Dubai Dubai

KL-Bandar Seri Begawan-Dubai return on Royal Brunei costs RM2400 compared to RM4400 by MAS or Emirates. The service was excellent in economy. The meal was well presented and even tasty compared to one of the afore mentioned airlines (I'm sure you know which one I mean). A touch of class makes all the difference when coffee and tea is served with milk as opposed to sachets of caked up creamer. Steel cutlery was used on the flight to Dubai. It was a dry flight and without offending any one's religious beliefs, it was announced that the flight would be blessed (with Arabic text and English translation simultaneously displayed on the video monitors) as we taxied off the runway. Of note, the announcements in English, made by flight and ground Royal Brunei staff was fluent, with perfect intonation and pronounciation, reminiscent of the days when English was the medium of instruction in schools. If you've noticed, Air Asia announcements in English are more intelligible than those of MAS.

How did they get it right? More importantly how did we get it wrong?
Our last visit to Dubai was some 9 years ago. Apart from the much publicised Burj Al Arab the impact was less than memorable. I recall a Little India-like community of shops, restaurants and shopping malls that remind me of Ampang Park in its hey day.In all respects, Dubai is undoubtedly an over achiever, developing by leaps and bounds from its humble desert plains to the ambitious skyline of today. It's a Las Vegas of the Middle East, with loftier goals, if I can make such an analogy.

Sheikh Zayed Road 1991 & 2005

Not only has the skyline sprouted a concrete jungle, but the coastline has artistically drawn palm trees into the ocean where the city of Atlantis rises forth at The Palm Jumeirah.

Source: Metropolis Magazine, November 21, 2007
"More than just a spectacle, Dubai is positioning itself to become one of the world's preeminent cultural and economic capitals . . . in the six years since the Twin Towers fell, a thousand skyscrapers have been rising on the Arabian Gulf."

Dubai Creek, Deira

"The megacity of Dubai will be the new economic and cultural capital of the world, spanning its neighboring emirates of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and beyond in one urbanized mass, rich in the biggest source of renewable energy-sunlight-..."

Jumeira Beach Road

Dubai Marina

" . . . you have to look beyond the spectacle of its thousand skyscrapers, malls, resorts, islands, and theme parks to the scale of its land-use patterns as manifested in the hundred or so indiv­idually master-planned residential, commercial, financial, and industrial ­districts."

Jebel Ali Port & Free Trade Zone

"The more than $310 billion in total construction under way or planned over the next decade includes not just mountains of curtain-walled skyscrapers and the over-the-top theme parks that have become patented clichés of Delirious Dubai, but a financial center, an academic hub, an information-technology center, a free media zone, and a minicity devoted to the worldwide distribution of humanitarian aid, as well as environmentally friendly projects such as self-­powered buildings, a solar water-desalinization plant, a subway, and a light-rail system."

Dubai Internet City
Dubai World Central International Airport
Dubai Healthcare City
Dubai International Academic City
Dry Docks World - Dubai
Ski Dubai - Mall of the Emirates


Dubai Global Village

Heavy investments into the Dubai Sports City make this the world’s first integrated sports city and cornerstone project of Dubailand. There are two sporting venues planned, initially a 60,000-seater multi-purpose outdoor stadium and a 10,000-seater multi-purpose indoor stadium.

The model

The Dubai World Cup, a huge event not only in Dubai but in horse racing circles around the world, is one of the richest, most glamorous events in the sporting calendar. The Dubai World Cup is one race on the 2km (1.3 mile) sand and dirt track which is flood-lit at night and crowded with thousands of cheering spectators. A further five thoroughbred group races are included in the day's programme plus another group for purebred Arabian horses. The races attract some of the best horses and riders in the field, eager to compete for millions of dollars that are at stake in prize money.

The Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club, known as the crown jewel of the European Tour’s three-stop Desert Swing, commonly attracts a stellar cast and is currently being played from 26 January to 1 February.
Camel racing is supported by the highest levels of UAE society, with former President Zayed owning a personal stable consisting of 14,000 camels and 9,000 workers for their upkeep.The UAE has 15 racetracks across the country with spacious and well-kept stadiums for viewers. They are located on city outskirts, complete with rest tents, connecting roads, electricity, water, telephone lines, equipment for live television and radio broadcasts, a team of doctors, stand-by ambulances, and print transmission capabilities.

This and That

With the old lunar year drawing to an end, the hope is that adverse events recede and better times flourish.

In Malaysia, we once again hear the cry that Barisan needs a "Wow factor" after yet another loss in the Kuala Terengganu by-election. The claim is that this is only a setback and has no impact on the national political landscape. The Prime Minister said Umno accepts the decision of the voters with "an open heart and mind".

Having said that, it's off travelling on an official visit to the Middle East. No images of the visit are available on The Star or The New Straits Times websites. Even Al Jazeera was least concerned with this visit and has left it unreported.

*********

Gaza destroyed

Al Jazeera does however report Malaysia's former prime minister as blaming the US for backing Israeli military aggression against Palestinians in Gaza, saying it makes the US "much more guilty than even the Israelis".

~~~~~~~~~

Excerpts of President Barack Obama's Inaugural Speech

. . . "we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord".

. . ."What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them—that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small but whether it works . . ."

An astute observation. Hello Malaysian politicians wake up to a new day please!

. . . "For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus—and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth . . "

Hey Malaysia was the original melting pot template or model. Who pulled the rug from under our feet? Did we botched that up too!

. . ."To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history . . ."

A call that falls on deaf ears in our fair country!

. . . "Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations . . ."

Can we claim we did not falter . . . for the safety of future generations?

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Tagline: Life is the ultimate work of art

Plot:Two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain become enamored with the same painter, unaware that his ex-wife, with whom he has a tempestuous relationship, is about to re-enter the picture.

Won 2009 Golden Globe Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical

Nominated Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical - Javier Bardem
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical -
Rebecca Hall
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Penelope Cruz

Director & Writer: Woody Allen

Release Date: 15 August 2008 (USA)

Reviews

New York Daily News - Joe Neumaier: There are two stormy performances from Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz that elevate Allen's melancholy thoughts on love and relationships.

Entertainment Weekly - Owen Gleiberman: The writing is zippy, the story spins like a top, and Bardem turns out to be the wittiest of leading men.

Rolling Stone - Peter Travers: Woody Allen's sexiest movie ever.

Philadelphia Inquirer - Steven Rea: Smoking, shouting, practically shooting off sparks, Cruz spreads a wildfire sexuality across Allen's sunny tableau of Catalan country picnics and scenic Barcelona ramblings.

Variety - Todd McCarthy: Offers potent romantic fantasy elements for men and women and a cast that should produce the best commercial returns for a Woody Allen film since "Match Point."

I'm Not There

I'm Not There . . . Released 21 Nov 2007

Is a tangled web of Bob Dylan's life portrayed by six characters representing different phases of the singers path in life.

12-year-old African American boy, Woody Guthrie (Marcus Carl Franklin) is riding the rails as a hobo carrying around a guitar labeled "This Machine Kills Fascists" as did the real Woody Guthrie, represents Dylan's admiration for the rock pioneer. Woody is traveling across country to fulfill his dream to be a singer.

An artist being interrogated and identifies himself as Arthur Rimbaud (Ben Whishaw), after the French poet that Dylan idolized. Arthur is based on the Dylan of 1964-1965 who tweaked the press in endless interviews.

Quote: "Seven simple rules of going into hiding: . . . Three, if asked if you care about the world's problems, look deep into the eyes of he who asks, he will never ask you again. . . And finally seven, never create anything, it will be misinterpreted, it will chain you and follow you for the rest of your life."

Jack Rollins (Christian Bale), a version of Dylan that focus around Dylan's folk era in the early 60's in Greenwich Village. Jack's story is told by people who knew him, especially a folk star named Alice (Julianne Moore) who is based on Joan Baez. He is also praised by many folk fans who refer to his songs as anthems and protest songs, whereas Jack himself refers to them as "finger-point songs".

Robbie Clark (Heath Ledger). Robbie tells his life story from the first time he met Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourgh, the woman Woody imagined underwater earlier) in a Greenwich Village diner where his fascination with her is her French heritage. Claire is based on Suzie Rotolo (Dylan's girlfriend from the early 1960s), but more so on Dylan's wife Sara Lowndes. Jude Quinn (Cate Blanchett), appears in the opening scene riding his motorcycle just before he crashes, just as Dylan did in 1966. We see an autopsy performed on the crash victim. You question yourself - Did Bob Dylan die? When?

Quote: "You know, I didn't come out of some cereal box. There's no one out there who's gonna be converted by a song."

Billy (Richard Gere), seemingly thinking back on the other Dylans (Billy is based both on the Dylan who withdrew from the public eye in Woodstock after his motorcycle crash and the older, seldom-seen Dylan).

Quote: "People are always talking about freedom, and how to live a certain way. Course the more you live a certain way the less it feels like freedom. Me? I can change during the course of a day. When I wake I'm one person, when I go to sleep I know for certain I'm somebody else. I don't know who I am most of the time. It's like you got yesterday, today and tomorrow all in the same room. There's no telling what's going to happen".
Trivia

Cate Blanchett wore a sock down her trousers to play Bob Dylan. The actress said it "helped me walk like a man."

Kris Kristofferson, who narrates the film, is a friend of Bob Dylan.

Todd Haynes (director) wrote a one-page summary of his concept and the characters, which Dylan approved for his music to be used in the film. It took another 6 years to get the film made due to funding difficulties. It was filmed in Montreal, although the initial proposal was Romania.

The song "I'm Not There" was an outtake on Dylan's album The Basement Tapes. It was never released until its appearance on the film's soundtrack.

Reviews:

Rolling Stone 15 Nov 2007

It's a feast for the eyes, the ears and the Dylanologist scratching around our minds and hearts. Such is the talent of Haynes ? and the magnificent Blanchett ? that chasing Dylan's shape-shifting shadows becomes an unmissable movie event. The film, shot by the great Ed Lachman with a camera eye that misses nothing, produces Dylan himself in the end. But he's still not there.

Variety

A densely idiosyncratic, cubist-like cinematic portrait of a man who often calls to mind Bob Dylan, Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There" resembles a film a precocious grad student in musicology might make about a creative hero. Stylistically audacious in the way it employs six different actors and assorted visual styles to depict various aspects of the troubadour's life and career, the film nevertheless lacks a narrative and a center, much like the "ghost" at its core.

Rotten Tomatoes

• ...a kind of filmic Dylan song, allusive and evocative and purposefully, poetically ambiguous.


• A crazy film which shouldn't work, but for most of the time does.


• Exactly as weird, deep, nonsensical, rambling and wheezy as Dylan's music. Haynes could have cut his movie in half, then reordered the scenes at random, and what he'd have would be no less cohesive than the product as it stands.


• In a movie loaded with small gems of insight and inspiration, Blanchett's portrayal of the Jude Dylan is a diamond.


• The film is bracingly original; it's also mystifying, overlong and at times nearly incoherent. Floating at a distance from its audience, it creates its own smoky logic.

~~bobdylanbobdylanbobdylan~~

I came across this dreamboat in my research on the subject of Bob Dylan . . .

Jakob Luke Dylan, born December 9, 1969 in New York City, is the lead singer and songwriter of the rock band The Wallflowers. He is the youngest of four children born to singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and ex-wife Sara Dylan. It has been reported that Jakob does not like his famous father to be mentioned during interviews. This is not because of animosity between the two, as is widely assumed, but because Jakob has stated that he wants to make his own name for himself.

Ushering in the Year of the Ox

Revving up to the Year of the Ox is more of a grind with the KLSE index looking more bearish than bullish (Ox-ish?) . . .

. . . and is reflected in the lukewarm festive atmosphere around Chinatown.
Locals pass by celebratory pussy willows, not amused by their significance.
Others push on to earn a days' living, and for the last 12 days of the year.
Despite the money trees and good luck charms of last year, . . .

. . . it would seem that more are waiting for alms this year. According to Lilian Too, "2009 is a year when earth energy stabilizes, bringing recovery and relief from the previous year's difficulties. Strong earth energy suppresses water, so oil price should recede making recovery easier and faster....." (http://www.lillian-too.com/)

Last year, Too said the missing fire element is making the financial market look very unstable this year, suggesting that the uncertainties resulting from the US subprime problem may not be ending yet.

Nevertheless, she said the second half of the year will be better and that investors may accumulate shares when prices fall and take the pickings later in the year. Too also told investors to bet on real estate this year. "Earth is wealth, so buy property. But make sure they are landed property. You must be able to feel the earth and feel the wealth." (A Year To Think Big by Chong Pooi Koon, New Strait Times 15th January 2008)

Make of that what you will.

Meanwhile the only thing that remains bright is the wonderful blue Malaysian skies over Foch Avenue, now named Jalan Cheng Lock, and Central Market.

The stalls in Petaling Street are still manned by Mat Bangla, although significantly fewer in number, after recent criticisms by some politicians that Chinatown has lost its original flavour. Boys from Nepal and Myanmar have now taken over, and blend in more with the local crowd, until they open their mouths, of course.
You make the last dash through hassling vendors tempting you to buy genuine fake YSL or Fendi bags. You nip into Peter Hoe's shop above Popular Book Store for refuge. It remains a treasure trove of eclectic exotica, and the cafe still serves the yummiest cakes in KL. Thank goodness for some consistency and quality that you can depend on.

Postscript: Empty nest again

You should have worked out by now that Ms Joe Cool takes after Mr Joe Cool and other two are the more emotive members of the family.

After sending Ms Joe Cool off for the midnight flight . . .

Mrs Emotive: So how do you feel now?
Mr Joe Cool: Sleepy.
Mrs Emotive: How did you feel before sending her off?
Mr Joe Cool: Hungry.
Mrs Emotive: Grrr . . . I knew you would say that . . .

~~~~~~~~~

MSN to Tokyo . . .

Master Emotive: Huh? She went by ERL?
Mrs Emotive: Ya lor, she didn't want us to send her to airport ma . . .
Master Emotive: So no parents to hug and slobber . . . ?

Empty nest again

Monday, 5th January 2009

Yes they have flown the coup. Rastam was the first to leave on Sunday.

MSN chat . . .

Mummy: Good flight? Done your crying yet?

Rastam: notchet... still numb, wait i go pang sai . . .

Mummy: ah yo numb ah, poor baby! I had nightmare last night. I dreamt Faculty of Med UM wuz hit by landslide and I saved Jo!

It finally dawns on you that your buddy is no longer around to accompany you on mutually fave jaunts like 'blind' foot reflexology, the kaya toast coffee shop or Kinokunya bookshop.

On the positive side, you savour the new experiences shared like the visit to the National Archives and National Library to research on Syed Sheikh Alhady, my great grandfather. Rastam dug out Faridah Hanum, his great great grandfather's novel written in the 1920's, from our bookshelves and finally decided to review it.

I have been coaxing him, for sometime now, to translate the novel into English and eventually publish it. The stanzas of poetry he read out aloud to me was sensuous bordering on erotic, almost D H Lawrence in old Malay. Much to Mummy's approval he has taken the relevant material back with him to Tokyo to peruse. We will see how this project develops.

While in Tokyo, Rastam had begun organising a school class reunion in KL on Facebook but was frustrated with the lukewarm response. Apparently a couple of weddings were scheduled at that time. In the end, a small group met up for the first time after Form 5.

Raena, succeeded in getting her student visa rectified. In September 08, for RM700, she was issued a visa until 21 January 2009 when her course ends in November 09. Numerous calls and emails to the British Visa department in KL and Edinburgh categorically refuted any error and advised that she reapply. Renewal in the UK would have meant a hefty 700 Pounds Sterling. I had been fretting over this for months, but 'Ms Joe Cool' was unfazed. A visit to the Visa Office at Wisma MCA and a couple of internal phone calls later, she was told to collect her passport on 31st December. Whew!

They packed the two weeks solid with prioritised activities:- getting hair done (relaxing, hair cut, steaming), fitting in all the favourite foods for lunch or dinner, Thai massage and meeting up with friends.

Raena caught up on sleep as she had just had term papers and post-exam celebrations lasting 14 hours at a stretch (the celebrations, I mean!). Shopping-wise Raena and I had a ball catching all the sales. She even found the heels that she missed out on at Zara Edinburgh. Rastam did some price comparisons and found that he could find cheaper shirts and trousers, more to his liking, in Tokyo. Imagine that.

Our beach holiday, on Rastam's request for three days of luxury after toiling for two long years in Tokyo, was blissful. Chilling out on deck chairs in Emerald bay, sipping fresh coconut, chatting and snoozing was the perfect way to spend time together as a family.

When they are back home, be they kids or young adults, we still turn cartwheels to get them from A to B, feed them Peking duck, run up and down to the tailor etc and even look for durian when it's not in season. When they are away you pray that they are safe. You imagine the horror stories you read in the newspapers of burning discos and muggings and hope that they keep their wits about them.

My favourite crime thriller, Rebus by Ian Rankin, happens to have the Detective Inspector tracking down murderers in Edinburgh, which only conjures up more fears about the safety of my baby girl. The really dodgy areas are places like Sight Hill and Leith docks, she says, and reassures me that such areas are not frequented by Edinburgh Uni students.

The movie, Taken, starring Liam Neeson is about the kidnapping of his teenage daughter in Paris by the Albanian mafia for white slavery, sets off more alarm bells. Parents be warned that an innocent pick up line can spell disaster!

Saturday, 10th January 2009

Raena flew off at midnight on Friday.

My Thursday nightmare was on continuous replay mode, of the seedy side of old Edinburgh, much like Oliver Twist cinematography. So much for bringing up the exploits of DI Rebus.

These episodes of bonding, albeit brief, set the mold for things to come. Both parent and child touch base with the subtle changes and nuances of being. Increasingly, the adult offspring reflects traits of parents and grandparents in some modified way. What goes around comes around. The sibling rivalry is less overt and replaced by caring, tolerance and sacrifice. The family hallmark is stamped in indelible ink.

Look beyond the emptiness

Feel the goodwill & bond

from a distance

Exuding warmth and love

It's almost surreal

When they are both finally away, the house takes on a different light, literally.

The electricity bill comes down, the all night Internet activity is over and the sickly smell of nail polish remover no longer gives me a headache. We go back to our tuna salad, chicken wraps and cabbage soup. Fazil and his blog and golf, me and my blog, long walks and new found love of Pilates.

I could join the patchwork circle but that is not for me.

We could move house but we already have done that.

I was chided by a friend recently, "You are old enough to be a granny, you shouldn't dress like that". Well I'm not a grandmother yet and believe it or not it feels like only yesterday I was raving to Santana and Led Zepplin. I dare say I'm having more fun now then when I was 27, 37 or 47. Live and love life and stop fussing about trivia, I say.