The 14th that was

27 is such an odd year to celebrate one's birthday. It's neither here nor there; when you've already past your mid 20's and not yet nearing 30, so it's no biggie really.

As with every year, the over-rated and over-commercialised day of love will have every merchant trying to make a quick buck out of gullible gents trying to woo the lady of their desire. Prices will be sky-high, roses will suddenly be in a short supply over demand and traffic will be horrendous. But love songs will be played throughout the whole day on air waves, one automatically extends a warm smile to strangers near and far, those in love will feel overwhelmed with what they have, those seeking love will be extra light-headed hoping cupid will strike this day.

So when I hit 27 recently, I decided I will not celebrate my birthday. Don't get me wrong - I love birthdays and I love celebrations but somehow, I felt there wasn't anything much worth celebrating this year. However, the pig-out dinner the night before with my family, the buffet spread a few days after with my Pip, the jell-o cake & the walk-in birthday serenade from my colleagues, the many SMS-es and MSN msgs throughout the day, the two bottles of perfume and a last-minute White Tea & Ginger body lotion and the ultimate Blue shuffle from my sister dearest, more than blew my mind away. *heart*

I'd be a big fat liar to say that I didn't enjoy my birthday :p It was not a birthday of expectations but rather, a birthday of appreciation. My appreciation for those who cares. XOXO.

New babies

Ky Jern - the world's most cheerful baby (bad shot of his dad tho') at 6 months old, on his first day of CNY with a fever yet sporting a smile and a hug when you reach out to him

Joel - my Godson, one in a million shot captured of him smiling here at 2 months old, born to my bestest soulmate Magges

William - the adorable Valentine babe that was long awaited for by the Chan's

In the last 6 months, there has been many recent additions to my extended family. All simply adorable!!! Makes me wanna have one of my own leh ;)

Dubai through my eyes

UAE Dir 900 had better be good!

I loved the little switch that accompanied this nifty magnifying mirror

At the City Tower 2 and its full grandeur

Souq Madinat

View of the Burj

I was faced with this closed Check-In counter scene for a full 1 hr 15 mins

Touchdown

My trip to Dubai sucked! Entirely to the max!! Perhaps it was because I had expectations of the great sightsee's, beautiful climate, modern city and rich skylines. The infamous Burj Al Arab, the Palm development, the far stretching desert and camels, a string of fancy cars.. but I was met with nothing more than rude cabbies, excruciatingly painful traffic jams, nauseous BO's and painstaking expensiveness.

My days were spent mainly in the hotel and at the office. But my room in the Hyatt Regency is beautiful! Plush carpeting, heavy bed with fluffy pillows, state-of-the-art lamps lighting up the room, and a very solid business executive style desk. The view is nothing to shout about though, I can peek above parts of the building to catch a glimpse of the seafront but no sight of the Burj. Considering it was UAE Dirs 900 a night (and an increase to UAE Dirs 1200 on my last night!), it wouldn't have fell short of that.

We made a trip to the Deria City Centre one night, which is nothing more than Midvalley Megamall really, and to the Souq Madinat the other. Now, the trip to the Souq at least comforted me a little. It's a beautiful man-made castle with an indoor bazaar of over-priced souvenirs and an alfresco opening overlooking a river (man-made?) and a perfect view of the Burj. There were several restaurants and bars lined beside the river and many many comfy couches and throw pillows with shisha to boot of course.

But alas, our trips did not include lounging time as it already takes us close to an hour to get there in the first place. Throw in another hour for the ride back to the hotel, that leaves very little time to rest proper before the 6:30am alarm rings.

I know I've been unfair to say Dubai sucked as I did not even get to see Dubai for what she has made herself out to be today, but in any event, it still sucked. I have never been more glad to rush to the airport for my flight back to KL but only to be welcomed by long luggage scanning queues, late check-in counters opening and express customs line for Preferred Class passengers which weren't very express at all.

But I wasn't surprised to say the least.

To the desert & beyond

I caught up on Toy Story really really late. I just missed its cinema screenings and on cable TV but thanks to a movie-freak friend, I finally saw it. Fell totally in love with 'em Squeeze Toy Aliens. Their glazed stoned eyes and speech cracked me up.

And so I will be traveling to the deserts of Dubai this Sunday. A little apprehensive as I have technically not been to Dubai, the few transits when I was younger en route to London doesn't count. I hardly recall their infamous airport to begin with!

But wahey, just when I thought I might not get a chance to visit the Burj Al Arab due to my tight schedule, I just got an assurance that our "night agenda" have been properly planned for. Fantastic! And camels will be next on my list. Heh.