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Arch

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EW GURU
Latest post on 03 July 2011 - 14:27
good luck. Some people in Dubai try to act smart, approach women, harass others, and when you question them, they either smile, or harass you even more, or just yell, sometimes in English or in Arabic. I would let the police know. recently the police caught Arab boys who impersonated CID and stole from laborers, so the police wont be unfair hopefully.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 03 July 2011 - 08:47
Haha classic! I also love it when you speak to them on the phone and then they send you an email saying "Dear Sir" Didn't know my voice sounded like a man... :\: Trust me thats not bad at all What is bad when you make a followup call and another employee refuses to deal with you saying "We sent email to Sir, so he should call" Of course you explain it was their mistake to address you as Sir in the email, but to no avail
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EW GURU
Latest post on 03 July 2011 - 08:47
Some bikers think they are Gods gift to mankind and while they love their loud exhaust noises, they feel everyone else should love it also. In our earlier home in Abu Dhabi, you used to see them maybe once a year, and that too revving next to a hospital, and they were of all nationalities and ages. I dont know whether there are bikers groups which promote responsible biking, in other words, dont rev up in residential areas etc.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 02 July 2011 - 09:56
The most class based society I have ever lived in, where your accent points directly to your net worth, your education and your prospects. Whaaaat????? I know some very very posh people with very very posh accents and they are as poor as church mice - based on what you are saying they should be millionaires then?....... You do have a very odd view of the UK...... Well some people do tend to judge a country based on their experiences; they face 2 problems in Dubai and Dubai is horrible, or thye live in a large villa in Dubai and Dubai is the best place ever. That view often is biased so i really doubt Dubai is less class biased than the UK. Then again dont forget that if someone lives in a class based society and is near the top, they are very likely to adopt a "all is well" attitude and deny the problems as they simply dont face it.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 29 June 2011 - 09:42
We stayed at the Swissotel as well, and the Pan Pacific but orchid road has a buzz around it so kids may like it more. Hotels closer to the bay such as these 2 are generally quieter than hotels on Orchid road, where most tourists seem to stay. So depends on if you want a noisy atmopshere when you step out of your hotel or not Singapores best attraction IMO was the zoo (dont miss the night safari). The Bird park was nice as well. The Singapore Flyer was good as well; its a giant ferris wheel. Orchid road is a long strip filled with malls and shops on both sides
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EW GURU
Latest post on 28 June 2011 - 11:56
As far as I know the local people only use the hand shower thingy and not paper, they therefore do not design the system to take paper. I have seen it in other ME countries too - it is not unique to the UAE. If you don't want to put the paper in the bin use the shower thingy Plenty of people, particularly modern ones, use both, so paper still needs to be disposed of
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EW GURU
Latest post on 28 June 2011 - 11:55
Not just Dubai; half the places we went to in Istanbul had signs inside asking us to not throw toilet paper in the toilet as it will definitely block the drains. Many had arrows pointing us to a bin where we would have to throw toilet paper
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 June 2011 - 15:38
When 20 % of offences seem to be ok because the offender can effectively say "I dont care", nothing will change. Seatbelts are supposedly ok but grown adults openly admit not wearing it and actually make fun of those who wear it. Same with tinting.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 June 2011 - 08:23
Wuffles The only time you should feel guilty is when you are accusing someone of something you did not see, and the person vehemently denies it. In this case, he did it " in front of you; you have every right to act as you did I read of a girl who gloated over the fact that she had a man who was following her in a mall deported as her DH was important bla bla, i felt that such act would be a bit over the top. But in this case, the man was sure you would not complain, or that no one would believe you if you did. So you are perfectly justified in complaining :)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 June 2011 - 08:51
All our prayers for the lovely babies, and may they go through all procedures successfully
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EW GURU
Latest post on 23 June 2011 - 09:31
Over the last few years, most dealers have offered promotions during Ramadan More than actual price cuts , its freebies like free servicing, free insurance, or free LCD TV etc. But yes, it definitely makes sense to wait till Ramadan !
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 June 2011 - 13:08
Me: But that's seafood. Watier: No, its not seafood, its prawns. Me: Prawns are seafood though Waiter: No ma'am, they is prawns. I sent it back and got a steak instead, and got charged for the paella. Boss came out and had the same argument that prawns are not seafood and are meat. Do they swim on land then?! Some people justify bad customer service by saying its because of language differences. In such cases its not; its just plain stupidity
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 June 2011 - 08:47
I guessed that too; it the "Ok maaaaam" that confuses as he meant is as a "I cant do that but i will say ok" while i thought, as should be normal, that ok means "we can do it"
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 June 2011 - 08:26
At a Juice bar: Me: Could I have a medium juice please Man: Sorry , we are out of medium cups, we only have large cups Me: So why dont you give me juice amount of medium cup in a large cup, i dont want too much juice Man: Ok Maaaam He then proceeds to give me half a cup of juice and them goes ahead to charge me for a large juice When i point out i asked he gave me half cup of juice as I asked, he says "But Maaam, i give you large cup, so price is more" <em>edited by Arch on 22/06/2011</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 June 2011 - 08:23
I am continuing to have great moments with Nepali workers who were recruited for being the cheapest and dont understand even simple English; i arrive at Fortune Tower for a restaurant I thought is there Me: Excuse me, which way are the restaurants? Guard: No restaurant, He then points at the adjacent tower I am a bit confused, so I call up the place, and sure they are in Fortune Tower Me: Why didnt you tell me there were restaurants in Fortune Tower, see there is a restaurant there Guard: No restaurant, this not restaurant, this "Hot N Rolls" The name of the restaurant was "Hot N Rolls Restaurant" <em>edited by Arch on 22/06/2011</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 12:19
I think a lot of Iranians (well the ones I know ;) spell and pronounce it like this. I thought most of them stressed the 'u' so it was "Dooo-bai"
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EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 10:56
Be careful of 1) Hotels with many *5 ratings, all of which are similar one - liners When I check a hotel with a good rating the first thing i do is look at the negative reviews if a hotel has 300 good reviews and 4 bad then it is definitely good But if a hotel has 100 good reviews, and 25 negative ones we have to be careful And most importantly, good hotels generally have reviewers with many other contributions on TA. Some hotels have good reviews only by people with only 1 review, which makes it obvious they were solicited
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EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 10:08
How is general safety in Turkey? And do they all speak English? Do you need to hire a private guide and/or a car to do the tours? English is generally understood in the touristy areas, but outside that, English speakers are very limited compared to lets say Egypt or India. There are many people who dont even know "yes" or "no" in English so we learnt quite a bit of Turkish to the extent that a taxi driver started speaking Turkish and we somehow understood most of it ! Speaking of taxis, be very careful as some of them (~20%) are con artists and will try to tamper with the meter or pretend that a 50 TL is a 5 TL note (they are both the same color and they switch it very quickly)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 08:31
July is Istanbuls busiest tourist month along with August. Last year, summer was exceptionalyl hot, this year,summer came late so it may be 20-30 or if you are unlucky it may be 30-40. We went to all the places Chizz mentioned. The must sees in order are: Aya Sophia, Topkapi, Blue mosque, Bosposhorus cruise, Istiklal Caddesi, Basilica cistern While fish sandwiches by Galata bridge are great, dont venture onto the restaurants under Galata bridge, the touts are the worst we encountered in Turkey. One of the best Kabab places in Istanbul is Hamdi and the 5 storey building is right at the start of Galata bridge, nex to to Eminonu Mosque
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EW GURU
Latest post on 19 June 2011 - 13:46
2)Desperately searching for a dress to wear to a function, I tried one on in the changing room of Hobbs in Festival City. The saleswoman came to check up on me in the changing room. I was in a friendly, chit chatty mood and told her I was struggling to find a dress that flattered my pear shaped figure. When I left the changing room I was ambushed by a THREE Filipina salesladies who were clearly busy gossipping about me, as I walked out they told me in front of all the customers, "It is not our fault if you are FAT and look fat in all the dresses". It sounds silly now, but on that day, the comment really crushed me and I felt soooo humiliated. Will never again, as long as I live, enter a branch of that store, never even liked it in the first place ;) Thats not something silly, it is extremely offensive, and I would be very inclined to say something offensive abotu them in return
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EW GURU
Latest post on 16 June 2011 - 11:27
the other side of the coin: You are going at 80, and need to move to the right lane, the car 50 yards behind in the right lane is going at 80 but the moment it sees your indicator, somehow speeds up to prevent you entering, what do you call that ?
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EW GURU
Latest post on 15 June 2011 - 08:27
Jordan will definitely be hot, Turkey may be hot; last year it hit record highs of 35+ in Istanbul in end of August.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 15 June 2011 - 00:15
Absconding is wrong but why is the OP wrong to want to leave before 3 years?? I am sure the employer reserved the right to fire her before 3 years, so similarly she should have the right to leave. I think staying here too long makes people forget that an employee should have the right to leave when she wants as long as the employer is notified.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 June 2011 - 14:43
Its very simple Most airlines have hypothetically lets say 100 out of 200 seats at the lowest fare, 50 at a bit more , 50 at the highest fare Now when you buy your ticket and changes are free of cost it means as long as you get a seat in your fare level. So if you are in the cheapest 100/200 group, and now there are more than 100 passengers, you can change but by paying a difference to the "higher class" If changes were not advertised as free, you would potentially pay the difference in fare + the change fee which could be between 100-300 dhs.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 June 2011 - 11:58
i will be as frank as I can about what i think is going on ; Some Women of one or 2 nationalities think they are "prettier" than your run of the mill non Oriental woman because they are smaller in stature. The fact that some of them have flings with men of other countries may make them think they were pursued for their looks rather some other very obvious reasons. I will stress though that its some of them , and not most of them. As for comments, I noticed many south east asians dont consider it rude to talk about you in front of you to their fellow countrymen. So if they consider this as not rude, they probably think telling you in English is not rude either
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EW GURU
Latest post on 14 June 2011 - 10:24
This is so terrifying..especially as I am planning to send my daughter on the school bus next term. It doesn't matte how good the bus drivers are...its eveyone else that worries me Thats the matter, it s everyone else ... When people who broke legs in accidents continue to drive at 200 kph because it is "fun".... I almost got killed yesterday, I had accelerated, and a car just cut at 120 kph from the extreme right lane, missing me by a feet or so
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EW GURU
Latest post on 13 June 2011 - 12:19
As someone who suffers from arachnophobia i wonder what causes spiders to inspire so much fear? I mean bugs are often gross but something about the spider makes me feel horrid. What could it be? That said i am always thankful that the insects i am terrified of dont fly; spiders and lizards .
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 June 2011 - 11:45
Generally the 3 Japanese companies offer good deals during Ramadan as do some of the German brands. Chevrolet and Ford often dont .
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 June 2011 - 10:17
Just so that landlords dont get too upset with my comment I will add that just like many landlords act as bullies many of them were also victims at the hands of developers, so maybe some of them take it out on the tenant? I have heard plenty of horror stories about owners getting shafted by dishonest developers with exorbiant charges, lack of communication, delays without explanation etc Of course there are also those landlords who thought they could become instant millionaires by purchasing property and got frustrated when that didnt materialize and so try to squeeze every dirham out of their tenants
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EW GURU
Latest post on 12 June 2011 - 10:06
At the end of the day, the landlord is "king" and the tenant is the one to suffer. If this is how they behave in an economy with plenty of vacant units, just imagine how they will act if there is a housing shortage again ! When we were looking for an apt last year, one agent was late for his appt and didnt apologize, the next day the landlord was supposed to come, and the agent had the gall to tell us "please be on time, we should not keep the landlord waiting" ! The tenant is the one who pays the commison yet the agent is more concerned about being punctual for the landlord !
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EW GURU
Latest post on 10 June 2011 - 12:15
I am a bit confused. On one hand the police are very strict on many things, impounding cars for dangerous driving and possible jail time for jumping red signals. I have seen people get into a lot of trouble for going 80 kph over the limit Also people driving without licences are taken to court and possibly jail And here we have people proudly boasting of driving without licences and speeding at 300 kph and perfectly nonchalant about it. And they are regular expat students.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 10 June 2011 - 10:13
The deposit business is not looking good. Many landlords cash in the deposit when you hand over the cheque and consider it their money. Then when you leave they try every possible way to not return it. Sometimes they just flat out refuse with a "i am not going to return it, now dont bother me" vibe. Just plain robbery. . Quite easy to do 10k worth of damage to a villa...... if that's their attitude.... :\: what if they then estimate the value of damage to be 20k ?:)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 10 June 2011 - 09:55
I just imagine this, a 20 year old admitting to driving at 320 kph, and he is not even local (he is Egyptian) He broke his leg, and yet continues to drive at 200 kph when he can He also claims to drive for 18 months without a license, shouldnt such people be locked up? If driving without a license gets one prosecuted, i think such immature acts should be punished severely DUBAI // The death of a friend in a high-speed accident is not enough to put some young people off the idea of driving at breakneck speeds. Ahmed al Saadi, a 20-year-old Palestinian, and his friend Aref al Mazrooei, a 21-year-old Emirati, both have friends who have died in crashes while speeding. Mr al Mazrooei knew five people who died in accidents, and seven out of 10 of his closest friends had been in serious car crashes. He admits he drives over 120kph on Emirates Road because he knows the radar only flashes at 140kph there. But the speed traps do slow him down. "In Dubai, I am usually more careful, but if I am in a hurry to reach university, I would speed after each radar going at 160kph." And for Mr al Saadi, the reality has not yet sunk in either. "When I speed, I forget about [my friends who died'>, but when I remember what happened to them, then I slow down," said Mr al Saadi, who first sat behind the wheel of a car at the age of 14 but only got his licence a year and a half ago. "[b'>On Wednesday, I was driving at about 200kph because I was following a girl who was speeding. It's just the extra hormones, I guess," he said.[/b'> Mr al Saadi says driving is a way to blow off steam and he views it as a way of life. Not surprisingly, he admits to having been involved in a few accidents of his own. Mr al Mazrooei does not think speeding is the main cause of road deaths. He said he almost got into "what could've been a really bad accident" because of texting while driving. He has been careful since. "I think texting while driving is bigger than anyone knows and worse than speeding," he said. [b'>Mohammed Rajab, a 21-year-old Egyptian, only got his licence two weeks ago and was recently involved in a serious accident, but continues to speed. "I got into an accident about three or four months ago while driving and broke my leg and it was severe," he said. "But I love the adventure; I love to speed." Mr Rajab often drives at 220kph and once he drove at 320kph while using a friend's car. He admitted that from the age of 19 he drove without a full licence for more than 18 months. "I did not get it because I knew I would drive dangerously," said Mr Rajab. He said he will only stop driving fast when he gets married. In the meantime, he finds solace in speeding. "I feel excited when I do it, I feel the danger and it's just a risk you take and if I am alive after that and nothing happens, it means you've accomplished something."[/b'> "It's fun - you cannot stop," he said <em>edited by Arch on 10/06/2011</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 10 June 2011 - 09:40
i won't care if it does go up - the prices here are still a joke compared to the UK lol If only everyone else got paid in pounds so they too could consider it a joke :)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 10 June 2011 - 09:39
The deposit business is not looking good. Many landlords cash in the deposit when you hand over the cheque and consider it their money. Then when you leave they try every possible way to not return it. Sometimes they just flat out refuse with a "i am not going to return it, now dont bother me" vibe. Just plain robbery. Quite a few landlors are trying to talk up the market by claimimg "Dubai is doing great again etc etc". When the crisis struck in Sept 2010, many landlords spent 6 months denying anything was wrong and refusing any decreases, it was only after Q1 2009 that they were forced to encounter reality.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 08 June 2011 - 12:48
[b'>"People in UAE are very rich so prices should increase[/b'> probably because of this comment, i myself never heard or read anything like it... u can however paste a link here to such nonsense statement Its my fault probably for not quoting the exact statement as I didnt remember it "The people in the UAE can afford to pay higher prices for petrol as the oil prices are relatively low, compared to the standard of living" I did paraphrase, but the meaning is similar, that people here are able to afford high prices. Of course they can, people in Saudi Arabia can afford petrol at 3 riyals a litre as well, but will the Saudi govt make the price 3 riyals a litre? Nope. And throwing everyone from a Porsche owner in the Palm to a family of 4 with a 1990 Corolla living in Ajman to "People in the UAE " and the corresponding "standard of living" is not accurate either. http://gulfnews.com/business/oil-gas/oil-marketing-companies-losing-dh16-5m-per-day-1.818787 <em>edited by Arch on 08/06/2011</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 08 June 2011 - 12:23
Maybe its your comment that is nonsensical ?! Point out why it is "nonsense", and then maybe we will have a better idea of what your point is
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EW GURU
Latest post on 08 June 2011 - 11:34
ADNOC can produce most of its refined fuel, so they wouldnt see the point of a price increase. Prices in UAE already are much more than in Kuwait, Bahrain or Oman. The latter 2 dont even export that much oil. GN quotes an EPPCO/Enoc official saying prices need to be at least 3.16 dhs, i.e. double of current prices so they can avoid losses. So allowing ENOC/Eppco to make a profit would mean allowing very high inflation here. I always get irritated when some "energy expert" is quoted in the articles as saying "People in UAE are very rich so prices should increase" or "People should walk to work" or "increasing price of fuel will mean less greenhouse emissions" Seriously such experts seem to be stuck in their own universe and what they learnt in their textbooks; they have no idea of actual life here
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EW GURU
Latest post on 02 June 2011 - 13:04
I think the speed limit through the turnpike is higher than in other highways . We drove around 80 mph (official limit is 70, IIRC), and it took us around 4 hours. The highway is boring but as in most US interstates i would prefer to drive only during the day And yes, there are at least 3 or 4 toll booths that you have to pass
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EW GURU
Latest post on 02 June 2011 - 11:39
LOL, funy and realistic video The comments are full though, of Filipinos "offended" by it, and attacking "Indians" for being poor even though i dont get what Indians have to do with that video. Its sad when people cant take humor for what it is and keep trying to be the victim
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EW GURU
Latest post on 29 May 2011 - 11:09
The crux lies in the fact that many shops and workers feel it is not their responsibility if something they sell is faulty or does not work. They think it is ok to seel faulty stuff as long as the customer does not notice it, the moment cash exchanges hands, you are the "gullible fool" and they have no more responsiblity whatsoever. I once saw an argument between a shopkeeper and a customer in a small store; a watch was sold which stopped working just as the customer bought it, the shop owner said it was not his fault, and most bystanders (it became quite heated) took the shopkeepers side saying it was the customers bad luck and that the shop has nothing to do with it.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 28 May 2011 - 13:50
It generally goes like this: Foreign Journalist writes an article with 5 true bad points, 3 exageratted ones and 3 false ones. Gullible outsiders believe all 11 points are true The pro Dubai brigade who prefer to believe all is fine and that every abuse can be justified by "the workers have it better here than in their home countries" goes on a rampage and claim that all 11 points are wrong. They know very well that there are 5 points which are accurate but pretend that because of the 3 wrong points, its all a conspiracy against Dubai So the truth somehow gets lost in all this... <em>edited by Arch on 28/05/2011</em>
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EW GURU
Latest post on 22 May 2011 - 13:24
Nothing surprising. I had to call 7 times over a period of 10 months to cancel a service. Every time i called it was "Ok , we will cancel it", only to find next month that 20 dhs was deducted, and when i would call them, it would be a case of "sorry we dont have any previous request from you to cancel". In another case, when we shifted homes, they wanted us to go in person to etisalat office to request shifting. After that, the outsourced company called us once, and when we didnt answer, they cancelled the request. When we called Etisalat, they said the technician had "called us many many times" which was a lie as they called just once and never answered when we called back