Happy New Year 2010!

We welcomed 2010 together with Tongai, Mo and Hedi. We bought nasi lemak for them while Mo and Tongai made excellent bbq steak. Hedi baked a chocolate cake for dessert. Nasi lemak from Noodle Bowl is a favourite for all!

From left: Tongai, Mo, Hedi, myself and Ken at the dinner table in Tongai and Mo's residence

As midnight approached, we prepared to celebrate with Hedi’s very yummy and delicious chocolate cake, ice cream and champagne.

Ken with the champagne bottle

Getting ready to pop the bottle

Fountains were lit up at Dubai Mall with the famous Burj Dubai in the background at the stroke of midnight. Burj Dubai will be officially opened on 4 Jan 2010

Yay! Finally, champagne bottle is popped open!

Hedi's beautiful heart-shaped chocolate cake with 2010 candles!

All of us, taking a photo with Hedi's gorgeous cake before we dug in!

All of us blowing the candles off the cake

After dessert, Mo insisted we videoed our New Year’s resolutions. They were hilarious! Most of them were weight related haha!

It was a very pleasant evening. Our last photo for the night was a jumping shot taken at Mo and Tongai’s lift lobby! It was so fun! Yes, we had to practice with a few shots, but we welcomed the exercise to achieve the New Year’s resolutions!

As Mo quoted: We were Jumping into 2010!

Mo, Tongai and Hedi, it was our honour to celebrate New Year 2010 with all of you. We toast to another year of good company and friendships, continued good health and more of God’s blessings! Cheers!

Family trip 2009 – Dubai and Khasab (Oman) (13, 18–20 Dec 2009)

We had arranged for desert safari on the first day upon the arrival of our family in Dubai on 13 December 2009. Unfortunately, it rained all day in Dubai! (and flooded too!) Well, at least it was an unforgettable desert safari experience. Who would ever forget desert safari in the rain and cold!

Dune bashing in the dark

It was really cold!

In the Adventure Plus campsite. Surprisingly, there were about 300 people altogether who also came for desert safari in the rain. We thought we were the only crazy ones!

Ken and I in the campsite, cold and wet.

We were wowed with the performance of the "spinning guy" at the Adventure Plus campsite. He spun non-stop for 20 minutes at least!

And his costume had lights!

Lunch in MOE before desert safari

In Madinat Jumeirah

Eugene, Susan and I in one of the lamp shops in Madinat Jumeirah. We went to Madinat for a short visit before the desert safari

During the rest of the days our family was in Dubai, we also went on a cruise in Khasab, Oman.

Khasab is the local capital of the Musandam peninsula. Access to the area by land was virtually impossible until a modern coast road was built, which allows fast access from the UAE, making Khasab a popular weekend destination for people living in the Emirates.

Khasab is at the tip between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman

The drive along the winding roads towards the port in Khasab where we boarded the cruise was really scenic. It was beautiful when the sun was coming out again. It had rained earlier in Dubai when we left for Khasab at 6.30am that morning!

It was beautiful, the sky was clearing up and sun was coming out

The drive to the port, all surrounded by rocky mountains

 

Ma and Pa at the Khasab port

Eugene and Susan

Rocky mountain in the background, wind in our hair, I like!

Rocky mountains are all we see throughout the cruise

Half way through the cruise, we stopped by a rock island, climbed on it and had quite a view from the top!

Climbing up the rock island

Family picture at the top of the rock island

Pa and Ma

We snorkeled, had a good lunch (fresh baked fish!) and relaxed on the deck of the boat playing cards. Yep, that concludes another unforgettable family activity for us!

Playing cards and relaxing on the deck

Another highlight of the cruise: We saw dolphins!

All smiles from the cruise

Family trip 2009 – Istanbul (14 Dec – 17 Dec 2009) – Day 4

On our last day in Istanbul, we visited to Topkapi Palace Museum, Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Blue Mosque and to the Grand Bazaar for shopping on the last day. Yep, quite a bit of walking in 1 day!

The Topkapı Palace is a palace which was the official and primary residence in the city of the Ottoman Sultans for 400 years of their 600-year reign. The palace was a setting for state occasions and royal entertainments and is a major tourist attraction today, containing the most holy relics of the Muslim world such as the prophet Muhammed’s cloak and sword. To be frank, the only thing captivating about the palace were its garden grounds and compound. The Beylerbeyi Palace that we had visited on the 2^nd day was far more interesting as it was still in its original setting.

At the entrance of Topkapi Palace

I love this shot!

At the lawn outside Topkapi Palace

Sunset from Topkapi Palace

The grounds inside Topkapi Palace

The 4 gentlemen

Inside Topkapi Palace

Hagia Sophia (pronounced as “Ayasofya”), was built on this site in the fourth century by Constantine the Great. Constantine was the first Christian emperor and the founder of the city of Constantinople, which he called “the New Rome.” The Hagia Sophia was one of several great churches he built in important cities throughout his empire.

In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks and Sultan Mehmed II ordered the building to be converted into a mosque. The bells, altar, iconostasis, and sacrificial vessels were removed, and many of the mosaics were eventually plastered over. The Islamic features such as the four minarets outside were added over the course of its history under the Ottomans. It remained as a mosque until 1935, when it was converted into a museum by the Republic of Turkey.

Hagia Sophia mosque in the background

Inside Hagia Sophia

Me in Hagia Sophia

Painting of Mother Mary on the ceiling

Restoration works for European Capital of Culture for 2010

Sunset picture of Hagia Sophia from Topkapi Palace

The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. The cistern provided water for the Great Palace of Constantinople and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.

The underground cistern

Family pic in the underground cistern

Here, we saw 2 “Medusa” pillars. This is the myth about Medusa. Medusa was the most famous gorgon (female monster). She was a beautiful woman with magnificent long, silky hair. One day, while she was in Athena’s temple, she fooled around with Poseidon (Neptune) which angered Athena that she changed Medusa’s beautiful hair into hissing serpents and made her into a horrible looking gorgon. She was so horrible that any living thing that looked upon her would turn to stone. Perseus (Zeus’ son), rescued his mother by decapitating Medusa’s head. Perseus used Medusa’s head as a weapon during subsequent battles.

Us against the upside down pillar of Medusa

There were 2 pillars of Medusa, 1 upside down, the other sideways

The cascading domes and six slender minarets of the Sultanahmet Mosque (better known as the “Blue Mosque”) dominate the skyline of Istanbul. In the 17th century, Sultan Ahmet I, wished to build an Islamic place of worship that would be even better than the Hagia Sophia, and the mosque named after him. The two great architectural achievements now stand next to each other in Istanbul’s main square, and it is up to visitors to decide which is more impressive.

We did not manage to get pictures inside the Blue Mosque as it was prayer day. This was the only decent picture taken within the compound of the Blue Mosque!

Within the compound of the Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque was the last tourist spot we went to before some last minute shopping at the Grand Bazaar.

At the Grand Bazaar

"Kutu" means "lice" in Malay. I wouldn't give that as a name if I were to open a shop!

We really enjoyed Istanbul. The city is beautiful and old, easy to get around and people were very friendly. My highlight during this trip was the cable car ride up to Bursa, and, of course, the snow!

Family trip 2009 – Istanbul (14 Dec – 17 Dec 2009) – Day 3

On the 3^rd day in Istanbul, we went on another tour to Bursa, a small town 3 hours drive away from Istanbul.

Bursa is the first capital of the Ottoman Empire (during the 14th century), the city can be considered the birthplace of modern Turkish culture. It is Turkey’s fourth largest city, as well as one of the most industrialised centres in the country. Bursa is settled on the northwestern slopes of Mount Uludağ in the southern Marmara Region. The city is frequently cited as “Green Bursa” in a reference to the parks and gardens as well as the vast forests in its surrounding region. Uludağ, also formerly known as, the ancient Mount Olympos, is with an altitude of 2,543 m and is a popular centre for skiing.

Ken and I at the Silk Market in Bursa town

Eugene, ma and Ken - anything from heaven?

Bursa town

In one of the parks in Bursa

View of Bursa town from cable car

As we got higher up, we saw SNOW!

Snow at the foot of Mt Olympos

Yea snow!

Family pic on the snow

Snowball on Eugene's head

This is my favourite picture!

View from Mt Olympos

A barren tree on the mountain

Family trip 2009 – Istanbul (14 Dec – 17 Dec 2009) – Day 1 and 2

My family (parents, brother, cousin sisters and nephews) had recently visited Ken and I. There were altogether 7 of them who came to Dubai. We had also planned a 4-day trip to Istanbul and a 1-day tour to Khasab, Oman during this period. The rest of the days were spent in Dubai.

This post is about our Istanbul trip. The subsequent post will be about Dubai and Khasab. There will be lots of pictures, so bear with me! 

We boarded Turkish Airlines to Istanbul. We booked 2 tour packages for 2 days and it was free and easy for the other 2 days.

Istanbul, historically also known as Byzantium and Constantinople, is the largest city in Turkey. Istanbul is also a megacity, as well as the cultural and financial centre of Turkey. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait. It extends both on the European and on the Asian sides of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents.

Map of Turkey that stretches over the European and Asian continents

In its long history, Istanbul has served as the capital city of the Roman Empire, the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, the Latin Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. The city was chosen as joint European Capital of Culture for 2010. The historic areas of Istanbul were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.

These are some pictures taken on the first day, walking around Istanbul town. We stayed in the Best Western Empire Palace Hotel which was right in the heart of Istanbul city. As we only had half day after checking into the hotel on the first day, we walked around, familiarising ourselves with the locations of the tourist spots. It was winter in Istanbul and temperature was between 5°C – 11°C.

Our family, eating roasted chestnuts by the roadside

Buying chestnuts by the roadside. Malaysian roasted chestnuts taste better

Some random pictures taken

These coloured houses reminded me of Melaka

Eugene, pa and I at the Arasta Bazaar eating frozen yoghurt!

Sunset at Istanbul main square

Another sunset picture from Istanbul main square

We had most of our meals out in the city, but our favourite restaurant was Dejavu restaurant. It was located beside our hotel. We were recommended the Dejavu special lamb dish, cooked in a clay pot on hot fire. This clay pot was then broken to serve to lamb. Interesting! And tasted really good too!

Lamb cooked in hot clay pot

Clay pot is broken using a knife

Voila! Hot steamy lamb for dinner!

On the 2^nd day in Istanbul, we boarded the Bosphorus cruise. It was a 1 day tour which took us around the European and Asian continents of Istanbul. In this tour, we visited the Queen Mother mosque, Spice Bazaar, Camilca Hill, Bosphorus bridge and the Beylerbeyi Palace.

Outside Queen Mother mosque

At the spice bazaar

Susan, Eugene and Roy

Beneath the Bosphorus bridge

Beylerbeyi Palace

Ken and I at the Beylerbeyi Palace

Sunset from Beylerbeyi Palace that is by the Bosphorus strait

Family picture at the top of Camilca Hill overlooking Istanbul

Relaxing Fujairah!

Fujairah is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates, and the only one on the Gulf of Oman in the country’s east instead of Persian Gulf.

Route taken to Fujairah

 Fujairah is the only Emirate of the UAE that is almost totally mountainous. All the other Emirates, like Dubai and Abu Dhabi are located on the west coast, and are largely covered by desert.

Ken and I have heard lots about how beautiful Fujairah is but it wasn’t until we checked out the website of JAL hotel in Fujairah that got us to book our room there almost immediately!

Picture of JAL Hotel from their website!

It was a short drive, approximately 2.5 hours to Fujairah. We were there for only 2D1N, just to experience the beach in Fujairah and JAL hotel. We booked the spa package at JAL. It comes with spa massage, sushi package dinner and breakfast the next morning.

During our drive there, when we turned off at Masafi, the roads were up and down hill, alongside rocky mountains. It was really scenic and beautiful!

Rocky mountains and blue skies

More rocky mountains. Heavy clouds cast shadow over the top of the mountain

We managed to check-in early. My, this was the view from our room! Yup, very much like the photo from the website but ours is better – because we have the view now embedded in our minds!

View from our room

View of the other side of the beach from our room

We have the beach right beneath the balcony

The bedroom and bathroom. Notice the opening to the bathroom!

The view from the bathroom

We spent the time at the JAL Hotel relaxing, eating and taking loads of pictures. We had also recently bought a new tripod which we put to great use (as you can see!). We do not have to take pictures with our outstretched arm anymore and with the tripod, we can take other “fun” shots too!

This was the first test of a jumping shot!

After jumping a few times to understand the speed of the timer, we finally got it!

Finally, a sunset picture of the both of us. We looked exhausted from all the jumping! Haha

Sunset (slightly late) at the beach

Breakfast outdoor, overlooking the beach

Time spent at the beach trying to tan our bodies! Unsuccessful!

We ended up playing around with the camera (now that we have the tripod) taking shots like this!

And this!

One of my favourite shots

Taken at the lobby entrance of JAL Hotel

Coincidentally, Jonathan from DUMC was also here on holiday at Fujairah! He stayed in Rotana Hotel which was just 15 minutes drive away from our hotel. We went over to meet up with him before driving back to Dubai and managed to catch some photos with him.

Ken, me and Jonathan at the Rotana hotel

We did everything at the beach except swimming in the sea/swimming pool! The water is cold during winter! The service from JAL Hotel was excellent and really good. We are very pleased with our stay and would love to go back sometime next year for a longer stay.

We turn ONE today!

Yes yes yes! It is our first anniversary today! Ken was really really really sweet, he had planned for high tea for us yesterday on the famous SkyView Bar in the Burj Al Arab hotel! YIPPEE!

The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolise Dubai’s urban transformation and its shape takes after the sail of a boat.

The Burj Al Arab. I took this picture off the internet (just had to clarify!)

SkyView Bar is located on the 27th floor and is about 200m above sea level. Reservations are required for the high tea. An authorisation number is given upon confirmation of bookings that will not only allow entry into the SkyView Bar, but most importantly, entry into the vicinity of the Burj Al Arab hotel.

Upon checking of confirmation number on 27^th floor, we were directed through this “circuited” entrance into the SkyView Bar.

Circuitry entrance into SkyView Bar

Circuit lighting on the walls of the entrance

Once seated, we were introduced to our personal waiter who begins the high tea by serving us a glass of “Louis Roederer” champagne accompanied by a small bowl of berries and cream. It was then followed by a slice of beef with apple puree (I think!). These 2 snacks were not refillable.

Champagne served

Next, we were served a variety of pastries, sandwiches, cookies, cakes and freshly baked scones with choices of jams on a 4-tier tray that symbolised the shape of the Burj Al Arab with either coffee or tea and these, were all refillable upon request.

Peekaboo!

As we sat and ate, we spent the whole evening walking around the SkyView Bar, witnessing sunset over the Palm Jumeirah. The view was spectacular!

View from SkyView Bar overlooking Jumeirah

Night view of Jumeirah

View of Jumeirah beach from the opposite of SkyView Bar

Sunset over Palm Jumeirah

SkyView Bar with white grand piano

Afternoon tea and bar area of SkyView Bar

Ken and I, our last picture in SkyView Bar, we'll never know when else we will come back!

After eating and satisfied with taking photos from the SkyView Bar, we went down to the lobby of the hotel and took more pictures. The architecture and design was interesting and beautiful.

Upward view of Burj Al Arab from the lobby

View of the rooms from hotel lobby

Fountain feature

Interesting sausage-looking couch! It is the first thing you notice upon entry into the hotel

Ken and I at the hotel lobby

Yar, us again! Haha!

To Ken, there is no one I’d rather be beside other than you. Thank you for a memorable evening and to many more ‘happening’ years in our marriage!

So much "wuv"!

Our unit – all done up now!

A while back I posted pictures of our unit in Indigo Tower when we had just moved in. Ken and I lived in that “warehouse-looking” condition for 3 to 4 months until one day, we saw Larry’s studio. Larry had also moved into Indigo Tower a few months after us, and we were in awe of how well he had decorated his studio! His studio is an exact replica of ours. No one knows when inspiration and motivation will spark, for us, it was that night!

Ken got on immediately onto Dubizzle and started searching for second-hand furniture. Here’s how much we spent:

• Second-hand 2-seater sofa – AED300
• Mover’s cost – AED150
• Dining table (with chairs) from IKEA – AED499
• Rugs from IKEA – AED45 each
• Curtain from Dragonmart – AED75
• Going shopping and fixing up table with Ken – priceless!

This was how the "warehouse condition" looked like

New improved condition!

Second-hand sofa and curtain

Great way of utilising a tall cabinet for shoes

Ken, hard at work fixing our dining table and me, being very loving, taking pictures of him working! Alone! Haha!

Beautiful historical Jordan!

Ken and I have been discussing about visiting Jordan in the past months, and finally, we booked our trip there, a postponed Hari Raya holiday for us!

Jordan is a country in Western Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba. It shares control of the Dead Sea with Israel. Much of Jordan is covered by desert and rocky grounds, particularly the Arabian Desert. The capital city is Amman.

Places travelled in Jordan

It was a 5D4N trip. There is so much to write about our trip but these are highlights of our trip, so bear with me if this post is too long.

As we flew across Saudi Arabia towards Jordan, we got an aerial view of the circular plant stress genomics. Scientists at KAUST plan to sequence the genomes of “extremophile” plants i.e. species like the mangroves and saltbushes of Saudi Arabia, which naturally tolerate scorching, dry, saline conditions – in the hopes of creating new strains of food crops that display the same resilience. It was amazing to see these! Jordan’s primary natural resource is phosphate deposits which can be found amidst rocky grounds of the country.

Aerial view of grass plots in Saudi Arabia

Closer shot of grass plots

Aerial view of Jordan

We arrived in Amman and spent the first day free and easy. Weather was highest at 27°C during day time and around 16 to 18°C at nights. We walked around the streets during the day and went for coffee at night in this café, Coffee Republic. We met a very friendly waitress there. Her name is Taghreed (which means birds chirping), whom we made friends with very quickly and left our contacts with her before we left. She is so sweet, she bought us coffee the second time we were there!

Coffee in Coffee Republic cafe in Amman city

On the second day, we visited Jerash and the Dead Sea. The ancient city of Jerash is known for the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa and is considered one of the best preserved Roman cities in the Middle East. It was a city of the Decapolis.

Arch of Hadrian

The oval plaza - for forums and announcements

Nymphaeum - for fountains and springs

Theatre

 

Chariot tracks

View from inside theatre

Since 1981, the old city of Jerash has hosted the Jerash Festival, a three week long summer program of dance, music, and theatrical performances. The festival is frequently attended by members of the royal family of Jordan and is hailed as one of the largest cultural activities in the region.

We headed for the Dead Sea after our 2-hour walk in Jerash under the sun. The name “Dead Sea” is a translation from the Hebrew name “Yam ha Maved” which means, “Killer Sea”. It is considered the saltiest water than anywhere in the world, almost 9 times saltier than the ocean! The Dead Sea is completely landlocked and is the lowest point on the earth at 400m below sea level. This salinity makes for a harsh environment where animals cannot flourish. Human bodies are more buoyant in the Dead Sea because of the extremely high concentration of dissolved mineral salts in the water. We bobbed like corks in it! The salt and minerals are good for human skin. So is the mud at the bottom of the Dead Sea!

View of Dead Sea from Dead Sea Spa Resort

The guy who sold us the mud told us to do this and we did!

Dead Sea mud on our faces! Natural mask!

Sunset at the Dead Sea

On the third day, we started off a trip to Mount Nebo, one of the most important Christian sites in Jordan. It is approximately 817m above sea level. This was where Moses stood and looked across the Dead Sea at the Holy Land.

At the summit of Mount Nebo

Faint view of Israel behind Dead Sea (look beyond the trees!)

Next we went to Madaba, a city known for its mosaics. The most complete mosaic map of Jordan and the Holy Land was found here in St George Orthodox Church, marked with the points of interest of some historical stories recorded in the Bible.

Mosaic map of Jordan and the Holy Land

Inside St. George's church

We did not spend much time in St George’s church as the drive to Wadi Rum is approximately 3 hours.

Wadi Rum (Arabic word for “valley) resulted from a great crack in the earth caused by an enormous upheaval. It is very popular with travellers because of the abundance of springs. The local people who stayed in Wadi Rum joined the Arab forces under the leadership of king Faisal and fought along with Lawrence of Arabia during the Arab Revolt (1917/18) to fight the occupying Turkish and German armies. Lawrence himself made many references to Wadi Rum in his book ‘The Seven Pillars of Wisdom’, a title apparently inspired by one of Rum’s imposing mountains.

The local tour guide brought us on a 2-hour jeep ride. The desert was red in the evening sun and it was a spectacular view.

Seven pillars of wonder

The desert is orangy red

Basking in the red desert of Wadi Rum

Natural rock formation. You can see a face on the far right of this picture

Train on nearby railway track. Ken managed to catch this on camera!

Ken and I were exhausted after the jeep ride. It was another hour’s drive to Petra where we spent the night before our tour of Petra the next morning. The local tour booked a room in Beit Zaman resort for us, a 5-star hotel! It was beautiful with breathtaking views!

View from our room in Beit Zaman in the morning

View of Beit Zaman resort in the morning

Finally, on the 4^th day, (the last day of our tour) we visited Petra, the highlight of our trip. There were so many tourists gathered at the gate of Petra to begin the 5-hour walk in the ancient city of Petra. We were excited about it as it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Petra achieved its greatest importance under the Nabateans, an ancient people whose original homeland was in northeastern Arabia. They migrated westward in the 6th century BC and eventually settled at Petra. Petra was home to as many as 30,000 people. It was during this period that the most impressive structures of Petra were built, including the Treasury. The only entrance into Petra city is through this narrow gorge, Al Siq.

Narrow gorge entrance into Petra city

Natural rock formation. Looks like a fish doesn't it?

Finally, the Treasury building of Petra. It is a Treasure building not for financial reasons but because this building blocks the city from winds and floods

Just love this Treasury building! Can't get enough pictures of it!

Some Roman structures in Petra

Tombs carved out of stone

Ken and I were exhausted and burnt from the sun! It was an amazing experience! We flew back to Dubai the following day in the afternoon, enriched with memories of beautiful ancient Jordan

All geared to go HOME!

It has been 8 months since Ken and I settled in Dubai. Since our wedding in November 2008, we have missed celebrating Christmas, Chinese New Year and Easter as a married couple with our family and friends in Malaysia.

It has been a great experience being in Dubai as newly weds. This is the longest time Ken and I have been away from home. We think a lot about our families, friends and of course, the lovely and affordable Malaysian food!

Through all challenges experienced in Dubai, we are thankful for God’s provision for us - a good place to stay, adequate finances, new friendships, learning experiences at work, passing of our driving tests on first attempts, good bargain on the price of our second-hand car purchase and most importantly, a good church to be apart of. Ken and I were accepted into Gateway International church Dubai on 10 April 2009 and have since been serving the church. Ken is part of the PA team and I co-ordinate the bi-weekly news and prayer bulletin for the church together with Clive and am also part of the stewarding team.

We did some shopping today and bought some goodies for families and friends at home. We will be in Malaysia from 29 July 2009 to 22 August 2009, travelling between Melaka, Penang and KL.

Date biscuits, choco dates and pistachios

20kg in total!