Dubai as I see it

Source: http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/columns/2005/07/sinister_paradise.html

Dubai fascinates me. The entire city seems to be in a constant state of development. Developing newer, bigger and more iconic skyscrapers, office buildings, apartments, condominiums and malls. I even learnt a new term, Pentaminiums, meaning penthouse condominiums. Everywhere I travel along the highways, I see many buildings in different state of development and construction, seemingly trying to surpass one another with awe-inspiring or jaw-dropping intents.

Piling works ongoing in empty plots of land. Long cranes sitting high atop already tall, half-finished skyscrapers. A fully developed apartment tower is sandwiched in between another two partially constructed buildings. Every few kilometres, one can see billboards and posters advertising newer development areas and projects.

In time to come, the well-known Burj Al Arab will be surpassed by yet another monument skyscraper, the Burj Dubai. Looking at this latest project, the words that come to mind are sleek, majestic, modern, cool, cold.

The skyscrapers and buildings do make for a pretty sight. Sunlight reflecting off the shiny windows of ceiling to floor glass buildings, glittering and sparkling like blue sapphires. Images of the sky and fluffy clouds can be seen mirrored on these shiny glass facades. At night, the long cranes are all lighted up, and the skyline of the entire city twinkles every other second, warning helicopters and airplanes of the sheer height of all the skyscrapers in this concrete jungle desert city.

At times, they all seem so surreal and unreal. As much as I am a city girl, I just cannot imagine myself to be living in this city. Maybe I am not the sophisticated city mouse that I thought I am. Or perhaps, this is really the grandeur an oil-rich country can buy for itself.

And becos they are so rich, I imagine that it would be beneath most Arabs to think about working in the service industry. In the hotels, the malls and the retail shops, the staffs are Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos or Africans. Carrefour has an entire section dedicated to selling common items and condiments for Indian and Philippines cuisines. Timeout Dubai list many Indian restaurants around the city, ranging from the affordable and value-for-money to the haute cuisine.

Still, I’m grateful for the chance to see and experience Dubai, even though I’m holed up in the hotel more often than not. I chalk it up to an education and eye-opening experience.

Right now, I can’t wait to go to the spice souk and/or perhaps the gold souk. Instead of being greeted by service staff with a foreign accent, I hope to glean into the Arab of old. One where perhaps, an old and weathered man, sitting amidst all his products, hawks his goods.

The unexpected trip

We’re in Dubai! I only had gotten wind of Louis’ trip last Thursday. Originally, we were supposed to fly on Saturday but as one of his colleagues needed some time to process his visa, the flight date was changed to Tuesday. On Monday afternoon at 2-ish pm, Louis called to ask if it was possible for me to finishing packing and be ready to fly on the 10 pm flight that night. It required some frantic packing but not impossible. And fly we did!

This being Faith’s first flight – and a 7-hour one at that – I was concerned if she would be able to take to the long flight. Thankfully, she did well and was a great baby on board the flight. Due to a delay in take-off, Faith was asleep by the time the plane finally took off. I was initially concerned if she would experience ear pressure on the ascent but was grateful that she pretty much slept throughout the flight.

Taking the night flight around her bedtime was great, cos it allowed her to sleep onboard. However, due to the 4-hour time difference, it was 1.30 am local time when we arrived in Dubai. By the time we cleared customs, travelled to the hotel and checked into our rooms, we had a slightly cranky baby who only had about 5 hours of sleep instead of her usual 11-12 hours.

As Louis was expected to be busy with his work, I’m pretty much left with Faith for most of the day – Louis only slept 2+ hrs after we checked into the room before he went off to work.

My first day in Dubai with Faith was rather uneventful as we stayed in the hotel as I wanted to adjust her to the time difference. Becos she didn’t had enough sleep and her feeding and napping times are now a little different, she was rather cranky at various times throughout the day. Our usually cheerful baby cried a lot more with strangers and even when I left her in the playpen or stroller while I prepared her food, took a shower or even ate my meals. Nevertheless, I brought her out to the hotel pool for a little sun and water, so she cheered up a little.

Of course, Louis, being the ever doting dad, was a little heartbroken to hear about his little one’s day when he returned home after work. That night, he carried her around and played with her until she slept cos he said “I don’t want her to cry anymore”:)

I’m sure Faith is going to turn out to be the regular daddy’s girl and Louis, being the soft hearted person that he is, would be wrapped tightly around his little girl’s finger and enjoy the fact. While it may seem like he’s spoiling her already, a part of me can’t help but being pleased that Faith is a daddy’s girl. After all, I think it’s a rightful place for every little girl to be and I know that ultimately, Louis wouldn’t spoil her rotten.

The hotel that we are staying boasted of having panoramic views of the city. We could see Burj Al Arab, the icon hotel resembling a billowing sail, and one of the Palm Islands from the first room that we checked into. From my current room, all I see are lots of nameless buildings, ongoing developments and the highways. I didn’t know before this, but traffic jams in Dubai seem bad. Starting from as early as 5 pm, I could see long lines of cars stuck along the highway.

Today, Faith and I met up with Hind, our Moroccan neighbour in France, who’s staying in Dubai as her husband, Salah, works here. However, Faith was still a little out of sorts and she cried when Hind tried to hug her. We headed out to the Mall of the Emirates but before we could get any serious shopping done, Ines (Hind’s daughter) called to say she was sick. I shooed Hind to head home while I loiter in the mall and went Carrefour to buy some vegetables for Faith’s meals.

Believe it or not, I ended up buying a pack of Pamper diapers becos they came in short packs, slightly different size and I think it’s a packaging that I don’t see in Singapore. Hahaha… wonder what Louis would say when he returns home. And yes, we did manage to see Ski Dubai, the indoor ski resort in the midst of this desert city.

Faith fell asleep halfway on my shoulder on the taxi ride back to the hotel. As I’m typing my post, Faith has been sleeping for the last 4 hours and its past her dinnertime. But I think I would let her sleep for as long as she wants. Poor baby. I think she’s tired and is still on Singapore time.

Faith's thoughts

Dear Grand-aunt Catherine,

Lookie! I've finally grown big enough to wear this lovely red onesie that you have sent. Grandma said its a lovely piece, although she has yet to see me wear it. Dad and mom think I look adorable in it too :) How do you think I look?

My paternal grandparents are on a cruise this weekend. So, I'm left to "terrorise" mom and dad the whole of Saturday until my Ye-ye (paternal grandfather) and Nai-nai (paternal grandmother) return on Sunday afternoon. Kekeke... Mom and dad shepherded me for a dim-sum lunch, together with Uncle Terence.

It was a little cold in the restaurant and dad's decided to pull on the hood of my sweater to keep my head and ears warm. He's always worried that I would catch a chill. I think I look kinda cool in this pink sweater. Ohhh... and the pink silk elephant is a present from Aunty Nell, Uncle Richard and Nicole Jie-jie. They just returned from a trip to Chang Mai.

Speaking of trips, I'm certainly looking forward to my trip to Langkawi in mid December with mom and dad. Oohhh.... more alone time with them. Yippee!!

Hope to see you soon in Singapore or if we are lucky enough, in UK ;)

Muak!

Grandniece, Faith

Happy Anniversary & Happy 8th Month

Its our 4th Wedding Anniversary today! And Faith's turned 8 months old too. With a baby in tow, it is hard to have any romantic dinner. Still, its nice to know that we have reached the 4-year mark this time around with something very very tangible. A beloved baby girl that we both love to bits :)

Work has been a tad busy for Louis this week, so it was hard for us to plan dinner out even though we were game to bring Faith along. However, he surprised me by coming home after work with a bouquet of red roses and my favourite, blue hydrangeas. Ahhhh.... he knows that I love hydrangeas and its a meaningful flower for me becos my hand bouquet on our wedding day was a bunch of blue hydrangeas.

Louis and I have always been openly affectionate with our feelings. Certainly, having a baby has diminished the number of lovey-dovey hugs and cuddles that we give each other -- we individually kiss, hug and cuddle Faith more now ;) Nonetheless, we try as hard as we can remember, amidst the demands on new parents, to show our love and affections for each other. In part, we feel that the open affections we have for each other is not only beneficial to our own relationship. As Faith grows, we hope she would observe and learn to give hugs, kisses and cuddles to family and close friends.

As for Faith, she's blossoming into a mischievous and curious baby at 8 months. She sits and crawls a little better, but still, she's not as steady. She tends to flop on her face or tummy at times, mostly when she's stretching to take or grab at things further away from her reach. Recently, she's started to pull herself up on her knees and occasionally to a standing position while in her cot.

And while I'm not certain if I will live to regret the decision, every morning, I've allow her to pull herself up while cushioned against the pillows on my bed to reach for items that I've put on our bed headboard. Her perennial favourite is to grab for the usually off-limit "toys" like my cellphone, the handy bottle of vapour Vicks or whatever knick-knacks that she set her sights upon.

Louis and I are grateful that she remains a smiley baby with a happy disposition. Our only wish is that she would continue to bestow her contagious smiles to everyone even as she grows. For it is what sets her apart from most babies -- her ability to break the ice and melt the hearts of most people that she meet with a somewhat gummy smile.

Happy Anniversary, darling and Happy 8th Month, Faith. We are indeed blessed in our lives.

New toy

Our wedding anniversary and Christmas came early this year. At least, the gift-giving part of it came early for me. I've got another brand new, spanking, shiny kitchen gadget from Louis. Its a KitchenAid Food Processor. Yippee!

Unfortunately, kitchen counter top space, like the real estate market in Singapore, is scarce. Hence, said gadget has to be relegated to a cupboard, which I had specifically cleared to make space for :)

Still, I'm rather excited by my new toy. So, am now wondering what should I make to maximise the use of the food processor. A rosti, hummus, cake, soup or all of the above? Hmmm... time to peruse through the cookbooks again for recipes and ideas.

RED! Ouch!

Faith is down again with bacterial infection. Sigh... this is the 4th time that she's sick and the doctor had to prescribe antibiotics yet another time. I hate when she has to take antibiotics. She tends to poop more as a side effect and when we do not notice and change her diapers quick enough, diaper rash occurs.

It happened the last time she took her antibiotics and it happened again last night. And we had been rather careful over the past few days. But seeing that nothing had happened, I had thought she cleared the "hurdle". Unfortunately, I only googled and found out after the event that the loose stools as a result of the medication would irritate the diaper area and if we do not change her frequently, rashes would occur.

Poor Faith's bum was all red cos we forgot to check and change her diapers in the evening. She was crying in pain even when we splashed cold water over the area. My poor poor baby. Bad bad mummy!

Faith - laughs and chuckles

For Faith's sake, I wanted to document the times when she gets so amused that she chuckles and laugh - beyond the smiles that she gives. Faith, I'd try to be specific as possible, but sometimes daddy doesn't really know what you found funny..so here goes, okay.

1. Tickle-tickle (hands): When we wipe her down before her bedtime, Eve and I almost invariably play a game of "tickle-tickle" with Faith. Essentially, we just tickle her palms with the wet cloth and oftentimes she starts chuckling even in anticipation of what we are going to do.

2. Tickling her rib-cage area: Noticed that Eve does this well and she manages to find the "ticklish" spot to blow onto. When Eve picks her up and presses her mouth close to Faith's rib-cage and starts blowing, Faith will invariably chuckle.

3. Grandparents' actions: Whether it is MIL or Mum and dad, they now have their own ways to amuse their dear granddaughter. On occasions, these causes Faith to chuckle and laugh. Sometimes on weekdays when I am home, I hear MIL and Faith laugh so much that they seem like they are having a little laughing secret between themselves.

4. Funny dance: Sometimes, Faith laughs when I do a "running-man" dance in front of her. Proves more effective when accompanied with sudden movements e.g. jerking of shoulder.

5. Lifting: This one works almost all the time. When Eve stands up and lifts Faith up and lets her "kick-off" her stomach/chest area. Think Faith likes the feeling of being "in the air."

6. Unexplainables: Sometimes, for no apparent reason, or at least for no consistent reason that we find particularly funny, Faith will laugh. For example, there are occasions when we make funny faces or clucking sounds and Faith will really chuckle. Does not consistently elicit laughter from her though, though these actions almost always make her smile.

She can crawl

Slowly and only with a few moves, Faith has started to really crawl her first few steps yesterday at my MIL's place. For the last 1-2 weeks, she's mainly wobbling when she got on her hands and knees, trying to get her balance. Finally, she's gotten her balancing act a little better and can now crawl a few slow steps before flopping onto her face and tummy :)

Yay! Yet another milestone achievement for our little girl. Now, I'm really very very worried. We have yet to houseproof our home. Its a crawling-walking disaster right now, a hazard not only to Faith's well-being but our peace of mind too.

Food Glorious Food!

Frankly, I don't know what I do with my time. The days just seem to pass so very quickly and one week has gone by and another has started. Before you know it, I'm so behind my blog entries for the last few weeks.

I haven't exactly been lazing around. The days flew by becos I think I was busier. Busy with cooking/baking mainly. I had my first "order" of muffins, albeit it was from my cousin, to bake 20 muffins for her school's event and I charged only at cost :) Still, its nice to have some reaffirmation that these home-baked muffins are yummy enough and not the often polite but encouraging comments meant to spur me to greater culinary aspirations. For the occasion, I decided to bake two varieties of muffins;- blueberry muffins and chocolate banana mascarpone muffin.

As for my other passion-of-the-month, I've also cooked 2 more Korean dishes, Sundubu Chigae and Jab-Chae. In one of my earlier postings, I've mentioned about Sundubu Chigae and how this little humble soup of tofu in a spicy broth made me a Korean cuisine convert. Thus, it is only natural that I should attempt to learn to make this dish on my own.

Surprisingly, it was a relatively easy dish to make and again, you don't really need any special Korean condiments. In order to make an "authentic" bowl of Sundubu, I'd convinced myself that I need to use the right equipment i.e. an earthen bowl. I'd procure my little "find" at the Korean grocery stall, Sol, located at the basement of Orchard Cineleisure. While there, I was very very tempted to buy another stone bowl to make Dosul Bibimbap but sanity and caution prevailed.

The verdict according to my dear hubby was that it tasted as good as the ones we had in Woo Jong, the Korean restaurant in Paris, as well as other Korean restaurants. The total cost of it (minus the cost of the earthen bowl) was only at a fraction of the ghastly amount these restaurants charged. Additionally, it taste better than the bland versions served up in many of the local foodcourts too.

Jab-chae, a festive noodle dish made of sweet potato noodle wasn't as successful. While final output was passable, the proportion of sesame oil used in the recipe had resulted in a rather oily plate of noodles. I figured that I would just need to tweak the proportion of sesame oil used the next time to get it right. Till then, here's the recipe for Sundubu Chigae.

Sundubu Chigae

Ingredients

1 tbsp red chilli oil

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 tbsp chilli powder

1 tsp light soy suace

1/2 onion, peeled and sliced

30g kimchi, roughly chopped

100g minced beef

1/2 beef or chicken stock cube

300ml water

1 tube silken tofu, sliced into rounds

1 egg

1 leek, sliced

Method

1. Heat the earthen bowl or a clay pot until hot. Reduce heat and add in chilli oil, garlic, chilli powder, soy sauce, onion, stock cube, kimchi and minced beef. Stir fry for 5 minutes.

2. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Add the tofu rounds and simmer over low heat for about 10-15 minutes.

3. Crack the egg into the soup and remove from the heat. Sprinkle the leek slices and serve.

Random Musings on a Friday night

It's been a while since I've written. And when I don't write, I seem to get the feeling that I'm losing my grammar and vocab. I have this imagery of a woodpecker slowly chipping away at my "English" part of my brain - each moment chipping away at bits of vocab and grammar. Maybe this woodpecker is called "Aging". Or perhaps it is "Fatherhood" :) So here goes my random musings on a Friday night....

On Bumbo Consumer Recall As a parent, I have been now more aware of Consumer Toys Recall - each time I see one (e.g. the Fisher Price recall in China), I keep an eye out for whether Faith owns the toy. To my surprise, I just saw over the news that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Bumbo, announced a voluntary recall of the Bumbo seats that Faith has. It turns out that CPSC has received 28 reports of young children falling out of the Bumbo Baby Sitter seat, including three skull fractures, which occurred when children fell out of chairs that had been placed on tables.





When I checked the company website, I realised that the company was not offering refunds. Rather, it was offering to make replacement sets. Because the warning labels currently embedded onto the back of the seats are not that visible. The warning label warns that consumers should "NEVER use the Bumbo Baby Seat on any elevated surface. Also, because the Bumbo Baby Seat is designed not to be totally restrictive, never leave a child unattended in their Bumbo Baby Seat. A child can get out and get hurt."

Verdict: Faith has outgrown the seat in anycase and is more into her high chair. To be safe, we'd probably not be giving the Bumbo to anyone as a hand-me down.

"Goo, gaa, grr?" Today over dinner, I had my first sight of Faith's new expression of anger or displeasure. Where in the past she used to just frown and/or scream, she has now gone further. She has started to hold her breath and scream so that she goes slightly red - the same expression she has when she wants to 'poo' except that she holds that expression much longer when she is angry. I asked Eve if this was the first time she is seeing this - she said no. - Faith has done this in the past afternoons as well. My first thoughts were: imagine myself, a hubbie/father who comes home rather punctually by 7 and yet I miss this milestone. What more would one miss if one travels overseas?

Rock-a-crawl-baby Along with her new-found expression of displeasure, Faith has also started to more visibly "crawl". Actually, it is now more a "rocking" of her buttocks when she is balanced on her hands and knees. I think Eve is convinced that Faith will benefit from having knee guards when she starts, so we'd probably shop around for a pair this weekend.

Faith and Mother in Law Faith has had the fortune of having very doting grandparents who take turns to take care of her over the weekday and weekends. My mother-in-law comes over every weekday around lunch time to look after her without fail. On her way here, she also buys lunch for Eve and more often than not groceries for dinner as well.

We can all see that Faith is very special to my mother-in-law. She's very proud of Faith's every development and she is quick to let her neighbours know of Faith's milestones. And even though she occasionally "beat- Faith's backside" when she is naughty, you can tell her heart melts when Faith starts crying (e.g when she is resisting to take her nap). It is not easy to look after Faith especially since she is getting more demanding by the day, and the fact that MIL looks after her for the most part of the afternoon, sometimes having to manage Faith alone (Eve does need some alone time after all).

Faith, if you read this, pls be grateful for all you have received in the past. Our only hope is you grow up reminding yourself of how fortunate you have been to have been so loved.