It was enough to make my friend weep. There she was in her colleague's home, observing the household's teenage son burning through pages of The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien. This was followed up by a tour of the kid's burgeoning library, featuring works by Alexandre Dumas and others.
The amazement my friend felt at the young bookworm she had witnessed caused her to reflect on her own son's aversion to the written word. The situation was clearly desperate enough for her to ask me to consult. "Tell him about how your love of reading allowed you to have this great job where you travel the world and stuff," she said. "If I tell him, he will feel like it's work. If you tell him, he will probably think of reading as a shortcut to having a good job and having fun."
Despite her pithy description of what she thinks I do, I agreed to meet the 14-year-old. It was to be an awkward conversation, not because of his lack of enthusiasm, but more to do with the fact that I was just like him at his age. He loves smartphones; I was into my Atari gaming console, which came with more than 200 games. My parents tried their best, through a mixture of cajoling and threats, to get me to read but I waved them all off, saying that books bored me to tears.
My mother is bemused by the fact that I am now a voracious reader and, funnily enough, she really had nothing to do with it.
I can recall quite clearly when the book bug bit me. I was 14 and in Australia, and to pass the time at school I would rummage through the high school library. It was there that I came across the 1973 crime novel Hail to the Chief by American author Ed McBain. I remember being entranced by the cover, which featured the back of a motorcycle gang member who stood wielding a broken glass bottle. I read the first few pages and was hooked by the witty banter of the homicide cops as they stood over a dead body. I enjoyed the dark humour of the prisoners in the police station and the occasional action scenes. It all felt so thrillingly grown-up – the sensation was similar to the guilty pleasure of sneaking into a movie you weren't old enough to see.
After that I read every Ed McBain novel our school library had in stock. This led to me penning my own crime short stories. They were mere carbon copies of McBain’s tales. From then on, my love of reading and writing grew, as did my academic grades, much to my mum’s relief. I eventually branched out and became a reader of a variety of literature, at the same time writing poetry and essays on football. It all resulted in the realisation that I needed a job where I could read and write and get paid for it. A newsroom in Abu Dhabi is where I wound up.
All of this would have proved anathema to my younger self, who thought of reading as an experience on a par with going to the dentist.
My advice to my friend's son was plain and simple – read whatever you find fun and books that allow your young and rich imagination to take flight. My advice to my friend was to let him be, buy him those cheesy magazines and graphic comics – he'll eventually get to The Hobbit.
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Read more of Saeed's thoughts:
Abu Dhabi has become a home very far away from home for many expats
The natoor is an enduring reminder of old-school ways
Brushing off the stigma of baldness
The story behind a signature: One UAE resident’s tale is a sign of the times
Spring in the UAE: A time filled with regret and guilt
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
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The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
