Glow-in-the-Dark Golf @ Tee & Putt, Wafi Mall

wanna play golf 18 hole – in the dark? head on to wafi mall, top floor near the foodcourt area. won’t miss it.

 

 

MINIature golf is simply that – golf, in mini size. each hole has its own design and difficulty, but all centered around the theme space. so the setting is super cool – mainly space theme with astronouts, spaceships and aliens.

 

from the wafi mall food court, you come down an escalator straight to the counter. pick your golf clubs, balls and start hitting ém!

 

    

they also cater for parties and even corporate functions – so company gile-gile yang nak treat staff diorng to silly rounds of mini golf in the dark with space theme – you’ve found the place!

 

 

for the first few holes we had the tee & putt mini golf all to ourselves and we can leisurely play and take our time. however if there was a group which started playing after us, we need to hustle a little bit knowing there are people catching up to us and we don’t want to hold them back.

 

 

 

mr. khairul is more into golf that i EVER will (although, of course mr khairul is into most sports MORE than i do) but i did try a few rounds! hihi. well, you don’t have to like golf to enjoy tee & putt mini golf. i was there having fun with my kids and that’s what it is all about.

 

visit the tee & putt website for more information. click here.

Argentinian Marco’s Birthday; Kahfi’s BFF

I was so glad to receive the invitation from one of kahfi’s classmates – kahfi was just starting school for the first time ever last september, so I was excited that he’s making friends and going to birthday parties!

it was a birthday invitation from marco, an argentinian. never imagine that my kahfi would be friends with an argentinian boy! he had the party inside the ‘fun city’ arcade games area  in ibn battuta mall. and man, did he host an awesome party or what--

 

marco and kahfi getting silly with another classmate; at the fun city ball pit

 

1) the fun city playtime – marco treated all his guests to a rolling, running, sliding down fun time at the play area inside fun city. main sampai berpeluh!

 

kahfi and marco on the super slide

 

* * *

 

2) marco treated his small guests to an awesome ride on the ‘hot air balloon’

 

marco and kahfi lining up to on the ride

 

 

* * *

 

3) the birthday party GAMES! khaleef won ‘best dancing’, but lost in ‘musical chairs’ – he was the last-3-kid standing!

 

the inseparable marco and kahfi

 

this was such a cute daddy moment : they needed only the dads to head the ‘balloon race’. there were only two dads there – marco’s and kahfi’s. haha. it’s cute that they were close friends too! so there they were, two macho dads, like football coaches on the side of the field, cheering their players!

 

* * *

 

 

4) cut the cake! cake was brought out, birthday song sang out loud. a cute mucha lucha cake as adorable as the birthday boy and his gorgeous parents! lawa-lawa orang argentina ni!

 

* * *

 

munchin and lunchin next to the birthday boy

 

5) marco treated mcdonalds happy meals for all his guests. nuggets and burgers all around. yum.

 

 

* * *

 

6) after the party, marco and his birthday party guests hang out at the arcade playing games – his treat! awesome, awesome close to an already fantastic birthday party.

thanks marco for an unforgettable fun time at your birthday party!

 

 

* * *

 

as a mom to my kahfi who had just learned how to make friends in a school setting; this is a moment full of pride and joy – when you see your kid making friends, having fun with little tiny people that he learns to get to know on his own; or having friends that simply enjoy being with your kid just because.

Malls in Dubai Open 24 Hours : The Good and The Bad

do you like the idea of shopping malls open 24 hours a day?

yes, millions of dubai shoppers will be able to flock the malls 24 hours a day, during these 3 consecutive weekends around hari raya haji. wanna start shopping for groceries at 1am? hungry at 4am? thinking of looking for a nice dress at 3am? the mall is open 24 hours – for 3 weekends, starting from 18th oct to 2nd nov.

rise, night of the living shoppers!

 

shot courtesy of kak marliza : thanks!

 

 

click here to read more.

I’m weighing the good and the bad of malls opening 24 hours for these 3 weekends :

the good :

• this idea is appealing for people who work long hours during the day, facing traffic going home that there would be no time to shop at night, and on weekends mall would be too crowded during the day. they would love the idea of shopping after midnight
• people who works in shifts sometimes finished work at 3am, can catch a quick bite or still be able to walk around in the mall at that time
• this also benefits travellers/tourist in transit at the airport – they can escape boredom to the nearest mall
• last-minute shoppers on eve of raya would appreciate the malls being open past midnight
• coincidentally at the time of writing, I am waiting for mr khairul to come back from malaysia. he is scheduled to arrive home at 11am. tomorrow, he needs to leave home at about 1pm to catch a flight to cairo. he told me, having malls open past midnight is the perfect time right now, as we could still go out to stock up the fridge after he comes home tonight!
• to encourage people to visit the malls after midnight, a lot of stores are offering past-midnight discounts eg: if you bought an item around 10pm – 6am, you’ll get a 30% discount as opposed to only 10% when you buy during normal hour!
• of course this means that you simply CAN go ANYTIME you want. ANYTIME of the day!

 

the bad :

• people sleep at night. the idea of shopping after midnight is just not normal. who is really gonna go out in the middle of 3am to look for shoes?
• isn’t 10am to 11pm long enough to shop? malls are open all day long, all week long – what’s so important to get, that you HAD to go out after midnight to get it?
• family with kids might not want to stress their kids’ bedtime by dragging them to go shopping way past midnight
• nearly 7 malls around dubai opened 24 hours? more electricity wasted
• tired staff forced to work extra hours may affect their performance in attending customers – kang banyak pulak staff buat muka seposen kan!

 

in addition, a good friend of mine in dubai wrote this in as her facebook status :

Dubai- sempena Eidul Adha ni, shopping center dibenarkan buka 24 jam dari 18 Okt-2 Nov..byk tarikan..jualan murah, pertunjukan sarkis, kraf utk kanak2, cabutan bertuah termasuk yg x pnah terfikir akan dibuat masa perayaan yg suci & penuh pengajaran mengenai PENGORBANAN ni..

kalau bershopping setakat keperluan okla, masalahnya bila bercampuraduk dgn unsur maksiat & pembaziran, umat Islam kena berhati2...wallahuaklam

nauzubillah..moga tidak terkeliru dan terkorban apalagi dlm 10 hari terbaik ini, amin

(dubai – in conjunction with eidul adha, shopping center will open 24 hours from 18th oct – 2nd nov..lots of attractions..sales, circus acts, crafts for kids, lucky draw, including activities that we wouldn’t think of will be held during this holy festival & full of lessons in SACRIFICE..

if we were shopping as needed it’s ok, the problem is when it’s mixed with immoral activities and wastage, Muslims need to be wary…wallahualam.

nauzubillah..may we not be confused and be sacrificed especially in these best 10 days…amin)

 

she has a point! well said, kak muna!

in addition to feeling overwhelmed by this 24-hour chance to shop, we must never get carried away with all the festivities and shop-till-we-drop 24-hour. keep our mind on the focus of this day – eid al-adha – to honor the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail, for the sake of Allah. sacrifice, in the name of Allah. an act of obedience to Allah. a remembrance of that honorable virtue.

may we never go astray.

 

* * *

 

though I agree with kak muna’s point of view, mr khairul and i do find this 24-hour thing merely a CONVENIENCE – making it easy for us to go to the mall at anytime without wondering whether it’s already closing time.

well, we actually tried it last weekend.

you see – mr. khairul had just arrived from malaysia at 11pm that night, and we had only a few hours before he needs to rest because he’s flying out again to cairo the very next day at 1pm! so we just took the chance to roam the malls at 1am to stock the fridge before he travel again, had supper at california pizza kitchen, and started grocery shopping.

believe me, dubai people do come out to shop at 3am. the crowd at mall of emirates looked like it’s just 8pm. seriously.

also interesting to note, the staff at california pizza kitchen was just as friendly, despite having to work extra hours way past midnight. kudos to the female staff. I wish I had taken her name! she was in great spirit, all smiles and recommended us yummy dishes to try. hope all the other workers during this ‘past-midnight shift’ are able to face the crowd with smiles and positivity!

 

* * *

 

so, use the 24-hour shopping time for your convenience, but don’t forget the real meaning and spirit of eid al-adha!

Malaysia’s PappaRoti in Dubai

I love rotiboy. the super soft caramel-coated buns, fresh and hot from the oven. I’d never buy less than 5, and the best time to eat rotiboy is straight in the car while driving back from OU or KLCC where I bought them coz then it would be fresh, hot and soft! hihi. my khairul can finish one in just a few bites. naturally, my boys love ‘em too.

rotiboy is established in 1998, and started in penang. in its website, the word ‘original’ is capitalized, stressing that they’re the pioneers of these famous buns.

 

babaruti? heheh.

 

however, there’s another malaysian brand selling a similar bun. calling itself, ‘the father of all buns’, papparoti describes this heavenly bread as ‘coffee-coated bread’ with ‘authentic and memorable taste’.

established in 2003, papparoti now has branches all over including dubai, saudi arabia, kuwait, china, vietnam, UK and australia. kat bangladesh pun ade!

 

 

this was the first time that I tried the bun at papparoti after being a faithful fan of rotiboy.

we went to the papparoti branch in sunset mall, jumeirah – the lonesome-looking little mall with more empty lots than occupied ones! definitely papparoti is the one café that’s keeping the mall alive! it’s at the corner of the ground floor, visible from the main road.

 

 

basically papparoti only has TWO items on its menu : DRINKS, and the BUN. that’s it. now which drink? that’s when it gets tricky. haha.

 

* * *

 

from caramel macchiato to mochaccino, cappuccino, to hot choc and café late – they got it. even fresh milk or raspberry tea!

ok, I do not like ANY type of coffee, but I am always interested in words and their meaning, and I can’t help trying to figure out what’s the difference between these many types of ‘coffee’ :

• first and foremost, u need to know that ESPRESSO is the basis of all these variations of coffee. to me, espresso is simply COFFEE given a fancy name! haha. something in the way it’s brewed that makes it different than the kopi we make at home kot!
• macchiato means ‘marked’ or ‘stained’ – so it simply means espresso ‘stained’ with milk.
• cappucino means espresso at the bottom, hot milk in the middle and topped with steamed-milk foam
• latte means espresso with steamed milk
• mocha is like latte – but with added chocolate, usually cocoa powder, chocolate syrup or chocolate milk
• americano is made when hot water is added to espresso (what?!)

oh man! thank goodness I only like one type of hot drink and one only – hot chocolate! plain and simple! hihi. if you wanna know more to peningkan kepala, click this link and scroll down to learn more about other types of espresso mix.

 

malaysia : RM2.50. dubai : AED11!

 

I wrote at the beginning of this post, how I always buy at least 5 buns at once, and how it takes only a few bites to finish one before we can reach for another, and another…well, CAN’T do it here!

while the ROTI in malaysia cost only about RM2.50 each, here it’s AED11 each! that escalates pretty damn quickly!

also, in malaysia it’s just a humble café and the buns are served in paperbags where malaysians can just eat with our hands kan?

here, the bun is served on a nice wooden ‘bread cutting-board’, with knife and fork! wah, makan rotiboy fine dining, eh? haha. mr. khairul was like, “pak-pak arab makan rotiboy dengan sudu garpu ke?” huhu.

 

 

teringin punya pasal – bedal je sekali-skala!

to me, the buns taste the same, rotiboy or papparoti, in malaysia or in dubai,, cheaper or not – the same crispy sweet coat on the outside, and soft fluffy bread on the inside. yum!

we actually reminded the boys to eat as slowly as they can, and really savour the aed11 buns!

 

 

* * *

 

don’t like anything with coffee or espresso, so I ordered iced-chocolate which is just yummy. how can iced-chocolate NOT be yummy, kan? mr. khairul got himself the caramel macchiato.

 

* * *

 

will we come again? if the craving gets worse! haha. the service is top notch, and the bun is as delicious as it could ever be. however, I’d rather wait till we get back to malaysia and go buy 10 buns or more! lepas geram!

 

* * *

 

the boys having fun at the empty sunset mall in jumeirah : the only MALL I can let my sons go wild without me worrying about them being lost in the crowd. coz there is no crowd!

Gorgeous Garden @ One Utama

‘garden’ at one utama is actually a restaurant offering various types of dishes from western like lamb shanks and spaghetti, to local yummies like nasi lemak.

(yes people, i’m back home in malaysia!)

when you walk within the concrete walls of one utama and suddenly see greneries with lawn chairs and green shrubs growing across the ceiling; you’re in the right place. that’s ‘garden’ – which explains the name! what’s interesting about ‘garden’ is the interior decor. you eat there and you feel like eating inside of an english house that overlooks the garden of beautiful shrubs and trellises. beautiful place to eat.

 

my sister’s fiance was there too joining us. hi faiz!

 

love the interior! so soothing and relaxing!

 

there’s even a section with adorable little flower pots for sale.

 

lovely!

 

 

what to eat?

the menu is surprisingly extensive. i thought that this place only serves western food, but it has italian food, and even local delicacies as well. the list of drinks is inviting too.

i was feeling a little out of this world that day, and decided to order something i don’t usually order – i went with fish and chips.

 

mine was fish and chips. i was a bit disappointed when i first saw the fish, as i expected it would be yellow tempura-fried. but this looks like bread-crumbs. but the first taste proved that it was equally delicious. a simple dish that can fairly satisfy fans of fish and chips – if you don’t mind the bread-crumbs.

 

it’s served with veggies, slices of lemon for taste, and of course the ‘chips’ or fries. the portion of fries is worth mentioning – it was huge! loved it.

 

my youngest sis azi went for this italian dish of spaghetti in white sauce with beef bacon i think. delicious as it could be, and she liked it. this was served with lettuce and some cut-up fresh fruits.

 

my future bro-in-law faiz picked this beautifully-decorated dish of lamb chops. it was very delicious! yes, i had a bite and it was really well-marinated, the texture was tender and the mashed potato just complements the meat. the funny thing was it was served with this kangkong. hmm. really a first for me. otherwise, it was a really good dish.

 

we also ordered this small plate of fried calamari. the calamari was freshly fried, and tasted good but i just wish that they didn’t spread the dip on the calamari. should’ve put it on the side instead of on the calamari.

 

i can’t remember the name of this drink but it was delicious! it’s like crushed-ice mango, with fruit coctail thrown in. so yummy.

 

‘garden’ is at one utama, lower ground floor of the new wing. it’s a beautiful place to eat, serves fairly good food. try it if you want to unwind after a shopping spree!

 

Dubai Street Festival 2012 @ Dubai Marina Mall

today is the LAST day of dubai marina street festival, after 10 days of excitement! this awesome event ran from 22nd march to the 31st, held at dubai marina mall. it features LIVE street performances from international acts of UK, US, australia, spain and many more – some juggle, some play weird musical instruments, some do dangerously daring acrobatics, some sing, and most are really funny – but all mesmerized the crowds with their talents.

 

 

we live pretty close by so we went so often to catch ALL the performers – which differs each day. there are probably 6-8 acts per day starting from 4 to 10, and we just watch anything we can.

these are street performances so, naturally, all shows are done outdoors in this fine weather that dubai is having (though changing from cool winter to warm summer). they’re all FREE for all so the crowd gathers around the foyer that looks out to the marina at the dubai marina mall to catch the shows.

 

the kids sits on the floor to enjoy the show!

 

* * *

…and these are some of the many acts that we managed to go see :

 

this is sam wills from new zealand. he did some juggling and lots of silly tricks. his show is never boring because he's funny and always try to get the *passive* dubai crowd to cheer louder! seriously you can see his effort to get the crowd to participate, with his jokes and wide grin. kasi support lah sikit weh!

 

this is dennis dove from new york. he plays drums using pails, pots and pans and he's REALLY good. but so kesian his show is always the last one of the night, on a week day, so he plays to a small crowd since most have gone back. however, he was still so very enthusiastic, and a positive entertainer. i guess being a STREET performer, he should get use to being rejected on the streets, and having passive crowds. so he knows how to get the crowd going, even a small one.

really, he plays one mean drum. pails and all!

 

this dude calls his act 'hang in balance' - he plays the 'new' musical instrument called the 'hang' shaped like a UFO, with nothing but air inside the instrument. "only 100 of these are made.. bla bla" making it sound like it’s so special, but the sound is exactly like our traditional malay musical instrument 'gamelan' - and they call this NEW. sheesh.

 

however, dude did sound good. but i’m just saying that this instrument HAD been around for very long now…haha. well, my boys (in matching blues) had fun – just kicked back and relax enjoying the street show with one blonde chick and a cute brunette haha.

 

this is 'reuben dot dot' from melbourne - half chinese, half polish. he's fun to watch! heart-stopping acrobatics on a pole! and he’s funny too – spewing clever one-liners to ease the tension, especially when some kids go running around while he’s about to do a dangerous stunt.

he straight away said, “i’m really going to kill you kids, if you let them run around like that” – meaning, they might really be killed should his stunt go wrong while they’re let loose. so be safe, and keep your kids safe while enjoying the show!

 

'reuben dot dot' from melbourne - half chinese, half polish. comel!

 

this is my favorite act, the one that i’ve been wanting to see ever since i saw the list and description of each performer – lili la scala from UK! she sings vintage songs with funny lyrics. her voice is incredible, reaching new heights! love her, especially her gorgeous retro style too! i mean, look at her cute dress!

 

the beautiful lili la scala with my awe-struck son hihi. love her outfit! and she’s so comel!

 

this is mr. khairul's favorite! haha. nigel blackstorm from the states. magic + heavy metal = HEAVY MAGIC! silly, funny, n mental! he tries to be all ganas and heavy-metal-y but he sounds so funny! "ladies, control yourselves!" he picks random strangers from the audience n claims you to be his long-lost band-members! his magic tricks are not THAT impressive, but his quirky personality made him very fun to watch.

 

these life-size 'soft people' knitted puppets are all over dubai marina mall! it was so funny when khaleef had fun spotting them as we were walking around the mall! they are also part of the ‘street performers’!

 

where are they from?

 

the ‘soft people’ puppets from UK are these soft sculptures from the highly acclaimed exhibition ’off the hook’ by rita mcgurn. whether in the glasgow subway, the paris metro, or an open air market, the work begins with people who catch the artist’s attention and are then transposed in colour and texture to ‘soft people’. wow.

creepy, actually! life-sized dolls that look eeriely weird – no thanks of having that in my living room!

 

* * *

 

we’ve had so much fun these past week watching the street performances at dubai marina mall.

one thing we noticed is that eventhough there are many expats in dubai, which means the crowd is INTERNATIONAL, watching INTERNATIONAL acts – the crowd is not SO lively, unless they’re encouraged by the performer – “clap louder!” or “you guys better cheer when i do this!” or “you can do better than that!”

because we’re in the middle east? but i thought dubai is more liberal…seriously, most of the time, it’s mr. khairul who kept cheering and shouting and clapping loudly in support of the performers!

oh well, we’re hoping to catch more shows next year when they come back for another run. till then!