Today marks Mawlid an-Nabi, or festival of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). However its unclear where the tradition of this celebration originated. Neither the Prophet nor his close companions or people who followed him marked or commemorated his birthday as a special day.
Are you a New Year’s Resolutions person? I’m not. I used to dutifully complete my list of intentions for the new year, but they didn’t last much past the 10th of the month really, so now I don’t even go through the charade. And whilst its common for people to make (and of course break) New Year’s resolutions are they an option for other entities, like countries for example?
Well in yesterday’s paper there were several previews, plans and various stories on changes in the UAE for the coming year – maybe not resolutions exactly – but close enough in my opinion. These are the ones I really like.
Wishing all of you lovely people out there a happy and prosperous 2013. May it be your best year ever.
Ok so granted this isn’t something that happens regularly or often, but rain really does have an impact when it happens. The first thing you notice after any amount of rain is the water puddles, or “ponds” as they are referred to here, that manifest in all sorts of places. Drainage is not a priority when roads are built, and as the water table is quite high here (surprisingly) the water doesn’t go anywhere. It just lies around waiting for unsuspecting drivers, and later, becomes a breeding ground for nasty little mosquitoes. Not only that, but a great deal of the buildings are not properly waterproofed, again because it is so seldom a problem.
Happy National Day! Today is the UAE’s 41st “birthday” and we are relaxing with a day off after a very wet weekend of rugby at the Dubai Rugby Sevens. Most probably the first time its rained at the Dubai games I would think. Anyone know for sure?
Enjoy your day UAE!
