Category
Memories, places, family, Dubai, and the more reflective side of this archive.
The year was 1999 or 2000, and my parents had a Windows 98 computer, a U.S. Robotics modem, and a Satyam dial-up connection. Satyam came with a small program on CD that made dial-up easy. It had a drop-down list containing four or five numbers. You selected one, clicked Connect, and hoped to hear the familiar modem handshake noise. But more often than not, you would get a busy line.
This was somewhere around 1999 or 2000. I was still running Windows 95 and was completely in awe of this new and exciting place called the Internet. IP telephony existed, but the voice quality was so poor that almost all voice calls still happened over landlines.
KGS uses Gems My Learning which was called GLG ( Gems Learning Gateway) earlier, as an online Education portal. It’s not a fully blown LMS, so students can’t take quizzes/tests, submit assignments or interact. My learning serves 3 Major Purposes
Ecommerce in Middle East is gradually taking off and there are many new entrants in an arena that used to be dominated by souq.com only. However most of them miss the singular factor that online shoppers look for most - customer service .
Well if you are thinking what is GLG, you can skip this blog.
it’s the LMS website of Gems Education group , UAE. Yesterday after spending 1 hour, clicking through every link to find the assignment and progress report, i decided to write where I found it someplace safe and document it for other parents.
My navigation skills have always been non existent. This time after spending 1 hour on Finding Al Brasha Service Center for Emirates ID, I though I will update the entry on my Blog. I hope someone will find it useful.
10 phrases you often get to hear in Dubai.
1. Could I get your good name ? Probably a translation of hindi “Shubh Naam”. I have heard it so many times now that asking someones name without this epithet sounds almost rude.
It has happened to me 5th time this year. however this time I ended up complaining to Etisalat.
" Sir, you speaking English ?"
“Yes, go ahead”
“I giving to Mr Ahmed, my supervisor. Hold aan "
I wonder if anyone has ever thought of fooling the mind into a desired emotional state by using the senses of sight, sound and smell. Won’t it be wonderful if you could evoke an emotion just by sniffing a scent that you have fooled your brain into associating with happiness ( much like AXE effect, but for real).
I am sure it has happened to all of us. You spot that excellent parking space, gleefully park your vehicle and get down looking for change to feed the parking meter. Off course there are others who would rather pay 30 fils extra and pay through SMS.
“What should we do if someone attacks our country ?”
This was the question asked to one of the many homegrown Gurus who has become very popular in recent times. The Gurus response was - To defend yourself.
Many many philosophers have tried to answer this question in their own way. Last week after having heard a self proclaimed Guru on TV, I realized It’s about time I throw my two cents in.
Last month I got to know that there is something striking about me to some people , I am not talking of my lean physique but my Numero Uno Status. Yes, I am a number 1 in numerology ( According to Gregorian Calender). Very flattering. Numerology is very intriguing with all the calculations involved, but I can hardly call it a science. I think it was invented as a hoax, later on when it went out of hands they freaked out and never told anyone it was a hoax.