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You don’t need to live in Dubai for 8 months to realise that you need your own transport to have a ‘normal’ life here. Countless hours of waiting for taxis, sometimes having to give up on plans… Sometimes never having the option of making plans to go certain places simply because you know you wouldn’t be able to get there or get back…

So what’s the solution to that - Get your driving license. But those who are familiar with the place would know how that’s another hurdle with no definite end-date.

So you go for your lessons, appear for your test, not expecting a miracle, and what do you know… you PASS!

Dubai traffic, here I come!

Rising cost of living - that’s one topic that comes up among residents of Dubai, especially regarding the last few years. But compared to what’s happening in Singapore, in just about a year, Dubai seems tame (at least at this moment).

While Dubai residents are just about getting used to the concept of Salik, Singapore residents have had ERP for years, and now it’s getting to stages of proliferation. While there always has been the joke of days when an ERP gantry would end up in front of everyone’s house, you never expected it to become reality. Then you actually read about it!

Then you come across taxi fare hike.

Then you remember how you narrowly escaped the housing cost mega-increase of 2007. What used to be rents in the range of S$1500 a month for a decent 2 bedroom apartment in the suburbs, now goes for nothing less than S$3000!

Almost nothing is spared in this frenzy! And before you know it, Singapore ends up in the list of most expensive cities in the world.

Maybe the luck involved and timing of my move was about right.

Can’t believe this was 12 years ago!

Nintendo’s Wii has been creating a buzz all over the world for more than a year now. I finally managed to get one, and I must say, it’s been quite a revelation!

With the other players in the market (there are only 2 - Microsoft with Xbox 360, and Sony with Playstation 3) fighting it out with GHz chips, Blue-ray disks, GBs of RAM and video chips, Nintendo with its Wii has gone a completely different route. And have they proved a point!

The graphics on the Wii are simple (no need for out-of the world realistic rendering), the games that come bundled (Wii Sports) don’t require finger numbing manoeuvering, but all that have been compromised for the sake of one thing - fun!

With the first of a kind motion-sensing remote controller (the Wii-mote) added into the equation, the Wii is a joy to play! (Ask Aathira! )

As with any gadget, there is a fair amount of research (read - net surfing) that had to happen before swiping that credit card. I’d say it’s not the greatest thing Nintendo is doing releasing region-specific games (partly due to the old PAL-NTSC debate), nevertheless, the demand for Wii is supposed to outstrip the supply even until 2009. They lost out on $1 billion last holiday season because they couldn’t match the demand!

Since Dubai usually has only about 5 days of rain a year, the 2 weeks’ worth that fell this time round is worth another post!

Some were adventurous enough to venture into the puddles. Some successfully…

Some who thought they don’t need roads to travel were not so successful…!