After the rain

Ok, so exactly what is the official wading depth of a Boxster?

Following last night's rain, Al Qoz is peppered with 'water ponds', roads flooded across their width and deeper than the kerbstones. Who knows what potholes lurk beneath to trap the unwary!

Drier now, though, but some debate as to when the next rain will fall. Weather Channel says tomorrow, Dubai Met Office say tonight, the National Center for Siesmology and Meteorology reckon somewhere in the wee small hours of the morning. I guess we'll have to wait and see. Sitting in the garden, watching the lightning show illuminating the clouds from within was awesome, as always, as was the biblical rain that followed. How does all that water get up there in the first place?

But right now, sunny and dusty, no obvious clouds, and only a little movement in the air. Roll on tomorrow!

Why I hate Dubai

Oh, fer Pete's sake! I love this city, so it offends me deeply when the powers that be get the simplest of things so spectacularly wrong. Today's fail:

Gulf News this morning carries a bold, well-written half page ad drawing attention to the burning issue of consumer rights and protection. This is important in Dubai, as many, many retailers ride rough-shod over their customers, denying responsibility for faulty goods and generally behaving with cavalier disdain for the rights of those foolish enough to buy from them. Personal experience, big time.

So, as a dissaffected consumer, I immediately typed the URL into my browser. See, the ad worked! I not only read it, I acted on the information. Kudos to the agency who created it.

And so it was with a crushing sense of despair that I read those dread words on screen "This site is under construction. Please come back on Mach 1st".

Come on guys! It's not rocket science. Either get the website ready, or don't run the ad. Don't mess with the lives of the very people you're supposed to protect.

Or is that too complicated for you? Honestly, this city. Sometimes it makes you weep.