.: The Red Brick – Dubai College's Student Newspaper :.

“Good evening, and welcome! To a night at the Opera.” I declared, scrunching up my face in concentration. Veronika, sitting in front of me outside the canteen at lunchtime, watched me dispassionately. “Or should I put the emphasis on the Night? Good evening, and welcome to a NIGHT at the opera!” She spooned some pasta in her mouth, which for some strange unknown reason she was apparently finding more interesting than my conversation. I took a deep breath and shut my eyes. “Good evening, and welcome to a night.” I opened my eyes dramatically, the effect of which was lost because Veronika wasn’t looking. “At the Operaaaaaaa!” I flung my arms out and knocked half of her pasta off the table. Further talk of a night at the opera or wishing anyone a good evening was a strictly taboo topic for the rest of lunchtime.

The oratory rehearsals were intended for playing a host in, as you may have cleverly surmised, A Night at the Opera. It was to be held in the Music Centre, featuring the finest of Dubai College vocal as well as instrumental talent, meticulously prepared by Mr Zambonini, Mr Crawford and the teachers of the music department. The stage was set, the scene was an elegant flurry of bow tie suits and pretty evening dresses, and parents waited with baited breath and anxious video cameras for their sons and daughters to captivate and enchant in the language of romance, betrayal and passion: opera.

Backstage, it was an altogether different scenario. Violins, trumpets, trombones and cellos all tuning up to different notes at the same time yield nothing but a load of frustrated musicians telling their fellow purveyors of melodic excellence to shut it so they can hear themselves. Throw in some nervous singers all belting out Doh-Mi-Soh-Doh-Soh-Mi-Doh on varying syllables and varying keys to warm up and you’ve got yourself something worthy of Cacofonix the bard (as in Asterix? No? OK). No amount of panic backstage, or anything even life threatening for that matter, however, would deter a dedicated Dubai College musician to deliver less than an outstanding performance, which is what the Chamber Orchestra did in their wonderfully slick Suite, from Carmen by Bizet. Ryan Evans captured hearts with a sweet, pure voice and Sophia Cafoor-Camps, Florence Prosser and Sophie Middleton, accompanied by Mr Hardman, each served up stunning solos that soared effortlessly and lingered glittering in the listeners’ minds long after their last notes.

In stark contrast to the sometimes austere refinement of the older performers, Ethan Ebdon and Isabel Snaas had every member of the audience overcome by a strong urge to sigh “Awww”. Their portrayal of tired, hungry and utterly adorable Hansel and Gretel was a clear success as the singers curled up to sleep after their Evening Prayer, prompting a mass reaching for the tissues on the other side of the stage. Meanwhile, Abby, Prianka and Niamh’s O Mio Baabino Caro, from Gianni Schicchi by Puccini, held everyone spellbound as they conjured up images of a young girl pleading with her father to let her marry the man she loves. Violinist Charles Barsaga and the orchestra quickly followed with the haunting Meditation from Massenet’s Thais, a controversial opera with themes of religion, lust and denial that have ensured its lasting popularity.

The virtuosic streak was maintained as a rousing rendition of Triumphal Chorus from Aida by Verdi was superbly executed by a new ensemble at the school, the Chamber Choir, with solos by Dorottya Nagy (trumpet) and Kinara Rodrigues (flute). After two hours of being treated to some of the most beautiful compositions ever written, the concert was brought to a spectacular end with Sophie and Rory Blincow leading the Senior Choir in Verdi’s effervescent, glorious Brindisi.

As we returned home that night, having had rather more of the excellent complementary canapés and éclairs than necessary, the splendid performances of the young musicians were no doubt ringing in the ears of every listener, each better than the last, but we knew what took the cake. That night, music and the timeless magic of opera was the winner.

Once upon a time in the UAE, 11-year-old Alyssa was reunited with her dog, against all odds, after having to leave him behind and
move to the UK.

***

With only twenty minutes left to live and no apparent chance of ever seeing her family again, an abandoned German shepherd cross was reunited with her owners thousands of miles away in the UK.

Darren and Claudia Smith adopted the dog two years ago while still residing in Dubai. In May of 2011 however, Darren lost his job and the family had to return permanently to the UK; though they had every intention of getting Holly (the
dog) to the UK, having already completing her pet passport paperwork and done the required blood tests, quarantine regulations meant that the dog would have to remain in the UAE with a foster family until her quarantine period had been
completed.

Unfortunately, a disastrous turn of events, resulting in Holly running away from her new temporary family meant that she was resigned to the title of ‘abandoned dog’ and when found as a stray, was set to be put down at 1pm on an afternoon in August.

Holly’s knight in shining armour arrived in the form of a man named Raghad. As an animal lover himself, he spotted Holly on ‘death row’ and sent round a Facebook message with an adoption appeal. Raghad took Holly in, managing to save her life just 20 minutes before it was scheduled to be ended. Holly’s new owner contacted Montserrat Martin of Friends of Animals (FOA), a rescue group, in order to try and re-home Holly. Five weeks after taking pictures of the dog and posting it on the FOA website and online forum, Montserrat received a call from the most unexpected of people: Claudia Smith!

Claudia called claiming that the dog was in fact her Holly – “weeping like a child, Claudia said she had no doubt about Holly’s identity. The conviction was touching” said Montserrat who then referred her to Raghad.

After that, it was all about working tirelessly to collect Holly’s paperwork and fly her out to Hampshire, where the Darren and Claudia were preparing to give their daughter, Alyssa, the surprise of her life. “I grumbled about the money [the reunion cost them Dhs7, 450] but the look on my daughter’s face was a priceless family moment,” Darren Smith told the BBC.

On November 17^th 2011, following the collective efforts of many, Holly was flown out on an Emirates flight back home to her family and was reunited with Alyssa.

…and they lived happily ever after

Now, the video of Alyssa’s reunion with her pet has gone viral on YouTube, receiving over 36,000 hits in 6 days! (And still
counting!)

Check out the original clip on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S07ZMEvEueE

First we experienced a tide of poppies patriotically pinned to every shirt, raising funds for the British Legion. Then it was time for the onslaught of the pink breast cancer ribbons. Movember was greeted by teachers proudly sporting striking handlebars and students, well, parading bits of fluff that made unimpressive substitutes for the luxuriant whiskers that would show their solidarity with those with prostate cancer. By the time you realize they’ve been growing moustaches, December would have rolled by and it’ll be time to shave again. And while the novelty of wearing various symbols to demonstrate your support for causes may be wearing a little thin, it has never been so essential than now to raise awareness about World AIDS Day, the 1st of December, which is likely to be heralded with red ribbons.

And why is it so vital to raise awareness about it? Because by being one of the biggest killers in the world today, AIDS, or Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, has taken more than 25 million lives worldwide since 1981, the start of the global pandemic. The results of surveys published in www.usaid.gov show that in 2008, there were approximately 33.4 million people around the world living with HIV/AIDS, including 2.1 million children under age 15. AIDS, caused by the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is a wily enemy: it does not strike by direct attack. It chips away at your body’s defences instead, destroying your T-helper cells, a type of white blood cell, gradually weakening the immune system until the body is left fragile and vulnerable. It then lets other pathogens do the dirty work: without the T-helper cells that fight disease, even something as trivial as a cold or the flu can be fatal. (Adapted from www.homehealth-uk.com).

Www.aids-children.org shared a touching account of an AIDS sufferer, John, who now has a flourishing business due to timely intervention by a family strengthening programme in Rwanda.

“I had an active life: a job, a salary and many friends. One day, all this disappeared because I found out that I was HIV-positive. It was not easy at all. When I was told that I was HIV-positive, I thought it was a joke, I didn’t believe it. I spent several weeks feeling sorry for myself, asking myself what happened to me. I cried a lot, I didn’t want to accept that I was infected. I could not imagine that I would stay alive for more than a week. When the news of my illness reached my office, I was dismissed outright. My boss thought I would either die very soon or contaminate the other colleagues.

I found myself alone without friends or a job, and I realized that there was a problem. I began to accept the hard reality that it was necessary to fight to survive. I had no money, no savings and could not imagine that I would overcome this situation. My girlfriend left me, and I found myself alone with a six-month-old baby. “

What is most ironic is that AIDS is a preventable disease, being transferred by the sharing of bodily fluids. The only time when it is not avertable is when HIV is passed on genetically. Something as simple as making sure you are using a sterile needle before you receive an injection and practising safe sex habits can save you from a lifetime of suffering. Buying the crimson ribbon and donating some money to a worthy cause has the potential to raise awareness and contribute towards discovering a cure for the illness, and subsequently change someone’s life for the better. Every penny makes a difference, so the power to put a smile on a sufferer’s face may lie in your hands- pin on the red ribbon!

* All sites were accessed on 26th November 2011.

All you twihards out there, here’s a date for diary: Breaking Dawn Part 1 will be released on November 18th!

For the rest of us who might be groaning at the prospect of yet another generic vampire love story might want to think again, as this movie explores a truly unexpected territory and gets even more bizarrely unreal as Bella Swan, a human (Kristen Stewart) and the lead character finally marries the love of her life, Edward Cullen, a vampire (Robert Pattinson), gets knocked up and manages to become pregnant with a half-human half-vampire baby. Yes, we now know that vampires and humans are literally compatible!

Audiences can expect to be treated to some intense love scenes as the two love birds conceive on Isle Esme, their honeymoon location. The spectacular location chosen for shooting Isle Esme scenes is a place called Casa Em Paraty, in between Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. An ideal paradise complete with palm trees, white sands and a beach front house; if audiences get bored of looking at the beautiful characters, they can shift their attention to the beautiful scenery instead.

Such a stunning location comes with a stunning price too. It is estimated Breaking Dawn part 1 cost $127 million, almost $60 million than Eclipse (the most recent sequel in the Twilight Saga). The lead characters (Stewart, Pattinson and Lautner) taking home heightened star salaries of $25 million each, considerably more than they have ever earned before.

Breaking Dawn will be an interesting movie as this time there is no love triangle, Bella and Edward tie the knot and Jacob no longer threatens their relationship. This time the threat is within as the little half-vampire foetus drains all of Bella’s energy and slowly starts killing her. As Edward says in the trailer “her heart can’t keep up” but that doesn’t stop Bella from refusing an abortion. With Edward urging her to get rid of it and Bella adamantly refusing audiences will have to watch the movie to find out who ultimately wins this fight, if she does keep the baby will Bella survive, and if she dies in the attempt would Edward be able to live with himself?

A group of children celebrating Diwali in Dubai last year

It’s been a busy, exciting week for us teenagers. Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, has come and gone amid a flurry of presents, noise and eating. There was that raucous Halloween party, and, in an overwhelming display of support for the breast cancer research and treatment, the BurJuman Safe and Sound Pink Walkathon in Dubai. In short, we’ve had the excuse to have a laugh and make supreme fools of ourselves, as is the case in every celebratory occasion, and we won’t be seeking any more excitement for a while.

It is a sign of Dubai’s vibrant multicultural society that some of the first people to wish me a happy Diwali were from countries as varied as the UK, Hungary, the Philippines and New Zealand. Diwali is usually characterised by a continuous thunderstorm of crackers going off and displays as spectacular as if someone had fed millions of fire-dwelling salamanders generous helpings of Dr Filibuster’s fireworks (that’s a Harry Potter reference, for readers who haven’t yet discovered the sole reason to be alive in this sad, sad world). While UAE laws put firecrackers firmly out of the picture, that doesn’t mean we can’t have just as great a time.

We have family friends visiting us from the United States, and between the three of us greedy teenagers, we had downed four boxes of sweets and assorted chocolates in the couple of days leading up to Diwali, as the gifts started pouring in. Someone sent us a massive carton of traditional fried sweets, and I’ve been smearing on the acne cream in copious amounts ever since, with little success.

Bollywood buffs received a different sort of present this year: the premiere of the newest Shah Rukh Khan movie, RA. One, in Dubai on Diwali eve. “Shah Rukh Khan was there at the premiere and he touched me!” Asha gasped to me as she handed me a festive box of choco dates, scarcely believing it herself. “So I had my hand out and then he brushed my pinkie when he walked past and I nearly fainted!” She has now solemnly vowed never to wash her pinkie finger again.

By stark contrast with the twinkling diya oil lamps of Diwali, Halloween was a darker affair – think plenty of tasteful fake blood – and as a result is always a teenage favourite. As the delightful Severus Snape, I was pretty sure my sweeping cloak, wand (a paintbrush), fake hooked nose and greasy curtains of parted hair did the trick. A corked flask “borrowed” from the science department at school, labelled with a professional-looking “Eye of Newt Potione” (I was a potions professor, see?) added that extra element of je ne sais quoi, I think. Everyone else evidently didn’t agree, falling under the absurd impression that I was a mere witch with a bad-hair day. The “Potione” didn’t have the effect I had been hoping for, either, as I had to keep explaining that the “typo” kindly and repeatedly drawn to my attention was nothing of the sort; it was meant to give the word an ancient, faraway makeover.

A considerable number of people turned up as witches, cats and devils in a no doubt genius stroke of imagination and creativity, although to be fair, there were construction workers, Smurfs and a Jimi Hendrix, too. The party itself was like any other, except I couldn’t recognise anyone because they were all dressed up and the only lights were strobes. Embarrassingly enough, I was forced to keep yelling things like “Are you Callie or Tom or Lara, can’t see your face …” and “What? What? Speak up!” because you couldn’t hear anything above the throbbing music. Didn’t exactly end up as the life and soul of the party.

I would have loved to say I got up the next morning, raring to go as I set off for the Pink Walkathon, eager to make a difference. I didn’t. Having left the party at midnight, getting to a mall at half past five in the morning as part of the Volunteers in Dubai group took a Herculean effort, although a quick espresso fixed that.

I was manning one of the T-shirt stalls and it felt glorious to rally around against cancer in a wonderful atmosphere of camaraderie as we handed out pink shirts and hats.

Lola Lopez, the founder of Volunteers in Dubai, and Adele, our team leader, ensured things ran as smoothly as clockwork. The 10,000-strong crowd of people – and their beribboned dogs – were soon resplendent in pink, moving in a massive slow body through the roads of Dubai, blocking traffic, smelling strongly of sun cream and standing united against a killer disease.

And while I thoroughly enjoyed it, I’m just going to hang up my freebie pink hat now and get some much-needed shut-eye.

This article appeared in The National on November 1st – Congratulations Lavanya!

Yas Marina Circuit Abu Dhabi

As many of you know, one of the biggest events to hit the Middle East is happening in Abu Dhabi in just over two weeks; the Formula 1 Grand Prix. This will be the 19th Race of the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship, a global phenomenon that has occurred in places such as Malaysia, Australia, Monaco, Italy and Japan. Abu Dhabi is the latest in the line of exotic venue’s to join F1 in recent years, and it’s the innovative architectural design at the Yas Marina Circuit, which consist of a hotel which spans the race track, multi coloured twinkling lights, and a pit exit that tunnels under the first corner, that has truly got fans excited.
If, like me, you don’t know much about Formula 1, here are some facts heighten your understanding of the sport:
-Formula one cars run on a similar fuel to that of normal cars and petrol (surprisingly!).
-Tires are made to last at least 200 km and are constructed to be as light and strong as possible. The Nylon and Polyester structure consists of a complicated weave pattern, which is made to withstand the demands of an ordinary car.
-Formula one tires are also filled with a special nitrogen-rich air mixture, which is designed to minimize variations in tire pressure with temperature. This mixture also retains pressure much longer than a normal car would.
-Suspension of the tires is what harnesses the power of the engine- the downward force created by the wings and aerodynamic pact and the grip of the tires allows everything to run smoothly.
-Aerodynamics is the key aspect to the sport; its two main concerns being the creation of down force to help push the cars tires onto the track and improve cornering forces and minimizing the drag that gets caused by turbulence and slows the car down.
-The teams competing are; Red Bull Racing, McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, Renault, Force India, Sauber, Torro Rosso, Williams, Team Lotus, HRT and Virgin.
The tickets to this spectacular event range from 2000 DHS to 18 000 DHS per person depending on what stand you are in. As ridiculous as these prices may sound, you do have the added bonus of seeing artists such as Britney Spears, Incubus, The Cult and Paul McCartney perform. For most of these acts this will be their first time performing in the Middle East, so the concerts are bound to be an unforgettable experience. Britney is bringing her Femme Fatale tour to the Yas Arena on the first Night (November 11), followed by Incubus and The Cult on the 12th and Paul McCartney on the 13th. Music seems to go hand in hand with the event; last year Sean Paul, Kanye West and Prince were just some of the global superstars to perform in the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. Lady Gaga is even rumored to be performing at the Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India in the upcoming months!
For those of you that have a passion for speed and sophistication, the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is the perfect opportunity to enjoy what will undoubtly be an incredible event!