TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

Especially during the summer months! I arrived in Dubai in the middle of the night and the weather was a very warm 36C -- Yes, this is the temperature at midnight. I was already worried what the temperature will be like during the day. Obviously in the soaring 40's! The record I think that I experienced was 45C, and I can tell you, Dubai in the summer months is like hell. It is a sweltering infierno and insanely humid. Water in the form of fog hangs in the air. It is futile to capture a clear sykline of Dubai because of this. Moreover, it is impossible to stand or walk outside for 5 minutes. Not even for 2 minutes! Walking under a covered walkway will make you sweat buckets. You need a chauffeur to bring you around otherwise you will melt! Above picture is my chauffeur from my hotel. He's got a brand new Lexus, some parts of the car are still covered in plastic even. I have also used the normal taxi service from the streets but I have used him (the hotel chauffeur)...

The concept of ‘Restaurant Day’: ‘It is a worldwide food carnival when anyone can set up a restaurant, a café or a bar for a day. It can happen anywhere: at your home, at the office, on a street corner, in your garden or inner courtyard, at a park, or on the beach – only your imagination is the limit.’         –  Excerpt from Restaurant Day website. Students from this French Chef also joined in the worldwide food event. So far there are 5,300+ pop-up one-day restaurants in over 45 countries and counting! The event is held 4 times a year. The next Restaurant Day is August 18, that is 3 weeks from now! Hurry and check the Restaurant Day link above for the dates and find out if your city is joining. Maybe you can pop-up a restaurant of your own as well? The perfect opportunity to release those creative and entrepreneurial skills of wannabe foodies who love to cook! Well, I am a wannabe foodie as well but who loves to eat =) Unfortunately the countries ...

On my wish list in my visit to Tallinn was to watch a ballet show. Eastern Europe is the gateway to the ballet world and I wanted to have a taste of this in Estonia. I was lucky enough because when I was there the ‘Bajadeer’  (also spelled as Bayadère) was premiered at the Estonian National Opera House ! I could not have been more happier! So here I am in the lift of Meriton Old Town Garden Hotel ready to go to the show. I was lazy to wear something else, so I improvised and put on my black heels (and not the stilettos because the cobbled streets in Tallin are a pain to walk on) and my dependable black shawl. Done! Would have loved to do something with my hair but did not have the time. This is the Estonian National Opera Theater and this picture was taken from this trendy café called Kohvik Komeet located in the shopping mall across it. A very nice place to spend a break especially with this view. The lobby of the theatre taken during the afternoon I bought the tic...

If you want to lunch or even just have drinks—coffee or a glass of bubbly in style and with a view of Amsterdam, then check out Hilton Doubletree’s Sky Lounge . Wide and floor to ceiling glass window panels commanding fabulous views to Amsterdam Centraal Station area, the Red Light District (yes just right across!) and Nieuwmarkt. When it’s beautiful weather, the outdoor terrace is open. In the evening, the ambience inside the lounge and the views outside are even more spectacular. I was here last year with girlfriends Bru and Pinpin. Pinpin flew across the Pacific Ocean via Dubai from Hawaii to Amsterdam to visit me. Here is the entry I made during our visit in the evening to Sky Lounge late last year: Amsterdam Part 2: Chic places to have a drink--'Vyne' and 'Hilton Sky Lounge' on a cold, wet and windy Saturday Lunch with a View to the Red Light District and Nieuwmarkt Blondine and I were here last month, June. It was a balmy day, however with a little bi...