Enough of my self-glorifying mails, here’s my annual tribute to the people in our lives. Of 2018. …Half a year late as usual, sigh.
Gathering with Justin’s classmate Aria’s family (or is it Arya?) at Cedre Shopping Centre, Silicon Oasis, Dubai – Among all of our kids’ classmates, Aria’s family are the ones we’ve kept in touch the most, although Aria and Justin are actually in separate classes for the last few years now
Friends and family are a gift and a blessing, and are always welcome. Unfortunately, being in a faraway land, and with our hands full (with dealing with the two little monsters we call our sons…) (no, don’t get me wrong, we absolutely love them to bits), we’re a little short on social activities, and hence friends, ahem. Here’s what little we had in 2018. Thank you guys, for being in our lives, and for giving us a little of your time.
Niece Karishma, with her work colleague from Nepal, mmm… izit Reshma? (left), Reshma’s husband (middle) and a friend of Karishma’s from back home, Gairai (right). Gairai is ethnic Naga and used to teach in the same school as Karishma back home in Assam, India. He visited Dubai to look for a job
Gairai (right) and Reshma? (left) in our house, for a gathering of no particular reason …Anu sometimes does things like that, just for the heck of it, she’s quite good at creating the festive mood. This time, I think it’s to get Gairai to feel more at home in a foreign place… The kid beside Reshma is her son
Farewell for Dong Weihong (left) and Li Lei (right), our Chinese colleague and friend… They’re going back to China for good, after umm… 9, or is it 10 years? Their daughter, Amy, used to go to the same school as Justin, but has started school in China some years back. We knew Dong Weihong since our first stint in Dubai, from 2008 – 2010. 再见
Another playdate with Aria and Vivah, at Bay Square, Business Bay, Dubai – Wassup Jayden? Jayden at his usual dramatic self. Aria’s parents are UAE-born Indians
Jayden with his closest friend among the neighbours, Romaisa – She too has moved back to Pakistan with her parents
And the little ones finally meet again, Jayden and Mikaela, after umm a year and a half I think, at church (…we’re not very good church-goers). Mikaela and family are from the Philippines
Finally, after a long absence, a birthday party! At Justin’s best friend Rayaan’s house in Mirdif. Rayaan is Pakistani
Happy Birthday Rayaan!!! Birthday party in full swing – Rayaan’s parents are behind him. On the far right is Antranik, another of Justin’s classmate and friend. He’s Armenian. The boy in dark blue, right in front is Jiexi, also one of Justin’s close friend. He’s from China
And these are Justin’s teachers: -
Mr Dempster, his class teacher
Mr Michael Morgan, his music teacher, …Justin’s part of the school orchestra and ukulele group! Just when Justin’s starting to thrive in his current school, he’ll be leaving for another school (coz we’re shifting houses)… Feel a li’l bad, but what to do??
And Jayden’s teacher… Hmmm… it’ll have to wait till next year, we don’t have any pictures from 2018.
Some colleagues of yours truly: -
The ADAC gang (ADAC means Abu Dhabi Airport Company) – Looking back, the ADAC Project gang is pretty good with organizing gatherings and such – a gathering at a farm in Al Rahba, Abu Dhabi – From right, Lokesh (Safety Manager), Shaji (Contracts Manager), and Anver (Senior QS) on the right table. On the left table, starting from the far end is Rahul (Assistant QS), Jithin (Document Controller), Mohammed Nahas (Planning Engineer), Rajesh (Machinery Coordinator), Srinadh (standing, Planning Engineer), …mmm Man in Blue (sorry, I have absolutely no recollection of who this is, my memory is THAT BAD?!?), and Rajesh (bespectacled man in blue, Planning Manager, arch-rival of Contracts Manager Shaji). Behind, at the back table is Ahmed Elkadi (in pink, Site Engineer). He's sitting with Tang Zhao who is not seen in the photo
Here’s my good ol’ RE (Resident Engineer, meaning the head of the Consultant’s team supervising our works) of the ITS2020 Project where I was Acting Project Manager for a good 10 months – Eng Ghazi Al Sheikh of Parsons, in the site office at Al Quoz, Dubai – He’s a good man and a friend. He’s from Syria, Idlib to be precise, where bombs were dropping like leaves in autumn…
And finally here’s our one and only family member in Dubai, heck, in the entire friggin Middle East, Karishma, our niece, on our visit to the Miracle Garden, Dubai
That’s all folks! Till we meet again…
Gathering with Justin’s classmate Aria’s family (or is it Arya?) at Cedre Shopping Centre, Silicon Oasis, Dubai – Among all of our kids’ classmates, Aria’s family are the ones we’ve kept in touch the most, although Aria and Justin are actually in separate classes for the last few years now
Friends and family are a gift and a blessing, and are always welcome. Unfortunately, being in a faraway land, and with our hands full (with dealing with the two little monsters we call our sons…) (no, don’t get me wrong, we absolutely love them to bits), we’re a little short on social activities, and hence friends, ahem. Here’s what little we had in 2018. Thank you guys, for being in our lives, and for giving us a little of your time.
Niece Karishma, with her work colleague from Nepal, mmm… izit Reshma? (left), Reshma’s husband (middle) and a friend of Karishma’s from back home, Gairai (right). Gairai is ethnic Naga and used to teach in the same school as Karishma back home in Assam, India. He visited Dubai to look for a job
Gairai (right) and Reshma? (left) in our house, for a gathering of no particular reason …Anu sometimes does things like that, just for the heck of it, she’s quite good at creating the festive mood. This time, I think it’s to get Gairai to feel more at home in a foreign place… The kid beside Reshma is her son
Farewell for Dong Weihong (left) and Li Lei (right), our Chinese colleague and friend… They’re going back to China for good, after umm… 9, or is it 10 years? Their daughter, Amy, used to go to the same school as Justin, but has started school in China some years back. We knew Dong Weihong since our first stint in Dubai, from 2008 – 2010. 再见
Another playdate with Aria and Vivah, at Bay Square, Business Bay, Dubai – Wassup Jayden? Jayden at his usual dramatic self. Aria’s parents are UAE-born Indians
Jayden with his closest friend among the neighbours, Romaisa – She too has moved back to Pakistan with her parents
And the little ones finally meet again, Jayden and Mikaela, after umm a year and a half I think, at church (…we’re not very good church-goers). Mikaela and family are from the Philippines
Finally, after a long absence, a birthday party! At Justin’s best friend Rayaan’s house in Mirdif. Rayaan is Pakistani
Happy Birthday Rayaan!!! Birthday party in full swing – Rayaan’s parents are behind him. On the far right is Antranik, another of Justin’s classmate and friend. He’s Armenian. The boy in dark blue, right in front is Jiexi, also one of Justin’s close friend. He’s from China
And these are Justin’s teachers: -
Mr Dempster, his class teacher
Mr Michael Morgan, his music teacher, …Justin’s part of the school orchestra and ukulele group! Just when Justin’s starting to thrive in his current school, he’ll be leaving for another school (coz we’re shifting houses)… Feel a li’l bad, but what to do??
And Jayden’s teacher… Hmmm… it’ll have to wait till next year, we don’t have any pictures from 2018.
Some colleagues of yours truly: -
The ADAC gang (ADAC means Abu Dhabi Airport Company) – Looking back, the ADAC Project gang is pretty good with organizing gatherings and such – a gathering at a farm in Al Rahba, Abu Dhabi – From right, Lokesh (Safety Manager), Shaji (Contracts Manager), and Anver (Senior QS) on the right table. On the left table, starting from the far end is Rahul (Assistant QS), Jithin (Document Controller), Mohammed Nahas (Planning Engineer), Rajesh (Machinery Coordinator), Srinadh (standing, Planning Engineer), …mmm Man in Blue (sorry, I have absolutely no recollection of who this is, my memory is THAT BAD?!?), and Rajesh (bespectacled man in blue, Planning Manager, arch-rival of Contracts Manager Shaji). Behind, at the back table is Ahmed Elkadi (in pink, Site Engineer). He's sitting with Tang Zhao who is not seen in the photo
Here’s my good ol’ RE (Resident Engineer, meaning the head of the Consultant’s team supervising our works) of the ITS2020 Project where I was Acting Project Manager for a good 10 months – Eng Ghazi Al Sheikh of Parsons, in the site office at Al Quoz, Dubai – He’s a good man and a friend. He’s from Syria, Idlib to be precise, where bombs were dropping like leaves in autumn…
And finally here’s our one and only family member in Dubai, heck, in the entire friggin Middle East, Karishma, our niece, on our visit to the Miracle Garden, Dubai
That’s all folks! Till we meet again…
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