The Makiav3llian Enchantment…

Dubai has one of the most expensive transport systems in the world. It is quite affordable to many first world expatriates but there is only so much we can do. Buses and taxis (they are called as the RTA) litter the streets, although plentiful the service is yet to be efficient, picky cab drivers and late buses abound, not to mention full buses and sometimes poor air conditioning.
As an avid bus rider, I look forward to the rail system coming up by 2009. As for now I’ve managed to adopt to bus life and let me give you important pointers on how to survive during the gruelling rush hour ride. I usually ride to Dubai Internet City and the most common bus used is the Mercedes bus. The bus rides 21 and 12 are some of the most gruelling trips and bus 8 should join them if not for type of bus used and the scenery. The secret here is quite simple, its all about placing.
The place to actually sit in this type of trip is on the right side of the last 3 rows. This would start with the seats right above the right back wheel and the two rows after that. Sitting in these places actually provide the most leg room during those long trips. The legs, perticularly the knees take the worst beating when travelling in cramped bus seating. I have taken my fair share of rides and basically these are the best spots. During the summer the inner lines are best as the air conditioning ducts are right below the seats and you benefit from cooling. The outer line seats are best to just keep away from the center and you sit right beside the window to lay your little head. The seat behind the rear wheel is one of the best as the window can be opened just in case it gets too hot. You get your cooling and get yourself out of trouble from the inner line. Overall, the main benefit to this is that you have the legroom to stretch.
Ofcourse, choosing these seats actually have their own pros and cons and here are the CONS breakdown.

Inner Line

Since you are closest to the bus corridor, you can actually lay your head back to your seat, but the worse thing that could happen to you are:

Outer Line

In no particular order bus 8A actually is better because of the people. Bus 8 is actually the bus for the laborers who are working in the hotel area along Mina Al Siyahi. Boy, do they smell like the sunrise! They usually sit at the back after a hard days work and even worse is that they still smell like yesterday going to work. I don’t want to sound so mean but after so many encounters, I can already classify my nose as DEAD.

I was telling my wife how much fun we would be having watching our first movie together with Spiderman 3 as the featured film, basically it looks like a typical boyfriend/girlfriend thing. Ok maybe it is, my wife and I went to watch Spiderman 3 but it isn’t the movie that was the big deal, it was the first time I was watching in a movie house in the UAE. It’s also about being with my wife and that I was spending time with her which we never did in a long while. I couldn’t imagine spending my first with anyone else.
I actually tried the online booking engine of Grand Cinema and I was pretty amazed that it was so simple. It was as if I were buying stuff from Amazon.com. I mean it is such a comfort booking this thing from home, printing it and then just presenting your ticket. On top of that I get a 5AED discount which I accumulate to get a free ticket in the future. I was quite pleased that verification was a breeze and we were in the cinema in no time. Though the process wasn’t difficult, Al Ghurair Cineplex still did not impress as the cinema lacked ambience and smelled of feet. l do like crowd number as it wasn’t too big, this means less noise and that your date will feel like the select few.
As for the movie it was amazing. This was the best Spiderman I have seen and very worthy of breaking the record set by its predecessors. I loved the New Goblin, I was routing for him when he was chasing Spidey and even more when he helped out. Some really nice cheesy comic relief, special effects and message of forgiveness and how we all fall down,  I mean it had it all. It’s just too bad Harry died in the end. Although I may sound vague on the details, Spiderman 3 is a film I highly recommend. There is just so much substance in the film to tell what is likeable about it. Some may dismiss it for being dragging, while others may say it isn’t as true as the comics but with Stan Lee in the film sending out a message, I think you can’t dismiss that. I had a great time thanks to my wife, Grand Cinema and your friendly neighborhood Spiderman. Oh, and don’t forget the Subway sandwich we had after that.

Mondz, a good friend of mine was scavenging around Khaleej Times and was able to spot a new article related to the visa woes of our OFWs. So read this article concerning about the number of visas you can actually use to enter and go out of the UAE once you are here. I beleive this will be a welcome message to all, the under 25 issue thing is yet to be resolved though.

No bid to limit visit visa holders from UAE entry

DUBAI — The Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) has clarified an earlier report on entry limit for visit visa holders, a top official of the Philippine Consulate General (PCG), told Khaleej Times.

The issue that visit visa holders are supposedly limited to only three consecutive visit visa entries to the UAE has become a concern for the Philippine community, particularly since a substantial number of Filipinos enter the country frequently on visit visa.

Philippine Consul-General Antonio S. Curameng said he spoke with Brigadier Mohammad Ahmad Al Marri, DNRD Director, to clarify the matter after four Filipinos were held and questioned at the Terminal 2 of the Dubai International Airport (DIA) last month while returning for a visa change trip to Kish Island.

“Brigadier Al Marri has personally informed me that there is no such policy limiting visit visa holders from entering the country. As long as a tourist is 18-years-old and above, and has a valid UAE visit visa, he or she can enter the country any time,” said Curameng.

He also echoed the DNRD official’s comments that the report published in the local Press about the alleged immigration limitation was wrong. “That (report) has actually caused further confusion not just within the Filipino community, but perhaps in other expatriate communities here as well,’ the consul-general added.

Last month, the PCG intervened in a case involving four Filipinos who have renewed their visit visas several times, one of whom has been frequently changing her visa for the past two years. The Filipinos were eventually allowed to pass through the immigration procedures.

Curameng then sent an official communication to DNRD to clarify the issue. “I am glad that Brigadier Al Marri has responded to our request and straightened the facts,” he said.

So here is my take. UAE makes a lot of money with the influx of tourists coming in. If they actually stopped the whole thing, they would be losing out on revenue. The Filipino community is a small part of the majority ethnic group of the UAE and more than 3500 Filipinos land in the UAE every day. The number that do come back on a daily basis is a bit of a blur though. So aside from man power, we also provide cash revenue. The only thing that is an issue is here why did it have to come from another source? yes, here I go again lambasting away at our beloved consule. Well thanks to you slow action, 4 Filipinas were rejected to coming back and you have yet to address the under 25 issue. I just wish you guys were a bit more proactive in informing the Philippine populous through the news paper rather than sticking it on our embassy walls. Who goes there anyways(?), people who want to get married and getting their exit stamps, in a place so far and out of reach.

All I can say… Post No Bills.