Take Me To Your Place..

Take me to your place...please?  As the title goes, it does not actually mean physically - but you can take me there virtually.  I have been to many places and most of them are in my dreams.  And it would take some heavy coaxing to the husband in order to tick off some places in my travel bucket list.  So I have decided to do postcard swap. 

I am currently living in Abu Dhabi.  This culturally rich country entices a lot of foreigners aside from the cames and the endless stretch of sand.  The heat (which I think at this point in time - summertime - is unbearable) is a welcome change for those who experiences snow and rain most of the year.  I'm from the tropics so the heat is something I'd like to escape as much as possible.

And so to make this post as short as possible (i wish!) I would like to invite all you readers to swap postcards with me.  With the age of too much technology, receiving something from snail mail is refreshing.  Truly, the personalized writings, the stamps and the wait is a joy for those who were born before yahoo mail was created.

Anyway, if you are interested to swap postcards with me let me know.  Send me an email (does this defeat the purpose already? I'm promoting snail mail through email? jeessh!) at maruya24@yahoo.com.

Hear from you soon!

Wasabi Night

Among the smalls joys of life is sampling the food paradise of the city you are currently living.  For this week, target cuisine is Japanese.  Hubby likes sushi and never missed to buy a set when we visit Carrefour, so why not visit this Japanese restuarant that also offers  the real deal and more.  So we we set our sights at Samurai Restaurant.

Samurai Restaurant, is I think the only Japanese restaurant listed here in Abu Dhabi.  It is near Toursit Club Area and behind Capital Al Diar Hotel along Mina Road.  The area is not located at the usual busy streets of the city.  There was ample parking space and it was not difficult to locate.  We were the first customer to arrive.

the restaurant from the corner angle

Honestly, the reason why I chose this restaurant to try out because they have churros in their dessert menu.  I have been craving for churros for the past few days. Missed munching on them.  I think the best churros I had was in Singapore at Clarke Quay.  It was soft and crunchy at the same time.  I don't know how churros ended up in the menu of a Japanese restuarant, because it sounded Japanese? Hohum. Ok back to the Asian cuisine.

We ordered Chicken Yakisoba for me, Yakiniku Bento for hubby, Maguro Sushi, Tamago Sushi and of course don't forget Gyoza.

the appetizer

Gyoza!

Yakiniku (Beef and Fish with salad and rice)

Chicken Yakisoba

Tamago Sushi

Maguro sushi

The verdict:  the yakisoba was disappointing, it tasted and looked like the Filipino Pancit Canton.  The noodles was not even passable.  It was bit salty.  The  lunch box that hubby ordered was good.  The fish and  the beef was very tasty.  It was my first time to try sushi minus the seafood, that's why I ordered for the Tamago, I must say, the rice, the seaweed wrap and sweetened omellete was a welcome surprise to my choosy palate.  Since I am not a fan of anything raw, I didn't try the tuna sushi.  The gyoza was cooked perfectly, crispy edges and soft shells.  I still prefer the gyoza of Rai Rai Ken in Davao though.  I don't know why.

Total wallet damage was AED 174.00 and left some tip since no service charge on the receipt.  WE were not able to order the churos since we were already pretty much filled up.  Maybe next time.

Samurai Restaurant
Online Menu

Mesmerized

Mesmerized.  Yes, I was totally hyponotized by the flowy movement while the orchestral music blared.  My heart jumps at every beat and I just can't take off the smile on my face as every scene unfolds of Snow White on Ice.

As part of Abu Dhabi's Summer Activities for the entire family especially the kids, Abu Dhab National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) hosted Summer in Abu Dhabi.  It would have been just one of those usual kids playground inside an airconditioned venue, except for one - the ice show.

I have always wanted to watch an ice show.  It's one of the 100 things I want to do before I die.  Hubby was a bit wary of going there.  The posters itself showed kids running around.  Its probably a children's affair.  After a few assurance from me, we head to ADNEC and decide for sure what the summer in Abu Dhabi is all about.

ADNEC was full of kids.  Unlike the first time we visited the place, the exhibit this time if full of running kids, all food stalls are open and loud music is playing, so it was not difficult to locate the hall where it is held, halls 8, 9,10 and 11.  Booths outside the hall are open for tickets.  The entrance fee is AED 40 for adults and AED 30 for children under 12 years old.  By the entrance of the hall, tags are available to put on to the kids with their names, in case you get separated.

Once inside, you'll be welcomed by the huge Ice Village, inspired by Ice Age movie. Plenty of rides and activity area swamped the halls.  There is even a hall where you can do contact sports.  On the other side, more booths for shooting hoops or tying a camel and carnival rides.  It was total chaos but it was an absolute heaven for the kids.  At the far east end, there is the sea lion show.  The last show was on 8:10 pm but that was not what we came for, opposite the sea lion's den is the cinema like lights blinking show world.

A long qeue is starting to build up. We headed there and joined the throng of kids and parents.  I guess we were the only couple there without screaming and jumping kids as companions.  We entered the venue and found a seat.  The ice rink was a bit small, not what I have expected.  The show started exactly 8:00 pm, hurrah for the organizers for opening right on the dot.  The show opened with the crow suspended doing ballet moves and finally touched the ice and the swish swish sound just took my breath away. 

The 30- minute show was very entertaining.  I didn't expect hubby would loved the show, but he did.  We were both like kids the entire show.  Smiling the whole time and clapping our hands vigorously if one of the dancers show jaw dropping stunts and maneuvers.  We were gushing so much about watching more ice shows and I even pointed out that those dancers were Russian.  Another good point in Russia.  More reason to visit the country. hurray!

The ice show will continue until 19 July 2012.  Visit www.summerinabudhabi.ae for more information of the activities.

A Step Towards Utopia

A few weeks ago, I went to my OBgyne for my usual visit and while waiting for my turn, I tried to look for something on the side tables to busy myself.  I found one pamphlet which I think is only possible in the movies.  Have you watched the movie The Island?  It was lead by cutie pie Ewan Macgregor and sultry Scarlet Johansson where they served as clones whose organs will be harvested if in case their sponsor requires it.  Well, this pamphlet offers more or less the same.  This is Cryo-Save.

Cryo-Save is a stem cell bank that collects your baby's umbilical cord that can be used for the lifesaving of your family.  Below is the excerpt of the pamphlet.

Cord blood banking is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you to collect and save the stem cells from your baby's umbilical cord blood for porential medical uses.  Having this invaluable resource can be lifesaving or life-changing for your baby and other family members.


*  Cord blood us a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells, which are being used in transplant medicine to treat nearly 80 life-threatening diseases, including a wide range of cancers, genetic diseases, immune system deficineces, and blood disorders.


*  Cord blood is being researched today for use in regenerative medicine where stem cells may help induce healing or regenerate cells to repair tissues.  This exciting new area of medicine has led to clinical trials and research using cord blood in experimental therapies to treat cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and juvenile diabetes.


Additionally, having your baby's own genetically unique stem cells offers many advantages if stem cells are ever needed for treatment by you, your child, siblings or other family members:

     *  Your baby's cord blood is immediately available for your family if needed for treatment, and early treatment can minimize disease progression.

     *  If ever required for a transplant, using your own family's cord blood instead of an unrelated donor's can have a significant advantages, including fewer complications and improved medical outcomes.

     *  For experimental regenerative medicine therapies that use cord blood, the child's own stem cells are required.

How about that?  Science has really come a long way.  There certainly more ways to increase our number of years here on earth.  This life banking will cost AED 13,000.00.  Does this blog sounds like I'm advertising this bank?  It's not, actually.  I just wanted to share this new science discovery.

If you want to know more about this whole science thing you can visit their website www. cryo-save.com.