Deaths in Sharjah

Originally uploaded by David et Magalie.

Sharjah is known as the Cultural capital of UAE..on a good day (minus the heavy traffic)u could reach there within an hour..from Dubai. Things are much cheaper..but not for long I think.
An indian engineer aged 38 slits the throats of his wife and 4 kids (3 girls and a boy) before killing himself.The youngest girl was only 8 mths. Extremely tragic..read he was depressed. Every other day, it is not uncommon to read or hear stories of workers who left their homes seeking for a livlihood here...not necessary for a pot of gold..how they have to take heavy loans..etc and being cheated by agents..etc Totally devastating tales..that's the reality.

Nancy Ajram

Giza Entrance
Originally uploaded by Aerodynamic.

from what i gathered..Namcy Ajram, the singer from Lebanon is pretty big in most Gulf countries. Saw a docu on her couple of nights ago..vocal wise..pure saccharin..beware very addictive as well. She oozes a lolita type of sensuality. Anyway, she's coming to Dubai as part of her Coca Cola endorsement(i think) concert tour.
Lucky girl!

Think Big....

UAE bEsT IT ExPeRt of the FUTURE ;)
Originally uploaded by whisper-star.

In UAE, particularly Dubai...thinking big is almost an obsession..in a positive way i think.I got a feeling the visionary must have caught a glimpse of the universe.Biggest, Largest..and Longest...perhaps..I mean the shawarma.

Dubai is hosting its Guiness World Records launch party tonight.Well, it's not out of the blue..they had done it before..many times in fact.To name a few.. which i thought are bizaare to say the least but nonetheless very original:
largest paper clip
biggest shopping bag
longest sofa
biggest cradle (big enuff for 50 babies)
My wish list for them:
Yes...the longest shawarma
biggest shisha
biggest tent from date leaves (suggested by my arch enemy balushit..LOL)
longest gold chain (they love gold here!)
In the meantime...our dear country should stop thinking local..longest popiah???? or what have u.If i have my way..i say let's do the longest cardboard white elephants round the island.

modern day slavery

Construction Workers on Milk St. -07
Originally uploaded by Violentz.

hundreds of workers staged a peaceful demonstration on Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Rd to demand 5 months of unpaid wages. The erring company has being ordered by the ministry of labour to pay up within 24 hours plus several heavy penalties. Well done...about time. Exploitation abounds..the construction workers are paid a monthly salary of 650 dhm average (about S$300)..working their butts out almost daily 12 hours under the scourging sun...and mostly live in
terrible conditions..i had seen it..
Back home, the only action we ever get to see is retired aunties doing pressure cooker demonstration in supermarkets!However...that said..the recent white elephant protest was a fresh welcome..keep it up! LOL!

what's cooking?

his favourite goate
Originally uploaded by David Haberlah.

a former cook is being accused by his ex employer for breaching of contract by working for other competitor...rather strange...he's a sheperd now..unless he is cooking sheperd pie!..yes...in Dubai.

Anyway, coming back to contract...be very very careful especially those of you who are planning to work here.A case in point:
A friend of mine from the little island joined a local company back home and came over here to work. Without his knowledge, a mandatory UAE employment contract was also submitted to the Ministry of Labour. The contract is totally different from the one he signed in Singapore..the terms and remuneration are much better than what he was getting ....and his signature was FORGED! He found out by some weird circumstances.Anyway, in such situation...do not panic. If you are terminated or decided to resign...the labour law honours the employment contract and overrides whatever is foreign..tell the boss straight in the face that it's a crime to forge..and do your bargaining then..if you like..ask him to give u a release letter and becomes a sheperd!

Who's the girl?

Just a quick quizzie:

Who is the actress? which TV series? and her role in that show? answer correctly to all Qs will win u an interesting gift when i return. This quiz is only for those boring people back in Singapore...LOL

Anyway...price of bottled water will goes up here in Dubai...because of petrol hike..yawn..

According to research...the divorce rate in UAE is about 46%...infidelity mainly by the male species to be blamed..yawn

 

 

The Falcon City of Wonders

Dubailand Robot Up Close and Personal
Originally uploaded by BlingBling.

Dubai will build a city of life-size replicas of seven wonders of the world at US$1.5 bil..to house offices, shops, flats...etc the entire project will takes on the shape of a falcon..the symbol of UAE..Now the drums roll pls..the seven are Great Pyramid of Giza, Hanging Garden of Babylon, Lighthouse of Alexandria, Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, Leaning Tower of Pisa and Great Wall of China..NOT miniatures ok..LIFE-SIZE!..
Welcome to Dubai..the mother of all mega projects!

You are fired!

Michael Jackson and his new friends
Originally uploaded by Xput.

well...for those who cant get enuff of the moon walker..here's him during his recent trip to Dubai..

Good news for fans of the reality show: The Apprentice...Donald Trump is launching his designer mineral water in Dubai this month...called THE TRUMP ICE..only for selected premium supermarkets, hotels and restaurants...apparently the selling point is no sodium content..the packaging is horrible..with the ugly face behind burning flame..yuke! better he sticks to properties development...

Where is the love? and a serial killer...

Bulevard03
Originally uploaded by Crazy scientist.

The black eye peas performed last nit in Dubai..to a sold out crowd of 12,000..Fergie was gorgeous!

This week, a 24 hrs notice was given..and presto! the petrol hike of 30%..making it 6.5 dhms per gallon..i think...the ang moh are whinging..

It was rumored few days back..a serial killer on the loose in Kish..killing two filipinos...Kish is a coral Island in the Persian Gulf, 18 km off the southern coast of Iran. It is a 20 minutes flight from Dubai...a regular place to go and renew your visa...

Singapore is not alone...the police here has just launched the Roller Police Brigade!...heard they are good for alleys and dark spots..suggests those crooks better escape via stairways or learn to swim...

The wrath of nature

Originally uploaded by Mana Atashfaraz.

The calmness of a beach in Dubai...a stark contrast to what's happeing in New Orleans rite now...the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Spare a thought today...be nice to your loved ones and live life to the fullest wherever u are...

Save the Houbara

5504 - Peregrin Falcon
Originally uploaded by Mormegil.

No...this fierce looking bird of prey is not a houbara (even the name sounds tragic!)..in fact it's the predator..falcon. Falconry is a popular sport here among the locals. To train this bird...to sharpen their killer instinct i guess...the poor houbara (looks like a cross between the road runner and a quail)becomes the play toy.Unfortunately, recent reports show their population is dwindling...due mainly to this crazy sport. To save the endangered specie..the government is spending huge sum of money to breed them...i thought they should put it to better use by educating the hobbyists...train them instead to attack rude people..including taxi drivers who horn incessantly, waiter/waitress with in your face look..etc