My Vacation in Phuket: Dec 2012

During the winter break this year, my father decided to take the entire family for a week long vaction to Phuket in Thailand. It is a beautiful places with lots of islands and resorts. Our main objective was to relax and enjoy the resort itself. We were staying in Angsana Resort in Laguna area which has a beautiful golf course, beach, day activities, water sports, retail area and a wonderful spa. Since we were 8 people and 2 kids, we rented out two double bed villas which were actually standing on the water. The resort itself was very contemporary with all the comfort and hospitality.
If you have been working for a long time without a break and need a vacation, I would highly recommend Phuket as a destination which revitalizes your energy and momentum.
Some of the pics that I took of the beautiful resort, James Bond island (often featured in movies) and the animals of the resort are attached below.

New Year Celebrations: Welcome 2013

The new year started with huge celebrations in Sydney, then Singapore, followed by Middle East, Europe and the Americas respectively. Like all other cosmopolitan places in the world, Dubai and Abu Dhabi were leading the celebrations from the front.

There were spectacular displays of fireworks at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi and Burj Khalifa, Atlantis and Burj Al Arab in Dubai. Besides that the roads and malls were full with people all around celebrating in a good mood. The Government of Dubai had also directed the RTA to have a 24 hour day on 31st of Jan for Dubai Metro so that people can commute easily.

In the end, I would like to wish you all best of luck and may the new year bring you joy , happiness, peace and love in 2013.

First Ever Female Team from UAE Completes Training at NASA

Space Center Houston recently organized training for a group of 24 bright young girls from the UAE. These girls hail from different backgrounds such as engineers, space astronauts and researchers  Interestingly all of these girls were aged between 12 to 18 years and were chosen based on two main criteria: academic merit and fluency in English.

http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/government/uae-s-1st-ever-all-female-team-complete-on-site-space-training-at-nasa-1.1125307

My View on the Emirati Food

A number of people specially expats have a misconception that UAE's local food is the same as Levant region. I always try to educate my expat friends that this is not true, we have a very rich cultural heritage and food is an important part of it. For instance soups and salads are an essential components for our meals. Soups are generally called as Shorabat with chicken, lentil or meat broth. In salads, we prefer to eat lots of Jarjeer or rocket leaves.

Grilled items such as grilled prawns or squid are some of the common appetizers. These are marinated with traditional spices. Rice, land and seafood cooked in various spices as Biryani and Machboos are some of the  main courses. Curries often referred to as Saloona are again very popular specially in the holy month of Ramazan. 

Among desserts, we prefer the use of honey and sweets such as Leqaimat are extremely liked. After the food, we generally have Arabic coffee or Ghewa (traditional tea) with dates which are often taken in odd numbers for healthy benefits.

If you have not tried Emirati food, I would like to recommend you to go to Al Fanar Restaurant in Dubai Festival City or Klayya Bakery for traditional biscuits or breakfast in Al Barsha 2.

http://www.alfanarrestaurant.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Klayya 

Much awaited iPhone 5 is here in the UAE

Apple is once more launched a new innovative product in the market. Both operators in the UAE have launched and expect a huge demand for iPhone 5. Please read the link below for details:

http://gulfnews.com/business/telecoms/etisalat-du-start-selling-iphone-5-by-midnight-1.1117903

Burj Ferrero Rocher!

Recently, I saw this in Dubai Mall. The chocolate company Ferrero Rocher has set up a replica of Burj Khalifa made of Ferrero chocolate. The company also engages visitors by having a quiz competition and anybody who can guess how many chocolates did it take to make this replica will get 22K Gold gift.

Emirates A380: A New Dedicated Terminal in Dubai

Emirates airlines just not have the largest Airbus A380 fleet in the world but also has built a new dedicated terminal specially to cater to A380. The company has built a new home for the Emirates A380 at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport.
This new extension has been designed specifically for the Emirates A380, and has its own shops, lounges, restaurants and more. The total number of destinations, where A380 flies from Dubai have reached 21.

Incase you are interested to fly on a A380, check the complete Emirates A380 routes and schedule.
http://www.emirates.com/english/flying/our_fleet/emirates_a380/emirates_schedule/emirates_flight_schedule.aspx