International Festival of Falconry

A friend, not long ago ventured into my domain clutching a Motivate Publishing book called ‘Falconry – celebrating a living heritage’ because she said I was the only chick she knew who got all excited about heritage of people more than the latest lipstick from Lancome. (At that time I took that as a compliment and added the so called coffee table awesome book into my ever expanding library that seems to grow faster than anything else in my stunted life). Yesterday she called screaming to let me know about the upcoming festival of Falconry in Al Ain. She was … Continue reading International Festival of Falconry

Going back to Muay Thai

Apart from getting married in Thailand + loving Thai food and spa sessions, 5 years ago I developed a fascination for Muay Thai thanks to my ex-boss who introduced me to the National Muay Thai Team of the UAE who were about to leave for a International Championship in Thailand. (Who can forget the gorgeous Scorpion). After learning more about the sport from the Thai General Consul, I ventured to a few classes armed with gloves and guard to the nearby gym. Like many things, I delved into it briefly as I normally do because I have a zest for … Continue reading Going back to Muay Thai

Mawaheb

Next week, like many weeks recently, Dubai will see a surge in art exhibitions by artists of all ages, different backgrounds and mediums. A few have impressed me and I felt like writing a bit about them despite the hectic schedule of the Dubai Fashion Week that has kept us running all over the city in the evenings. I particularly liked the off beat ones organised to support noble causes. For those who are not familiar with Art Sawa, their next bit is presented by Mawaheb from beautiful people called ‘Walk into our world’. Mawaheb is the Arabic word for … Continue reading Mawaheb

Oh Sydney!!!!!

Amongst my top 3 cities to visit (after Paris and San Francisco) has to be Sydney. The Mediterranean climate, architecture, walks along the Sydney Harbour, the outdoor life and most of all the cool Pacific people just sometimes make me want to pack my bags and run there. This is aside from the fact that my daughters godmother is permanently based there and a quarter of my family members and friends from school are scattered all over the city – it is always a pleasure to catch up with them. Sydney is where I aim to stop over everytime I … Continue reading Oh Sydney!!!!!

The Glitz & Glamour of Los Angeles

The first time I went to Los Angeles was purely for my daughter’s sake heading straight to Disneyland on arrival – I’m not sure who enjoyed Disneyland more, the husband or the child. After that it was a lot more of a grown up holiday as I don’t particularly enjoy kids stuff and my last 2 trips to LA was on my own…must find my inner child for my daughter’s sake. So what’s nice about Los Angeles…plenty actually. There’s endless fun stuff to do in every part of the city. Who doesn’t love Hollywood – one can walk on the … Continue reading The Glitz & Glamour of Los Angeles

San Diego Adventure

I started September in the USA starting out from San Francisco to San Diego to Las Vegas to San Jose and finishing off again at San Francisco. Although I’ve been to California numerous times, this was my first venture into San Diego. Most resorts in San Diego are thankfully located on the world’s finest beaches (over seventy miles in fact stretching from Harbour Beach to the State Park in San Ysidro). Personally, I had a wonderful experience and content at just being at the Paradise Point Resort sitting at breakfast looking at people getting off yachts, returning from deep sea … Continue reading San Diego Adventure

The Onam experience

Last week I went through memory lane as I saw signs of the Onam celebrations around me in Dubai Supermarkets, jewellery stores etc. Living in Fiji I never came across this festival and had no clue of its significance until I came to Malaysia to study. My parents, being anxious about me in a country where I didn’t know a single soul at the age of 19 arranged with family friends that I should spend some weekends at their sisters house in Subang Jaya. The family, who I still love and adore happened to be Malayali or Keralite, a community … Continue reading The Onam experience

Rugby World Cup 2011

While the Kiwis are gearing up for the much-anticipated Rugby World Cup 2011, the rugby fever in Fiji for the World Cup is equally festive and addictive. There seems to be talk of the big event in the Pacific in all shops, homes, playgrounds etc. (I have returned to the UAE with two official World Cup Rugby balls courtesy of Nadi’s Courts Mega Store who felt my reward for spending over FJD6,000/- for furniture with them entitled me to get nothing but the best I could take from Fiji). Naturally that meant something associated to rugby, the sea or crafts … Continue reading Rugby World Cup 2011

The story of whitebait

On my way back from Fiji, my daughter was most amused when she saw me have a roti sandwich with fried whitebait in Sydney and asked why would I have that for dinner when there was an amazing buffet of delicacies laid out for us in the Business Class lounge. I quickly launched into the story of whitebait or digana as it’s referred to in Fiji. Digana, or inanga (common galaxies) is a delicacy amongst food enthusiasts around the world and in Fijian families like mine, it is frozen for consumption when in season for visitors like myself who will … Continue reading The story of whitebait

Ramadan in Fiji Islands ++

This year I was lucky enough to catch the first few days of Ramadan in Fiji after 22 years of being abroad during this holy month. It was fun, overwhelming and a wonderful experience for a number of reasons. My uncle, who is the President of  a Jamat in Fiji had invited us to dinner the night of the first tarawih. As soon as our family in New Zealand sighted the moon, the phone started ringing as my uncle’s house hosts the community for 30 days for iftar meals and tarawih prayers together with other members of the jamat. It … Continue reading Ramadan in Fiji Islands ++