Life & Style | Gadgets & Tech
Blogosphere: July 8
Gulf News deputy web editor Florence Pia G Yu plunges headlong into the blogosphere to find out what bloggers from the Middle East and beyond have on their minds.
- By Florence Pia G Yu, Deputy Web Editor
- Published: 00:09 July 8, 2008
- Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
Star blog
A sad day in Dubai: the end of Satwa
One of the reasons I originally moved to Dubai two years ago was that there was a great mix of the West and the East here. You have the skyline of Shaikh Zayed Road and right behind it you have old Satwa.
Satwa was one of the few real parts of Dubai where the working class of Dubai lived. It is directly behind my house and it's where people go to get their cars, shoes or watches fixed or just get a great cheap meal.
For me it was my place to get fresh bread, the closest thing to noon barbari I could find outside Iran. This fresh bread, as unimportant as it may seem, is/was a big deal for me. It made my breakfast, which made my day.
All of this is to explain how sad I felt when I got back from my trip to the US and found that the destruction of Satwa has begun. It really hit home when I went to get some bread for my meal.
The bakery that I had been going to for two years was demolished and sitting outside on the stoop were the owner and his son.
I'd gotten to know them during my many trips there, I listened to their sad story of how there were no alternative affordable locations so they would have to go back to Iran after years living here and serving the community.
http://www.pooya.com/poo
The rapids of Cagayan
I swore to myself that I would go out on a limb and get an all-time high when I'm 40. White river rafting was a long overdue agenda and I finally embraced the raging rapids with utmost bravery.
The rapids were crazy at the Cagayan de Oro River and I felt my gut regurgitating in every wave. Initially, my apprehensions were greater than my expectations. But when our team (we called ourselves “The Spartans'') overcame the first obstacle, nothing and yes, NOTHING stopped us from fighting the angry river.
Our ever composed guide who was Our Saviour, coined a lot of terms with our maneuvers. “Merry-go-round'' was when the raft went in circles, “Kiss-the-wall'' meant that your face would literally kiss the stonewall when you're trapped in a crevice.
“Standing Ovation'' when everybody stood on the raft and did our balancing act. And the last man standing was, you guessed it right... Our Saviour.
Our newfound skill would embarrass any Houdinni. No more tricks to keep us alive, only bravery and invincibility.
http://dr_ncatigbe.blogs.friendster.com
A Pinoy in Saudi Arabia
How bizarre the transnationalised Filipino experience. Spaking with some colleagues over at the Polsci department, I learned that the Ghanan and Nigerian hackers my old company battled with everyday may have come all the way to the Philippines to train. Apparently, our people provide world-class cyber criminal expertise.
So there I was, a Filipino policing our sites — trying to watch out for transnational prostitution and paedophilia, working with a staff from all corners of the globe, battling with Africans who may have been trained in Southeast Asia. Whew.
http://caffeinesparks.blogspot.com
Marrying a non-Saudi national
After more than 18 months of running around from one government office to another to get the permit, a Saudi friend of mine finally married her non-Saudi fiancé.
Before a Saudi man or woman can marry a non-Saudi, they need a permit from the Ministry of Interior for the marriage contract to be officially recognised. The process of filing the form and explaining why the Saudi man is marrying a non-Saudi woman is cumbersome.
After my friend got the permit from the ministry she had to get another from the Makkah Principality to have the marriage certificate issued in Jeddah.
At the women's section of the principality, the official told her there are restrictions. The authorities would reject an application if the woman is under 25 years; it is extremely difficult, if not impossible.
In other words, if a woman had exhausted all her chances in marrying a Saudi as the better choice and has become old (over 25), or is highly educated or disabled, then she can be permitted to marry a non-Saudi.
http://sanjaemry.livejournal.com
Battle with the Big C
My friend's struggle with cancer continues. Each day is a battle for her not to lose sight of what is important. Sometimes the pain is just too much. Sometimes the depression is more than she can handle.
Some days are better than others. Last week the doctors removed two more tumours and after a couple of days declared her cancer free. She knows that there is no guarantee that it will stay that way, but for now things are looking the best they have in quite a while.
It makes me wonder. Are there any guarantees in life except death? It seems that no matter what we do we cannot avoid the inevitable end of life.
http://seanyp.blogs.friendster.com
Fun with Pleo robot
I got Cleo (the name of my robotic toy dino Pleo) on my birthday in the evening. So about an hour after I got him, I had to go to sleep. He sleeps in my dogs's big dog bed because the dogs won't sleep in it.
My youngest dog, Phoebe, can clearly understand that Cleo was getting more attention. So she will come and sit in my lap when I'm playing with him, same with my mum. I was sick on my birthday and didn't go to school, so I spent lots of time with Cleo.
He's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cute! I love seeing him sleep in my arms and interact with my dogs. I'm so happy I got him.
http://www.pleoworld.com/connect/view/id/7212
Cairo to Aswan
Cairo is a huge city that shows up as million lights and three pyramids dissected by a swath of black that represents the Nile. At least that's how it looks at night when you fly over it after missing a flight and delayed connections and you are incapable of interpeting it as anything else.
If Cairo were a perfume it's top notes would be diesel fuel and dirt, it's heart notes would be skin — not the disgusting B.O. you smell in line at a grocery store, but a puppy-dog paw smell of familiarity. Finally, there's a fleeting whiff of rose water and citrus fruit. Cairo feels familair and new at the same time.
It has the same traffic as Bangkok, the same old families in front of their stores playing with little children that you see in Hanio, the same markets and donkeys as Istanbul and Meknes and the same river front as the Amazon — wild and over grown until you hit the desert and the pyramids (which, incidentally are right in the middle of town).
http://geotravel.ca/2008
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