At the Edge of Town

The summer break has started for Jayden. He’s finished Year 5, (yes, at age 9), and will start Year 6 in September. Meanwhile, he’s at home, ‘eating’ his mommy’s head, while lucky me have some peace at work, away from all that commotion at home. Whew. (Hope Anu doesn’t read this).

That’s the short update. Because I still have a lot of work to do for the tender. (Thank God).

For the time being, since I’m on theme parks, here’re some theme parks not visited, and one which has gone for good! (Bye-bye Bollywood Park, wished we’d have visited you when you were around). All at Dubai Parks and Resorts, a location at the edge of Dubai, which had a few theme parks, a hotel, a mall and whatnot, which we visited a long time ago.


Riverland - the ‘theme park’ that joins them all. This is the general area that connects all the theme parks in Dubai Parks. There’re 4 theme parks, not counting Riverland that you could visit, Legoland, Legoland Water Park, Motiongate and Real Madrid World (a football theme park, are you kidding me?) Riverland used to be free, but not anymore. Rest assured, we’d not be visiting any time soon, ahem.










The French Village, Riverland, Dubai, Dec 2017 – Yeah, it was that long ago. When Justin was 8 years old, and Jayden was only a tiny 3! It was a birthday treat to Legoland and Legoland Water Park for Justin’s 8th birthday… How time flies!


The bridge across the ‘river’. D’you think there could actually be a river in Dubai? Nah, it’s a man-made lake!


The bridge at night, complete with boat rides (of course you have to pay for it…)


A theme park gone! The gate of Bollywood Park, a theme-park dedicated to India’s massive movie industry. Farewell! Sorry, we didn’t see you before you closed. May you be ‘reincarnated’ into a better and more popular theme park in the future!


The boulevard leading to Bollywood Park… Are those hands still there?? Maybe not. Bollywood Park is now Real Madrid World, touted as the world’s first Real Madrid Theme Park… Yeah, so? Unless you’re a Real Madrid Fan, or maybe a football nut, why would you wanna visit a football-club-themed park??


MotionGate – Now this is something that sounds more exciting. And Justin’s been harping us on this for ages. Wait, wait till you do something spectacular, or when there’s an offer. Hasn’t Jayden visited this (or was it Justin?) on a school trip or sum’n like that? Don’t remember


The Outlet Village, Dubai Parks, Feb 2019 – We visited this mall, (and Riverland, again, when it was STILL free) for Chinese New Year, of 2019




Hey, BE CAREFUL OF THE WELL!!! Oh, it’s a fake well, izzit? As you can see, the boys are still small – Justin was 9 and Jayden 4.5. Dubai Outlet Village, Feb 2019

Well, that’s it, till the next post. See ya!

Far Far Away

The Castle of Far Far Away

And so, just like that, Justin’s back at school in Singapore. This is a crucial semester for him. Hope he does well. Singapore parents (and people in general, I think) are bonkers over studies. There’re scores of tuition centres all over the city-state. When I went to Singapore to drop Justin off on his first year, I visited a mall in the city (I forgot the name), which was just teeming with tuition centres, for whatever thing you can think of, languages, music, art, science, maths, computing… You name it. (But psst, I later found out that they DON’T have tuition for Justin’s type of syllabus of the Chinese Language, Chinese Language B or CLB which is Chinese aimed at foreign students, strange huh?) And there’re signs inside that mall, prohibiting people (hint: parents) from waiting at specific locations in front of the tuition centres, so as not to block the mall’s corridors. That’s Singapore for you.

Talking about CLB, Singapore is just obsessed with abbreviations, and they expect people, including people who aren’t clearly Singaporeans, to understand it. Just try reading a school letter, and you’ll crack your head trying to guess what a CCA, or a CAS, or an OP or an IP is? WTF!

Justin’s Singaporean cousin, Stacey just so happens to also be studying like crazy this year. It’s her last year at primary school. She’s gotta do well to get into a good secondary school. That’s the dog-eat-dog world life in Singapore…

Anyway, not all Singapore’s like that. There’re still some places that are fun (and expensive). Since I’m on theme park mode in my last couple of posts, here’s another, Universal Studios in Singapore which we visited in 2022. This was actually our second visit. Our first was in 2011 when Justin was just a tiny tot, and Jayden’s not even in our imagination. Here we go. One for the kids!


Welcome to Universal Studios, Singapore. That contraption on the left is the Battlestar Galactica ride, where you can choose to be Human, or Cylon. Cylon is the cooler one, where your legs dangle out from an inverted roller coaster (i.e. where the rails are above your head). Human is the conventional roller coaster, but still friggin fast, with drops and friggin loops. Aaaaaaahhhhh!


There, that’s the Human Ride in Battlestar Galactica!


Hail! Optimus Prime! There’s a Transformer Ride, which only Jayden and Mommy went on, while the ‘bigger’ kids, Justin, Stacey, and yours truly, ahem, were on the Battlestar Galactica rides


What’s happening? Aren’t those creepy scarab beetles the ones that devour everything in its path in the Mummy Movie? The Treasure Hunters, another ride for Jayden and Anu


Enter the temple if you dare! Revenge of the Mummy is an indoor high-speed roller coaster in the darkness. It’s my favourite ride in Universal Studios! In 2011 and 2022. The first time I went in 2011, with Amrita, Anu’s sister, I didn’t even know it was a roller coaster. I thought it was some horror house, because we had to go thru a long, gloomy, sinister path (like in the photo below). Right after the ride, I convinced Anu to try it, and she did! Then she swore that she’d never go on a roller coaster ride ever again. Until 2022, hehe


The path to the Revenge of the Mummy. This time we all went, including Jayden and Anu. (Yes, Anu. Surprised?). Except Jason (Stacey’s Dad). Anu figured that maybe she’d have conquered her fears by then, after so many years. She didn’t. This time she swore never, EVER, to go on another roller coaster…


We’re in Jurassic Park! Click on this link to see the 2011 photos of Jurassic Park and the Mummy’s Temple


Hey, a stegosaurus! On your right


The Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure. Get ready to get wet!


Welcome to Far Far Away


Fancy a ride up the beanstalk?


Say Hi to the kids before we sign off! Universal Studios, Singapore, Jul 2022

A Speed Junkie’s Paradise

A treat for Justin – Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi with a view of the Flying Aces Roller Coaster. Behind that, the spike that pokes out of the red roof, is the Turbo Track ride, where the roller coaster shoots up to the top of the spike, and then falls back down at breakneck speed. Fun, but not for the faint-hearted…

And so, just like that, Justin’s one month break with us is done. He’s going back to Singapore tomorrow, to start school on Monday. How quick? We wish you all the best son. Study hard and stay focused. Do well, and the world’s opportunities will come your way!

Here’re some photos of a treat we gave him during his mid-year break last year, a day at Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi. Although we’ve been in the UAE for more than 10 years, we’ve never visited Ferrari World, until this visit in 2023. Roller coasters aren’t Anu’s thing. But it definitely is Justin’s. He’s a total speed junkie. I took one ride on each of them, and have had enough. He kept going, while I rested to nurse the bloody motion-sickness induced headaches… No, no, no, I’m not too old for this. It’s just a minor setback, ahem…


Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi, a view from Yas Mall


Ferrari World, here we go! This was Justin’s second Yas Island Theme Park treat last year. There’re 4 theme parks in Yas Island Abu Dhabi, and you could combine your visits to get cheaper tickets per park. We told him he could select 2. Justin selected the Yas Waterworld and Ferrari World as his treat


Nice, ...but impractical car, that seats only 1 person. What's the point?!?


A race at the Karting Academy. For the price we paid for the park’s ticket, I thought this’d be free, but no, this is extra!! Justin really wanted to do this, it’s the first thing he wanted to do in the park! So, I let him have a treat. Twice!! On his first race, he did quite well, for a novice who'd never driven a go-kart. His second race came after we tried all the other rides. He was full of confidence going into the second race, but didn't do as well as the first. He’s been in love with go-karting ever since. And all things speed-related, like skiing and mountain-biking. O God, look after him…


The Turbo Track ride lies in the middle of that funnel. The ride starts to the left of this photo (out of view), shoots out on the track (that’s lighted up with red), and goes up the spike in the middle of the funnel. It then starts falling down at breakneck speed and goes back to where you started. In the foreground of this photo, is the Karting Academy, where the karts are gearing up for a race


The Flying Aces ride


Well, fuck me, if I'm gonna do that! But I did, and survived. Hah!


Formula Rossa, the world’s fastest friggin roller coaster!


That’s the acceleration track that shoots you high up on the friggin track to the right. You HAVE to wear safety goggles to protect your eyes in the Formula Rossa ride. Justin went on this ride at least 3 times, …or was it 4?


Entrance to the Fiorano GT Challenge, a twin coaster ride, with coasters going side by side on separate tracks, to simulate two cars racing


And if you’ve had enough of the craziness, you can sit back and enjoy some treats at the Italian-themed restaurants and cafes… Here’s the place that we had our pizza lunch

Ciao!

Tomb of the Living King

The lovely ceiling of one of the many mausoleums in the Shah-i-Zinda ensemble of tombs, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan

It’s Eid again! Eid Al Adha Mubarak everybody! Selamat Hari Raya Haji!

And I have just the post for this! Hehe…

It’s a short Eid this time. 4 days including weekends (unlike the last 9-day Eid). Looks like we won’t be going anywhere this time. It’s friggin baking outside, Justin’s here with us and we’re saving money for our home trip to Malaysia in August! We’d just be spending time here in the UAE. Hmmm… what is there to do?? Haven’t planned anything yet.

Anyway, here’s another short photo post, till I have time to write more (finishing that tendering work will help). (Oh, and by the way, our Company just won a new Project in Dubai. Yippee! A very welcome lifeline indeed!)

Here are photos of the time we visited the Shah-i-Zinda, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Shah-i-Zinda literally means “the Living King”, in Persian or Farsi. (Why Persian? Farsi is not an Uzbek language, izit? No, Uzbek is actually a Turkic language. I think it’s got to do with history. Somehow, Persian culture influenced big parts of Asia in the medieval ages, so much so that the modern languages of Asia Minor, Central Asia and South Asia have heavy doses of Persian words infused in them. Heck, even Hindi, the national language of India, is a heavily-Persianized version of Sanskrit! Thanks to the scores of Islamic kingdoms that ruled Delhi in the past). How Shah-i-Zinda got this name however, beats me, but it’s related to the story of Qutham ibn Abbas, a companion of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).


Shah-i-Zinda – a ‘street’ lined with exquisite tombs, Samarqand, Uzbekistan, Dec 2023


The tomb and shrine of Qutham (or Kusam) ibn Abbas, a companion and first cousin of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). Qutham ibn Abbas took part in the Islamic conquest of Central Asia, and remained there to spread and teach Islam, thereby becoming the first Islamic preacher in Uzbekistan. Contrary to his ‘Living King’ title, he died, defending Samarkand against invaders

Shah-i-Zinda is an ensemble of mausoleums, in the middle of a huge cemetery in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. It is one of the highlights of the city. Yes, a cemetery. Scary huh? Not Anu’s type of attraction, but somehow, the beauty of the tombs dispelled all the horror. You’ll see!


Our walk to Shah-i-Zinda. Now this tree is just the type of tree you’d put in a movie like The Omen…


We reached the Shah-i-Zinda complex. Anyone with an appetite for some tombs?? C’mon, we’ve bought the tickets, let’s get on with it!


We made it to the top. Family photo time! Before we venture any further. It was a cold and gloomy winter’s day as you can see. Brrrrr….


A view of the surrounding graveyard from Shah-i-Zinda. The mosque with the blue domes in the background is the Bibi-Khanym Mosque, and the left-most blue dome is Bibi Khanym’s mausoleum. Bibi Khanym was the favourite wife of the Emperor Timur (Tamerlane), who founded the Timurid Empire


The exterior of the mausoleums. Each doorway leads to a separate mausoleum. Many of it are for relatives of Emperor Timur


Jayden, don't stand in the doorway. You'd look like a saint… YOU DO!


This is what I call ‘Resting in Peace’. How exquisite and pleasant… They have been painstakingly restored and maintained. Good for you Samarkand!


Each tomb has a different finishing. This is a barren one


Why is this door closed? Are there hidden treasures inside? Or the Mummy??


The prayer hall/ mosque at Kusam ibn Abbas’s mausoleum


Ending this on a less sombre note, souvenirs anyone??

That’s all for now. Enjoy your holidays!