things that make me happy

after a late night.

brunch @ the ritz.

perfection.

xx penguina

le week-end: food worth mentioning

last friday i went out to a lunch worth mentioning with my family and family friends. not only was the restaurant a great success, it was baby zayd's first day out somewhere other than the hospital ie. a VERY special outing. we ate at madera in the charming rosewood hotel, "nestled amid 16 pristine acres in silicone valley." the resto gives off that warm winter lodge-esque kinda feel featuring a large fireplace and an artisan wood-burning open kitchen that mesmerizes anyone with all the yummy aromas that dance in the air. we sat outside and had a picturesque view to indulge in, which enhanced the whole experience!

 i went for the mussels to start, i'd say they were acceptable; not the best i've had, but definitely worth finishing. my main was a tuna nicoise that hit the spot. according to the others, the tomato basil soup, and lobster rolls were scrumptious! california is rich in agriculture so you generally find more local produce, which is why it's so fresh!

  i think this was around the time when the photo-taking needed to calm down and i had exhausted my posing abilities. check out how unpredictable the weather  is though. one second the suns burning your skin, the next you better have a good jacket handy to bundle up with. i was shocked/jealous to see people swimming and splashing around in the pool. after 5 years in boston, the 3 years spent in the uae have destroyed my tolerance to cold weather. not happy.

zayd sleeping cozily in his badass bassinet. he was so well-behaved, until he got hungry and made sure to let everyone know. cute little nugget.

xx

le week-end

what's my favorite thing to do when i'm in a city? walk. living in the united arab emirates where neither the weather nor the roads permit a safe pedestrian experience has made my legs forget their ability to transport me to distances that extend more than a block and a half.

i live in a country that basically has bearable weather for four months of the year; where my idea of a long walk is pretty much a total of 15 steps i.e. zara to massimo dutti in the mall of emirates, and where a hike is from gallery lafayette to social house in dubai mall. so looking back on the past week, i'm not sure how i walked an average of 5 hours a day. my feet hate being around me right now. sucks for them. i have to say tho that i can't complain much, the weather was divine and everyone seemed to be in happy spirits (except a librarian at the v&a going up for token anal grump of the year)* 

meet shaden (left) yazzy (right). yazzy's visiting as well from dubai. she's really weird but whevs... i've known her since we were in middle school and she knows everything about me so i have to be nice. i guess :)
we got a bit too excited on the spindle chairs at the V&A. i think we were under the impression that we're much smaller than we are. i'd rather keep it that way.

i got so excited to walk into a proper library. yazzy thought we should act natural. this is probably the most UNNATURAL photo you'll ever see of us.

*if there was a campaign on the dangers of sexual frustration she'd be the face of it. 

she never got enough love; ergo the stone cold life. i'd still rather be a statue than the librarian.

yazzy made me walk everywhere on friday. we definitely passed the 5 hr mark that day. for some reason, i find walking in a park incomplete without a canine companion, n'est-ce pas?

how to be comfy on the streets.

 lunch at mediterraneo in notting hill on saturday was so satisfying i can't even begin to explain. italian food at its finest. it's my second time there and definitely a place worth eating at. my friend had veal with some sort of a truffle sauce... i don't even know how to describe it because it was so good. i made sure to steal a good amount of the sauce for my chicken tee-hee. it was like an amazing meal and dessert in one. please go.

a london sunset. 

after walking and shopping, then walking and shopping some more, i finally came home and hung out with a friend. i was completely exhausted - i didn't even bother moving to the bed from the couch when i passed out.

i hope you all had a fun & active weekend!

xx penguina

le week-end...

work, coffee and snacks @ the pavilion.

long overdue photoshoot. 

i think i spent the majority of my time at dubai mall again. but made it all better with some coffee liqueur. mmmm.

brunch @ limetree actually hit the spot. i'm very proud of myself for avoiding the cakes.

comparing sea salt with milk or dark choco. i prefer the dark surprisingly. 

fancy a mini tic tac?

hope you had a good weekend, happy sunday! 

xx penguina

le week-end

other than eating and an occasional hour or two at night to spare with friends, most of my time on thursday and friday was spent on the set of a short film i'm in. i won't be able to give away any info until it's out. i had posted a couple photos but needed to take them down oops.  

i was lucky to be staying on the promenade right next to my fave spot, Baker & Spice. i wonder if it'll ever open in abu dhabi. #wishfulthinking. my experience with food in abu dhabi this weekend: Olea at the St Regis Hotel on saadiyat island... i wouldn't go again. 

random realizations: 

- i freak out about losing my phone at least 4 times a day, only to find out i'm either sitting on it, or that it's in my bag.

- i feel like i will have spent 70% of my life untangling my iPod's headphones.

- i don't think i can ever love a gum flavor as much as BIG RED.

- even though i've been brought up in a house of tech geeks and constant updates of electronic gadgets, my dad will never understand that he can talk at a normal volume when he's on an international call or on Skype. 

- napping is so underrated.

- i want a cat.

i hope you all had a ravishing weekend!

xx penguina