Inferno Ground Zero

* * * SPOILER ALERT * * *

To those who have not read (or finish reading) the book Inferno by Dan Brown, or watched the movie of the same name – this post reveals the ending. So stop reading this post now if you don’t want to know.

This COVID-19 Pandemic brings back memories of a novel I finished reading just last year, Dan Brown’s novel, Inferno. I actually bought the book years ago, but hadn’t made time to read it till last July when we flew to Malaysia on an Air Arabia flight. (Air Arabia is a low budget airlines, …meaning no friggin online entertainment, …that’s why the book, hehe).

Anyway, the book is about a mad eccentric billionaire scientist who thinks that overpopulation is killing the world, and created a virus to release to the world in order to bring the world’s population under control. He committed suicide in the beginning of the book, but left a macabre message that set the heroes and the WHO (World Health Organisation) out on a wild goose’s chase to find ground zero, the place where the virus would be released.

In the book, the scientist succeeded. The hero and the WHO found the place but realized that the date given by the scientist was the date the virus infection would reach critical mass, not the date of the virus release. He just wanted all to know where the infections actually started, devious rascal…

In the movie, WHO managed to contain the virus. Nope, I didn’t watch it. I had the book and didn’t want to watch the movie before I finished reading the book. Then, I found out that they friggin changed the ending in the movie, and the critics were scathing in their reviews. And I don’t like movies that change the ending, so sorry, not gonna watch it. Which is too bad actually, since it starred Tom Hanks and Irrfan Khan (who died aged 53 just a couple of weeks ago). Maybe if played on TV… might change my mind.

Guess where Ground Zero is? Istanbul! (By the way, I guessed the exact site inside Istanbul before the book revealed it! And I also started doubting the hero’s partner long before the book revealed that she was bad). Here’re some photos of our trip to Istanbul in err… 2010, exactly 10 years ago! (Time flies huh? Just look at how tiny Justin is!)


Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia), Istanbul, Turkey


Interior of the Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia was first a church, then a mosque, and now a museum. Clues found in Venice, Italy, led the hero of the book to the tomb of Enrico Dandolo, Doge of Venice, in the Hagia Sophia


This is the actual Ground Zero in Inferno, the Basilica Cistern – an underground cistern for storing water for the city since medieval times


One of the sites mentioned in Inferno, the upside down Medusa head in the Cistern

Here’re more miscellaneous photos of Istanbul –


Taksim Square, Istanbul, Turkey


Papa and little 5-month-old Justin at Topkapi Palace


And here’s Mommy! Topkapi Palace, Istanbul


Sleepy little Justin, with one of the aunties of the hotel we stayed in – I think it’s the Empress Theodora Hotel. It’s the first ever hotel I booked using Booking.com. Before that, I would just pop up and ask for a rate


Family pic, Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Mosque), Istanbul


Inside the Blue Mosque…


Suleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey


View of the Galata Tower across the creek called the Golden Horn


What’s Istanbul without a cruise on the Bosporus?

Check out this old post for more pictures of our 2010 trip to Istanbul

Escape to Middle Earth

Hobbiton, Middle Earth…

I AM BACK!!!!

So… March and April went by real quickly. And now it’s May! And Ramadan. I missed all those fabulous occasions which I usually post… Spring Equinox, Songkran, Easter, start of Ramadan…

Not much of a celebration this year though, with COVID-19 everywhere. While many around the world are in lockdown with nothing much to do, I have been working my ass off, now that I am finally no longer ‘Acting’ Project Manager. Yup, yours truly finally got the PM post…

So, I’m one of the lucky ones you could say, because in the UAE, the construction sector happens to be a vital sector (no joke), exempt from the lockdown. Ummm, you know you need roads and bridges to get to your coronavirus victims?! Because of this, I’ve been in and out of self-quarantines due to bumping into people who are COVID+! But praise God, nothing’s happened to me… yet. Exciting, init?

But being a PM is not all fun, COVID or no (especially, when there's no salary increment!). For one, I find that I have no friggin time to do any personal stuff, banking, errands, etc. Not to mention surfing and blogging… I’ve not logged onto Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc since time immemorial. But I can’t let the blog idle. So, here goes…

Going from Matmata (Tunisia) to Matamata (New Zealand) to another movie set… Middle Earth from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the Hobbit! How I sometimes wish I could escape the pressures of work, and the worries of COVID-19 to go into another adventurous holiday… Sigh, it’ll have to be photos until the world gets back to normal.


Hobbits in Hobbiton


Oh, the Hobbits have parents…


A stroll in Hobbiton… Hobbiton Movie Set, Matamata, North Island, New Zealand


Anu in Hobbiton, NZ


Kim with Skye


And here’s Hazel


Justin chopping wood


Hey everyone! Photo time






Houses of the Hobbits – Don’t ask me which one’s Bilbo’s. I have absolutely no idea…


Here's where the Hobbits get their fish


Fancy some ale at the pub? (The Green Dragon, Hobbiton)

Going back to work now. May the Force be with you (oh, that’s from Star Wars) …but what the heck, it’s Star Wars Day! (May 4th as in May the Fourth …Be with You). No wait, it’s already May 5th! Damn, one day late!

Our Own Star Wars Adventure

Justin Skywalker and Darth Jayden (or is it the other way round, …aww what the heck!) battle it out at Luke Skywalker’s childhood home, Lars Homestead on the Planet Tatooine (which is actually now a hotel in Matmata, Tunisia …ahem)

Whoa! February’s come to an end!

At the rate I am blogging, it’ll end up like the countless inactive blogs that we see on the web. Can’t let that happen, no way! So here goes, a completely unrelated blog to what’s happening now!

I’ve been wanting to write this blog since Jan, when we were buying tickets to watch Star Wars 9, The Rise of Skywalker. We visited a few places where the Star Wars films were actually made, in our recent trip to Tunisia in December 2019, when Star Wars 9 came out in the cinemas. So, I was pretty excited, and started picking out the photos immediately after I downloaded the photos from the phones and camera.

And then, this fiasco at work converted me back to the (Acting) Project Manager like before (which means I am the Project Manager in all, except the name, and the salary package that comes with it, FUCK! DOUBLE FUCK!!)

Anyway, here’re our Star Wars photos! Anything is better than the Coronavirus that’s blowing out of hand, and the one minute off, one minute on, Malaysian Government drama that’s happening at home. Come to think of it, what I’m stuck with at the office, is kinda like the schemes that are happening in Malaysia now, and the schemes that unfolded in Star Wars 9. So, it has some relations after all.


The creators of Star Wars borrowed the idea of Lars Homestead (Luke Skywalker’s childhood home in Planet Tatooine) from the traditional underground dug homes of the Berbers in Matmata, Tunisia. The place where Lars Homestead was filmed, is now a hotel! – Hotel Sidi Idriss, Matmata, Tunisia


We stayed a night at the Star Wars Hotel (Hotel Sidi Idriss) during our recent Tunisia trip. Nope, it’s not on Booking.com. I just wrote them an email (you can get the email address from Google) to confirm the date and price! That door on the lower left corner of this pic, was our room


Our room on Planet Tatooine – Hotel Sidi Idriss, Matmata, Tunisia – Tunisia’s not expensive. We paid AED 180 all in for a night’s stay for our family of 4, including dinner and breakfast (half-lodging they call it). The rooms were pretty cosy, and kept us warm during a blistering winter storm outside that took the temperature down to 5C! The only drawback is that the rooms don’t come with attached bathrooms! (There’re shared showers and toilets in a central area of the hotel for the use of all)




Our dinner consists of couscous with chicken, lentil & tomato soup, ample amounts of bread, mint tea and some local dessert. (Couscous and bread are their main staple food, live with it, or bring your own food). We’re pretty fond of couscous and bread by the way, hehe


Is that Obi Wan Kenobi? Umm, it’s actually Mohammed, the hotel attendant and local guide. That’s their traditional outfit. Guess Star Wars didn’t only borrow ideas from their homes!


Hotel Sidi Idriss at night


See ya! Hotel Sidi Idriss, Matmata, Tunisia


And here’s another traditional Berber underground home we came across when we’re leaving Matmata


You’d probably not notice them if you don’t keep a keen view. This is all you would see from the road side. (This is the entrance to the home shown in the photo above!)


Another Berber home!


See tourists inside the home? Nope, we didn’t enter. We’ve been to one too many!

By the way, this was our first trip into Africa! Till we meet again, may the Force be with you!

Year of the Coronavirus

Wishing all a Happy & Prosperous Chinese New Year!!! - DragonMart, Dubai, CNY 2019

Cough… cough… starting to get a cough, but don’t worry, I went nowhere near China or a medical facility, so it shouldn’t be anything but a common cold. But the coronavirus scare in China has really dampened the New Year spirit all over, including here, in the UAE.

There used to be fireworks, Chinese cultural performances and a Chinese Gala, but they cancelled the Chinese Children’s Gala this year probably due to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic. I guess many Chinese residents, or visitors, would not be able to make it to the UAE due to the quarantine and cancellation of flights in China…

Heck, our Company instructed all those returning from an overseas trip these 2 weeks (including a colleague from India), to stay at home for another 2 weeks upon returning. Those lucky bastards!

Likewise, our New Year celebration has also been really low key. We didn’t really go anywhere. Visited some nearby malls to look for a celebration but found very little. Anu cooked up some treats at home for our tiny family of four + one niece for the Reunion, and that’s it!

Work is where all the excitement has been happening. There’re massive political manoeuvrings in the Project, and active campaigns by many, to oust my current Project Manager. It’s sucking me in, and I am trying my best to keep off it. (I’m the Deputy PM, and it’ll be me in charge, if the PM is ousted). Let’s see how this turns out. Anyway, because of this situation, I am over my head with work. Alas… that’s life!

Ummm, I’ve decided to brighten up the mood, with pictures of last year’s CNY… At least, there’s something joyful to look at…


Niece Karishma and us, in front of our old home in International City – CNY 2019




CNY 2019 – Dubai Marina Mall






Chinese New Year celebrations at Riverlands, Dubai Parks & Resorts 2019


Face Changing Act


Lion Dance


And of course, Dragon Dance – Riverlands, Dubai




Children’s Chinese New Year Gala – This was where Justin received an award for scoring full marks in his YCT2 Exam!

To Find a Star

Happy New Year!!! It's 2020!


Here’s a star for you – Starfish from Kite Beach at Umm Suqeim, Dubai

Update: Went for a short 1 week trip to Tunisia at the end of 2019. Not really planned at all. It’s just that Tunisia is visa-free for both Indians and Malaysians! I had no guide books. (No, not even Lonely Planet had one on Tunisia that could be bought online. They might have an old book, before the Tunisian Revolution of 2011). But we had a helluva time. Anu’s happy. The kids are happy. Bliss! What more can I say?

At work though, it’s a completely different story. The ITS2020-1B Project has a Project Manager who cannot represent the Company or Project in the face of the Consultants and Client. The official Company’s representative for the Project for the time being is the friggin Deputy Project Manager (…yours truly, ahem). Internally, it is still the PM in charge. Our Company said my primary responsibility is still the Abu Dhabi Airport Project, and I only have to be the face of the Company for the ITS2020-1B Project. But to be the face, I have to know all, and in the eyes of the Client (who is no other than the Government of Dubai), I am in friggin charge. If anything goes wrong, it is my friggin neck! Have been back at work for a week now, and I’m over my head with work!!! Hundreds of emails still in my friggin mailbox, although I’ve been back at work for a whole week now.

What do I blog now? I’ve not downloaded the Tunisian photos… OK, how about continuing with the beach photos? So, here's a beach from home… Enjoy!


Kite Beach, Dubai, UAE


The kids having a bubbling time!


Justin found a star! It’s a starfish!


Let’s make our own starfish pond


Starfishes in our pond


Jayden and a starfish

That’s all for now folks. I’ll be back!