Poor Mobile Reception

There are 2 communication provider in this country. I have been a user of provider number 1 for 11 years. So far, the only complaint I have with that service provider is their poor customer service.

I recently bought a sim card from provider number 2 because of their low international call rate promos. I took the bait, hook, line and sinker. I thought, it would be okay because I didn't want to use the landline at home to call my family in the Philippines.

I am quite upset with the reception. I think they need to install more cell booster antenna around the city and the nearby residential areas. I had to stand close to a window or go out of our veranda just to get a decent signal. I am not sure if the reception is really bad or they need more boosters. What ever the case is, I hope they upgrade their service fast so I don't end up looking for a good spot to make a decent call.

Gearing Up for the Extreme Weather

Weather these days is just hard to predict and understand. In places where it usually don't snow, snowed. Moreover, places which experience cold season, albeit in a brief period of time, did not feel the winter at all. And that is what we are experiencing here in the UAE. The winter season is barely felt. I think it did not come.

I was reading the news a while ago and saw pictures of the flash flood in Saudi Arabia. Sure, the people in the Middle East region is not new to some rainfall but not torrential rains. People were not geared properly and they were not ready for calamities like that.

People still walk around the knee-high flood like it was ordinary puddle. They do not have proper overshoes to protect themselves from contaminants in the water or even water-borne disease.

Everyone must be educated on how to act when calamities such as this happen. They should know the rudiments of survival to be able to overcome this natural cause.

It has not rained hard in the UAE yet. After seeing the floods in Saudi Arabia, I think the people of UAE are quite relieved to have not felt the extreme weather at all.

Our Child's Safety

There was a headline last week about a young girl of 4 yrs. who was sexually abused by the school bus driver and his 2 cohorts who were bus conductors. This happened last year, around November. The news only came out recently because the parents took the child to India and had her examined. It was medically confirmed that she was sexually abused.

The mother had a suspicion last November when she called the bus driver that she would wait for her child on the building lobby where she would be dropped off. The bus driver told her not to go down yet until he called. (More details on the story here: Accused rapist...)

The kid got home but did not tell anything. However, the mother saw weird stains on her uniform and had a bad suspicion. So, she kept the uniform and they went to India for the examination.

Now, the story and the name of the school has been released for public's knowledge so the people are aware that this thing can happen to anyone. 

As a parent, I am fuming mad about this. What human can do such an evil act to an innocent child? She is very helpless. How can she protect herself? What can we do too? 

Most schools here in the UAE employs third-party transport services for reasons beyond my knowledge. Either because the cost of maintaining several fleet of buses and retaining employees is too much of a cost or they are just washing their hands for eventualities like this one.

There is an out-cry from the parents here in UAE. How do we protect our own children? How? Should the government here change their laws and include death penalty? Public hanging perhaps?

Those 3 animals admitted to their crime. What's next? 

Sky Bridge Hotel in Abu Dhabi

This is really amazing. What you're about to see is nothing we have seen so far in great infrastructure developments happening in this part of the world - Middle East, specifically in Abu Dhabi which is the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Dubai has been hogging the limelight for a while with its so many firsts like The Palm Village, The World, The Burj al Arab, The Burj Dubai and the now becoming famous Atlantis.

Well, with this new project of Abu Dhabi, Dubai will have to take a back seat for a while. See the pictures below and you're looking at the future of mega-infrastructure. I see it like a big blimp!

This hotel will be built between the Abu Dhabi corniche and Lulu Island. It will have 264 rooms and 40 suites with roof garden, restaurants and commercial areas just like any other hotels.

(photos from: Kaufman Design and Development)