Eid Al Adha’s timing was perfect: my sister was out of town, I was off from college and from work, I had no pending freelance photography to do, no family commitments, friends all busy with their families — it was the perfect opportunity to sit, relax, and do absolutely nothing for once. Even my exam, due on the 14th, has been put on hold because I really needed the break. After spending the first day sick in bed and the consecutive days uneventful (but wonderful in being so), the clouds rolled in and thundered their way into the Emirates overnight. Early morning, I woke up to the...

Geekfest is a social networking event that takes place here in Dubai every couple of months, and has spread across the region to cover Cairo, Amman, Beirut and upcoming Damascus. There’s very little I could say to explain the event, really, as it is unorganized – an oxymoron right there for you – and is simply just a gathering of people with some talks, discussions, mingling, game corners and the art scene, all jumbled up together in the very homey package called The Shelter. Though I’ve sent in my photos to showcase the last couple of events, this time things were...

Who would have reckoned that it’s quite enjoyable actually? For the past few months I have been visiting art galleries around Dubai and Abu Dhabi, getting inspired by the hundreds of brilliant pieces of artwork that I come across. Whether they’re photographs, paintings, sculptures, or some other odd form of art, there is always something interesting to see. Of course, attending The Lost Fingers exclusive concert in Dubai (and they were an arm’s length away) was the highlight of the whole lot. There have been some off galleries here and there, some of them in ungodly...

The UAE has been the media spotlight – both positive (Abu Dhabi F1) and negative (Dubai World hiatus) – heralding a new era of Dubai Bashing (see my thorough how-to here) as well as justified criticism and the typical market flux a la Pelham 123 (so who made $300m now?). But today is the 38th UAE National Day, and these special occasions, like Eid and Thanksgiving and Christmas, are here to remind us of the greater good that we keep tucked in the shadows. For it is easy to dwell on our miseries and use them as our crutch to move forward, but it takes a movie scene, an Oprah...

It’s hard to be a fan of an overpriced, often mediocre service you’re forced to use over the years. Add insult to injury by throwing in another telecom provider with limited jurisdiction (you can’t get a du net connection unless you’re living in specific locations) and limited coverage (limited is a euphemism for choppy&sloppy). I’m charged $67.66 for a 1mb connection that feels like a 512 modem. I won’t even bother talking about the iPhone services as Zaher did a pretty good job in it. The last three days I have been without internet connection,...