In The Eyes Of BlackBerry

Noli Me BlackBerry Tangere

2012-03-07T06:10:00.000+08:00

It's not that I am conceited that I don't want someone in the workplace or anywhere can just grab or use my old and obsolete BlackBerry mobile phone whenever they want to. :) First, it is for personal use only. Second, only minors or make it, only infants don't have mobile phones, because they do not have that thinking capacity yet to understand the use of mobile phones. You know what I mean here. :)

One afternoon at work, I made my quick break and went to the loo. After 3 minutes, I am back at my desk then I heard a BBM message alert tone. A friend of mine said: "what, what can I do for you?” Then I was like, "huh? what do you mean?". "You pinged me first, so what's that for buddy?” he asked.

Instead of making a reply, my thoughts were rambling and very busy, full of light bulbs, popping questions like who the F*&#! made that Ping? Because I'm sure I wasn't.

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Possibilities are too many but one thing sure is someone has done it purposely. Was it meant for a joke or something else? Whatever it was, it just doesn’t feel right to touch things which do not belong to you. I am a porcupine on this matter. A porcupine doesn't share with anything that is why they have those thorns all over their body.

I may sound a high school stud with this petty thing, but with this, I am making a simple appeal to BlackBerry Company or to other companies, to create an application that can make a phone alarm with its loudest sound, if somebody uses it. Or something like and electric shock? LOL!

I am not this technically knowledgeable about the how to's in making applications, but something that could sense temperature or the skin type of the real owner and that could serve as activator. This might put a stop to those who can't have their own mobile phone, pinged!

I know, I shouldn't have left my phone unattended, but who's expecting such kind of thing to happen? I didn't use the Password Security because it’s not easy to supply the log in details each time my phone buzzes, especially if you're at work where every seconds count.

What do you think of this? Please leave a comment.

Camel

2012-03-04T03:38:00.000+08:00

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This was the first stuff toy our two year old son bought during our mall strolling after he landed in Dubai. The first time he's in Dubai when he's still inside his mother's tummy years back.

He personally requested to buy one because this is what he wanted to have back when we were still in the Philippines. As if he knows what camel is, to the people of Dubai and rest of the UAE.

Camel is no longer just a regular animal that you've commonly known for.

Camel is getting popular each and every single day. The UAE is venturing on it and considering it as one of their symbols or identity. From key holders, to refrigerator magnets, t-shirts, mugs, and so on. This goes side by side with the date fruit in terms of popularity.

But aside from the above mentioned, camel burger in Dubai and UAE is now also gaining popularity among tourists. Marwan Al Zarouni of Gulf News' Express wrote an article that says, Camel burger: Dubai's new delicacy.

Did you know: that Camels do not store water in their humps as is commonly believed? The humps are actually a reservoir of fatty tissue. Concentrating body fat in their humps minimizes heat-trapping insulation throughout the rest of their body, which may be an adaptation to living in hot climates. When this tissue is metabolized, it acts as a source of energy, and yields more than 1 g of water for each 1 g of fat converted through reaction with oxygen from air. This process of fat metabolization generates a net loss of water through respiration for the oxygen required to convert the fat. Source: wikipedia.org

The Manny Pacquiao In Him

2012-03-02T01:48:00.002+08:00

It was great that my wife was quick enough to grab her BlackBerry phone and took a short video of our 2 year old son showing his so called 'Manny Pacquiao Moves'. This was inside a playground of a mall in Dubai, UAE. We laughed after seeing him how he moved and shook his arms while aiming and hitting the bag with his small fists. Sigh! Our little boxer! LOL!

Did you know: that boxing is also called pugilism which is a combat sport in which two people engage in a contest using only their fists and that in 2004, ESPN ranked boxing as the most difficult sport in the world? Source: wikipedia.org

My Son's First Gigantic Aquarium Experience

2012-02-26T22:19:00.000+08:00

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I and my wife promised our son that we'll bring him to a giant aquarium with lots of fishes like sharks to see and was finally realized yesterday, February 25, 2012. Our 2 year old son was so happy and amused seeing those big and small fascinating creatures swimming inside the Dubai Mall Aquarium. No questions asked, he was just staring at the fishes for minutes and transferring from one corner to the other. It was his first time to see a gigantic aquarium like Dubai Mall's. I wanted to know what's going on his mind at that time. If only I could read his mind, it would be more fun.

Did you know: that Dubai Aquarium is one of the largest tanks in the world at 51m x 20m x 11m and featuring the world's largest viewing panel at 32.8m wide and 8.3m high? Dubai Aquarium has more than 33,000 living animals, representing more than 85 species including over 400 sharks and rays combined. Source: thedubaimall.com

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PlayBook: New OS Is Coming To Town

2012-02-16T21:11:00.001+08:00

Attention to all BB Playbook owners and wanna-be owners, here's some good news for you guys. Though it is still considered to be a rumor, but chances are big that PlayBook OS 2.0 will be available soon. Newer version means newer additional great features and applications that would probably help playbook back in the competition.

Here's a link related to this post: Best Buy ad shows off BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 as coming soon

Birds Angrying on Facebook

2012-02-14T21:48:00.000+08:00

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Last year was the first year of this strategy gaming brand which became so popular worldwide after it was launched on December 29, 2009 by Finnish computer game developer Rovio Mobile. This is just one of the few brands which started on a humble beginning but resulted a massive success. The game itself is now being featured by so many different computer and phone companies cementing its lead in the world easy-access gaming. Although it is not that challenging compared to dota and other hard core computer games, but it is strategic kind of play which made it different and addictive. It has an audience ages from 2 year old onwards. :)

The company is now on merchandising which added to their mobile app and computer app success. More success means more money to them. Like the BB pic above taken inside an electronics store in Dubai, UAE, you can see two new products from them; red bird and green pig speakers that can be attached to any smart phones. Below are safety casings for tablets. Previously they have launched stuff toys, shirts etc. But today, they have finally joined Facebook as an additional to the social network's vast applications.

So what will happen to those Farmville users after this? That is something to be seen. hehehe. We'll find it later whether Angry Birds logos will be posted wall after wall or Farmville will do something to retain its thunder on FB.

Did you know: that in early 2009, Rovio staff began reviewing proposals for potential games? One such proposal came from senior game designer Jaakko Iisalo in the form of a simulated screenshot featuring some angry-looking birds with no visible legs or wings. While the picture gave no clue as to what type of game was being played, the staff liked the characters, and the team elected to design a game around them. As the concept of Angry Birds was developed, the staff realized the birds needed an enemy. At the time, the "swine flu" epidemic was in the news, so the staff made the birds' enemies pigs. Source: wikipedia.org

After Sendong

2012-02-04T01:32:00.000+08:00

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I was still in Dubai, UAE when I first saw a pic of this cargo ship which sank after running aground in Sitio Canday-ong, Barangay Calindagan in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental Philippines.

For almost two months now, this scenario left by typhoon Sendong which hit 3 major cities last December 17, 2011; made me think back of how the affected people felt that time.

This BB pic was taken at 4:19 this afternoon after our 2 year old son's dental visit. The clinic was just meters away from the site.

I really don't know what's inside his mind, but I know something sad too. He stared to it for about 5 minutes. He's still too young but he's that sensitive already, I tell you.

For more details of the story, please click this: M/V Ever Transport III

Did you know: that in the Philippines, catastrophic flash flooding triggered by Sendong (Washi) resulted in at least 1,257 fatalities? Additionally, at least 85 people are known to be missing. In post-analysis, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) upgraded Washi from a tropical storm to a severe tropical storm. Source: wikipedia.org

Toys Are These

2012-02-01T00:40:00.000+08:00

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I saw this exodus-like of animals when I entered our room. Lol! "Tay, tan-awa ako mga toys" (Dad, look at my toys), my 2 year old son told me who arranged it with a cousin. Seeing this BB pic, reminds me of the famous Bible story Noah's Ark and made me realize that it's time for me now to start telling it also to my son.

Did you know: that animal figurines are figurines that represent animals, either as toys or collectibles? They are often made of plastic. Historically, animal figurines were made of lead, and were made by several manufacturers, including Britains Limited. Companies that manufacture realistic models include Schleich, Safari Ltd., AAA, Bullyland, Papo, Wild Republic, Science & Nature and Collecta. K. Narayanan is the Limca Book of Records (an Indian record book) holder for the largest collection of miniature animal replicas, numbering 1,773 as of June 12, 2011. Source: wikipedia.org

BlackBerry News: RIM's New CEO

2012-01-25T03:27:00.000+08:00

Yahoo's Headline:

RIM and Blackberry on the edge under new CEO

Takeover talk swirled as investors and analysts ponder whether new Chief Executive Thorsten Heins had been appointed to lead a turnaround of the struggling phonemaker.

TORONTO/LONDON (Reuters) - The new leader at Research In Motion on Monday dismissed talk of drastic change at the BlackBerry maker, a declaration seized on by impatient investors who say Thorsten Heins has only 12 to 18 months to turn RIM around.

Takeover talk, swirling around RIM for months, picked up steam as Heins took the helm at a once-dominant smartphone company that now struggles to compete. But RIM's shares tumbled more than 8 percent as investors wondered whether Heins could reverse RIM's decline.

Read Full Article: Yahoo! Finance Canada

Thorsten Heins
CEO, RIM
(yahoo photo)

*****

As a BlackBerry user, my hope is for the best of RIM with its newly appointed CEO. I think now is the time for RIM/BlackBerry to give more focus on innovation. Make better Playbook tablets and bestest Smart Phones. Lol!

Apple had its peak, now it should be RIM's turn. But first, they have to topple South Korea's Samsung who's currently leading in market sales worldwide.

To Thorstein Heins, make BlackBerry lead the market.

Food: Shawarma To The World

2012-01-25T01:44:00.003+08:00

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I took this BB pic in Al Satwa Road, Dubai.. I bought two pieces for me and my wife before heading straight home from work. I just love to eat one, which for me, best eaten while its hot and surely it can satisfy your hunger for just 4 Dirhams. This is good for those who are always on the go.

I have tried shawarma in the Philippines but its not as good as what I have tasted here in Dubai. I have been eating delicious shawarma for almost 5 years now. Lol!

It is usually made of chicken, beef or mutton meat (goat) alternately stacked on a stick, cooked and grilled in a vertical rotating spit like the one above. Mixed with sliced cabbage or lettuce, potato fries and a white sauce, it will be filled into a small round pocket Arabic bread called "pita" "khubz" (read as kubos) and sided with pickled vegetables.

Shawarma is one of the Middle Eastern foods that gained worldwide popularity.

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Did you know: that the Arabic word shawarma comes from the Turkish word çevirme [tʃeviɾˈme] 'turning', and has its origins in Anatolia? And tha it is similar to the dish called döner kebab 'turning kebab' in Turkish, and the Greek gyros 'turned', formerly called ντονέρ /doˈner/? Source: wikipedia.org

Daytona Migi in Dubai

2012-01-21T18:55:00.000+08:00

Set Fire to the Rain by Adele is the song I am listening to when I started writing this blog. You might then ask, so what is the relation to Daytona Migi?

Daytona Migi is popular in the United States especially for those who are avid collectors of vintage cars. Daytona Migi is patterned or replicated from the cars made by the British sports car manufacturing MG Car Company between 1920 to 1950s. The former MG Car Company popularized so many versions of sports car models, most of them are midget or migi as adopted in the US.

While staring at this picture that I took one Thursday, January 1, 2012 at 2nd of December Street in Al Satwa Dubai, UAE, it brings myself to imagining driving this car with Adele's song blasting the speakers while roaming around the city. Adele's singing style especially in that song really fits this blog. I'm talking and writing here about vintage car and also listening to this classy or should I say modern classic great song. How awesome you think that is. Lol!

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I was really knocked dead upon seeing this car. Although I noticed that some of the original features are not in place. Like the wheels which are supposed to be spokes, but that's just a minor minus of how good looking this vintage car is.

Here in Dubai, UAE, seldom you can see vintage cars like this one. Locals and affluent expats usually own the latest expensive super cars. Probably the owner of this one is truly an avid fan of vintage midget sports car.

Since MG Car Company operation has long been stopped, cars like this that you will see, are probably replicas which are made to order on the internet.

Did you know: that a vintage car is commonly defined as a car built between the start of 1919 and the end of 1930 known as the "Vintage era"? Source: wikipedia.org

Spiraling Books

2012-01-20T04:36:00.004+08:00

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Inside a bookstore in 2nd December Street (formerly Al Diyafah Street) of Al Satwa Dubai is this spiraling booklet painstakingly piled near the entrance. I saw it first from the outside while I was waiting for my wife to arrive from work.

If you notice, there's a note at the top most part of it, written in Arabic, but the shopkeeper said, it simply means "whoever destroys the arrangement must do the same thing again." Whew?! That would be difficult. So I took my BlackBerry, clicked and went out. Lol!

Did you know: that in 2010, Google estimated that since the invention of printing, approximately 130,000,000 unique book titles had been published? Source: wikipedia.org

Google in Protest to SOPA & PIPA

2012-01-19T02:41:00.000+08:00

Wikipedia, Boing Boing among others are having their websites blacked for 24 hours as their way of protesting against the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) of the US House of Representatives and US Senate. They firmly believe that these bills, though being formulated to curb the piracy problem on the internet, "could fatally damage the free and open internet".

Some sites also are having their header blacked but when I checked google's search page on my BlackBerry, there's nothing much different except with the simple yet direct line. (circled in red, it says, Tell Congress: Please don't censor the web!)

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Wherever this may lead to, my only hope is to continue browsing and surfing the internet freely.

BlackBerry Tips / Shortcuts

2012-01-18T00:49:00.000+08:00

Tip # 1:

You may type, "When is the best time to smile?" If you wanna know then do this...

Press "L" then "D" then "space" and "L" then "T" and then the "space" button.

It's fun, try it now. :)

Tip # 2:

This is very useful especially to those who don't memorize or who can't memorize their BB pins. You can type it in BBM, Email or SMS.

Type "mypin" then space. Walaah! Your pin is there!

Tip # 3:

If you want to know all the important details of your BlackBerry phone, i.e. PIN, IMEI, OS version etc, this fast and easy way will help you.

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On your BlackBerry keyboard, press the left shift key (the one in blue circle), the alt key (the one in red circle) and letter h altogether. Fast, right? :)

It's a Jeep Thing

2012-01-17T04:37:00.003+08:00

Al Futtaim Motors are showcasing their different car models in the newly opened Festival Walk at Dubai Festival City, in line with the annual Dubai Shopping Festival.

Toyota, Dodge, Chrysler, Honda makes were on display. And there's another one, Jeep. It was displayed on top of a concrete creek wall or something, with high beamed spotlight on it. See the pic and click for a better view. Pic was taken again with BlackBerry Bold 9780.

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I and my wife were like, what the *&^, what have they done with that precious Jeep. Back at home, while browsing my pix, I found something that made me understand. "It's a Jeep thing..."

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This one was taken in a parking area in Jumeirah Beach Residence Walk, Dubai Marina, 'twas Thursday.
So if you'll see something unusual about a Jeep, just don't bother, it's a Jeep thing.... :)

Did you know: that many, including Ermey, suggest that soldiers at the time were so impressed with the new vehicles that they informally named it after Eugene the Jeep, a character in the Popeye cartoons created by E. C. Segar? Source: wikipedia.org

See related stories: Toyota Miniature Jeep

Bench for Him and Her

2012-01-16T01:25:00.000+08:00

Bench for him and her. Lol! Nope, I was just playing with the famous tag line of a leading Filipino clothing company called Bench/.

This was taken by my wife one fine morning while waiting for the bus to work at the 2nd of December Street (formerly Al Diyafah Street, in Al Satwa Dubai). Using her BlackBerry Bold 9700, she was able to find a good angle in capturing this supposedly boring subject. :) Nice click langga.

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Did you know: that recreational sitting, as reflected by television/screen viewing time, is related to raised mortality and CVD risk regardless of physical activity participation? And that in public areas, benches are often donated by persons or associations, which may then be indicated on it, e.g. by a plaque like the below pic? Source: wikipedia.org

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Dubai Festival City's Newly Opened Walk - Visited

2012-01-15T03:31:00.002+08:00

I read in the newspaper that an extension walk and promenade was being added in Dubai Festival City's complex. It was situated along the Dubai Creek.

By the way, Dubai Festival City or DFC is a big complex constructed by Al Futtaim Carillion, a big Dubai Co., in an area near to Dubai International Airport. It has big shopping mall, commercial buildings, hotels, residential area, school, golf course, marina and other recreational facilities.

Yesterday, Friday the 13th January 2012, me and my wife visited the place. It was a long stretch walk with not much establishments yet, but it's a nice place to really unwind especially during this cold season. Very ideal for families. Very refreshing if I will compare it to the overcrowded Jumeirah Beach Residences Walk in Dubai Marina.

Using my BlackBerry Bold 9780 I've made this clip with videos and images. And eeiy, were so fortunate also that evening because we've met some big stars. :) Check the video.

Toyota iQ in Dubai

2012-01-13T13:07:00.000+08:00

I am in the process of acquiring a driver's license here in Dubai. Though I have been driving already back in my home country, The Philippines. After landing and securing a job, having a D/L is such an ideal thing to achieve for an expat. You know why?

When I came here back in 2007, the price of petrol is way way low since oil is abundant here in the Middle East. To give you an idea, like for 50 Dirhams that is equivalent to 13.6 US dollars in today's conversion; you can have an almost full tank of your vehicle. And aside from that, you can loan a car in a very easy way and again, cheap because there's no tax in here.

Today, after the economic turmoil, little changes surfaced. You could still see that drive among expats of having a car etcetera etcetera but more in a practical way now. Same goes to the locals here.

Locals are known of owning expensive, big and muscled cars, but Saturday morning on the 24th of December 2011, I saw this small white car parked near to our apartment building. It made me stop and stare, because it was my first time seeing a small car like this from this famous Asian brand Toyota, in Dubai. So I grabbed my ever dependable BlackBerry Bold and click. Then came the local owner, so I asked: can I take a photo boss, he said, "no problem baba". (Baba means mister in Arabic). So I took another one.

I know Toyota iQ is not really that cheap on its level but obviously a way way cheaper than a Nissan Patrol Super Safari or a Toyota Sequoia. The big PLUS also is, the mobility, easy to maneuver and especially the parking part. You can just easily squeeze in to any vacant parking areas. Very ideal if you're staying somewhere where parking is a problem. Downside of course, if you have your family here, but that's another story. :)

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Did you know: that the i stands for "individuality" "innovation" and "intelligence", while the Q stands for "quality" and points to the iQ's "cubic" shape? That it was Japanese Car of the Year for 2008? The iQ was designed at the Toyota European Design and Development (Toyota ED²) studio in Nice, France. Source: wikipedia.org

Burj Khalifa - A Quick Video Tour

2012-01-13T00:01:00.000+08:00

I always see The World's Tallest Tower Burj Khalifa in my everyday commute to & from work. My BlackBerry Bold has been with me for quite sometime already but only now I find the time using it and capturing this megastructure.
My personal assessment, quality wise, BlackBerry video is okay. From now on, BlackBerry videos and images will flood bbplusses.blogspot.com.

This is just to give you an idea, especially if you haven't gone to Dubai yet and is planning to come here, this tower can be seen from almost everywhere in the emirate. That's how long Khalifa really is.

Me, my wife and a friend spent the whole Thursday night until Friday dawn just to watch the opening of MI4 movie of Tom Cruise because of this beautiful architecture. The action scene in the movie in Khalifa was superb, full with thrill and excitement.

Enjoy this humble video clip!

BlackBerry Photography: Symmetry

2012-01-11T03:51:00.000+08:00

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Every time my wife and I visit the Dubai Mall, it is always like our first time, because we always see new things anywhere, like this hanging decor at the Bloomingdale's side. I intentionally took this bb pic with this angle and seems great to me. A symmetry.

Did you know: that there are two primary meanings of symmetry? The first is imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically pleasing proportionality and balance; such that it reflects beauty or perfection. The second meaning is a precise and well-defined concept of balance or "patterned self-similarity" that can be demonstrated or proved according to the rules of a formal system. Source: wikipedia.org

Next to buy: Playbook

2012-01-11T02:50:00.001+08:00

Been looking for a good review on BlackBerry Playbook and this one is just perfect. Right mate? Hopefully if my pocket will be filled with dirhams, I would buy one. Though admittedly it is far from apple's ipad in terms of specs and so on, but I still love BlackBerry. I also like how perfectly sized playbook is aside from the good features that this youtubber is going to tell you. Thanks to MrThaibox123 for the review.

The BlackBerry Flashy Flash

2012-01-10T03:52:00.005+08:00

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This bb pic was taken at 7:54 pm last December 19, 2011 on our way to Dubai Mall. I wanted to have a candid shot of my wife but I didn't know that she was also pointing her bb to me when we simultaneously clicked the button and then KABOOM! It resulted to this unusual capturing of flash, literally. It was like, she's releasing her ala "Ironman" power here. Lol!

Did you know: that the earliest flashes had of a quantity of flash powder consisting of a mechanical mixture of magnesium powder and potassium chlorate that was ignited by hand? And that later, the electric flash-lamp used an electrical circuit to trigger a fuse to ignite explosive powder (e.g., magnesium) which was invented by Joshua Cohen (a.k.a. Joshua Lionel Cowen of the Lionel toy train fame) in 1899? Source: wikipedia.org

Destination: Jumeirah Beach

2012-01-09T02:28:00.005+08:00

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This bb pic was taken a day after my 31st Birthday and our 3rd Wedding Anniversary with my wife, that was Friday, December 9, 2011. I was doing some grill at the same time playing with my bb's cam and never thought that I have snapped this photo of Jumeirah Beach Park in Dubai beautifully.

Did you know: that Jumeirah Beach is a stretch of beach ten miles south of Dubai where developers are creating large hotel resorts, luxury housing along with the famous Burj Al Arab (Arab Tower) hotel? Source: wikipedia.org

Feel Good Tip Indeed

2012-01-07T17:54:00.001+08:00

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I was having tea during our morning break at 10:29 last November 1, 2011 in our office canteen when I have got to read this simple yet compelling "feel good tip" by Lipton Co. I smiled and in my mind I said, hell yeah, you're right. Perhaps lipton knows how fat I have become. Lol! It's nice to have blackberry, you can just click whenever you want like this one. Something to read again and be inspired again to do some short running. :)

Did you know: that in Britain, though this idea is primarily focused on England, tea is known as a sort of 'National Drink'? That it is consumed frequently across the country and is perceived as one of Britain's cultural beverages? Source: wikipedia.org

Never Learned

2012-01-07T06:06:00.002+08:00

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I was on a bus heading home from work when I happened to see this irresponsible driver if I may say so. This was taken with my bb at 2:00 pm last October 27, 2011 near the Trade Centre Roundabout in Dubai UAE. If you look at the picture closely, the driver's right hand is on the phone, which is illegal and obviously dangerous while driving. And worse, look at the front of the car, seems like he just got an accident and there he goes again, multi-tasking, without minding his lady passenger.

Did you know: that a 1985 study by K. Rumar, using British and American crash reports as data, found that 57% of crashes were due solely to driver factors, 27% to combined roadway and driver factors, 6% to combined vehicle and driver factors, 3% solely to roadway factors, 3% to combined roadway, driver, and vehicle factors, 2% solely to vehicle factors and 1% to combined roadway and vehicle factors? Source: wikipedia.org