Gatherings 2017

Here’s my annual posting of people whom we hung out with. 2017 was a particularly fruitful year for family visits. We managed to coax dad to come for a visit. He chose the hottest of the hottest month. (He hates the cold, but he never expected it to be so hot. Told him so). Our niece, Sweety from Silchar, also visited around that time. (She was waiting for her exam results). Nuff said, here’re the photos.


Family gathering at Al Sahra Desert Resort, Dubai – compliments of niece Karishma for the treat


Sweety, Burj Al Arab, Dubai, UAE 2017


Justin and his granddaddy, Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi


Anu with nieces Sweety & Karishma, Sun Tour Restaurant, DragonMart 2, Dubai


Dad, Pier 7, Marina Mall, Dubai Marina – Dad & I went for a dhow cruise on Dubai Marina, another treat from niece Karishma!

Here’re the friends!


Madhavi, Roby and Jasna (parents of Justin’s schoolmates, Aria and Mashel) at Walnut Grove, City Walk, Dubai


“Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker’s man…” – Justin with his schoolmates, Mashel (right most) and Aria (tallest) at Cloud 7, a play zone where you can decorate cakes, paint ceramics, make candles and make soap. Justin ended up with a ceramic cake. What good is that?? Can’t even eat it. The little girl is Vivah, Aria’s little sister


Justin at classmate’s Antranik’s (in orange) birthday. With them are his two best friends Rayaan (in blue) and Jiexi (black). The girl is Antranik’s sister. Antranik is Armenian with a Syrian mother, Rayaan is Pakistani and Jiexi is Chinese. That is what you get in a multinational city like Dubai


Back home, Durga Puja Festival with niece Karishma


Karishma & Anu, getting ready for a party


A gathering at home with Karishma’s colleagues and friends on Jayden’s birthday


At a neighbour’s – Birthday party for Yusuf (middle). Yusuf’s sister is Mimi and his little brother is Jan. They're also of mixed parentage - Pakistani father, Filipina mother


Justin’s Chinese language teacher, Ms Wang …there’re so many Wangs that it seems like almost every Chinese is a Wang, …including us (Ong is Hokkien for Wang). This is his second Chinese teacher named Wang


A colleague for a change – enjoying some noodles at a Xinjiang (Chinese Turkestan) Noodle Restaurant (Buhaiwan Restaurant) with colleague and friend, Gang Yongxian – He said it’s the ‘best’ noodle restaurant in Dubai


And here’re my work colleagues – from left, Yasir (the Consultant’s Resident Engineer), yours truly, Aruna our QA/QC Manager, Rajesh our Planning Manager, John our Engineering Manager, Shaji our Contracts Manager, and Emad our Senior Project Manager at a farewell dinner for Yasir at Lebanese Flower (Zahrat Lebnan) Restaurant, Abu Dhabi

Ramadan Kareem!

Ramadan decorations at Mirdif City Centre, Dubai 2017

Blessed Ramadan to all the Muslims.

It’s that time of the year again, where Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, and Non-Muslims just hitch along and enjoy the nice changes that comes along with Ramadan in this region.

Now we work only 6 hours a day, Alhamdulillah. And the kids go to school a couple of hours less, Alhamdulillah. Meaning there’s more time with the family, less traffic (usually, unless there’s an accident, which is really common during Ramadan), and less crowds at the malls, cinemas, etc. Nice, ain’t it?

But there’re drawbacks.

First, the shorter working hours means I have less time to do trivial stuff during work hours like updating this blog! So, forget about Facebook, Twitter, and so on and so forth, OK? I have less time to do my banking errands, and other important personal stuff, like paying my bills on time. (Really hope I don’t forget something like that!)

Second, driving a hundred over kilometres at friggin 2, 3 or 4pm in a hot afternoon is a recipe for disaster. It’s the sleepiest time of the day for driving, especially if you’ve had a heavy meal (therefore I suggest, eat light, and take a coffee before you drive). For those fasting? I can only imagine (coz I’ve never tried!) That, I think, is the main reason why road accidents go thru the roof every Ramadan in this country!

Third, …I can go on, but I’ve used up all the time I’ve set aside for this blog, so I’m gonna end here and post some pictures instead. Enjoy your holy month while you still can!






Ramadan 2017, Dubai Festival City Mall


Dubai Festival City is always nice for a sunset


The light, smoke, water and fire show, Imagine, at Dubai Festival City


ENIGAMI? – Imagine seen backwards, Dubai Festival City Mall


Anu & Sweety in Ramadan 2017, Mirdif City Centre


Ramadan Kareem! Ramadan Mubarak!

A New Malaysia

I don’t know what to say. My feelings are beyond what words can describe. For the first time in many years, I feel proud to be a Malaysian. Immensely proud to see the united people of Malaysia putting aside their racial and religious differences. Immensely proud of the sacrifices that so many Malaysians, young and old, did to create this change in government. I didn’t do my job of voting, I am sorry, but I am lucky that I am from a country of responsible citizens who care about what happens to the country. Our new leaders braved the many obstacles put up by the then ruling government to stop them. Our citizens came out in droves to vote. They flew back from overseas, they endured the long travel back to their home towns and villages, they braved the hot sun for hours. There were people who collapsed and died while queuing for voting, there was a woman in labour, there was a woman who had just given birth on the same day, there was a 106 year old man who had voted in every election that Malaysia had ever had, etc. Thank you people of Malaysia for saving our country, my country, I am really humbled.

One fellow that I think did more than what he was given credit for, was Rafizi Ramli, a young politician (younger than I anyway), secretary-general and vice-president of the Keadilan Party. You rock, man! Salute. Thank you.

Now that we’re done with the job of kicking out the ‘bad’, I hope we start the healing process soon, for all Malaysia, including the reformed from the old regime. I hope the new leaders remember what they’ve fought for, and not repeat the indulgences of the regime of Najib. Lastly, we actually have Najib and his wife, Rosmah to thank for, for delivering real democracy to Malaysia. If it hadn’t been for them, exploiting the maximum out of everything that they have, we would still have been stuck in our bad old corrupt ways…

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And for this post, I’m putting some pictures of Butterworth and Penang from our 2017 year end trip back home. See ya!


Fisherman at Pantai Bersih, Butterworth, Malaysia - On the horizon is Penang Island


A view of Penang, from the Kek Lok Si Temple


Kek Lok Si Temple, Ayer Itam, Penang, Malaysia










More views of the Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang


Anu, Hazel, and the fish pond, Kek Lok Si, Ayer Itam, Penang


That’s what you have to do, when you want good food in Penang - Teksen Restaurant …We gave up. Besides, we’ve been there many times before – see here


Ended up here, Boey Chong Kee Restaurant, one of dad’s favourite – there’re places to sit, but it’s an equally long wait …hmmmph

Election Fever Malaysia

Less than a week to go before the grand finale that is the 14th General Election in Malaysia. Very excited. Everything, and everyone, in Malaysia is about the election. Unfortunately, I won’t be voting again, for the umpteenth time. I am a bad citizen. I am a bad, bad citizen. If I’d known earlier about the postal votes, I would’ve registered, but now, it’s a little too late.

But thinking about it, my vote wouldn’t have made a difference anyway. My constituency is an opposition stronghold, where the majority is typically in the tens of thousands. There is no chance that the results would change, this election anyway. So, that’s a consolation, hehe.

Anyway, I quietly hope for a regime change. I grew up in a Malaysia known for its religious tolerance and harmony. Back when I was staying in Malaysia, we had inter-racial rapport, we learnt to be sensitive to one another’s differences and taboos. This was ingrained into our heads, “respect one another, no racial slurs or taunts,” or we’ll be hauled up under the Internal Security Act (ISA), and jailed probably. I supported the ISA (although many including my dad, didn’t). I think in a multi-racial country like Malaysia, some tenet of respect and understanding of our fellow countrymen of another race and religion, is essential. There must be a law to keep the peace and harmony intact, something to prevent dangerous demagogues from inciting racial and religious strife. The ISA’s scrapped now, to be replaced by an even more draconian law, the Sedition Act, but I only see a worsening racial divide and intolerance. Arrogant Chinese versus arrogant Malays, taunts and acts against people of different religions, made even scarier when some perpetrators are people from the ruling government, and no action is taken. Where will it end? How did it become like this? I think it is partly due to the fact that the law wasn’t seen to be fairly applied on all, irrespective of race, religion or party. We are heading towards a time bomb, and it has to stop.

I like the rapport that I see among the different races in the opposition camp, the Pakatan Harapan. To me, this rapport encapsulates the spirit of Malaysia. I remember the time when PAS, the Islamic Party of Malaysia, was part of the opposition front. Its then spiritual leader, the late Nik Aziz Nik Mat couldn’t be more different than Lim Kit Siang, the leader of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), but they had always managed to put aside their differences and worked together for the good of the front. To me, this is what Malaysia should be. A place where people of different races, religions and values, liberal or conservative, can thrive and live together in harmony, respecting one another’s differences.

Secondly, our respected Prime Minister, Najib, has been accused of corruption and the gross mismanagement of our sovereign wealth fund, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars, the money of the people of Malaysia. This is no small change. Najib has denied all wrong. I don’t know how guilty he is, but I strongly believe that any leader with some semblance of dignity, when wrongly accused, would have voluntarily stepped down to allow an independent investigation to be done, to clear his name. Najib did the complete opposite. He fired everyone and anyone who dared to mutter anything about this. What more can I say?

I grew up and started my working career in Malaysia in a Mahathir-led era. Although I sympathized with the then disgraced Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, during the fallout between Mahathir and Anwar, and sided with the opposition during those times, mainly due to the perceived injustice and hard-handedness of the government, I still hold the greatest respect for Tun Dr Mahathir. Despite his faults and the many injustices that he dished out to his opponents, he is the one who did the most for Malaysia. He is the one who put Malaysia on the map. He is the one who made me proud to be a Malaysian. He is the one who made me believe that, we Malaysians, can be as good as anyone in the world. He is old now, 92 years old. How many people can still walk, or talk, let along campaign at 92? He is now the leader of the opposition. I hope Malaysia will give him another chance, a chance to correct the wrongs and injustice that he had created in the past. Long live Mahathir, long live Anwar, long live Pakatan Harapan!

......

Note: The above is my personal view. I can’t wait for 9 May. It’s like X2: X-Men United, when foes Professor X and Magneto teamed up to take on Colonel Stryker! Foes Anwar and Mahathir in one team against Najib, how much more interesting could it get? Some of the names I’ll miss during this election would be Karpal Singh, Nik Aziz and Adenan Satem. I hold these late leaders in high esteem. RIP. God bless them.

Wow, this is one long post I finished in record time!

I’ve decided to decorate my post with some remainder photos of Legoland Johor Bahru which I didn’t post before, since Johor is one of the main battlegrounds!


Legoland Malaysia (the multi-cloloured buildings) in Johor Bahru (JB)


Afiniti Residences, Medini, Nusajaya, our apartment for the 2 nights in JB – just across the road from Legoland


A view from our Lego boat on the Boating School – "Jayden, you drive, OK? Papa's gonna take a photo – NO, NO, NO, DON’T TURN, GO STRAIGHT, YOU’LL CRASH!" …CCRAAAASSHHHH!!!


Dino Island, Legoland Malaysia – This is one ride that you won’t find in Legoland Dubai – Justin & yours truly went twice in a row (coz it was broken earlier, and we just thought we’d check it out before we go home, and Tada! it’s working and there’s no queue!) We were completely drenched!


Lego version of JB’s Tanjung Pelepas Port

The Time When We Were at the Airport

Here’re some photos taken at Delhi’s airport on our short trip to India for the wedding.


Wait, says the Hand! Waiting for our turn at immigration on arrival


But even when the Hand says other things (which are impossible for my hand to do), people have to wait. That is Indian Immigration.
…Hmmm, do these Hands spell out some secret code to some ancient treasures?? (If my Malaysian relatives were here, I’m sure they would have come up with some number sequence to bet on the Lottery…)


On our way out of India – this is umm… the female version of The Thing – “Oh Mighty Ancient Goddess of the Airport, grant me 3 wishes…” Nothing happened. But all of us got dysentery when we got back to Dubai. Moral of the story: Blaspheme at your own risk

Bye-bye. See ya next time Delhi!

A Marriage in the Family

Meet the newlyweds – Amrita and Rahul Maheshwari

Last month we went to India. We went there for a wedding, Anu’s youngest sister, Amrita’s wedding. The wedding was in Rohini, part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Rohini, or more precisely Budh Vihar in Rohini, is a wonderful place. If you like mazes, this is the place to be. Budh Vihar is a real life maze, crammed to its boundaries with narrow streets, walled in by buildings, after buildings, after buildings. It is like the Maze Runner meets the Scorch Trials. I don’t have pictures of the streets of Budh Vihar. When you are attending to a 3 year old kid, in autorickshaws with no doors, or packed like sardines in a car, you don’t have a chance to pull out your phone or camera to snap pictures.

Budh Vihar is so crammed that the Delhi Development Authority (the government agency in charge of urban planning in Delhi) disowned it. (So sez one of my new relatives). Budh Vihar is about 6 sq.km in size (from my Google Map rough estimate), but must have at least a few million people living in it, looking at the amount of buildings and people and all that.

The people in Budh Vihar are very friendly. Especially to animals. In the entire Budh Vihar, there’re only 3 non-vegetarian restaurants (according to my meat loving brother-in-law Gopal, from Silchar, who had been exploring the place since he reached, a few days before we arrived). When we arrived, it was some religious festival, Navratri I heard, and so, even these 3 'non-veg' restaurants became ‘pure veg’. If I were still a toddler on this visit, I would've starved to death (yeah, I was a no-nonsense carnivore a long time ago).

Actually, our kids nearly starved because we stayed in a dharamshala (something like a hostel), instead of a hotel, where we’ve long grown accustomed to (the trappings of staying in a developed place like Dubai). The only food available was SPICY Indian food from the streets. No problems for yours truly and the missus (until we got back to Dubai that was, …that’s when the dysentery started, but let’s not go there…), but for the kids, it was a real ‘mouth-watering’ experience.

Staying in the dharamshala brings back fond memories of the many places we stayed in, in India. Building construction in India is fascinating. The dharamshala looks pretty new. I think the owner must have spent a fortune building it. But the way it was constructed was, ...what can I say, crude. So crude that it’s actually interesting! No, the tiling and the plastering were perfect. But the joinery, electrical and plumbing works?!? That’s an art! The art of ingenious short cuts! The funny thing is that most of the good maintenance workers, including electricians and plumbers in Dubai, are Indians! “In India, do as the Indians do…” I guess.


This ‘Dancing Table’ can be an art piece in some art gallery, but it’s actually a table stacked on top of another in the open-air flat-roof kitchen of our dharamshala. “Hey, kids! Don’t even think of going near that thing, OK?!? It’ll seriously hurt someone!”


The kids in the interesting kitchen, Aggarwal Dharamshala, Budh Vihar, Rohini – We learnt that flat bread (roti, chapatti) dough can have lots of uses. You can use it as paste to stick things together; you can use it as table leg supports for flimsy tables like the ‘Dancing Table’ above; and you can use it as a mat to remove the charcoals from the tandoor (cylindrical oven, seen beside the kids) - You can still see burnt roti on the tandoor’s air vents

Enough about the dharamshala. Here’re some wedding photos.


The bride flanked by Anu and Rini, the girls of Haulawng


Amrita with Ama, Royal Garden, Budh Vihar, Rohini, Delhi, India


Bride and groom on display at the rotating pedestal (yeah, seriously)


The bride’s sisters (2 of them anyway)


Family photo, Royal Garden, Rohini, Delhi


Indian weddings can be a lengthy affair – “Go to sleep Jayden, it’s 2am!”

Finally the main marriage ritual starts …at friggin 4am …Don’t people sleep around here?


Prayers, prayers and more prayers…


Standing, are the groom’s younger sister and brother


Wow, a bonfire!


“Round and round the fire, while we bless the pair. This side, that side, click selfies and share.”


Back at the dharamshala… Yours truly and bro-in-law, Gopal (on phone) in a photo with the Selfie-Kings (cousins of Rahul), Sekhar (in white), and ummm… I dunno his name. Between the two of them, they must've taken a thousand selfies, in a day!


Later that night was Ladies’ Folk Dance Night, on the roof terrace of the groom’s parents’ house – That in the middle in yellow, is the groom’s mother

There, one long post done. An achievement in times like these, huh?