A few years ago, with all the audacity of someone who had yet to watch the wrinkles on her forehead transform into deeply entrenched gorges, I wrote a column vowing to try to age gracefully. Armed with the arrogance of relative youth, I espoused the virtues of investing one’s energy in accepting (perhaps even embracing) the inevitable ageing process, rather than investing money in injecting poisonous substances into one's face.
As I approach my 41st birthday, I wonder at the wisdom of so publicly declaring these naive intentions. I proposed then, and continue to believe now, that ageing in Dubai is a particularly difficult process. Access to age-defying treatments, pressure to look a certain way in an age of Instagram-fuelled beauty standards and, for many, a higher-than-average disposable income, means people are more likely to tinker with their appearance here than in many other places globally. Dubai has one of the highest numbers of plastic surgeons per capita in the world, and facelifts, nose jobs, liposuction, body contouring and other such treatments are routinely performed at the countless surgeries across the city.
When it is as easy to get lip fillers as it is a hair cut, it's little wonder so many women are walking about flouting duck-worthy pouts. Even if you like to believe that you do not naturally tend towards vanity, it’s a difficult web from which to disentangle yourself, especially when the 40-year mark is fast fading in the rear-view mirror.
In the past week, three of my friends, all at least a decade younger than I am, have revealed that they’ve been dabbling with a bit of Botox, or the odd filler here or there. Those in my age bracket are now graduating to more invasive procedures. In recent months, three other friends have gone under the knife – for a little nip, tuck, lift or “enhancement”. All, it is worth noting, are beautiful, smart, successful women.
I was shocked. Not because I am judging them – the central tenet of the feminism I so faithfully subscribe to is that that every woman should be free to do whatever she wants with her own body. I was shocked because, in response, I started to wonder if it was finally time for me to jump on the bandwagon. The alternative is to accept that very soon I’ll be going out with my girlfriends and looking like their slightly weathered aunt.
Once something has become completely normalised, what felt like madness starts to seem perfectly acceptable. Oh, how quickly one’s principles disintegrate in the face of a disappearing jawline.
I’m amazed that being a 40-something does not, in fact, make you immune to peer pressure. In a place where cosmetic surgery is so easily accessible, and the promise of younger, firmer, tauter skin is ever present, you need to be made of pretty stern stuff to go against the grain.
But I can see, with some of those aforementioned friends, that once you open up this can of worms, it's a slippery slope. Experimental treatments turn into regular maintenance and then surgical procedures and, before you know it, you look in the mirror and find a slightly distorted, not-necessarily-younger-looking version of yourself staring back. I'm just not sure I'm ready to board that train. Yet.
'Ashkal'
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Last five meetings
2013: South Korea 0-2 Brazil
2002: South Korea 2-3 Brazil
1999: South Korea 1-0 Brazil
1997: South Korea 1-2 Brazil
1995: South Korea 0-1 Brazil
Note: All friendlies
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
Results for Stage 2
Stage 2 Yas Island to Abu Dhabi, 184 km, Road race
Overall leader: Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Fernando Gaviria COL (UAE Team Emirates) 2. Elia Viviani ITA (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) 3. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal)
'The Ice Road'
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Stars: Liam Neeson, Amber Midthunder, Laurence Fishburne
2/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
Company%C2%A0profile
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FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
New Zealand T20 squad
New Zealand T20 squad: Tim Southee (captain), Finn Allen, Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Will Young
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
