Last day of 2008

Someone left a post on a UAE-based financial website talking about the recent retrenchment that’s going on in Dubai. It talked about all the positive effects of a recession and included stuff like ‘people will start to realize nothing last forever including living here and they must plan to return to their country some day…’ to ‘Traffic flow will be easier as more will leave the country.’ What is scary is that there are more people out there than you know who think this way.
I can tell you what would happen to us here if they sent expats back (not overpaid execs with huge corporations but the Municipality guys) - there would be mounds of rubbish everywhere. Talking about waste - heard about how much top execs at a desperately-seeking-take-off project are getting? Upwards of 20000 rials a month!
Does Jumeirah Jane sound better than Muscat Mary or I am just being paranoid? Met this young, cute Muscat Mary the other day who let everyone know within 20 minutes of conversation who she was, the position she held in some women’s thingy. See, that’s what I mean- Jumeirah Jane would have done it in five.
So no New Year celebrations for Dubai – I hate those self-righteous idiots who say how wonderful this is since life is not only about profit and business. Through your glow of white light, are you unable to see all those people out there who wanted to enjoy this one night? Who might have been working really hard all year, who might be away from family, who just want to go out and forget their troubles and bring in 2009 with a bang! Come on guys, it’s wrong and in my mind while I find it hard for a country as apolitical as Dubai to do this, it couldn’t have come at a worse time. One more reason to give tourists to stop travelling. If Dubai can stop partying, anything can happen!
Well happy new year to all of us – be it in front of the TV or with your dog.