15 Going on 16

Express post coming up. Up to my neck with work, with the upcoming Eid holidays starting tomorrow, and a deadline to meet right after the long holidays. But I want to post this out before the end of the month. It’s a recap of Justin’s 16th year, and it’s way past when I usually post it (around January… His birthday’s in December! 5 months late) So, without further ado, here it is!


Justin, right after turning 15, in Dec 2024, at the Address Beach Residence Hotel, Dubai. We were all there to see his little brother, Jayden performing with the school choir at a pre-Christmas event at the hotel


Can I go cycling before I leave Dubai? OK. Here you go! (That’s Justin, speed junkie…) At Mushrif Park, Dubai, Dec 2024


It’s the schools’ winter break. Let’s head out. First stop, Kazakhstan! And his dream come true! At the Shymbulak Ski Resort, near Almaty, Kazakhstan. First time he skied down a mountain! This was his second skiing trip (after Uzbekistan in Dec 2023, where we took only a half-day pass, bcoz, who knows whether we’d like skiing or not?! He loved it, by the way, but we only had enough time for the beginner’s slope. He nailed it on his first try! Unlike yours truly, who rolled and fell himself down, the friggin beginners’ slope, twice, and then gave up. But at least I tried it twice!) This time, only the kids went skiing (ahem, I hurt my wrist, OK?!? Fell off the friggin snow the day before, OK? And that’s a valid excuse reason…)


Next stop, Meghalaya in North Eastern India, en route to his mother’s home village, in Assam, India. This was the first time he visited India, after starting school in Singapore. With a kacang puteh (that’s the Malay word for this, I don’t know what it’s called in India) street-vendor, at the Elephant Falls near Shillong, Meghalaya


Continuing on our road-trip in Meghalaya (might as well make the best out of our journey home), at the living root bridge of Riwai Village, near Mawlynnong, the so-called “Asia’s Cleanest Village”, with his cousin, Sonia (beside him), and aunt, Rekha (far right)


Finally, in Assam - Silchar city to be precise, where we call home now, with another of his cousin, Sweety, sharing a …ummm snack (I dunno what they’re having, but it looks like they’re enjoying it…)


On another road trip, this time with his granny and another cousin, Mahi, Rekha’s daughter at the Unakoti Rock Carvings, a UNESCO Heritage Site, in the neighbouring state of Tripura, India. We did this all in our little yellow car. Bravo Tata Nano! You still work despite years of lack of maintenance


Back home in Fulertal, Assam… Trying some paan (betel leaf and areca nut) – his first time. When in Assam, do as the Assamese do! Dec 2024


Time to go back to school in Singapore… tough going, but as people say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going… I hope he takes it in that spirit. Got this from WhatsApp. That Justin fella just isn’t very keen with photos… Those must be his floorball mates, SJI, Singapore


It’s June 2025, his school’s midyear break. We allowed him to visit Malaysia and stay with his aunt, June in Kuala Lumpur so that he could indulge a little bit in his hobby, racing, which is a lot cheaper there, than in Dubai, and also gel with his Malaysian side of the family, his granddad, aunt, etc. Here he is at ummm… I don’t really know which go-kart track this is. Somewhere in Selangor, Malaysia. On hindsight, we shouldn’t have let him do this, he’d be better off with us here in Dubai, studying… so that his results would be better. There’re little photos of him because his phone which was his mommy’s repaired Samsung S20+ phone, self-disassembled during the trip…


Finally, back with us in Dubai, June 2025, at DragonMart 2, Dubai


With his Dubai friends at our home… Moaz (left) and Yiro (right)… Look at how big the Dubai kids became?!? Is it the food?


Back to Singapore! Some sort of graduation party at his hostel (I think), St Andrew’s Hall, Singapore


An international school trip! To Shanghai, China, Nov 2025. That’s one of the only photos I found that had a decent view of him!


Back home with us in Dubai. Let’s all watch a family movie! Mall of the Emirates, Dubai, UAE


What do you want for your 16th birthday? Not racing again… Yes, racing, again… At a pre-race briefing, Dubai Kartdrome, Dubai, UAE.

Justin, I hope you stay focused and be diligent in your studies. Your efforts will pay off, and it’s only a few more months to go, for the O-Levels. All the best my son. Love you.

That’s all folks. To those celebrating, Eid Al-Adha Mubarak! Selamat Hari Raya Haji!

The Prince of Trouble

Finally, I’ve put together the photos for Jayden’s 11th year of existence. He turned 11 last October, so I am… umm… 5 months late. Only. Wink!


Jayden, 2 months after his 11th birthday, at Mawlynnong, aka “Asia’s cleanest village”, Meghalaya, India

What can I say, Jayden? You’re 11 going on 12, and you’ve started secondary school. Why, oh why, do you keep doing the darndest things, that’ll get you (and us) into trouble?!??? I have a long list of those… Shall I let the list fly?? No?? OK, but on one condition… From now on, please THINK, use your BRAIN, before you friggin do, or say something! And grow up already, willya? We love you lots. Hope you’ll grow up into a responsible boy, who’ll know how to take care of the people and the things around you. Hope you’ll be loving and kind, well-mannered and considerate. That you’ll be hardworking, and know how to focus on the important stuff first (rather than waste time on clutter and nonsense). Hope you’ll be organized and self-driven. Hope you’ll be righteous and brave. Hope you’ll never be greedy, or boastful. Hope you’ll be smart and resourceful. Hope that when life throws you its problems, you’ll have the grit to persevere, and never give up. With lots of love, Papa. OK, here goes the recap.


A month plus after his 11th birthday, at the Address Beach Residence Hotel, Dubai, with his koko. Jayden was performing in the school choir for a pre-Christmas function at the hotel


Winter break 2024 – A visit to his mother’s home in India! Jayden with 2 of his cousins, Mahi (left) and Anshu (middle), Fulertal, Assam, India


Back to Dubai, and to school – Here he is with 2 of his school friends, Vivaan (left) from India, and Aryan (middle) from Iran, Metropole School, Dubai, Feb 2025


It’s camping season! Jayden with a blue lizard at our regular camping spot, Wadi Shawka, Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE


What’s Eid without a trip to Oman? (That’s what we’ve been doing for the last few years… including this year!) Jayden with 2 friends he met in the guesthouse that we stayed in, the Alshumukh Guesthouse, Qalhat, Oman, Mar 2025. The kids are Polish, but they reside in Jordan. The older one is Yager (pronounced 'ya-zher' it may not be spelt like that, it’ll probably begin with a ‘J’), and the younger one is Franco… We asked Franco where he’s from and he said he’s from 'ospital' (hospital)… ‘Be nice!’ Franco would say to his older brother…


Jayden dressed up for …what’s it for?? For his prom!??. When did Year 6s start having proms??! Oh, so, it’s the last year of primary school! I see! May 2025


His koko is back from Singapore for the midyear break. Here they are with mommy at Dragonmart 2, Jun 2025


The end of Jayden’s academic year means lots of school functions. He won 4th place for the Arabic Reading Competition (for non-native speakers)! Bravo, keep it up!


It’s the summer break! On the go again. Jayden, at the Great Wall of China (Mutianyu). A stopover at Beijing, China en route to Malaysia, Jul 2025


Here we are again, Malaysia! At the Floating Mosque of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia


With his grandpa and aunt at Empat Sekawan Restaurant, Butterworth, Malaysia – Malaysia’s all about food! Seriously, we’d kill ourselves from overeating if we stayed any longer in Malaysia


Some family visits! With his second cousins (children of his father’s cousins), Ginny and Eugene (I think… I hope I got them right), at Jayden’s father’s old home in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia, Aug 2025


More family! With his favourite uncle now, Jack (they got lost talking about fish and marine life, Jack is an avid diver, among other things…) at a restaurant in Petaling Jaya (Kean Fatt Restaurant), Selangor, Malaysia


More Malaysian holidays – in the old town of Melaka, the place that gave the olden Sultanate of Malacca and the famous Straits of Malacca its name...


And finally, his 11th birthday party at home! Be nice!! Be good! Love you.

Mission Snow 2025

Koksar Village, Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh, India

Finally, here’re some photos of our recent trip. Only a selected few, because there’re tons! (Hey, it ain’t easy, OK? Especially, when you have a family of trigger-happy smartphone photographers, who’ll take anything, and everything, that’s in the way. And that super-large smartphone storage isn’t really helping).

Anyway, here’s what we set out to do in December (to see snow), and errrrmmm… failed (mostly). (Hey, it’s the weather. I can’t control the friggin weather!)

Mission Objective: Take mother-in-law to see some snow.

Constraints and limits:
- Must be in India (heck, mom-in-law doesn’t have a passport);
- Must be in December (that’s when the kids’ school holidays are);
- Must be affordable;
- Must be comfortable;
- Must not involve strenuous walking or climbing (Ama has a walking problem).
Anymore? Hmmm… I think that’s about it.

And so, Manali’s our destination… (besides, I’ve never been there before, hehe. None of us have, actually. Oh, I’ve been to Himachal Pradesh. In my pre-blogging years, let’s see, 2003, or was it 2004? Toting a friggin ‘film camera’!! Yeah, they existed then. But only to Shimla… So, Manali would be nice!)


Meeting Ama in Chandigarh Airport! Our family of 4 flew from Jaipur (which was where we were visiting), and Ama and sis-in-law, Rekha, flew in from Silchar, Assam, on the same day.


The sisters and their mother, at a roadside stall, with a view point, by the Sutlej River (it’s just labelled ‘View Point’ in Google Maps, duh…). Our first stop in Himachal Pradesh, enroute to Manali, from Mohali, Punjab (where we spent a night in – Mohali is where Chandigarh’s airport is located)


The view point, from the ‘View Point’ dhaba (stall), Sunan, Himachal Pradesh…


Tucking into some Rajma Chawal… a popular local dish, featuring red kidney beans (rajma) and rice (chawal). Yup, that’s it! Rs 100 per plate! At the ‘View Point’ Dhaba


Good morning Manali! ‘Perfect’ weather, clear and sunny… But, didn’t the news say that it snowed here? Yeah, …in November, …a month ago!! Looks like it’s ummmm… all gone now. (I still see some! There, on the mountains). The view from our hotel, Hotel Hollywood, Vashist, Manali, HP


The Beas River… that’s where all them snow ended up in, I guess. The Beas River forms the valley where Manali and Kullu (one of the main tourist areas in Himachal Pradesh) are in… The Beas is a major river in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, and will flow into the Sutlej River (photo above) further downstream in the Indian state of Punjab… A view from the Beas Sangam Restaurant, Palchan (see, snow high up in the mountains…)


Hello! From the Beas Sangam Restaurant, Palchan …this is near the junction to Rohtang Pass (a pass thru the Himalayas). (Our rented car ain’t a 4WD, and the authorities have blocked the Rohtang Pass Road for all, except for local rented jeeps, if you wanna get up there to see some snow. We decided against it. It’ll not be a comfortable ride, and not really convenient for our senior Ama…)


Dread not, let’s head further north, up the mountains… Approaching the Atal Tunnel (aka the world’s longest tunnel above 10,000 feet). It opened in 2020 as an alternative to the Rohtang Pass, cutting short the journey to the other side by 4 - 5 hours!


We’re thru the tunnel. Nope, no real snow here either. Exploring the hillside, near Koksar Village, Lahaul, HP, India


What the heck. It’s still a nice trip! Ama saw some snow… (OK, some old, dusty ones, that we scraped off the sides of the hills, hehe…) But, it ain’t my fault. Snow has been dwindling in the Himalayas, due to climate change (yes, here’s a report, and I believe it’s happening, unlike some doofus of a president who thinks otherwise), and we’ve always known that we’d have a better chance of snow in India, in January and February, but what choice do we have, when the kids have to get back to school!


OK kids, go ahead, you can zipline across to the other side… of the Chenab River


The Chenab River, Lahaul – this is the third major river we’ve seen in this trip alone, in Himachal Pradesh! 3 of Punjab’s 5 rivers! (Punjab’s name means 5 (panj) waters (ab) in Persian, didn’t know that, huh?)


Fancy some Siddu? It’s a Himachali dish, fermented steamed bread… (like the Chinese steamed bao, but with butter and spices. Honestly, I prefer the Siddu to the Bao, ahem, or maybe I was just really hungry at that time). At the BRO Café, between Solang and the Atal Tunnel


One last pic before I end, a hot air balloon at Biastar, Kullu. If you’re the adventurous type, there’re loads of stuff to do here… paragliding, hang-gliding, white water rafting, skiing (if there’s snow, duh…)

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.