Cost of Living in UAE.. ( Dubai )

Cost of Living in UAE.. ( Dubai )

Ahlan Dubai....... Welcome Dubai ........
With so many Indians hopping on to the next flight to Dubai (or U.A.E in general) to make their dreams happen...... ..life would turn out to be a shocker here. The common problem for youth in India is that they want to make too much money in too little time. They are willing to leave India on the first offer from any country of repute (or even without repute) without considering the pros and cons. As for the millions of U.A.E aspirants in India ..........guys hold on do a self assessment based on the under mentioned facts:-
· Just don't multiply the AED salary by 11 and convert the same into rupee earnings. That would be the first of the many mistakes you are likely to make. The conversion if at all should be done for savings and not gross earnings.
· If you a married person, consider the cost of family accommodation in U.A.E and more importantly in Dubai . The minimum requirement of a one BHK (bedroom, hall, kitchen) flat would cost you a minimum of AED 5,000/- per month (not per annum,) any where in downtown Dubai . Add a minimum of 15-25% annual increments in rent. Don't expect the salaries to rise by even half that %.
· If you are smart enough to realize that you can look for apartments outside Dubai(Sharjah, Ajman, RAK) to save AED 500 - 750 per month in rent , please allow yourself three to four hours for commuting every day(given the present traffic situation, which can only degrade with influx of millions of immigrants every year).Add that to a normal 10 hours day would mean you would end up spending around 14-15 hours a day on job......and you thought family life would be so much fun in Dubai.
· Be prepared to shell out AED 100/- for a routine check up at doctors in UAE ( that is if your company does not cover you with health insurance) . If you are lucky you will not fall ill, but god forbid if you do, then you will have a big hole in your pocket.
· If you aren't used to summers of north India and hail from places like Shimla, then you are in for a treat of your lifetime. Temperatures can run up to 50 degrees on a normal sunny afternoon and such days are pretty regular. And did I mention the humidity levels of 95% ........I am sure I did.
· If you don't have children you are lucky......bcos if you have 2-3 children going to school...... add at least AED 12,000 (per annum per child) to the cost of living in U.A.E
· You know that petrol here is cheaper and so would be the taxies .......try taking a cab from airport to your hotel ........the meter would touch AED 75-100/- before you will be able to make yourself comfortable in the Camry.
· You might have the fanciest of all cars available here, but when it comes to parking the same, you might regret buying one.
Imagine roaming around the streets of Dubai for 1 hour just to find a parking space....... ....alas. ...even that's not free........ .don't forget to display your parking ticket ......else a fine awaits you.
Parking fee comes to AED 2 per hour for all main roads toll collections also there !!!!!!!!
Last but not the least of all woes is a triple call rate to your loved ones in India . INR 30 per minute from U.A.E to India .........whereas as INR 8 per minute from India to UAE ........it must give you an idea what awaits you in Dubai . Don't you dare think you can use skype in Dubai ....... ..guys its banned and its illegal..... ...even sites like Orkut are banned here.......so much so for the communication .
So if you are fascinated by the growing number of glam malls in Dubai .........the ever-changing skyline ............ . all the hype and glory that surrounds this place ...........the bollywood stars flocking to Dubai every Thursday night .........the cute cars .........the chic cafés ........BURJ DUBAI....... .BURJ AL ARAB ......Dubai Marina; think twice buddies !!!!!! (Remember what is yours is what you take home after a lifetime in Dubai ).No matter how long you stay here you will still be an expatriate ......no UAE passport .........no home.
Trust me, there's nothing like home!!!

This is GULF
* Local calls are free
* Petrol is cheaper than water, Pay for drainage too
* Any building construction finishes in 3 months
* Unqualified get more salary than Qualified
* Show-off matters more than real quality & performance
* Laborers are paid less than what they can earn back in their own country
* Companies can kick out their employees without any reason
* Wastas (recommendation) are more powerful than money
* Cleaners have more Wasta than officers
* Watchman has more Rights than the Building Owner
* Office boy & Drivers have more influence on Boss than Manager
* Gulf climate changes so fast, in one hour u can see rain, dust storm, hot / humid / chilling weather
* Gulf is located in the desert, still u find greenery everywhere
* If u can't earn money in the Gulf, u can't earn anywhere in the world
* In Gulf, time goes very fast, Friday to Friday comes so soon u never know, its sooo fast
* Every bachelor has a dream of getting married and buying a house in India
* U love your parents, friends, relatives 100 times more than when you were together
* Being at home is more painful than being at work
* Indians appear/pretend to be more religious/God fearing than they really are
* Theatres are full of Arab nationals whenever there is a movie of Salman / Sharukh
* Gulf girls sing Hindi songs but don't understand anything
* Prostitutes available, but cheaper than beggars
* Dance Bars and Pubs more than that in B'lore
* A ladies hair saloon every 5 meters
* Food/Grocery delivery to the car
* A Starbucks every 10 meters
* Hard Rock Cafe with no alcohol
* A Shopping Mall located every 5km
* Highway lanes differentiated for slow & fast drivers
* Getting a license is more difficult than getting a car
* Smashed cars are more than bugs
* Parking charge: 2 Dirham for 1 hour - 5 Dirham for 2 hours & so on
* No Queues for women
TRAFFIC SIGNAL IN GULF:
* GREEN : Signal to go for Americans, Europeans and Indians
* YELLOW : Signal to go for Egyptians and Pakistanis
* RED : Signal to go for Kuwaitis, Saudis & Palestinians
IF YOU'RE SAYING 'NO' THEN YOU ARE HIDING THE TRUTH....... ......... .


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Regards
Vijayashankar
"வாழ்தல் உயிர்க்கன்னள் ஆயிழை சாதல் அதற்கன்னள் நீங்கும் இடத்து. " - குறள் எண் : 1124

Celebrity Fashion Designer Anand Jon convicted

Yesterday Celebrity Fashion Designer Anand Jon convicted.... he might get life in prison.

The cost of being a public figure....

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/14rape-charges-anand-jon-convicted.htm

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Regards
Vijayashankar
"இனிஅன்ன நின்னொடு சூழ்வார்யார் நெஞ்சே துனிசெய்து துவ்வாய்காண் மற்று. " - குறள் எண் : 1294

Do you like to sing?

  Do you like to sing?  Before answering, let me clarify that I am talking about singing in general; for example, singing in the choir, the shower or car, or even in a local pub or bar on karaoke night.  If you answered yes, you'll be pleased to know that singing is a proven positive and healthy pastime.

    Are you surprised by the fact that cutting loose with a song playing over the radio can offer real personal benefits?  Let me explain why!  To begin with, most of us sound better singing along with another voice, even if that voice comes from the radio.  While you are singing, you are also toning your abdominal and diaphragm, boosting your circulation, increasing your oxygen intake and improving your lung capacity.  Singing eases muscle tension and relaxes the body and mind.

    And what about singing in the shower?  Isn't it wonderful how great we sound in the shower, even if we normally don't sing that well?  The reason for this is that the shower acts like a professional sound booth, with the water absorbing the echoes from our voices.  As a result, we can get volume, nice reverberation, and even a little bass in that space.  Furthermore, our singing creates sound frequencies that actually stimulate a pleasure center in our brains.  So, it's no surprise that we hop out of the shower feeling happier and better prepared for the day, no matter how good or bad our singing may have been.

    Singing with other people, as we may do in a choir, also provides a positive boost, stimulates a pleasure center, and has a social benefit.  Research shows that people who sing in groups, like choirs, tend to feel more involved with their communities and more interested in participating in activities that benefit the community as a whole.  So, singing may help you be a better citizen!

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Regards
Vijayashankar
"கரப்பிடும்பை யில்லாரைக் காணின் நிரப்பிடும்பை எல்லாம் ஒருங்கு கெடும். " - குறள் எண் : 1056

Inspirational personality!

There is a guy Mr Senthil (I read in last weeks Kumudam) in Thenur village, a US return, spent half his life savings to take care of the village and model projects... (I am told he has spent 50 lakh rupees or more...)

I salute him!

http://www.payir.org/Home.html

http://ashauflorida.wikispaces.com/file/view/Ram's+2007+TripReport.pdf

http://picasaweb.google.com/payirindia/ThenurVillageHospitalInauguration#

http://payirtalk.blogspot.com/2007/07/payir-newsletter-no-4.html

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Regards
Vijayashankar
"ஊனைக் குறித்த உயிரெல்லாம் நாண்என்னும் நன்மை குறித்தது சால்பு. " - குறள் எண் : 1013

BEWARE OF LIFELINE HOSPITAL CHENNAI

TRUST THE MOST BELOVED GOD AND NONE ELSE!

Here is a dangerous note about LIFELINE HOSPITAL CHENNAI.

Not sure the mail writer's husband, still wants to be anonymous.

But a statement on record is, the doctor in question was grievously injured!

THIS MAIL IS REPRODUCED AS IS SENT TO ME.

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Real life (rather death) experience -- LIFELINE HOSPITAL CHENNAI LIFE AFTER DEATH

This is not a philosophical statement on one's life after death, this is about how my wife, Padma died in a hospital in Chennai. Whatever I have seen only in movies so far, is experienced by me. We were living in the UK for few years; our family includes me, my wife (Padma), and our 7 yr old son and 8months old daughter. My wife had a symptom of ventral hernia (slightly bulged abdomen), we had consulted General Physician and Surgeon in the UK and advice was that she needed a surgery to have a mesh to fix the problem with a few weeks rest. We were also told that this is not an emergency and it can be done anytime though earlier is good. In fact the surgeon whom we consulted in UK talked about an example of a lady having this done for 30 years of the symptom. My wife did not have any specific pain or something except a small discomfort of bulgy abdomen (like a 2 months pregnant lady) and she was in her normal routine of taking care of our children, taking our son to school, household work, etc.

We were planning for Christmas vacation in India in Dec 2007, we thought will consult some 'good' doctors over in India and take a decision of when we will do the surgery if required and possibly felt doing in India is good because of family support. We have got a reference of Dr J S Rajkumar of Lifeline hospital and we booked an appointment to meet him. We landed in Chennai on 14th Dec 2007 for a three weeks' vacation, met Dr Rajkumar at his city hospital (Rigid hospital) in Chetput on 15th Dec 2007 (Sat) at about 730pm. We have explained him the background, shown him all the comments of UK surgeon, medical reports related to my wife pregnancy, deliveries, etc (she had delivered both our children normally). After few minutes of assessment Dr Rajkumar told us this hernia requires laparoscopic surgery and we can do this next day itself. We were little concerned initially of getting this surgery done the very next day (particularly we were still not out of jet lag and she was feeding our baby) and got convinced with the 'salesy' words given by the Doctors.

To quote a comment from the Doctor "she will run in two days time and can lift two suitcases and you can return to UK as per your plan on 3rd Jan 2008").Also Dr Rajkumar told us that he will be on travel for 3 days from 17th Dec and moreover he was teaching Post Graduates on 16th Dec about laparoscopic surgery and let us get it done on 16th Dec. Then my wife was put into all sorts of equipments in the hospital (in the name of assessment); blood, urine, ECG, MRI and so on and the tests were conducted till about 11pm on 15th Dec. In fact they have opened the labs after closing hours and got the test done and handed over the test results to us. They had some problem in the ECG and we were told that ECG can be done on the next day at Lifeline hospital. We were asked to report to Rigid hospital at 5am in the morning. Think of it, we went our residence around midnight and my wife had rush on some food to keep compliance on the fasting 8 hrs prior to surgery. After preparing for the hospital visit that night and a couple of hours sleep (3 hrs or so) we reached Rigid hospital on 16th morning at 5am or so and from there we were transported by an 'ambulance' to Lifeline hospital in Perungudi (outskirts of Chennai). We reached the hospital at 630am, paid some initial advance for the surgery and we were given a room. Padma went through some more basic checks like height, weight, etc. Padma was taken to the operation theatre at about 10am in the morning on 16th Dec. After the laparoscopic procedure she was moved to post operative ward at about 12 noon and I have met her in the afternoon to say a small hello when she gained consciousness. Dr Rajkumar met us on 16th Dec afternoon and he in fact congratulated me for successful surgery and said he has used proceed mesh (costly one) an advised his staff to move Padma to normal ward in the evening as she had to feed her baby. But, Padma was moved to normal ward only on 17th Dec morning; she was on IV fluids as per normal post operative procedure. Padma started to develop some fluids in her abdomen which duty doctors /surgeons have 'rightly' observed. She was put in some series of tests on 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th – tests include multiple ultra sound, multiple CT scans, pricked her abdomen and taken fluids, she had a long tube through her nose overnight to collect fluid for tests, etc. We were told the fluid is normal after surgery and it will be alright after she passes stool, etc. In the meanwhile Dr Rajkumar returned from his travel and seen Padma on 19th on 20th Dec evening along with other surgeons. He made an assessment and he told me that he might want to do one more laparoscopic surgery to find out what is the fluid about. He wanted to do a surgery on 20th Dec evening itself, but he could not proceed as the hospital has given solid food that afternoon – hence anesthesia could not be given. (lack of coordination among departments, time lost here, maybe she could have survived if they have did the surgery on 20th itself) On 20th Dec night, fluid started oozing from Padma's abdomen stitches, after the duty Doctor's assessment she was shifted to ICU. We really did not know what complication she developed in the ICU. On 21st Dec (Friday) morning around 830am I was called in to the ICU to convey that they are going to perform a surgery and I had to sign "high risk consent", they were telling this in front of my wife (just think of a patient hearing this before the surgery). I was just shocked at that and had no options to sign whatever they wanted. I said "all the best"

(my last conversation with my wife) to my wife and she was taken to Operation Theatre. While I was discussing with the Doctors at ICU, the cashier in the hospital kept on calling me on my mobile. When I met the cashier he asked for Rs.60,000 to be paid immediately and I told him take Rs.40,000 and will give you the balance later in the day. Bang a reply came, "you have to pay the money to for me to give clearance for surgery". When I expressed my unhappiness about the comment, he insisted for me to sign a piece of paper saying that I will give the money later in the day. (What money minded, in-human attitude!) We had no news from the hospital on their own about the surgery, I had enquired the staff nurse and visited my wife in the ICU and learnt that she had a diagnostic laparotomy (open surgery) and there was hole in the intestine which was fixed. We have meet Dr Rajkumar at about 3:30pm on 21st Dec and understood that there was a duodenum rupture and he has fixed it, at the same time he removed the mesh which was fixed on 16th Dec. She was also paralyzed and put on ventilator as she was waking up. He explained it was between life threatening and beauty so they addressed the duodenum rupture problem. What we were puzzled were, how did the rupture happen? for that explanation given were

- it could be due to ulcer. My wife had no evidence of ulcer in the past. Explanation given was 40%+ cases of ulcer is silent and there will be no symptom (I lack medical knowledge to appreciate this)

- it could be due to post operative stress (so many test post operation without any explanation of what we were doing could have created the stress on Padma is my argument)

On the same night (21st Dec) at about 930pm, I was called in to the ICU and Doctors conveyed that my wife condition is critical – her pulse is high, BP is low and they were attending to her. I insisted on talking to Dr Rajkumar immdly, but they refused to connect me to him at first and finally managed to speak to him. Dr Rajkumar came in around midnight and explained that the lungs are getting affected (shown X-ray of white patches on the lower portion of lungs) and she was the most serious patient in the whole hospital that time and they were trying their best. He also said, it will need another 12-24 hours of observation before they can say anything. We were completely panicked and just waiting outside the ICU and praying for Padma's recovery. We had to argue with the security outside the ICU to gain access to the Doctors to know her situation (no courtesy from the security personnel, who just don't understand the situation) At about 4:30am in the morning, my friend gained access the Doctors in the ICU and came out with the low face to tell me that Padma's condition is worsened. Again I tried to reach Dr Rajkumar and the hospital says they don't have his contact number (just can't understand how they can behave like this). Finally after some hue and cry Dr Rajkumar came on line to tell me that he is not God and don't think his visit can do anything different. I cried, begged him to come over to give some ideas to his team to recover Padma. He came over at around 6am and said they are trying everything possible, etc; but her end came quickly. The end came to our beloved Padma at 6:30am on 22nd Dec, throwing the entire family to rude shock and a life time sorrow. Our "LIVES AFTER DEATH" of Padma has changed forever.

I can now think of so many questions retrospectively;

1. Why did the surgeon perform the surgery the very next day of consultancy, that too for a non-emergency one like this? (Padma had just travelled many miles; she was not even out of jet lag.) Was it for money? Was it for them to get one more sample for their post grads training?

2. Did the Doctors made proper assessment on Padma's fitness for surgery, frankly did they even had time to go through the reports, after the tests till 11pm on the previous night for next day 8am surgery (particularly when the reports were with us till 730am on the day of surgery).

3. Patient communication and counseling. Isn't it important to communicate to patient and their relatives on the development of patient condition (fluid collection started from the next day of laparoscopic?)

4. Did the absence of Dr Rajkumar for three days post the first surgery is one of the reason for this disaster? Were the other Doctors not able to diagnose or take a decision? Were they waiting for Dr Rajkumar return?

5. What is the real reason for duodenum perforation? My wife never had any history of ulcer to the best of my knowledge. Why did the hospital take so much of time to react (5 days after surgery) when such a crucial thing like perforation has happened.

6. Was there any issue in the initial laparoscopic procedure which has caused the perforation?

7. Careless attitude by hospital staff? – my wife sex was recorded as "Male" initially and corrected after I told them. The staff was not even apologetic for this, he rather asked me "why didn't you inform". Can't he make out with the name Padma. Think of it, if he has changed the blood group from A+ to B+; that is it!!

8. Will anyone with basic common sense ask for high risk signature in front of the patient? I was asked to sign just minutes before surgery in front of my wife.

9. Is the hospital money minded?: They were demanding money on gun point almost.

a. Prior to the first surgery the cashier said please give Rs.30000/- more for him to give clearance for surgery

b. When my wife going for second surgery I was told by the cashier again, please give Rs.60000/- for clearance for surgery

c. The hospital charged more than what was told for initial laparoscopic, without even communicating to me increase in charges

d. The final "bill" was just on letter head, without mention of currency, invoice number, etc. I had to insist on a proper invoice later.

e. I was given to understand that they even made arguments on ambulance charges to send my wife dead body back home.!! (making money on dead body also)

10. Why the hospital did not made me to talk to my wife when she gained consciousness after the second surgery? If not anything else, I could have held her hand. Even a criminal gets an opportunity to communicate his/her last wishes. Am I or my wife worse than?

11. FALSE reports - After all these hospital sends me false reports (on Jan 11, 2008 – three weeks after my wife's death) :

a. They had mentioned she had LSCS (caesarean section) and large scar due to LSCS. When my wife delivered both the babies normally, how does one record as caesarean and how there will be scar when there was no caesarean?

b. The hernia was mentioned "incisional hernia" – when there was no incision on her body how the hernia is categorised as incisional? It was actually ventral hernia. Don't think one can replace any term with any term just like that!

c. Most importantly, the surgery was performed on 16th Dec 2007, the report said 17th dec 2007

12. MISSING REPORTS - From the hospital records Doctors notes were missing for 16th and 17th Dec. The first report is available for 17th Dec at 8:36pm. How come there are no Doctors' notes for about 36 hours after the surgery? Isn't it fishy? Did something went wrong on the first laparoscopic procedure?

Our entire family is still mourning and trying to reconcile the fact that our Padma is no more. My 7 year old son is aware that is Mom is not there, does he understand? My 1 year old daughter is too young to know what has happened. What will her questions be in future?

My sincere advice to all is

a) Do not get carried away by advertisement / TV shows / big buildings

b) Please do not rush

c) Do your own due diligence, particularly when things are not an emergency

d) Try and understand the medical terms, do research prior

e) Please ask questions, at every stage.

f) Don't say "I can spend anything"

g) Know patient rights

I am still not convinced that Padma has died after a 'simple' laparoscopic surgery? I am deeply upset of what has happened to Padma and for what is happening to us. What I could have done (or not done) which would have prevented this. What is that we can do to prevent this in future for others!!!

Please join me in making awareness to others. While India is trying to woo many international Customers in the name of 'medical tourism'; first let the authorities make regulation on the health care system and take care of Indian people first. Read others experience as well

http://birjupatel.blogspot.com/2007/10/unethical-practice-by-lifeline-hospital.html

http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/26/stories/2007122658760300.htm

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JQ0gvMjAwOC8wNy8xMCNBcjAwNTAx&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

Our medical system must understand the differences between MEDICINE –TREATMENT and HEALTHCARE. What we get most of the time is medicine for the symptom while we need healthcare.

"இன்சொலால் ஈத்தளிக்க வல்லாற்குத் தன்சொலால் தான்கண் டனைத்திவ் வுலகு. " - குறள் எண் : 387

Amazing theorem...

3 powerful equations, 2 extremely powerful postulates 1 powerful email, containing it all ! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Equation 1 Human = eat + sleep + work + enjoy Donkey = eat + sleep Therefore, Human = Donkey + work + enjoy Therefore, Human - enjoy = Donkey + work In other words, Human that don't know enjoy = Donkey that work ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= Equation 2 Men = eat + sleep + earn money Donkeys = eat + sleep Therefore, Men = Donkeys + earn money Therefore, Men - earn money = Donkeys In other words, Men that don't earn money = Donkeys ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= Equation 3 Women = eat + sleep + spend Donkeys = eat + sleep Therefore, Women = Donkeys + spend Therefore, Women - spend = Donkeys In other words, Women that don't spend = Donkeys ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= To Conclude: From Equation 2 and Equation 3 Men that don't earn money = Women that don't spend. So, Men earn money not to let women become Donkeys! (Postulate 1) And, Women spend not to let men become Donkeys! (Postulate 2) So, we have? Men + Women = Donkeys + earn money + Donkeys + spend money Therefore from Postulates 1 and 2, we can conclude, Man + Woman = 2 Donkeys that live happily together!

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Regards
Vijayashankar
"தீயவை செய்தார் கெடுதல் நிழல்தன்னை வீயா தடியுறைந் தற்று. " - குறள் எண் : 208

Pancakes for Breakfast!

After a long time, a change in breakfast menu.

Maida plus ghee plus eggs plus Sugar, gives a batter, that is poured like Dosai.

It is so soft, like oothappam, with Maple Syrup, gives the American feel of Pancakes!

Cool!

If you dont have Maple Syrup, try the watered version of honey, with lime! (well of course that is Maple Syrup!)