Going to the movies ....

Went to watch some very forgetable movie - 'American Dreamz' - and it is typical American - quite forgetfull except maybe for the twist in the tail - it included Hugh Grant playing Hugh Grant. I like the guy but he plays this one role - I guess just like he is in real life. Mandy Moore is the female lead - also a sightly weird casting choice something about her ...

Anyway - I usually go to morning or afternoon sessions and it is always nice and quiet - people are civilized even if you go and watch 'Ice Age 2' with the mommy and daddy squad. However - this time we decided to attend the 19:00 show and what a different experience it was.

Sorry to kick of another rant but why

• arrive ten minutes late, climb al over me and then have the gall to say - you can't see a thing? Just in case you people did not know it - if you arrive before the movie starts - they actually have the lights on in the theater and you can find a seat at your own sweet time, settle in, lining up the popcorn, cooldrink and Nachos, a quick chat on teh mobile or with the entourage and be ready for when the movie start - they even throw in some trailers which I know you haven't seen it yet as you always arrive well into the movie. Try it - you will like it!
• Which brings me to my next point - who thought up the natchos idea in movies in Dubai - HELOOOOO!!! it does not work to put some artificial cheese gunk and some tomato and chilly concotions in a flimsy plastic container filled with some corn chips and expect people not to mess!!! (especially if they walk in after the lights are off)
• arrive late and use their mobiles as torches - next one who shines his torch mobile in my face will leave the theater looking like a firefly - and hopefully you all understand which end of a firefly the light comes from.
• talk on their mobiles - you have paid AED30 for the movie (and by the way so have I) and you sit nattering away on your mobile in the movies - get a grip!
• have long drawn out discussion with your friend while the movie is playing. Slight hint - go to Starbucks, order a Late (less than AED30), get a seat and chat to your hearts content with your little friend - you can at the same time watch the passers by - I am sure you are as interested in them as you were in the movie.
• Throw your rubbish al over the floor - that is the right of business passengers on airlines only -who do you think you are?
• and finaly - what is this any seat policy - got too much trouble becuase some people can't understand seat arrangements or do you just have a crap computer system?

And then - Mall of the Emirates parking is a nightmare at night - a yield sigh means exactly that and to all you bloody idiots who do not understand that, hand back your drivers licenses or remove the illegal tint from your windows so that you can see the damn signa! Which gets is another observation - why do Abu Dabi drivers totally loose all driving manners when in Dubai - back home they drive fairly ok (which is a big compliment in the Middle East by the way) but when they get to Dubai!

Frequent Flyer Syndrome

Flying often because of job requirements I am becoming more and more irritated with peoples stupidity and their lack of respect for other people

Why

• do people push their ^&$))*&^ trolly right next to the the carousel when waiting for their luggage - stand back idiots, it is much easier and allows other people also to see when their precious suitcase arrives and allow them to wrestle it onto their trolleys without killing or maiming someone in the tightly packed throng next to the carousel
• do airlines, inspite of their own regulations allow people to board with oversized or even worse more than one piece of hand luggage? Firstly there is never enough overhead storage and when they board the people already sitting gets hit around the head, face and upper body with backpacks, cabin and laptop bags. I do not even want to think about the weight implications. People of flights to Egypt - you know who you are.
• inspite of repeated request - are people still allowed to board late? The times I have been delayed because some stupid idiot could not read his watch. Empty threats are just ignored afer a while. Maybe the passengers already boarded should be asked to give the late arrivals a piece of their minds when they board
• why do airlines (Emirates) still ask people to board in row specific order when nobody does it anyway and it is not enforced? People in this region have no idea of what it means to stand in a row - just tell them to rush the plane - they will do it anyway.
• take over more than their fair share of the armrest - I do not appreciate your elbow in my ribs although the cat and mouse game for possesion of the armrest takes some of the boredom out of intercontinetal flights
• not make allowances for big people - I hate it when the guy next to me spills over on to my space because he is either too big or too fat to fit into the seat designed for Joe Average. I really hate making body contact with the person next to me for a full flight if he or she is not a close friend or relative. Exceptions can be made for super models but they are so stick thin it would not happen anyway.
• hand out full size newspapers when it is impossible to read it without invading the space of the person next to you. And why do the person who actually take one to read it thinks I want his hand or newspaper waving in my face?
• design seats to recline in a way that it becomes impossible to tilt the entertainment sreen to an angle where you can view it.
• inspite of planes been able to take off and land without intervention from a pilot are we still delayed by misty conditions?

A final word to airlines - please do not ever, ever, ever allow moble phones to be used on planes. Some idiots will spend the whole flight nattering on their mobiles irritating the shit out of their neighbours. Which brings me to another question - given that handset designers spend billions to ensure their equipment has the capabilities tot handle low volume speech, do people still talk at the top of their voices when using mobile phones? Why do they think I need or care to listen to their discussion with a mate, wife, business partner, enemy, wrong number, service provider etc.

Gulf News: High time to pay housing fee

Every now and again I have to remind myself of the promises that was made to me when I decided to relocate to Dubai - one of them was no tax (Yes I did believe it at the time - silly me!)

Anyway the following article from Gulf news contain some real screamers! See my quotes in bold - Italic.

One Questions though- every tenant - is that equal to every expat tenant? Just asking!

Gulf News: High time to pay housing fee

High time to pay housing fee

By Ashfaq Ahmed and Jay B. Hilotin, Staff Reporters

Dubai: Dubai Municipality has asked all real estate agencies to provide data about their tenants as part of its plans to ensure collection of five per cent housing fee on tenancy contracts, said a civic body official.

The step is being taken to ensure that every tenant in Dubai register his tenancy contract with the municipality and pay five per cent housing fee. Subsequently, an online registration facility will also be launched for tenants and landlords.

"We have chalked out a plan to get every tenant on board because they are bound by law to pay five per cent fee on tenancy contracts," said Abdul Karim Al Haj, Head of the General Revenues Section at the Dubai Municipality.

The civic body had started collecting housing fees through utility bills of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority since January last year.

The housing fee is applicable to all residents and commercial establishments.

However, fees on tenancy contracts of commercial establishments and shops are collected by the Dubai Economic Department at the time of licensing.

In return, the municipality provides a host of services, such as keeping the streets clean, clearing the garbage, undertaking pest control measures, and landscaping and beautification projects, among others. Al Haj said: "The new steps are being taken just to make sure that everyone pays it."

The municipality started collected housing fees since January last year with the DEWA bills. "First it was started with the new tenants applying for electricity and water connection but now all the tenants new and old in Dubai will be registered to ensure collection from everyone," said Al Haj.

While residents who applied for new Dewa connections pay the housing fee, many old residents who have not registered their tenancy contract do not. The municipality is registering new tenancy contracts at a rate of 200 per day. There are an estimated 250,000 tenants in the city, he said.

Conservatively speaking, if the average rent in Dubai is Dh35,000, five per cent fee will be Dh1,750, the civic body will collect around Dh437.5 million from the estimated registered contracts.

"All tenants must register their tenancy contract at a special counter the municipality opened in Dewa offices," the official said.

He said residents who deliberately delay the registration of their tenancy contract [to avoid paying the full housing fee] might be slapped with a fine. Off-site registration counters will also be installed in other Dewa branches by May, said Al Haj.

"It is unfair for those who are already paying the fees if the old tenants keep dodging it by failing to register with us," said the official.

For many years, the General Revenue Section of the Dubai Municipality has charged a flat housing fee from companies for each employee ranging from Dh300 to Dh1,000, depending on their designation.

None of you business

After plans was announced plans to build two six-lane highways through the luxury developments in the Emirates Hill Area the following was published in in 7DAYS and I quote:

7Days - No Stopping Roads

"Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of Dubai’s Road and Transportation Authority, said last night the plans were now finalised, but that residents were welcome to write down their thoughts and leave them in a suggestion box.

The Interim Steering Committee (ISC), which represents residents in the luxury developments, had been hoping to meet the road authority to discuss the controversial plans.

Al Tayer said last night that his staff would be happy to meet the ISC to explain the scheme, but would not ask for their opinions or change the plans because it’s “none of their business”.

“We are not in America or Europe where approval for projects can take up to five years because everyone has to be consulted,” he told 7DAYS last night. The authority had consulted developer Emaar, as well as Nakheel and Dubai Holdings, before going ahead with the scheme, he said."

“We only deal with the developers who own the land and I’m sure they informed their residents. It’s not our job to ask for every resident’s permission,” Al Tayer added."

____________________________________

Thanks for that little wakeup call - I guess the Zillions of Dirhams people spent on villas in the area is 'none their business'?

And I am not going to say anything else ...

This is not a joke!

We discussed the other day how to get traffic to you site and this seems to be a good idea - will keep you posted as to how it actually goes (stole these words from one of the so called sites that knows what the 500 top search terms are and no - there is not 500 terms here - I had to take out some not so acceptable words ... think the list provider site also did some clean up ). Weird some of the tiles - why would people serach for ' wired magazine' as one of the top tiles? Or for 'Simple plan', ' Anna Nicol Smith'? Some of the terms could of course get my blog banned in our pretty part of the world. (start 1193 - finish 14XX)

Paris dunst

Experiment ended :).