Native Quarters

Native Quarters at Bastakiya, Bur Dubai

Check out other interesting monochrome shots at Monochrome Maniacs.

Fiery Water

I just love it when the sky makes beautiful reflections on the water, just like this one... it looks like the water was burning (hmm.. how crazy does that sound?).

Get wet at Watery Wednesday today...

Yellow Boat

Brighten up your day with other yellow entries at Mellow Yellow Monday.

Samal

Samal Island, Davao
July 2007

Get wet today by checking other entries at Watery Wednesday. Get mesmerized by photos with a sepia twist, check out Sepia Scenes.

Autumn Leaves

Visit other entries at Ruby Tuesday and feast you eyes on all things made beautiful with a touch of red.

Golden Dawn

Deira Creek, Dubai

Check out other fascinating skies and sceneries at Skywatch Friday and Scenic Sunday.

Romancing the Creek

View along Bur Dubai Creekside which sets the romantic mood for those enjoying a Dhow Cruise dinner along the creek.

See other interesting parts of the world at My World Tuesday. If you love red like I do, get your red dose from Ruby Tuesday, then head over to Watery Wednesday for a splash. Go and see the entries also at Wordless Wednesday which may leave you speechless. (Hmm, looks like I b-b-qued a lot of memes with this one shot).

Light Drapes

A shopping souk in Dubai Mall complex used (Christmas) lights together with soft Georgette-like tulle fabric to decorate its entrance area and hallways. This decor gave a very elegant and relaxing ambiance to the place. For some reason, I liked the photo even better in B&W than its original color, the mono gave the lights a better "starry" effect in the photo.

"Ribbon Flower"

I saw this tiny flower bud at Dubai Marina a couple of weeks back, so sorry I don't know it's proper name, but since it has ribbon-like buds at the center, I took the liberty of calling it "ribbon flower" (I wish there's a Google or Wiki image search specific to flowers and other species so I don't have to guess or invent a name next time).

Feast your eyes on other lovely flowers, visit Today's Flowers.

Gloom

Something about the tone of this photo makes me feel somewhat gloomy, I guess that's just the effect of an overcast sky, but I'm still loving the drama in this sepia shot.

Check out other moods and interesting captures at Sepia Scenes.

Burjuman

Burjuman Mall, Bur Dubai District

This very classy mall - just a 5 minute walk from our house, is quite famous among locals and tourists, having Saks Fifth Avenue as its mall flagship (the quintessential icon of New York taste and style, synonymous with high end fashion).

Most shops in Burjuman sell signature brand items that are comparatively cheaper compared to same brand Western located shops, but my particular favorite in this mall are the interiors! The interior details within the mall and its conjunct office tower are superb. The restaurant spot in the above photo is my favorite place here...I love the lighting, the aesthetic water effects, the palm trees and the ceiling and restaurant interior finish they used for this particular area - all very impressive details.

See other people's world, visit My World Tuesday.

Puffy Clouds

Al Rolla area, Bur Dubai District

Altocumulus clouds like these are my favorite, their puffy appearance are so reminiscent of cotton candy (makes me crave for one now...I couldn't seem to remember the last time I had one, it has been so long). Anyways, back to the clouds... I really enjoyed capturing this beautiful sight on one hot afternoon. While walking along the street, I saw this lovely building which I thought would add character when framed with the sky, I believe it did add a nice touch.

See other fascinating skies from around the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

Blue Green

Beautiful Boracay waters (Philippines)... this is the perfect spot for snorkeling.

Ghaf Tree

Ghaf Tree along Karama Street, Bur Dubai District

Sometimes referred to as the umbrella tree, Ghaf trees are ancient native trees of the Arabian peninsula, now designated as the national tree of the UAE. Numerous campaigns have been launched in the past years to spread awareness about Ghaf, but more importantly, the objective of these campaigns is to support the effort of preserving this endangered tree.

The indigenous ghaf (Prosopis cineraria) has been an integral part of the UAE's distinctive desert environment and the civilization that developed here. Ghaf is historically and culturally as valuable as it is ecologically. This wild tree can survive for hundreds of years with little water.

Sadly, a huge number of trees has dropped due to land clearance for development projects, over grazing, and excessive water extraction (isn't it disheartening how nature always takes a back seat to give way to urban development?). Thanks to the diligent efforts of concerned environmentalists, strict measures are now being implemented by the local government to protect surviving natural ghaf groves. Unauthorized removal of this endangered tree is now prohibited by law and hefty penalties are imposed on violators.

See other interesting stuff in different parts of the world, visit My World Tuesday.

Shadows

This is just one of the rustic Arabic-style interior elements that make Souk Madinat in Jumeirah a very nice place to visit, there are so many unique stuff here that makes for a good photography subject.

Be sure to check out other interesting monochrome entries at Monochrome Maniacs.

Getting The Groove Back

Hi! We're back. We've settled and adjusted pretty well in our new place, but had to wait quite a while for the internet line to get up and running. We really missed blog hopping and visiting friends, now it's time for us to do a lot of catching up.

Thanks to everyone who still came by our site though we were on a break, special thanks to those who left comments and wished us well on our move.

Ok, time to pick up the momentum and get some nice photos posted...

BLOG BREAK

Hi everyone! So sorry we have not posted in a while, we have been so busy lately with our recent move to a new house and we're still waiting for our new internet line to be installed, so we'll be on a short blog break until our internet connection gets sorted out.

Thanks for the visit and do check back after a week's time. See you then!

Box Jellyfish

Photo taken at Dubai Aquarium, Dubai Mall

Box Jellyfish is best known for its extremely powerful venom -- being the most deadly in the animal kingdom. Stings from such species are excruciatingly painful, either initially or as an after-effect, and are often fatal to their prey and sometimes even for humans. However, not all species of Box Jellyfish are this dangerous to humans.

I've had my own awful experience of being stung with a jellyfish many years back, it's a good thing that the people I was with at that time knew exactly how to apply first aid, they quickly applied vinegar and removed the tentacles immediately. That vinegar proved to be a savior. That is why it is important to know at least some basics about first aid, you'll never know when something like this could happen.

By the way, that experience never did once scare me off from swimming or snorkeling again because I really love to swim. Nevertheless, I could never stress enough the importance of being more careful, and to never go swimming alone especially in beaches, and of course to know first aid... it can save your life.

Visit other Watery Wednesday entries HERE.