Jabel Hafeet

My colleagues and I drove to Jabel Hafeet on Sunday (Al Hijra). It is a mountain that lies on the outskirts of Al Ain, and actually straddles part of the boarder with Oman. It is termed as "the greatest driving road in the world", though I seriously doubt that.

Weathered Rocks

Weathered Cliff

Ridges

We visited the Al Ain Museum and checked out the market for live sheep. There were truckloads of sheep waiting to be sold and slaughtered. We also went to the natural oasis in the region and headed to the Mercure Grand Hotel for lunch.

A stupid sign

Christmas Card

I didn't get any Christmas card this year, not counting the electronic one of course.

Catcat gets one from the kitty hotel though. She must be some VIP in that Cattery after spending so much time there.

Merry Christmas!

Catcat and I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New 2009!

FAIL

This poor doggie has no idea what he's in for.....

Poem

STRAY CAT
by Francis Witham

Oh, what unhappy twist of fate
Has brought you homeless to my gate?
The gate where once another stood
To beg for shelter, warmth, and food
For from that day I ceased to be
The master of my destiny.

While he, with purr and velvet paw
Became within my house the law.
He scratched the furniture and shed
And claimed the middle of my bed.

He ruled in arrogance and pride
And broke my heart the day he died.
So if you really think, oh Cat,
I'd willingly relive all that
Because you come forlorn and thin
Well...don't just stand there...Come on in!

Twilight

A trusted source recommended the movie Twilight to me. Checked the rottentomatoes.com and the review was split. Decided to trust my source and to go against the website. I checked the newspaper and went to the Mall of the Emirates to get the tickets. It was the first time I was seated in a cinema with free seating. I watched movies in the same movie theatre before but it wasn't free seating the other time. I should have known this was a sign, a sign telling me the movie was not good.
Movie ticket with no seat number

I never read any books from this series before. And after watching the movie, I know I never will. I like Vampire story but the storyline in this one is weak. But thanks, trusted source, I enjoyed my nachos and hot dog very much.

Nachos with Salsa sauce and melted cheese

Hot dog with mustard and ketchup

Fire!

There is a fire outbreak in the Karama area at this very moment as I am posting this blog entry. I can see it from my office. The smoke is thick and spreading everywhere.

It is not uncommon to see thick smoke from fire outbreak in Dubai. This is actually my third encounter. These outbreaks seem to always fall on the extreme end; they come with explosions, black sooty fumes and affect a huge area.

Escargot

Saw this in the supermarket and decided to give it a try. This dish always reminds me of the restaurant our family used to go to for Sunday buffet brunch when I was very young. My sisters and I would line up round after round at the station where the chef prepared the escargot with garlic. I would smile with glee when the snails were ready and the garlic smell filled up the station. Those are some of my fond childhood memories.

The snails I bought from the supermarket were prepared with garlic butter, which tasted slightly different from my memory. But they were still a nice change from my usual noodles/rice/pasta routine.

Maroon 5

A bunch of singers/bands came to the UAE to perform during December. The singers were Sting, Simple Plan, Maroon 5 and Kylie. Out of all these, I picked to attend Maroon 5's concert last Wednesday.

The show were scheduled to start at 9 but the band appeared on stage at about 9:25pm. Adam Levine's hair has grown considerably long since I last saw him on TV. The band started the night with This Love, followed by songs from their first album "All about Jane" to the latest "It won't be soon before long".

I took some videos using my mobile and would upload them when I could locate my connection cables. Maroon 5 live show was fantastic. The audience was good too. We sang "Won't go home without you" together and it was a memorable performance.

A blurry image of Levine captured by yours truly