ABU DHABI – Qasr Al Watan

As soon as the Abu Dhabi tourism announced the opening of Qasr Al Watan, Tim and I were like WE MUST GO and so we did.

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The thing is, the Qasr (palace) was only accessible to the Royal Family and the gates were closed for years; so we thought we must see how it looks from the inside and honestly it was incredible. I’m glad they opened it to the public. The Qasr is filled with knowledge of Islamic and Arab heritage and it also has a PUBLIC LIBRARY. YES, A PUBLIC LIBRARY.

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The Qasr displays a lot of significant information of the United Arab Emirates and the history of Islam in the Middle East, North Africa and Spain.

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The Qasr is actually worth visiting and it is filled with GOLD

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First Attempt with Water Colour

The last time I painted with water colours was probably when I was 6 or 7 years old so I thought to sign up for a water colour class and see how it goes.

Honestly, I find it extremely difficult and I panicked in class because my water was spreading all over. I met an amazing lady in the class and she told me that practice makes perfect. So I decided hell with it I will continue my classes and till I somewhat master it.

So the first class was about painting a fashionista.

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Gouache Painting

When I was a kid, drawing and painting were things I was passionate about and my mum enrolled me in an Art Institute for summer holidays and I learned a lot but after my mother died, my interest in art started to die slowly. However, I would still paint or sketch whenever I found the time but I was constantly busy which didn’t allow me to advance in my art. So now that I actually have time, I enrolled in Gouache classes  to practice and learn new techniques so here is what I’ve done recently.

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My first Gouache painting. It was intense but I had fun.
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Pop Art was my second attempt. The class is only 3 hours so I didn’t have time to paint over to make the colours bold.

 

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Tim’s British Roast

We cannot name it a Sunday Roast since weekends are Friday and Saturday in the UAE. However, Tim made a roast on a Saturday as a weekend meal hehe.

It was extremely delicious. Tim marinated the chicken with olive oil, rosemary, paprika, salt and black pepper. The vegetables were marinated in salt, black pepper, olive oil and honey. We bought the Yorkshire pudding and onion gravy from Waitrose and those were the ingredients we used for our amazing British Roast.

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I should start taking better pictures of our food lol 

 

 

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DUBAI – Heart’s Turn Event at Make Art Cafe

My brother and I attended Michael Sugich’s book launch event located in old Dubai; in the traditional area called Bastakiya. Since Bastakiya has been transformed into an art hub, Meraas has developed a similar old looking buildings in the area and called it Al Seef by Meraas. The event took place at Make Art Cafe. We had a lovely time conversing with the Community and meeting new people. If you are interested, the book is called ‘Heart’s Turn’.

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10 Things Not To Say To a Mix Race

I decided to write this blog after posting What Am I? The Journey To Discovering My Identity. As some of my readers may know, I’m multiracial.

On daily basis, I have to explain to people my ethnic background. Most of the replies I get are inappropriate and may come out as rude. So I piled up 10 Things Not To Say To A Mix Race just in case you encounter one of our “kind”.

 

1. So What are you?

The question itself is extremely RUDE.

Answer: I’m a HUMAN-BEING

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2. If you had to pick a side, which one will it be?

I AM WHO I AM. I don’t need to pick sides.

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3. Can I touch your hair?

WHY???????

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4. Mix Race Babies Are SO HOT

It may sound like a compliment in your head but it’s creeeeeppyyyyy. GO AWAY.

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5. Seriously? Those Are Your Parents????!!!!!!

YES!!!!!!!THOSE ARE MY BIOLOGICAL PARENTS.

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6. Your Accent is FUNNY

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7. You are HALF THIS and HALF THAT so that doesn’t count

HELL YEAH IT COUNTS IT’S IN MY DNA

YOU $%@#$%$@%$@%#%^$#@^#&@$%&%$&$&

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8. Were you adopted?

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9. WOW! You’re EXOTIC

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10. AHHH YOU’RE MIXED!!!!!. No wonder you look weird

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15 Things To Know About Being with an Englishman

My English husband and I have been together for 5 years. He comes from a small island called Hayling Island. So here is a short blog about what I’ve experienced being married to a Englishman. I just want to confirm that I am aware that accents and habits differ all across England but this is what I’ve experienced being married to a Southern Englishman.

Without further ado, here are 15 Things To Know About Being with an Englishman.

1. Englishmen are charming

It’s like having a live conversation with James Bond and Mr. Darcy

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2. They say things differently and it’s a good thing because it expands your vocabulary

Here are some examples;

Knackered: feeling extremely tired.

Banter: to joke

Bloke: a man

Wanker: a jerk

Also you’ll learn to differentiate between American English and British English. For example; trousers vs pants, crisps vs chips, bangs vs fringe and so on…..

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3. Englishmen are shy and express their feelings in a simple way

Scenario #1

Me: THIS IS SOOOOOOOOO PRETTTYYYYYYY. CHECK THIS OUT

English Husband: Lovely

Scenario #2

Me: OMG! I really want this. I love the design and it has a lot of tribal detail. What do you think?

English Husband: I like it.

Scenario #3

*Music is playing and everyone dancing*

Me: OHHHHH I LOVEEEEE THIS SONG. LETS DANCE

English Husband: *walks away*

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4. Their fashion is spot on and they definitely know how to wear a suit

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5. After sometime you will start to pick up the English accent 

it’s pronounced TO-MAH-TO not TO-MAY-TO

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6. They really love a Sunday Roast

MAN! He loves a good Roast.

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7. Tea is the solution to every problem

“LETS PUT THE KETTLE ON”

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8. Because drinking Tea is scarred in the British culture, you will eventually master the art of making Tea.

BUT STILL if I invite a British person over, I get really stressed about making tea.

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9. Arguments will sound more dramatic because of his English Accent.

 

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10. Every time you introduce your partner/ husband to people, they will think you are introducing them to Prince William or Harry Potter

Scenario #1

Me: Hi Friend, this is my husband.

English Husband: Nice to meet you.

Friend: OH WOW! Have you been to Hogwarts? Say something in English.

English Husband: Hello?

Friend: *mimics a British accent* HELLOOO???? OMG! You sound just like Harry Potter.

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Scenario #2

Me: I’m just waiting for my husband, he will be here any moment

Stranger: Where is he from?

Me: England

Stranger: OHHHH IS HE A PRINCE?

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11. You will learn the rules of Rugby

When I first met my husband I kept talking about football and he was like “YEAAHH, I prefer Rugby”. 

I once got us tickets to Rugby 7’s in Dubai and he went on and on and on and on about it.

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12. Their comfort food is WEIRD

When my husband wants to snack on something, it’s just stuff I never knew existed.

Such as Minced Pies, Baked Beans on Toast, Marmite (YUCK), Covering Chips with Vinegar or Gravy and so on….

Here is a link to 26 British Food Quirks That Brits Don’t Realise Are Weird. 

But I have to admit, I like some of their quirky food.

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13. They will teach you the art of Dark Humour and Sarcasm 

and once you understand it, nothing is as funny as British Humour

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14. Their way of laughing is having a serious face and saying “that’s funny”

NAH they do laugh but not hysterically

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15. Every reason has to be LOGICAL

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So here were my 15 things and let me know what you’ve learned from your English partner.

 

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March 2019 Recap

March wasn’t a pleasant month for us; our cat went missing and I’m not handling it well but time does heal. It is not something I want to talk about but apparently it happens to a lot of cat owners where cats either get scared and run away and get lost or get kidnapped by other people which apparently is common.

Anyway I don’t want to stress about it but please pray for Snowflake’s safety, I miss her dearly and loved her so much.

So here is a quick recap of what happened in March.

Destinations we’ve visited

UAE: Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah

Highlights of the month

  • My Friends visited Abu Dhabi and we went to the Louvre and had lunch at Art House Cafe.

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  • I joined Art Groups

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  • I started baking. (Sadly, I have no picture to prove it hehe)
  • We went on a Road Trip to Sharjah with Tim’s colleagues

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What I watched?

Netflix Specials and Series:

The Kominsky Method: Love this heart-lighted show.

One Day At A Time: The title says it all. It talks about life struggles and issues and they portrait it in a serious comedic way and I LOVE ABUELITA.

Movies:

Captain Marvel: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

What I read this month?

I read a book called & Until the Dreams Come True. The poetry book was a birthday gift from my uncle which was signed by the author herself.

What music did I listen to?

 

What have I blogged about?

 

So here was a quick recap of March 2019 🙂 more to come in April 

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