Drive safely
With 2015 almost here, I would like to wish everyone in the UAE a peaceful and prosperous New Year. In particular, I hope that in 2015 there will be less accidents on the road and my wish is for all drivers to show better tolerance, patience, consideration and demonstrate more courtesy to other road users and pedestrians. There are just too many reckless and inconsiderate drivers on the road nowadays because many of them are simply impatient. At the end of the day we tell ourselves that our main purpose of driving is trying to get from point A to point B safely.
Although this wish of mine is unlikely to show improvement, I still hope that everyone who is driving on the road will spare a thought for themselves, to their loved ones and to others. I am resident of Dubai and have been working in this country for 11 years. It is my New Year’s wish that we all continue to live harmoniously and safely in this country for many more years to come. I wish you and everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year.
From Mr Sebastian Tan
Dubai
World peace
The year 2014 was good, and I am expecting a more beautiful 2015. It is human nature to expect more and more, and I think that this is a never ending story. We should always try to be happy with what we have in our hands and not waste today hoping for the future. In this life, I have learnt the importance of working hard with honesty and if you do, you will get what you want.
My message to the whole world for the coming New Year is to keep peace within you. If you have peace in you, then your family will be more peaceful and this can make for a peaceful society. I believe that by doing this, we can make this world a more peaceful place.
From Mr Rajrajesh Das
UAE
Hopes for another good year
This year has been a wonderful year. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree and I got a job where I earn enough to sustain myself. I have seen and experienced a lot of positive changes in me.
As 2015 begins, I do look forward to this New Year. I have a lot of hopes and aspirations when I think of 2015. I hope to move up in my career, achieve the targets I set for myself, work efficiently and not let any obstacle get in between my career and me. I want my parents to be proud of my achievements and thereby satisfying their dreams as well. I hope I can maintain a proper work-life balance. I wish 2015 will bring in good times to all and may it be a memorable one.
From Ms Lekshmi Mini
UAE
Maybe this year
Yet again another year has passed with a lot of hopes and promises unfulfilled. At the start of the year I had a lot of dreams about growth in salary, reuniting with my family and other ambitions, but they are left unfulfilled. I find myself trying hard and working hard and still awaiting for fruitful growth. Now I am awaiting the New Year with a lot of old dreams to come fulfilled. I hope this year brings me a lot of happiness, success, growth and for all my dreams to come true. I pray to God that I will see a lot of happiness, love and peace throughout the world. No war and no killing, only peace and love.
From Mr Lodhi Azmatullah Khan
Dubai
Quite a ride!
This past year has been very rocky for me. Career wise, I went up and did better. Education wise, I grew wiser since I went back to college after a 19-year gap. It was my mother’s dream for me to pursue higher education, and I did this not only for my personal growth, but to thank my mother for all that she did. I achieved distinctions in my first year of my MBA and I hope I will repeat it in the final year, ending this year. I will be dedicating this to my mother who pushed me so hard to achieve this new milestone.
On a personal front, my toddler got admission to a school in the UAE. So this year has been one rollercoaster ride for me, but in the end I think it was all worthwhile and I enjoyed every moment.
I look forward to welcoming the New Year in India, my home country and place of birth, with my loved ones. It has been 18 years since I left home where my whole family will be together welcoming the New Year. I hope and pray that the organisation I work for continues to do well for many more glorious years to come and I wish peace and happiness to everyone on this wonderful planet called Earth.
From Ms Sandhya Shetty
Dubai
A tough year
This year has been very unlucky for me. I lost my job and above all I lost my beloved father last month, who was our inspiration, leader and a striking force throughout our lives. Also, we were forced to vacate our rented house even though the existing agreement was still valid. It was a year of agony and frustrations. These are all realities of life, which we must face courageously.
Socially, economically and politically this year we witnessed a lot of bad happenings throughout the world. The killing of innocent lives in Palestine and Syria were at its core and shook the psychological emotions of the entire world. The latest attack at Pakistan’s Army School where the children were brutally murdered was devastating. Discrimination and racism are back as human beings are becoming restless and reckless. It is time for all of us to become human beings to eradicate all oddities of our lives.
Let us hope the coming year may bring peace and harmony and produce more job opportunities without any quality reservations among the human beings.
From Mr Mohammad Ameen
UAE
Steady ambition
I would like to express my joy by saying that 2014 was an outstanding year. My professional and personal goals were accomplished. In fact, this year was much better than the previous years. My decisions were clear and it led to the path of success. I am not feeling ambitious for next year, but it won’t be less than the previous year either. Being a part of society, I would expect more peace globally.
From Ms Prasanna Narayanan
UAE
Encouraging
The year 2014 was quite interesting and very good year for me, especially with more encouragement by Dubai winning the Expo 2020. Being a resident and depending on the prosperity of Dubai, encouraging signs of the economy is a happy indicator for me. The result of growth, future plans, infrastructure development of Dubai is bringing more joy and prosperity to residents.
I hope the country as a whole will see tremendous growth in the coming years. The visionary leaders will take the country to new heights and give enormous joy and happiness to each and every one of the residents.
I wish the country, its leaders and all residents a very happy and prosperous new year. Let us all work together in harmony and be a role model to other nations.
From Mr Dorairajan Ravi
Sharjah
Difficult, but doable
For me, 2014 was a tough year, but it was manageable if you knew how to keep an eye on your budget and if you stayed focused on the financial goals you had when you came to the UAE. I was able to repay my housing loan and started saving for my retirement fund. As a Filipina, there has been an influx of Filipinos and this has made me feel like I am not so far away from my home country. A number of developments in the country have contributed for a life with less stress.
I hope that 2015 is another good year for the UAE. I always look forward to more Guinness World Records for the country. I hope that the authorities will help people with the rising cost of living that we see in accommodations and food. I am not intending to include transportation, but with the recent increase in fares for the Metro and taxis, I pray that these increases will come to a halt. Thank you and God bless the UAE for making a better ‘me’.
From Ms Ma Teresa Edpan
Dubai
Bettering myself
The curtains of 2014 are getting ready to be brought down and we are on the cusp of yet another new year. This is a time for reflection and introspection. It is also that time of the year when we need to have a closer look at where we want to be. While we do not necessarily need a New Year’s plan, it provides us with a reason to get into this exercise. Major concerns for many would be how to make more money, move up the career ladder or acquire better possessions.
I believe, for me, it is important to become a better human being. This will make life easier for people around me as well as for myself. I want to make use of the New Year to unclutter my mind. The mind is always full of things that have no place there. I want to approach everything from a new perspective. It will not only help me change my beliefs, but it will also make it easier for me to move forward in a much more positive manner. I believe new beginnings provide me with the opportunity to take responsibility for the choices I make. It will help me to make the transition from mediocre to excellence. I believe I am ready to embrace new beginnings so that the year becomes better in more ways than one.
From Mr C. Sunil Roy
Dubai
Peace and harmony
The year 2014 was one with mixed feelings filled with disappointments and achievements. From a global perspective, I am saddened by the manmade calamities happening around for known and unknown reasons or ideologies. As educated people, we can stay focused on goodwill and harmonious living. There is no other alternate way to win over the current situation. Do not fall prey to the call for extreme actions at any cost.
Looking ahead into 2015 gives lots of hope and optimism for those who wish to bring good to their communities. Personally, I am keen on seeing a peaceful and prosperous world around. To fit in my humble role towards this goal, I will try my best to create positive vibes through my writings.
From Mr Ramesh Menon
Abu Dhabi
Progressing further
Last year was a very eventful year for me. As a young environmentalist and youth leader, I had the opportunity of representing our fraternity in various global summits at the United Nations in New York and other sustainability conferences in Washington, Baku, Nairobi, Colombo and Lima. The year began on a memorable note with the Dubai Municipality awarding me as their First Ambassador of Sustainability for 2014.
Climate change and its negative impact on the environment is no longer a myth. It is a harsh reality that the world is waking up to now. Thousands from across the globe gathered in New York on September 21st to draw the attention of their leaders in the first ever march on climate change. It was a memorable event and I was privileged to take part in it.
My aim for 2015 is to ensure that we should have more opportunities of determining our future and realise our dreams of a sustainable world. Children and youth are amongst the largest stakeholders of civil society but we continue to be the least represented. Due to preconceived notions about our capabilities, we are often taken for granted and not allowed to have a say in determining our future. The youth of today are aghast at the escalating rate of environmental degradation and climate change.
I believe that no dream is too big. One needs to only take that first step. Young people have the power to bring about change and we must take the reins of our destiny in our own hands. I want to turn this dream into a reality in 2015.
From Ms Kehkashan Basu
UAE
To new beginnings
There were many ups and downs and it has been a bumpy ride this year. However my nephew is the most precious thing I have received this year and I feel more blessed this year to have such wonderful parents, family and friends by my side always. I am hoping 2015 is a bright start to many lives around and that the world will surely be a happier place to live in. Here’s to a new beginning!
From Mr Zainab Das
UAE
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