Dumping of the elderly...

A serious problem arising here in the UAE is with the amount of elderly being given over to senior citizen homes (which is an evil thing no matter how you look at it), but the worst problem is that we dont have enough of these homes to cope with the situation! Whats worse? being shipped away from your family, or discovering that youre family sent you without checking availability?

ma yst7oon

Flaw - Best I am

FNC issue...

The one thing that truly bothers me up to this point, is the fact that its not general elections per se, but rather 5000 selected individuals (pretty much the educated ones of us) are to vote this time around. Although I believe next time around it will be a truly general election... Still,,, I wanted to vote...

I would vote for Dr Meshgan Al Awar, Shehab Gargash, Or Dr Amal Al Qubaisi...

Im boycotting them

How dare they define who is lower-caste... Ibn Battuta

Disturbed - Deify

FNC

Shkh Khalifa (Allah y6wl 3mra) said that the FNC elections are not the only element in a democratic process, but part of a system. With these words, I think the country is heading in the right direction. For those who dont know, the FNC elections allow every emirate to elect the advisory council to the ruling body, click me.

According to Dr. Anwar Gargash, the Minister of state spearheading the FNC initiative the "political programme is all inclusive" and stated that "We will reach full elections.". Broad strokes for a country so young. But truly, is there any objection? This system seems to be the will of the people, and everyone is anticipating it, I know I am...

Question is: Are you?

Who are you voting for?

Flaw - recognize

Hmph... fools

So, there I was, depressed, broken, and sitting in the Marina...

And there I see some idiot showing off with his falcon... In the marina.

Now what kind of a fool brings a falcon and sits with it at the marina? Part of arabic traditions, and islamic ones for that manner is being humble.

He obviously wants to showoff that he is traditional but dude, trust me, thats not the way.

Another thing that bothered me was the way the guys there were acting. There was 1 group of girls in the restaurant minding there own business, and the poor girls were being slowly surrounded by like 50 other guys (including Mr. gana9). I mean, why do the guys insult themselves so willingly?

Just as youve come to have a meal, so have they, so why suffocate them?

Justin Timberlake - What goes around...

Why do I disagree with the handicaped olympics?

Now, for people who think the handicap olympics is a great idea...

It isnt.

My brother volunteered to help out in the initaitive, and he quit after the first day. The poeple working around him didnt truly have the handicapped peoples benefits at heart. There really needed to be better orginization for the project as well, since it was lacking in certain respects.

It doesnt sound too good to critisize this project, but honestly it needs work.

mana3 S3eed - Sarmad ilail

the bus driver who could

So, a local man pulls over a pakistani bus driver for turning on him... Thats road rage...

The bus driver then proceeds to accelarate into him, and drags him 7 meters... Thats premeditated murder.

To round it off, the pakistani ran for three days...

If I were in the locals place, I would try to get the death penalty for the accused.

Driving in the UAE isnt safe, since this morning, Three guys swerved in front of me, a six-wheel truck, a landcruiser, and a corrolla,,, all recieving their respective flashing and horn-bashing...

Driving in Dxb is better though since Shkh Mohamed (Allah y6wl 3mra) has put those laws in force,,, Its working I suppose, but he cant fix the road manners... That needs morals, and how do you do that?! :-)


To avoid the truth Id rather just go blind - flaw

Did you see it?

Anyone walk by dubai marina recently?

I did, and I was humbled... I remember when beach centre first came up, and that was the BOMB. Last night, I ditch my friends to walk around there, and what can I say... Im scared.

Its not my Dubai, its big, bold, high, and mighty... Where are the days when I drive to my beautiful beaches at night? Those beaches now have towers looking down on them.

Its still beautiful....
and I suppose its for the better, just leave dxbs soul intact...

(BTW Wiseman this is something majroo7 jmeirah would say)

Tagged

Tagged By Biz,,,

Now:
Height: 170cm
Color: um, tanned/white.
Piercing: nope
Tattoos: hope not
Time Right Now: 6:01 pm , I changed this 3 times so far
Mood: not good

Taste: High

Weather: cool

Bad habit: No persistence when it is needed

Current crush: nope,, Dont believe in crushes,,, I believe in infatuation :-)

Biggest regret: Not keeping my promises

Perfume(s): Dihn 3ood actually

Things I want to do: Go to heaven

Favorites

Tv shows: Everybody loves raymond

Book: Princess

Nonalcoholic drink: Mango and bannana cocktail

Milk Drink: hot chocolate

Brand: Cartier

Colour: black and silver

Emblem: Anything with a skull in it

Perfume: Ralph Lauren Safari

Designer: Ralph Lauren

Chocolate: Godiva,,, AND Lindt

Have I broken the law: More than I should

missused credit cards: No

skipped school: Never :-p

fell asleep in shower/bath: I tried to once, didnt work

had children: in my daydreams

been in love: I dont know...

Been hurt: on many levels

Random

Have a job: actually, I have many :-p

My cd player is playing: n/a, dont have one

If i were a crayon: i would be the black one

What makes me happy: Sitting on the beach at night with friends laughing amongst ourselves

When/what was the last time you

Got a real letter: 3 weeks ago

Got an email: one hour ago

Thing I purchased: Lunch

Tv program I watched: dont remember, its been so long

Movie: The departed

Hugged: my mother

place I was 1 hr ago: at another pc, doing HW

Song Heard: Tonic - If you could only

phone call: my brother (actually my friend) telling me hez busy with girls,,, the nerve

depressed: yesterday

What comes to mind when you hear:

Car: manly

Murder: evil

cape: Don Juan marquez,,, I dont know who that is, but its the first thing that came to mind

cell: matter

Fun: paintball

shoes: manolo blahnik

crush: ...

music: three days grace - let it die

love: wife

chalk: calcium

I tag: whoever reads this blog and has their own blog,,, ON A CONDITION THEY COMMENT!

The middle ground.

recently, I meet this friend I havent seen in a long time, and to my surprise, he was religous (a 180-degree change)... So I thought: "great, good for him!"...

To my dismay, I didnt know the whole truth.

He was religous, but he had extremist views. It truly broke my heart when I found out, and I noticed that no matter how hard I tried, he was just too hard-headed. Reflecting on this, Ive noticed that it is an increasin trend in the UAE to not follow the middle ground, but rather be on either extreme. Take the example of local women, its either that they marry the perfect guy: tall, smart, RICHHH, RICHHH, RICHHH, from so- and -so family or tribe.... OR they dont get married... Im not saying thats its their fault they arent getting married, Im just saying thats the way it is... There are stories to the contrary, but verrrry few.

Think about it, you can see it in nearly all aspects of life here in the UAE two extremes but little or no middle ground.

Jump the Gun

Why is there controversy over this illustration?

I mean, so what if students see a cartoon representing the ever-dwindling number of locals compared to expats?

Isnt that the truth?

If so, then why the uproar and the "humiliation"? This is an example of us locals jumping the gun on what we deem scandalous... Its stated in the article that ill be confused over my national identity? WHAT?

This is ridiclous.

creationism is relative?

Scientific theory and its advocates have always viewed creationism, which is basically a belief that the origin of earth is miracoulous. My question to everyone at odds with intelligent design creationism is this: 2000 years ago, how did we truly know the world was round?

I ask this question, and bring to light that the Quran has stated this in its scripture at a time when the world was thought to be flat: Wouldnt that be considered scientifically absurd?

My favorite argument is about the theory of evolution. It doesnt have to be touted the way it is ... What if it was the other way round, and apes came from humans? And the the fossils to prove this havent been found?

My point is that there is LOT of finger-pointing, name-calling and mockery,,, But the facts dont all pop out at once, It takes a little time, ESPECIALLY when it comes to complicated matters such as the origin of earth... Im just saying that intelligent design creationism can be related to scientific theories, its just not been been proved yet.

(PS check out my last hyperlink, my copy of the pastafarian gospel is on its way for laughs!)

(((NOTE: THINGS IN RED HAVE BEEN ADDED LATER + HYPERLINKS ARE FIXED),))

Unified Currency!

Hmm,,, Apparently, We have some progress on unifying GCC currencies.

But is that a good thing?

I believe it would raise our land prices... like the Euro

And it would change prices of consumer goods.... like the Euro

AND it would lead to economic issues that havent been forseen... like the Euro (Germany?)

All in all though, if its going to be implemented like the article says it will be, and has proper people heading this initiative, I believe it would be a good move in the long run (for some reason, I have faith in this cause).

Time will tell? (I really should elaborate, but I just dont feel like it)

ITALY?!

Why did zidane headbutt that dude?

honestly, I dont view the italians as worthy of winning the cup if they had to provoke Zidane into a red card,,, Yes it was wrong of zidane, but it was also wrong of the player who started it...

Kudos for getting all the penalty shots though!

I dare you to reply

About a week ago, I was talking about the problems facing the youth getting married, and ive heard a man asking for a dowry of a Quran for his daughters hand, and it inspired this article. Now
I am not kidding here, Ive seen weddings worth at least 2 million dirhams... and that was not even one of the most extravegant. So whats the story? Does it prove that you will have a better marriage? Do you think he loves you more?

Not a chance

Look, I want any local girl reading this post to think about it for a second... If you truly loved the man, and he truly loved you back, do you think money would matter?
I know that a great deal of the blame lies with the parents in setting the dowry, for a mentality here is that "my daughter is not cheap" or "we have a family name to uphold", but a happy marriage is priceless.

But there is an argument for having a high dowry... A woman should be a princess on her marriage night, and she deserves a night like that, and a dowry sweetens the deal. But what if the guy, though perfect in every respect, was not rich? Would you accept a marriage for nothing? better yet, would your parents?

I dont have daughters, but I feel I would be doing the right thing by giving her away to a proper man, regardless of whether he was rich or not.

semper fidelis

Once again everyone

"Analysts say the downward trend is likely to continue as long as speculators dominate the markets and Iran's defiance on the UN's nuclear demands may make investors jittery." (gulf news 29/4/06)

We need proper analysts.

Two days ago, the exact opposite was said. Something about the market being only in a temporary slump?

WE NEED PROPER ANALYSTS.

The solace of the sand

I grew up in a land of cousins and brothers
Where in Public, men never kissed their mothers

I learnt early on that staying silent was having grace
Yet passion's call does not allow for saving face

I sensed it was a forbidden love as I held her hand
Now in my heart's desert, I seek the solace of the sand

With the writing this poem I called forth an unjust shame
For my lonely night knows no forgiveness, remembering her name

Semper Fidelis

(I dont know whats gotten into me, but I had to write this... dont read into it)

Oh my God.

Yesterday as I was flipping through an arabic newspaper in the University coffee shop I noticed an article that has chilled my very heart...

This article was basically probing local traders opinions about the upcoming free trade agreements in the UAE. These agreements seek to break the current system of exclusive dealerships, and allow for a more free-flowing and competitive market place that would be open to foreign investment. Nearly every single trader in the article was talking about the benefits of these agreements, and how it wouldnt have a very negative impact on the current system if you were conducting your business properly... Save one man: Fardan Al Fardan.

I have always respected his opinions, and with this comment he summed up my fears:"who will protect the national (citizen)?"... While the rest of the traders were going on and on about how the increased productivity would benefit them, none of them stopped to think about whats protecting their investments... No one.

Most of the exclusive dealerships here are held by local families, so who is going to protect them? We are already grossly outnumbered by our foreign compatriots in our own country, and losing the one leverage locals have here in the UAE, the big businesses (which are mostly bsed on foundations of exclusive dealerships), would be a staggering blow.

My point is that even in America, "the land of the free", there are limitations to what foreign investors can own. Case in point: In the early 90's Prince Waleed Bin Talal, an investor in many companies in the US, was not allowed to maintain a 15% stake in Citibank, even though his investment was saving Citibank, a banking giant, from bankruptcy!

Where are those limitations here? Why arent they in place?

All I know is that when the American billionares decimate the businesses here, my reaction would be to close my eyes in sadness... And wonder why the ministers hadnt read my blog.

Sprucing Up?

I need to improve on the look of the awareness,.,. The current "all-black" theme is not going down too well,.,.

Anyways, As the topic I chose is sprucing up, I have a solution to the obesity problem here in the UAE... A national initiative that starts at school!

Think about it,,, If kids were given a mandatory 1-hour awarness lesson, be it PE or just something to keep them active, would be extremely beneficial to our students.

Hmmm, But first lets improve on the standards of education first?

(sigh)

If only the minister of education was reading my blog.... Oh the wonders that could be achieved :-)

realization of time

As I look into the eyes of my past generations, I see a perched bird of trials unspoken of.
Feathers of innocence form its wings of love, and sense its worth is known in the heavens above.
I hear its sweet song of agony, and I fall to my knees crying tears for its undying love.
Though it will fly away, I will always hold in my heart a vividly white dove.



Semper Fidelis

The Invasion of the different

It was 1 am and my friends got the bright idea to go to Dhiyafa which, to all the ignorant people out there, is the city's original flirting street... You expect cars filled with guys and girls TRYING to work out their "groove thang"

Now, since this was a weekend (last Wed) traffic was expected... But not the kind of traffic we saw.... Let me clarify, we werent there for flirting. We were pretty much spectators to the fiasco, who incidentally were looking for proper fruit cocktails... And what we saw, was rather unnerving...

Having a few gay people out flirting is expected... But I counted 5 cars at 1:30 Full of gay guys, who were basically sloooowly undressing us with their eyes (no ma7'fee [tint]). Previously, gay people would never EVER flaunt the fact that they are gay... And that was just the half of it.

The girls were even worse probably since they have always been allowed to flirt like no tommorrow... BUT what confused me is "why now?"

Why are the collective primal urges of our youth coming to a head now?!!!

Is it because of new found freedoms ? Or is it because people are finally realising exactly what can be gotten away with?

I honestly dont know

I hope this craziness goes away... But I doubt my hopes would come to fruition.

....

On another note: Radars suck

sleepless 2

Im sooooo sleepy, so Im just going to write anything, and hope it turns out fine... Apparently, I have a thing for late-night posts, but then again the blog is called DXB nights after all...

Who would you consider incomplete without? Have you found that significant other? How do you know he/she is not on speed-dial on your phone?

Some would think Im talking of love, of a love who lights up the night,,, But they are wrong. The only light comes from true friends...
All those songs about the heart's love, cannot compare to what we should owe true friends ,,, because the sheer pureness of their friendship burns me.

I just have to end with this (it wont make much sense because its sooo random):
A poet said: " ya 7abeeb ilgalb 3athbt il7esha"...

nightmare

God, its too late to talk about anything worthwhile,,, so why not talk about nightmares?

The more I think about it, the more I realize that the worst nightmares exsist while we are awake,,, The once peaceful Iraq is being torn to peices from its insides, and everyone is suffering... The blood flows in rivers there, and I havent even started on the flow of tears... To think that we fear the darkness of nightmares, when we really should be fearing the darkness of our fellow men is tragic. But why do I stray so far? The thoughts I weave do not do justice to the blackness right here in the UAE... Labourers with no food, and no water... Orphans fearing for their futures... and the ghost of a growing ignorance grasping this great nation...

All I can do is pray for us all... and I hope you pray for us too.

Protection

This is probably one of the more paranoid comments I will post on this blog... (so proceed with that in mind)

Did you know that the security for important personalities here in the UAE is pathetic? Im not talking about in official events, when bodyguards are a must, Im talking about in the day-to-day life of important personalities like the top Sheikhs of the 7 emirates... Sheikh Mohamed walks around with barely any security at times... Sheikhs of Fuijairah also need a LOT more security, especially when it comes to their majlises and the like . And security for foreign dignitaries needs some help too... Just yesterday I saw emir Sultan of Saudi Arabia (who is the crown prince) with no security whatsoever,,,

Whether there is a need for such security is debatable, since it makes the Sheikhs less accessible, BUT what needs to be feared is not the local population, its the influx of foreigners coming into this country, which is bound to increase crime rates, and as a result, the risk to the leaders we cherish.

END OF PARANOIA

sorry

Ive been away for a while without warning, and for that I must apologize. Um, ok, onwards to something worthwhile! Anyone read about Sheikh Hamad of Fuijairah trying to help that poor kid? I think it was absoulutely frightning to think about the level of medical malpractice in Fuijairah... Not knowing a diagnoses means you call for outside help,,, not naming the situation "an unknown illness"... This kid deserved better, ESPECIALLY since this was something that could have avoided. I hope that whoever responsible sitting there in that Fuijarah hospital with his fake Degrees gets proper seeing to, so that this NEVER happens again... We are living in a modern country, things have changed,,,So should the quality of healthcare.

On a happier note... Sheikh Mohamed has boosted the government budget for education!!! That is quite simply amazing news IF it gets spent right (fingers crossed).

On another note... Im on spring break, so I might not post for a few days :-p

DP world

Now, I have delibirately stayed away from the DP world subject for a while now, thinking that it was just petty name-calling, and that it would die down in the US.

Then, I read this on yahoo news: "The House Appropriations Committee voted 62-2 on Wednesday to block the deal, and GOP congressional leaders privately informed the president Thursday morning that the Senate would inevitably follow suit. Senate Democrats clamored for a vote, increasing pressure on Senate Republicans to abandon the president." (D. espo, A. Taylor / AP)

I realized that its much deeper: Its rascism from a country touting equality.

Pathetic.

Who the hell do they think they are to view us as terrorists? I could just as well view them as ignorant; but the difference is I never generalize. And then I hear some crazy theories on how we could have potential for al-qaeda cells. My answer: more likely in the US, than here. We had an Israeli delegation here for the WTO meetings a while back, and no cells popped up there? We had Dr. Condoleezza Rice here, and still no threats whatsoever (from "potential" cells).
I think that public opinion is quite frankly, extremely biased in the US. But Im not worried, with China coming up at the rate that it is, and the way India is shaping up, the US will regret falling from our graces someday.

Fighting Change

"Education or freedom?"

Recently, I was posed with this very question... Would I prioritize education over freedom?

In a heartbeat.

The idea of having freedom becomes ever-so fleeting if you cant place value on it, and that can only be achieved through education. After all, wasnt education but an idea in one mans head?
The importance of education cannot be put on the back-burner for any other cause, for with education, all is possible.
Which takes me to my next point: The current education system.
The system in place here is backwards. The government schools expect you to memorize work, rather than understand, and rate you accordingly. Private schools, with the exception of a handful, are worse.
There is some effort by the Mohd Bin Rashid establishment for young business leaders and similar groups to get more education out there, but I believe it needs to be on a much, much, larger scale.
Wide-Scale reforms, and analyses of the effectivness of our tutoring must be undertaken, for there is no other way to truly realize the dream of a perfect United Arab Emirates.

Tagged?

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# plates

A Spooky fact is that a number here can go for as much as 1.5 million dirhams while people in Sudan die of hunger.

The fascination with number plates is a pretty big one here in the UAE, with the arrangement of numbers on the plates playing a major factor in determining its worth.

Now, Im ok with owning a number plate thats nice, but blowing 300,000 Dirhamson digits is just wrong. There are actually businesses based on the selling and buying of number plates, and from what I can tell, their success has been phenomenal.

So why is there such a huge fan base for "special" numbers? Its because there is an opinion that the rarer your number, the more powerful you are, a notion that is widely spread among the local community here.

The only truly "special" numbers in my eyes are the police numbers:

Now these past 3 days I have seen way too many police number plates on normal {non-police} cars, about 8 cars at last count. These plates are reserved for police and CID but Sheikhs and their friends, and people who are on good terms high up can get them.

# plates starting with 8xxx and 50xxx, codes A and B, are police/ CID. The idea of seeing so many on the streets is rather unsettling, but I guess that just means that there is some leniency with their numbers.

IPO craze

Tonight, Dubai TV interviewed the acting CEO of Tamweel, Adel Al Shirawi, about his company's IPO. Now, Tamweels IPO (which is when the comapny is basically going to be put up onto the stock market) is coming up very fast indeed, and Shirawi was on today to dispel any fears about it.

Lets just say he got me thinking...

Investors here like to throw money at every IPO that sprouts up. Now, Tamweel is a pretty solid company, and is expected to do well, but is that always the case?
Does every IPO have to hit record figures? Is it always a safe bet to put money on an IPO?
The answer is no, and the actions of the small investors here needs some form of control, because they obviously got the wrong idea, as shown with previous IPOs.

Oh well,.,. Live and let live?

No Candles 4 me

Im officially 18 years old today... Its time I started to be a little more responsible.

Sweets for everyone!!!

Society

An in depth examination of the UAE social structure is out of place this late at night, I will post more on the subject later.
But I will say this,.,.

Socially, the country is split into a few large groups: The 3eemis, the Arabs, The balushis, and the mtjanseen.

3eemis tend to be educated and open-minded (varies from person to person). The basic definition of 3eemi in arabic is foriegner; Owing to the widely acknowledged fact that they originated from Iran. As a result, many 3eemis are considered very fair (colour - wise) in this land. Most 3eemis came from Iran as traders, but some Arabs, whom I will explain about shortly, are also considered 3eemi if they went to (and lived in) Iran for trading activities. Many prominent trading families here in the UAE are 3eemi.

Arabs, are usually the ones driving the culture of the UAE. The Sheikhs of the UAE (and their tribes) are considered to be Arabs. Before the oil boom, most Arabs where bedouins, living off the land (and the sea), and where divided into tribes. These tribes still exsist and dwell in the UAE. In the past, due to their nomadic lifestyles, Arabs werent really that educated, but due to modernisation, education is starting to be widely accepted among Arabs. The bedouin lifestyle is not totally obsolete though, many Arabs still hold bedouin values and traditions in the UAE.
The bedouin Arabs here usually have views that are in a western view will be both very comendable but a little backwards at the same time. For example, many bedouins are brutally honest in what they say, but sometimes brutal honesty is,.,. Brutal. Personally, I view a true bedouin friend one of the best a man could have, since they are a very loyal bunch.

Next up, are the balushis,.,. They are pretty much 3eemi, but with a twist. They are not as educated as the 3eemis, and originally come from Balochistan, a land between Pakistan and Iran .

Finally, the mtjanseen, are foreigners who have been given UAE passports, usually because they offered some great service to the country.

Now, the problem we are facing here in the UAE, is that every group thinks his is the best, causing serious rifts in the society.,.,. And the results of this train-of-thought are group-specific marriages, 3eemi families dont marry into arab families and vice versa, Balushi families stick to their own community, and mtjanseen are basically stuck with no one to marry (since they are so few).
I believe that this train of thought is destructive to the nation and to muslims as a whole. period.
Where is the logic in not letting your daughter marry a man whos familly is a little different than yours? Change should be embraced.
The problem is deeply racial in my view, and is a plague, a poison, and a darkness in this fair land.

I will discuss more about this later on, when im more awake :-)

Forgot to mention

Yea,,, while people were partying it up at the maseera... Me and a friend were driving around the backroads of Shk Zayed road trying to get to that damn emarat petrol station,.,.What we found astounded both me and my friend...

Behind Shk Zayed road they are mainly these chapras (warehouses) and cargo areas for the various dealers of goods in the country,,, Strangly enough we past by a GLOWING chapra,.,. Im talking flashy lights, with music spilling out to the streets,.,.Im talking about 15 valets/ security guards for a chapra! And guess what they had beamed on the walls of that particular chapra?

Dom Perignon!
(google it, if you dont know what it is)

Seems the maseera was not the only party going on tonight (it was just getting started, and I just reached home!)

Maseera!

Tonight, UAE won a match against Oman in a 1 - 0 game in al nasr stadium.
This caused mass chaos in the minds of most teens here, and as a matter of fact, had even me, a guy who thought the UAE had no chance against Oman, smile...

Though I was not personally there ( I was half-way across the city at Mall of the Emirates) my friends were at the mini-parade in Dubai,.,. and from what I here It was amazing!

As one of my friends put it: "We are the UAEs soldiers" :-)

Maseeras rock,.,.

Madinat Jumeirah

ok,,, so there I was at madinat jumeirah (and mina salaam), with loads of free time,.,. I work out at mina salaam and today I felt exceptionally bored SO I decide to check out the tourist trap's shops and see what they have to offer... No Ipod nanos on sale as usual, and I ended being cheated on a msba7 I bought (there was a 200 dhs difference between two shops)

Sickened by the fact that I was cheated on msba7s, I head back to the (mixed) gym and have an intresting workout... At the end of it, a train of local girls walk in and start gawking at me (the only local in the place). Let me describe it : I was a complete wreck, I havent cut my hair in a while, and was chatting up the trainers there about how come they are not married yet,., suddenly, I see like 10 black clad girls (1 wasnt) walk in, and I quickly desist my ranting over the unmarried trainers... then foolishly thinking they are gone, go work my abs out close to the entrance. To my utter and complete horror, they came back,,, with two of em no longer clad in the abayas they sooo dearly cherish (i think they were doing a project)... let me say this much I was lying on the ground with literally two others right in front of me, and let me tell you, IT WAS AWKWARD, (I also think they got my face on camera)!

weird day,.,.

On Honor,.,.

Friend asked: "Would you let your teenage sister go out without a m7ram (escort)?" and it inspired this article...

Recently, A Newsweek article by Fareed Zakaria caught my attention; the article argued that western thinking, which instantly brings to mind democracy and freedom of speech, have issues penetrating the Islamic world.

After much thought on how this issue relates to me and the community here, I came to an intresting conclusion. To be truly open-minded (in the western sense) here in the UAE is not possible, unless you want to risk alienating yourself from all that you (should) hold dear to you.
The reason for this, is that there is a deep sense of honor here, and honor has no place for freedoms, period. I believe that to truly understand honor you would have to have a train of thought that is (probably) the flipside of that held by most people reading this very article.

Though honor sounds like something that is holding the community back,.,. lt is quite the opposite. I feel that because most people here are changing their beliefs of honor, the countries true potential suffers. Nowadays, people either totally ignore honor, or they apply honor to things of no value. For instance, you have the progressive local who thinks that being honor has no place in his "freedoms". Or you could have a bedouin who thinks that educating his daughter would comprimise her virtue, and therefore lower his family's name (in the community). Both these people would be gravely mistaken; I disagree with the progressive guy because I strongly, and deeply believe that honor is integral in having peace of mind, body, and soul. Also, I would disagree with the bedouin man, because of two things: First, he intrepreted honor in the wrong way, and as a result, he over-exagerated his sense of honor. Honor should be placed on things of value: To have an educated daughter, in my eyes, is to be truly honorable.

In conclusion:

- People should not overlook honor, nor should they exaggerate it.
- Remember that honor applies to everyone, whether they ignore it or not.

The Stock Market

Stock market related opinion:

Want to trade on the DFM (Dubai Financial Market) eh? Listen up then, this advice will help,.,.
The UAE stock market is a cause of great pain and great joy for many people here in the UAE. Unfortunately, small investors here are (largely) amatures with no sense whatsoever of stock market strategies. NEVER be swayed by rumors, EVER.

To be a credible small investor, look at the long run benefits of the cash statements , perform an indepedent analysis of both your stocks and the market as a whole to get the big picture when making the decision to invest. Otherwise dont bother investing, your damaging yourself, and the credibility of the market. I say this because the over-reaction to anything happening to Emaar runs deeper than just the stock price being affected. Short-term small investors here have no idea how to adapt properly to market develpments, and it takes time to do so, therefore, if you plan to invest, plan for the long-term with contingency plans (very important, contingency plans).

I say this because I see too many people running around like headless chickens in our stock markets, especially with the recent dividends from emaar, which investors took in a bad way, expecting bonus stocks. Anyone who truly knows what they are doing, understands that bonus stocks are basically cutting the pie into smaller pieces (which means that you get no real value added), at least with dividends, you get money!

In addition, the way emaar is being treated these days is a big mistake by investors,.,. Its either a play by kbareeya (big fish) to make more money, or it is truly being undervalued by the average joe, which is a bad play on his part (or both :-p).

Yes Qatari and Kuwaiti stocks look good at the moment, but who wouldnt want to be part of the biggest real-estate company in the world?! (which by the way drives all the other stocks up and down, in case you didnt know) and the fact that its being undervalued makes the pie all the more sweeter.

(just dont forget to strategize)

galbi...valentines!

Ok, its valentines tomorrow, and the waves of self-pity are washing over me! Im sheepishly single :-D

Unfortunately, I will be too busy to look for true love since I am currently swamped with work (as you can probably tell by the times I post) but here is where the intresting and evil side of this blog comes to life!
Ok, now tomorrow, I want anyone living in the UAE to notice the way other peoples eyes move, especially the love-starved teens (Im not included: work),.,. Ten - to - one, you will eventually catch someone staring, either at you, or at someone else,.,. GOD flirting here is weird!

Whatever happened to simple conversation, followed by "hey, Im 3li by the way,.,." ?

but nooo, you have to have poetry with an active bluetooth search to get a number these days!

Let give you an idea what it is like with me: I am scared out of my mind when turning on bluetooth! I have only ONCE put my number as my bluetooth name (on eid incedentally) as a dare with my friend, I thankfully took it off before it was recognized, but my friend was called by a gay guy called "haza3" wanting to "know him better",.,.spooky

The wind cries

The blood of worshippers is all over the mosque, the screams are unholy and out of place, and the cries,.,. the cries seem to come from the very winds themselves...
that is not the way religion is supposed to work. But that seems to be the result of differences between shia and sunni all over the newspapers nowadays.

My mind darkens upon seeing these things, but then I think of the situation with some of my countrymen and my very soul is darkened. The tolerance for the shia minority here is a strange thing; you dont know whether a shia man will be shunned or embraced by his peers for admitting his beliefs in most circumstances. So what does the average Shia guy do? He keeps quite. The shia should be proud, and hold their heads up high and refuse to hide this fact in their own MUSLIM country,.,. We are all muslims here (btw I am sunni)

The stigma that sunnis hold here, comes from a deep-rooted belief that starts with the grandparents, and I know this for a fact. But I have this to say to every sunni man and woman out there: "see for yourself". Make your own opinions, decide for yourselves rather than just accepting something as true,.,. The hate here must fade away, lest the winds cry for us, as well.

m6arzi? (the plague of people)

The greatest mistake that people make about others is forgetting that they are humans,,, Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve (Adam w 7awa). Our young Sheikhs are normal people trying to do what they think is right, so why is that I see people chasing after our Sheikhs?,.,. With my own eyes I see some students crowding some of the Sheikhs studying with us, dont they have any mercy on them? They are just normal guys in extraordinary circumstances.

By chasing after them, I mean becoming their "friends" for a reason other than being a true-blue friend, which many of them do (otherwise they wouldnt be chasing them :-p).

These people Im talking about are probably young and dont know better, but then again they are in university and should either like people for who they are and not what they are. I wont say they are a type of m6arzi, which is a grave thing to call a man, but I will say this: your personality is a part of you, it reflects who you are; dont degrade it,.,.

And most importantly learn RESPECT: by chasing after people without good intentions, especially our Sheikhs, you disrespect them,.,. and you disrespect yourself.

Denmark!!!

Pray tell, how come we found out about those cartoons six months after it was printed?!
I really think its about time we, as a people, come together FASTER,.,. Perhaps if we had a commitee to tackle such problems? But then again, the money would probably be better used in more worth-while projects sorry such as a truly balanced education,.,. In my opinion, If we fix ourselves first, then we have the right to have a go at the critics.

Can I change the world?

I had an intresting experience yesterday,.,.A mini debate over whether or not I, as a single individual, should be able to change the country (even a little)...His train of thought stated that one man can do no good, whether that one man's ideas are good ones or not, since the collective mind of this country will never pay attention to what he has to say, and he will always be overuled by his elders,.,.,. Now, I thought about this for a while, and came to the conclusion that if I dont try to change my country (or anything else for that matter) though I am one person, then I have failed as a human being and a muslim.,.,.the tides of change are within ones soul

The problem is, the perception of the community dulls ambitions of change.,.,.How many entrepeneurs can you name from the new generation? How many UAE students have become millionares from the ground-up?

Its all because of fear

Sermons.,.,.,

At the friday sermon yestertday, the preacher started on an intresting topic.,.,.apathy

apathy is when someone doesnt care whether his fellow humans life is in danger: when he shows no intrest of helping a child in need, or when he drives by a serious car accident without looking back,.,..,and its prevalent here. I dont know why this is the case since this is more or less a collectivist country, a country with a strong sense of community, so the roots of it must be somewhere darker,.,., I think that there should be some kind of a drive within the local community to spread awareness about the dangers of apathy, since it is not just a social thing, but rather a religious one, and Islam is quite clear on this matter,.,.

yay!!!

akheeran, wslna nhayat ilesboo3... As I am writing this (in uni) my friend is getting ready to go to the cinema with me.,..and for the first time in a long time we contemplated going to that new kuwaiti film showing at the theatre,.,.,.although we will probably go to the science-fiction film zathura, The fact that there is actually a khaleeji film at the cinema to compete for our money makes me proud... Its about a little creativity got out of the gulf!

On that point, I bring to attention Freij, the first UAE 3d cartoon ever, courtesy of an intresting start-up company called Lammtara.,.,.,.I believe their pilot episode is going to be in the coming ramadan, and since it is truly original (therefore not liable to be shut down like g63t 13 owing to the likeness shared with the Southpark series) please watch it and patronize the local arts!

EDIT: Apparently, the khaleeji film is actually produced in the UAE, and its based on "the count of monte cristo" (Im serious),.,..,. check out www.lammtown.com for more on freij

jw abraD!!!

I dont know why, but i feel that im colder than I have ever been all year! weather is going haywire~~~! On a dark note: I was reading the news today and saw that the Kuwaiti nation is going through a tough time trying to sort out their new leadership,.,.,. this in itself is dangerous on many levels and I do hope they can speed things up before they cause irreparable damage.

Now: what is the deal with people dressing up like gangsters from brooklyn? just yesterday me and my friends saw ppl like that in uni w -=ng3na min il 9'7k=- (we laughed alot) ,.,. I mean is the kandoura so bad that we have to copy other societies? then we have some of the girls at uni who think its cool to dye their hair briiiiiiiiiiiiiiight colors and wear foundation by the tonne. dont get me wrong, i think its good to change from time to time, because thats part of life, right? I think that looking beutiful is one thing, but looking like paris hilton is another.,.,.What scared me the most is that Ive actually seen a naturally blonde girl dye her hair a brighter shade of blonde,..,.spooooooky

University

University driving me mad,,,,no time to breathe,,,just started yesterday,.,.,.already need to go out!

damn ppl there are so rude,.,. Ppl pay money (at the american university) but the service their is terrible! there is this one iraqi woman working there who was badmouthing the uni while ppl were in line,,,

oh well, at least i can make fun of freshmen!

(note: listen to massari - real love urban mix <----cool song)

3nglish or 3rabic?

hmmm, dont know whether I would be better off continuing the blog in english or in arabic (but then again my pc doesnt write arabic!)

:-l

jw baaaaared (cold weather)

The cold gripped me today, a cold that hasnt embraced me for some time now....it was the cold of acceptance,.,..,.My friend was not who I thought he was. I have an average take on life (which of course includes friendship): "ana insan 3ala gad 7ali, la abale3' wala agaser fee shai",,,,but now I feel like im not giving him my full friendship. The winds of change are a normal part of being a human and a good friend endures the winds in the hopes that either they cease or he flows with them.,.,., my next step is a dangerous one. TBC

ana yom fakart fil salfa, la79't ina ilrabe3 ma ytmoon 3ala 7alhm lilabad w hatha m9dar mshakil fil 3alaqat bayn ilnas,,, iltfkeer il3am ygool: law rbee3k gam ykhtrb (min na7yt akhlaqah w af3ala) ya t7awel tt3'ayerh aw etwadrh l2nah by2thr 3ala 7ayatk,.,.,. bas ilsalfa mb sehla chee
"the world is not black and white" kaif nfrq bain ilkhair wil shar min rab3na?! ma ngdar!
w ilmshkila ina ilnas dom yt7roon inl tafreeq bain ilnas shai sehl...

lilasaf

This being my last weekend before university, I decided to head to a different spot rather than my usual umm spiem hideaway... mimzar.

Everything u heard about it being the #1 spot for lowth (sad individuals) is true; I was there at 11:00 and already people were throwing their numbers at each other... 7aram 3liekum guys, I know that most guys and girls go crazy when they dont talk to each other, bas mb chee 3ad. and I thought chillis jmeirah was bad!

there must be some line you should not cross.,.,.,. wla shoo raykom? hal ana '3al6an fee kalami? ( am I wrong?)

Still testing

hmmm,,,, kinda getting the hang of this... but wont post until I know some1 is actually gonna read this stuff ( Ok Im slightly vain,,,slightly!)

My heartfelt condolences to our Kuwaiti brothers, we know all to well what you are going through what with the recent passing of Sheikh Maktoum,