Dubai Is Going Green

Dubai is one of the emirates in the UAE. For someone who has not been in this place, the common picture they will imagine is a city in the middle of the desert. It is actually that - a city in the middle of the desert but a green city.

The streets of Dubai are lined up beautiful small bushes and flowering plants while major thoroughfares are teeming with palm and date trees. The roundabouts are adorned with green plants and major bridges and overhead passes have small pockets of well-tended landscaped gardens. All these plants are watered round-the-clock and are installed with timers to allow sprinkles to work on cue and water to pass on resistoflex teflon hose.

Cosmopolitan Dubai has also placed across the city various recycling receptacles which are visible to everyone so proper disposal of recyclable items is encouraged. A lot of malls also have big bins for electronic devices and batteries for proper disposal.

Companies have followed suit by putting their own distinguished bins all over their offices. Our company supports the government's drive to keep Dubai green. Each station in our office has cardboard boxes used for paper disposal and it is collected regularly by a uniformed personnel who takes them to the recycling plant.

Kids in school are being educated on the benefits of recycling, reusing and reducing wastage. Activities such as beach cleaning is a regular event in schools and other companies during the colder months to help clean the environment and promote a greener lifestyle.

I believe Dubai will achieve the green drive as long as the people are educated about the importance of going green.

Meaning of Rose Colors

Love is around the bend. This article I read from Yahoo/Reader's Digest is just apt for the occasion.

Do you know what the meaning of the various rose colors? If not, this is a good read. So to those who are expecting a bunch of pretty long-stems, don't just jump yet. For all you know, it may signify a platonic love ;) Pray that the person who is giving you the flowers know what they mean :)

Red: Love and Romance

The ubiquitous red roses are the staple of a romantic love presented in lovely bouquet or vases. The red rose represents true love and it has appeared throughout history and across as political and religious symbol.

Yellow: Friendship, Joy, Get Well

The sun is always a symbol of life and bringing cheer to people. So, yellow roses are the best appropriate to cheer up people or send a message of platonic love. It also represents feelings of joy and delight.

Pink: Love, Gratitude, Appreciation

Pink is commonly associated with ladies, grace and elegance, as well as sweetness and poetic romance. Moreover, dark pink hues of roses are symbolically tied to gratitude and appreciation and traditional way of saying thanks. The paler shade of pink roses are associated with gentleness and admiration and can also be an expression of sympathy.

White: Purity, Innocence, Sympathy, Spirituality

The early white roses signify love in its purest form. This is also known as the bridal rose because it is mostly used for weddings. White represents unity, virtue and pureness of a new love. It also signifies honor and reverence which a white rose fitting for a memorial for the dearly departed.

Orange: Desire, Enthusiasm and Passion

Orange roses are mixture of yellow and red and often seen as a bridge between friendship and love. So it symbolizes fascination and passion.

Groom your Garden

Time to snip, snip, chop, chop and here's a good and effective way to do the cutting in your shrubs and hedges in the garden - Garden Groom it!

Spring with New Hope

Winter posed itself longer than usual this year. We did not experience heavy rains on March but this year was different. Spring has taken a back seat for a while and now it has sprung!

I welcome the entry of this wonderful season called Spring. Although here in the hot climate of the Middle East, we are not privileged enough to enjoy Spring season in its full scale. We don't see enough verdant greens and natural blossoms of beautiful spring plants. Most of the plants here are artificially cultivated because they won't survive the harsh summer months.

Spring brings new hope after a gloomy season. It beacons new life. With all the problems the world is facing right now, the "seeming" pandemic around us because of the H1N1 virus, the dissent of other countries, the oppression of the poor, the compromising of peace talks, the global recession and the increasing number of poverty, we could only pray and hope that Spring brings a bright future as it enters the changing of the season.

Sweet Pea, My Sweet Pea

I am not an avid legume lover but I do consume them every chance I get because I don't like the taste of green peas and some legumes except for peanuts. In fairness to that small legume, it does have very great benefits when taken. It's also bursting with nutrients your body needs.

Green peas are excellent source of nutrients and vitamins such as Vitamins A, B1 and B6, C, and K. It is also rich in protein, zinc, iron, potassium, phosphorus, niacin and magnesium. So, while I figure a way to eat it with gusto, why find ways to serve it together with your meals to add more valuable nutrients to your daily intake.

(photo source: fotosearch.com)