20 Years of Blogging

The dark days are upon us. Israel has bombed Iran, our northern neighbour, and there will surely be retribution. What is it with this world? Since I started blogging 20 years ago, (yup, it’s already 20 years, as of March this year, believe it or not!), the world seems to have grown colder. Calculative, manipulative, power above all else. That was how it was like in the medieval times; every country for themselves. Now, we’re starting to feel it all come back, the age of empires. I thought humans would have evolved to be kinder to one another, more concerned for others, regardless of their views, beliefs, nationalities, ethnicities and social standing. But no, we’re back to square one, our basic instincts. We’re humans after all. God help us.

One fundamental problem, is that we, humans, tend to choose the strong to lead us. That’s what you call leadership qualities, you know? Well, from looking at what’s happening to the world today, I’d say, to hell with the strong and forceful leaders, I’d prefer the kinder and more compassionate leaders that’d not make my country great again, but make my country kinder, to all. 20 years ago, we seemed to be on the right track, …no more Cold War, countries opened to trade, travel and cultural exchanges, behaving lawfully and responsibly, respecting one another, with an international body overseeing the rules. Where did that all go?!?

Anyway, I am no God to correct this. We’ll rely on our great and mighty ‘leaders’ of the world, who want to shape history, leave their mark here, win, and show who’s boss. Why can’t they understand that we’re merely visitors to this world.? We come here for a few decades, and then we die, and leave the world. Why not make it a better and happier place for all when we’re here?

Also, prayers and blessings for strength, perseverance and hope to those affected by the tragic airplane crash in Ahmedabad. May God strengthen and bless you all through your difficult times.

To commemorate my 20 years of blogging, I’m posting some older photos of our time here in Dubai, circa 2019 – 2023. Photos that I can’t seem to fit anywhere, but are still interesting. See you in my next post!


Some family in Dubai – Anu’s eldest sister Manju, and her son, Kunal, at Zabeel Palace, Dubai, UAE – in the COVID Days! (Jul 2020). They were stranded In Dubai due to COVID-19, they were in Dubai to visit Karishma (Manju’s daughter) and were supposed to be back in India by March 2020!


Hey, there’s a peacock! No, Jayden, they’re not so easy to catch – Zabeel Palace


And then, there are friends! Anu with Madhavi (middle) and Jasna (left) at Da Vinci’s Italian Restaurant, Millenium Hotel, Garhoud, Dubai – Sep 2019. They’re the mothers of Justin’s former classmates Aria and Mashel


Here’re the kids. Justin and Jayden with Mashel (middle), Aria (right), and Viva (between Mashel and Aria). Viva is Aria’s younger sister. Mashel and Aria are the same age with Justin, while Viva is the same age with Jayden. At the Jebel Ali Village Recreation Club, Apr 2021


We meet again, kids and their mothers at Bounce X, Dubai Festival City Mall, Jul 2021. Bounce X is a trampoline park. Hmmm, where’re the fathers? Well, who’s gonna look after all the stuff, and snap the photos? And old men don’t really jump, do they? Wouldn’t mind sitting around, having a beer or two, haha!


Pizza time! What better way to wind down after jumping, then pizza!


Another meeting, Anu and Madhavi at Zinc, a café in Sports Society, Dubai – Nov 2022. The kids were ice skating at the ice rink. This time it was for Justin’s farewell, just before he moved to Singapore for his studies. Jasna and daughter, Mashel had already left for Canada, a few months prior…


Best thing to do before ice skating, is to learn some roller skating. And skateboarding, while you’re at it! Justin’s a quick learner. Jayden took a li’l more time, but he’s OK now. At the NShama Town Square Skate Park, Dubai, May 2021


Not content with one skate park? Here’s another free one, haha! – the Damac Hills Skate Park, June 2021. No, you don't skate on the grass, the skate park is just on the horizon towards the left of the photo!


The NShama Town Square Skate Park also features a Battle Park, surfing pool (a pool with waves for you to learn surfboarding), trampolines, sports courts, etc. Justin looking at some players at the Battle Park. Next time, OK? When you’re a li’l older!


Going around town, shopping and visiting friends (very rarely, we prefer friends visiting us, hehe) make up most of our activities in the city. We prefer the mountains, but you can’t do that in bloody summer. So, it’s malls, until saner weather comes around. Here’s us watching a movie with Danylo, Jayden’s Ukrainian friend, who stayed in the same apartment block as us, until he moved to Germany. VOX Cinemas, Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Centre (Jayden, corrected me, ahem) Sep 2023. (I remember it was Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning)


Going back in time, Anu at Mankhool, Dubai, outside a building (Badri Building) where a friend stayed, Feb 2019


Another retro photo. Yours truly, in front of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Dubai, Mar 2019. This hotel was the location of our company’s first and only annual dinner in 2010 (or the only annual dinner I knew about), in my 14+ years working for them!


Sometimes we end up in places like this library! The Al Twar Public Library, May 2022. We were waiting for Justin to finish his World Scholar’s Cup event, in the school next door (Cambridge International School)!


Finally, here’s mommy and son at Ghantoot, a Nepali Restaurant in Bur Dubai, Sep 2023.

A Northeast Christmas

On the grounds of the Cathedral of Mary Help of Christians, Shillong, Meghalaya, India

It’s way past Christmas, but what the heck, here’s a glimpse of our recent trip, a Christmas in Northeast India, with family and friends. "Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la…" Enjoy, and may peace be with you.


Smile! Anu with her sister, Rekha (right) and niece, Sonia (left) at the Catholic Church of Mary Help of Christians in Shillong

We decided this time, to take the long way home, i.e. by road (as bad as it may be) from Guwahati (main city of Assam) to Silchar (South Assam) via Shillong (Meghalaya). Not really recommended at a time like this, with the ‘amazing’ conditions of the road between Khliehriat, and Malidor on the Assam border. I’ve driven on this road (on return trips) twice before, first in 2006 and then in 2013. This time, we took a taxi, and the road was just horrendous (not that it was good in 2013, but that’s nothing compared to this time) especially from Lumshnong all the way to the Meghalaya-Assam Border. The potholes were humongous. None of the stretch had anymore asphalt on it, and it was road dust all the way (pity the villagers). Many of the bridges had their steel reinforcement bars exposed, heck, there was even a bridge with a friggin hole thru it! And trucks were clogged to the brim on both sides of the road, wherever they were allowed to linger. Numerous stretches were under maintenance, no, make that under construction. (There’s no way it could be maintained). Heck, this road could have won the World's Worst Highway if there was such a category in the Guinness Book of Records. Hopefully, construction would complete soon…


Another Shillong church, the All-Saints’ Cathedral, Shillong


The interior of the All-Saints’ Cathedral, Shillong


Putting up Christmas decorations in the Church of Epiphany in Mawlynnong, the so-called Asia’s Cleanest Village! It was coined by an Indian magazine called Discover India. I dunno how they measured cleanliness, but Mawlynnong was indeed neat and nice! And peaceful, and worth a visit. Bravo, keep it up!


Inside the Church of Epiphany, Mawlynnong, where just 10 days after we visited, some numbnut of a social influencer, went into the church and shouted out ‘Jai Shree Ram!’ (a chant celebrating Lord Rama, an Indian god) and posted it on video. Of course, it created outrage, which I think was just what that jackass wanted. (Publicity, you know?) If he’s so gung-ho, let him do it in a more prominent church, or a mosque, in Pakistan…


Christmas back home! In Fulertal, Anu’s home village in Cachar District, Assam. Anu’s mother and sister, Rekha on the main road in Fulertal on Christmas Eve


Merry Christmas!!! Jayden with his Boju (grandmother) at Fulertal’s main road, on Christmas Eve, 2024. This place is a melting pot of people from the North East. There’re no clear dominant tribe or race. Each village is different. For example, in Fulertal, Anu stays in Nepali Basti, a Nepali or Gorkhali village. Directly adjoining it on the east, is Hmarkhawlein, a Hmar (a Mizo subtribe) village. Further down the road are Naga, Kuki and Khasi villages. On the west of Anu’s village is the urban part of Fulertal which are Bengali, Naga and Manipuri. Right opposite Anu’s mother’s house is a Manipuri Shiv Temple, and directly adjoining this, is a big mosque, with a shrine of a Muslim saint, revered by Muslims and Hindus alike. The Hmars are mainly Christians, and therefore there’re churches. With such a mix, people here have learnt how to co-exist with one another. Although this is part of Assam, Bengali is the official language here, not Assamese. I hope this peace prevails continuously.


One of the 2 churches at Labac Pailapool’s Christian Basti (Christian Village). This is the Presbyterian Church. We visited the other church (the Baptist Church) on Christmas Day. Pailapool is the next big town away from Fulertal, 4km away, towards Silchar


Christmas Day service and performance, Labac Pailapool Baptist Church. The sermon was in Bengali, and the dance performance was in Nepali, nice! The pastor is the one holding the phone on the right of the photograph. The performers were all from the house of Anu’s college mate and friend, Moni. The church asked us to stay for a Christmas feast after the service, but we decided to visit Anu’s friend instead. Thank you so much for your invitation!


At the house of Anu’s friend, Moni (right most, with baby in hand) at Pailapool’s Christian Basti. The family who are Christian Nepalis did not attend church on that day, as they had a really young baby. Anu telephoned her friend to find out which church they attended, and we headed there for Christmas. Moni was a Hindu Manipuri, but converted to Christianity after marrying into a Christian family. Her husband is Manoj (third right), and the two young girls in the middle of the photo are their niece (in green), and elder daughter (in pink). They're the ones who performed a dance at the church, earlier on


At Anu’s elder sister’s Manju’s (left) house. Anu’s family is Hindu, but what the heck, what’s wrong with having a Christmas tree for Christmas! We were eating chhangban, a traditional Christmas treat of the Mizo and Hmar tribes, which Anu loves (sorry, forgot to take any photos). It’s made of slightly sweet sticky rice, wrapped in leaves and steamed. Anu’s mom is half Mizo, by the way


Boju (meaning grandmother in Nepali) – Anu’s mom, surrounded by some of her grandchildren, Justin, Jayden, Sonia and Mahi. Let’s see, she now has umm… 13 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren! (She herself had 8 children by the way)


Christmas decorations at the Asapalli English School. That’s the school at the end of the road where Anu mother’s house is. Many of the English medium schools in Fulertal are missionary schools


Finally, a family picture. Smile! At a random church in Cherrapunji (Sohra), Meghalaya, India. Cherrapunji was once the wettest place on earth. It’s lost that to its neighbouring village, Mawsynram, which is also in Meghalaya, India

That’s all for now. There're so many other family pics, but that'll have to wait. See ya soon.

5 Years of Oia

Good morning, Motor City! (This is the park just next to our apartment, Oia Residence, which is the building on the right in this photo)

Just a blink of the eye, and it’s 5 years since we moved to our current apartment in Motor City. (We moved in in Aug 2019 from International City, along with changing the kids’ schools).

Here’s a picture showcase of our last few years in Oia Residence, Motor City. Enjoy!


Oia Residence, with a view of one of its 2 swimming pools, and the park/ field (aka Windsor Park) beside it. This photo was taken from one of the many vacant units in 2020, when occupancy was low. Now, the whole building’s chock-a-block full! No chance of getting into any empty units now, ahem…


Stretching our legs in Windsor Park (the semi-circle shaped field beside Oia Residence). The row of houses in front is called Windsor Crescent. Guess whose legs these are? (Scroll down to the bottom of this post to find out…)


Temporary resident, niece Sweety. Sweety squatted with us while looking for a job, Jan 2020. “How’s this for an interview, huh?” She moved out soon after she got a job, working for a hotel in Deira. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, COVID-19 came soon after, and she lost her job, as the hospitality industry in Dubai took a huge hit. She returned to India when travel restrictions were eased


Motor City in pandemic times. We were lucky, we moved to Motor City before the COVID-19 pandemic. Motor City Uptown (which Oia Residences was connected to), has a big expanse of greenery, trees, parks, etc, for us to walk around. Imagine, if we had been stuck in International City! We’d be marooned in our apartment, with COVID cases rising through the roof there. Notice Jayden with long hair? That was his pandemic-look… Jun 2020


Durga Puja 2020! Oct 2020. The kids have gone back to school, but with all the social distancing measures in place. See how the money tree (left) has grown, compared to the photo with Sweety above


Buddha in a flower pot. All the paraphernalia in the house, decorations, plants, furniture, fixtures, what-have-you, are the hard work of the missus. She has an eye (and hand, and leg) for these things!!! Thank you, Anu for being an expert home-maker. You make this place just incredible!


Anu’s balcony garden… Nov 2021. If it was only me, I think this place would be an empty space filled with a year’s (or two) heap of sand…


New Year’s Day 2022. At the corridor outside our apartment, Oia Residence, Motor City


Doves in our garden. Anu’s not only a giver of life to plants, it’s birds (and bugs) too. I’ve lost count of how many generations of doves, and sunbirds, that had been born in our garden. There were bulbuls too, but on both occasions, crows raided their nests and took their chicks! Pity. Shoooo, bloody crows! Mynas and sparrows are also common visitors, and there have been parrots, a hoopoe and an Indian roller (who’d knock the bejesus out of any bird that dares go near its nest, mainly mynas. I heard that they scare crows off like that also. I’d vouch for an Indian roller anytime, over a pesky crow). The roller’s nest wasn’t inside our balcony, but was in a hole just below the roof of the apartment building. It was the parrots’ hole, which the roller chased away, and took over. By the way, the parrots have reclaimed it now.


Some table décor – Diwali 2022. See, Anu’s a wizard at these things. Nobody taught or told her to do it, she just loves doing it by herself. This is the Diwali just before Justin leaves for Singapore


Here's a little outdoor fun! The playground at Motor City Uptown. The good thing about Motor City Uptown is that many of the kids who stay here, also go to the same neighbourhood school, GEMS Metropole School, which is just opposite our apartment. And so, many of their classmates and friends are within walking distance from each other, through some nice parks, no need at all of getting out to the busy roads around! Here’s Jayden with his classmate (and crush of that season), Varvara, from Ukraine. Jayden has considerably fewer close friends than Justin. But after his elder brother went abroad, he has no choice but to get out and mingle. There you go, Jayden! What’s with the shades, Varvara? It’s night time!?!


Autumn, Motor City Uptown. As if there’s an autumn season in Dubai, haha. It’s Feb 2023, ummmm… Izit winter? Spring? But leaves are falling, what the heck! In the UAE, there are 3 seasons, according to me, ‘Cool’ (Winter …Nov to Mar), ‘Hot’ (the transition months, Oct, and Apr) and ‘Very Hot’ (May to Sep)


More decorations! Happy Diwali, 2023!!!


And finally, Anu’s balcony garden in Mar 2024, don’t even know what the occasion was, but those roses were for International Women’s Day, and my birthday, ahem! Thanks, honey. You’re the best!

And the answer to the question in Photo No.3 above is: …Anu and Kunal, our nephew. Kunal and her mom, Manju, were stranded in Dubai during the pandemic, and stayed with us till the travel restrictions were relaxed.

Remembering Bangladesh

It’s the school’s Spring Break for Jayden. He has a whopping 3 weeks of holidays this year! 2 weeks of Spring Break, followed by the Eid Al Fitr holidays. We’re not going anywhere this year, unfortunately, ahem… Gotta save some money for the summer holidays. What to do?


Jatiyo Sriti Soudho (National Martyr’s Memorial), Bangladesh

This time of the year, last year, we were in our India home. At the same time a tragic incident happened in neighbouring Bangladesh. One of Anu’s nephews in Bangladesh whom we just got to know the year before, met with an accident and sadly passed away. We hope his family has healed. God, continue to make the family strong, to strive on as before, to continue to have hope in your kindness and your strength.

To all the Christians out there, have a blessed Good Friday and Easter!


Anu’s rediscovered family in Bangladesh, Hob Nob Café, Banani, Dhaka, Jul 2022 - Hriday, may God bless his soul, is the tall chap in blue on the left. His mother and sister are standing in front of him. Swapan, one of Anu’s long-lost cousins is on the extreme right. Beside him, is his daughter. Swapan’s wife is in the middle standing behind Anu’s aunt. Swapan’s young son is the boy on the extreme left of the photo




More photos of the girls!


And here’re the boys! (No, the aunt doesn’t count)


Jackfruit, the national fruit of Bangladesh! The family brought a whole jackfruit, plus more, for us, to bring away. We politely declined, but we had a jackfruit feast in Dhaka!


Now, how else can you end a meal, if not with paan?! Thank God the Bangladeshis are just as hooked on paan as the people from North-East India (Anu included)

Ending the post with a few random pictures of our short 1 day stay in Bangladesh (thanks to the likes of Al Jazeera Airways and SalamAir – see my post, The Long Way Home Part 1).


The swimming pool of our Dhaka hotel, the Raintree Dhaka






And finally, more of Bangladesh’s National Martyr’s Memorial