Burj Dubai Set to open today

Burj Dubai

They said …we said

No matter how many times they put you down, turn their backs on you, and kick you till you bleed your perseverance made them shudder. Their words stung and they expected failure before success but you stood firm. They turned their backs and began the mocking but you told them off and said “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”.

You planned and cried and tirelessly worked day and night. Each day you grew, and when they said you couldn’t reach the top and you’d fall if you kept going up, you turned a deaf ear. Along the way, they walked away after trying to beat you down thinking if they turned away for a second, you’d lose faith and hope.

But you didn’t, didn’t you … ? Some of your own followers listened to them and lost faith and sadly walked away. And guess what, you cut your losses when they were caught red handed because you didn’t need them anyway. Just remember, the ones that stayed back said, we’ll help you and we’ll get to the top are now singing your name on every medium they can possibly get their hands on.

Patience is a powerful thing. When your journey began on 21 September 2004, the word “impossible” came up in every other conversation and today, January 4^th, 2010, you humbly welcome them to visit the residential, corporate suites,  your ‘AT.mosphere’ restaurant, your mechanical parking,  your Armani residences and hotel, your sky lobby and your mosque all the way to the top. Today, you stand tall @ 818 m (2,684 ft) with 160 floors with the world’s fastest elevators at speed of 64 km/h (40 mph) or 18 m/s (59 ft/s) It might have cost us US$4.1 billion, but you have the world’s highest installation of an aluminum and glass façade, at a height of 512 m (1,680 ft).

You are after all Burj Dubai and you intimidate them all and you know better than anyone that when people get jealous or scared, they’ll want to attack. But you are better than that! I know! Standing so bold and so beautiful, you bring tears to our eyes and tonight, we want to dance till we drop.

This is Dubai and we do it big or we don’t do it at all. New York, London, Japan, Hong Kong may look at you with envy or they may praise you but no matter what they do, you aren’t like them. You are Dubai and from Jumeirah to Nad Al Sheba, to Ras Al Khor to Khawaneej, all the way to Warq to Umm Suqeim, people stand, walk or drive by proudly saying this is my city. The city of dreams, hopes, ambition and love.

And finally, HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum … words cannot express our appreciation for giving us another reason to be the best ambassadors for this glorious city we call home.

So let them say what they want in words … just know what we say in action speaks so much louder.