Calvin loves tourist tat. Set my nine-year-old loose in Goa's Anjuna night bazaar or Bangkok's weekend market and off he goes in search of cheap trinkets, happy as a clam, unmindful of his mother in hot pursuit in an attempt to stop him from spending all his hard-earned pocket money on an overpriced mango-wood elephant or a bag of beach pebbles or a monkey head carved from a coconut.
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But I haven't been very successful, and some of his recent purchases include a garish snowglobe featuring the Singapore Flyer, a mouldy book full of ancient stamps and a grubby drum from Goa, a 3-D puzzle of Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers, a Thai demon puppet that comes to life when its stiff paper limbs are worked up and down, a hideous hat bought in Siem Reap that he insists on wearing when we're at the beach (but in which he also manages to look extremely suave), and - his favourite possessions by far - six large, grimy peacock feathers from a very persuasive vendor on a Mumbai street.
On every trip, he asks the usual question: "Can I buy a little something when we go shopping in the market? Please?"
"Of course," I sigh, and inevitably, he finds something to bring home that disgusts me as much as it delights him.
He also insists on shelling out for a travel guide and map the minute we arrive in a new city. This, I must admit, comes in quite handy, especially when we've forgotten the address of a highly recommended but little-known local restaurant or when we're looking for a 24-hour pharmacy in the dead of the night because one of us (usually me) has succumbed to food poisoning.
While guide books and maps are a welcome addition to our home library, Calvin's rapidly growing collection of travel souvenirs is getting to be a bit of a headache, especially since his room is littered with them - they clutter his desk, cover the walls, decorate his loft bed. Sometimes, as in the case of the terrifying demon puppet, I even find them stapled to the curtains.
But despite the fact that my dusting woes increase with every new purchase, I can't begrudge him his little treasures, because they all have a different story to tell, each item inextricably bound to our collective travel experiences as a family. And as I go about straightening his room, my mind is immediately flooded with recollections of various trips and holidays we've been on over the years - whether good, bad or just plain silly.
Yes, memories truly are made of this, even if that horrible, leering puppet is the first thing that greets me when I walk into his room every morning.
ciyer@thenational.ae
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD
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Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
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Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
UAE and Russia in numbers
UAE-Russia ties stretch back 48 years
Trade between the UAE and Russia reached Dh12.5 bn in 2018
More than 3,000 Russian companies are registered in the UAE
Around 40,000 Russians live in the UAE
The number of Russian tourists travelling to the UAE will increase to 12 percent to reach 1.6 million in 2023
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Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Bangla Tigers 108-5 (10 ovs)
Ingram 37, Rossouw 26, Pretorius 2-10
Deccan Gladiators 109-4 (9.5 ovs)
Watson 41, Devcich 27, Wiese 2-15
Gladiators win by six wickets
GOLF’S RAHMBO
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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.
MATCH INFO
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