Anisa Al Sharif rates 2004 as the most intense year of her career. It was the year she coordinated the social-development section of the Dubai Government’s 2005 Strategic Plan.
“This was the first time that a comprehensive plan was developed for Dubai including all sectors,” she says. “I got the chance to understand the reality and challenges of the social sectors.”
Al Sharif’s contribution was the highlight of 13 years working for the Government. She joined the Executive Office in 2001 and then in 2006, she moved to the team that started Dubai’s Executive Council.
Al Sharif left her post as the director of socio-economic development in 2014. “I needed to take a break after 13 years of hard work to spend quality time with my daughter and rethink my career and life purpose,” Al Sharif says. “I tried to spend more time doing the things I enjoyed – I read more than 30 books, I pulled out old CDs, watched old movies ... and my husband and I started our business, Zoom In Photography.”
The venture, an in-hospital photography service for new parents, was born after their daughter Jana arrived, three years ago.
“We were so overwhelmed and forgot to take any photos. Luckily, the hospital had a photographer who took pictures – those ended up being the only ones we have from her first days,” she says. “This journey has made us think of some ways we can support them even beyond capturing their treasured memories.”
Al Sharif also plans to launch a parenting-support programme. “I’m really hoping I can create a platform to support Emirati and Arab parents, giving them the insights, skills and tools necessary to build strong emotional connections with their kids.”
When not working, she immerses herself in books.
“I was, and still am, a bookworm,” she says. “If anyone is looking for me, they’ll always find me with my head buried in a book.”
What's your all-time favourite film?
Little Women – I read the novel for the first time when I was 12, and fell in love with it. I identified particularly with the character of Jo, and a few years later, I saw the movie, and it became my all-time favourite.
What sort of car do you drive? What does it say about you?
I drive a Mini Cooper. It’s small and easy-going, but strong and sturdy on the road.
What's your favourite holiday destination?
I love Mediterranean countries. Tuscany in Italy is a place that’s always been fascinating to me. I always hoped to retire there in a house on top of the hills, with lots of books and time to write and think.
What's your favourite landmark in the UAE to tell tourists about?
Dubai Creek. A tour in an abra is something that you shouldn’t miss if you want to experience Dubai.
If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?
Books, seeds to grow vegetables and more books.
What do you do to relax?
I’m an introvert, and I need lots of “me” time to recharge, so reading a good book or watching cooking channels is good for me.
What's the best piece of advice you have been given?
Funnily enough, it’s advice that all travellers hear, but maybe only a few would think of as wisdom: ‘In case of emergency, help yourself before trying to help others’. If you think about it, you can apply it to almost every area in life.
What music do you have on repeat at the moment?
These days I’m listening to a great Arab singer, Rim Banna. Her latest record is amazing, mostly Sufi poems, which I love, and great music. She herself is an inspiration, because she’s fighting cancer at the moment, and going public about it – the pictures of her with her shaved head is inspiring many women around the Arab world.
If you could invite any three people to dinner at your house, who would they be?
Michael Bublé, Sir Ken Robinson (he’s an international education and creativity speaker, and I love the way he challenges the current education systems) and Jamie Oliver. I could listen to these three talking about their passions forever.
What is your favourite food?
I love sushi. I can’t get enough of it.
mhealy@thenational.ae
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 +0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 +0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 +0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
HAJJAN
Director: Abu Bakr Shawky
Starring: Omar Alatawi, Tulin Essam, Ibrahim Al-Hasawi
Rating: 4/5
UAE set for Scotland series
The UAE will host Scotland for a three-match T20I series at the Dubai International Stadium next month.
The two sides will start their Cricket World Cup League 2 campaigns with a tri-series also involving Canada, starting on January 29.
That series will be followed by a bilateral T20 series on March 11, 13 and 14.
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Dooda Solutions
Based: Lebanon
Founder: Nada Ghanem
Sector: AgriTech
Total funding: $300,000 in equity-free funding
Number of employees: 11
Seven Winters in Tehran
Director : Steffi Niederzoll
Starring: Reyhaneh Jabbari, Shole Pakravan, Zar Amir Ebrahimi
Rating: 4/5
UAE medallists at Asian Games 2023
Gold
Magomedomar Magomedomarov – Judo – Men’s +100kg
Khaled Al Shehi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -62kg
Faisal Al Ketbi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -85kg
Asma Al Hosani – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -52kg
Shamma Al Kalbani – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -63kg
Silver
Omar Al Marzooqi – Equestrian – Individual showjumping
Bishrelt Khorloodoi – Judo – Women’s -52kg
Khalid Al Blooshi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -62kg
Mohamed Al Suwaidi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -69kg
Balqees Abdulla – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -48kg
Bronze
Hawraa Alajmi – Karate – Women’s kumite -50kg
Ahmed Al Mansoori – Cycling – Men’s omnium
Abdullah Al Marri – Equestrian – Individual showjumping
Team UAE – Equestrian – Team showjumping
Dzhafar Kostoev – Judo – Men’s -100kg
Narmandakh Bayanmunkh – Judo – Men’s -66kg
Grigorian Aram – Judo – Men’s -90kg
Mahdi Al Awlaqi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -77kg
Saeed Al Kubaisi – Jiu-jitsu – Men’s -85kg
Shamsa Al Ameri – Jiu-jitsu – Women’s -57kg
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Celta Vigo v Villarreal (midnight kick-off UAE)
Saturday Sevilla v Real Sociedad (4pm), Atletico Madrid v Athletic Bilbao (7.15pm), Granada v Barcelona (9.30pm), Osasuna v Real Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Levante v Eibar (4pm), Cadiz v Alaves (7.15pm), Elche v Getafe (9.30pm), Real Valladolid v Valencia (midnight)
Monday Huesca v Real Betis (midnight)
