In Comes the Goat

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Koung Hey Faat Choi! Keong Hi Huat Cai! Happy Chinese New Year everyone! A little late, but Chinese New Year’s 15 days long right?

By the way, we spent the first day of the New Goat Year travelling, in India, from Silchar (Assam) to Kolkata. Flew back to Dubai from Kolkata on the second night of New Year. Spent Day 3 holed up in our Dubai apartment due to an on-going sandstorm. Earlier, said sandstorm delayed our flight landing in the wee hours of the morning by up to an hour! (Pilot said it was congestion… but do you believe everything a pilot says?)

On the map display screen in the Emirates plane, 10,000 feet above ground, it showed the plane circling over different parts of the UAE (first Fujairah, then Ras Al Khaimah) for like …a 100 times (I lost count after fifteen). And I can tell you, flying in circles, at low altitude, in a friggin sandstorm, holding a sleeping baby, with the older kid whining due to numb legs (and disturbed sleep I guess), ain’t much fun, unless you have a crazy liking for Merry-Go-Round rides. Imagine yourself in a Merry-Go-Round for an hour. Luckily didn’t throw up, or it would’ve been worse…

Anyway HAPPY NEW YEAR again! Here’re some specially selected pictures to usher in the New Year!


Happy New Year everyone, sez Jayden (on his 4 month old birthday)


Justin, in our Silchar home, fooling around with the little red dots (bindi) of his aunt’s


A hookah (shisha) session at home, in Silchar – Celebrating CNY the Arabic-Indian way. Instead of a reunion dinner, we had a big lunch at Anu’s mother’s home, and later at home, a dinner of chapatis, curry chicken and mutton liver (gotta be mutton right? It’s the Year of the Goat after all!)




Where we were at on the night of CNY 2015 – some Victorian treat at The Astor, Kolkata. The hotel botched up our booking, so gave us a night at their penthouse suite at no extra charge hehe!

Let’s hope that the Year of the Goat is less ‘exciting’ than the tumultuous Year of the Horse. For one thing, no more plane crashes please…

The Chateau at Roti Village

Here’s another desperate picture post, before I go on another short trip, this time to India.

Who would’ve imagined a chateau with a vineyard, and fabulous suites in the middle of rural India, surrounded by villages of goat herders and sugar cane farmers?

Well, welcome to the Four Seasons Winery, Roti Gaon (Village), Baramati District, Maharashtra, India



This place lies less than 20 minutes away from the project site office where I used to work, in Kurkumbh, Daund. We could get fleeting glimpses of the manor, from a few confined parts in our Project, but mostly the view is hidden by the many hills, buildings or farms in the area. I remember wondering what the hell the building was, until one day when a colleague suggested visiting the place. The route there is interesting. From the highway that we were building, we had to take a small trunk road up a steep rocky hill in the direction of Baramati. At the top of the climb lies Roti village (yeah, that’s the real name of the village, don’t ask me why, …maybe they’re really good with their rotis (generic name for Indian flat breads like chapatis, etc)). Right past Roti, you’ll get the full grand view of the winery, like some outlandish French manor, out of the blue, a pocket of opulence amidst bullock carts, goat herders and acres of empty grassland.

The first time there, I brought the family along on a Sunday, but it was closed, and was asked to come back another day. Since then, we’ve been there a few times, especially when visitors come for a visit. Unfortunately, all our visits were towards the end of my stay in Daund, and none were during the harvesting season (or there would certainly be a lot more photos). And with the winery being so close, what better way to get wine, than to send the driver there with a shopping list, haha. See my previous post with a picture of the Project Team in the wine cellar, and of Justin sampling wine.

Here’re more photos…








More views of the chateau, during the day, and at night


The vineyard and pastures surrounding the winery, during the monsoon


Yours truly, with Justin and brother-in-law, Gopal, at the grassland surrounding the winery, filled with sharp prickly grass (yeah, they’re nice to look at, but be warned, do not, under any circumstances, walk barefoot on it, or you’re asking for trouble).


The grounds within


The large stainless steel tanks… (nope, don’t friggin remember what they’re for, despite having it explained to me 3 times, in 3 separate tours…)


The wine cellar

Just a Hole in the Ground?

But not any ordinary hole in the ground. This is a pretty nice hole actually, with clear blue waters that you can swim in, …if only there were less people.


Bimmah Sinkhole, Oman (yup, it’s a sinkhole, but unlike other sinkholes that gobble up houses and roads, and cars, etc, this one's turned into something of a tourist attraction, and made into a park!)

Thought I’ll post some pictures of Oman (again), since I spent the last few months working on Oman related stuff. Actually ended up in Oman a couple of times, for tendering of a project, and to extend Jayden’s visa… (yeah, something happened and we had to lug small Jayden across the border to get the UAE immigration to put an exit stamp in his passport, then enter and exit Oman, and re-enter the UAE with a new stamp, all in one day. What a trip!)

It’s been a friggin hectic time, the last few weeks – big tender in Oman, Malaysia year-end trip, getting Jayden’s UAE residential permit, etc… Looking forward to a lull in workload and hopefully get back some creative writing. Meanwhile here’re some pictures… Tada!


Justin at the sinkhole, located on the road between Muscat and Sur, near the villages of Bimmah (hence the name), and Dibab. The park’s official name is Hawiyat Najm Park (but I doubt people actually remember this name).


Yeah, it's jumpable, ...if you have the balls


See, it's not that high, right?


Justin and mommy at the Bimmah Sinkhole site

Red Son Growing

Jayden 2.5 months old

Finally found some time to update my blog, it’s been so busy since December. My red son, Jayden, is 3 months old now (fast eh?). I call my two sons, my two ‘toes’, Toma-to and Pota-to, hahaha. Jayden’s the Tomato, coz he turns bright red very easily. Justin is Potato, the yellow one.

Here’s a look at Jayden growing up.


Potato impersonating Tomato, at 0.5 month old.


Jayden 1 month old with Papa and Mommy at the Souq Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai


Jayden 1.5 months old, fully awake


Jayden sporting a different hairstyle, not his usual good boy hairstyle


Jayden 2 months old, in formal wear


First trip overseas – visiting the family in Malaysia – with his granny in the Butterworth house


Four generations in a pic – Jayden and Justin with his parents, grandparents (and grandaunt), and great grandparents, in Penang on the occasion of great grandpa’s birthday on New Year’s Day


Jayden, with his other great grandma, in Ipoh






More of the Ipoh side of the family – posing with grand uncles and a grand aunt


Jayden, 3 months old, with Justin

Season's Greetings 2014

Merry Christmas! (Carrefour, Mirdif City Centre, Dubai)

I’m putting a very short post as there is so much work to do before I take a short break for the year end. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!! See you again in 2015!


Christmas 2013, Mall of the Emirates


Mirdif City Centre, Christmas Season 2013


Family Christmas Eve Dinner 2013 at a Chinese restaurant in International City, Dubai


At the amusement park, Dubai Festival City, 2014

Justin Year 5

Yes, that’s right, our monster is 5 years old now. Here’s a quick rerun of his 5th year, in chronological order.


Serving us food (for a change) at his classroom in Uptown School, Dubai


Justin, with ‘good boy’ hair at an Uptown School function


In Malay attire, with his Pre-K teacher, Ms Janet Ayeni on …was it International Day??


At church, …first time he actually volunteered for a photo.


Posing with his Chicken Rice at a highway rest area food court in Malaysia


Caught in the act of accepting a bribe from his chau-ko-poh


With his ji-pek-kong at Jack’s house, Kota Kemuning, Selangor


At the Canning Garden Market, Ipoh


Taking a bath at the Barak River with his mama (uncle), Fulertal, Assam


Posing as a fish, or a plane, no it's a fish, while waiting for his school bus to come


Justin, bald again, for the summer


First day at his new school, GEMS Royal Dubai School for Foundation 2


With his new born little brother, Jayden


Justin and our car, at International City, Dubai


In a suit, at church again – photo specially requested by Justin


Justin’s 5th year birthday – no party, just ourselves