Sunday morning, and I’m back at the start of yet another rigorous week of work. I spent a lovely, fun-filled weekend with the family on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The weather has cooled down significantly, and we enjoyed leisurely walks around the island, did some window-shopping in Yas Mall, and stayed the night at the very futuristic Viceroy hotel.
I kept my outfit comfy and casual, and funked it up with colorful accessories.
Last Thursday saw us in Al Ain. For my day job, I put on the marketing hat for a retail giant here in the UAE, and we will be opening our very first store in Remal Mall this month.
Remal Mall is the newest addition to the mall scene in Al Ain, and is strategically located in the populated residential area of Al Sanaiya. So far only 30% of the mall is operational, and the management plan to have it up in full swing by the end of this year.
The mall has a distinctively Arabesque architecture, and after my meeting with the management, I discovered the perfect place to sit down and relax: the food-court on the topmost floor leads to the roof of the mall, and has a number of cushy seats for idly enjoying the evening breeze. I can envision this space being taken over by a shisha lounge in the near future!
I booked my trip home to New Zealand on Singapore Airlines. However, the flights between Singapore and New Zealand were operated by Air New Zealand as the two airlines have a partnership deal through Star Alliance.
I’ve flown Air New Zealand domestically within New Zealand, and have never been too impressed. The aircrafts for one are very tiny, and all you get onboard is a cup of tea or coffee accompanied by a miniature biscuit (it still makes me giggle how the flight attendants even announce this: ‘In a few minutes we will be serving you tea or coffee along with a biscuit‘!).
However, for the longer haul, Air New Zealand’s international flights are a class apart. Being a Kiwi myself, perhaps this is biased but here’s 3 reasons I thought Air New Zealand was ‘Sweet As’!
I am back in sunny Dubai after a whirlwind trip back home to New Zealand. Where did the past two weeks disappear?
I flew via Singapore to Auckland, New Zealand and on the return path, I had an 8 hour transit in Changi Airport, Singapore.
As I was travelling alone, the thought of dwindling away 8 hours in Singapore all by myself seemed all too daunting and I was looking up Google on airport rooms and transit lounges.
Romantiques is one of Palmerston North’s oldest antiques stores housing gorgeous vintage finds from different eras and places.
The store itself is musty and smells of old books, and forgotten treasures.
Sunday morning was gloomy grey. The skies were dim with a hint of drizzle, and I would have continued nesting in my warm bed had my sister not announced she was heading to the weekly Palmy Farmer’s Market.
The Palmy Farmer’s Market sets up in Palmerston North every Saturday and Sunday morning from as early as 7 am till noon. It is a collection of stalls set up by local farmers from the neighboring towns, and Palmerston North residents flock here every weekend for great deals on fresh, organic farm produce.
I landed in Auckland, New Zealand late into the night after a 20 hour flight from Dubai via Singapore.
My brother lives in Auckland, and as soon as I got to his bachelor pad I hit the snooze button.
I had a mid-morning flight to catch to our hometown Palmerston North the next morning, and we decided to make use of the earlier half of the day by visiting the Fo Guang Shan Temple.
After an epic tour around Rotterdam and beyond on Day 2, we decided to sleep in past 10 am and just made it to the communal breakfast at NH Jan Tabak Hotel.
It was a lovely sunny morning, and we decided to do the 20 minute walk to the Bussum train station.
After spending a very memorable day around Amsterdam city on Day 1, we barely managed to stumble out of bed, shower and head to breakfast.
Hello darlings! Did you miss me? Sorry for the extended silence, I’ve been away on an exciting 3 day tour around Amsterdam. This Eid holiday was totally unexpected, and I have to say its been the best surprise I’ve ever received because I actually won this trip on radio!
