Tuesday, 23 March 2021

It’s a Miracle!


An aircraft of flowers… in a flower bed, surrounded by more flowers. Miracle Garden, Dubai

It’s spring. Actually it’s the start of the end of spring. For me, the UAE only has 2 seasons, spring (where the weather's nice and everything grows) and …glorious summer heatwave (where everything dries up and die... it's a desert by the way). The spring equinox just came and went. It’s getting hotter by the day and it’s just a matter of time before it gets too hot and dry to go out into the countryside. That’s why we’ve been out and about every weekend for the last few weeks to take advantage of the nicer weather while it lasts. Last week, we visited a flower farm. Yeah, a Flower Farm, in the desert! (In a village in the hills of Fujairah actually). And there were hordes of people, …in COVID times. (I didn’t know so many people knew about this place! …The power of TikTok nowadays! That’s how the missus found out). I’d love to put some photos of the farm, but they’re still safely stored in the missus’ phone (most of them anyway), and it’ll probably stay that way for a few more months to come. So, …here’re some flowers from two years back, Dec 2018 to be precise, when we visited the Miracle Garden of Dubai. How these people maintain these flowers in a desert is indeed a miracle.

Photos coming up…




Miracle Garden, Dubai, UAE


Towering cats, of the herbal kind…


Mickey Mouse ain’t afraid of no cats!


Floral Teddy and the Swans


Elephant parade


A floral peacock clock


This plane ain’t going anywhere…




Arches of flowers…


Floral hair


Time for a group photo, cheese! That’s it for the day. Another quick photo post to save the day.

Sunday, 14 March 2021

Where Have All the Playgrounds Gone?


Magic Planet, Mirdif City Centre, 2019

Work has been surprisingly hectic in the past few weeks. No time to rest (yeah, no kidding!). Not bad when there’re still no new Projects, and when the world is still stuck in COVID-mode.

I’m putting in another shortcut express photo blog! Of photos I’ve collected ages ago. But I’ve thrown in a bonus this time, some photos we took at the end of 2020! Here goes, my kiddies’ park post, let the show begin!

This is Oli-Oli, the one and only children’s play park we visited during COVID times…




Toshi’s Net – a humongous web of a net created by Japanese textile artist, Toshiko Macadam, at OliOli Dubai. Justin remembered this net. He had been telling us just how great this net was. Both Justin and Jayden had been to OliOli in their school trips before. Jayden went first. It was, I think, his first ever school trip, when he was in FS1 (first year of kindergarten) in Newlands School. Justin visited when he was much bigger, in Year 4 maybe… with Royal Dubai School…


Museum of the Moon, OliOli Dec 2020


Future Park, of everything digital…


Cars and Ramps, where you can build and test your ‘Lego’ car creations on sky high ramps


The Water Gallery, OliOli – Never imagined washing cars as fun?!? Never liked it, and still don’t. But what do I know, the little ones loved it!

Here’re some other amusement centres / children’s play areas we visited thru the years, which I’ve not posted before. The kids are big fans (obviously), and we’d spent hours just trying to dissuade them, divert their attention, trick them, bribe them, whatever, from visiting… (you think their papa’s money grows on trees?) How many of these amusement centres survived the pandemic? Who knows? We’ve not been back to check them out yet…


Sega Republic, Dubai Mall, 2016 (yup, these are vintage…)


Splash ‘n’ Party, a kids’ water park based in a villa plot in Jumeirah, Dubai, 2016


A water park (and aquarium) we never visited, the Lost Chambers, Atlantis. “No you can’t go in, can’t you see that the doors are closed…” 2017 (it’s mighty expensive, what d’ya think?)


Cheeky Monkey, Etihad Mall, celebrating one of Justin’s classmate’s birthday (Antranik, middle in orange), 2017. Looking back, it’s been a long time since we were last invited to a birthday party…


Jayden on a bouncy castle in the old part of town, Al Fahidi Souq, Bur Dubai, 2019


Fabyland, DragonMart 2, 2019


Another Magic Planet, this one’s in Burjuman, 2019


Fun Block, MotorCity 2019, with the kids’ Jikor (aunt), Hazel in attendance. We used to go to the one in Arabian Centre, before we shifted to MotorCity… The problem with these kids’ play areas, is that they need us adults to be there, all the time, with them?!? What good does that do? Can we jump on the friggin castle?!?

That’s all for now. Gotta get back to work, before it friggin spills over…. Sigh!

Tuesday, 2 March 2021

A Few Good Malls

Why not a pure photo blog? Of malls in Dubai. In my last post, there’re pictures of DragonMart, Burjuman and Dubai Festival City. So, what the heck, here’re more of them. MALLS! After all, we’re friggin stuck in Mall Land! Here goes.

(If you’re wondering why there’re no masks in the photos… these are from before COVID came. In fact, these are from before COVID’s father was even born. Just kidding, they’re 2016-2018. And I snuck in one from 2019, ahem).


From the largest friggin mall in the world, Dubai Mall …Apple Store 2018


Woman in Red, Fashion Avenue Atrium, Dubai Mall 2018


A new mall opens …in 2016! (OK, it’s a little outdated, but what the heck!) City Walk, 2017


Steam engine room or something? Nah, just some mall decorations – Justin with friend Arya, City Walk, 2016 - City Walk is a mixed outdoor and indoor shopping complex


Another new mall open-air shopping complex …Bay Square. This is Dubai, new malls pop up every year! Bay Square, 2018

Now for some conventional malls from the Majid Al Futtaim Group…


Justin playing some Pringles drums, Deira City Centre 2016


Below a big fat dinosaur, Carrefour, Deira City Centre 2017


The signature MoE (Mall of the Emirates), after its renovation (of adding an entire floor!) First time we visited after the renovation, 2018


Rain at Mirdif City Centre 2018

Malls from Nakheel coming up next…


A performance in DragonMart 2, 2018


The Indian Court, Ibn Battuta Mall, 2019

And finally, photos from two other malls…


Ripley’s Believe It or Not! – A Hardware Horse at Wafi City Mall, 2018


The Capitol Building, …made entirely of toothpicks! Ripley’s Exhibition, Wafi Mall 2018


Time for tea… At Shakespeare & Co, Etihad Mall 2017

That’s all for now folks. Ciao!