It's raining men.....1 Indian every 3 days

Last week a desperate worker leapt to his death from the top of the worlds tallest building, he jumped after his employers refused his holiday request.

Yesterday another Indian leaps from and another tall buiding, today I read in the papers that one Indian commits suicicde every third day in Dubai, SHOCKING statistic.

Life is what you make it

"Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain

Life is what YOU make it, YOUR attitude. YOUR actions. YOU control 99% of what happens, or doesn't happen.

Back in Dubai, time to explore dream & discover

Safe Place

Just read the online copy of my local newspaper from England and the top stories are;

   1. Second arrest over Maidenhead double shooting

   2. Man seriously assaulted by gang of teens

   3. Police close road after murder arrest

   4. Man attacked by knife-wielding gang

   5. Slough man jailed for his part in savage murder

   6. Teenagers robbed at knifepoint

The good thing about Dubai is the low crime rate, there are no shootings or stabbings unless you end up in Bur Dubai police cell or are on the Mossad hit list.....a relatively safe place.

Last of the Summer Wine (strictly non alcoholic)

Last of the Summer Wine (strictly non-alcoholic)

Starring Foggy (Asif), Norman Clegg (Shakir), & Compo (Shafmeister)

 

Three middle aged men from England residing in UAE who have never really grown up, face the trials and tribulations of their fellow citizens of the Dubai Metropolis. They attempt to stay forever young by reminiscing about the days of their youth and attempting feats not common to the average middle aged man.

Swapping the quaint village of Holmfirth in West Yorkshire for the bustling city of Dubai,  we even have our very own Sid’s café…officially known as the world famous  Al Hara Disco Chai café.

Cleggy: “Fancy eur brew lad?”

Foggy: “Ayup…..Onny t' finest discoa chai for uz lad, fra t' world famous Al Hara café”

Compo: “Wha' eur lush cuppeur”

.....(tune in for next episode, when the lads go cruising along the Sheikh Zayed Road in a Toyota Camry singing along to Malkit Singh's "gur nalon ishq mitha".....)

Chuck De India

Tried to avoid the cricket after Pakistan’s loss in the semi final, but in Dubai you can’t get away from it.

I went to a restaurant and the final was being televised on the various flat screen televisions which at any other time would be playing Bollywood soundtracks. Caught a taxi and the driver was listening to the commentary, went to some stores in Meena Bazaar and the shop assistants were not interested in serving me but instead were glued to radio sets listening to the updates.

I sensed an opportunity, let’s play the “Chuck De India” card and as India are on course to win I will walk away with a hefty discount. Everyone’s a winner!

No luck, the best I managed was a 10AED discount on a 3,400AED price tag, 0.3% off.  What a joke ! so I walked out of the store without buying anything, and then all the way home I had to endure the wild celebrations of the Indian fans. Felt like I was in Mumbai and not Dubai.

superstitious feeling

Last time I went to see India play cricket on the big screen at Lamcy Shopping Mall in Dubai they lost to a team in green….South Africa, an excellent bowling spell and an efficient run chase was sufficient to beat them. To be amongst 500 Indian fans and experience the deadly silence of seeing their team lose was a joy.

In order to calm my superstitious nerves I will be returning to the same mall tomorrow, to face the same 500+ Indian fans, and support the team in green….this time Pakistan.

Looking forward to chanting the familiar banter “you’re not singing any more”

Wise words

"  Fareed, I thought that I was in trouble; the whole world is in trouble! When I climbed the hill and looked around, I saw this fire in each and every home."

Hazrat Bābā Farīduddīn Mas'ūd Ganjshakar (Sufi saint)

In Dubai there are no hills, but plenty of tall buildings. Today I came across a South Asian migrant worker who was in the local grocery store and thinking twice about spending the meagrely sum of 50 pence (3 AED).  In the end he walked out empty handed, I bought the item in question and gave it to him. I then discovered that he was the sole bread earner and was supporting his family in Bangladesh. He had just learnt that his father was critically ill. Suddenly my crap day did not seem so crap.