Stolen Puppies and Good Deeds

For those of you who always say there is nothing good in the news, ya just aren't looking hard enough.

Stolen pup returned with apology note
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BELLMORE, N.Y. - A stolen $3,000 chihuahua puppy has been returned to a Long Island pet store with an apologetic note.

Nassau County police say they haven't identified the man who took the 14-week-old dog back Tuesday to Worldwide Puppies & Kittens in Bellmore, just east of New York City. Store manager Christina Ingoglia says the man ran away after dropping off the pup in a shoe box. She says he left a note saying the puppy's abductors were sorry they stole it and didn't have the money to buy it.

Police have been looking for four apparently teenage suspects in last week's theft. A surveillance image shows one of the teens smuggling the chihuahua out of the store in his clothing.

Ingoglia says the dog is doing fine.

Canoe.ca

Now, no one can deny that taking the puppy was wrong. Who knows what the "abductors" motive was but one can speculate that they saw the puppy, fell in love with it (puppies are pretty cute ... even Chihuahuas!), couldn't buy it so they stole it. Their motive was probably not malicious; the suspects are teenagers, prone to spontaneous emotions and occasional bad judgement. The kid(s) probably took the puppy home only to find out that ... whoops! ... Mom and/or Dad are not so enamoured!

This is where the miracle in this story lies: somebody (probably the Dad) did the right thing. Continuing the speculation (its my blog so I can do that!), they are probably a family with limited financial means which could mean that the teenage "abductor" is probably more "at risk". Having just shoplifted a puppy, it would seem the kid is in need of some guidance.

At the risk of being caught, charged, exposed or at the very least embarrassed, the Dad took the puppy back to the store no worse for wear which probably took some fortitude on his part and someone took the time to write a note. One shudders to think of the fate of that little creature had the story gone in a different direction, there are more than enough stories out there of abandoned pets and cats in the microwave. Who knows, maybe the pet store is a "puppy mill". It would have been better to read that the Dad marched back into the store with the "abductor" in tow to apologize in person. But all's well that ends well and one can only hope that there was a lesson learned somewhere.

So the morals of the story:
#1 ... everyone makes mistakes. Its what you do after that that matters.
#2 ... not everything in the news is bad!

I'll get down from my soap box now.

Moving ... insha'allah!

The concept of common courtesy and an agreement in good faith are sometimes a bit iffy when dealing with people from other cultures. This is not an absolute truth, it is not always so, but I have come across it more than once ... a subtle prejudice towards white, western ex-pats which says we are rich so its OK to hose us. I am still a bit naive though, believing that what people say is on the up and up and on this premise, I gave a key to my landlord to show the apartment to prospective new tenants. I spelled out a few ground rules: he is to give me ample notice before coming over and under no uncertain terms was he to send over complete strangers with the key to let themselves in and have a look around! He moaned and groaned but finally had to agree that this was fair. Otherwise no key.

Last Saturday at 8pm-ish I had a missed call from the guy. 8:05pm-ish my door bell rings. Standing on my doorstep are my landlord, his daughter and his potential new tenants. WTF? The theatrics of his apology for the intrusion were annoying and amusing at the same time. Of course I was going to let him and his entourage see the place, I have no desire to hamper his efforts to re-rent his property. So I had a bit of fun with him first to make a point, gave him a stern scolding for such inconsideration, squashed his feeble claim that he HAD given me notice (a missed call 5 minutes ago doesn't count!), made him squirm a bit and concede the folly of his ways. Then I let them in.

In coming over unannounced, my landlord didn't do himself any favours. I'm sure his insolence did not go unnoticed by the prospective new tenants. And perhaps he didn't realize that in its normal state, my living quarters are less than tidy as any of my former room-mates can attest. Plus, I had already started packing. No word on the outcome of that viewing.

In parallel with the closing of the International City chapter, I have been seeking out a new place to call home. A former colleague recommended her managment company, Better Homes. Their website is very user friendly, so that's where I started. I decided on some criteria (budget, amenities, location), scouted out a few prospective neighborhoods and fired off some emails. Within a day, an agent called me back and we met to view two of her listings in the Burj area, a building called "8 Boulevard Walk". Both apartments were acceptable but having barely begun my search, I wanted to see a few more and look around in the Dubai Marina, which was one of my top choices. She had no listings there so I contacted one of her colleagues who did.

Another generalization about people I have made here is with respect to those in the real estate biz. Again, this is not an absolute statement but leasing agents rank right near the top of the asininity scale along with taxi drivers, lawyers and arab men on the volleyball court. Better Homes must have a quality control problem with their agents, I got more of a response from their customer relations department asking if I had gotten a response from the agent assigned to my query than I got from the agent herself! As time was quickly passing, I called the agent again. She "wuz gunna" call me and started in on a long, lame story about how terrible her week had been ... kids were sick, car broke down, client stood her up, blah blah blah. On the apartment front, she claimed that the listing I had enquired about was gone (gee, sorry 'bout your luck) and there were no others (Bullshit. Like I said, the BH website is stellar and I saw 6 or 7 other listings that seemed like good candidates), tried to convince me to increase my budget (and by extension, her commission -- hose the ex-pat!), pushed to show a place in a neighborhood I had no interest in (where exactly IS 'The Greens' anyway?) and promised to call to arrange a viewing. Needless to say that didn't go anywhere.

Getting back to the first agent, I decided to take the first apartment we saw, a 1-bedroom on the 20th floor with a view of the Arabian Gulf (and the construction site below but I can live with that) and so far this agent has been excellent. The week has been consumed with negotiating a fair price, paying the deposit, arranging cheques, arranging utilities and packing packing packing (but nothing on the scale of what was required last year! I'm still indebted to all those who helped me ... you know who you are!)

The agreed upon price is at the upper limit of what I was budgeting and I will now have to invest in furniture of my own so the costs will start to add up if I'm not careful. I waffled a bit about this. Despite the downward spiral of the rental market, this is still an expensive city. Perhaps I should look for something cheaper? In a lower-end district? Maybe even stay in International City? Wait a few months for rents to go down? But on one particularly foul drive home last week, the decision was sealed. I had cheaped out in going to IC a year ago and at the time, it served my purposes ... but I want out. I will pay the price and enjoy the view! We will sign the rest of the papers tomorrow ... insha'allah.

Photos from the listing on the Better Homes website (not necessarily my exact unit but same building, very similar):

Many, if not most, rental units in Dubai do not come with an equipped kitchen. Tenants buy their own appliances. In this building, the kitchen is equipped with appliances c/w dishwasher! Oh how I miss my dishwasher!

At my current apartment in IC, the water heater has been suffering a slow death me thinks. As a result, I have not had a HOT shower for months (except when I was in California; if there is now a water shortage there, its my fault!)

The view. Ahhh the view! Yes, that is the Arabian Gulf in the distance. I must admit, this did factor into the equation and tipped the scales in favour of this [more expensive] apartment. I justified this to myself by saying I will further reduce my latte intake so as to off set the extra cost! And it is 10 minutes from the office, so instead of being 35 minutes late every morning, I will only be 5 minutes late! Every little bit helps!

In The News: In Dubai, a renters’ migration takes hold

An interesting and timely article in The National last week about the rental situation in Dubai:

DUBAI // Steadily falling rents across Dubai are spurring a population shift to residential developments in the city that were considered unaffordable less than a year ago, property analysts and residents say. Residents who had opted for inexpensive housing in areas such as Dubai’s International City, Sharjah and even Al Ain are now moving to Dubai Marina and other central areas. Families in two-bedroom flats are searching for three- and four-bedroom villas in upmarket places such as Umm Suqeim and The Springs.

Photo credit: Dubai Marina, which has suddenly become affordable for residents who had been forced to live outside the city. Paulo Vecina / The National

The shift represents an effective reversal of nearly a decade of climbing rents that drove people in search of inexpensive housing to the outskirts of Dubai and into neighbouring emirates.“This is the ultimate flight to quality,” said Blair Hagkull, the Middle East and North Africa managing director for Jones Lang LaSalle, an international commercial property firm.“Before, as things became more expensive, people tended to move further out. But as things become more affordable, people start to have choice and choice is a very powerful motivator. When you’re talking about real estate it’s not just a commodity; it is where people live, work and play and ultimately it’s central to their lives.”

According to Landmark Advisory, a property consultancy firm, rents have fallen significantly in all categories. Deflating prices are also bringing about a change in the bargaining power between landlords and tenants, said Jesse Downs, the head of research at Landmark Advisory. Whereas landlords could demand a full year’s rent eight months ago, tenants are now paying month to month and asking for extra clauses such as 60-day lease terminations.

There is also speculation that rents could fall further as waves of families move back to their home countries after the school year. “It’s hard to quantify it right now,” Ms Downs said, “but my feeling is that in July there will be additional downwards price pressure as schools let out and families make that decision to go home.” The prospect for further declines is already persuading some landlords to take their properties off the market, she said.

What makes this article so timely? Well, some of you may remember that about 11 and a half months ago, I moved to that place called International City for exactly the reason mentioned in the article: sticker shock. International City was cheap (relatively speaking.) And, as the article says, I am looking to upgrade and I have to say, the Marina is up there on my list of favorites!

Just after I returned from my trip to California, I received a call from my land (slum?) lord. In fact I was still in the Airport when he called. We had a conversation that went something like this:

SL: Are you going to renew the lease for the place at which you are staying?

Me: I'm not sure, I just returned from vacation so I will have to get back to you.

SL: When? You were supposed to give two months' notice if you wanted to renew!

This was news to me. To the best of my recollection my agreement expired beginning of May which was a little over a month away. I resurrected the lease, no such clause. I Googled Dubai tenancy laws, nothing there either. I would say he is full of BS but others people have said the same thing as him so I'm really not sure.

Me: What are the terms of the renewal?

SL: (confused) Huh?

Me: How much is the rent?

SL: (still confused) Well, I am raising the rent (like duh!) But for you I will raise it ... say 5000 Dirhams. Only 5000 Dirhams. Just for you.

Now, the laws here with respect to rental increases have been the subject of much discussion and debate and they have flip-flopped a few times. They are nothing short of vague and for the most part, they do not favor the tenant. In searching online, several "directives" have been issued by the powers that be. Directives are not exactly laws, more like "suggestions" of what a law should be.

As of late last year, there is a governing body which oversees real estate called the, "Real Estate Regulatory Authority"; RERA for short. The existence of RERA has managed to bring some sanity to the rental market and has started to rein in the free-wheeling landlords. RERA even have a handy-dandy online "rental increase calculator" to find out if you are subject to an increase! The unfortunate part is that under the relevant "decree" from those same powers that be, until a rule is published in the official gazette, it may not be considered “effective.” Again, a law that is not really a law. The waters get even muddier. But in my research on Dubai rental laws/rules/directives/whatever happens to be in effect at the moment, no where did I see anything to suggeste that his generous offer to raise the rent by "only" 5000 dirhams ($1648CDN) per year was legal.

Irrespective of laws (or lack there of), one can never ignore the forces of the free market. More than likely, my landlord is fully aware of the new market but me thinks he's playing dumb to see how much I know.

The conversation continues:

Me: how many cheques are you asking for?

SL: (still confused and now audibly irked) One!

Me: SEE ya! Wouldn't wanna BEE ya!

OK, I didn't really say that last part (with my outside voice) and in reality, I had made the decision to move elsewhere long before he called to ask about renewal. International City was a good start for me here: it was affordable and the suite was partially furnished. Those were the "pros". Now for the "cons" since I have been here a while:

Smelly outside.

Smelly inside.

Remote location and virtually no amenities.

No hot water. Luke-warm? Yes, Hot? No.

Perpeturally stopped up sinks and plugged toilets (... and no, it nothing to do with the fiber in my diet!)

The orange couch (and matching drapes).

Did I mention that it is smelly outside? ... and inside?

Random Pictures: Tower Tour

I have been wanting to do a "tower tour" of Dubai since I arrived but for various reasons (such as not having a camera) I didn't get around to it. Today started out with an entirely different plan but as things often go in my world, I got side-tracked and spent the afternoon driving around and taking pictures. I'm not going to post a lot of details about the buildings, check facts, etc; that takes more time than I have right now but in future posts, I hope to do "profile" of some of these buildings with more information, photos, useless trivia where possible. They really are amazing when you start to look around here.

All the photos here were taken by yours truly. I state up front that I am definitely NOT a seasoned photographer so be kind in your critique! And of course, I am missing some of the other famous ones. There is only so much toodling one can do in a day.

So without further adieu, here are the results of today's adventures ... enjoy!


Dubai skyline.










Dubai skyline.











This is the one that started it all: the Trade Center. It was erected in the very early 90's when there was nothing around but sand and a road to Abu Dhabi. It was the beginning of a vision... but not necessarily a plan.


















And there she be: The Burj Dubai. Currently the tallest free-standing man-made structure in the world, at least last time I checked it was. It is scheduled for completion later this year. This is a project being managed by our people however I have not yet succeeded in convincing them to let me visit the top. A few base-jumping lunatics managed to get up there and jump. The authorities didn't really have a sense of humour about that and security is now pretty much air tight.














Towers towers and more towers! Business Bay area.











This is the building that inspired today's toodling! I have seen renderings and photos and thought it was one of those crazy pipe-dream designs that would never be built. To my amazement, its for real and its kewl! Its marooned in the midst of a massive construction zone, I had to trespass on some rather ropey construction access roads to get even that close! Surprisingly, I was not the only one cruising the back roads taking pictures and even more surprising, security was pretty much non-existent around these ones.












Jumeirah Emirates Towers. This pair are an icon of the Dubai skyline and they also happen to be a NORR project. The taller of the two is offices and the other a hotel. Our office is on the third floor. Unfortunately I no longer have a window office. Times are tough. :-(















Emirates Towers again.











Not sure what this one is but I like it.



Monarch Towers, one is a hotel, the other is offices.



8 Boulevard Walk in the Business Bay / Old Town district. Kinda plain-Jane tower you say, what's so special about it? I am moving at the end of this month (more on that later) and I looked at a couple of apartments in this building. Nice area if you don't mind the construction!



8 Boulevard Walk and it's famous neighbour, the Burj.



Etisilat (phone company) building near the Trade Center. I believe this is supposed to resemble an Arab man in his robe. Most of the Etisilat buildings have the ball on top which on this one is cleverly disguised as the man's head!



The Etisilat building from the rear. What's nice about this one is as a new-comer to Dubai and not knowing where I was half the time, this building was a beacon! I could usually figger out where I was just by which side if this big guy I was looking at. One of those small things that get ya by!



The new metro station nearest Defense Round-about. The metro is scheduled to start operation in September 2009.



Not sure what the building is (apartments?) but this picture shows a "wind tower". In the pre-a/c era, this was a natural ventilation system that captured the breezes higher up to cool the living spaces below.


Yes indeedy-dooo that says 35 degrees Celcius! Summer is coming.

In the News: Good News for All Private Sector Employees in the UAE (Local Banks are also included)

This came around via email this morning courtesy of a colleague:

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!

The Finance Minister of UAE has approved a rule which comes into effect on 01.04.2009 and it states that all privately held companies need to give a minimum salary increment of 15% to all employees every six months during the years of recession.

This comes as a relief to petitioners appealing against the growing work hours in the privately held organizations (including private banks) and which do not have a proper system to check overtime. The rule further mentions that all employees be provided a minimum of 30 days of casual leave every year.

Please see the attached document for the list of companies which will be brought under the umbrella of the new rule in the first round of implementation. And if the name of your company features in the list, kindly circulate this mail amongst your colleagues.

Of course this was very interesting and exciting news but it smelled fishy from the get go ... I did not fall of the apple cart yesterday! But because one has to investigate all that seems too good to be true ... (30 days of casual leave? Count me in! And a raise to boot!) ... I opened the attachment:












Bummer. Oh well, back to work I go.