Read this.
I couldn't have said it better myself.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Why We SHOULD Have Secret Code...
A true-life enactment of Murphy's Law:
You're in an elevator with friends. Enter person about whom you suddenly remember a juicy tidbit. You're itching to tell your friends. You automatically switch to your regional language only to realise your friends understand only English.
Darn. A good opportunity lost and then you think maybe you should encourage Pig-Latin. :)
You're in an elevator with friends. Enter person about whom you suddenly remember a juicy tidbit. You're itching to tell your friends. You automatically switch to your regional language only to realise your friends understand only English.
Darn. A good opportunity lost and then you think maybe you should encourage Pig-Latin. :)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Home Sweet Home
After one and a half years, I came back to the UAE the previous Saturday morning.
I guess you can call me a snob, but I like travelling in 'Ish-style'. So I always prefer Emirates. This time, however, I felt the need to be responsible as my parents now live in Ajman (Another emirate of the UAE) and not in Dubai anymore. So the nearest airport would be Sharjah and the flights would be limited to Air Arabia.
Air Arabia is a budget airplane. I booked the tickets with trepidation, consoling myself that it would be a red-eye flight and hence would be more concerned about sleep rather than food and entertainment during the actual flight. And I was right. I was so tired that all I wanted to do was curl up and sleep. But I also found out why people prefer Air Arabia. The seats are bigger and there's more leg room. Since it's a night flight, you dont spend the extra money on food. You do have to pay for your own blankets though. Another plus point: Sharjah Airport is much smaller as compared to Dubai Airport. You really don't have to walk that much to get to the exits.
My home place hasn't changed all that much since I last left. Yes, there are more malls. Speaking of which, I went to Dubai Mall, the day I landed, with my sister, brother in law and my mother. Dubai Mall, is supposed to be one of the Gulf's biggest malls, but I didn't really take it to heart. 'How big can it be?' were my thoughts. I didn't think anything could surprise me anymore.
But I was wrong. Dubai Mall is HUGELY big. I was tired after I finally got back. And we hadn't even covered 25% of the mall!
Anyways, I felt like a country bumpkin that day because a lot of things have changed from my day. The information screens, which were placed at strategic points all over the place, were touch screens. Touch and you'll find where you need to go. Touch and you'll find a list of shops that you're interested in. The restrooms- well, I've seen sensor taps before. They're common in India too. But I was a lil surprised to see sensor flushes. You place your hand over a screen once you're done and it automatically takes care of cleaning as long as your hand is still on the sensor. This looked so much more cooler than the multi functional toilets back in Korea.
Ok, enough about toilets!
There were shops that I had only heard of in books and movies: Bloomingdales, Ralph Lauren FOR KIDS (Yes, you read right!!), Tiffany's, House of Graff... The jewellery on display was especially amazing, though kind of depressing because I knew I couldn't afford a single piece.
We visited a small-scale aquarium. Even though it was small sized, it still looked remarkable. There were sharks as well as manta ray among other giant-sized fish. And I know that these are all artificially enhanced containers, but aquariums have this connection with nature that can take your breath away. :)
A few of my girl friends think I'm slightly off but I like electronics stores just as much as the next guy. It's always fascinating to see how technology keeps advancing with the blink of an eye and you should always keep abreast of it, I think. My bro-in-law loves gadgets too. So he and I spent a considerable amount of time at a particular electronics gallery, ooh-ing and aah-ing (guy style, of course) over some, while comparing prices of others. My sis and mom were waiting impatiently outside. 'What took you so long?' my sis demanded after we were done. I couldn't help supress a smile.
Anyways, this one mall was a surprise for me, with all its Ice Rink, Water Fountain, Gold Souks and all.
I'm going to Dubai again tomorrow. I hope to be pleasantly surprised again! :)
I guess you can call me a snob, but I like travelling in 'Ish-style'. So I always prefer Emirates. This time, however, I felt the need to be responsible as my parents now live in Ajman (Another emirate of the UAE) and not in Dubai anymore. So the nearest airport would be Sharjah and the flights would be limited to Air Arabia.
Air Arabia is a budget airplane. I booked the tickets with trepidation, consoling myself that it would be a red-eye flight and hence would be more concerned about sleep rather than food and entertainment during the actual flight. And I was right. I was so tired that all I wanted to do was curl up and sleep. But I also found out why people prefer Air Arabia. The seats are bigger and there's more leg room. Since it's a night flight, you dont spend the extra money on food. You do have to pay for your own blankets though. Another plus point: Sharjah Airport is much smaller as compared to Dubai Airport. You really don't have to walk that much to get to the exits.
My home place hasn't changed all that much since I last left. Yes, there are more malls. Speaking of which, I went to Dubai Mall, the day I landed, with my sister, brother in law and my mother. Dubai Mall, is supposed to be one of the Gulf's biggest malls, but I didn't really take it to heart. 'How big can it be?' were my thoughts. I didn't think anything could surprise me anymore.
But I was wrong. Dubai Mall is HUGELY big. I was tired after I finally got back. And we hadn't even covered 25% of the mall!
Anyways, I felt like a country bumpkin that day because a lot of things have changed from my day. The information screens, which were placed at strategic points all over the place, were touch screens. Touch and you'll find where you need to go. Touch and you'll find a list of shops that you're interested in. The restrooms- well, I've seen sensor taps before. They're common in India too. But I was a lil surprised to see sensor flushes. You place your hand over a screen once you're done and it automatically takes care of cleaning as long as your hand is still on the sensor. This looked so much more cooler than the multi functional toilets back in Korea.
Ok, enough about toilets!
There were shops that I had only heard of in books and movies: Bloomingdales, Ralph Lauren FOR KIDS (Yes, you read right!!), Tiffany's, House of Graff... The jewellery on display was especially amazing, though kind of depressing because I knew I couldn't afford a single piece.
We visited a small-scale aquarium. Even though it was small sized, it still looked remarkable. There were sharks as well as manta ray among other giant-sized fish. And I know that these are all artificially enhanced containers, but aquariums have this connection with nature that can take your breath away. :)
A few of my girl friends think I'm slightly off but I like electronics stores just as much as the next guy. It's always fascinating to see how technology keeps advancing with the blink of an eye and you should always keep abreast of it, I think. My bro-in-law loves gadgets too. So he and I spent a considerable amount of time at a particular electronics gallery, ooh-ing and aah-ing (guy style, of course) over some, while comparing prices of others. My sis and mom were waiting impatiently outside. 'What took you so long?' my sis demanded after we were done. I couldn't help supress a smile.
Anyways, this one mall was a surprise for me, with all its Ice Rink, Water Fountain, Gold Souks and all.
I'm going to Dubai again tomorrow. I hope to be pleasantly surprised again! :)
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Hindu Taliban
I dread reading tomorrow's newspaper.
Last weekend, yet another woman (this time a journalist) was assaulted by two bikers on Mount Carmel road. The journalist was punched in the face before she quickly recovered and grabbed the pillion rider's shirt. The man fell off the bike but both of the riders managed to run away. Cowards. They have no issues in ganging up on lone women but are such wimps when they're challenged back.
First of all, good for the woman because she managed to hit back. Second of all, it's such a pity that she couldn't do more (like kick those men in the family jewels, for starters).
Any person with an ounce of common sense and tolerance condemns the Mangalore pub attacks. It seems that the Bangalore attacks on women have been inspired by the Mangalore ones.
I fail to understand the psyche of an individual who feels it's Indian to abuse and assault women. Who thinks its morally wrong for women to drink or wear jeans but feels its perfectly alright for men to do the same. Who stress that a sari is the icon of Indian culture. Yesterday, inspite of wearing a salwar kameez, I still attracted the wrong kind of attention on the street. Say, wasn't I being 'Indian'? Why did those perverts still materialize? It's like, no matter what you do, you end up losing anyway.
The attacks affair is more than just about inequality (men can do this; women can't do the same). It's also about the inability to tolerate others who live around you.
Last time I checked, India was a free country. The SRS, Muthalik or similar clowns can't dictate what people should and should not do. Apart from anything else, it's in violation of a human being's basic rights to freedom.
By the way, how different is the SRS from LeT? As far as I'm concerned, SRS is just a few steps behind. All the SRS needs to do is kill women. Else they have pretty much 'terrorized' women anyway, which is basically what LeT does: terrorize people. Such groups, needless to say, need to be outlawed and such miscreants need to be caught. Would the Government take such measures? At least to save their seats in the upcoming elections?
Am not sure about that. As for me, I now carry pepper spray in my bag since I usually travel alone. I've also saved my friends' numbers on speed dial.
So this is what the world has come to.
Last weekend, yet another woman (this time a journalist) was assaulted by two bikers on Mount Carmel road. The journalist was punched in the face before she quickly recovered and grabbed the pillion rider's shirt. The man fell off the bike but both of the riders managed to run away. Cowards. They have no issues in ganging up on lone women but are such wimps when they're challenged back.
First of all, good for the woman because she managed to hit back. Second of all, it's such a pity that she couldn't do more (like kick those men in the family jewels, for starters).
Any person with an ounce of common sense and tolerance condemns the Mangalore pub attacks. It seems that the Bangalore attacks on women have been inspired by the Mangalore ones.
I fail to understand the psyche of an individual who feels it's Indian to abuse and assault women. Who thinks its morally wrong for women to drink or wear jeans but feels its perfectly alright for men to do the same. Who stress that a sari is the icon of Indian culture. Yesterday, inspite of wearing a salwar kameez, I still attracted the wrong kind of attention on the street. Say, wasn't I being 'Indian'? Why did those perverts still materialize? It's like, no matter what you do, you end up losing anyway.
The attacks affair is more than just about inequality (men can do this; women can't do the same). It's also about the inability to tolerate others who live around you.
Last time I checked, India was a free country. The SRS, Muthalik or similar clowns can't dictate what people should and should not do. Apart from anything else, it's in violation of a human being's basic rights to freedom.
By the way, how different is the SRS from LeT? As far as I'm concerned, SRS is just a few steps behind. All the SRS needs to do is kill women. Else they have pretty much 'terrorized' women anyway, which is basically what LeT does: terrorize people. Such groups, needless to say, need to be outlawed and such miscreants need to be caught. Would the Government take such measures? At least to save their seats in the upcoming elections?
Am not sure about that. As for me, I now carry pepper spray in my bag since I usually travel alone. I've also saved my friends' numbers on speed dial.
So this is what the world has come to.
Friday, February 27, 2009
In Conclusion to My U.S. Trip
As I always like to say, inorder to survive in Richardson, Dallas, U.S., you have to be any one of the following:
1. Be sociable (That means you have to actually like the act of talking/interacting with people)
2. Own/rent a car (The trick is to get your company to pay for those expenses)
3. Be pretty (Especially if you're a woman)
Luckily, during my first 2 months in Dallas, there was always at least one team mate who knew how to drive a car. That helped fulfil our grocery/movie-theater needs. However, during the last 2 weeks of my stay, it was my team mate, Neha, who came to the rescue.
Mind you, Neha is a very pretty young girl. So naturally, anybody and everybody with half an ounce of brain would come to the aid of the Damsel in Distress. Even if she wasn't quite in Distress. And being Neha's loyal side-kick, I could tag along for perks as well. :D
Sigh. The things you do to get your things done. :D
1. Be sociable (That means you have to actually like the act of talking/interacting with people)
2. Own/rent a car (The trick is to get your company to pay for those expenses)
3. Be pretty (Especially if you're a woman)
Luckily, during my first 2 months in Dallas, there was always at least one team mate who knew how to drive a car. That helped fulfil our grocery/movie-theater needs. However, during the last 2 weeks of my stay, it was my team mate, Neha, who came to the rescue.
Mind you, Neha is a very pretty young girl. So naturally, anybody and everybody with half an ounce of brain would come to the aid of the Damsel in Distress. Even if she wasn't quite in Distress. And being Neha's loyal side-kick, I could tag along for perks as well. :D
Sigh. The things you do to get your things done. :D
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