This Video Will Change The Way You Think!

“The things we get in life can get us a living,…but the things we give can make a life"

Dubai Mall and Mall of Emirate

Hey y’all, This is a continuation of my earlier post here about my visit to Dubai..Because shopping is one of my hobbies,I made sure I visited the 2 most prominent malls in Dubai-The Mall of Emirates and The Dubai Mall.The latter has more to offer in terms of sight-seeing and size. There is so much to see..my goodness…I didn’t get to see half of both malls because of time constraint….However,Hasta la vista,baby! *wink*

One of the many sides of the Mall of Emirates.I got this view because it is close to the hotel my friend stayed.

This is the entrance to the Dubai Mall from the Metro Station….It’s a bit of a trek from when you get off the train to the Mall….We definitely got a good work out :)

A view of the Dubai Mall from the 3rd floor..

This is one of the attractions at the Dubai mall- The DubaiDino . We were told it’s called Diplodocus longs,dated back to 155-150 ill ion years ago, discovered in Wyoming USA in 2008.

The entrance to the Aquarium and Underwater zoo at the Dubai Mall.

The large fish tank (part of the aquarium ) that can be seen from the ground floor , the 1st and second of the mall . It is said to be the largest suspended aquarium in the world.

                                         

This is a part of  hallway on the lower ground floor of the mall that leads to the food court and the entrance to the Fountain and Burj Khalifa.The decor and setting is made to look  like a market place, with the lightings on the ceiling and kiosks in the hallway.

This is the Waterfall at the Dubai Mall.It runs through the entire height of the mall on the west side,I think. It is beauty to behold. It has art sculptures of human divers descending the waterfall. Below is better photo of the waterfall I got from the internet.

This is the singing/dancing fountain at the Dubai Mall…I first saw a video of it on YouTube and I was blown away…The fountain is on the Burj khalifa lake, shoots water up as high as 500ft, dances in sync to classical and Arabian music….It was Andrea Bocelli’s Con Te Partiro that was played while we were  there….It is a beautiful 3 minutes experience…(Please ignore the background comments and noise in the background :)

Are We Loving Our Sons and Raising Our Daughters?

The other day a friend I was having a discussion with a friend of mine about parenting, comparing how we were raised and how we are raising our children.We both came to the conclusion that we are more or less raising our children the way our parents raised us,particularly with regards to the disparity between raising a girl-child and raising a boy-child.
 We tend to put more effort into raising our daughters, teaching  them right from wrong, what they need to wear, say and behave,in order not to get harassed by men, as well as conform to the societies expectations. Whereas, boys don’t often get to be taught with the same intensity, especially with regards to how to treat women well, how to talk to women,how to value and appreciate people.
We tell girls :“don’t get raped” , instead of teaching the boys “don’t rape”. When boys/men do wrong, society tends to say things  like “boys/men will be boys/men” while the girls/women are “scolded” for not being virtuous or not setting good examples for their children.
Society say that “ladies are meant to seen and not be heard” while the boys are allowed to "raise their voice" on any issue without restraint.

Got this piece from an article ‘how to build a man” in the magazine Esquire:
We want them to know that contrary to what people say, chivalry and feminism are reconcilable. It is called “holding the door for everyone, giving a hand to whomever needs it, lightening the load. We want them to understand the weight that a simple word of kindness or encouragement can carry in another person’s life. To ask for advice even when they don’t think they need it.

Dubai!!

…Visiting Dubai have been on my wish list for sometime now and I finally made the trip with my husband this month….Yippee!!….I have been intrigued by the stories I have heard/read from friends,blogs ( like sisiyemmie.com who posted photos about her honeymoon there recently) , photos I’ve seen about the sights and of course …shopping!!…You see, shopping(window, online, actual etc) is therapeutic for me :)…….
Even though the visit was short ( about 5 days),it was all worth it…The best part was sharing the experience with my husband, Gloria ( my childhood friend and ‘Deolu (my brother from another parent), who I was meeting in person for the first time ( that’s story for another day), he has a blog as well ,9jaboyblog.com.

We had a packed 4-day trip-(sight-seeing,shopping,hanging out)-that cannot fit into one post.I will have to give you the gist in “batches”….hehehehe….so watch this space.:)…..

This the entrance to our Hotel-Jumeirah Zabeel Saray-located on the west crescent of the Palm Jumeirah. The architecture is modeled after the Ottoman palaces.

                                               

       

We were welcomed to our room with this “display” on our bed. We indicted that we were in Dubai to celebrate our anniversary and birthdays… that was really thoughtful of them to do that(good customer service)…They also added 2 pieces of chocolate cake…yummy (photos below)

      

Our first morning, we decided to check out the rest of the resort before heading out….. This is the beach behind the hotel shared by other hotels and resorts on the Palm Jumeirah.

                                               

The beach is not very deep from what I see(didn’t venture too far from the brink though….hehehehe).It  has a little bit of water creatures like fish,sting rays.We were told to be careful not to get stung by sting rays….The famous Atlantis Resort can be seen from the back of our hotel.(far off towards the right in this photo)

                                             

The path leading to one of  the back entrances to the hotel…....I love the tropical touch with the palm trees,flowers,foliage, and all..

                                       

The view from the front of the hotel….overlooking the  Persian/Arabian Gulf and part of city of Dubai skyline.

We went on a Dhow(an Arab boat that is low in the front,high in the back,usually shaped like triangles)cruise on our second night there. The cruise was on the creek within Dubai city limit. Dhow in arabic means mule.

There were other Dhow boats with tourists sailing at the same time. The usual activities on the cruise are music, entertainment by belly dancers and other artists,buffet dinner. we had an entertainer who did a few arabic dances and acrobats.He picked Gloria(my friend) as one of his volunteers for the Arabic dance…It was hilarious(would have shared the video,but she(Gloria) has not given me permission yet)

One of the high-light of my visit was getting a Thai massage (deep tissue massage) …The masseur was really good at it……the session lasted for 60minutes…and boy,by the time I was done,the only thing I wanted to do was go to bed.

Residential apartments close to the Palm Jumeirah.

Simplify Your Life.

I have been musing the last couple of weeks about what really matter in life,….about what will really stand the test of time.I am sure it is not money neither is it academic achievements. I think when we  begin to prioritize the things that are important like- (family,faith,love,kindness,good health)-while we are pursuing or being pursued by whatever it is that is keeping us busy, we will begin to know true satisfaction.
Below is something I read recently that I’d like to share:


History touts Solomon, son of David and king of Israel during the tenth century BC, as the wisest man in the world at that time, and he was certainly one of the richest. If anyone could speak to the experience of having everything his heart desired, it was this guy. 
With limitless wealth at his disposal, Solomon pursued satisfaction with breathless abandon. He recorded his findings in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes—twelve chapters of bare-fisted, intellectual street fighting about what matters in this world and what does not. He records what will satisfy us and what will leave us feeling as if all we did with our lives was chase the wind.
Solomon’s kingdom ended at his death, when the nation of Israel was split in two—the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah. 
We have seen seemingly indestructible empires collapse in our day as well. Who would have thought that companies like Oldsmobile, Blockbuster, and Lehman Brothers—multibillion-dollar companies—would just crumble and disappear?

Be careful where you pin your hopes and dreams. It’s not simply the risk that those things might not satisfy—that’s scary enough. It’s the risk that they might actually evaporate. Even if you succeed at building something great with your life . . . when you retire or die, then what? It could all turn to dust in a heartbeat. All your time and effort could end up blowing in the wind.

Don’t get to the end of your days and realize you spent your one and only life on distractions. Don’t arrive at the end of your life still saying (in the words of the U2 song), “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

Culled from the devotional “Simplify"

Happy Birthday To Me!

                                         An Ode To Me

..I remember you from way back then,... when you were so shy, so unsure of almost anything…
You are still self-conscious …but you have come a mighty long way, girl!….and have a long way to go, still..
In some life circumstances, you also can say “been there done that, bought the T-shirt…..I salute you for all the roles you are playing,yet to play,and have played: A mother, A wife, A sister,A daughter,A student ,An employee,A neighbor,A blogger…A friend….
I just want to remind you to keep these few words from your friend Mayor Aderounmu of blessed memory,in mind:
Why don’t you try to always put your weight behind everything you want and believe in?..Do you know that even if you make mistakes in life,God is able to work through the mistakes and bring you to that expected end?…Just relax in God’s hands-It is not by struggle for He has promised to bear you on eagle’s wings.
It’s time to STEP UP and STEP OUT!…..You know all those things you have been thinking and dreaming about doing…It’s time to get started…It’s a new year, a new day,a new decade.....after all,…Life just began….