Life uninterrupted: If rain deters your drive, shop online

From Amazon to Alibaba, Ikea to Carrefour, and Noon to Namshi, check out the deals on offer. Happy Double Eleven Day.

Happy Singles' Day, UAE - it's raining deals! Yes, yes, I know. it's also raining-raining, but we're talking about the biggest day in the annual online shopping calendar. The event initiated by Alibaba in China in 2009 has now become a common feature here, too, in the UAE on 11/11, a.k.a. November 11. But let's talk about the actual rain first. What an amazing spectacle it was yesterday, wasn't it? I've lived in Dubai since 2005, and I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've seen it pour harder than that. I believe it was a similar experience in the rest of the emirates, too.
Just as we were getting ready for the daily Edit meeting in our Al Quoz headquarters yesterday, there was momentary silence followed by an exuberant outpouring of emotion among the team that only heavy rain or salary bonus is known to bring about. No prizes for guessing which one it was. As the team darted across to the balcony to get a 4DX experience of the deluge, the KT WhatsApp group lit up with journalists posting stuck-in-traffic selfies (as proof of why they weren't in office for the said meeting) and showcasing the numerous makeshift ponds in the middle of the roads and under the flyovers across the city.
A team member left for home after he learnt that a tree from his neighbour's garden was in danger of falling over the dividing wall. A bunch of people who were supposed to visit us cancelled the meeting after Google Maps showed them a sea of red around their office and our office and pretty much everywhere in between. School buses were late in delivering the kids back home as they had to navigate wheel-deep puddles at certain spots. Flights were under a cloud of suspension. Shoppers at a mall in Dubai were apparently soaked in surprise after 'leakages in limited areas'. Life, as we know it, was interrupted. That (finally) brings us to Destination 11/11. It's today. Forget the US-China trade war, ignore the traffic, enjoy the rain from behind your French windows. From Amazon to Alibaba, Ikea to Carrefour, and Noon to Namshi, check out the deals on offer. Happy Double Eleven Day.