Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Quotable Quotes on Chairs @ The Walk, JBR

dubaians definitely know ‘the walk’, jbr as a place to lepak – hang out with friends over a cuppa coffee, ice-cream, cinnabon, pancakes, munch pizzas or pasta; or fine-dine on steaks and burgers.

and amidst all that cafes and restaurants, there is a ‘public’ area with chairs and tables to sooth your tired feet – with quotes on them.

 

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I love the design – victorian gone quirky – with pastel colors. just a simple place to hang out when you don’t want to hang out at any particular cafĂ© or restaurant.

 

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on the seat is the quote with the famous name who uttered it, and at the back is the picture.

 

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“we cannot all do great things, but we can go small things with great love,” – mother teresa.

 

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“a man who won’t die for something is not fit to live,” – martin luther king

Monday, February 25, 2013

Beautiful Nan Bread @ Ravi, Satwa

my bff putri was in dubai mid feb. once landed on dubai sandy soil, we straightaway took her makan. tak lapar? jom la makan sikit. supper. isi perut.

yeah, right. with us, nothing is ‘makan sikit’. hihi.

it was way past midnight, so we took her to ravi restaurant in satwa (one of the makan places in dubai which is still open after hours), and got her the most beautiful looking nan-bread I’ve ever seen! and eaten!

 

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one of the best nan bread you will ever eat. thick and fluffy. crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. and the pattern on the nan bread that amazed me the most! mr khairul said it resembles a bee-hive columns! cantik siot! SO delicious!

 

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aunty put with kahfi. happy to finally reach dubai, and super tired right from the 7-hour flight from malaysia. kena paksa makan besa pulak tu. haha.

 

we sat outside on the pavement, soaking in all the hustle and bustle of late-night dubai. the weather was fantastic – cooling and windy, just nice for an outdoor makan-makan. potted plants lined the curb so no worries of your kids trailing out on the open road.

 

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we got the chicken curry – as delicious as any chicken curry should be! SO yummy to accompany that gorgeous bee-hive nan bread!

 

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apart from the chicken curry, we also ordered this ‘lamb keema’. ‘keema’ dish is simply curry but using minced meat. and it’s not exactly dry, but there’s not much gravy. this one is so delicious, I absolutely LOVE it with the nan bread!

 

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ravi restaurant offers cheap, super delicious pakistani and indian dishes. it opens way into the night, making it one of the more popular makan places around satwa and bur dubai. sedap, murah dan banyak. jarang nak dapat kat dubai wo. (image : google)

Sunday, February 24, 2013

My Classmate & His Dormmate : Put & Moqq is in Dubai!

my mgs classmate bff putri and mr. khairul’s mckk dormmate mohsein aka moqq were in town for jalan-jalan dubai! put came in mid february, and a week after she left, moqq arrived with his wife milla & kid amin.

 

me & bff putri, picking her up at the airport

 

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mr. khairul in orange with old mckk buddy mohsein in front of the dubai international airport

 

it was a hectic, fun week playing the tourist guide to our old pals from school, but it’s our pleasure hosting you guys! with put, I had a blast having girl-talk all day, all night as she was here for a good 5-day stretch. with moqq, it gives mr. khairul a chance to act like silly schoolboys with a few pranks up his sleeve.

for full story, watch this space!

come back soon, put & moqq!

Friday, February 22, 2013

Rare Night Ride : Murtabak Jumeirah, Creek Pictures & Movie Date

my sis-in-law was here last february. so we had a babysitter. who loves my boys like crazy. doesn’t mind doing the job for a place to stay and free food. haha. so that their mak and bapak could go out. just the two of us. date-night!

thanks teh!

 

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going out just the two of us meant that we could take the harley! vroom! zooming through the night across jumeirah road…

 

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..stopping over at a small restaurant that says MURTABAK up front!

 

the place is along jumeirah road, called ‘murtabak masoub’. turns out to be a saudi-owned restaurant selling arab food, along with (the owner said) a ‘healthier’ version of murtabak.

 

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when we said we’re malaysians and we have murtabak in malaysia, she said yeap – acknowledging that it IS from malaysia and that they’re putting a healthy spin on this favorite malaysian pasar malam dish.

 

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how healthy? for starters, I miss that super OILY feel when I eat our malaysian murtabak – this jumeirah-road version is not oily! haha. this one has that capati feel but crispier. the filling has that distinct curry-onion-egg taste that I recognize, but the wrap is a lot different.

 

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a good dish, but not great. then again, I’m not even a fan of our malaysian murtabak so who am I to judge, eh?

 

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after the light supper we took a ride to dubai creek and took some pictures by the sleeping dows and arab abras. the late night sky looks amazing. and purple!

 

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my mr khairul by the dubai old souq station for water-taxi

 

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me~

 

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..and we caught a midnight movie at ibn battuta mall right before heading home. it was a simple outing of light supper, jalan-jalan on his bike and movie – such normal outings for a lot of other couples out there with nanny, maid and opah to take care of the cucu – but to us, such precious once-in-awhile moments to treasure.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Hungry for Hungarian Mini Donuts @ Global Village

this delicious dessert is khaleef’s favorite. we go to dubai global village each year to get yemeni honey, to buy colorful abaya from the egypt pavilion, to gawk at unique stuff in african pavilion; and to find these hungarian mini donuts!

(dubai global village is held annually in dubai, open ONLY during winter from november to february. click here for my experience on our first trip there.)

 

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they’re called mini donuts, but the texture is different than the dough-made donuts – it’s more like cakoi. served hot with syrup of your choice – chocolate, strawberry, caramel or honey. yum!

 

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it’s just a small stall in the middle of the huge landspace that is the dubai global village – but it has this gems – freshly fried/baked! ‘kurtos kalacs’ is basically ‘hungarian pastry’

 

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this is the machine they were fried in. cute donuts efficiently expelled from the hot oil! see, it’s more like cakoi than donuts!

 

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khaleef waiting patiently with dancing tummy haha

 

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chocolate syrup, please!

 

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..and it’s ready! enjoy! hot, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with bittersweet chocolate syrup all over!

 

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Sunday, February 17, 2013

Welcome Sis! From Malaysia to Cairo & Dubai Stopover

it’s always nice when families come over. we can make them take care of the boys while mr. khairul and I go on our rare date nights and movies! haha.

my sister-in-law was here a couple of moons back. she was back in malaysia for a short break in feb and stopped by dubai on her way back to cairo (she is studying dentistry there). her *ehem* other half syafawi also tagged along from cairo for his first-time experiencing dubai.

welcome, kids!

 

abang long and adik kecik. both bike-enthusiasts.

 

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where did we take them?

my sis-in-law teh was practically dubai-an haha having been to dubai every year, since our first year here – she was here for 2 months during the arab spring in egypt – so, very seasoned already lah! but this was pawi’s first time in dubai, so it was all about taking him sight-seeing around dubai, since he was very helpful when mr. khairul was in cairo for an exhibition last time.

took them makan-makan and the usually tourist spots – palm jumeirah, atlantis, burj arab bla bla bla.

 

complete family photo at thai restaurant ‘papa junior’ at international city – a popular place for malaysians yang rindu makan tomyam and goreng-goreng kat malaysia! (click here for my review of papa junior thai restaurant)

 

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we took them makan-makan at our new favorite eating haunt – afghan khorasan kebab with the most delicious arab bread ever! (click here for my review of ‘afghan khorasan restaurant’) and who’s that in pink tudung? I’ll save that for another posting ya!

 

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..and we went to dubai global village – an annual event not to be missed when you’re in dubai during winter!

 

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…and of course, while she’s here, hanging out with big brother on his harley is a must! one day she wants to own a superbike herself!

 

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thanks for meriahkan the house, melayan your naughty noisy nephews, thanks masakkan the surprisingly super delicious mee kuah and spaghetti, thanks bawakkan homemade kaya, precious keropok ikan and such from malaysia; and thanks for giving your bro and me the chance to have our ultra-rare date night. come again soon!

..oh, and because of you, i still can’t get that theme song from ‘hotel transylvania’ out of my head!!!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Pictures With Stranded Ship in Ajman Shores

it’s not a port for ships to dock. it’s not the marina. it’s just a public beach. and yet one day the folks at ajman were surprised with a sudden arrival of a huge cargo ship on its seashore.

 

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just a big old ship right smack by the side of the beach for all to see up close. my boys were much more interested with the sea and the sand rather than the big ship!

 

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sea blue~

 

what do you do when you hear that there’s a huge ship stranded at a beach near you? bring your kids to take a closer look! and take some pictures while you’re at it!

a cargo beach was washed ashore at ajman beach (ajman is one of uae’s 7 emirates, other than abu dhabi, dubai bla bla) after a bad weather at sea. it’s got no business stranded there, and was in such a bad condition to be at sea again, that the only way was to break it down to scrap.

‘The Sea Blue was sailing from Al Hamriya in Dubai to visit a number of African countries when it ran into bad weather on Tuesday morning.

According to the ship's owner, who preferred not to be named, the engines cut out and despite the efforts of the crew to restart them, the vessel was washed on to the shore near to Ajman Corniche.’

click here to read more.

 

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these rusty walls have seen it all. if it could speak, it would tell you tall tales of its underwater adventures, and its aqua escapades – slicing the water as it moves. what mysterious creatures have swam beside it? what curious crustaceans have rub its tentacles against the sides?

 

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here it lies, for ajman folks to enjoy, the sight of a huge cargo ship that once was. after this it will be broken apart piece by piece…

Monday, February 11, 2013

Movie Reviews : Django Unchained, Les Miserables, The Impossible, Seven Psychopaths

seen any good movies lately? spent the last few weeks watching oscar-nominated movies – favorites like ‘argo’, ‘lincoln’ (both amazingly well-made but boring movies in my opinion) and ‘silver lining playbook’, as well as the incredibly passionate musical ‘les miserables’ and the black comedy ‘django unchained’. i also watched not-nominated-but-still-very-entertaining movie ‘seven psychopaths’.

 

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‘django unchained’ is a quentin tarantino movie, so what that means to me is extreme violence, gore and quirkiness in one great storyline. ‘django unchained’ delivered exactly that. and as much as i want to shun this movie for its so-called ‘violence’, i cannot take my eyes away, and got me watching till the end.

set during the time of slavery, a bounty hunter (kills bad guys for money) rescued a slave so that he can help identify the next target, in return for his freedom. at the same time, the slave was also looking for his missing wife, taken forcefully from him. together, they make an unlikely team of bounty hunters going from plantation to plantation in search of targets to kill.

the plot is very interesting, and the casts are even more so that i can’t easily choose a favorite :

christoph waltz won me over when he played the cool-mannered jews-killing-german soldier in ‘inglorious basterds’ and he somewhat reprised that cool mannerism in his role as the bounty hunter in this movie. it’s a joy watching him play the character, having that great chemistry with jamie foxx who is just awesome as the slave.

leonardo di caprio plays the bad guy; one of the rich dudes with lots of slaves and he plays that part with such intensity that i hated him so much! mission accomplished, huh? his expressions, his tone of voice, and his mannerism – an award-winning worth of performance!

i highly recommend this movie, especially fans of quentin tarantino movies. if you don’t like violence, blood and gore, turn away whenever christoph waltz even look like he’s reaching in his coat for something. haha. but the fantastic story will be worth it.

 

 

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i love musicals. ‘sound of music’, ‘grease’ and ‘hairspray’ are my top favorites. but ‘les miserables’ is really truly for the musicals-hardcore because it’s like 99% singing and a few spoken lines here and there. you know, the kind of movie yang bila nak tanya pukul berapa pun kena nyanyi haha.

ok jokes aside, this is a musical of epic proportions. the story is as old as time as we all know. a prisoner escaped parole to start a new life but the police officer is always on his track. meanwhile a single-mom suffered poor fate as she’s forced into prostitution to raise her only daughter. their paths crossed; in the midst of a national revolution.

the songs are descriptive of each scene and capture each moments and feelings wonderfully. the casts are just amazing that they can sing LIVE on set without recording first at a studio. they sang as the camera rolls. amazing.

hugh jackman what can i say? oh what a lovely voice in that greek-god body! from the undernourished, sunken-faced prisoner to a strapping gentleman – hugh jackman transforms himself for the roles with conviction! anne hathaway deserves the golden globe and the many awards she’s going to get. powerful performance from the rest!

highly recommended for fans of musicals!

 

 

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i have 3 boys, just like the family in this ‘the impossible’, and because of that, i cried bucket of tears; constantly imagine being in their place amidst the chaos, wreckage, the loss of lives, the uncertainty – i wonder if i would have had half of their courage, strong spirit and determination. what an intense movie!

based on a true story, a family vacation turned tragedy as tsunami struck thailand while they were on holiday there. the mother and her eldest were separated from the father and the two younger boys, not knowing if either survived. their journey to keep going will keep you teary-eyed the whole way through.

the cinematography and cgi were well-put together as we experience being swept away by the extremely strong current brought by the tsunami. the sound was even muffled and for a moment we couldn’t hear a thing as the characters went underwater with all the broken debris hitting them left and right. we were there with them.

the actor playing the eldest boy was nominated for a golden globe, and watching him in ‘the impossible’, i can understand why. his forceful performance as the young man who needs to be stronger than his mum after the tragedy has overwhelmed me with emotions, i always find tears streaming as i imagine my boys in their situation.

highly recommended, even if you didn’t like disaster movie. i don’t, but this one is difficult to turn away from. when all seemed impossible, hope will set you free.

 

 

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i love this movie. hilarious, quirky and a little bit crazy. just the way i like it!

‘seven psychopaths’ is about a writer who is writing a movie script of well – 7 psychopaths and he’s collecting stories to give him some ideas, with the help of his best friend. and by help, it might mean dragging him into a tangled of trouble – because the best friend kidnaps dogs for the reward money, and he unknowingly kidnapped the mafia leader’s cute dog. bad guy wants his dog back, and the writer finds himself surrounding by – psychos!

the casts are wonderfully weird – from the otai christopher walken to the awesomely quirky sam rockwell and even the usually-in-serious-action-flick colin farell is funny in this one as the nervous, innocent guy suddenly thrown in this mess.

the movie is weird and funny, you’ve GOT to see it.

 

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