Thursday, November 29, 2012

My K Boys Welcome New Cousin Khir

baby alert!

mr. khairul’s younger brother had just welcomed a new addition to his family on 26th November 2012 at 11.24am : 2nd child, 1st boy in his family, and 4th cucu of my in-laws. what’s that? another K? yes, this adorably chubby wubby baby is named Khir Khairy, joining the K clan.

congrats to the proud parents, and welcome, little guy!

he is just too cute for words. so enjoy the pictures, courtesy of my sis-in-law tina. thanks! anong khaleef, abang kahfi and abang kazim will see you when they come back in a few weeks time!

 

baby khir khairy *pinch pinch*

 

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baby khir khairy knows his opah!

 

this is my kahfi with his accidental-identical cousin wafa. wafa is baby khir khairy’s big sis! get ready to play the role, wafa! you’re kak long now!

 

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ok, pak long. time to shop something nice for your new nephew…

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Awesome Afghan Food @ Afghan Khorasan Kabab

I’ve lived in dubai for more than 4 years now – how could I NOT been here before? the food here is absolutely delicious beyond all things juicy and tender!

this is the first time I’m trying afghan food, and I must say that the experience was an absolutely positive one! I LOVE the food here! this is definitely going to be one of my favorite haunts after this!

 

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‘afghan khorasan kabab’ is at meydan road, opposite dubai bowling center, al quoz. it’s a little unique corner-lot building on its own, not in a row of shoplot. from outside it looks like its built with red bricks.

 

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the décor is really fancy shmancy! not necessarily posh or fine dining-like, but fancy! haha. there were a lot of details in the curtains, chairs, the flooring, chandelier, and even the stuff on the table. my first thought was FESTIVE.

the curtains are silky shiny like something out of a bilik pengantin. the chairs have pretty chair-covers and there were like a bunch of bouquet on each table – fancy! the inside-walls are lined with fake ‘red bricks’ too, giving it a nice touch.

 

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for starters, we were served with this complimentary hot soup that tasted similar to a mild version of tomyam. delicious and totally soothing on a cold day!

 

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also on the table is my favorite hummus – a popular mid east dip made from mashed chickpea. this is something that I only started to pick up while living in dubai, and been loving it ever since. gimme hot fresh arabic bread anytime for a dip into the yummy hummus!

 

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they’ve got sambal served together with their rice, with a plate of cut-up veggies too.

 

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the best arabic bread I’ve ever tasted!

 

the nan bread is unbelievable. I don’t think my limited vocab can do justice to the awesomeness of this bread at afghan khorasan kabab. so soft, so gebu, so fluffy, huge portion, with a slight crisp to give it character. and the sweet smell of that hot bread – OMG. I just wanna put it up my nose and smell it forever haha.

best arabic bread I have ever tasted. seriously. mr. khairul has tasted freshly baked bread while travelling to lebanon, libya, syria, yemen and jordan – and he can attest to this fact too!

 

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I wish you could reach out and touch the bread in my mediocre picture, and feel the fluffiness and softness of the bread. tebal tapi gebu sangat!

 

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juicy beads of palao rice, rich in flavor with a lovely aroma, and raisins menyebok. enough said. sedap gile. tapi aku tak suka nasi yang ade kismis, walaupun aku suka kismis.

 

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mutton kadai – highly recommended!

 

even I am drooling as I’m blogging about this, trying to describe the uber-deliciousness of this dish. this is ‘mutton kadai’ at afghan khorasan, and you can even have it with chicken. this is a MUST-have dish, especially if you like mutton. if not, please try it with chicken!

I LOVE masak merah atau masak tomato, and this dish is similar, with a few more spices thrown in to give it the ‘afghan-food’ character, I’m sure. we ate it with rice and the bread.

the gravy is of course, super yummy but the star of the dish is of course the mutton  - tender and soft, tears off easily from the bone. excellent!

 

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we got this grilled chicken for the boys. it’s as good as any grilled chicken can be – juicy, tender, deliciously marinated and well-grilled. not too hangus like in some places. another must-try. of course there are other treats in the menu – the popular grilled meat on skewers that you can eat with the lovely bread. we might try that one next!

 

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just realized it’s been months since I’ve been to my favorite makan place for mandi rice tawasol. well, afghan khorasan is closer to my place, and the food is equally delicious, so I apologize if I were to hang out here more, okay tawasol? no hard feelings!

afghan khorasan kabab, you’ll be seeing more of me!

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Metro Dubai Ride with the Boys

kids love trains, kan? it’s the exciting change from the mundane car rides. the route is different, the scenery is different. they can observe people. they can see things from a different angle. somehow, train rides are super exciting!

so just because, we took our boys on a train ride – on metro dubai! (click here to read about my first experience on metro dubai with mr. khairul and my in-laws.)

 

bapak lined up to get tickets – we already have the SILVER NOL CARDS, so all we need to do is to top-up the cards.

 

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anxiously waiting for the train to arrive

 

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memupuk semangat membaca walau di mana jua berada! my boys enjoying their favorite dinosaur books on the train

 

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they shared the single seat. they almost got a double seat, but a man (full grown man!) actually raced with them to get that seat. shame! so, a nice indian dude gave up his seat for them. there’s still good in the world! it was a long ride back home, so I was glad that my boys get to sit and rest. thanks dude, whoever you are!

 

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mr. khairul the ever caring considerate husband asked me to sit down – it’s gonna be a LONG ride. you’re gonna be tired. are you sure you don’t wanna sit down and rest your feet? bla bla bla. hihi. thanks honey, but I’m SO used to travelling far like from gombak to kelana jaya and back again. dari hujung ke hujung tu! this was nothing! haha.

 

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when the crowd slows down and the train was almost empty, the boys decided to experience standing up, holding on to the railing. I was a little worried, but they were just enjoying the light sways of the train and how their body moved with the flow.

 

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HOME at last! well, the boys really had fun. it was just a simple trip. on a train. from A to B. but to them, it was a little adventure that they had enjoyed so much.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Khaleef Gets Birthday Pancake @ IHOP, JBR

this is one last bit from khaleef’s birthday – we didn’t get him any birthday cake, but he got something he really likes – birthday pancakes!

 

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IHOP just opened in the walk JBR (jumeirah beach residence, walking distance from our place) and I’ve been wanting to take the boys there since forever! my boys are pancake-freaks so I know they would absolutely enjoy the meals there.

IHOP stands for ‘international house of pancakes’, a very popular american franchise boasting delicious breakfast meals since 1958! it has then evolved into serving lunch and dinner meals as well. IHOP in dubai is the first oversea branch they have.

(..just like the cheesecake factory. magnolia bakery. hummingbird bakery – all their first branches overseas are opened in dubai!)

 

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the new york cheesecake pancakes

 

we got the birthday boy this delicious treat – ‘the new york cheesecake pancakes’ which is four fluffy buttermilk pancakes loaded with creamy rich cheesecake pieces topped with cool strawberry syrup and whipped cream. I saw the words ‘pancake’ and ‘cheesecake’ in a sentence and I just flipped – I gotta have this for my boy!

the pancakes are as excellent as good pancakes should be – fluffy and soft, with slight brownish to give it character. it’s thick and and the portion is large, enough to be shared with your loved ones.

 

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enjoy your birthday pancake, khaleef!

 

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khaleef enjoying the birthday song from the lovely staff at IHOP jbr

 

I didn’t know that IHOP staff has this singing-birthday-song gig like in TGIF – but I simply told the staff to bring the pancakes with a candle and wish khaleef happy birthday. when the pancakes came, about 10 of the staff came to our table and sing an upbeat birthday song – and birthday boy was really surprised, and bashfully enjoying this treat.

thank you to the fun bunch of IHOP staff at jbr! you guys rock!

 

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did we get anymore pancakes for ourselves? of course! we’re at the international HOUSE of PANCAKES!

I let mr. khairul choose this next one. he picked the ‘double blueberry pancakes’. it’s four buttermilk pancakes filled with blueberries, topped with blueberry sauce and whipped cream. absolutely divine!

again, lovely fluffy pancakes with a dollop of blueberries everywhere. what I really love about it is that as we fork the pancakes up to the middle, the insides are still hot, with steam visible. fantastic!

 

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what else can you get at IHOP besides gorgeous fluffy pancakes?

there are other delicious desserts to choose from the waffle list and the crepe list. if you want savoury food, there are burgers, sandwiches, and chicken and fish dishes. I really thought that IHOP serves desserts and only light savoury snacks! they’ve got steaks as well!

 

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mr khairul wanna keep it simple so he went for this beef bacon cheeseburger – thick juicy beef burger with cheese and strips of beef bacon, served with onion rings. well, it’s a cheeseburger. beef is tender, bun is soft, veggies are fresh, onion rings are crispy crunchy – it’s an alright meal.

 

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I got myself this deliciously simple dish – the ‘philly cheese steak stacker’ – grilled philly-style steak and onions topped with MELTED cheese, served on long grilled bread with fries on the side. it’s just so simple and tasty. steak, sauteed onions and cheese? party in my tummy!

 

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we got the mac & cheese for the boys from the kids’ menu. sadly, this was a disappointing meal. other than looking like an instant mac & cheese you can get at lulu, it’s really DRY. cammon lah, nak guna instant pun, at least have the courtesy of making sure it IS tasty and presentable. khaleef even asked for more cheese sauce…

 

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having pancakes at IHOP? you have lotsa syrups to choose from : the old-fashioned maple syrup, blueberry, strawberry or butter pecan syrup!

 

anyways, other than the microwaved-lookin mac & cheese, everything else was fantastic!

the food was delicious, the setting was very family-friendly and the staff were wonderful. if I remember correctly, the staff waiting at our table was ‘chona’ (pronounced ‘shawna’) and she was a darling. if you’re reading this, keep up the high spirits and great smile!

I like the fact that IHOP is a NOISY, festive place to hang out with a family with 3 boisterous boys! the décor was a bit boring and dull, but it’s staying true to the old 50’s feel, I guess!

there’s a waiting list to sit outside in the open, so we got a seat inside, no waiting. no matter – the booth seat that we got was perfect to block kazim from going out (haha) and we had a great view of the sea!

we’re definitely coming again – for kahfi’s birthday this december, perhaps?

 

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IHOP jbr is next to movenpick hotel, and there’s another branch at the mall of emirates too. enjoy!

Friday, November 23, 2012

Movie Review : Looper, Timothy Green & Horror Movies

movie time! saw the awesome sci-fi time-travelling action movie ‘looper’, the quirky disney drama ‘the odd life of timothy green’ and two horror movies ‘silent house’ and ‘sinister’.

 

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if you think joseph gordon levitt looks weird here, it’s because he underwent hours of make-up to make him look like a possible young bruce willis. he did a really fantastic job – he nailed bruce willis’ expressions and swag perfectly, and even speaks like the man!

the storyline can be confusing so let me simplify – you’re a young hitman. your job is to be at the field at a given time, wait with a gun. suddenly, a man will be sent from the future by the mob, and all you need to do is kill him, and strapped behind that guy are silver bars as your payment.

what if one day, the man you have to kill – is your old self from the future? that’s what happened to the characters bruce willis and joseph gordon-levitt – both playing the same person in future and past. one struggles to escape from his inevitable ending, and another vows to kill his own future self, collects the gold to enjoy life until he turns old and get sent to the past to be killed by his young self – hence the LOOP. looper. with me so far?

I’ve always been a huge fan of the concept of time travelling. one of my favorite movies of all time is michael j fox’s ‘back to the future’. one of my favorite books is h.g. wells’ ‘the time machine’. time travelling is a fascinating subject, albeit non-existent!

so this movie – though at times confusing with so many paradoxes – but therein lies the mind-boggling subject of time-travelling. and I love being able to think about the endless possibilities!

highly-recommended, also for the interesting twist at the end. watch it, if only for you to watch how joseph gordon levitt transforms himself into a very credible young bruce willis!

 

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The-Odd-Life-of-Timothy-Green-Movie-[2]

 

 

a young childless couple began writing down the characteristics of their dream-son – big heart, musical, gold-medalist, honest – put them in a box and bury it in their garden. that night it rained, and in came an adorable young boy into their home, all covered in dirt – timothy green, and he calls them mom and dad. and he has leaves on his leg.

that’s ‘the odd life of timothy green’.

the boy who played timothy green is just too adorable. so cute, and so charming. however, I don’t think his character was really developed as he tried to change the lives of the people around him. there is just not enough emotions for me to feel that this is possible – that this boy’s character is so enchanting that he can affect the people around him.

I wanted more from this movie in terms of the boy’s impact on the other casts, but just the thought of how incredibly grateful the childless couple was to have this boy coming to them from nowhere – brought me to tears. I thank Allah for bestowing me with three beautiful boys that I never even knew how it felt like to terribly wanting to be a mother, and not getting that chance.

there, just a simple quirky movie, but it works for me that way. a heartwarming movie for a family-time on a lazy weekend…

 

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I don’t usually fancy movies with moving camera with amaturish shots as if taken with a home-video camera – like in the movie dinosaur project or the blair witch. but this movie is a must-see. the whole movie is meant to be captured in just ONE take over a period of 88 minutes – which means it looks as if there’s no cut, and the movie just go on and on without any editing. we are taken THERE with her. in real time. alone. in the silence. in the dark.

the girl was there at their new home with her dad, they heard a noise upstairs, checked it out – and suddenly the girl found her dad injured by someone, or something in the house. the house windows were all barred, doors locked – so there’s no way out. now she must try to escape from that something…what is in that house with her?

you’d think that it’s just another horror movie, but the way the movie goes on really does build the suspense as you follow her character through the house in the dark. the ending is also SO worth the watch!

it’s amazing to think that the lead actress in this scary movie is the sister of the talent-less olsen twins! elizabeth olsen will be one of the new faces of hollywood a-list, I’m sure! she played the character strong and intense; we can feel her fear and confusion as she tried to escape the horrifying condition she’s in. she doesn’t even have to say much!

wanna scare yourself silly? enjoy the movie in the dark of night, crouching under the blanket…

 

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don’t watch the trailer if you were planning to watch the movie. why? because most of the good scary parts are already shown in the trailer, and if you don’t watch the trailer, the shock and fear will be more amazing! haha.

like mr khairul and I were jumping off our seats when we saw that one scene that defines the horror in this movie – scary gile because it was totally unexpected. for a horror movie, there are not that many shocking scary scenes in ‘sinister’ like in a korean horror movie, so you better not give yourself any spoilers.

the plot : a crime-book writer wants to write about the murder of a family – and to write the book effectively, he actually moved into the house where the murder took place! sick! anyways, he found a box of films in the attic, he watched it, and found out that they were home videos of how a few families were killed sadistically in different ways.

and in each family, one child was not murdered – but had just gone missing. what happened to that one child, and where is he/she? and in each video, an image appears…and once you see him…jeng jeng jeng

nice plot, interesting twist, interesting ending. I just wished that the suspense build-up is made better so that the viewers become more anxious to know what the mystery is. it’s good, but could be more intense.

I can say it does NOT have a predictable ending (because my prediction of the ending was wrong haha), so it’s a good scary watch for fans of horror movies. also, I miss ethan hawke! ah, he hasn’t aged at all! welcome back, dude!

 

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next set of movie reviews : international films, or malay films!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Hummingbird Bakery, Dubai Mall : Sorry, Too Sweet!

two of my best buddies are doing their phd in london. this is one of their favorite hangouts – the ‘hummingbird bakery’. once making me jealous that they’re hanging out together sipping hot chocs and stuffing their face with delicious cupcakes by the streets of london! hmmph!

the hummingbird bakery’s tagline is ‘authentic american cakes and desserts’ but it has been operating only around london since 2004. so it’s like they’re doing american-style baking IN london. hmm. and the hummingbird bakery in dubai mall is their first overseas branch.

 

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it goes without saying that I’m a sucker for desserts. cakes. bakeries. cute little bakery with cute little treats. so when I heard that a ‘hummingbird bakery’ is opening in dubai mall, I jumped at the chance of trying one of their desserts – just to see what’s all the fuss about!

they have all that is expected of a bakery – glorious cupcakes, moist-looking slices of cakes and brownies too. they also have these big macaroon-like thingys called ‘whoppie pies’ – cream cheese sandwiched between two spongy cake that looks like big macaroons.

I didn’t try those coz I first wanted to try my favorite cake flavors – the red velvet cake, and the carrot cake – both with cream cheese.

 

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I love the theme-color of hummingbird bakery – shades of primrose-pink over brown, with velvet chairs and of course – pink-colored hummingbirds on the walls. there were also fake cupcakes on the walls as décor, which I think is cute but so tempting for itchy little hands – kahfi’s! haha.

 

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why did I take so long to finally describe the taste of the cakes?

well, because it was disappointing!

maybe I put my hopes too high. maybe because I’ve eaten the ultimate red velvet cheesecake at the cheesecake factory. maybe the cakes at hummingbird bakery ARE not that good – that I found the red velvet cake in hummingbird bakery less than mediocre.

the cake itself is NOT as moist as I had expected a good cake should be, and oh my the cream cheese is TOO SWEET! I LOVE cream cheese on my cake, so when the cream cheese is not good, the cake is no good! the same goes for the carrot cake. I will leave it at that!

(click here to read about my experience at the cheesecake factory, and click here to read about what I think is THE BEST red velvet cake I’ve ever tasted, in the magnolia bakery)

 

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anyways, the hummingbird bakery in dubai mall is somewhere in lower ground, around the exit to the dubail mall muiscal fountain.

try it for yourself, and hey, maybe you prefer REALLY sweet cream cheese on your not-so-moist red velvet cake! me? no likey!

 

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Monday, November 19, 2012

Birthday Boy @ Kidzania, Dubai Mall

khaleef celebrated his 7th birthday last few days, and even before that, we already treated him to a full-fledged fun day at KIDZANIA, dubai mall!

for first-timers, kidzania is like a mini-city built for kids. here kids get to do ‘jobs’ like becoming a pilot or dentist to earn ‘kidzos’ (the accepted currency in kidzania). they can also spend ‘kidzos’ when they want to make pizza, or learn how to bottle coca-cola or to get a driving license. parents MUST accompany the 4 year olds (or below 120cm in height), but if the kids are older, they can be left to do the activities, wearing a special bracelet to keep them safe. accompanying parents can only watch, and cannot participate or help their kids in the activity.

with the entrance ticket (that looks like a first-class boarding pass to the emirates airline) you will get a cheque. so the first thing to do before ‘working’ at kidzania, is cashing the cheque at kidzania’s HSBC! after getting the kidzos (the accepted currency in kidzania), the kids can start ‘working’ to earn more kidzos, and spending their kidzos by making stuff!

click here for khaleef’s first experience at kidzania through a school trip. he didn’t get to do much then, which was understandable since he was there with his schoolmates and only a few teachers to organize their activities at kidzania.

..but this time, he came with his feisty mom – determine to make sure khaleef has time and opportunity to do ALL activities possible at kidzania dubai mall, and get our money’s worth!

 

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birthday boy khaleef did A LOT of activities, but these are only some of them. these activities are the ones in which he gets PAID after doing them. becoming a firefighter, pilot, dentist and many more!

 

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my little firefighter in glasses on top of the fire truck!

 

KIDZANIA FIRE STATION

of course we did the MOST POPULAR activities at kidzania first – becoming a firefighter at the kidzania fire station. usually there would be a really long line of eager kids, but hey – we went on a weekday so hip hip horay! khaleef was able to do this instantly.

khaleef  enjoyed it tremendously. I guess the attraction is the fact that the kids get to ride on a actual MOVING kidzania fire truck, wear fancy uniforms and hard hats, ride to the ‘scene of the fire’ and put out fire (aka shoot water at flickering lights and smoke), and then take a ride back. oh, and get some kidzos for their ‘services’.

before they did all that, they were taken upstairs for a briefing on safety and fire hazard, and I like it that the fire-fighter kidzania staff who did the briefing was role-playing as this very strict and garang fire fighter (playfully, of course), making it so enthusiastic and semangat for the kids!

 

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FLIGHT SIMULATOR : EMIRATES AIRCRAFT

Khaleef made one smart-looking pilot here at the flight simulator of an emirates aircraft. this is also one of the more popular ones, as the setting is made to look very similar to an actual aircraft with long narrow isles and small windows and all! cute!

 

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I was only allowed to take pictures of him at the ‘controls’, and then I had to leave him there for him to go thru the activities. khaleef had so much fun that after doing all the other activities, he wanted to do this again!

 

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my little smart-pants pilot

 

THE KZPD (Kidzania Police Department) POLICEMEN

usually, when the kids come in big groups, they’re made to walk around kidzania and check out the ‘fire at the flamingo hotel’ where the firefighters are busy putting out fire. however, khaleef was all by himself! yes, that’s how not-crowded it was in kidzania that day.

as a single policeman, khaleef was asked to go to the racing track – to check driving license of the other kids (before ‘driving’ or ‘racing’ in kidzania, the kids need to have a driving license – more on that later)! haha, hilariously adorable!

“what’s your name?” and then khaleef has to check that the name is the same as the one in their driving license. cute!

 

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inspector khaleef!

 

EMERGENCY ROOM

this is also one of the more popular ones. again, because the kids get to ride on an actual moving ‘ambulance’ as members of the paramedic team!

 

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before they get their ‘emergency’, they were briefed on the equipment used to help patients – like the stethoscopes, and the blood pressure cuff. they they take their respective equipment, and go off on the ambulance to attend to a patient somewhere on the streets of kidzania!

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DENTIST AT KIDZANIA DENTAL CLINIC

khaleef was excited to do this since his ateh (my sister in law) is doing dentistry in cairo. here the kids can roleplay as dentists, being briefed on how to take care of their teeth and the right way of dental hygiene.

doesn’t he look snappy in dentist white coat!

 

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when he’s done with all the activities, he gets paid in kidzos. usually, 15kidzos. the following are the other activities that khaleef did to earn more kidzos!

  • DEWA : Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. Children are hired as Electricity & Water technicians at DEWA, where they have to learn how these services are provided within the city. These technicians are also dispatched to check out some problems in the city and to ensure that our solar panels are in good working condition.
  • TNT Courier Service. Packages need to be delivered around the city to various establishments, and the TNT Courier messengers can ensure that the right packages are delivered to the right people and get their signature as receipt.
  • All the city’s KidZos and gold are stored at the Vault next to HSBC Bank. Vault Security staff ensure that any money that is moved around in the city is done safely.
  • Children can work as Construction Engineers and build a house at the Construction Site at KidZania.

*from kidzania dubai website

 

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khaleef has all the kidzania currency called kidzos, now what does he do with it? he pays to have experiences making stuff – baking pizza, bottling coca-cola, making fresh milk and even pay to take a driving license and to get a university degree!

PIZZA CHEF at PIZZA EXPRESS

I think this is one of the two places where you need to PAY 20 DIRHAM to do the activity, because you get to take the pizza home. they should re-think this since the idea of going to kidzania and getting kidzos is for them to spend the kidzos instead of actual money. ALL ACTIVITIES in kidzania should be free (included in entrance ticket price).

this is one fun activity that shouldn’t be missed. khaleef gets to wear an apron and chef hat – and make pizza!

  1. first the pizza crust. well, the dough is already flatten in a small pizza pan,
  2. and he was given a plop of tomato sauce which he needs to spread across the dough
  3. then he can choose any toppings he wants – well, there wasn’t much choice – just chicken, beef pepperoni, capsicum, corn and mushroom. khaleef chose the pepperoni
  4. and then they’re given lotsa parmesan cheese
  5. their pizza is baked, and after 15 mins, they can eat it hot and fresh!

 

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what other stuff did he learn to make? remember he needs to pay 20 kidzos for each of these activities!

 

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making fresh milk at lacnor factory! so cute with that ‘shower cap’! haha. they choose their own favorite flavor, and at the end of the machine, a small carton of choc milk came out for khaleef to take home!

 

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next, bottling coca-cola! the kids went through the steps of manufacturing cokes – taking an empty bottle, filling it up with coke, take a bottle lid, put it through the label machine, and finally getting a brand new, freshly bottled coca-cola to bring home!

 

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khaleef works as a perfumer at the swiss arabian perfume shop! he was briefed on creating fragrance and was taught about ‘essence’ and the right way to smell a scent! there were 4 different essence, and he chose the ‘mix fruit’ smell. nice! he got to bring home a small bottle – of course, for mak! hihi

 

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saving the best for last, this was khaleef’s most FAVORITE ACTIVITY – racing at the yokohama race track. he did this TWICE! especially since there weren’t too many kids!

all it was, was simply ‘driving’ a race car!

  1. before driving, must get driving license – need to pay 20 kidzos
  2. then pay another 20 kidzos to race
  3. no more kidzos to spend? then go to WORK – firefighters, cashier at waitrose or be a construction worker!

 

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this was how fast he was going. there were no other kids around, so one of the staff members went onto another ‘race car’ and raced with khaleef! khaleef had super FUN!

 

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khaleef taking the ‘driving test’ before receiving his driving license!

 

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some extra tips for all you kidzania first-timers!

  • kidzania dubai caters for kids aged 4 to 16. however, there are limited activities that a 4 year old or even a kid under the minimum height of 120cm can do – so it’s more fun and worth the money if you’re about 6 years old and above, and is taller than 120cm! khaleef barely made it! he is exactly 120cm tall!
  • some activities are only available in certain time (like every one hour or so) like the tv studio so you have to know when it is open
  • also, in my opinion, you’d enjoy it even MORE if you have a daughter! well, a girl can do all the boys’ activities (well, there are no boys-only activity anyway) but there are a few girls-only activity (boys CAN do it, but it’s just too girly! hihi) like making bracelets at DAMAS shop, make-up at dove, and dressing up too!
  • prayer room, nursing room, fun-filled kids’ room and even a very classy cozy parents lounge are available – making your trip with your kids to kidzania more – tolerable! hihi.
  • go on a WEEKDAY! it’s SO MUCH fun, no-waiting time, much less crowded and your kids can do the activities that they like more than once! khaleef did almost ALL the activities within 4 hours (minus the girly stuff hihi)
  • tickets to kidzania, dubai is aed95 for adult, and aed140 for kids (RM79 dewasa, RM117 kanak-kanak) so my malaysian friends – tickets to KIDZANIA malaysia is CHEAP!!! go now!

when we’re back in KL, I’m definitely bringing khaleef to kidzania malaysia! this time with kahfi, and maybe their aunty sofia or with their cousins abg haiqal, abg haqeem, sufya, and nuna!

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