Dr. Mona Al Bahar, Deputy Executive Director for Care and Rehabilitation of the Dubai Foundation for Women and Chidren, pose for a portrait at her office. Jaime Puebla / The National
Dr. Mona Al Bahar, Deputy Executive Director for Care and Rehabilitation of the Dubai Foundation for Women and Chidren, pose for a portrait at her office. Jaime Puebla / The National

Life lessons: Dr Mona Al Bahar



1. Feel positive and let go of all resentments. We can choose our moods and decide what affects us. Allowing negative feelings or ill will to enter and govern our daily life means depriving ourselves from being in peace or living a peaceful life; put simply, negative feelings can destroy. Always remember this equation: be positive = be healthy = be happy and productive.

2. Be open to everything, and attached to nothing. To avoid negative energy, we should learn to stop sticking to one line of thinking and spending precious moments of our lives defending our stance. We should allow ourselves to see the other side of the coin and enjoy learning and understanding from others. Be open to new ideas and opinions as we don't know what enlightenment opportunities are there by looking from another perspective. We should free ourselves from closed-in thinking and ticking all the regimented boxes and forms.

3. Don't let your history dictate your present moment. We usually give too much weight to incidents that happened in our past and give them the power to govern our present and future. If something bad happened in our past, it doesn't necessarily mean that our future won't be rosy and beautiful. Learn the lesson and let go of all past experiences; you owe yourself a fresh start.

4. Develop your physical and spiritual capacity. With all the stresses in our modern life, physical exercise becomes essential, but not enough. In addition to everyday physical workouts, we also need to work out on a spiritual level. To obtain mindfulness and to enjoy profound mental health, we should practise different techniques such as yoga, meditation and prayer.

5. Be assertive instead of aggressive. Assert your feelings, opinions or beliefs instead of becoming angry and defensive.

As told to Jemma Nicholls

The helpline at the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be reached on 800 111

Eyasses squad

Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)

Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)  

Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)

Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)

Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)

Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)

Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)

Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)

Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)

Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)

Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)         

Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)

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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

3%20Body%20Problem
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The Penguin

Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz

Creator: Lauren LeFranc

Rating: 4/5

Profile of Hala Insurance

Date Started: September 2018

Founders: Walid and Karim Dib

Based: Abu Dhabi

Employees: Nine

Amount raised: $1.2 million

Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers

 

Company%20Profile
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

Company%20Profile
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How it works

Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.

Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.

As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.

A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.

Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.

KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
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The specs

Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm

Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Price: from Dh130,000

On sale: now

Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Director: Venkat Prabhu
Rating: 2/5
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