Ina

There are two incidents that worried me quite a bit about Ina when she was a baby. The first time was at our annual family camping event held at Sun Lakes during the summer of 2001. Our first night camping, the entire night she would not stop crying. I also did not sleep that night because I was worried about her. I even recommended to her parents that they should take her to the nearest hospital. The second incident was in Sep 2001 during the housewarming party for my newly built house. Again, she would not stop crying after arriving at the party, after a long drive from their Poulsbo home. They left shortly thereafter.

Ina's colicky days are behind her. She is the youngest amongst the host of nieces and nephews of mine. She is named after her paternal grandmother, Inna, -- my mother. I've missed most of her growing years since I have been overseas for the last 5 1/2 years. But I see her during every visit back to Seattle because her parents are persistent in stopping by to see me although they live the farthest away.

The top picture was taken Sep '09 during Grace & Jason's wedding. The picture below is from May '09 during Kimberly's birthday party.


From her eyes and her facial expression, you can sense Ina's excitement being with Mickey. Her older sister, Jessica, is with her. The photo was taken Jul 2007.


Ina with her father, Mng. Joey -- my brother. The photo is from Oct 2004.

Jahili Fort

Jahili Fort, located in the oasis city of Al Ain, is one of the landmarks and symbols of the UAE's cultural heritage. It was built in the 1890's by the ruler of Abu Dhabi at that time. The fort's historical fabric has been carefully preserved and the restoration work has transformed it to a cultural center and a tourist attraction. It houses a visitor information center and several exhibition galleries.

That's a "Z" not an "F"...

"Zuckerparadies" loosely translates to "sugar heaven." The photo above is the signage for a vendor selling candies, sugar-coated nuts, caramel popcorn, and other sweet treats. The photos were taken Feb 2010 in Wiesbaden during Fasching, early in the morning before the carnival opened and the town parade started. Fasching is Germany's version of Carnival, the holiday leading to Lent season.

Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai

Three weeks ago, on a Friday visit to Dubai, I stopped by Ibn Battuta Mall. It is one of the many super malls in Dubai. It is named after a Moroccan scholar and traveler from the 1300's. The mall has six courts named after regions that Ibn Battuta traveled: China, India, Persia, Egypt, Tunisia, and Andalusia. The design, decor, and motif at each of these courts are based on the region it represents.

I am not sure how these malls in Dubai generate revenue. There are probably about 15 Dubai super malls, and countless other smaller ones. The super malls are either newly built or newly renovated/refurbished. So lots of money invested in these facilities to attract visitors. They are all competing for foot traffic. The ones that I have been to are fairly crowded. But I bet most of the people are there to cool down from the oppressive heat and humidity outside, not to shop. The malls here are almost like community centers or meeting places. The food courts are usually fairly busy. I am not sure if the stores are making money, especially during this prolonged world-wide economic downturn.

As far as Ibn Battuta Mall, it has a fairly impressive decor inside. Is not at one of Dubai's "choice" locations and it still is quite a distance from the city center. One advantage it has is that the mall is located near a stop on Dubai's elevated rail line, Metro. The following are photos from a few of the courts:

China Court:








India Court:






Persia Court:





Egypt Court:







Andalusia Court:

Pre-school Drop-out

I make fun of Gavin, a great-nephew, as a school drop-out. His parents enrolled him at a Seattle Catholic school for pre-school or day nursery to get him socially acclimated with kids his age. Apparently, he was not too fond of being there for whatever reasons. After a few weeks, he stopped attending; he didn't want to go anymore and raised a fuss with his parents. Instead, he was dropped off to be with his grandma during the weekdays. He can watch tv as much as he wants, and play with his toys and games when grandma babysits him.

I see him quite a bit on my visits back to Seattle since his grandma (my sister), who babysits him, is staying at my place. I usually tease him about the importance of school -- if he doesn't attend school, then he can always work at McDonald's to work instead. I am only using McD as an example because Gavin is familiar with it. I would tell him "to make sure that my hamburger is just right when I make my order from him." Mind you, this is only a 3-4 year old kid during the times that I was teasing him; he turned five this past spring. He would excitedly reply to me, "yeah, I will give you a good hamburger." So I am thinking that this is the wrong tack to approach this kid since he considers working at McD to be a choice position.

My next approach to get my point across was to warn him that if he doesn't go to school, he will be cleaning the bathrooms at McD. He would react quickly with a "ewww, that's yucky." His cousin Cameron (attending the same pre-school that Gavin dropped out from, and not one to shy away from my banter with Gavin or to mind her own business) would jump in and reinforce the point I was trying to convey to him by saying, "yeah, you would have to clean all the pee and poo in the bathrooms."

This has been an ongoing banter between Gavin and me for the last two years. This coming school year is the start of kindergarten for him. I usually encourage him about school by telling him the fun things he has been missing out from by not being in pre-school with friends.

A picture of Gavin from Aug 2005.


Photo from his first birthday.