• Home
• /
• Lifestyle

POINTS OF VIEW

A space to share your feedback. Over to you.

Best Letter

Saviour Angels

In a world where people are constantly killing each other in the name of race and religion, it is such a breath of fresh air to read about angels like Dr Sameh (Fighting Ebola, Feb 20), who are working across borders, to help people in different parts of the world, irrespective of race or religion.

It kind of restores your faith in humanity and the whole ess-ence of why God made us all live with each other — our different backgrounds and ethnicities, notwithstanding.

It must take some sort of phenomenal bravery and courage for such people to go to areas that have been ravaged by these horrific diseases and put their own lives at risk so that other people’s lives can take priority.

His account of the whole scenario gave me chills — even though I was reading about it within the comforts of my own home, forget living it out on a daily basis like he did.

Like any story, however, even this one has a silver lining — as all the hard work and &perseverance did end up paying off in the end.

Not to mention, the complete sense of contentment that people like Dr Sameh feel when they see some of their patients actually recover from the dreaded disease — that has already claimed so many — and go on to live normal lives.

It makes one wonder that maybe such diseases exist to make us come together and work together on some endeavours, at least, and thus put up a united front.

Congratulations on your winning entry, SAMEEN AHMED! We will be in touch soon.

---

Little Big Spirit

Fighting Ebola (Feb 20) was a grim reminder of the disease that has been one of the worst epidemics to slap humanity right across the face. And probably another distress signal flared by Nature herself.

Reading through that particular piece, however, my heartstrings were plucked with the references to Baby Isatta’s case. It was heartbreaking to note that a baby had been diagnosed with Ebola and had no surviving member of her family to tend to her. Yet, her presence amongst the patients seemed to distract them from their own ailments — even if only for a while.

Those who were connected by the same malady fed and watered her and made sure she was taken care of well. Thanks to the endeavours and perseverance of the doctors in charge, Baby Isatta now has, what I would hope is, a long life ahead of her.

Hats off to the people who put her needs before their own and, in doing so, ensured that she remained a ‘symbol of the strength of the human spirit’ to people nearing the loss of their own hope.

Tanya Aravind, by email

---

What a Spread!

I absolutely loved the spread of breads in the last issue of wknd. (Bread Basket, Kitchen Classics, Feb 20). I’ve always loved the smell of fresh bread, hot out of the oven — but never dared to even try to make them on my own. By default, I considered them ‘out my league’ of gastronomic abilities.

The recipes featured, however, were so simple, and so inviting in their simplicity that I’ve resolved to give them a shot. The olive and oregnano loaf is certainly top of my list! Or should it be the kulcha...? Dried mango and mint? I’m tempted to try them all!

Leanne C, Dubai

---

One for the Foodie

Dubai never ceases to fascinate me in the area of innovation — and perhaps, no more so than in the area of innovating its food scene (The Quiet Food (Truck) Revolution, Feb 20). One might argue they excel in architecture but, being a foodie, I’ve always got an ear out for the latest food trends — and these food trucks certainly got my attention. The only other place I could’ve hoped to see something on this scale would have been in the US — but imagine my thrill to find that they’ve brought food trucks here!

Also, liquid nitrogen? How cool is that! All that exploding and freezing and popping of ice cream and whipped cream has just fired up my imagination — and my appetite.

My family has been warned. If I go missing during the day throughout the month of February, they’ll know where to find me!

Ryan, Dubai

---

Changing Strategy

Thanks for another very interesting read on entrepreneurship and things to bear in mind when running a business (Bad Metrics: Why Businesses Fail, Feb 20). As an owner of a small company myself, I’m beginning to think I need to revise my marketing strategies to leverage my brand’s presence in a highly competitive sector. In fact, I’ve started using Google Analytics, as suggested, and using the insights to make decisions I wouldn’t have known to understake otherwise!

Frances D’Costa, Sharjah