Sandier Pastures

I had been taking the bus again these past few days because M is keeping the car for himself for his work. Their company has yet to provide him a car to use for his errands and kind as he is, he volunteered to use our car, for the meantime. Ugh, someone give this man a medal!

Anyway, the streets have changed again (WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE) to make way for the construction of the train platforms keeping the motorists confused and irritated. I had to walk for a good 20 minutes in the hot sun, I may add because my usual stop is gone and the bus had to go a bazillion more miles further even after I pressed the stop button. It’s still 8:30 am and the temperature is 31C. Horrible isn’t it. It’s October 20th already!

~ one of Dubai’s main roads, Salahuddin Street is closed for the Dubai Metro construction ~

But you know what? I actually feel the weather is cooling off….

Shucks, I just said 31C is cool for me. I must be crazy.

I thought the streets of New York has the most cars in the world. No, I haven’t been there but isn’t it like that in the movies? Meg Ryan was stuck in New York traffic in the movie Kate and Leopold, then there were traffic scenes in Coming to America, Ghostbusters II, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Independence Day, Catch Me If You Can, just some of the few movies I remember.

While munching my popcorn a few years back, I promised myself never to live in New York, or in a place with crowded streets. I don’t do well with traffic and crowd control.

In reality, statistics show that there are more cars in Dubai streets at any given time than in New York! Ouch.

Dubai has about 541 vehicles per thousand population, which is higher than New York (444), London (345) and Singapore (111). And it doesn’t end there - Dubai’s statistical data showed that motor vehicles increased by an annual average of about 12 percent.

I so welcome the creation of mass transit system although it is creating massive traffic. Until then everyday I chant, this too shall pass, this too shall pass…

Our new company implemented a way to stop dramatic entrances by  putting a log book in the reception area where employees need to sign once they arrive.

No big deal but the catch? The log book is only available until 8:40 am. If you arrive at 8:41, you’ll have to carry on, bring  your tardy self to face the HR manager.

This is not exactly good news to me especially now that I have been coming 5-10 minutes late because the roads in my area changes overnight almost on a daily basis! While stuck in traffic, I always tell myself “all these construction and discomforts are for a better Dubai” but with the log book issue at the office, I couldn’t care for the betterment of Dubai blah anymore. All I know is that I have to get myself before 8:40 am no matter what - - the HR manager’s face is not something I want to see to start my day! 

I know I could post this for Wordless Wednesday but I just can’t keep myself wordless when I saw this:

I took this March 1, 2008. This is a countdown to the completion of one of Dubai’s mega project, the Dubai Metro. I’m excited to see the number decrease each day and couldn’t wait for it to become 0001. I wouldn’t want to leave Dubai until I get on Dubai’s first train.

I heard it in the radio news a few days ago, Dubai plans to build the world’s longest arch bridge at a cost of a stunning 3 billion dirhams ($816 million).

The mega bridge will measure 1,600 meters with an arch 205 meters high and 667 meters long. At 64 meters wide, the bridge will accommodate 12 lanes of traffic and a metro line running down its center. Sounds really promising to ease the present traffic gridlock in the present bridges over the Dubai Creek at the moment.

The bridge is modelled in the shape of an arch and it could be viewed like an acoustic wave forming a tone or like a dune or new moon in Dubai night.

Beautiful, isn’t it? But don’t get too excited now, the bridge is said to be completed in four years - and we all know that everything comes to slow motion (including construction) during the peak of summer here.

This week’s theme: Important

The completion of Dubai’s first railway system, the Dubai Metro is an important milestone of Dubai’s growth as a city.

As any Dubai resident knows, travelling from A to B can be a mission - the traffic is getting worse. That’s set to change when a driverless, fully automated urban rail network is finished. The Dubai Metro system, when built, will be the longest fully automated rail system in the world.