A Dose of Mall Therapy

It’s the end of August already, schools have reopened, and summer (which is another word for heat-wave in Dubai) is coming to an end! Yippee! Very soon, we’ll not need to limit ourselves to malls! But thanks to the malls, we ‘survived’ the last few scorching months. Here’s a picture post of some malls of Dubai. Heck, I have scores of these photos lined up from 2019… When will I finish posting??

Also, I’m just recovering from a crazy, last-minute, summer break to Albania. The head’s not really working yet, and there’s work to catch up to. So here goes an old photo post!


Marshmallow Moon – What’s it with marshmallows and the moon?? Beats me. Dubai Festival Plaza, 2020. (Yup, it was during the COVID times, see Justin’s mask?) This was our first visit to Dubai Festival Plaza, which is a sister to Dubai Festival City. It opened just when COVID started! Great timing…


Anu loves plants! Are these real? I doubt it. How could it look so neat and fresh? Dubai Festival Plaza, Dubai








Some of the other strange rooms found in Festival Plaza …I guess they must be fillers for shop lots which haven’t been let out. There're all over the mall, and you have to hunt around to find 'em. Nice touch!


And here’s the new Ikea at the Dubai Festival Plaza! (The old one’s at Festival City). It has a theatre-like hall where you can sit and watch unending repeats of Ikea ads… Duh, what else? Or you could just chill out with your mobile phone or sleep…


Here’s a little of its older ‘sister’ Dubai Festival City – with a Lego-themed celebration going on at that time! Jan, 2020


Dubai Festival City is one of the places we used to meet up with our friends. This was at the Peppermill Restaurant, serving colonial (+ contemporary) Indian cuisine, Mar 2019


And this was the Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant, also at Dubai Festival City, July 2019. It closed down in the COVID years. Both outings were with Aria, Vivah and their parents!


And here’s Burjuman, where we spent almost every Friday at, for the bulk of the latter months of 2019 and early 2020, before COVID put a stop to it, due to Justin’s weekly guitar lessons at a place near there


Behave BOYS!!! Burjuman, 2019


Mirdif City Centre, Mar 2019 – Mirdif was our regular mall when we were staying at International City. We moved to MotorCity in Aug 2019


Nope, no COVID is gonna stop Anu from looking dazzling – Nakheel Mall, Oct 2020. I took a day off for Durga Puja and we watched a non-kid movie. But the movie we watched turned out to be a super depressing movie called The Nest. What a waste? No wonder, we had the entire friggin cinema hall to ourselves! Pick your seat maam!


It’s Anu’s birthday soon. I love you! Dubai Mall, Dec 2020

The Greatest Border Show on Earth

The Attari-Wagah Border, Punjab, India

I’ve been waiting for this day just to post these photos! It’s the day when Pakistan and India proclaimed their independence …76 years ago! (Ummm, actually Pakistan rushed it up just to be 1 day ahead of India. Pity them, they’ve been at it since birth!) Happy Independence Day Pakistan. Happy Independence Day India! May peace be upon you! Yeah, really. When are you guys ever gonna put your quarrels aside and make peace instead??!?

76 years ago, 2 countries were born 1 day apart from each other, Pakistan and India. After a long and interesting story history, the leaders there at that time decided to partition British India into 2 countries, based on religion, a Muslim Pakistan and a Hindu India. On the 14th and 15th of August respectively, Pakistan and India proclaimed their independence from Britain. It caused a lot of bloodshed and wars when people from each side tried to cross to the other side based on their religion. The animosity has been there since then. If you wanna know the story, watch The End of Empire documentary (by Granada TV 1985) Episodes 1 to 4. It’s really interesting (for history buffs like yours truly, ahem).


The Partition Museum, Amritsar, Punjab, India


Jayden and Justin were observers during the discussion to partition India. I can recognize Jawaharlal Nehru (seated between Justin and Jayden), Muhammad Ali Jinnah (right most in the photo), Lord Louis Mountbatten (beside Justin, on the right) and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (beside Jayden, on the left)


As what the sign says, it’s the Punjab State War Heroes’ Memorial and Museum


That’s the magical great lion sword of Punjab. Only giants could wield it


Heading to the border now. Wow, what big ass flags these are! Pakistan vs India, when will the rivalry end?


We reached the India-Pakistan border!


Welcome to the Attari Border show! Look at the crowd! And this was 2022, during the COVID times






The march begins!


The gate opens – Pakistan, anyone? Look at those soldiers shouting at each other. No, I’m not getting into that fight


The lowering of the flags! Come on, it’s about to end. Let’s get out of here before we’re overwhelmed by the crowd


Look at the amount of people watching from the outside of the grand stand


Why can’t we all just be friends!

For Unity or Bigotry

Teluk Bahang Dam, Penang, Malaysia

Here we go again. An election in Malaysia in 2 days' time. State elections in 6 states, smaller but no less important, I’d say. We should’ve had them back in 2022 with the rest of the country, but no. Brinkmanship of the then-opposition leaders proves more important. Oi, how can we have an election in monsoon flood season??? But then, Malaysia went ahead with the general election and most of the states followed, with the exception of 6 opposition-controlled states. Now, 3 of the then-opposition states are part of the new Unity government, and the other 3 stayed separate as part of the Islamic party led, Malay-based opposition called the Perikatan Nasional (or PN). Now PN, like the previous ‘government’, is playing the racial and religious card to try to get more votes. They’re going all out for votes, screw unity, peace or harmony.

The problem is that most outstation voters won’t have an inclination to head back home this time for a vote in a state election, especially as it’s less than a year from the last General Election. And the bulk of the ‘Unity’ people, ARE incidentally the people who work outstation and mingle with people of other races in their work and lives. What the heck! Will Unity lose? I hope not. I like how this new Unity government is functioning, dismantling the hatred and divisions which the previous governments have fomented all those years before.

Anyway, Penang is one of the states involved, and I hope the Unity people come out stronger than before. Here’re some mix and match photos of Penang (I love these opportunities. When else would I post these, if not?) God bless Malaysia!


From the Teluk Bahang Dam, you could see the Escape theme park (the one with the water slides) and Entopia, the Butterfly Park (on the right)


Father and sons discussing something, Teluk Bahang Dam, Penang, 2019 – I remember having a splitting headache that day, with vomiting… It was bad. Must be all the bugs I touched at Entopia (the butterfly farm) and then had lunch without washing my hands. Hey, it was before COVID, OK? Who’d known that some pesky bugs could do so much harm?!?!


And these were the kids in 2019, see how teeny they were – Jayden, Justin and Stacey. This was dinner right after our day out in Escape. Those asam (tamarind) prawns look yummy!


In 2019, we took a train from KL to Butterworth, instead of flying. The kids enjoyed it


“You have reached your destination” – 9 year+ old Justin at Butterworth Railway Station. How they’ve grown now


The old Penang ferry was still running at that time. I like these vehicle-carrying old ferries, the new ones just don’t feel the same (not that I've tried the new ones yet)


Street food extravaganza!!! One of dad and Hazel’s favourite eating place in Penang – New Lane at Jalan Macalister – this was in 2019


The famous Char Koay Teow, if you don't mind the long queue!


The same street in 2022 – Nothing much’s changed as you can see!


A catholic church at Jalan Macalister, Penang


A view from Gurney Plaza – you could see Penang Hill on the right, rising above the city


And finally, a spruced-up canal at the Sia Boey Urban Archaeological Park, with the restored old Prangin Market (that empty structure, painted in green) on the right, Penang, 2022

May Unity Prevail!