Not all hobbies play out the same. Some are wildly common and involve groups of friends and even strangers, others are more intimate, personal even, and practised in solitude.
And then there are those that make some think, I can't believe people do “that” for fun.
The niche ways in which we choose to spend time – be it via unorthodox ways of gaming or indulging in age-old art forms – find a special place in our lives, as the Abu Dhabi residents we speak to here can confirm.
Break from reality
Abdullah El Omari, 32, developed an interest in Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) in his university years, when he discovered a content creator group called Critical Roll, which he still watches to this day.
D&D is a game where a dungeon master designs a story using modules that help streamline the narrative, or designs stories from scratch (a concept called home-brew). Players then create their own characters and play the story with the DM's guidance, leading it in myriad directions, which could have an impact on the fictional world the story is based in.
Until 2015, El Omari had only watched other people play in live streams on YouTube and Twitch. When the pandemic was at its worst, he joined a website called Roll 20 and started playing with other people from around the globe.
El Omari now plays the game for 20 hours a week; he has two ongoing stories that he is running himself. On a biweekly basis, he runs a “one shot”, a story that begins and ends on the same day, which helps to lure more people into the hobby.
El Omari has always enjoyed fantasy, history and fictional writing, and playing D&D also serves as a medium for these interests.
“Over the years, I have taken up different hobbies here and there, but I wouldn't call any of those truly ‘mine’. However, D&D has become a staple of my life, and I play it on a daily basis both because I enjoy it and because I am good at it – creating stories and fun experiences for others,” says El Omari.
How the dice fall
Khalid Al Mehairbi, 35, a project manager in Abu Dhabi Distribution Company enjoys working on projects rather different from the ones assigned to him in his day job. Like El Omari, he enjoys playing D&D, but a particular part of that enjoyment is crafting his own dice.
Dice rolls determine how well your character does at a certain task in the fictional game, and Al Mehairbi says he loves to play with dice he has crafted with his own hands no matter whether his character succeeds or fails.
Al Mehairbi bought his first dice from a vendor and became curious as to how it was made. Online research left him fascinated with the process, and he decided to create his own shapes and designs ever since.
Al Mehairbi uses a silicon mould, resin and mica powder – a material similar to glitter – to create his dice.
“I liked the creative process and I wanted to play with dice created uniquely by me, for me. Choosing the colours, shape and experimenting with the design feels therapeutic,” says Al Mehairbi. “It’s very rewarding when you see your own creations coming to life.”
Cutting edge
Afra Alawadhi was always inclined towards artistic hobbies, especially painting. One day, a friend asked if she could paint the edges of a book. Alawadhi recalls she had no idea this was even a thing, but decided to give it a go nonetheless.
“She got me The Godfather and asked me to paint the edges of the book with the picture of the main character. I searched on YouTube on how to do it correctly and realised this is something of an age-old art that goes back centuries and it’s called fore-edge painting.
“It used to be done for churches and scriptures in ancient times, and artists would even use real gold to paint the edges of books,” explains Alawadhi.
Since then she has painted the edges of more than a dozen books, learning the art of shutting the tomes tight with clampers, so the paint doesn't seep on to the pages.
While she used to take commissions via social media, at the moment she practises her hobby just for her own creative satisfaction.
Trump card
From being a collector of the trading card game Magic the Gathering, to owning his own card-trading shop, Abu Dhabi resident Zayed Al Mazrouei has managed to hit the ultimate goal: Turning a hobby into a business.
“Earlier, to do the collecting, my brother and I had to order the cards online or depended on traders within the community; they would come with a binder and sell their cards this way,” Al Mazrouei says. “Then we came across a collector who was selling a rather large collection.”
The cards were way too many for the brothers to effectively sell in Back to Games, the local shop they relied on. Initially, the Al Mazrouei brothers considered making the sale on E-bay or Amazon, but that further evolved into them opening Card Oasis Trading, an online store, initially for that one large collection.
“My main reason for this business has become to better accommodate hobbyists here. The decision was a combination of us finding that large collection for sale mixed in with the idea that we had suffered before when ordering from the UK and the US, as it could take ages to get the cards that we wanted.
“That translated from us being hobbyists to becoming someone taking care of a problem for the hobby community at large.”
Next on the cards is expanding the games they stock as well as having their own bricks-and-mortar shop.
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
Company%20profile
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
More on animal trafficking
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Everton%20Fixtures
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The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
The biog
Name: Sarah Al Senaani
Age: 35
Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2
Education: Masters of arts in cultural communication and tourism
Favourite movie: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Favourite hobbies: Art and horseback ridding
Occupation: Communication specialist at a government agency and the owner of Atelier
Favourite cuisine: Definitely Emirati - harees is my favourite dish
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Opening day UAE Premiership fixtures, Friday, September 22:
- Dubai Sports City Eagles v Dubai Exiles
- Dubai Hurricanes v Abu Dhabi Saracens
- Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
