The Farm - Al Barari

It was a humid summer evening , we chuckeled with excitement to get to the restaurant which used Ipad's for their menu's. Not knowing what to expect one thing we were was optimistic. The location was perfect for a quiet evening since its  tucked away from all the noise and traffic. "The farm" is located in al Barari development  just off Emirates road.

 Driving towards the restaurant  the view  was very calming ; a curvy road extremely green  with trees and plants along both sides it almost looked like  a scene from a movie. The restaurant has two seating areas ; a proper indoorseating with couches and tables; and a glasshouse which consists of mostly dining tables. The Farm  has  a reputation for serving their food fresh and almost all  of the products they use  to prepare the meals are organic. I must admit their Calamari's were extremely tasty ; probably the best i've had . Both seating areas are very calming . Theres a  pond outside; facing it are numerous hammocks ,perfect place to have a cool drink and clear your thoughts ! The outdoor seating  will definitely be much busier when the weather gets  a bit cooler !

The staff were very friendly  and the meals were served in a timely manner. When we asked why they used Ipad's At the Farm ; we were told  they are environmentally friendly and are cutting down on paper use , hence their menu's are on Ipad's  ! pretty interesting .

The customers at the restaurant varied from couples , to families and group of friends. Its a place where everyone can go and enjoy a good meal; great ambience and most importantly good food .

What we ordered :

 - Fried Calamari with Tar tar sauce

- Tom Yam Soup

- Grilled Chicken with Vegtebles and baked potato

- Chicken Pasta with Alfredo sauce and Mushrooms   

 

Will leave you to enjoy the pictures !

 

Tick Tock

Time's passing too fast. Its hard to measure it , we can't keep it , store it , pause it or ask it to come back later. Today is the youngest we'll ever be ! Tomorrow we'll be a day older, a day wiser. Often we sit back and say we're growing old. We find ourselves thinking more before acting , we look at things from a different angle , and we don't have  enough energy for the same things we did a few years ago . I believe growing old is by choice and we have to make the best of what we have. Most importantly we need to  remain young at heart .

We live such fast lives its hard to give what you're doing or who you're with a hundred percent of your time and  attention. With the Internet , blackberries , i - phones , Laptops , i-pad and social networking sites we tend to multi-task and not give our loved ones enough time and full attention.

We need to realise its not just us getting old , our parents are getting older too . They need more more of our time , more of our attention now more than ever in their lives. They've  watched us grow , guided us , educated us and seen us at all our different stages. Now that we have taken control of our lives and are least dependant on them is when they most need us.  I read a quote today which said " spend time with you're parents before its too late " and maybe just that should be a permanent change in my life . Sometimes i sit and wonder what it would be like if my grandmother - allah yer7mha- was still alive , what would she say , how would she react to a particular situation ? Unfortunately i was very young and memories of her are quite vague . The harsh truth is that they won't be around forever and we need to make the best of it while they're here . Tick Tock ; Time waits for no one, do it right .
;

Snooze

My annoying blackberry alarm was on again.It was 6.30 am .A bright Sunday; a new week with new hopes. I stretched my arms as far as i could  with my eyes closed trying  to use my senses to feel the whereabouts of my blackberry so i can hit the snooze button and get extra five minutes of sleep; and I did just that . As i woke up , i checked the time on my phone , then moved on to check my blackberry for any important messages I might have  missed while I was asleep . The first thing that caught my eye  was a status update that Whitney Houston  had  died . Thinking it was a rumour i took out my laptop and googled the news. Yes it was true , she was dead at the age of 48 .

While driving to work all that was going through my mind was how we took life for granted.
As reported by the news she was partying with friends. little did she know that in a few hours her life would come to an end. I had a a reel of thoughts running through my mind . Am i doing enough ? what if it was me that had to sleep and not wake up ? Am i doing enough for my religion ? Did i tel my dad i loved him enough ? am i getting enough cuddles from my mom ? my siblings, my cousins , am i spending enough time with them ? My friends, oh my dear friends who have brightened my life just by being there  , am i doing enough for them while I am here? We tend to take things  and people for granted , thinking we will always have them around . We are wrong , very wrong .

When I got to work suddenly i found myself giving my all in the office .I went around and wished everyone a good morning .  As the day went on i realised i do want to make the best of what I have , while i have it .Give the people around me the best of me because that is what they deserve. I had so much energy and took the time to speak to everyone around me .  Yes we all have ups and downs , but  we have stay strong. No more hitting the snooze button in life. If i miss someone i will call , won't leave it till tomorrow or the day after. My to do list , i will get through it , my resolutions for this year ? Going to stick them next to my bed so I can see it everyday. My goals ? i will reach them , and my dreams aren't too far away from me if i just believe in them. What will you do  ? hit the snooze button or get up and do it right ?

Junsui

Last weekend I had  "THE" meal of 2012 .We had reservations at the Asian restaurant "Junsui" at Burj Al Arab or the "Burj of the Arabs" as it was explained to the tourists.
N was in Dubai to see the touristy side and was ready for a memorable experience.She booked a tour guide for us who explained two things only: The height of the Burj and the number of rooms . Moving on we were escorted to the restaurant which was on  mezanine floor . As we made our way down we enjoyed the luxurious decor of the burj,with tourists taking pictures in every corner . There were absoloutely no Arabs or Emaratis to be seen anywhere
just myself and N which made us feel like tourists in our own country. The restaurant had breathtaking decor , ambience , food and excellent staff.
Below are a few pictures, some I got online , i've posted them to help  you  visualise my experience . The food pictures were taken by me . Enjoy !

The walkway that leads to Junsui

The Bling entrance to the restaurant

Breathtaking view from the dinning area

My lovely starter plate , which as you can see does not have much sushi in it !

My exotic drink : fusion of pineapple , mango and coconut ...refreshing ! Nasi Goreng on me plate , prawn bags and squid . On the left duck . Crab Tempura which was delivered to our table.We also had shrimp tempura , chicken satay with peanut sauce , meat skewers and beef tepinyaki delivered to our table which I failed to take a picture of since i was soo into my food .

Oops ! forgot to take a pic before i started eating my desert . Mini lemon cheescake was extremely tasty. Also ordered a chocolate crepe with nuts and ice cream on the side .

Our choclate and green tea.Loved the choclate holder !

 This was'nt my 1st visit to the burj however it was a memorable one. Would definitely recommend
to everyone who's into East Asian food. The head chef took very good care of us . Amazing experience overall.

Her only Love is her Cigarette..

She had been in love a few times and married a few times . She saw love as a reason for living. Her confidence would shine through any room , her laughter so joyful it would seem she had no problem in the world . She would definitely fit the description of  "Siren" in  Robert Greene's  book " The art of seduction" . She was in her late fourties, her spontanity,risk taking and a love adventures made it hard for her friends, family and colleagues to ignore her existence . One thing she knew for sure was that love would find her each time it  things went wrong , deep down she always believed she would be happy again . Love could inspire her , maybe revive her but  it would never make or break her.

One evening while doing her chors  ,she  hears her husband calling her to watch the news with him. she continues walking towards her room reassuring him she will be back . She noticed her daughter was lying on her bed . She peacefully sat next to her started telling her about her day. In the midst of  her explanation she lights her cigarette , takes a puff , and lets the cigarrette burn next to her in her ash-tray . She looks over to her right where her daughter is facing the wall .'Sarah, Sarah , have you fallen asleep?"  She asks . All she could hear was sarah breathing in heavily with something that sounded like a cold.Sarah was drowning  in tears. Her mother  continued smoking her cigarette  looked over and asked her If  she was crying because of a guy. Sarah tries talking but her mom's unable to understand her. after several attempts she mumbles " Mom i'm hurt , i trusted him and he broke my heart " . Miriam puts her hand over her daughters shoulder to comfort her , Only to  feel every muscle contract as her daughter sobbed through her pain

"Never cry for a man darling. Never" , She tells Sarah . " I  have seen a few things  in this life  and when it comes to men ; whenever you feel he's acting differently or see any indications  that he's not interested ; get up and leave. No questions asked , no explanations .Crying would only make you feel worse . If he's into you trust me he will follow you , if he does'nt then you surely don't want to be with him. A man who loves you will show you through his actions "   She explains .
Come on Sarah , call your friends , go for a movie don't sit here sobbing over him . "Trust me its his loss!"  Miriam gets up and leaves to the balcony where she stands alone having her third cigarette. By this time Sarah is grasping for oxygen in the room because of  the amount of smoke her mom left behind. She gets up , makes her way to the toilet where she's hoping the pain in her chest will go away. She washes her face  and could hear her mom talking on the phone to her friend , Her laughter was gettin louder and louder . Sarah wished she could be like her mom , Take everything so easily  and  laugh the biggest problems off. She felt she had alot to learn and a long way to go till she masters men.

Miriam felt her cigarette was there for her no matter what she was going through . despite her husbands attempts to convince her to quit smoking , she resisted.  Sarah was thinking about her life with her mom , she realised that her mother never gave anyone the best of her . She made sure she spent limited time with everyone but always had her time alone with herself. As sad as it was it struck her , her mother's only true love was her cigarette .

Life

Live Laugh Love is about experinces in life . There are three things that my best friend and i find essential in life and it is to Live, Laugh and Love. In life we all go through experiences ; some good , some bad , some may  inspire you , and some can actually leave you shattered !However the beauty of life is going through these experinces, learning and evolving as a stronger person once all is done. At the end of the day it's not about how much you have been through , its about how you were able to pick yourself up each time, pull yourself together and move on with life .