Sexy and fun is how Leigh Williamson, from Vancouver, Canada, describes her Mercedes-Benz C230, which she bought in 2007 soon after she arrived in Dubai. A sporty and energetic soul, Leigh can be seen buzzing around the city, either trying to sell property or heading from one launch to another when she's wearing her PR consultant hat.
"I split my team between real estate and promoting events - usually sporting ones, as I've worked on a number of high-profile clients here, including the Dubai World Championship and the recent visit of AC Milan football team," she says. And when not looking after golfing idols and Italian icons, you could spot Leigh in her German ride, cruising modern contemporary art and photography at UAE galleries or heading to and from yoga sessions.
Despite a burning ambition to one day own a Porsche Panamera, Leigh is clearly fond of the car she has driven right through the real estate crisis and back out the other side and, she says, things are good again for Dubai's potentially lucrative real estate industry.
"It's a good, solid car and after driving a tin-box Lancer prior to owning the Mercedes, I really appreciate the increased feeling of safety while driving. I bought it for Dh80,000 immediately after test driving it. Heeding the advice of my flatmates is one of the best decisions I've made. It's still in good condition, despite it not liking sand much, and it despises the nasty speed bumps all over Dubai," she says.
Leigh's car has been permanently anthropomorphised by her friend Roia, who gave her car the unlikely moniker of "Christopher" - for no particular reason. "We just decided to name the car and felt that it looked like a Christopher."
The Mercedes is worlds apart from the car Leigh used to drive in her homeland. "I drove a Jeep in Canada - it's a very outdoor lifestyle there and not such an emphasis on luxury and image, so the Jeep used to get me to where I needed to be, whether it was hiking in the Rockies, camping along Vancouver's powerful Fraser River or skiing at Whistler. It was more important that it got me there and back than travelling in style."
And Leigh has noticed a huge difference in the behaviour of drivers in the UAE compared with the west coast of Canada. "The main differences are the speed people drive at, the type of cars - posers instead of practical - and the fact that we stop at cross walks in Canada to let pedestrians pass. I guess Canadians are quite passive drivers, which is quite the opposite of the aggressive racing that goes on here. We also get lots of snow and rain in Vancouver and can manage driving in these conditions with no problems, so when it rains here and chaos commences, it's quite funny to watch. Plus, when we have thick fog in Canada, we go slowly and this bizarrely doesn't happen here," she adds.
Leigh confesses she prefers listening to CDs in the car and admits she may be the only person left who buys CDs for the daily commute and trips around the UAE. "I love long trips in the Mercedes listening to my favourite tunes. I often drive to Musandam and chill on a dhow, snorkel, swim and dolphin-spot. I drove all the way to Zighy Bay around four years ago with my mum for our relaxation and pampering weekend.
"It was the perfect trip, listening to great tunes and taking different routes there and back in order to see as much of the desert as possible. It was great to see the countryside and camels along the way. It can be really beautiful driving in this country, especially in a car as luxurious as mine."
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
Dubai World Cup nominations
UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer
USA: Seeking The Soul/Dallas Stewart, Imperial Hunt/Luis Carvajal Jr, Audible/Todd Pletcher, Roy H/Peter Miller, Yoshida/William Mott, Promises Fulfilled/Dale Romans, Gunnevera/Antonio Sano, XY Jet/Jorge Navarro, Pavel/Doug O’Neill, Switzerland/Steve Asmussen.
Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
RESULTS
2.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: SS Jalmod, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
2.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
3.15pm: Al Marwan Group Holding – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Inthar, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.45pm: Al Ain Stud Emirates Breeders Trophy – Conditions (PA) Dh50,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: MH Rahal, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
4.25pm: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: JAP Aneed, Ray Dawson, Irfan Ellahi
4.45pm: Sharjah Equine Hospital – Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Edaraat, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
The specs: 2018 Mazda CX-5
Price, base / as tested: Dh89,000 / Dh130,000
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 188hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 251Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.1L / 100km
