Out of the Kaleidoscope

Not having been out of the country for over a year, I had been looking forward to this trip to Dubai. Like a voyager of yore, I was venturing out to seek my fame and, more importantly, a change of fortunes.

At Katunayake, my new blue jeans and crisp white shirt seemed to have the same effect on the security staff as a red flag would have on a bull. I was stopped at every point and the contents of my overweight bag were scrutinised with some interest. My faithful dictaphone came in for special attention.

The waiting room for passengers flying out to Dubai was like a bus terminus. The teeming masses (that remit foreign exchange that keeps CBSL from going under) were in traveling mode, it seems.

The SriLankan Airlines flight was lovely. As we left the lush greenery and red-tiled roofs behind, I settled down with a can of Carlsberg beer – and then another. Through the window, I was pensive as we flew over the southern part of India, before the aroma of delicious chicken biriyani brought me back to reality. After tucking into a scrumptious meal like that, a few minutes of snoozing is mandatory. On awakening, I sipped a glass of coffee-flavoured Tia Maria and awaited the descent.

Flying into the Gulf, one sees a vast expanse of desert... nothing but sand dunes as far as eye could see… until a few minutes before landing.

The Dubai arrivals lounge has an international flavour to it, with all those nationalities scurrying hither and thither like ants. Emerging from the airport terminus was like exiting the New Delhi airport – a crowd of South Asian-looking persons (‘cabbies’, probably) crowded the entrance.

Since it was an evening in September, I had – I was told - escaped the worst of the heat, but it was hot nevertheless. The uncle’s air-conditioned Camry whisked me away at fast clip, past signboards that read ‘Minimum Speed Limit: 60 kmph’ and ‘Maximum Speed Limit 100 kmph’.

Welcome to life in the fast lane!

Dubai: Higher, Faster, Hotter!

Look out for a series of posts on Dubai - when I find the time to write!

Sunny Side like No Other?

COLOMBO: The Maldivian tourism industry, riding on its slogan ‘The sunny side of life’, is booming. The country has made giant strides and is now a leading destination in the Indian Ocean. Last year, 602,000 tourists stayed an average of 8.4 days in that country and spent US$ 115 per day (excluding payment for the hotel). Officials expect arrivals to increase by 10-15% during 2007.

Culture, nature and adventure are the mainstay of tourism in Sri Lanka, while beaches are the prime attraction in the Maldives. Besides, the Maldives attracts a more premium leisure tourist, exactly the kind of traveler that Sri Lanka has been attempting to woo recently. Hence, there is ample scope for a symbiotic relationship between the tourism sectors of both countries.

Addressing a press briefing here on Tuesday, Abdul Hameed Zakariyya, Maldivian Deputy Minister for Tourism & Civil Aviation, emphasized, “We are not competing destinations, we are complementary destinations.” He described tourism as a very dynamic industry and said that his visit was intended “to explore further opportunities for investors and industry on both sides”.

Immediately prior to the briefing, the Sri Lanka – Maldives Joint Task Force on Tourism (JTFT), consisting of representatives from the public and private sectors, discussed ways and means to protect each country’s tourism turf. The task force also decided to work on jointly promoting their countries to travelers from China.

Faiszar Musthapha, Deputy Minister of Tourism, seemed upbeat at the prospect of collaboration. He announced that Milinda Moragoda, Tourism Minister, had offered 25 scholarships to Maldivian students in the Sri Lanka Hotel School. In a move that is perceived as significant, the hotel school will provide certificate- or diploma-level training to these students. They will then form the nucleus for the skilled labour needed to staff the 44 new resorts opening in the Maldives.

Sri Lanka is inextricably linked with Maldivian tourism, playing a significant role in transporting passengers. Zakariyya pointed out that 35% of his country’s leisure traffic prefers flying SriLankan Airlines. Musthapha drove home the point, saying, “Through John Keells and Aitken Spence, Sri Lanka owns 12% of the Maldivian hotel sector.” Interestingly, of the 22,000 employees in Maldivian resorts also, 12% are Sri Lankans. Besides skilled labour, Sri Lanka also supplies fruits and vegetables.

Thus far, Maldivian tour operators have been pushing inbound tourism but will start promoting dual destinations soon. Last year, 26,500 Maldivians visited Sri Lanka - on holiday, to study or for medical purposes, making it the fourth largest source market.

The JTFT first met during 2004 in the Maldives but, with both countries suffering from the impacts of the tsunami, it has taken three years before this second meeting. It was decided that the JTFT would meet twice a year henceforth. An Action Committee will also be created – with six representatives from each side - to address any impediments. A smoother process for Maldivian investments in Sri Lanka and vice versa was also considered.

Rains Keep Yala Open

Yala National Park, which is usually closed for visitors from August 31st, will remain open till September 15th this year.

On a request by the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB), the Director General of Wildlife Conservation has approved keeping the park open to visitors. With the good rainfall enjoyed this year, the park is not encountering water problems that usually prompt closure of the park.

“Keeping the park open is in the interest of tourism and we are fortunate that there is no water problem this year,” said Renton de Alwis, SLTB Chairman. “With tourist arrivals improving, it is good to be able to showcase this attraction to visitors currently in Sri Lanka.”

The travel and tourism industry has seen a recovery in August 2007, with Colombo having been the venue for international events: 8th ICAAP, the Regional Conference of the South Asia Free Media Movement and ‘FACETS 2007’, the current gem and jewellery exhibition. August being the month of the Kandy Perahara, an event marketed aggressively by Sri Lankan hotels, has also been a contributor for the high arrivals. The industry is hopeful that the trend will continue with other major events on the tourism calendar playing a part.

Courtesy: Prashanthi Ravindran

Letter to Dear Mr Bill Gates

We have bought a computer for our home and we found problems, which I want to bring to your notice.

1. After connecting to internet, we planned to open e-mail account and whenever we fill the form in Hotmail in the password column, only ‘******’ appears, but in the rest of the fields whatever we typed appears. But we face this problem only in password field.

We checked with hardware vendor Santa Singh and he said that there is no problem in keyboard. Because of this, we open the e-mail account with password ‘******’. I request you to check this as we ourselves do not know what the password is.

2. We find there is 'Run' in the menu. One of my friend clicked 'Run' has ran upto Amritsar! So, we request you to change that to ’Sit’, so that we can click that by sitting.

3. One doubt is that any 'Re-scooter' available in system? As I find only'Re-cycle', but I own a scooter at my home.

4. There is 'Find' button but it is not working properly. My wife lost the door key and we tried a lot for tracing the key with this 'Find', but unable to trace. Is it a bug??

5. Please confirm when you are going to give me money for winning 'HEARTS' (playing cards in games). And when are you coming to my home to collect your money?

6. My child learnt 'Microsoft Word'. Now he wants to learn 'Microsoft Sentence'. So when you will provide that?

7. Hey yeh kya hai? I brought computer, CPU, mouse and keypad lekhin there is only one icon with 'MY Computer'. Remaining ka kya huwa?

8. Arre yeh to kamaal hi aap bole raha hi ki 'MY Pictures' lekhin there is not even single photo of mine. So when you will keep my photo in that?

9. Is that 'NOTEPEN' available in system? As I find only ‘NOTEPAD’, tell me fast as I lost my PEN.

10. There is 'MICROSOFT OFFICE'. What about 'MICROSOFT HOME’?

Thanking you,

Banta Singh,
Punjab.

(Courtesy: Jonathan Motha)

Planning For a Heart Attack

A century ago, the average life expectancy of a human being was 46 years. The primary causes of death were pneumonia, tuberculosis and enteritis. Until as recently as fifty years ago, most people who suffered a heart attack died of it.

How times have changed! The current life expectancy statistic stand at 76 years, which means people are living thirty years more than they used to. They die of lifestyle-related causes: heart disease (29%), cancer (23%) and stroke (7%). The world’s largest-selling medicine is Lipitor, a drug that lowers cholesterol - another lifestyle-induced ailment. Our lifestyles are killing us softly…

We are surviving longer only due to the progress of medical sciences. Today, there is a high probability that the victim of a heart attack will survive. Statisticians point out that a male who has just survived his first heart attack stands a 75% chance of living at least five years more. A heart transplant recipient can expect to live ten years after the transplant. A person diagnosed with cancer has a 50% probability of surviving another five years, minimum.

But there’s a flip side to these advances in modern medicine, cautions Ashok Sardana, MD – Continental Group International, UAE. He ought to know. As a certified financial advisor from the Chartered Insurance Institute of London, Sardana has been advising clients on a range of financial services for over 27 years. Speaking on ‘Modern Medicine and Its Impact on Financial Planning’ recently, he said the high probability of a person’s surviving a debilitating illness raises questions about his subsequent earning capacity.

In the past, medical insurance and life insurance were adequate as bail-out policies. Medical insurance paid the hospital bills. Life insurance - subject to all those terms and conditions – provided an assured sum of money on maturity (survival) or to dependents on death.

For most of us, who have not been born with silver spoons in our mouths, our ability to earn an income is our most important asset. The problem is: What happens if you suffer an attack that diminishes your earning capacity before your life insurance policy matures? Would you be unable to afford the lifestyle that you have been accustomed to? How would you afford expenses like home renovation or travel or whatever?

‘Critical illness protection’ provides insurance by paying a guaranteed lump sum amount. The insured person becomes eligible to apply for the amount upon first being diagnosed with any of the specified illnesses or being prescribed certain surgical procedures. These typically include heart attack, stroke, cancer and bypass surgery.

Premium is based on age, gender and physical condition of the insured: Typically, a male aged 35 would pay a monthly premium of US$ 140 per month for an assured lump sum of US$ 100,000. A 45-year-old man would pay US$ 230 for US$ 100,000. A woman would pay a premium of approximately 83% of that, reflecting the lower incidence of critical illnesses among the fairer gender.