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A friday at the races

2011-12-27T13:04:00.002+04:00

It's racing season once again and this time we went to the Jebel Ali Racing Course to watch.

Now JARC is one of the oldest race course of Dubai & is infact celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. After watching the World cup at Meydaan[which is like one of the classiest places] this place was a bit of a let-down but then it's understandable because of the time it was built.

As soon as the race announcement is made, all the fanatics rush to the barriers to cheer. Though I was not one I still managed to squeeze inbetween and reach the front because I wanted to take pictures:-).

The races as usual were cheered for vociferously adults and kids alike. Yeah I know kids...infact lots of kids, ours were there with us too and they had a good time with their friends;-D. JARC is known for its garden-party like atmosphere. On the day of race[esp if its a weekend] families turn up in droves and pitch ~~tents,~~ umbrellas, mats and have a picnic:-).

Betting is norm at races in other countries but out here its illegal. But they do have a little something to encourage people to come to the races. We can mark our choice of winners of each race & then submit it for a draw. The prizes can be anything between cash prizes and electronic gadgets.

An ambulance ofcourse follows behind while each race is on, well just in case.

There is atleast a 30 minute break between each of these races and I whiled away my time taking pictures of little children;-D

And realised that taking pictures of children was no small task. The thing is....they dont sit still even for a moment;-). This little girl may look like she is in deep contemplation but the fact is that I caught her while she was taking a 2 second break from heightened activity[which was...clambering up on the bench from the front, then clambering down thru the little space at the back, then run around to the front & clambering up again.....

Lots of new buildings sprouting up everywhere and the 2 towers attracted my attention. No idea what they are called tho.

Clicked this picture of Burj Khalifa on the way. No matter how many times one sees it he or she is never tired. There's something awe-inspiring about the way it towers over everything. Did u know that we can see the Burj from any corner in Dubai:-).

Closed Path

2011-11-30T23:10:00.001+04:00

I thought that my voyage had come to its end
at the last limit of my power,

---that the path before me was closed,
that provisions were exhausted
and the time come to take shelter in a silent obscurity.
But I find that thy will knows no end in me.
And when old words die out on the tongue,
new melodies break forth from the heart;
and where the old tracks are lost,
new country is revealed with its wonders.

Rabindranath Tagore

Just Beat it

2011-10-27T16:56:00.001+04:00

The whole of October is breast cancer awareness month around the world.
Awareness is increasing everywhere and even here in UAE several programs to raise awareness among people were undertaken; the national initiative aimed to teach the importance of early screenings and prevention.

Breast Cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer amongst women worldwide. About 1 in 10 women are diagnosed with Breast Cancer each year. While the causes of breast cancer are still unknown, certain risk factors - gender, family history, genetics, personal history of breast cancer - are linked to the disease.

The Ministry of Health is offering free medical check-up as part of its campaign to raise awareness that lives can be saved if breast cancer is detected at its early stages.

Thousands of medical professionals have been deployed across the country to promote the message that recovery from breast cancer is very high if detected in the early stages. Breast screening centres are set up all around UAE and a brochure displayed prominently reminds women: "Remember, it is free, no hassle, no health card needed."

The Pink Walkathon, one of the strongest and biggest campaigns in the UAE and Gulf,where thousands of men, women and children spilled onto the streets to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer, is scheduled for tomorrow.

Even a book in Braille has been published to help educate those who are visually impaired. And many hospitals are offering a half-price discount for mammograms during the month.

There was a 'Pink' book sale organised Safe & Sound at Burjuman Centre which sold all kinds of books donated by well-wishers; the earnings utilized towards providing free check-ups and mammograms, supporting patient care and raising awareness for the cause with all fund collection and usage monitored by Red Crescent.

Other programs like the Survivors fashion show, football matches, Pink table cooking , Pink Biathlon, Sew Pink, Creating the largest Pink ribbon[to enter Guiness books], Paddle for the Battle, Pink Karaoke Night, Free mammograms, Expatwoman Annual Breakfast, Pink Polo, Breast Cancer Awareness cycle ride were the other events conducted to promote Breast Cancer Awareness and to raise funds towards research and supporting the free treatments given to the needy.

*We went for the book sale at Burjuman Centre and my children each picked an armful of books to take home. The sale itself was good and did brisk business. All pictures published above were taken there.

Small Fry

2011-09-28T17:41:00.001+04:00

Watched this fisherman casting his net at the beach.

I wondered if he would catch anything of value as he was so close to land.

Like I thought, a very meagre catch....

Some shells, a squid-like creature....

A few tiny fish; these minnows were useless to the fisherman so he gave them to the kids who tried reviving them in the water but it was too late by then.

And a lone crab. The kids gave it so much attention that it played dead for a while and then scurried away when no one was looking:-)

Location: Alapuzha Beach, Kerala

Mysore pak

2011-08-30T05:38:00.000+04:00

Oops meant to say Park;-D

Every kid in Dubai knows him.....

2011-07-17T00:02:00.002+04:00

Modhesh - Mascot for DSS

Everybody knows about the "Dubai Shopping Festival" which is held around the beginning of the year. But little is known about another festival the "Dubai Summer Surprises"[DSS] which is targeted at children and ofcourse shoppers.

The DSS is for 3 months, same as the length of the summer holidays, for the children. The mascot Modesh epitomises the fun and excitement the children have during the period. Every week they have a theme and events are arranged accordingly....like the fashion week, the fairy land week, etc. This part of it is totally for the children.
Then the shopping; the red letter word SALE is visible everywhere. I personally think these sales are better than the ones offered during the shopping festival. A few of my friends who came from India shopped like crazy....the deals & offers were fabulous even according to them:-).

I clicked the above picture at the Modesh Fun World located inside the Airport Expo. A friend & I took our kids there last week. We went around 10 in the morning & came back only by 6pm but even then the kids were not done with all the games. Oh yes they had a marvellous time....we got tired just watching them:-).

There is an entrance fee of dhs.15 for parents & kids alike & once inside we have to pay again for each indiviudual game[except for the drawing corner & Legos].....the rates are reasonable compared to outside rates[ie. the mall rates] but it still does make a hole in our pocket especially when we end up spending a whole day there.

But it's totally worth it....according to the kids;-D

Just looking

2011-06-29T18:22:00.003+04:00

don't we all.....:-)

Zoom, zoom, zoom babaaaaa

2011-05-31T11:59:00.001+04:00

Camels, camels everywhere......the outlet where I clicked these soft toys had only camels on display......camel soft toys, camels on t-shirts, camel keychains, camel magnets, camel glass curios, camel cushions, towels and so much more. You'd think it will get boring but I found it interesting enough to wander around for quite sometime.

U guessed it. I was trying to click a few pictures from the bird's eye/ worms eye perpective:-).

This ofcourse was taken at Dubai Mall. Those grid-like things is actually a net....I guess there to protect the skaters from injury just incase somebody finds it amusing to throw something from above.

There was an exhibition held by the young Entrepreneurs at Dubai Mall. Lots of novel ideas, very interesting. A few smart-looking school boys tried to sell us something called Dubaiopoly[something like Monopoly but with Dubai as the theme]. I'd have loved to buy it ...u know to encourage them but their price was simply too high. I could buy 2-3 monopoly boards with that amount:-). Other stalls with clothing, glassworks, beadworks, paintings, calligraphy, etc did brisk business.

A Horse show

2011-04-30T18:44:00.177+04:00

Dubai International Arabian Horse Championship 2011, a 3-day event & competition for Purebred Arabian horses, showcasing the beauty, agility and heritage of the region's finest horses was held last month at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The event was open to the public free of charge but since the event was of interest only to a select crowd it was not very over-crowded and we were able to reach every corner of it & enjoy the show.

The Arabian Horse with a known history going back about five thousand years, is supposedly the oldest breed of horse in existence. His exceptional versatility as a performance horse, quality and soundness, together with his unique temperament and affinity for humans makes him a very prized animal to possess. For the interested you can get a more detailed explanation here.

We were greeted by these traditionally attired little girls who looked at us with big round eyes & held out incense in welcome.

Before the horse show started we went around looking at the stalls and watched traditionally dressed Emarati woman weaving baskets and men engraving on swords.

Some men had 'real, live' hawks & falcons on display and we could ask for them to be placed on our wrists & take pictures with them.

The children ran off to put henna on their hands & I wandered towards this stall where woman was hand-printing our names in Arabic using Calligraphy. I got a lovely card with the better-half’s & my name printed on it correctly but found many disappointed people around me because their names were mispelt. You see there are many letters of the english alphabets which are not found in Arabic. A little boy Param had his name printed out as Baram because the letter P does not exist in Arabic. Deepak is Deebak.......yeah the Arabs say Bebsi for Pepsi;-D.

There was also a Horse Fair, which was held alongside the Championship. This Fair was the largest equestrian exhibition in the region and catered to everyone in the equestrian world from traders to consumers. The various stalls were an eye-opener, from their food[the horses] to their medicines to their paintings all were displayed to the public with detailed explanation if anybody cared to listen. The kids were clustered around a different looking treadmill. The stall-owner explained that it was treadmill for horses & then all of us adults gently nudged the kids aside to have closer look at the contraption. I forgot to take a picture in the confusion.

I know its not a clear picture but for some reason I really like it:-)

It was time for the horse show to begin and so all of us trooped off to our seats. After the usual introduction the names of horses were announced and each of the horses along with their trainers came cantering in and showed off their skills. All of them[the horses I mean;-D] were so well-groomed, their skin tatooed attractively and mane so glossy, absolutely gorgeous animals. One look at them and you'll know that they are worth a lot of money.

The Horses would finally come to a halt in front of the judges and the trainer would use the cane[see pic above] in his hand to control[not violently] the horse and the judges would mark the points in their record book. I had absolutely no idea how the mark were given and after sometime stopped wondering and just enjoyed the show. At the end of each round the winners were announced, the owners and everybody associated with the horse would cheer loudly, collect the prize and happily pose together for pictures. For people who want to know more about what happened in the competition, you can go here.

The only thing which frustrated me was that none of my pictures of the horses were clear and how will they be; the horses just did not stop moving;-/. I watched the professional photographers who were recording it for their newspapers trying to keep up with the horses to get the best angle for their pictures. There was this lone woman photographer among the sea of male photographers; one could not help watching her atleast I couldn't. She handled her photographic equipment stylishly and yet was so economical in her movements all the while clicking away. Yes ofcourse I took pictures of her;-D. Here take a look.....

Doesnt she look like the female version of James Bond here;-D????

Since we were holding VIP passes[yeah I knw entry was free but there was a vip section:-)] we got plush couches to sink our bottoms into and some 1st class treatment. Waiter would pass by every few minutes carrying delicous looking & tasting appetizers and we had the time of our lives delibrating between which goodies to eat. My children came alive while desserts were served and embarrased us by lying in wait for the waiters at strategic places. Well they can't be blamed[though I looked daggers at them]...yummy little strawberry tarts, creamy rasberry sorbets, cheesecakes, scones and so many mouth-watering selections were there to be made:-). The waiters also were so sweet, they knew exactly where the kids[soon other kids joined them] were and would go out of their way to pass by where they were;-D

As we made our way out at the end of the show I passed this section where photographs and paintings were displayed..of horses ofcourse. Each of them so beautifully composed and picturised; ofcourse the price-tags said that the artists knew exactly what their pictures were worth:-).

Whatever floats your boat

2011-03-31T23:40:00.000+04:00

Gulf News, UAE's leading newspaper has a section where readers are encouraged to send in the pictures they click & the best ones are displayed in the newspaper everyday. I want to participate but havent mustered up enough confidence yet:-).

Location: Creek Park, Dubai

May I introduce to U.....

2011-02-28T16:36:00.000+04:00

....a Scarecrow from the Middle East:-)

Perspective

2011-01-30T17:49:00.000+04:00

Location: Dubai Mall, Dubai

Animal Bytes

2010-11-27T17:44:00.003+04:00

The Eid holidays this year lasted 1 full week and like everybody else we too took the opportunity to go out somewhere. The temperatures were finally dropping and the kids wanted to go for a picnic. And so we combined a trip to the zoo along with the picnic idea. Lived here in Dubai for more than 11 yrs but never visited the zoo here as many people have given me a negetive review about the whole place. Keeping that in mind we decided on the Al Ain Wildlife and Park Resort.

Below are a few pictures which I thought I had taken well:-).

Nibian Ibex

The above pic, of the lioness drinking water is a personal favourite:-)

The sight of this particular chimpanzee sitting alone[click picture to enlarge] touched my heart; the bent head and the hand on the forhead really made me ache for the animal. The body language said it all.

The second giraffe followed the giraffe in front everywhere that it was almost comical. I have no proof but am presuming it was male;-D. I'm sure everybody watching them got to take home good pictures;-)

The flamingoes were a sight to behold......all the more because I was seeing them for the first time. I clicked so many pictures but honestly, none did justice to their beauty.

No idea what these birds are called ..... actually I was watching the vultures on the other side; zoomed in and took this picture on a whim and loved the result:-).

I had to include the above picture as these animals are Al Ain Zoo's prime attractions namely the White Lions. They were sleeping and I couldnt get a better click. Even then there was something eerie about the way they were clinging onto eachother. Every now and then I could see the claw muscles jerking and drawing eachother closer......gave me the shivers for some reason.

Covered most of the park but missed out on the penguins and zebras because of the wrong turning we took at one point. Oh well there should be something left for the next visit huh.

Eye Candy

2010-10-31T11:48:00.004+04:00

Most malls in UAE have shops labelled 'Roastery' tucked away in corners displaying attractively wrapped products at their windows. Initially I thought it was something to do with coffee or even nuts, it was only later I realised that they were specialised shops selling custom-made chocolates; sometimes one finds flowers, teddybears and other knick-knacks too.

I just love taking pictures of the sweet stuff especially eye-catching displays like these but very often I have to curb my itching fingers when I am faced with banners which tell me in no uncertain terms "No Photography allowed". Yeah well I took the above picture just a minute before I saw the board;-D

The supermarket aisles are crammed with chocolates during the festive season and we are often spoilt for choice. And if you have a couple of kids tagging along, u can be sure that we will be spending half the shopping time trying to stop them from placing more and more goodies into the trolley;-(

This outlet is a favourite with the kids; the chocolate fountain gets atleast 2 minutes of attention everytime we go there. Even though there are a variety of fruits and mashmallows on display the children prefer just strawberries with dark and white chocolate. Well me too, somehow this particular combination just hits the spot;-D

This picture was taken last year on the UAE National day. U guessed it, this display of chocolates was centred around the colours of the National Flag:-)

Familiar scenes from Kerala

2010-09-30T17:14:00.002+04:00

Most of these pictures were taken while travelling in the train or car so the clarity is not the best but I'd like to think that I managed to capture the ambience;-)

U think I took the picture of the house, nope I clicked it for the path;-)

Just after a heavy downpour......

Actually unlike other states, cows on the road are a rare sight, no idea how they reached here;-o

And I clicked this for the well;-)

In some form or the other he is everywhere; Mamooty, Malayalam Superstar ;-)

Fish fry is sublime; the 2 u see in the plate are for the kids without spice u see, ours was smothered with chilli & pepper;-D

We stopped to buy duck here...u cant see it 'cause the shacks are behind me;-D

No train station in Kerala is empty which is why I just had to take the picture;-P

Nope, dont know him, clicked it more for the graffiti on the wall

This guy is as handsome as they come and he knew it;-)

Ammachi, great grandmother to my children, 90+ she passed away just 3 months back.

Most of these woman work in the nearby cashew nut factories or fields, they gather firewood on their way back home carrying it dextrously on their heads.

The glorious aroma of roasted cashewnuts had many of our neighbours peeping out of their windows;-D

Parumala Palli, a very famous church in Kerala

I kid u not

2010-06-30T10:03:00.000+04:00

We were picking up a few wall hangings & paintings for our walls when the kids brought these canvases[shown below] to our attention. After making sure they were really interested we picked them up.

It came along with paints and a tiny picture of the finished product. The children were really interested and wanted to hang the canvas on their bedroom wall after it was finished.

Nikita painstakingly painted her picture complete but Naina found it difficult to stay within lines and needed my help to remove smudged edges amongst other things:-).

Here are the completed pictures and I must admit they look quite good on the walls. We are planning to pick up a few more not only to hang on the walls but also to give as gifts.

A glorious sunset and desolation

2010-05-31T19:34:00.000+04:00

I clicked these pictures out in the desert last week.

The barren land really depressed me; miles and miles of it just stretching endlessly. Some parts of it was just soft sand just like in the movies but most parts were like in the above picture. Plants trying to grow but giving up after sometime due to lack of sufficient water.

The sunset was glorious and all the more special coz I didnt remmeber the last time I stood & watched the sun disappear into the horizon. All around me people were trying to capture the mood but I doubt any matched the original.

This picture sort of transported me into another world of nomads, tents and camels and search for water. Cant imagine how tough life must have been on the beduoins earlier; I say earlier coz now they have a lot of help from the goverment. Their kind are dwindling by the day for most prefer the better life the city offers and I cant really decide whether thats good or bad.

Anyways here the picture is just an illusion in the sense that those on the camel in the picture above are no beduoins just a few tourist who wanted to know how it felt atop camels; infact my daughter is riding on one of them:-)

Watching paint dry

2010-04-29T20:56:00.002+04:00

During the DSF, the night souq at Al Seef Street displayed paintings from different countries but they comprised of Arab painters more....it was quite refreshing to see art from the Middle East. There were rows and rows of lovely paintings but since they were all displayed on the street itself the lighting was quite poor. Here are a few of which were taken clearly...yeah well as clear as it got:-):

I'm no expert but from what I gathered most of the art is closely connected to their religion ie. Islam. And Islamic art as it is called includes fields as varied as architecture, calligraphy, painting, and ceramics, among others.

Typically, though not entirely, Islamic art has focused on the depiction of patterns and Arabic calligraphy, rather than on figures, because it is feared by many Muslims that the depiction of the human form is idolatry, forbidden in the Qur'an.

Human portrayals can be found in all eras of Islamic art. Human representation for the purpose of worship is considered idolatry. And mistakes in repetitions may be intentionally introduced as a show of humility by artists who believes only Allah can produce perfection

The painting below was not quite finished infact the artist was sitting right there having tea while I took the picture. I was quite keen to take the picture while he was painting but alas he was taking his time sipping his beverage & I gave up after some time:-).

What is interesting is that the Arabs have a long connection with horses...Arabian horses to be precise are one of the oldest horse breeds, with archaeological evidence dating back to 4,500 years. The Arabian developed in a desert climate was prized by the nomadic Bedouin people, and although many of these horses appear "white", they are not. Arabians are actually gray in colour.

Arabian horses are also the talk of many legends..... one myth tells how Muhammad chose his foundation mares by a test of their courage and loyalty. It is said that after a long journey through the desert, Muhammad turned his herd of horses loose to race to an oasis for a desperately-needed drink of water. Before the herd reached the water, Muhammad called for the horses to return to him. Only five mares responded. Even though desperate with thirst, because they faithfully returned to their master, these horses became his favourites and were called Al Khamsa, meaning, the five. And thus became the legendary founders of the five choice "strains" of the Arabian horse.

Take it with a pinch of salt

2010-02-23T16:26:00.006+04:00

For a person who didnt know how to boil rice properly when I got married 10 years back I'd like to think I have come a long way. Cooking is not something which interests me greatly and never will. But that is not to say I dont exert myself, anything I do I like to do it well[sound good to hear huh]. My cooking is quite vague really. Even when I'm cutting the veggies I'm not totally sure which dish its going to turn out to be; so many times curries have turned to stir-fries and chicken marinated with the intention of frying turn into curries.
I like scanning through food-blogs before trying out a particular recipe but never in my life have I completely surrendered myself to the instructions given there. I just cannot help it, my hand just automatically adds a few additional ingredients....if nothing else atleast some lemon juice & coriander leaves. I could make a dish 25 times and all the 25 times it would taste different;-/.

Oh well, the end result is not too bad & so I dont beat myself too much about it. Like most of the others I too have gotten into the habit of clicking pictures of the dishes I make; not all of the time, mainly when the colours beckon;-).

The above is called a Kaa thoran. Basically a vegetable and grated coconut preparation; the vegetable in this case is raw banana called Kaa in malayalam;-D. Before marriage I wouldnt touch this with a bargepole but now since the better-half is fond of it I have learned to make it well & like it:-P

Nikita pleaded to be allowed to roll out the chappattis, I agreed reluctantly and ran to answer the phone. By the time I was back she had cut them out into tiny chapattis with the cookie cutter. Couldnt break her heart, could I;-)

I had picked up the baby corn for a salad and had forgotten to use it. Then decided to make a 'Sauteed Baby corn & Capsicum'[just a fancy name for a stir-fry with a variation]. Surprise, surprise it was quite a hit & from then on it has popped up now and then in our menu.

Onam was always a joint effort with my Mil and I together whipping up the sadya to feed the crowd. After the parents left to India for good it felt like too much of an effort to make so much for just 2 people and 2 fussy kids, so we always had the sadya at a restaurant or were invited for it at somebosy's else home. Last year I saw a couple of blog friends making the effort & on the spot decided to surprise the better-half and started the prepartions secretively. When I finally presented all the dishes the better-half was very impressed. Including salt and sugar I think I had around 18 items on my sadya. Here take a look:

Nowadays the kids also enthusiastically pitch in making the whole effort worthwhile:-).

Whenever I make cakes I leave a bit of batter to make a batch of cupcakes which is then decorated it with whatever is available and presented grandly at tea-time. The kids are maha impressed and lavish 'bestest mama' type of compliments which ofcourse is gratefully lapped up:-P.

My mum makes the yummiest rava laddoos in the whole world. I had tried it once earlier & it came out all funny. After 8 years I tried again and this time they were quite good. A picture was taken to celebrate the moment:-).

2 months back the better-half decided he wanted to carry a light snack to work instead of the usual heavy south Indian lunch which made him want to snooze during meetings after lunch. So now he takes fruits and veggies to work and swears there's a difference. Well, I have stopped rolling my eyes at him after the weighing machine told us that he's lost around 4 kgs;-o. Here's a sneak-peek:

Hidden depths

2010-01-31T13:21:00.000+04:00

I was always fascinated with masks...I pause to admire them whenever I come across them in the stores.

They kind of remind me of Carnivals & Masquerade balls. A mask automatically lends mystery and allure to women wearing them and men a brooding aura.

I can almost imagine the excitement and freedom an intricate covering like this one generates.....the fluidity in the dance and the sensuality simmering just below the surface.

Ps: Only after I took a few pictures did I realise there was a "No Photos" board displayed prominently:-P

Christmas in Dubai

2009-12-24T12:18:00.009+04:00

Christmas in Dubai is not very different from celebrating Christmas in any other western country. Unlike most muslim countries the rulers of Dubai have always been tolerant of other religions and cultures which makes it a very pleasant experience to live here.

As soon as we step out of our door we can easily make out the Christian abodes by the stars and lights hung outside the homes, wreath rings placed on the front door and the glimpses of brightly-lit christmas trees through the windows.

Our favourite haunt, the malls ofcourse are all decorated lavishly with red white, golden and silver colours, the Christmas tree stands tall and proud, heavily laden with shiny ornaments, lights and tinsel with a star or angel placed right at the top. The Nativity crib though is not very prominent, visible mostly only in the church premises.

The supermarkets and bakeries all have scrumptious looking fruit cakes, puddings, pies, yule logs, cookies and choclates arranged so decoratively that one can walk around for hours just drinking in the attractive colours and aroma. The red letter word SALE ofcourse is screaming in capital letters everywhere we turn.

There was this particular store I happened to walk into in Dubai Mall which sold lovely and rich looking Chritamassy items and decorations. I looked around again and again to see if they had anything else other than Christmas oriented articles but there was nothing else. The shop and all its lovely wares blended right into the Christmas season but what about the rest of the year I wondered...would they still be selling these Christmas ornaments and theme out of season, strange really!!!!!

Anyways I took a lot of pictures once I realised the sales woman really didn't mind me taking them;-). But once I reached home I realised many of them had reflected light shining on the pictures and making them extra shiney. So here are some of the nice ones:

And there was this wonderful looking Santa sitting majestically at their Window with a list of good girls and boys. And u'll never believe this, of all the people in the world my name was right on top. My children were so impressed. Here, take a look:-))

Whatever floats your boat

2009-11-30T16:08:00.007+04:00

Unlike the other blog, I delibrately keep this place low-key and a 'no expectations' kinda place so that I am not under any pressure to put up a post regularly. But even then I try my best to update atleast once a month. It is the last day of November today & I'm determined to post something.........anything.

I did click some pictures this month but its just that none of them were really interesting. They were the usual mall and the park pictures.... and so in desperation I look thru my vacation pictures once again and come across a few pictures I had almost forgotten about.

At the beginning of the vacation we had planned a trip to Kumarakom....u know the usual renting a house-boat and the works. But a few days before plans could be executed I had this nightmare which comprised of a house-boat, the sea, my daughter and an accident. And I got cold feet. Plans were cancelled and nothing more was said.

A week later we went to Kuttanad to visit relatives and from there we decided to go to see the backwaters......surely it would be a pity to go that far and return without seeing the houseboats Kerala was famous for. And off we went and here are some pictures:-))

At first, I had uploaded the pictures in colour and then out of curiosity changed one picture to grayscale and checked out the result. Loved what I saw, so went ahead and converted all the rest to the same:-).

The houseboat in the above picture was a boat with 3 bedrooms with attached bathrooms our boatman stressed and the better-half and I supressed a laugh at his enthusiasm. He also told us that it cost Rs10,000/- to rent this luxurious houseboat for 24 hrs.

On the day we were there it was very cloudy and it had rained heavily the previous two days, so I guess that's why most of the house-boats were tethered to the banks of the river though the house-boat in the picture above was one of the few which was smoothly gliding through the water.

This picture was taken solely to celebrate the drive of the coconut tree which rose above all the rest of the wild growth, to tower over them:-).

And this picture is to show that even mini sized houseboats co-existed peacefully along with the giant-sized ones:-))

Flower Power

2009-10-18T16:47:00.008+04:00

Be like the flower, turn your faces to the sun - Kahlil Gibran

I dont know why but this time when I went on vacation I noticed that the greenery around me was lush, abundant and so....so green. Maybe because the place where I stay all year around is so bare. Ofcourse the parks, the sidewalks on the main roads in Dubai are all beautifully landscaped with date trees and seasonal flowers but in India especially in Kerala there was natual vegetation every direction I looked....plants just growing and thriving in every available space......a feeling of well-being just seeps into us just being there.

I took a lot of pictures of everything & nothing in particular. Below are some pictures of the flowers which grew in our garden in Kerala. Both my father and mother-in-law are to be given equal credit for the plants in the garden though they just shrug it off. According to my Fil, plants just sprout out of nowhere.....seriously, never seen a land so fertile like in Kerala, touchwood.

I'm not sure of the name of this flower but u can find it in almost all houses in Kerala. As children we used to sip at the nectar found at the base of each tiny flower.

Rows and rows of Rose plants fully flowered stood at the edge of the garden. I had taken lots of pictures but in the end decided to put up the one and only picture of the rosebuds I had taken:-)).

Again a simple yellow flower found in most of the gardens in Kerala.

Hibiscus flowers ofcourse everybody is familiar with. In the olden days(and even now) the leaves of this plant are smashed and used coz it acts like as a natural shampoo & conditioner. I remember my mother vigorously applying it into my hair when I was small. And I used to squirm and struggle as I didnt like the icky feeling:-)).

I've never seen this yellow flower before, have u????

This velvet flower plant is supposed to have grown by itself. And it keeps shedding its seeds all around that tiny shoots just spring up overnight. The parents were tired of removing the unwanted shoots everyday and kept threatening to pull out the plant to end the problem:-P.

This picture of the gulmohar flower was clicked in Bangalore. The Gulmohar tree, lining both sides of most of the road is a very familiar sight here and an attractive sight to be seen when all the trees flower together. As kids we used to pick up the opened-out pods and pull out the sepals[I think] separately and stick them onto our fingers as artificail nails and go around acting like witches and threateningly wriggling our fingers.

I sooo nodded my head when I came across this saying.....
Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers also feed the soul - The Koran

Trip along

2009-09-01T14:36:00.008+04:00

Every year when I go on vacation to Bangalore, four of us college friends jam up at one of the houses and spend atleast one day and a night together......

Ofcourse the kids tag along with us[nope, not the husbands] and we watch them very interestedly as they try to be friends with eachother.

This year we decided to go OUT somewhere instead of the usual stuff. After a lot of emails', smses' & telephonic conversations we decided on Angana Resorts on Kanakpura Road.

Around 24 kms away from Bangalore, it truly is a refreshing experience. We stayed in 2 cottages[I stayed in that cottage you see behind the cart] and all around the resort we would find quaint things like this cart or a grinding stone from our grandparents zamana or quaint little lamps and such-like.

The children...all 6 of them had a blast ......there was a recreation room with all kinds of games & they also had plenty of space to run around. We the parents were not looking at exerting ourselves but even then managed to play badminton & clicked plenty of pictures:-).

Below is the courtyard where we had our meals. All around this courtyard there were chairs & tables scattered & so it was pretty informal. The food itself was nice....simple, nothing to complain about but we did think it could have been better considering the amount they charged;-P

The pool is one of the highlights of this place, designed beautifully and we just loved it. Only Chaitra's son Rakshith could swim so he went into the main pool while the rest of them...umm us happily waddled in the kiddy pool. After sometime even Rakshith got into the kiddy pool coz he was bored swimming all by himself in the main pool;-D

After the kids went to sleep in the night the 4 of us sat on the verandah with a bottle of wine & caught up with everything what was happening in eachothers lives. It was pitch dark all around except for these lamps which were hung at different points all around the resort & these lamps stayed lit throughout the night giving a very cozy feel to the whole place.

On the whole the trip was a success & the kids were asking to go there again but I have to mention that it is good enough for a day or two but after that I'm sure the kids would have gotten bored. The place is for people who like to just drink in the ambience & enjoy the peace & quiet.

Details: It's Rs.5,000 per night for a cottage[one large room & a bathroom] and Rs.1000 extra for children above 5yrs. Yep, thought it was a bit steep but then since 2 of us shared the cost we didnt crib too much about it :-P.

See the light of Day

2009-08-12T16:39:00.010+04:00

Location: Kerala

We went on a month long vacation to India & spent 15 days of it in Kerala. Right in front of our house was this tall coconut tree which fascinated me to no end. Whenever I was on the verandah I loved to watch the clouds create an atmosphere .....almost an aura, around this unassuming tree.

All the three pictures below were taken on different days....

Since the monsoons were in, the days were not exactly bright & sunny. The clouds were always hanging low & threatening to pour. Anyways the picture above was clicked on one of those rare sunny days:-).

This picture was clicked around 6.30 & I loved the way the approaching darkness was contrasting with the voluminous clouds. I hurried into the house to get the camera & rushed out with it to catch the mood. My husband's mother followed close behind to see what got me into such a frenzy. U should have seen her face when she realised I was furiously clicking pictures of the coconut tree:-D.

Now this picture is something special. You had to have been there to just believe this scene. It was again just 6.30 in the evening when all of a sudden the tone of the evening just changed...I stood there with my mouth open watching the brightness of the day turn into a mood which an author would use 4 pages to describe but still will not be able to capture the very essence of it, so I'm not even going to try.

My husband's mother watched me in expectation for a few minutes & then when she could bear it no longer, burst out "Aren't you going to click any pictures?????"

A train which stays in one place

2009-04-21T11:52:00.010+04:00

My husband’s cousin invited us to dine at his newly opened theme restaurant. Called the “The Royal Express” the restaurant is designed in the guise of a 1920’s Train standing on the platform. Take a look…..

Don't miss the stars twinkling in the sky & 'real' gravel on the tracks underneath the train. And there are mirrors everywhere giving an illusion of a larger area.

This picture gives a glimpse of the warm & plush interiors. The cutlery & other accessories are all modelled on the 1920's era. And they've made good use of all the space available.

The cuisine was varied..they had Persian, Afghan & Indian dishes on the menu. We asked our cousin to present his choice of dishes & I must say it was impressive. I dont remember the names but the many kinds of kababs, mutton biriyani, the accompaniments & the rasmalai to name a few were excellent. Here I take the opportunity to specially mention the pickles[atleast 6 varieties] they served in the beginning......awesome, really.

And finally out of the 2 dozen pictures I had clicked, this is my favourite. I had asked a waiter if he would pose near the entrance so that I could take a picture. He on his own initiative leaned out of the door & gave a cheery wave. Sort of revokes nostalgia, doesn't it:-)!!!

Location: Opp. Royal Ascot Hotel, Khalid Bin Walid Rd[Computer Street], Dubai, there is a lane going in. Once inside the lane, you'll find the Hotel called Admiral Plaza almost at the beginning itself.

"The Royal Express" is on the Mezzanine Floor.

Hitting the ceiling

2009-03-17T17:39:00.005+04:00

This time I'll put up some pictures of Dubai Mall itself[coz the last post's pics were taken from Dubai Mall but not of Dubai Mall].

I'm putting up some pictures of the ceilings at Dubai Mall here. The amount of work which goes into these ceilings is just unimaginable. Unlike the olden days where everything was done by hand most of these are machine-operated works. But even then the imagination of the architect has to be lauded.

The picture below depicts the ceiling on the way to the Gold Souq in Dubai Mall. All those arches are doorways to the jewellery outlets here.

As we walk further down this is the corridor we chance upon. The urge to take a picture of the layered arches surprised me. I guess it reminded me of the numerous photographs I have seen of well known photographers on the same kind of theme:-D.

And below I was actually taking the picture of the chandelier. But when I saw it later the backgroud which comprised of the yellow ceiling & the intricate engraved work were impressive.

Its a big mall. Though we spent atleast 5 hrs there I doubt we covered all the areas. Ah well we've got to leave some for the next visit also right??? I must have taken more than 100 pictures, even then I'm already planning to take the same pics from a better perspective next time:-)).

The Horizon & Burj Dubai

2009-02-25T16:32:00.005+04:00

We were on our way to Dubai Mall when I clicked this picture of the Burj Dubai from a speeding car. One can't help but be fascinated with this skyscraper which easily towers over everything. It is easily visible to the naked eye from any corner of Dubai. And Dubai Mall is located just behind the Burj[u can see it here on the right side of the Burj]

Later standing in the backyard of the Dubai Mall premises we were awestruck at the sheer size of the Burj which was right in front of us. Just like everybody standing there, I too tried to click a picture of the Burj but as u can see I was too close to the object or rather the building was so tall it couldn't be accomodated in 1 frame.

The picture below clearly shows that work is still going on the Burj & reports suggest that it should be finished & ready for occupation by September this year. With the recession affecting the construction sector heavily, one sincerely hopes they stick to their estimated completion schedule.

Information lifted from Wikipedia: Burj Dubai (Arabic: برج دبي‎ "Dubai Tower") is a supertall skyscraper under construction in the Business Bay district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure ever built, despite being incomplete. Construction began on September 21, 2004 and is expected to be completed and ready for occupancy in September 2009.

A bite to Eat

2009-01-20T16:30:00.006+04:00

We planned to go to Dubai Mall but ended up at Dubai Festival City. Dont ask me why & how...it always happens with us:-P.

The 3 pictures below are the frontal view of 3 restaurants:

We were famished at the start itself & so got into this Cafe to have some scrumptious Chocolate Cinnabons & Hot Chocolate. While we were walking out of there, the kids spied cinnabons being made & refused to budge from there until the guy who was making it placed it in the oven.

Aaaaarrrrgggghhh Fuddruckers....they are supposed to have the best burgers in town. For the past 2 years I have been wanting to go there but they have very few branches & so is not a place one will find just anywhere. And now when I stand in front of one...I'm not hungry:-(.

This one is my favourite, I mean just look at it...totally eye catching & designed so well. For a moment one could be forgiven for thinking it was a big picture on the wall.

3 day break

2008-12-30T17:15:00.007+04:00

We went for a 3 day break to Al Hamrah Hotel & Beach Resort, RAK & stayed at the Al Hamra Village townhouse.

We took 1 ½ hrs to drive down from Dubai to Ras Al Khaimah, saw quite a few camels which I tried hard to click but ended up getting only bits & pieces of them coz the speed we were travelling was such that by the time I switched the camera on, the car would have flashed past.

The resort was laid out well with the sea & 200 mtrs of beach being its high selling point. The picture below was just one of the many scenic views scattered across the resort.

The picture below was taken on the 1st day just after checking in. We were just checking out the place & had no intentions of going anywhere near the water that day. The kids however had other plans & soon all of us were knee-deep in.

I think we enjoyed ourselves more because at certain times of the day we had the beach to ourselves. The kids had the time of their lives & begged to stay “please just one more day”.

The Hotel Reception looked grand with the Christmas decorations adding a festive touch. Though Christmas was over, the decorations & ornaments were not taken down yet. I guess it would be done only after the New Year Festivities. Calls for Dinner reservations for New Years was being displayed at the reception counter to avoid confusion & rush.

We enjoyed a wonderful 3 days full of rest, relaxation, laughter, good food & excellent hotel facilities.

I have Jayannan to thank for taking care of all the arrangements & ensuring that we had a wonderful time in the lovely suite he booked us into.

Child Play

2008-11-08T10:46:00.004+04:00

While we are busy searching for the right outfit or other required items for the kids, they take least interest in what we are doing & can be found examining Chains, Bangles made of Beads, Hair bands, Clips & other accessories.

Hello Kitty Accessories has long been a fascination with them. They had a hard time trying to convince us to buy a Pencil Pounch & its accessories coz we had already picked all the required items at the beginning of the school term:-)

For a change there was hardly any crowd at Toys R Us. The kids had that whole row of Toy Houses to themselves for more than an hour. We literally had to drag them away in the end:-P

Location: Baby Shop, Hello Kitty & Toys R Us, Dubai

Landmarks

2008-10-20T15:16:00.003+04:00

Location: Dubai
Seen below are pictures of 3 Main landmarks of Dubai recognised world over.

Burj ul Arab: The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 metres jutting out from Jumeriah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is designed in the shape of the sail of a boat & is considered to a symbolic statement of Dubai.

Burj Dubai is a skyscraper still under construction and is the tallest man-made structure ever built, despite being incomplete. Construction began on September 21, 2004 and is expected to be completed and ready for occupation in September 2009
Note: The workers in the picture are not working on the Burj...they are labourers for the Dubai Metro:-D

The 3rd landmark Emirates Towers complex built earlier than the 2 above, contains the Emirates Office Towers and Jumeirah Office Towers Hotel. The two towers, respectively, stand as the 12th- and 29th-tallest buildings in the world.
A curiosity of the design is that the towers have a similar number of floors; the taller office tower actually contains 54 floors, while the hotel tower contains 56 floors. This is because the individual floor heights of the office tower are greater than that of the hotel.

p.s: Sorry about the lousy picture quality, all 3 were taken in Zoom mode from the backseat of a speeding car.

Times Square

2008-10-05T15:05:00.007+04:00

Location:
Times Square,
Sheikh Zayed Rd, Dubai.

We were at a loose end last friday & wanted to go to a Mall(where else:-S) we hadnt visited before. So we put our heads together & came up with Times Square.
Loved the place.....the ambience was mellow, with lush plants all around..............not too crowded, with some very interesting outlets.

The Food Court didnt offer a lot of choice but nevertheless managed to cater to our taste-buds. Most of the crowd carried their laptops along coz the whole building had WiFi access to the Internet.

At one of the corners on the ground floor there were some some lovely paintings which would appeal to most of us...though kids mainly:-P.

The colours were so soft & appealing that the kids kept wanting to touch :-) & we had a hard time trying to keep the rule "Look, but dont touch". Can't blame them, I found myself trying hard to keep my hands off.

The kids wanted this one for their room & squabbled over whose bedside it was going to hang:-).
There was nobody around to ask for more information...just some tiny pamphlets which gave the name of the artist & where to contact him if we wanted to buy them.

So if anybody is interested, you can go the website: http://www.astridberner.ws24.cc/ for more details.
And no, nobody is paying me to put this up:-)

This info is for people who want to know where the Mall is located...
Times Square is strategically located on Sheikh Zayed Road between the 3rd and 4th interchange, next to Al Tayer Motors and Garghash Motors.

Times Square is a community and family oriented center, with strong electronic and home furnishing offerings. Sharaf DG, the largest one-stop electronics store in Dubai is the main anchor there. Other outlets at the center include a mix of new and established names such as Toys`R`Us, JYSK, InterSport, Chill Out, InWear, Joebloggs, Duxiana, The Padi, Evoluzione, Nayomi, Jealous 21, Bayti, Storage Ideas, Karisma, Watch Square, Mikyajy, Color Nail, Edition Limitee, Sanrio, V-moto, Chrio, Axxezz, Caribou Café, Lamborghini Café, Biella, Extreme Freshies, and many more.

Camels, anyone????

2008-09-06T15:00:00.003+04:00

Worms Eye View: .......a harmless camel in its yard munching some grub.

Birds Eye View: That camel...ummm excuse me...fake camel along with another camel was exhibited in the middle of a shopping mall. Have to admit, even up close the copy looks almost like the original.

Some of the above species smashed together in a display window.

Some more fake fellas.....enamelled ones this time, displayed at a shop front

Location: City Centre, Dubai

Model Watch

2008-08-05T11:47:00.005+04:00

Location: Mall of the Emirates, Dubai

I saw her from a distance & thought she really looked comfortable reclining on the floor like that.
heeeeheee...can u see me in the reflection?

Then I saw this guy looking even more comfortable with his leg tucked in. I simply had to click him. Hmmm....wonder who he is staring at, so intently?

Now we know:-)

Different kettle of Fish

2008-07-29T15:10:00.015+04:00

Since Summer hols are going on, we try to take the kids out in the evenings but it is not possible always. Anyways, yesterday we took them for the newly launched Dolphin Show at Creek Park. The 45 minute Show started at sharp 9pm and was lovely…..

I spent most of the time trying to click that perfect picture of the Dolphins in synchronized poses but had to admit defeat in the end. They were just too fast for me. Or rather my fingers pressed the button a second too late…all the time:-(

All 3 of them touched those colorful globes hanging down from the top. My timing was off:-P

This picture was painted by that dolphin(can u see the paintbrush in the mouth) and was auctioned off immediately to somebody in the audience for 200 dirhams. They also brushed their teeth, danced to slow music, played Volleyball with the audience and jumped hurdles.

A few seals were introduced halfway thru the show. But that didnt stop the dolphins from showing off. This fella slid onto the smooth floor & whirled around a few times before sliding back into the water

There was also a lucky draw and a teenaged girl won it. The prize was a ride in a small boat with the dolphins pulling it. It was amazing, I got goosebumps watching her & the dolphins....infact I was so engrossed that I forgot to take pictures:-(

At the very end the trainer got into the water with the dolphins & all 4 of them danced in the water. They then suddenly disappeared underwater & came back zoooming into the air. The speed at which the dolphins pushed their trainer up can be visible in the picture.

I think I enjoyed the show more than the kids and was constantly amazed at the intelligence the sea creatures displayed through out. The dolphin who drew the picture also displayed a sense of humour:-O......amazing huh!!!

This info is for people in UAE who are interested in going for the show: It is a 45 minutes show happening at Creek Park and Tickets are normally priced at Dhs. 120 for adults and Dhs. 80 for children.

Between 25th July - 25th Aug there is a 50% discount on the rates. So take advantage of the prices.

A intoductory discount offer ONLY for shows conducted at 9am Friday mornings and 9pm Monday evenings(which was what we took advantage of) is Dhs. 30 for Adults & Dhs 20 for Kids.

Carte Blanche

2008-07-26T11:31:00.005+04:00

Location: Festival City, Dubai

There are these small carts selling wares all around the huge Mall. Most of them handled by Phillipinos & they sell anything from Soveniers, Dates, Watches, Perfumes, Multi-colored candies to T-shirts with funny stuff written on them.

The above cart was selling assorted stuff like hats, bags & footwear. Everything is so colorful & quaint that we are so tempted to take it home with us.

This cart was selling personalised keychains, etc. First we select the keychain or picture frame or pen or whatever...then we give to the stall owner who will engrave your name or whatever u want written on the item with some kind of lazer pen. The whole procedure is played on that TV screen so that one knows what to expect. I for one thought the results were pretty good.

Now this cart was selling exquisitely carved Chess-boards and Masks. The kids immediately placed the mask on their faces & asked me to click them.
Unfortunately, I saw the placard only after clicking the pictures. And somehow this picture looks sort of cold & dampish even though there was enough light around.