Forever in debt ...
I was admitted to the Al Mafraq Hospital with second-degree burns on my thighs and abdomen and had to spend 12 days recuperating. I must admit that I have never encountered doctors with such dedication before. The two doctors who attended to me were absolutely wonderful. No institution, however big it might be, can survive without these tireless people, who are rarely spoken about, but spend their energies to see us get through pain and suffering. The hospital support staff was equally brilliant - they worked wonders on me. I would like to use this opportunity to personally thank all the nurses from the burns unit whose efforts saw me through the physical pain and emotional strain.
From Mr Sunil Varma
Abu Dhabi
Free and fair
Unlike Dubai or Abu Dhabi, the customer service culture is yet to catch on in Al Ain. A leading supermarket chain in Al Ain probably would top the list for exceptionally poor customer service. The sales agents convince customers to buy products, particularly electrical and computer-related. However, when the customer returns the product within the specified time, the store management refuses to take back the product. A national policy on merchandise returns is long overdue, and a large chunk of the population would agree with this idea.
From Ms Saatchi Chandra
Al Ain
Beg to differ
It is the general impression that European and American women are more progressive than women in Asia, especially Muslims. However, Muslim majority countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and a few others have had their share of female rulers. It's only recently that some European countries have had women as presidents and prime ministers. So far, women have occupied none of the presidential offices in USA, Russia or China.
From Mr Mohammad Bakr
Dubai
Noteworthy
My wife faced a dreadful experience in a taxi while travelling to Musaffah. The taxi driver rolled up the windows on the pretext of turning the air conditioning on. The windows were down all the way from Abu Dhabi to Musaffah. He then started to speed and drive recklessly. The front seat belt was not functional either. Many others narrate similar experiences wherein a taxi driver invariably wants to know if the woman passenger is married and how many children she has. If the passenger says one or two, they are advised by the taxi driver to have more children. I advise all women involved in incidents such as these to note down the taxi number and lodge a complaint with the police.
From Mr Sajit Viswan
Abu Dhabi
Beyond barriers
I have a five-year-old pet cat that thinks I am his mother; I too treat him like I would my own son. We talk to each other constantly and although we speak different languages, we understand each other very well. Emotionally, we are extremely close, so language is not a barrier. He can sense my feelings, and I can sense his as well. At times when he is up to mischief, and I use a harsh tone with him, he turns around and answers by making a peculiar sound - as if asking me what he did wrong. Between us nothing matters: age, language, emotions have never been barriers, even though we belong to different species. My cat has a sister as well. She was abandoned and somehow reached my home. I am very glad that I am the mother of two cats. I wish I could help all the species of the animal kingdom.
From Ms Latha Siby Antony
Dubai
Inconsiderate
I boarded a bus and noticed the bus driver skipped bus stops and signalled to those waiting at bus stops that it is full - this despite the fact that there were vacant seats available. Another incident that horrified me was when a passenger who wanted to get in, desperately knocked on the door and pleaded to be allowed in. However, the driver was furious and both physically and verbally abused the passenger. Perhaps he thought that by shouting he would prove he was right. We were very upset by his inconsiderate behaviour.
From A Reader
Dubai
Name withheld by request
The real issue
Drivers in the UAE lack fundamental driving skills because of a lack of training. This is the leading cause of accidents, not the weather or other such factors. I think we all need to grasp the real issues to stop collisions. If we tend to avoid the real issues, people will continue to be killed. It could be our son, daughter, husband or wife next.
From Mr Jeymer Hareo
Dubai
Simple way out
Passengers' waiting time at major bus depots can be reduced by at least 45 minutes if the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) management considers making two simple modifications. The bus pulls into the depot and passengers disembark while the driver leaves the bus to take his deserved pause. Later, he returns and proceeds with the time-consuming process of issuing tickets to passengers. Assign some drivers as 'floaters' so that when any bus driver takes a pause, the floater is ready to take over. Incidentally, this will also reduce the congestion of buses in the station allowing incoming buses to park in the designated area. Installing ticket machines, from the origin to the destination, in major depots would also help.
From Ms Sara Monajem
UAE
