If you offered to swap your brand new top-of-the-range luxury sports car for Azizah Abdul Aziz's 12-year-old Land Rover Discovery, you might be a little surprised at her reaction.
"I love my car, absolutely love it," says the 31-year-old events management executive. "And I'd choose it over a newer, smaller, faster model any day of the week."
Azizah, who lives in Sharjah with her husband and two large dogs, is originally from Singapore. She first arrived in the UAE in 2003 to work as cabin crew for Etihad Airways, but did not hold a driver's licence until 2006. Passing her test, she admits, has been a life-changing experience.
"Learning to drive made a real difference to my life. Suddenly I was so much more independent. But for the first few months I didn't have my own car, so ended up driving around in my husband's Toyota Prado."
The experience of using a four-wheel drive helped Azizah decide that she also wanted to own a larger vehicle when she moved from Abu Dhabi to Sharjah in 2007. "I got very comfy in the Prado. I loved the interior, the powerful AC, the cruise control - and the fact that I was high up in the traffic. Those advantages made me realise I had to get a similar car."
Two years ago, she found her perfect match pinned to the private ads noticeboard in Spinneys.
"As soon as I saw the advert, I knew I wanted the car," she says of the 1998 green Land Rover Discovery with full leather interior. "It was a bargain at Dh14,000, even though there were quite a few kilometres on the clock. I asked my husband to take it out for a drive to see if it sounded OK, because I wasn't sure what to look for in terms of engine problems."
Since then, Azizah has modified her much-loved vehicle with technical overhauls, tinted windows and a brand new stereo system.
"I love driving anyway, and the novelty of having that freedom has never worn off. I like the fact that my car is big, gruff and practical, as well as being really comfortable. At the same time though, it's not so luxurious that I can't have fun with it. For example, at weekends, we love piling the dogs in the back and going camping or to the beach."
Indeed, she's so attached to her Land Rover that it even has a name, although she won't reveal it. "My car is definitely a 'she'," she laughs. "But that's all I'm saying. Obviously, because it's my first car, it is special to me. I get quite sentimental and protective about it."
Azizah admits that anything smaller than her current car simply wouldn't do it for her. "I have driven smaller hire cars while the Land Rover is being serviced, but I don't enjoy it half as much."
The Corolla she has hired of late is not her favourite thing on wheels. "For one thing, if you're going through heavy traffic in a Corolla, you just don't get much respect from other drivers," she complains. "The sheer height in the Land Rover is excellent. It's not only about being bigger, it's about visibility too. Usually, I can foresee traffic delays because I'm higher up than other drivers."
And though her car has seen better days, she is keen to point out that, with the current financial situation, buying a new one just isn't practical. "For a start, the process to get a car loan is very long and drawn out, and a new car loses so much of its value once you take it on the road. So it's not really worth it."
No, for now Azizah is sticking to her trusty Discovery to ride out the recession. "The Land Rover is also perfect for me because I work from home a lot and don't do too much long-distance driving.
If I did, I would probably opt for a newer car - perhaps a Range Rover Sport in red," she says. "But for now, it definitely makes more sense to stick to an older model - as long as you have a good mechanic!"
motoring@thenational.ae
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
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
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
Saturday results
Qatar beat Kuwait by 26 runs
Bahrain beat Maldives by six wickets
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by seven wickets
Monday fixtures
Maldives v Qatar
Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
Bahrain v UAE
* The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
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
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
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more from Janine di Giovanni
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
Empty Words
By Mario Levrero
(Coffee House Press)
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
