By Vinita Bharadwaj Special to Gulf News It is perfectly easy to fall in love with Cuba. There is something in the air. Sometimes, it is driven by the seduction of revolution that still breezes past. At other times, it is the distant strains of the Buena Vista Social Club soundtrack carried on a zephyr from Habana Vieja (Old Havana). By resisting might and money, Cuba, charming as it is, has also become a near antithesis of the modern, developed and capitalistic world. "This is an i...

The following is a response from Etihad Airways to my complaint about my BlackBerry being stolen aboard the carrier's Abu Dhabi-to-New York flight on business class: Dear Mr. Gupte, First of all, please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to your email. I wanted to make sure that we had fully exhausted all avenues in an attempt to recover your missing Blackberry before replying. We have investigated fully with the crew, the lounge in Abu Dhabi and our staff in New York b...

The following is the text of a note I just received from Etihad Airways in response to my complaint about the theft of my US BlackBerry aboard Etihad's flight from Abu Dhabi to New York on September 5: Dear Mr Gupte Thank you for your e-mail dated 5th September, addressed to our CEO, Mr. James Hogan, who has asked that I investigate this matter on his behalf and respond directly to you. I am so sorry to hear that you have mislaid your Blackberry, I can only imagine how frustrating th...

The following is the text of an e-mail that I sent on Wednesday, September 5, to James Hogan, chief executive officer of Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. Mr. Hogan has yet to respond: Dear Mr. Hogan: I write this to alert you that my US BlackBerry was stolen aboard EY 101, which I took at 2 a.m. on September 5 from Abu Dhabi to New York. I was flying business class, and had packed the device in my computer case. As a veteran correspondent, I always pack my BlackBerry -- which had some 4,000...

By Pranay Gupte 1. The beautiful women of Orchard Road. 2. The energy, bustle and great roadside stalls of Orchard Road. 3. The really exceptionally pleasant service at stores. 4. Mezza Nine restaurant at the Grand Hyatt and its ebullient manager Mike. 5. The wonderful hawker food centers. 6. The museums, especially the ones on Asian art and heritage supervised by Ambassador Tommy Koh. 7. Borders Book Store. 8. The tightly crafted editorials in The Straits Times written by Mr. Chua ...