My amazing life

EKIMIKE

@VTech

You did note the past tense part of the 'oil being a wealth creator' thing? It's also got a present significance - where do you think Abu Dhabi got the funds to stump up $10bn? Oil. It's a genuine wealth creator, not just a workable revenue stream. It's THE most important thing in the UAE.

Maybe our perceptions of 'genius' differ? For me, what Sheikh Mohamed has done is the equivalent of having presented Einstein with 500 texts accompanied with the instructions: Contained within these texts is the general theory of relativity - read carefully and attentively. As far as I can tell Sheikh Mohamed has been a prudent and visionary leader with the conviction to carry out his plans. At any rate (taking into account some of the gruesome tales such as those raised in the Independent article), that's commendable. Genius? You're having a laugh.

smoggysteve

k-dog wrote:

I don't get Dubai at all. If I was going to spend that much money (which I won't be doing!) on a trip there are many nicer places I would choose.

I flew over Dubai on my way back out to Afghanistan last year. Is looks like a dusty lego city which someone forgot to finish. The further away you get from the coast the worse it gets. I think I prefered Afghan, at least they have some pretty countryside up in the north.

MattC59

VTech wrote:

proto wrote:

You might want to read this:

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/com ... 64368.html

This is exactly what I posted above, 4 years ago things had stopped but instead of letting things go to pot, the rulers, including Sheikh Mohamed, Kalifa etc invested their own money to get the ball rolling and to fabulous effect, the half finished buildings are finished and new ones being built so again, another example of hoe the rulers have done the right thing for the country and the people.

Unless I've missed something, you clearly haven't read the article properly, as you haven't posted anything that reflects the article.

VTech

MattC59 wrote:

VTech wrote:

proto wrote:

You might want to read this:

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/com ... 64368.html

This is exactly what I posted above, 4 years ago things had stopped but instead of letting things go to pot, the rulers, including Sheikh Mohamed, Kalifa etc invested their own money to get the ball rolling and to fabulous effect, the half finished buildings are finished and new ones being built so again, another example of hoe the rulers have done the right thing for the country and the people.

Unless I've missed something, you clearly haven't read the article properly, as you haven't posted anything that reflects the article.

The article, written Tuesday, 7th April 2009 (4 years ago)

"The ubiquitous cranes have paused on the skyline, as if stuck in time. There are countless buildings half-finished, seemingly abandoned. In the swankiest new constructions – like the vast Atlantis hotel, a giant pink castle built in 1,000 days for $1.5bn on its own artificial island – where rainwater is leaking from the ceilings and the tiles are falling off the roof. This Neverland was built on the Never-Never – and now the cracks are beginning to show. Suddenly it looks less like Manhattan in the sun than Iceland in the desert.

Once the manic burst of building has stopped and the whirlwind has slowed, the secrets of Dubai are slowly seeping out. This is a city built from nothing in just a few wild decades on credit and ecocide."

I said above "ive been going 2-4 times a year for 4 years and when I first went the place was full of half built properties but now there is work being done everywhere, buildings that were once left are now complete and the place is literally booming.

Im not sure I understand your point ? I know its hot outside an all

bernithebiker

I went to Dubai quite a few times when I was working in oil.

I thought it was God awful. Far too hot, uninspiring beaches, busy as hell with massive traffic jams. And pig ugly.

At least Abu Dhabi was slightly more genuine. Still crap though.

MattC59

VTech wrote:

MattC59 wrote:

VTech wrote:

proto wrote:

You might want to read this:

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/com ... 64368.html

This is exactly what I posted above, 4 years ago things had stopped but instead of letting things go to pot, the rulers, including Sheikh Mohamed, Kalifa etc invested their own money to get the ball rolling and to fabulous effect, the half finished buildings are finished and new ones being built so again, another example of hoe the rulers have done the right thing for the country and the people.

Unless I've missed something, you clearly haven't read the article properly, as you haven't posted anything that reflects the article.

The article, written Tuesday, 7th April 2009 (4 years ago)

"The ubiquitous cranes have paused on the skyline, as if stuck in time. There are countless buildings half-finished, seemingly abandoned. In the swankiest new constructions – like the vast Atlantis hotel, a giant pink castle built in 1,000 days for $1.5bn on its own artificial island – where rainwater is leaking from the ceilings and the tiles are falling off the roof. This Neverland was built on the Never-Never – and now the cracks are beginning to show. Suddenly it looks less like Manhattan in the sun than Iceland in the desert.

Once the manic burst of building has stopped and the whirlwind has slowed, the secrets of Dubai are slowly seeping out. This is a city built from nothing in just a few wild decades on credit and ecocide."

I said above "ive been going 2-4 times a year for 4 years and when I first went the place was full of half built properties but now there is work being done everywhere, buildings that were once left are now complete and the place is literally booming.

Im not sure I understand your point ? I know its hot outside an all

Fair enough, it was the date I'd missed :oops: but don't think that the work that's being done everywhere isn't like that in the article. I know of Indian engineers who went out there last year, had their passports confiscated on entry and are basically treated like a commodity workforce by the local wealth holders.

VTech

I cant argue with you there, I have seen this for myself and with my own eyes, obviously not for forums to air the exact details but you are indeed correct (not sure about the passport thing but definitely working long, hard hours for peanuts compared to locals).

proto

As I read it, the article was not really about the wealth, or lack of, but about the moral wasteland that is Dubai.

VTech

proto wrote:

As I read it, the article was not really about the wealth, or lack of, but about the moral wasteland that is Dubai.

A country can only do so much though, it is desert after all.
You cant just build there, it take lots of planning, sewerage, water, infrastructure etc etc.

It is a concrete jungle to be fair but I will be taking the wife and kids in a few months just so they can see it and experience it. I have found that even places I have not liked, ive always managed to take something good from it.

simonhead

Dubai is a very marmite place, but the emirates are not all the same, we hear about AD and Dubai, sometimes sharjah, how often do you hear about Fujairah or the other states. Oman is higher on my list of places i want to go.

islwyn

Anyone up for stealing some oil from the ground with me?

simonhead

Islwyn wrote:

Anyone up for stealing some oil from the ground with me?

Go on then, I will bring the cordless drill. Dont have a nodding donkey to hand but the cat does a great impression when it sits in front of the TV and the credits are rolling.

4kicks

The nice thing about Dubai is its function as a black hole for all the money-focused, emotionally and morally bankrupt oxygen-thieves who any sane person wouldn't want to exist outside of that particular self-selecting, self-aggrandizing seventh-level-of-hell.

It serves a wonderful purpose; to keep the type of people, with their defining ambition to take a photograph of an airline seat, far away from me.

Ive lived in 15 countries, including 3 in Arabia, and the only way Id go back to Dubai is heavily sedated.

VTech

4kicks wrote:

The nice thing about Dubai is its function as a black hole for all the money-focused, emotionally and morally bankrupt oxygen-thieves who any sane person wouldn't want to exist outside of that particular self-selecting, self-aggrandizing seventh-level-of-hell.

It serves a wonderful purpose; to keep the type of people, with their defining ambition to take a photograph of an airline seat, far away from me.

Ive lived in 15 countries, including 3 in Arabia, and the only way Id go back to Dubai is heavily sedated.

I would have thought morally bankrupt would have been the people who use tax loopholes or bank outside of the UK rather than paying into the pot here ?
I guess everyone sees things in a different way and I feel comfortable in my choices so to me that's what matters.
To dismiss a region as you do seems harsh to many and makes others feel the way you express about them but that's human nature I guess. I go to dubai for work, same as I do elsewhere, I would say that by doing that work, bringing jobs back into the UK and paying 100% of my own tax in the UK makes me morally sound but to others, the fact that the work took place in an area they dislike changes everything. I'm not knockin your opinion, were all entitled to them.

junglist_matty

VTech wrote:

blah blah blah.....

Of course, in reality though, all this is meaningless, because whilst working abroad you miss your family holiday with the wife and kids, she is upset, the kids feel let down and the whole time your working your really thinking that you made a mistake and should have gone with the wife and kids as you promised them nothing would get in the way this time and that you wont bail out at the last minute but of course as always, you did.

Possessions, items values etc mean nothing at the end of the day, when the kids give a hug and the wife a wink, thats what counts. Having nice things is nice when you can share.
The difference is, you can mock me when you dont know if im a "grab grab" guy or a philanthropist who helps all he can, so mocking is actually a moronic type of behaviour, quite disturbing when you look at it for what it really is.

You sir, are a "Class A muppet", refer to bold sections above for a full explanation.

VTech

Im so glad you think so, thats made me far happier. Im just curious as to why, being such a muppet of course, you feel the need to post ?
Surely the fact that you know im a muppet would be good enough for you to feel warm inside? without the need to post about it, therefor wasting your valuable time on said muppet ?
I know a few muppets, I play with them when bored but never for others pleasure, think about that !

junglist_matty

VTech wrote:

Im so glad you think so, thats made me far happier. Im just curious as to why, being such a muppet of course, you feel the need to post ?
Surely the fact that you know im a muppet would be good enough for you to feel warm inside? without the need to post about it, therefor wasting your valuable time on said muppet ?
I know a few muppets, I play with them when bored but never for others pleasure, think about that !

beacuse said muppet caller is currently bored.... Surely with your busy lifestyle the business hours are reserved for business!? Or maybe not?

VTech

junglist_matty wrote:

VTech wrote:

Im so glad you think so, thats made me far happier. Im just curious as to why, being such a muppet of course, you feel the need to post ?
Surely the fact that you know im a muppet would be good enough for you to feel warm inside? without the need to post about it, therefor wasting your valuable time on said muppet ?
I know a few muppets, I play with them when bored but never for others pleasure, think about that !

beacuse said muppet caller is currently bored.... Surely with your busy lifestyle the business hours are reserved for business!? Or maybe not?

Dont need to work, im loaded, didnt you know ?

Surely thats the answer you wanted right ? and no doubt the above live will be used in the future by someone
Ive actually done a couple of hours this morning, took a leisurely drive back home in the sun, even treated myself to a small cone of chips with loads of salt and vinegar followed by a feast ice cream bar and about to have a cuppa.
I thought I would treat myself after yesterdays ride.

Anyway, please continue until boredom runs out, better that than finding a homeless vagrant on the street and kicking him half to death.

junglist_matty

VTech wrote:

Dont need to work, im loaded, didnt you know ?

Maybe I'm loaded!? Doesn't mean I'm a d!ck about it like you.........

MountainMonster

Sarcasm detector has failed to go off.

Vtech only responds this way because it is entertaining to watch everyone squirm, it's funny how people get so worked about him.

VTech

If you are the "Real" Matthew Conway, software developer based just outside Cambridge (maybe there are more than 1?) then of course we know each other in our real lives having worked on a couple of projects together.
This could get embarrassing

pinno

Just hang on a minute fellas whilst I get some popcorn...

VTech

pinarello001 wrote:

Just hang on a minute fellas whilst I get some popcorn...

Thankfully I dont hold grudges, nor would I make someones life difficult at work just because they call me a name on an internet forum :oops:

ballysmate

pinarello001 wrote:

Just hang on a minute fellas whilst I get some popcorn...

I also had high hopes of this thread when Ekimike and VTech had an earlier spat. But just as I was getting my popcorn, along came Cleat and Sungod to ask them to play nice.
Never mind, the thread seems to have come back to life.

desweller

The interesting thing about Dubai is, of course, that they don't like the Flintstones.

Whereas in Abu Dhabi they do.

Brassknocker

DesWeller wrote:

The interesting thing about Dubai is, of course, that they don't like the Flintstones.

Whereas in Abu Dhabi they do.

...but those in Abu Dhabi do!
:roll:

Good gag when you don't f-up the punch line!

declan1

junglist_matty wrote:

VTech wrote:

blah blah blah.....

Of course, in reality though, all this is meaningless, because whilst working abroad you miss your family holiday with the wife and kids, she is upset, the kids feel let down and the whole time your working your really thinking that you made a mistake and should have gone with the wife and kids as you promised them nothing would get in the way this time and that you wont bail out at the last minute but of course as always, you did.

Possessions, items values etc mean nothing at the end of the day, when the kids give a hug and the wife a wink, thats what counts. Having nice things is nice when you can share.
The difference is, you can mock me when you dont know if im a "grab grab" guy or a philanthropist who helps all he can, so mocking is actually a moronic type of behaviour, quite disturbing when you look at it for what it really is.

You sir, are a "Class A muppet", refer to bold sections above for a full explanation.

I think we can call you a muppet for calling your road bike a 'roadie'!

desweller

Brassknocker wrote:

DesWeller wrote:

The interesting thing about Dubai is, of course, that they don't like the Flintstones.

Whereas in Abu Dhabi they do.

...but those in Abu Dhabi do!
:roll:

Good gag when you don't f-up the punch line!

I am an idiot. Where's the facepalm smiley?

tlw1

pinarello001 wrote:

Just hang on a minute fellas whilst I get some popcorn...

from Harrods or the Spa shop?

VTech

matthew h wrote:

pinarello001 wrote:

Just hang on a minute fellas whilst I get some popcorn...

from Harrods or the Spa shop?

That's so council estate, I only use Fortnum & Mason