Mr T and I have finally made it to the one-year mark. Although I will continue to be labelled a newlywed - in Arab society, you don't shake off that label until you produce your first child - I no longer feel like one.
To be honest, I never really did feel like a newlywed, save for those first, fleeting five minutes. Living in the UAE meant the social trappings that follow an Arab wedding did not have to be honoured in this temporary home of ours, one that centres around career, instead of playing host to extended family and friends.
Had we wed and lived in Jordan, for example, where my family resides, it would have been another matter entirely. Our first few months would have been filled with a flurry of social obligations. From elaborate family lunches thrown in our honour every weekend, to scheduled visits every afternoon and evening from people feeling obliged to come and offer their congratulations for the fourth or fifth time, our year would have been spent on display.
Instead, post-wedding and honeymoon, our days were filled with catching up with our jobs and advancing our careers, the norm in the UAE. A year passed with hardly a carefree moment. The to-do list never seemed to dwindle: finish decorating furnished apartment, find new apartment before lease on old one ends, buy furniture, move, book trips to visit family, make sure you are caught up on work before you go… It never ends.
The irony is that, before our wedding day even dawned, I was looking forward to our first anniversary. It became my self-imposed deadline. I knew that just because we'd be past the whirlwind of the wedding, our lives would still not calm down and I figured that if I gave myself a year, all would be well. That expectation proved to be my downfall.
A month before our anniversary we realised we absolutely had to move, if we were to be at all responsible and aware of how much we spent on rent. With the move came steep expenses; furniture is pricey. Plans to travel somewhere special for our anniversary began to feel like maybe they should be put on hold.
"We'll only experience our first anniversary once," insisted Mr T. "Let's just do it."
We picked Venice, known for its romance. It promised us a trip where we could wander down alleyways to our hearts' content, while experiencing the biting cold of a European winter.
I should have known better. Forty-eight hours before we were to fly to the one city in the world that has not a single car, I sprained my ankle. Unable to cancel without losing every fil we had spent on the booking, we set off for Venice, where we spent most of our time in the hotel room flicking through TV channels.
This first year of marriage has been the best of my life, but still not as magical as I had naïvely expected. That has, however, taught me to suspend expectations for this second year to come.
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now