A Christmas in Three Countries

Merry Christmas Everyone!


Christmas Season in Madaba, Jordan

We've just got back from a one week vacation in Iran! Had a swell time, but tired like hell. And, as usual, the photos are still in the phones and camera. So here’re some photos from last year instead. I’m friggin working on Christmas this year, OK? Sending this out from the office.

We spent Christmas Day last year in 3 countries! We flew from Dubai to Amman, Jordan on Gulf Air transiting in Bahrain on Christmas Day. Here’re the pics.


Justin, transiting at Bahrain Airport


How often does it rain in Arabia? A whole year of bone-dry weather, and it had to rain on Christmas Day! – Bah ...rain Airport


Amman, Jordan on Christmas Day – A view from our hotel room, Arab Tower Hotel – note the Roman Amphitheatre (in shadows) on the middle right of the picture


A closer view of the Roman Amphitheatre, Amman


Justin having breakfast on Boxing Day, Arab Tower Hotel, Amman


The Basilica of St George, Madaba - a small but well-known church in Jordan for its ancient mosaic map of the Holy Land and Jerusalem (the oldest in existence apparently). Madaba has a number of ancient mosaics and is dubbed Mosaic City by the tourist guides waiting to cash in on this reason alone. "Wouldn't you like to see ...the Mosaic City??" Heck, definitely more intriguing than Madaba


The interior of the Basilica – it’s a Greek Orthodox Church


And there, on the floor, now barricaded up, part of the famous Madaba Map – Not much of a sight, if you’re not a history buff. …Maybe, if they’d barricaded it up earlier… (it dates back to the friggin 6th century AD, OK?).

Anyway, wishing all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May this be a truly joyful season for you and your family. May God’s blessings and protection continue to be with you! Have a Happy & Blessed 2017!!!

Here’re some Christmas flavour from home –




Me’aisem City Centre, Dubai, Dec 2015

Justin Year 7

Hello! – Justin at his school, on the eve of Chinese New Year 2016

TADA! Here’re photos of Justin’s 7th year! What the heck, I just randomly picked some photos for the sake of this post, hehe! Haven’t downloaded all the photos, especially the more recent ones! I’ll put ‘em in another post if I find some nicer ones later! Here goes…


Clambering over salt-encrusted rocks on the Dead Sea, Jordan, roughly a month after his 6th birthday


All red for Chinese New Year! Dragon Mart 2, Dubai – Feb 2016


With Papa, at the newly renovated part of Dubai Festival City Mall – Mar 2016


Taman Ayun, Mengwi, Bali, Indonesia – Mar 2016


More time with Papa, ordering food at a Chinese Restaurant in Nusa Dua, Bali. Nope, he still can't use chopsticks


Is that Plants vs Zombies?!? Sharing a game with cousin sister, Stacey, in Butterworth, Malaysia – Apr 2016 – An easy trick with these new age kids, just give them some gadgets and they’ll be quiet and still. Haha!


Learning to swim, with dad. Yeah, Justin can swim unaided for 10m now! – Mushrif Park, Dubai, May 2016


Finished Year 1, with an award for Best Progress in ...Art! (and I was kinda hoping he’d be more scientific…) – Jun 2016


Karate classes at the dojo downstairs of our apartment block, with teacher Ngawang – Jul 2016, …before they decided to close it down in December, what a let down! Justin loved his karate classes


Climbing a wall, …or more like trying to climb a wall, at Adventure Zone, Galleria Mall, Dubai


With a friend, Malaysian classmate Varshana, at their swanky new villa in Al Barsha South, Dubai – Aug 2016


With another friend, Indian classmate Aria, at Mo’s Restaurant in CityWalk, Dubai – Sep 2016


With his Year 2 teacher Ms Mauchan, and teacher’s assistant Ms …ummm, sorry, gotta ask Justin her name – Nov 2016


Justin with Mommy on his 7th birthday! Went for a movie, Moana, in Mirdif City Centre


And this is his belated birthday present, a day at Kidzania, Dubai Mall. This is what kids call fun??? Working??? In McDonalds??? Or wherever? Wait till he grows up!

Further Exploits of Drama Boy

Justin’s 7 now! We celebrated his birthday last weekend. Nothing grand, just an ice cream cake at home and we watched a movie. But this post is not about Justin. I’ve decided to post more photos of Jayden until I bloody have time to look through the mountain of photos we took of Justin through the year! That’s the problem with parents nowadays. Everyone’s a photographer and the ease of getting hold of gadgets that can snap photos doesn’t bloody make it easier!

So here’s more of Jayden (since I’ve already sorted out the photos). Don’t let him fool you being little and cute, he’s a mini devil in disguise, with a bag full of emotional blackmail tricks! That little rascal.


Jayden at a year old …let’s see what else I can grab and eat…


You, you, you… Jayden, 13 months old


Being lovey-dovey and cute, also 13 months old, but with a new haircut (i.e. bald)


Boo! 15 months old


Fooling around with ko-ko, 17 months


Kissy face, 18 months


His baby impersonation …after meeting another baby (maybe he didn’t realise that the other boy is actually bigger size than he is)


Smart and happy, 19 months


...Come carry me!


Hello everyone! 21 months


Impersonation of a monster, 22 months, at the Crowne Plaza, Deira, Dubai


Happy with a Bentley! (Of course, who wouldn’t be?) 23 months


Shhhh......


Making a wish on his 2nd Birthday! See ya all next time!

No More an Infant

Finally, here’re photos of our little son’s second year. Jayden turned 2 more than a month back (in October), while his old man was stuck at a Project Site working day and night, with no rest days. Thank God, that’s done now. Back to my days at the office doing boring tenders. But at least there’s time to cobble something together for a blog post, haha!

Sigh, no more cheap infant airfares from now onwards. On the bright side, he gets his own seat, and I won’t have to cramp him with me for the entire flight… if we go on one, that is. Here’s a look thru of Jayden’s second year. (I wanna get this posted before our elder son’s birthday in Dec!)


Jayden, Oct 2015, right after his first birthday – hogging the kitchen rug (that’s his way of stopping his mommy from doing house work so that she can pay more attention to him!) That’s the reason why we have no rugs in the kitchen now.


Nov 2015, Jayden’s new hairstyle! No more bad hair days hehehe


Dec 2015, on an outing in Bur Dubai, Dubai


Wow, what a huge playground! If only there’re slides and see-saws in it… – Roman ruins in Jerash, Jordan, Dec 2015


See, I can walk better now! Mirdif City Centre, Jan 2016


Happy New Year! – Chinese New Year at Justin’s school, Feb 2016


Burying Oe-Oe (he still can’t say Ko-Ko) in a beach in Sharjah, UAE, Feb 2016

His vocab hasn’t change much from September. He can call Papa very well now (instead of Ah-Ah earlier). He can say Ma-Pa, when he’s undecided who to call, …or sometimes Pa-Ma. For some unknown reason wee-wee is now Ae-Ae (was Ts-Ts earlier). His new words include A-kl (uncle), Weh (red), Ghee (green), Eh-Oe (hello), Ba-Ba (bye-bye), Bear-Bear (bear, teddy), O-o (oh-oh, oops), Mm-Mm (car …mimicking its sound), Ta-Ta-Ta (helicopter) and Jay-jay (Jayden).


Om Namah Shiva... – meditating outside our hotel room in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Mar 2016 – that’s his brother's singlet (banyan) he’s wearing by the way


Some brother bonding time at KLIA, Malaysia, Apr 2016


His favourite pastime, May 2016


"With my Lego Friend, Ninjago", at the Lego Shop, Mirdif City Centre, Jun 2016


"With my real friend, Vivah" (Justin’s classmate’s little sister), at Adventure Zone, Galleria Mall, Dubai, Jul 2016


"Here’s how you eat a cherry!" Aug 2016


"How’s my new hairstyle?" Sep 2016


"My first time in a pool" – at Splash ‘n’ Party, Dubai, Sep 2016


Celebrating Jayden’s 2nd Birthday at home – see how brown I’ve become, even with friggin SPF 50 sunscreen!!!