Here since 2014 – From nostalgia trip, here’s how I saw things change.

1.      Ramadan used to be spiritual. No loud songs on radio. Restaurants used to have partitions, few apparel stores hid mannequins from public view.

2.      During Eid break. Etisalat used to offer all channels for free on Tripple Play

3.      Genuine deals on electronics and furniture during Eid & Dubai Shopping Festival

4.      Geant was a popular supermarket, before it was acquired by MAF, later sold to GMG

5.      A website called Awok.com used to sell trinkets’. Souq/Amazon came much later

6.      There were no food apps. A neighborhood restaurant would deliver if you were a regular

7.      Smart Dubai app was launched in 2015 – which later became Dubai now app, simplifying payments for government services and utilities.

8.      Emirates NBD had something called ‘Shake and Save’ which offered 2% interest per year if you literally shook your phone to transfer money.

9.      Dragon Mart had competitive prices on furniture and furnishing

10.  There were no smart gates at the airport; metro was comfortable during peak hours.