Smile #85 - Speaking Jitters

I was surprisingly calm about today's presentation.  It is just a presentation to just to my colleagues just about my Dubai experience.  Right....until I saw the invitation was forwarded to our C suite executives.  Okay, here comes the speaking jitters.

I mustered up my nerve and thank everyone for joining.  Slowly I eased into the zone and powered through Lesson 1...Lesson 2...Lesson 3...Lesson 4...Lesson 5.  Soon I was asking if anyone has any questions.  I looked at the clock and a whooping twenty minutes has gone by.  :)

I answered a few questions from the executives and my team.  And the presentation is over!  :)

Looking back, there will always be the presentation I 'should have delivered'.  Nevertheless, I did it!  I made my first presentation to our company executives!  A work milestone achieved!  :)

Smile #84 - Puzzle & Me

Since my parents first introduced me to puzzles at the age of three, I have been addicted.  Puzzles and I are the ultimate best friends. :)  I will clear my schedule just to spend time with the newest puzzle.

My addiction has slowly swallowed up all the walls.  Images of cartoons and iconic landmarks hung proudly around my parents' home.

Mom has placed a 'ban' on this nonsense (AKA we are running out of wall space! :) ), but those around me continued to fuel my addiction.  :)

For 12 hours, I sat with my laptop and complete the newest addition.

Wall, meet hot air balloons.  :)

Just the right image to capture our adventure over the summer!  Read Smile #32 for our unforgettable experience up up and away on a hot air balloon!  :)

Smile #83 - Nice to Meet You, Carrigan Farm!

Nice to Meet You, Carrigan Farm!

For me, Labor Day represents more than just sales (though that's always a plus :) ) and end of summer vacation, it also serve as a notice that Fall is coming!  :)  To kickoff, Bubble and I went apple picking, a quintessential Fall tradition.  :)

We headed to Carrigan Farm, just 50 miles from Charlotte.  I supposed we arrived relatively late in the afternoon, the farm was surprisingly idle.

After we got our large bags, our guide directed us to where the apple trees are.  Just a short walk past the field of greens.  :)  Just a tip, she explained, we should try the apples to determine if it is ripe.

Rows and rows of red and golden apples readied to be picked! :)

To my surprise, these apple 'trees' look rather like apple 'brushes'.  I was expecting to see a garden of tall trees with sturdy trunk and limbs.  Apples cluster on its branches.  Quite the contrary my friend.  These are actually scientifically modified dwarf apple 'trees'.  I guess it is easier for picking, especially for short people like me.  :)

See! I can reach the apple brushes!

Bubble picked a red shiny apple from the first brush.  Sweet and crunchy!  :)  As we walk down the aisle, we tried a couple more apples.  A tart one and a powder-y one.

Snuck in a selfie between these apple 'brushes'

Opposite from the apple section is another green field.  Upon investigation, that's the pumpkin patch!  Little green pumpkin sprouting beneath the leaf.  Oo, can't wait until Halloween!  :)

Not too far up the hill is a small petting zoo.  A few goats were roaming around the pen.  Two silly goats were wrestling for the top platform.

I wanted to pet this brown fella, but he refused my affection.  So I proceed to pet his buddy instead, then this brown fella kept nudging his buddy out of the way.  I sense some jealousy issue here!  :)

In addition to the boundless green field, there is a pond.  It looks rather picturesque!  :)  We took a break on the landing and took in the nature.  :)  

After picking apples for another hour, we came home with a bag brimful of apples! :) Just the perfect Sunday date. :)

Smile #82 - Nice to Meet You, Dubai [Part III]!

Nice to Meet You, Dubai [Part III]!

For an authentic experience of Dubai life, we took an abra ride.  Abra is a traditional wooden boat that transport residents across the Deira Creek.  Instead of taking the regular abra, we hired an abra to give us an exclusive tour of the Dubai waters.   It was a nice escape from high towers and modern society.  :)

Before we head back to New Dubai, we stopped by a local supermarket to grab some lunch.  It was just like the old times when we used to travel.  :)  No need for fancy meals, just some bread and desserts.  :)

At the center of Dubai emerges Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest man-made building / world's tallest free-standing structure.  Dwarfing over all neighboring towers, Burj Khalifa stands at 828 meters high aka = in translation - 3x the tallest building (Bank of America Corporate Center, 265 m) in Charlotte.

The shinny futuristic structure reminds me of Asgard from Thor.  See the resemblance or is it just me?  :)

I love viewing cities at the highest point, so of course we didn't pass up this opportunity.  J and I booked tickets weeks ago.  :)

I randomly selected our ticket appointment time.  As it turns out booking our tickets at 2pm has its advantage.  There was no queue to the elevator, breezy easy to the top.  :)

We hopped in the world's tallest service elevator and within a minute we reached floor 124!  :)

Greetings from the top of the world!

Standing at world's highest outdoor observation deck, the view below is unbelievable!  The vantage point from here allows me to see the city extends far into the desert, construction continues at every street, Seikh Zayed Road busy at all hours.  We spent over an hour viewing Dubai from every angle.

There are telescopes scattered throughout Floor 125 that allows you to zoom in different areas.  We get to see the city in prehistoric, day time, night time and current view.  Very neat for those of us that visited during the day but would like to see the night view.

Last but not least - the final attraction - Gold Souk and Spice Souk.  It was a journey to find the markets from the train station.  After trudging some tight street, we finally found the Gold Souk.  Victory!

Gold glitters in every display.  There are all sorts of accessories from gold pendants to gold bangles to gold chains to gold earrings to gold bracelets.  My favorite is this little gold penguin.  :) In addition to gold, diamond and every shades of gemstones are also available.    I have never seen such an abundance of gold in one place!

Adjacent to the Gold Souk is Spice Souk...according to guidebook.  We walked through the gold market and found no spice souk.  With a lack of street signs, we tangled in the maze for a bit.  At last, we saw sacks of herbs and spices.  We have found our final destination!  :)

Despite Dubai is renown for glamour and contemporary, there are still strong root for culture and history.   We experienced the contrast between the old Dubai with the new Dubai.  :)

Thank you Dubai for hosting us the past week.  It had been a learning experience.  I can't wait see your new transformation in just a few years.  :)

Smile #81 - Nice to Meet You, Abu Dhabi, UAE!

Nice to Meet You, Abu Dhabi, UAE!

Just a short hour and half drive from Dubai, we reached Abu Dhabi, capital of UAE.  We were greeted by a gust of hot air.  The heat in Dubai was brutal, but the heat in Abu Dhabi is even more blistering.  The heat reached 113F, what a record!

The tour begin with Shiekh Zayed Grand Mosque.  It is the world's largest mosque.  No words can truly express how magnificent and mesmerizing the Grand Mosque is.  From a distance away, I was stunned at its size.  A closer look further expose its exquisiteness.

Access is granted to all regardless of religious beliefs.  However women must be covered from head to toe.  I got to try on the traditional dress.  :)  Visiting the mosque dressed in an abaya and hijab made the visit much more authentic.  :)

The white marble exterior heightened the mosque's grand appearance.  The main prayer room from ceiling to the floor is decorated in details.  The walls are embellished with marble flowers.  The back wall listed all of God's name in elegant script.  Extravagant chandeliers hung inside its halls and foyers.  Intricate art work decorated each window.

 

  

According to our guide, the mosque cost roughly $2 billion dirhams and 11 years to complete.  We could tell no change was spared during construction. :)

Nearby the mosque is a 'museum'.  The definition of museum at UAE slightly differs from the usual meaning.  The museum is essentially an open art gallery.  Visitors can purchase beautiful carpentry, expensive jewelries, delicate tableware and well crafted furniture.  My wallet would weep too loudly if I had made any purchases.

The tour continued to Emirates Palace.

A loaded tank was parked outside the Emirates Palace to prevent any one lingering outside for too long or entering the hotel without an actual purpose.  Gotta protect the guests!

Side story: A Chinese lady was too focused on taking the best photo when she cross "the line".  Immediately, the armed vehicle turned the guns to her.  Hope she got a great photo.

I'll be over here instead...

Across the street is the Etihad Towers.  I felt a certain connection since I just watched Fast and Furious 7 on the flight to Dubai.  Vin Diesel and Paul Walker drove through the penthouse into the neighboring towers.  Jut remember cars don't fly.

Next stop - the Heritage Village.  An open museum that showcase historical Arabic living.  We bypassed everything and went straight for food and A/C (yes, we literally stood underneath the AC for a good minute to cool off) at Al Asalah, a local Arab restaurant.  After lunch we strolled outside the restaurant to find the beach with Abu Dhabi's striking city skyline.  :)

We made a quick stop at the Date Market.  Each store offers a wide variety of dates.  There are fresh ones and flavored ones.  I already picked up two boxes of regular dates to bring home.  :)

The tour ended at Yas Island/Ferrari World.  Ferrari World is world's largest indoor theme park and houses the world's fastest roller coaster.  Since we didn't buy admission tickets, we only visited the official merchandise store.  The store sold items from a Ferrari shirt to Ferrari purses to Ferrari 24K gold cuff-inks.   Cray!

 

Sidestory:  J and I decided to get a cold treat after a hot day.  A sign advertised 100 gram for 11 dirhams.  I somehow managed to dispense exactly 100 gram of sorbet.  Nothing more and nothing less.  That's what you call talented!   :)

A visit to the dazzling capital taught me the true definition of rich.  From the Grand Mosque to Emirates Palace, everything can only be described as extraordinary.  Abu Dhabi is certainly worth a visit.  :)