So Starts Ramadan

Museum of Islamic Civilization, Sharjah, UAE

Here we go again, 30 days of fasting. (No, not me. The others I mean. I’m the type who can’t survive not munching on anything for more than an hour!) And this time, I’m in a friggin site, 130km away from home!

Don’t have much time to write. I gotta get a grasp of this Project as soon as possible, and there’s just about 3 years of information for me to absorb! (The Project started in 2014!)

So here’s something which I think suits Ramadan well. Wanna learn something about Islam? You can’t go wrong with a visit to the Museum of Islamic Civilization in Sharjah! See for yourself.








The interiors of the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization




The central dome, with a mosaic of the night sky showing the zodiac constellations


The Kiswah, the piece of cloth covering the Kaaba, the most sacred building in Islam which sits in the middle of the Grand Mosque in Mecca – the Kiswah is changed every year during the Haj Pilgrimage period. So sez the display. See, I told you it’s pretty informative. There’s more but you’ll have to go find out yourself!


A replica of the Holy Kaaba, showing the Kiswah and the Black Stone, an eye-like stone on the corner of the Kaaba near the door


A replica of the Black Stone of the Holy Kaaba – Wanna know what this is, go, visit the museum, haha, or you could just Wiki it!


Another of the many displays in the museum – It’s a brass pot with a Sheikh sitting on it, …no, seriously I don’t know what this is. You think I’m a curator or something?

And here’re some mosques around the Museum’s vicinity, and I have all the names… (that’s how good Google Maps is!)


A Persian-looking mosque, the Masjid Al-Zahra, at the Corniche, Sharjah


Abu Dhar Al-Ghafari Mosque, just beside the Museum of Islamic Civilization


Al Maghfirah Mosque, Corniche, Sharjah

All Work, ...and Some Play

Shit! I’ve been transferred to site again! Abu Dhabi this time. Beginning tomorrow! Here comes the dog days again! And it’s friggin 130 km from home, 260 km of travelling per day! WTF.

Meanwhile, here’re some photos of my past working exploits. The shit days ain’t all bad actually. Enjoy!


Yours truly, after the completion of the Dubai Canal Project last year, with, from right, trusty foremen Shahid & Sajid, chargehand Hari and another chargehand from the adjoining section (don’t friggin remember his name…). No, we didn’t build that canal and the railings we’re leaning against, but that bridge behind us (Al Wasl Road Bridge) was our Company’s work. I was in charge of the car park beside the canal


Couldn’t have done it without these two chaps! Both of them are from Pakistan. Thanks fellas for the help – Shahid (left) and Sajid (right) – from atop the wavy pedestrian bridge built by Besix, one of our fellow contractors of the Dubai Canal Project


Safety Managers on a visit – Alex George, Corporate HSE Manager (left) and Thomas Daniel, Divisional HSE Manager (right) – No, there’re no safety issues to report, my section of the Project happens to be the most picturesque portion of the Project incidentally, so it’s a sightseeing visit actually! The bridge behind is the wavy pedestrian bridge I mentioned in the photo before


Yours truly during the dog days! (Look how haggard I became, friggin lost 4 kg in 40 days!) – with, from left, Bara, an engineer from the Consultants, Parsons, Ziad, our Utilities Engineer, and Mustafa, our Site / QAQC Engineer (Ziad and Mustafa are from Palestine)


Another dog day picture, this time with Binu (middle), an engineer of the Consultant Engineer, Parsons and Belal (left), our Utilities Site Engineer


Here’s one from our many site visits for tendering purposes – from left, Balaji (Planning Supremo of our bidding team …don’t know his real rank actually), Prashant (our top rank estimator, again dunno his actual rank), Anis (Structural Engineer), Boobalan (Highway Engineer), yours truly (ahem), and Suresh (Geotechnical Engineer) – at the Jewel of the Creek Access Project Site


Time to say goodbye – Farewell lunch for Boobalan at the Desi Dhaba Restaurant, Fortune Hotel, near our office – from left, Prashant, yours truly, Ravi (Senior Engineering Manager aka my immediate boss), Balaji, Jeboy (Senior CAD Draftsman), Vinoo (Senior Estimator), Anis, Suresh, and Purchasers, Sridhar and Renjith – From here, it doesn’t look much like a Chinese Company does it?


Another farewell, this time for Anis – many colleagues left us in the beginning of 2017, …not a positive-looking year, but what the heck, we’ll make the best of what we have – from left, Suresh, Vinoo, Balaji, Anis, Prashant, Jeboy and Ravi

And here’re some work trips abroad!


Yours truly, at our Company’s Kuwait Branch’s posh Conference Room at the Al Hamra Tower, tallest building in Kuwait. The Chinese really know how to impress huh? – Notice the Kuwait Towers from the window behind?


On a site visit and meeting trip, Kuwait Airport, Jan 2016


With David Lee of SK Group, Korea and Asif of the Caledonian College of Engineering, at the college’s premises in Muscat, Oman, Dec 2014

Friends in Dubai 2016

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there! (It ain’t Mother’s Day here in the UAE, but what the heck, most of the mothers of our family and friends, are celebrating it today!)

In people remembering mood. So, here’s my yearly (well, more or less) tribute to the people in our lives in 2016 (and a little of 2017).


Having coffee with the parents of Justin’s school mates on New Year’s Eve 2016, at Mirdif City Centre. From left – Roby, Madhavi (Aria’s parents), and Jasna (Mashel’s mom), all Indian expats who were born and brought up in Dubai

Our friends here now seem to revolve around Justin’s friends!! Is that how unfriendly we’ve become on our own? Ummm… nah, I think it’s just that we’re too busy being parents, and that we’ve not taken photos of our other friends.


Justin with Aria (middle right) and Mashel (middle left) on a playdate at Mirdif City Centre, Dubai


Yes, another playdate! Anu and Mala, the mum of another of Justin’s school mate, Varshana. They’re Malaysian. At Splash ‘n’ Party, Dubai, Sep 2016


Justin and Sophie at Splash ‘n’ Party on Sophie’s Birthday, June 2016 – this was the last birthday party Justin’s attended. He’s not gone to any birthday parties this academic year. Guess everybody’s feeling the pinch. Either that, or the kids are too grown up for kiddies birthday parties now, huh? Or maybe our kid has grown as unfriendly as his parents!?!


Jayden, with Vivah, Aria’s younger sister – Aria and Vivah have the same age gap as Justin and Jayden! On yet another playdate, at Adventure Zone, Galleria Mall, Dubai, Jul 2016


Vivah, at Kulfilicious, enjoying a kulfi, an Indian ice-cream thingy that Indians (and I guess Pakistanis) will die for. Justin and Jayden are not Indian I guess (from their reaction to kulfi), …and neither is Anu!


Jayden and a Filipino church friend, Mikaela (hope that’s how it’s spelt) – Why are these kids friends with only girls??? Should we be alarmed?


Justin and his karate mates on the last day before it friggin closed down for good (no, didn’t know about it then). The dojo’s on the same building as our apartment. Justin loved it here, made some good friends (boys, for a change haha), the best being Juvan (dunno the spelling, not in photo), son of Sensei Jitendra (middle kneeling). Justin’s sensei is Ngawang (back row, fifth from left). The dojo closed down due to Sensei Ngawang moving to Abu Dhabi to assume a job with the military, and Sensei Jitendra and family moving to Sharjah! At least they could’ve told us that day, right!


Justin and his Chinese teacher, Wang Laoshi (laoshi means teacher by the way) at the Think First Learning Centre, International City, Dubai


OK, here’s a picture of a friend that doesn’t involve our kids, my colleague, Divisional Health & Safety Manager, Thomas Daniel & wife, at the newly opened Dubai Water Canal, where I was working my butt off to complete, for one & a half months prior to the opening! We friggin did it!! But I lost 4 kilos in 40 days! Construction site jobs are actually superb if you wanna go on a diet!


And here’s a picture of family instead - frequent visitor to our home, niece Karishma, on a very advanced birthday party in Jan 2017 (her actual birthday’s in Feb)

Our Assam Connection

Aren’t you tired of my Iran posts? (I still have a lot to post by the way, hehe). But here’re some family photos for a change.


The kids posing with their aunt, Amrita (left) and cousin brothers Zeeva (second from right), and Rohan (right) at the Shiv Temple opposite Anu's mom's house, Fulertal, Cachar District, Assam, India

Photos from our first trip home to Assam after more than 2 years. Time sure flies. Can hardly recognize the kids back home!! See for yourself. For a comparison, check out these posts of 2012, 2009 and 2008.


The kids all grown – from left, back row – Raja, Anu’s mom with Jayden, & Sonia; front row – Rohan (Raja’s elder brother), Zeeva, Chhandam aka Akash (Sonia’s younger brother), & Justin


The three musketeers – from left, Raja, Sonia & Kunal (and this is them in 2008)


The new three musketeers – Jayden and his cousin Mahie (middle), Anu’s sister Rekha’s daughter, who is 8 months older than Jayden. The boy on the right is Mahie’s cousin on her father’s side (no, dunno his name…)


What izit with kids nowadays? – Hooked on the tab, with Ankit, Anu’s godbrother’s son watching. Ankit also happens to be 8 months older than Jayden


The sisters – Anu posing with Amrita (left), Anu’s youngest sister; and Manju (middle), Anu’s eldest sister. The boy is Manju’s son, Kunal. (And here are the sisters in 2008)

Apart from the kids, nothing much has changed in the place. Some stretches of roads have started construction (finally). Some parts are at subgrade level (i.e. red laterite earth stage, meaning really fun driving (and sliding) after a downpour). Some parts are at aggregate sub-base level (crushed rock layer stage, meaning getting your car rattled till the freaking nuts fall off). And some parts are at pristine untouched level (full of potholes filled with water, like the stretch in front of Anu’s mom’s house). Anu’s mom’s house stretch is worse than before actually due to the on-going construction of drains on both sides of the road. Those darn drains have also shrunk Anu’s mom’s house compound by half! The government needed it to expand the road! No pain, no gain I guess.


With the in-laws in Fulertal – from left, back row – yours truly ahem, Ganesh (Anu’s second eldest brother) carrying Jayden, & Ramesh (Anu’s eldest brother); front row – Ruati (Anu’s third eldest brother’s wife), Anu’s mom & Sumitra (Ramesh’s wife)


Jayden having a field day in Fulertal, looking at chickens and ducks – in the background is his mama (uncle, white T-shirt, Anu’s third eldest brother) constructing a house


Mamoni, the Bengali neighbour in Fulertal whom we’re trying to help, with her half Assamese nephew


Mamoni’s mother, whom we just address as Masi (auntie, ...I think!)

In Silchar, there’re still no signs of the new bridge across the Barak River although it has been err… 3 friggin years since the friggin bridge project was inaugurated!?! (That, unfortunately, is the normal state of affairs here). But one good news is that the railway in Silchar is finally connected to the rest of India!


In front of our Silchar home, from left – Sandhya (Anu’s second eldest sister), Anu, Amrita, Sonia, Sweety (Sandhya’s daughter) and Manju (and here’s a picture of Sandi’s family in 2007, notice how little Sweety & Zeeva are?!?)


This is classic North-East pose, mouth full of paan (betel nut), with brother-in-law, Gopal – When in the North-East, do as the North-East people do, right?


Shopping in Silchar, from left – Amrita, Sweety, Rohan


Our brother-in-law Gopal’s godbrother’s house – god sister-in-law (left), and 2 god nephews (twins nicknamed Aku and Paku, …don’t ask me what their actual names are!)


Gopal’s godmother (left) and godbrother (right) with his wife (middle)

This was a pretty cool trip actually. Cool, in terms of temperature that is. Thanks to the incessant rain, thunderstorms and hail (8 friggin days out of 11), it was 20 to 25 C for almost the entire time we were in Assam, while the rest of India baked in a heat wave!

Cool also because all we did was chill out at home – sleep, eat and play (games on the tab / phones, yup, we’re a gadgety family unfortunately). All that and guide Justin on his studies and homework (which is no fun at all, believe me, for Justin nor for me). The only time I got a chance to watch a new movie, the thunderstorm put out the darn power. When I wanted to read the brand new novel I bought at Kolkata airport, the kids cooked something up. Today, I’m proud to say I’ve completed …2 pages of the novel despite the distractions.


The school next to our Silchar house, Cachar High School, flooded because of the rain!

Jayden was the star of the trip, charming his ways into everybody’s heart (I guess it’s easier when you’re a baby, huh?) Jayden can talk now. He can make Amol (animal) sounds. He knows his colours, like Owizh (orange), Ya-o (yellow), Back (black), etc. He can name many types of vehicles, like Au-tot-te (or Ai-koko) (helicopter), Wai-jinjin (fire engine), Ami-esh (ambulance), Bi-ca (police car), Wuck (truck),… But our favourite word is Cow-wowo (dinosaur, and also thunder – yes, they’re related, they both sound the same, according to Jayden). Anyway, in Dubai, dinosaurs are more common than thunder.

That’s it, till another time!