you think? How do you lead your life? Is it a slow one or are you always in a hurry to accomplish tasks? :-)

Who wants this Coffee?

2008-09-09T13:43:00.005+04:00

I am sure most of you must have heard about Cat Coffee. They say it is one of the world's most expensive & "coveted" kinds of coffee. And do you know the reason? It comes from an unusual source - the droppings of a nocturnal, cat-like animal called the palm civet. The beans pass through the civet whole after fermenting in the stomach and that's what gives the coffee its "unique" taste and aroma.

And you know what, it is available in Dubai now, for only Dirhams 269 per cup.

Where is this world heading to? Everything seems to revolve around making money, in whatever way even if that means fooling people. And the sad thing is that there is no shortage of people who are willing to be fooled in the name of sweet sounding words like premium, luxury, high class, etc.

Ramadhan Kareem

2008-09-01T15:06:00.005+04:00

Friends, it has been a long absence, I apologize for the lack of posts during the past couple of months. Since Ramadhan is a great motivator to get in touch with friends, so here wishing all of you a Blessed Ramadhan. May Allah help all of us become better muslims & better human beings.

I want to share my favourite Ramadhan nasheed with you guys, just click at the centre for the flash to start :-)

Source