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

Winter is finally near! And although for many people this means wrapping up in whatever’s warmest, for us lucky Dubai dwellers, it means it’s time to finally feel the fresh air! But the question remains: How do we make the most of our amazing winter weather?

While a lot of us Dubai College students are in the fortunate position to be able to splurge on fantastic activities such as the December Dubai Rugby Sevens, the latest concerts and maybe even an overseas school trip, it is also good to think about those less fortunate than ourselves. With the charitable season of Eid heading our way, there couldn’t be a better time to pay respects by donating a part of our wealth to charity. We can do this by taking full advantage of Dubai’s good weather without spending a dime! And here’s how:
Hit the Beach! Dubai is a coastal city, meaning that you will never be far from the white sandy beaches there are to offer.The extremely popular Jumeirah Beach is always a favourite, but there are also the public beaches at Al Mamzar and the Kite Beach running along Umm Suqeim. If you’re looking for a slightly more posh day out, JBR has many lively cafés and restaurants on The Walk filled with chatter and a lively atmosphere.
Go camping! Although this depends greatly on parental coordination, lighting a bonfire in the desert night sky creates a memory that will never be forgotten. Jokes can be shared and it is guaranteed that a good story or two will always come out of your bonding experience.
Host a gathering! Rather than waiting around for something to happen, take the initiative and invite a few close friends over! This is very rewarding once you see the fun that you can all have by simply enjoying your nearest pool together, having a barbeque or even hanging around in the compound like the good old days.
Dubai is not all about being glamourous, and once you learn to appreciate its natural charm, you’ll never look back! And what’s more, you can use your spare cash to help the world – one dirham at a time! You may have a favourite charity you like to support, or if not, head over to your nearest charity box at the mall.

   ‘It’s the quality of one’s convictions that determines success, not the number of followers’… Whilst this may be so, Professor Lupin, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter has found success on both fronts and will surely be missed… The seven films to date have earned almost a billion dollars each; therefore it is obvious that their followers are legion. However, dark times lie ahead… yet not for Harry Potter but rather for the millions of fans across the world that have grown up alongside The Boy Who Lived. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 stands as a spectacular closing chapter to the wizard saga, packed with breath-taking action sequences and moving performances from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. An emotional farewell for the devoted fans of JK Rowling’s fantasy world, the film surpasses all expectations. Simply magical! Following the release of the film, here are ten weird and wonderful facts that you perhaps did not know…  

1. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone, Harry sees his parents in a mirror which Dumbledore refers to as the ‘Mirror of Erised’ – does this ring any bells? Interestingly, ‘Erised’ is an anagram of DESIRE
2. Not only is Voldemort a keen follower of the Dark Arts, it appears that he also has a knack for languages as his name – as well as being an anagram of Tom Marvelo Riddle – means “fly from death” in French and Voldemort’s sole goal is to achieve immortality. Similarly, ‘Morsmorde’  (the command that makes the Dark Mark appear) means “take a bite out of death” in French, making it an appropriate call for Death Eaters.
3. In the second book, there is a picture of Gandalf the Grey from Lord of the Rings in Dumbledore’s study
4. As every Harry Potter fanatic knows, Dementors are deadly, wraith-like creatures. JK Rowling revealed that they represent depression and were based on her own experiences with the disease; interestingly, the remedy to lighten the effect of a Dementor is chocolate!
5. The driver and conductor of the Knight Bus from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Ernie and Stanley, are named after Rowling’s grandfathers
6. Numbers are symbolic in the series, especially 2, 3, 4, and 7. For example, the trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione suggest the power of three and the spiritual trinity. Harry fatally wounds the basilisk on its third strike, and Hagrid knocks on the front door of Hogwarts three times. Students attend Hogwarts for seven years and there are seven players on each Quidditch. Sirius is also imprisoned on the seventh floor of Hogwarts.
7. Natalie McDonald, who appears as a first year student in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, was a real person. She was a nine-year-old girl from Toronto, Canada, who was dying of leukemia. She wrote to Rowling asking what was going to happen in the next Harry Potter book as she would not live long enough to read it. Rowling emailed back, but Natalie had died a day earlier. In tribute, she became a first-year student at Hogwarts sorted into Gryffindor House by the Sorting Hat.
8. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when Arthur Weasley takes Harry and his pals to the Ministry of Magic they must first dial a secret code into a telephone keypad. He enters the number 62442. The letters underneath those numbers on a standard mobile phone spell out the word “magic”.
9. Twin jokers, Fred and George, the owners of the joke shop Weasley’s Wizard Wheezers celebrate their birthdays on the stupidest day of the year – April Fool’s Day
10. JK Rowling, Harry Potter and actor Daniel Radcliffe all share the same birthday, July 31. Coincidental – I think not!

What is Dubai’s Culture?

‘A thriving, dynamic and diverse city in the Middle East.’

-The Dubai Culture and Arts Authority

Living in Dubai, my second home in the Arabian Peninsula for fifteen years; I have no doubt seen and witnessed the ever-changing and dramatic landscape developments sprouting up around Dubai with a concrete jungle sitting squat. However, the one aspect that remains the same is the undeniable peaceful coexistence between vast nationalities.

As one the seven emirates, the international hub of Dubai has had over two hundred nationalities mixing and mingling together over the last thirty years of exponential development. Dubai is a one of a kind cosmopolitan city that doesn’t fit accordingly to any ‘Burgess’ Model of an urban area that you learn about in Geography. With its uniqueness, heritage, culture and arts, this diverse city is rich with tradition juxtaposed as being just a new vibrant tourist hotspot with up to ten million tourists jet setting into it alone this year. It no doubt has been put ‘on the map’ as one of the top holiday destinations- compared to fifteen years prior where enquiring and confused faces questioned: What is Dubai? Where is it?

Curious to expand my knowledge on Dubai’s culture: I stumbled across the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority website* which celebrates ‘… all that is Dubai. A thriving, dynamic and diverse city in the Middle East.’ One of their initiatives aims to expose upcoming Emirati artists who explore the ‘richness of the Emirati cultural iden

tity. When I first settled into the vast desert, I lamented the lack of art galleries, events and exhibitions- now whether it’s small pocketed alleyway galleries to huge pristine white walled spaces, annual events such as ‘Art Dubai’ which last year impressively boasted seventy galleries from thirty countries worldwide and provided the spotlight for upcoming and international artists to communicate and present their diverse masterpieces for the whole of Dubai’s eager eyes to see.

With numerous trips to the Dubai Museum, wondering about through the archaic pathways of the Al Bastakiya areas, smelling the sweet whiffs of Dubai’s Spice Souk, and discovering the bustling side of ‘Old Dubai’, whilst cruising on a traditional ‘abra’ along Bur Dubai Creek side – there is always an abundance of fascinating things you can learn about Dubai’s heritage and undiscovered places that you can visit. I’m still in awe of how crammed energized visitors are able to squeeze across the creek by a little chugging motor. All of the following places are open to the public to promote and preserve national heritage and education for residents, visitors and Emiratis.

Finally, it’s time to grab your trainers and light sports gear because Dubai is also equipped with cultural and traditional sporting adventures: especially ones for you adrenaline junkies out there. The giga

ntic slopes of sand dunes and vast sand spaces make Dubai like no other when it comes to roller coasting your way across the sand and bouncing yourself silly with dune bashing; reckless or not, sand boarding, camel riding, belly dancing the night away or even just simply strolling across the sun kissed sand to capture that last minute dip of the blazed sun.
* www.dubaiculture.ae

List of Cultural Heritage Areas and Places in Dubai:
• Al Bastakiya
• Archaeological Sites
• Bait Al Wakeel
• Bur Dubai Creekside Promenade
• Burj Nahar
• Dubai Museum
• Hatta Heritage Village
• Heritage House
• Heritage Village & Diving Village
• Majlis Ghorfat Um-Al Sheif
• Old Souks
• Sheikh Saeed’s House
• Sheikh Obaid bin Thani House
• Union House

Raeleen Murugan

1. DUBAI’S WINTER = AUTUMN: If it’s the one thing you can only do in Dubai, then it’s going to the beach in December. Although the so called ‘winter’ in Dubai doesn’t bring any snow, it’s the one time of the year when outdoor activities don’t leave you dehydrated, raining with sweat and about to faint. Not too hot and not too cold: The Goldilocks period.

2. THE PALM, THE WORLD AND ATLANTIS: There seems to be a new building rising from each corner of Dubai every day. When the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab rose in Jumeirah, it was unbelievable! But now a new innovative idea emerges every month - from the tallest building in the world to the biggest shopping mall on Earth to an incredible water park. No need for separate holidays; visiting these places are holidays themselves.

3. BEACH: Whether it’s for an end-of-school party or just a place to tan and chill, the beach is undeniably the best place to do so. Although there are some debates about which beach is the best (I personally

prefer Jumeirah Beach Park but others will argue the case of Sunset Beach or JBR), whichever beach it is, there’s nothing better than cooling yourselves in the sea and lying in the warm sun with the breeze in your hair- or is that too poetic?

4. “THE MELTING POT OF CULTURE”: I’m sure everyone has thought about it once in a while. You’re sitting with a group of friends, either in your class, canteen or the food court at Dubai mall, when you look around and realise that you’re sitting in a racially mixed group. Ranging from Indians, East Asians to just white westerners, it’s surprising how easily we mix. Due to the blend of nations we’re exposed to, it’s hard not to mix. But because of this environment, we get to know and understand the different cultures.

5. DUBAIAN AND PROUD: The one good thing you get out of living in Dubai is the reputation of having lived in a country spurred by imagination. Just a few years ago, Dubai was an unknown place to people living in other countries, but now when you say “I live in Dubai,” the immediate reaction is a surprised face with a list of descriptions of buildings that they’ve seen on the news. You would be silently nodding and smiling, “yup, I’ve seen all those, no biggy.”

Chae Yoon Kim

“Lost.” This is probably the way many shoppers saw themselves the first time they visited The Dubai Mall, one of the Emirate’s latest attempts to be the first, the biggest and, in general, the best. After opening just over a year ago on the 4^th of November 2008, I’m pleased to say that every one of its 750,000 visitors a week has eventually made their way home again.

At over 12 million square feet, the size of 50 football fields, there are any number of places where you can lose yourself in this maze. The first time I went, I seriously considered taking Hansel and Gretel’s advice and leaving a trail of breadcrumbs to the car but I curbed this desire and instead set off into the big, bad mall completely unsure of where I was going and where I’d just been.

Finally, I emerged from that labyrinth completely exhausted after traipsing around the mall for what seemed like hours (which is unusual for me as I love to shop and I never ‘traipse’ when doing so) however, I was also completely and utterly amazed. Despite being so large that it would take several days and a fully planned expedition to cover the entire shopping centre, what I have seen of it the many times I’ve been there is simply astonishing. Although I’m not an expert, I can pretty confidently say there aren’t any other malls in the world where after shopping you can dive with sharks, ice skate, ride indoor rollercoasters, watch otters ‘frolicking’ and eat your own body weight in sweets all in the same day.

Therefore, even though The Dubai Mall has been the cause of many a blister and that even after the many, many times that I’ve been there I still occasionally find myself- well, that’s the problem, I don’t really know where, I think it’s fair to say that it’s incredible. Yes, it is a maze but it’s most definitely an amazing one.

Georgina O’Mahoney