Self-isolation can be a great period to learn a new skill or brush up on an old one. Maybe you figure it's finally time to remove your guitar from under your bed, wipe away the dust and finally learn how to play Stairway to Heaven? Or you've just decided to learn something completely new like crocheting, painting or making trap beats. If you're looking to pick up a new hobby, here are six YouTube channels to check out while you're stuck at home, to make your time in self-quarantine a little more productive.
Jam like a guitar pro
Learning an instrument can be a daunting task, your fingers don’t seem to want to cooperate and the notes you barely manage to sound don’t have a single musical quality to them. But there are a range of benefits to learning a new instrument, from enhanced discipline to reduced stress and improved brain function.
If you’re planning on learning the guitar then GuitarJamz is a great resource. Marty Schwartz leads the sessions. Most of his videos on the GuitarJamz channel run for under 10 minutes, his lessons are short and get right to the point. You’ll go from learning how to hold down a chord to playing your favourite BB King, Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley songs in no time – with a lot of practice and discipline, of course.
Discover how to crochet
If you’re trying to learn to crochet then Sarah-Jayne’s Bella Coco channel might be just what you’re looking for. Like with Schwartz’s guitar lessons, most of Bella Coco’s videos are under 10 minutes long, and clearly indicate what the tutorial is about. From learning how to cross and floret stitch to making invisible seams and granny squares, her channel is worth a visit for those looking to get creative with crochet.
Learn to paint with Bob Ross
With a soothing voice, a cheerful demeanor and step-by-step instructions on how to awaken the artist in you, Bob Ross was arguably one of the best and most popular painting instructors.
In his instructional television show The Joy of Painting, which ran from 1983 until 1994, Ross taught techniques for landscape oil paintings, completing a painting each episode.
Ross showed thousands (if not millions) not to be intimidated by a paintbrush, and that anyone could paint. You can now find all 31 seasons of his show – more than 400 30-minute episodes – on the Bob Ross YouTube page.
Cook like a master chef in your own kitchen
Working from home has suddenly given many unprecedented access to their own kitchens. However, if you are unsure how to go about making a decent meal, then check out Food Wishes.
Chef John teaches viewers how to make a range of dishes from butternut bisque to honey mustard roast chicken and pizzadillas inspired by the Papa John’s pizza chain. He’ll even teach you how to make your own bread. One recommendation is to start with his older videos as he explains simple cooking concepts quite thoroughly.
Master how to Photoshop like a pro
If you want to brush up on your Photoshopping skills or are completely new to the software, Psdesire is a great resource. The channel has video tutorials on Adobe Photoshop, Photography, Camera Raw and Lightroom. It caters to beginners as well as photographers and designers.
Some of the topics covered in the tutorials include: text effects in Photoshop, photographic manipulations, photo composition, and retouching, as well as the basics of Photoshop.
While newer videos are taught using the latest version of Photoshop, you'll find videos covering the older Photoshop versions as well.
Learn to become a music producer
Want to make beats like your favourite music producers? There are a number of YouTube channels to teach the nuts and bolts of music production but Busy Work Beats is a great place to start.
With videos ranging from five minutes to an hour, the tutorials cover everything from sound design and sampling to song structure and mixing.
The tutorials also teach the ins and outs of various music production software, from Ableton to Fruity Loops and Pro Tools. You’ll even find advice on how to make beats similar to ones used by Drake and get a little insight on music theory.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Results
2pm: Handicap Dh 90,000 1,800m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m; Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Classic Conditions Dh300,000 1,400m; Winner: Thegreatcollection, Adrie de Vries, Doug Watson.
4pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Oktalgano, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m; Winner: Madame Ellingtina, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Mystery Land, Fabrice Veron, Helal Al Alawi.
5.30pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m; Winner: Shanaghai City, Jesus Rosales, Rashed Bouresly.
AUSTRALIA%20SQUAD
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Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
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TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PLUS
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You Were Never Really Here
Director: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Joaquim Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov
Four stars
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner: Dirilis Ertugrul, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer)
2.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,400m
Winner: Kidd Malibu, Sandro Paiva, Musabah Al Muhairi
2.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,000m
Winner: Raakezz, Tadhg O’Shea, Nicholas Bachalard
3.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,200m
Winner: Au Couer, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar
3.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m
Winner: Rayig, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m
Winner: King’s Shadow, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
New schools in Dubai
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Titan Sports Academy:
Programmes: Judo, wrestling, kick-boxing, muay thai, taekwondo and various summer camps
Location: Inside Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Telephone: 971 50 220 0326
Company%20Profile
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What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
