I believe I can fly!

When I first came into the UAE back in December 1995 - I remember landing at the verdant Abu Dhabi airport where I joined my husband of two months who worked there - driving back into the city, one thing that truly astonished was the lush greenery, the decorative palms swaying in lonely splendour at regular distances from one another, the resplendent pergolas on both sides of the road and the beautifully sun-shiny weather with dappled blue skies and puffy white clouds...a perfect welcome - and add to that the long winding roads that just about upped the ante with regard to 'going for a drive'.

Yes, you may well put it down to the nostalgic memories of a young bride, but those were the days when one could actually see the roads and enjoy the drive - fewer cars and certainly more well-mannered drivers, less road rage and a general sense of etiquette and well-being that made everything so much more civilized, if you get my meaning!

Fast forward 21 years and today such visitations are most definitely consigned to the sands of time. Life has come full circle and even if taking long drives are one's thing, the lack of time and energy post work, the terrifying stories of traffic woes and challenges with juggling the daily logjam of one's life, render such an activity - undertaken just for pleasure - a sheer luxury! Driving anywhere in the UAE is now dreadful, to quote some of my family and friends who refuse to do it more than absolutely needed - they will also give you a litany of complaints about why it can be just too hazardous to one's health and peace of mind!

As a non-driver in Dubai (oh yes, I have heard the shocked gasps and dealt with the raised eyebrows, as people listening to me immediately pipe up about how on earth someone in the media industry has actually managed to survive without what they consider a basic survival skill in this concrete metropolis. Of course I have had to weather some horrendous experiences waiting about in the middle of the desert back in the days when public transport was a myth at best, but that is a story for another day!) - so, as a non driver in Dubai - heavily reliant on the public transport system in the city - and it has lately considerably improved with a plethora of options - from the ubiquitous Dubai Metro, to the Dubai Taxi, Dubai Tram, RTA's Dubai Bus and even water taxis that have beautifully complemented the age-old abras and dhows as scenic conveyance across the Creek - I am pleasantly excited to hear about any advances in this space.

The most recent story is of the flying taxi that Airbus has said it is looking at introducing at some point over the next decade - connecting Abu Dhabi and Dubai, to give people some reprieve in beating the daily grind. We also hear of some fascinating developments like the hyperloop that will ostensibly enable people to do the Abu Dhabi - Fujairah journey in just 15 minutes. Truly fabulous....cannot wait! Given the surge in population and motorists this might be a great way to go...good job, UAE, in thinking out of the box and making the impossible possible! You inspire me to get up and get going everyday! It is true that great cities inspire great stories....I truly believe that with a wind like Dubai beneath my wings, flying should be no challenge at all!

Flying city taxis
http://www.thenational.ae/business/aviation/dubai-to-abu-dhabi-in-a-flying-taxi-airbus-looks-to-revolutionise-the-daily-commute

The Art of Being Still!

More and more as the pressures of modern life and staying in the rat race continue to pressure us, we realize that as human beings we can only meet the pressures and demands thrust upon us, if we step away from our work for a short time.

Of course this is no new idea, no revolutionary thought, no 'innovation' as everything in the 21st century must almost of necessity, be. Scholars and philosophers from Shakespeare to the stoics of the past have always recommended some 'alone time' to re-energise and orient ourselves better - to develop a coping mechanism as it were in order to better handle today's 24 x 7 electronically leashed world.

While travelling has been known to broaden horizons, and going somewhere has been always advocated as the answer to finding one's hidden purpose, the truth remains that it will rarely give us hidden insights of our world within - that oft-unknown, hidden world of our subconscious self, that little niche which encompasses the vastness and answer to what makes us happy, what makes us alive, what is our true purpose.

 A world that can shape us in fact into competent and confident individuals better able to deal with our lives on this information superhighway.

Listening to renowned travel writer Pico Iyer on his TED Talk session recently, I was fascinated by the author's affirmation that going nowhere was perhaps as important, if not more so, than going somewhere. He spoke of how important it was in this day and age, to observe an Internet Sabbath, an enforced break from social media and platforms, some time out for our whirlpool existence, to just be. At 29, the author realized one day, as he was returning home in a taxi, that although he was living his dream, writing and travelling the world, he could never manage to catch up with life, he was unable to hear himself think!

Following this epiphany, he decided to abandon his dream life for a single room in the backstreets of Kyoto, Japan. A place that boasted no excitement, no hopes of career advancement, no entertainment, and - get this - no technology of any sort. A place where when you wake up in the morning, the day simply stretches before you. Iyer never regretted his decision. He understood the importance of leaving it all behind or 'switching off' if you wanted to take control of your life back.

While cutting back is not something most of us can afford to do, the fact remains that this is a probably one of the best ways at our disposal today to simply recharge, rejuvenate and re-energise our souls. The most important prerequisite to forging ahead in our lives and careers, fulfilling the different roles we have to play - as professionals, productive stakeholders of the community or as proactive family members!

I have attached the TED Talk link to Pico Iyer's speech. Please take a few minutes to enjoy the message!



https://www.ted.com/talks/pico_iyer_the_art_of_stillness?language=en