Yahoo! Hooray! Exams are finally over. I thought this day would never come, but it did come. It feels a bit weird now, with nothing to do and so much time. I can watch TV and surf the net the whole day. Its really great!
After a lot of debate, my friends and I have finally decided on Casino Royale to watch on Sunday. UAE National Day is on Saturday so Sunday's a holiday too. I also have Don and Dhoom-2 (Hindi) on my list.
Only problem is a couple of friends will have to unfortunately back out after their parents see their marks. Hopefully I won't get any papers tomorrow (I only got Arabic today and I passed). Then we can put in as much fun before Monday.
The weather has cooled down so I'm all set for picnics and walks along the Creek. My winter hols are starting mid-december so I'm going to have as much fun as I can, 'cause Grade 10 is now just one term away. Grade 10 is the year when we have our first Board Exams... which means intense study for one whole year and absolutely no time for movies, games and other recreational activities. How boring.
Now I've to get back to watching One TV. See you tomorrow.
Three times a year. Yes, thats the number of times a year we're put through this torture called exams. It really is torture.
I've already finished two of my exams, with nine still remaining. It looks like it'll never end. But then, when its over... its the best feeling in the world. You suddenly feel that you've free. You've been released. No more studies. There's so much time. The next exams seem very very far away. And then in another two weeks you're preparing for them again.
Well, I won't be blogging often till Nov. 28th, when I'll be free again. That is, of course, if I get good marks. I hope I do. Otherwise there is the messy exercise of being scolded, great sadness, and 3 months of deep study. Luckily there is some time between when the exams end and the results come out. For that time to be used in a constructive manner I've decided to watch and Casino Royale and Don. Any other suggestions for good movies?
Finally, at least someone in the Government is concerned about the "invisible population" - the laborers. Sheikh Mohammed just passed a decree which promised "a dignified life [for the laborers] both in their places of residence and at work. At last, some justice for these poor workers.
Every time I walk past these workers, I feel so sorry for them. They have been forced to leave their homes, sell off their lands and come all the way here to be able to feed their families. They work endless hours in the boiling summer (during which I can't even walk for 2 minutes, forget doing hard labor). On top of that they live in congested, cramped places. And when they aren't paid, they don't even have the right to go on strike.
I think they are far from a "dignified" life, and even this new decree can't make their labor less harsh. The most dignified life they can get is:
- Wages paid on time
- Air-conditioned rooms with at least 10ft by 5ft of space for themselves (which I highly suspect they don't get)
- At least a small vacation when they can quickly meet their families
- Drivers who do not run them down (which also I highly suspect they don't get)
But the amount of work, the amount of hardships and the amount of separation they have to take can never be reduced. The above points are the basic things they should have, and they are not too difficult to provide. However, they still do not get these.
I honestly hope the new laws will change that, and I applaud Sheikh Mohammed for this noble initiative.
The 7DAYS article about this is at http://www.7days.ae/2006/11/08/a-dignified-life.html
We have to do UAE Social Studies this term. Most boys just read through it right before the exam... they only want to pass. But it is quite an interesting read.
The writers have done a pretty good job of making sure the Arab World is portrayed in a very positive way. Everywhere it has been described as "great", "brave" etc; But the most interesting was the bit on the "Palestine Cause". My favorite line:
"It [the Palestinian Uprising] rarely uses violence. The only weapons being used are stones, catapults and slings."
They didn't exactly specify what they were catapulting, though.
"[the 'Zionists'] even uprooted thousands and thousands of trees"
Those poor trees.
One more quote:
"The Iraqi people resisted the British Forces which entered their country, and rebellions spread all over Iraq calling for freedom and independence."
Its like history repeating itself.
Recently the news of the Patel family crash came in the papers. The Patels, an Indian family of four, were taking a U-Turn on Al Khawaneej Road when their car was hit by a speeding national (4WD, 150kph). Both cars burst into flames and the whole Patel family died on the spot.
The son, Mohammad Ali Patel, was a Grade 7 student of my school. I was shocked to here the news. I had heard of so many deaths on Dubai's Roads, but now it really hit me. Someone I had been close to, someone I had seen, had become a victim of Dubai's roads. Suddenly I felt the real danger out there.
After hearing this news, I wondered how his friends at school must be feeling. I wondered how it must be for them to just have one of their friends disappear. Then I thought how it could happen to me.
All this while I had looked at the road statistics, but then they were just numbers. Now they were real people. They could even be people I knew. I thought how I would feel if I lost one of my friends to a car crash, which was entirely possible. I thought of them driving around Dubai in their small cars with all those mad drivers around them. It was like seeing a close friend being dropped into a tank full of sharks.
For now I pray that Mohammad Ali rests in peace. He was only 12. He had many ambitions. All that is gone because of a car crash. In seconds, the whole family has vanished from this world.
His young sister Sanaa , who was only nine, also died in the accident. I wonder how it must be for her friends.
I pray that it never happens to me.
The Gulf News article on the crash is at http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/10/27/10077798.html. The National who hit the Patels suffered severe burns and is undergoing treatment, though we can all guess what kind of punishment he will get.
