07/08/2008

The White Room

Laying on a single bed surrounded by white walls and one plasma screen, with a remote in my right hand flipping through random channels, at the end I settle with an episode from Scrubs. I am stuck in this four cornered room with colorful flowers and trays of chocolate that I didn't have the desire to taste. The nurse walks in with a smile while holding a long injection needle; I smile back and a few minutes later the surgeon walks in and asks me a few questions in order to execute the surgical operation which is due in a couple of hours. He said "I am sure there are hundreds of questions you want to ask me right now, so here I am to answer!" Many thoughts run through my head since it was my first time to get surgery. I don’t know why but at that moment I decided not to ask any questions and just go ahead with the surgery. I look at the clock and its 10 am on June 15th; all I am doing right now is waiting for my turn to come up. All of a sudden three nurses walk in pushing a moving bed towards me, one nurse places a plastic head cover on me and says that it's time to enter the E.R. I thought to myself why didn't I ask any questions when I had the chance to! It's too late now. I enter the room and find three surgeons one of them was a tall lady. At the other end I see four nurses all covered up holding pens and clipboards. I hope they are not interns! Images from SCRUBS were playing in my head. Everything is moving by so fast! The female surgeon asked me to count to ten while the other surgeon places his hand on my forehead and started reading a verse from the Quran. My eyes wide open "ok I have one question though" and I dozed off.

[9 Comments]

07/03/2008

The Power of Knowledge

It's depressing to see people who lack motivation to hold a book and read. But it's even more disappointing when you see them lack to read and gain knowledge when it comes to their health. Why would a full mature man inject steroids to his body in order to have a stronger body just because his so-called trainer told him to do so. How come, after injecting this disease to your body, when asked, you say you don't know what the side effects are? Why haven't you spent some time researching what you just injected into your own body! It is really frustrating to see some who want to gain results in the quickest and easiest way possible, even when it means endangering their health.

The same goes for people who follow diets but the only thing they know that dieting is to starve yourself! They tend to think that those growls they hear, which are signs of hunger, are signs that they are following a healthy diet, when in fact, its very harmful. Invest some of your time to read before harming your own body and gain knowledge, because with knowledge you can help yourself and help others at the same time.

[13 Comments]

22/01/2008

Lethal Excitement

An online article from Time , under the title of "How To Decorate Like An Emir" caught my attention. It is on Bush's Middle East tour, written by one of the associated journalists. It was full of mockery towards the Gulf rulers. Insignificant details like palace interiors and food were looked at as well as gifts presented to Bush by different Gulf rulers. Many of the criticisms were uncalled for. The way Bush was received here is the way any president would be in any country in the world. It is what protocol calls for as well as our traditions of hospitality. But the most important part of the article was the "resource curse" and how oil wealth holds us back from democratic development. Democracy has always been an issue held against many. However, such criticisms are expected and the talk for democracy is an endless one.

And with this visit came the heavy shower which we all smiled at since a country like the U.A.E rarely enjoys the feeling of rain. When I was a student abroad, rainy days were considered dull, locking everyone up in their homes and putting them in a gloomy mood as different to here; everyone is filled with joy and happiness.

Suddenly raindrops turn into a mothers tear as she grieves the loss of a son whose life was taken in an attempt to speed drive on the wet streets. At the same time, another mother grieves the loss of a dear one who was the victim of careless driving in the rain. When childish acts are done by supposedly mature people to prove nothing but stupidity and recklessness, they put many lives at risk. It is known that the leading cause of death in the United Arab Emirates is traffic accidents. Why put our lives and the lives of others in danger just for a few seconds of lethal excitement?

[10 Comments]

19/12/2007

Travellers Welcome

I attended the Abu Dhabi Brand Identity workshop that was held at the Emirates Palace. Firstly I was impressed by the hard work that has been put into this project. My appreciation goes to every member who works in the Office of the Brand of Abu Dhabi for the time and effort that has been put into this massive project. The whole idea is to create a brand identity for Abu Dhabi city which revolves around the word respect. The goal is to attract the wealthy tourists not in money only but the wealth of knowledge too. Abu Dhabi won't advertise its image in a cheap way in order to attract tourists. Rather, smart ways integrated with traditions will be used.

Abu Dhabi is planning to attract "culture seekers" in order to enrich themselves with a new experience in a new country as stated in the brand identity book. Every detail has been taken care of, such as the newly modified Abu Dhabi taxi's that will make tourists feel welcome from the moment they step out of the airport, where the driver will be dressed formally and fluently speak two languages and have the knowledge to brief any new tourists about Abu Dhabi on their way to their hotel or watch from the LCD screen on the back seat to get more information about Abu Dhabi.

“As Emirati's we are all ambassadors to our country”, so we must always represent and interact with visitors of the UAE to win their hearts and souls. This is the strong vision that Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed has and that's why this identity existed and I believe if we all took the effort to read and look into the Abu Dhabi Identity book we will all help into creating a better future for our country.

[14 Comments]

11/11/2007

Simplicity of Islam

Islam is a very simple religion. But people nowadays tend to complicate it, making it impossible for non-practicing Muslims and non-Muslims to fully understand it. The manner in which "Ali"as he refers to himself, speaks in this video is very comical and easy to comprehend. He delivers his messges in a very interesting way with a very pleasant sense of humor that attracts people to his other videos. "Ali" is an American Muslim convert. It is truly amazing how someone who is new to Islam believes strongly in the principles of Islam. In contrast to us, who are born with Islam, yet not practice it fully. We reshape it to suit our needs.

[12 Comments]

01/10/2007

A Sacred Journey

My journey began in Al Madinah, prophet Muhammad's burial place, along with his faithful companions. In order to get a chance to pray the maghreb prayer at Al Masjed Al Nabawi, I had to be there at least 20 minutes before the prayer time. But what really caught my eye was something I had never seen. A young child, one of many who were roaming around, approached me with a smile, persuading people to join him and his family for iftar at their area of the mosque, an ongoing tradition adopted from religion in ramadan. The child took me by the hand, insisting that I have iftar with them and pray by his side. I would sit not knowing who had prepared the meal, only that he is sitting amongst us.

The children were not doing it for money, nor because they were forced to. It was something that came from the heart. I learnt that these families would take up spots in Al Masjed Al Nabawi, and prepare meals to feed everyone in order to get ajer. They would compete with one another to feed as many people as they can, in order to keep the tradition going. It was a sight that showed that there was no distinction there amongst people. You’d find people of all kinds sitting around one meal. The happiness and joy that I saw on the child’s face whenever he looked back to see all those people he had gathered is a sight that will remain carved in my memory for a long time to come.

And then I set off to Mecca, the prophets birth place. Being there gave me a feeling of tranquility, my mind was at ease. It was here that Islam was found. Spending a few days there in the holy month of Ramadan gave me a taste of the real flavor of Ramadan. Everything stops, shops close and there is almost no activity when it's time for prayer. Everyone stands, people of all divisions of Islam, side by side, shoulder to shoulder, equal before Allah. When they said money cant buy happiness, I really must agree on that because the feeling you get at Mecca is nothing money can buy.

An unforgettable journey that had to end too soon. Before realizing it, it was time to go back home, with wonderful memories and with the hope of getting the chance to go through this experience once again.

[12 Comments]

07/09/2007

Encounters

I sat in the lobby, waiting to check-in. That's when she approached me with a smile, asking me from which Gulf country I came from. Being tired from the long journey, I was in no mood for a conversation, but she seemed like a friendly old lady from California who wanted to know more about our country.
As the conversation progressed, she told me she noticed that Arabs were rarely found in the tourist attractions of any country she visits, only in expensive areas. I realized she knew a lot about Arabs, how they traveled and where they were found. She expressed her great amusement at the fact that Arabs were known to be found in great numbers in the classy luxurious parts of the city only and not many are found in places like museums, she added in mockery.

To me, that woman was judging out of pure ignorance. This is found in every culture and society, and does not entitle her to make a general judgment. Many of us are not like that. But we sadly fail to deliver that message. We are always mistaken for being ignorant rich Arabs from the desert who were born to spend. It is always important to show others around us, especially outsiders, how advanced our country and people have become. Yes, the money is there, but so is the brain. We have the wealth, and the wealth of knowledge. We must work on making our image outside a better one; by learning some of the history of the country you trip by visiting the many tourist attractions. We can start by making the difference ourselves and this will benefit us when we are around multicultural people, because the slightest history information we know about one’s country will make a positive difference, especially as a first impression.

[15 Comments]

20/08/2007

Recollections

We are surrounded by many people. We get used to their presence around us. In fact, we get so used to them being around that we take this presence for granted. And one day, they're gone. One day, we lose them..forever. Losing someone you've become so attached to is very upsetting. It's just like a chain. If one piece falls out, the link is lost, and the chain breaks.

Often, the healing process to overcome this loss is prolonged with the many memories we try to cherish. Some move on quickly, and a new life is started and everything that was once part of "the past" is forgotten. Others choose to linger in the past, not letting go. We must learn to treasure every moment with loved ones, for one day, we'll wake up, and find that that they're gone. Their memories will remain. It is good to commemorate it with a smile, a pleasant recollection that made us all laugh one day. We do not have to wait until that moment comes, we must cherish what we already have.

[8 Comments]