Speak to anyone who has recently had their first child, and they’ll quickly volunteer a list of things that have had to change drastically. Newfound meaning runs through every moment – as does exhaustion. They’ll list the things they’ve had to give up on, such as leisurely meals and sleep. Also gone is any pretence that you can drive a fun, slightly bonkers car. You now need to find the safest, most boring thing on the market.
When I was growing up, the surest sign you’d given up on having nice things was the purchase of a minivan. It was a clear signal to the world that you now saw life through beige-coloured parental glasses. The widespread adoption of the euphemistically named sports utility vehicle outside of its core demographic of actual off-roaders in the late 1990s saved us all the embarrassment.
Now we could lug around car seats and prams while holding on to some self-respect. No longer did we look like we were taking the kids to school, we were taking them on an adventure. The adventure was still to school, but it looked cooler. The crossover vehicle, also popularised in the mid-1990s, sits somewhere closer to minivan territory, and I had been driving one for a few months when my son was born. Suddenly, my primary function on this spinning rock became to be a father.
As a car enthusiast, my bland French crossover used to depress me every time I looked at it. It made me miss the slightly mad Abarth 595 Competizione I drove when I first arrived in Dubai. So, when the opportunity to drive the Porsche V8 Cayenne S Coupe came up, I said yes immediately. It’s not particularly new – Porsche’s facelifted third generation is now a year old – but this was the first test drive I’d been offered in a while where I could pop a car seat in the back.
It’s hard to remember now just how controversial the Cayenne was when it first launched in 2002 – considered an aberration against Porsche’s motoring heritage by purists. Now, it’s widely considered to have saved the brand and created an entire segment for other high-end car brands to enter.
But this isn’t any old Cayenne – it’s the V8 Cayenne S Coupe in Algarve metallic blue with 22-inch Exclusive Design Sport wheels painted in Neodyme. I sit in the car. The gentleman handing me the keys looks at me expectantly. “Do it," his eyes seemed to say as he looked at the ignition button – placed to the left of the steering wheel in line with Porsche tradition.
I followed the unspoken instructions. The roar filled the garage and coursed through my veins. I let out a childish chortle. I was immobile – way off the top speed of 273kph – and this was the most fun I’d had in a car in months.
He smiles back at me, and we both nod in silent acknowledgment that this is a moment of pure joy. And that roaring joy followed me around for every moment the car was with me.
It’s funny where life leaves signs for you – that ignition button was a sign that loving, protecting and providing for my son doesn’t mean I need to live in a world of drab crossovers. Sometimes, all you need is a lonesome moment of self-indulgent joy to be more than just a dad.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
South Africa squad
: Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wkt), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
