Dubai 20090704

day 2.

After a good night's rest and a sumptous breakfast in the hotel we decided to brave the sun again and explore the 'heritage' area, almost dying of the heat a few times.

Aircondition is the greatest invention to come Dubai.

The 'Heritage' part of Dubai old town is reminiscent of the malay village in singapore.. recreated architecture, manequins and tourist shops

The towers are 'wind towers' which used to collect wind for cooling the interiors. At the heritage area they were boarded up and had added uplighting at night

Abra is the functional river taxi along dubai creek. Unlike singapore river, its a functional transport service ferrying passengers across the creek for AED 1, or 40 cents. Some sailors made the boats their home.

dubai 20090703

day 1

i woke up at 0715 hrs at home... somewhat close to the 0915hrs flight departure

rushed to the airport and managed to check in.

flight plan- jet airways

0915-1100 Singapore to Chennai

1330-1515 Chennai to Mumbai

1840-2015 Mumbai to Dubai

a 15 hour travelling plan to dubai

the colour scheme of Jet airways seems strangely familiar

at night we caught up with the rest and patrol the old streets of dubai near Majestic hotel-- in the 35 deg heat. Slight breeze seems like walking pass an aircon condenser unit. thankfully coke is only 40cents

Dubai series -- Arabian Nights

3rd to 11th July, 2009..

travelled to dubai as part of a school project -- urban study of the city of dubai, in progress to be the worlds biggest tourist destination

To be the gem of the middle east, like singapore/hong kong of the east asia

Inviting construction frenzy to the desert, creating islands and gardens in the desert

the economic crisis results in an exodus.. jobless expats return to their homelands, deserting the desert.. population plunges, projects halted... dubai quieter..

post-Daily reviews of dubaidventure in case i forgot, and some reflections

lego kills

sigh... :(

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1136863/Boy-12-dies-asthma-attack-caused-excitement-opening-birthday-presents.html

A boy of 12 collapsed and died after suffering an asthma attack triggered by the excitement of opening his birthday presents.

Martin Glazier-Macrae collapsed as he was about to unwrap a large Lego set his father Duncan had bought him.

The asthma attack in turn triggered a heart attack and the boy died in his dad's arms.

The tragedy occurred just moments after Martin had got out of bed on his 12th birthday and rushed downstairs to see if he had got any presents.

It is thought his father, an HGV driver and the lad's aunt and clubbed together to buy the lad the giant Lego set after he asked for it.

Martin initially complained about being faint after getting out of bed but then appeared to recover.

He was about to open his presents and cards when he suffered a further attack and collapsed.

Mr Macrae frantically tried to revive his only child as he waited for paramedics at his home in Hathershaw, near Oldham, Greater Manchester.

The ambulance crew rushed him to the Royal Oldham Hospital but he was pronounced on arrival.

Martin's aunt Kathleen Macrae, Duncan's sister, said: 'We can't speak too highly of the paramedics and hospital staff, but Duncan knew in his heart that Martin had died when he held him in his arms.'

She said the lad - whose mother Angela died when he was just three - and his father were 'inseparable.' 

Martin Glazier's father holds a picture of his son

Mrs Macrae added: 'Duncan was an HGV driver but gave up work to bring up Martin. There was no dividing line between them. Martin was looking forward to his birthday and had given me his list which I still have in my bag.

'He loved his computer and PlayStation, but he especially liked Lego, and the more complex kits for 13 and 14-year-olds. His dad and I had joined together to buy him an expensive set. Martin got up for his birthday presents on Monday morning but had the attack and died.

'He had a bit of an attack earlier, and seemed to calm down, but then he told his dad he was going to faint. He then died in his arms. He was diagnosed with infantile asthma at six months but we hoped he would grow out of it.

'He loved his school and was a very clever, practical and imaginative boy, very quick to pick things up. I feel his life should be recognised, because he and his dad struggled through.'

Sad fate: Duncan and Martin together in happier times

Martin, who attended Our Lady's Roman Catholic High School in Oldham, had been enjoying playing with snowballs on the day before his death.

He used to attend SS Aidan and Oswald's Primary School in Royton.

An inquest is expected to be opened and adjourned into his death.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said: "At around 12.35pm on Monday 2 February 2009, police were called to Royal Holdham Hospital following a report of the sudden death of a 12-year-old boy.

'The boy has been brought in from a house in Oldham and died at the hospital. There are no suspicious circumstances and the case has been passed to the coroner.'

My complaint about Mr. Zhongxian Chen

I feel obligated to say something about Mr. Zhongxian Chen because, as the Talmud says, "Silence is akin to assent." Before I launch into my main topic, I want to make a few matters crystal-clear: (1) Many self-promoters have an intense identification with intransigent recidivists, and (2) as a result of that, there's a special, dark corner of Hell for the likes of Hitler, Stalin, and Zhongxian. Now that you know where I stand on those issues, I can safely say that Zhongxian says that those who disagree with him should be cast into the outer darkness, should be shunned, should starve. You know, he can lie as much as he wants but he can't change the facts. If he could, he'd clearly prevent anyone from hearing that he is extraordinarily brazen. We've all known that for a long time. However, Zhongxian's willingness to condone universal oppression sets a new world record for brazenness.

If you agree, read on. I am certain that if I asked the next person I meet if he would want Zhongxian to emphasize the negative in our lives instead of accentuating the positive, he would say no. Yet we all stand idly by while Zhongxian claims that women are spare parts in the social repertoire—mere optional extras. The experts agree with me that his metanarratives are attributable to an ignorance born of fear. Have you noticed that that hasn't been covered at all by the mainstream media? Maybe they're afraid that Zhongxian will retaliate by forcing me to self-censor my critique of him. Despite total incompetence, he is often afflicted with an amazing conceit that causes him to violate his pledge not to interfere with my efforts to open minds instead of closing them. He plans to feature simplistic answers to complex problems. He has instructed his coadjutors not to discuss this or even admit to his plan's existence. Obviously, Zhongxian knows he has something to hide.

It is a figment of Zhongxian's runaway imagination that he defends the real needs of the working class. But I digress. He is guilty of at least one criminal offense. In addition, Zhongxian frequently exhibits less formal criminal behavior such as deliberate and even gleeful cruelty, explosive behavior, and a burning desire to spread hatred, animosity, and divisiveness. He is an opportunist. That is, he is an ideological chameleon, without any real morality, without a soul. Stand with me, be honest with me, and help me expose injustice and puncture prejudice, and together we'll spread the word about Mr. Zhongxian Chen's salacious plans for the future to our friends, our neighbors, our relatives, our co-workers—even to strangers. We'll create a world in which prætorianism, interventionism, and racialism are all but forgotten. I'm counting on you. Thanks for reading this.

http://www.pakin.org/complaint