Tango with Giant Ants

Eight monumental ant sculptures cast in bronze will settle into their new home on the DIFC lawn with the opening of Ant Colony, the brainchild of American artist Susan P. Cochran.

“Ants have been building uniquely planned cities for millennia; living in colonies supported by an instinct to cooperate and work together. Like any new city that requires an advanced infrastructure and network to support a growing community, an ant colony relies on cunning instinct, a demanding schedule and shared responsibilities that result in handiwork that is effective, reliable and immaculate,” explained Bashar Al Shroogi, the Managing Director of Cuadro Fine Art Gallery.

http://www.dubaicityguide.com/geninfo/news_dtls.asp?newsid=11991

Instead of fighting the enormous giant ants....my good hearted driver tried to appease them by doing the tango. I was completely exasperated. Anyway, at the end of the day...we managed to escape and I am happy to say...his head is still intact!

Riding a donkey.....

"My friend, my grandmother told me while you are riding a donkey, continue to look for a horse. If you have not found the horse, don't leave the donkey..u still need to use it. You understand?"

Tears welled up in his Bambi looking eyes. Gee...I must have touched a nerve. Hopefully he understood. Ok...I lied about the "grandmother" part.

My 2nd driver (Mohamed left...visa expired) Rafid was sharing with me about his bad boss. And he wanted to quit without any alternatives as yet.

" You give visa..i work for you."

"My friend it is not that simple ok? Anyway, you just continue and I will look out for you."

Actually, I cooked up the entire donkey story with an ulterior motive. It is hard to get a good driver in Dubai. He knows my daily schedule. Excellent driver..very punctual....and running little errands for me without fail..laundry, shopping...etc And if he sees me 100 m (ok..20 m away)...dragging my bags and what have you...he will rush forward to take over! Such initiative..where to get in Dubai? And of course I will reward him with his favorite Krispy Kreme doughnut from Deira City Centre. Not so sure whether that's good for his diabete.

Anyway to cut the long story short..I have to keep him at all costs!

(Picture showing my dear driver drinking sweet "skyjuice" from the Hatta Dam)

Life's Little Pleasures

Every friday, in the early morning, I make it a point to take a slow stroll by the creek (Bur Dubai's side). Especially now...a slight chill is a wonderful feeling. Even during the Summer..the heat is not that bad...by the creek...early in the morning.

With my Ipod Nano on...full blast of Karl Wolf's "Africa" (club remix)..the walk is simply pleasurable.

Anyway..I have a little secret to confess...I am having a tryst with ...a flock of seagulls! lol

(By the way..the 2nd shot was taken at Palm Jumeirah)

While I am in Dubai...

..a limping detained terrorist escaped from a detention centre in singapore this past week...during toilet break! No! It's not an April's Fool joke...unfortnately it's for real. I laughed so hard..that I fell off the chair! The entire handling of the affair from a 4 hours lapse before announcing to the public to the official statements made thus far...etc was to say the least..farcical. Anyway, hopefully...the limping Houdini will be captured soon. And I will like to see some heads roll as well...from the incumbent ministry. An apology alone does not matched the magnitude of such folly.