Since I was 14 years old, I have been giving up chocolate for Lent. Not to lose weight (well, not at first, anyway), but because I went to a Catholic school. The nuns told us we had to give up the one thing we loved the most in life for Lent. And for me that was (is) chocolate.
Giving up chocolate for 40 days is one of the hardest things I did every year. I would have the most horrible withdrawal symptoms; I would get cranky, angry and not pleasant to be around at all. But still, after those weeks, I would feel so proud and happy that I had done it. When I first got married, though, my husband would dread that month and, if he could have, he would have moved out on day one and come back on Easter Sunday when I would be, once again and for the next 300-odd days, tamed by cocoa euphoria.
A new challenge
Last year, after silently enduring all those days of agony and distress, he said to me a week before Lent: “This year, why don’t you give up social media?” Insert evil laugh.
Me: “Give up social media? But what about my (imaginary) fans? My ego? My self-imposed tap on the back? All those followers (50), who wait patiently for my #goodmorning and #photooftheday and #tooblessedtobestressed?”
At first, I considered doing it as a dare to show him that, no, social media does not, it will not, run my life, and also to prove to myself that, yes, of course I can talk to people in real life. And so, just like that – queue dramatic music, insert low deep voice – ‘twas the night before Lent, when all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse, that I logged out of all my social media accounts. Boom.
The first few days “off”, I had severe headaches, chest pains, heart palpitations and nausea. My hands would constantly itch from not holding my phone and staring at the screen for hours. My stomach would refuse to digest food I didn’t snap a picture of. I could even feel my credit card ache. I imagined my transactions getting rejected again and again, because I would refuse to post and share online how and where I was spending my money and where I was having my #tallskinnycappuccino.
The bank called to question my sudden lack of spending. Friends and family called to see if I was OK. They urged me to seek counselling to snap out of it, to make things right, to get back on the path of digital righteousness again. They said I wouldn’t last. They said I would go crazy when I eventually realised that no one would ever, like never, know how #blessed I was, how #happy and #inlove, or how #instagood my life was.
Not looking back
But just like that, days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, until I woke up one May morning and realised it has been more than one year since I was last seen “online”. One thing you should know about me is that I’m an all or nothing kinda girl. So why stay offline for 40 days when I can do it for 400?
People continue to ask me: “Aren’t you tempted to go back online? Don’t you feel all alone? How do you know when Paris Fashion Week is? Do you remember Gigi? Bella? What about Kylie? Her lip kit? How do you know where to eat? Do you still take selfies? Please tell me you still take selfies. Do you even like yourself? Are you still eating pretty food? Going out to fancy places? Buying expensive things? Whatever happened to #bosslady?”
#bosslady believed she could pay for her own food, buy her own clothes and brush her own hair without announcing it to the world – and so she did #goals.
Well, #bosslady believed she could pay for her own food, buy her own clothes and brush her own hair without announcing it to the world – and so she did #goals. Four seasons later, I can also reassure you that I am still up to date with the Kardashians, Jenners, Hadids, and all other people, products and places of interest. I now get my news – in more than 280-character abridgements – on paper.
However, what I have really been enjoying is sipping my tall, skinny, hot cappuccinos, instead of the lukewarm ones I used to have 10 minutes after they were served, just so I could click that perfect #latteart shot. I have been engaging in real-time conversations that don’t need to be acknowledged with a double blue tick, and won’t be interrupted by sketchy Wi-Fi or be totally ignored because “Oh, sorry darling, I don’t check my DMs”.
And, since I no longer seek validation from my phone 1,543 times a day, I now enjoy getting lost in the city and ask people for all manner of things, from directions and their grandmother’s rice pudding recipe to how they feel about pineapple on pizza, their best friend’s name in high school, and who their favourite Marvel superhero is #truestory. Friendships are no longer requested but earned, and my jaw bones are much stronger, from not having to freeze a selfie-smile for one full year. Best of all, I have been enjoying a #nofilter messy bun whenever I want since I am no longer #apublicfigure.
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
Uefa Nations League
League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Biography
Her family: She has four sons, aged 29, 27, 25 and 24 and is a grandmother-of-nine
Favourite book: Flashes of Thought by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Favourite drink: Water
Her hobbies: Reading and volunteer work
Favourite music: Classical music
Her motto: I don't wait, I initiate
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scores:
Toss: Northern Warriors, elected to field first
Bengal Tigers 130-1 (10 ov)
Roy 60 not out, Rutherford 47 not out
Northern Warriors 94-7 (10 ov)
Simmons 44; Yamin 4-4
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yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MWTC
Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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