Dubai Colors by Daniel Cheong

Top 'Disguised' Costs of Living in Dubai

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Dubai undoubtedly has its perks. With a tax-free haven for all and relative logistical proximity to the rest of the world, Dubai offers the best of 'both worlds'. However, everything in life comes at a cost.

Doling out on regular residential and commercial expenses, many a times we end up paying for miscellaneous expenses without a fleeting thought. A few of the disguised (often ignored) expenses are listed below.

Knowledge Fee: This fee was levied on all government and quasi-government applications (with a few exemptions) since 2005. These proceedings go to the Dubai Executive Council and are mandatory on all above-mentioned transactions.

Fuel Surcharge: In 2011, a new tariff – the fuel surcharge – was levied on electricity and water consumption in Dubai based on the rate of increase or decrease of the actual fuel cost supplied to DEWA generation plants. The fee is reflected in monthly DEWA bills.

As of September 2013, the tariff on electricity is 6.0 fils/kWh and on water is 0.6 fils/Imperial Gallon. For a couple or small family, this adds up to 10 to 20 Dirhams per month.

Sms Parking Fee: RTA's mParking, perhaps the most convenient way to pay one's parking fee, comes with an additional transaction fee of 30 fils for each SMS sent. In case of time extension, the secondary tariff is calculated with the additional fee and the user is charged accordingly.

Credit Transfer Fee: Mobile credit transfer is easily one of Etisalat's best offers in terms of convenience and flexibility but like all good things, it comes with a price tag. On the transferred amount, a 5% charge is applied as a transaction fee. Du currently offers the One2One free credit transfer service.

Gas costs: For households, gas cylinders are an inevitable part of the kitchen that saw a price surge in 2012 due to the hike in global oil prices. The average price of a small size cylinder ranges between AED 70-75 and a medium size cylinder ranges between AED 105-120. It would be safe to estimate that for a household of four members, one small cylinder would last for 30 to 45 days.

'Miscellaneous' school expenses: If you think the tuition fee is all you need to pay during the calendar year, think again. Miscellaneous expenses, inclusive of extracurricular activities, trips, events, shows, etc. constitute albeit a small but meaningful monthly expense, especially if the household has more than one child going to school.

Moon Held in Dubai

The moon captured on the helipad a top the Burj Al Arab in Dubai in this photo from Perfectly Timed Pics

Single GCC visa likely by mid-2014

Source:  RIYADH: GHAZANFAR ALI KHAN | Arab News - Yahoo News

 GCC countries are planning to launch a European-style Schengen visa by mid-2014 to allow Gulf-based expats and foreign businessmen to move easily across the borders of the six-member bloc.

The GCC interior ministers are working on the details of the project, which many believe will boost tourism and trade in the region, and cut out lengthy bureaucratic delays, said Abdul Rahim Hassan Al-Naqi, secretary-general of the GCC Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

“The Gulf countries are currently working on the technical details of the project, especially an automated system that will link the member countries.”

Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil, president of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, called it a positive development. “The move is significant keeping in mind the growing number of foreigners visiting the Gulf states for business and tourism.”

He urged GCC officials to speed up the project, and said the single visa would facilitate the movement of about 15 million foreign workers working in the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia.

Expatriates living and working in the GCC represent 31 percent of the Gulf population. Saudi Arabia, which has the most foreign workers despite stringent visa regulations, is home to about 9 million foreigners.

Asked about the benefits of the single visa, Al-Zamil said: “The introduction of the visa will have impressive benefits for the Gulf economy and will boost the income of citizens, mainly in the tourism sector.”

Shahir A. Hamid, a local travel agent, welcomed the move. “In fact, anyone who has traveled regularly within the GCC will have their own horror stories about the length of time they were forced to wait at passport control.”

The Gulf states do need to have an electronic link between the member countries to exchange data and therefore ease the implementation of the common Gulf tourism visa, he said. “I have heard that the GCC visa could be issued soon. It will not replace the member states’ individual visas.”

The GCC single visa will be modeled on the Schengen visa. It should be noted that citizens of the 26 EU Schengen countries and the US, UK, Japan, S. Korea and Malaysia do not require visas to enter the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.

However, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait still require most nationalities to apply for visas. Those barred from a GCC country for legal reasons or those who have already been deported would not be considered for the unified visa.

Selena Gomez Can't Wait for Dubai

Pop diva Selena Gomez can't wait to come to Dubai. 

Selena showed off a picture of her wearing a necklace with her name transcribed in Arabic to her Instagram followers on Monday, with the message: “Dubai Music Week I'm comin.. :)”.

Food of Ramadan and Other Tips

Food of Ramadan

Traditionally, Muslims end their fasts with water and dates or juice and dates. This is because after a long day of fasting, the body’s blood sugar levels are low and the intake of sugar brings the blood sugar levels to normal.

Full of Goodness

Dates are not only a good and easily digested source of sugar, but they are full of a variety of nutrients:

- Dates are a great source of potassium – which helps muscles work properly, magnesium and manganese – both of which aid in the proper growth and maintenance of bones, copper - which helps in metabolising iron and in red cell formation, dietary fibre – which helps keep the digestive track healthy, folate – which is vital for cell development, vitamin C – which helps strengthen the immune system , B6 – which is important for the nervous system and the break down of proteins and pantothenic acid – which is important for fatty acid metabolism. Research has also shown that dates are effective in preventing abdominal cancer.

Traditional Fare

After ending their fast, Muslims have a normal meal. In the UAE, the traditional iftar food include hares, which is made of wheat, grains and meat, which are slowly cooked on low fire, Machboos, which is a meat and rice dish with special spices and dried lemon and Thareed (or Fareed), which is a meat and vegetable stew with traditional bread (Raqaq).

Just Dessert

One of the most famous Emirati desserts, which is also most commonly eaten in Ramadan is Lukaimat. These are fried dough balls, doused with date syrup.

Popular Drinks

Laban (buttermilk) is one of the most popular Emirati traditional Ramadan drinks. Tamarind juice, Qamar Al Din (dried apricot juice), various spice infused teas and a brad of readymade concentrated juice, which is heavily consumed during Ramadan all over the GCC, are also favorites during the holy month.



Ramadan Entertainment Tents

A large number of restaurants across the UAE create special menus or buffets and many also have special offers on especially for Ramadan. Traditionally adorned iftar and suhour tents are not the same as the charity iftar tents which offer food to people who may not have anywhere else to go. These tents are usually set up by hotels or restaurants and offer lavish iftar buffets, entertainment as well as live Arabic music and gaming consoles, refreshments, shisha and of course, suhour. Ramadan tents usually open at iftar and close sometime before Al Fajr prayer.

Price Control


The UAE’s Ministry of Economy called on retailers to significantly reduce prices of basic commodities by 20 to 50 percent as Ramadan approached, as food prices usually soar weeks before the arrival of the fasting month. Last May, the ministry also announced that around 400 essential products would have fixed prices until the end of the year.

Ramadan Health Tips

- Make sure you get your recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables
- Make sure to drink enough water in the time between iftar and suhour to avoid dehydration
- Try to minimise your sugar intake, so as not to get thirsty
- Avoid spicy food
- Avoid drinking caffeinated drinks such as coffee, cola and tea. Caffeine is a diuretic.
- Eat food containing complex carbohydrates during suhour as they take longer to digest. Legumes, vegetables and pasta are good sources.

Food Wastage:

The Quran states: “O children of Adam , take your adornment at every masjid, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, he likes not those who commit excess”. Wasting food is considered sinful and is counterproductive especially during the month, where Muslims try to get especially during the month, where Muslims try to get closer to Allah. During Ramadan 500 tonnes of food gets thrown away by hotels and restaurants in Abu Dhabi alone. One should actively try to reduce the amount of personal leftover food.

Tips on How to Reduce Food Wastage:

• Do not throw away leftover food; pack it and give it to those less fortunate or to the mosque.
• Do not cook more than you or your family needs.
• While at an iftar or suhour buffet, do not pile excess food on your plate that you would not be able to finish.
• If you are going to have a large banquet and might have excess food, contact a charity organisation that collects leftover food from large gatherings and give it to needy family; Hefth Al Ne’ma which is part of the UAE Red Crescent Authority is one.

Source:  Gulf Newspaper

How To Get Busy During Ramadan in Dubai

Companies face the challenge of maintaining output whilst respecting beliefs:

Dubai: Generating high workplace productivity while helping Muslim workers observe the tenets of Ramadan can pose challenges for companies, experts say.

Reduced daily work hours for Muslim workers who are fasting can impact on output for business environments vying in a competitive global market place.

In the UAE, chapter four of the federal Labour Law, article No 65, stipulates that daily work hours will be reduced from eight hours to six hours during Ramadan, when adherents abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset.

"For employers in particular, religious observances such as Ramadan raise two competing interests: business continuity and performance on the one hand and cultural sensitivities on the other," Mandeep Kalsi, of the UAE business law firm Hadef and Partners, said.

"Forward planning will be key to ensure customer demand and business performance is maintained during the month," Kalsi said in a new report for Ramadan.

Pragmatic stance


"For many employers, a primary concern will be the impact of the reduced working hours rule on business performance. Adherence to the Labour Law is, of course, recommended but employers can still — and often do — adopt a pragmatic stance."

The report states that there are unavoidable corporate slowdowns during the fasting month.
"Business throughout the UAE inevitably slows down during Ramadan. Clients and customers who are based overseas, such as in Europe, are unlikely to appreciate this and it is therefore advisable to inform them of this sufficiently in advance of Ramadan."

That said, companies must also respect cultural sensitivities surrounding the month.

Gentler pace

"Out of respect for Islam and the traditions of the UAE, employers should also endeavour to ensure that life in the workplace moves at a gentler pace during Ramadan."

But the notion that Ramadan fasting and reduced work hours means a month-long holiday filled with idleness for Muslims is misplaced, says a top official of a company working to help Arabs boost productivity.
Mohammad Faris, CEO and founder of Productive Muslim, said that history teaches us Ramadan was a time of great achievement and industry.

"If we look into history, we learn that Ramadan was a productive time for the Ummah.

It is in this noble month that many great events occurred in the history of Islam like the victory of faith over disbelief in the Battle of Badr, the conquest of Makkah, Battle of ‘Ayn Jaaloot and other decisive battles," Faris told Gulf News from his Jeddah offices in Saudi Arabia.

"This indicates that there are many lessons of success to draw on from this month in the history of Islamic civilisation. In a similar manner, Ramadan is a time where Muslims must fight their own inner battles to gain victory of becoming better Muslims and more productive in order to have success in this life and the next."
Those who are observing Ramadan must work to dispel stereotypes through personal goals of becoming more productive, he said.

"Unfortunately, Ramadan today is being accused of being an ‘unproductive' month by many Muslim — and non-Muslim — employers working in the Muslim world.

"This misrepresentation of Ramadan is highlighted by the actions of some Muslims who unfortunately use Ramadan as an excuse to be lazy, not get work done, and follow unproductive habits such as staying up all night at cafes and restaurants, thus feeling sleepy during working hours.

Normal shift


"Moreover, some governments and businesses in the Muslim world in their attempt to cater for the needs of the fasting Muslims, reduce the business hours which further emphasises that Ramadan is a ‘time-off' period or ‘reduced workload' period, hence the low productivity output from employees in general."

"Personally, I'm against reducing business hours and find no merit in such measures, since we see many Muslims who live in non-Muslim countries and who work the normal 9-5 shift and are still productive.
"If anything, I personally believe that reducing business hours actually encourages unproductivity."

Fostering a spirit of productivity in workplace:

Dubai: Businesses can help foster a spirit of productivity in the workplace during Ramadan to help workers adhering to a no food-and-drink fasting regimen each day of the month.

And workers can take their own initiatives to usher in a healthier Ramadan that will make them stronger contributors in the workplace.

Mohammad Faris, CEO and founder of Productive Muslim, said he has helped businesses organise training workshops that teach everything from time management to personal productivity to give workers the edge.
"This is very important, as there are many sincere employees who want to work hard and be productive during Ramadan, but do not have the techniques or skills to do so consistently," Faris said.

"Businesses could arrange workshops with Muslim productivity experts to help their employees or they can encourage their employees to sign up to online courses that specialise in this sort of training."

Businesses must also adopt a co-operative approach with workers to ensure that deadlines are met and production does not slip.

‘Zero tolerance'


"Second, businesses need to encourage a resilient mindset among their fasting employees, for example, a mindset that whether it's Ramadan or not Ramadan, work has to get done and employees need to find a way to keep up with the work pace," he said.

"There should be zero tolerance to people who use Ramadan as an excuse for being lazy or unproductive, and signs of unproductivity or people using Ramadan as an excuse for being unproductive should be stamped out or rebuked publicly."

Health officials in the UAE are encouraging workers to take special care of themselves to help combat some of the taxing physical side effects of fasting such as headaches, dehydration and weight gain and insomnia during the hot weather in this Ramadan.

With Ramadan falling in mid-summer this year, days of sunlight are longer, testing the stamina of Muslims who must wait until sunset's iftar to end the fast.

"Ending the fast slowly with light foods such as soup, dates, water and milk and then later eating a balanced meal with moderate portions and plenty of vegetables in the evening followed by a simple morning meal of water, whole grain bread and tea/coffee before beginning the fast will help ensure that most people will eat healthily and enjoy all the benefits of Ramadan," Dr Regina Will, a gastroenterologist and specialist in nutritional medicine at the American Hospital Dubai, said.

Balanced Diet

"Of course, healthy fasting Muslims should moderate their intake of fatty foods and sweets after breaking the fast, but a range of balanced foods is fine. The key is to moderate the amount of food consumed after fasting and maintaining good hydration by consuming enough water, two to three litres per day," Will said.
Another critical element to ensuring top physical condition during Ramadan is getting enough sleep, said another health expert in Dubai.

"Some people sleep through the whole day and then stay awake at night, which is contrary to the meaning of fasting," said Dr Amro Al-Astal, from the Sleep Lab at the American Hospital Dubai. "Because of the long fasting hours and the Taraweeh prayers, which start every night after Isha prayers, we advise fasting Muslims to try to get their total sleep requirement in two sessions.

"The first one after Taraweeh [around 11pm] up to one hour prior to Suhour time [around 3.30am], then no more than one to 1.5 hours of sleep after Suhoor and morning prayers.

"In the afternoon, another one to 1.5 hours of sleep will give a second wind for the upcoming night. It is important that suhour meals should not contain too much fat as this might disturb sleep, and the stomach should not be full before a major sleep period."

TOP TEN TIPS

• To help workers help themselves, Productive Muslim offers a ist for a more productive Ramadan:
• Have sincere intentions and work hard for an ultimate productive Ramadan.
• Plan each day of Ramadan the night before. Choose three important tasks you want to achieve the next day and record them in your diary.
• Never EVER miss Suhour, wake up at least an hour before Fajr and have a filling, balanced meal.
• Start working on your most important tasks right after Fajr and get at least one or two done.
• Try to take an afternoon nap, not more than 20 minutes, either just before or after Dhuhur.
• Plan your Ramadan days (and life) around Salah times, not the other way round.
• Block at least one hour for reciting the Quran each day.
• End your fast with dates and milk or water, go to Maghreb prayers, then come back for a light meal.
• Give lots of ‘physical sadaqah'; get involved in organising community iftars, charity drives, helping orphans etc. Earn rewards working for others.
• Don't miss an opportunity for Dawah. When someone asks you why you're not eating, give them a beautiful explanation of Ramadan and Islam.

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