Random thoughts....

I know I've probably discussed this subject to death, but I still don't understand this whole public holidays system here.

Israa wal Mi3raj is today. Some of our clients had the day off yesterday. Some will have the day off on Sunday. The government sector will not have any days off apparently, so it's weird in this case that the private sector has been given some days off. My company has not given us any days off, which sucks! I could have really used a long weekend!

On another note, I keep getting this message on my cell phone from "HHIE Survey" which says the following:

Determining the minimum wage limit and securing a satisfactory standard of living are major goals of the Expenditure and Income Survey.

Okay.....Umm...3 things:
1) What does that mean?
2) What am I supposed to do with this message
and 3) Why have I received this SAME message over 5 times now?

And finally, my vacation is now 14 days away. I can't WAIT! I can't wait to be away from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, I can't wait to be away from the heat, and I can't wait to be away from work.

Salik...or not salik?

Everyone's been talking about this Salik thing. And although I know it's coming, I haven't been too concerned by it...until now.

As I was driving from Jebel Ali to Dubai yesterday, I noticed the new signs that warn you where the next toll payment zone is, and where the last free exit is. Incidentally, I noticed that the last free exit before Salik charges you is the exit to my apartment. GREAT! So can I expect never ending traffic jams in a couple of weeks from now?

Anyway, since everyone seems to have an opinion about Salik, here's mine (nothing new I'm warning you...it's pretty similar to everyone else's opinion).

• This whole Salik thing seems like a ploy from the government to make more money off the residents of Dubai.
  
• I have a feeling it's going to backfire, and will end up causing more harm than good. But of course, the government won't do anything about it.
• The way I see it, Salik will just be taking the traffic away from one road, and putting it on another... I can just see it now: Jumeirah Beach Road and Emirates Road all clogged with bumper to bumper car.
• Why don't they just implement Salik during rush hour? Why should I pay a toll charge when I am driving down Sheikh Zayed at 9PM on a weeknight...or at 11AM on a Friday morning? Sheikh Zayed is never busy at those times, so why take money from me?
• What happens to people who live in Abu Dhabi for example, and who only go to Dubai once or twice a month? Do they have to buy a toll-tag as well?
  
• Why do I have to pay twice: as I enter the toll zone, and as I exit it? And if I do 2 trips a day, does it mean that I have to pay 16 dhs a day?
  
• If Dubai had a alternate means of transportation, I'd understand the whole toll thing to encourage people to use public transport. But right now, there's no metro, and the bus system is just crappy. And taxis will charge you toll rates anyway.
  
• Are companies going to help employees now that there's an additional cost to living in Dubai?

I dunno...I'm just really skeptical about this whole toll thing. Has anyone bought their toll tags yet? Is there anyone out there (other than the RTA) who thinks that this is a good thing?

How are they supposed to live?

One law I never understood in this country is the one that bans bachelors (and bachelorettes) from sharing an apartment. So basically, if 3 friends want to be roomates, they can't, because of some stupid law.

I understand the government imposing measures to make sure that apartments are not overcrowded with 15 guys living in a 1-bedroom flat, but what's wrong with 3 people sharing a 3-bedroom apartment?

This law has affected many of my colleagues who share apartments with 2 or 3 friends. These guys and girls come here from countries all over the world in search of good job opportunities. They accept these jobs, but can't afford to live on their own, because starting salaries are quite measly, and rents are quite hefty. So they share. Because paying Dhs 110,000 a year for a 2-bedroom apartment is better than paying Dhs 70,000 for a 1-bedroom apartment. And after a year, they get eviction notices practically throwing them on the streets.

It's really stupid. I've never heard of any law of this sort in any country in the world. What's the point of this law here?

Ministry of...wild goose chase?

Thankfully, I don't have to deal with ministries and governmental offices very much. But a couple of weeks ago, I had to contact the ministry of health for some information, and it wasn't exactly the most helpful experience I've ever had.

Here's how the story unravels:

1) I find the phone number of the PR department of the ministry of health in Abu Dhabi. I give them a call. Someone picks up. I ask for the information I needed, he tells me I need to contact a division of the ministry in Dubai, and gives me the name of the person who could help me out. Okay...doesn't sound so bad. I ask for a phone number in Dubai, but the PR person in Abu Dhabi does not have it. Hmm. Isn't he supposed to know the number?

2) Next, I try to find the phone number of the person whose name I have. So I call 181 (which now became 199 by the way), and they give me the ministry's number here in Dubai. So I call...no answer. Call again...no answer. Call a third time...no answer. Call 199 again to ask for the number, to make sure I got it right. They give me the same number again. I call again...and just as I was about to hang up, a lady picks up. Success!

3) Or so I thought. I try to explain to the lady what I'm looking for...as I'm babbling away, I realise that she's put me on hold...I was on hold, while I was babbling away!!!! Like an idiot! So I wait, and wait, and wait....and waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiit....

4) I hang up, thinking that she's forgotten about me. I call again. Another lady picks up, she tells me she's transferring my call to the right department. As she's transferring me, the line cuts.

5) I call again, a lady picks up (is it the first one, the second one, another one? I'll never know), she tells me I need to call another department. I ask her if she has the number, she mumbles something then transfers my call. I wait. And wait. And wait. Finally someone picks up. I ask for the information again. She tells me I have the wrong department and transfers my call again.

6) So I get transferred for the....I don't know, I've lost track of how many times I've been transferred already. I wait. And wait. And wait. A man picks up. Tells me I have the wrong department, I should call another department. I ask for the phone number, he says he doesn't have it. I ask for the number of the person whose name the Abu Dhabi office gave me, luckily, the man has that person's mobile number. Okay. I'm getting somewhere here. My wild goose chase was finally leading me somewhere.

7) I call the person's mobile twice. No answer.

And that is where I'm at. Ten phone calls later, and I still don't have the information I need. I'll try again tomorrow. Wish me luck!