Emirati Expressions

music: lady gaga::lets dance
mood: keeping up w lily

Last week i attended the opening ceremony of Emirati Expressions in Abu Dhabi an exhibition that showcased around 60 emirati artists including 3 lightboxes of my multiple exposure holga shots framed in lit up lightboxes! A splendid array was showcased including the works of my budding cuzzies khulood and nawal ! i also loved the printed umkulthoom series by khuloud and was ecclectic about meeting reem alghaith ! awww lets hear a great round of applause for all the Emirati talents hailed in the U.A.E. and show your support by dropping into the exhibit at the The Emirates Palace Hotel , gallery one the exhibit will be up until mid April so drop in sometime and enjoy the show...


tdi1 (10k image)
artist badges
tdi2 (14k image)
reception area
tdi3 (19k image)
wall of artists
tdi4 (18k image)
amnas wall mural
tdi5 (12k image)
exhibition hall
tdi6 (13k image)
my lightbox on display
PinkSushi on 01.27.09 @ 01:25 PM GMT+4

Monday, December 29th

ISTANBUL

music: walk into the sun
mood: apple tea, nargeela & turkish delights

Here's my version of a hip city guide to istanbul i just love that place it has so much character , this was my second tasting of the vibrant city and i am still hungry for a third helping..

EAT :: it's a joke - Citys Mall, Hakkasan - Kanyon mall, Hamdi's by the Spice Bazaar, & Beyti for the best iskender kebab ever serving Doner kebabs melt in your mouth!

SHOP:: The Grand Bazaar, Koska for fresh turkish delights, Ortakoy for the best handcrafted scarves baby booties, evil eye wristbands and 2die4 vintage jewellery, The Spice Bazaar & Istinye Park

STAY:: W Istanbul

VISIT:: Haghia Sophia Mosque, The Blue Mosque, The Topkapi Place, Dolmabache Museum, Akartler Row, The Bosphorous private cruise

NARGEELA:: Ali Baba, Ortakoy

For all you Noor TV show lovers you can also make a trip to muhannad's palace lol! which is supposedly extremely popular with the GCC tourists ... righhhhht! lol Have a wonderful new hijri new year peeps! love 2 all!

tr1 (15k image)
W reception area
tr2 (28k image)
welcome desk
tr3 (22k image)
concierge
tr4 (26k image)
trendiest xmas tree eva
tr5 (18k image)
minarets
tr6 (26k image)
lovely istanbul
tr7 (12k image)
umm iskender kebap
tr8 (36k image)
topkapi museum
tr9 (24k image)
ortakoy market
tr10 (38k image)
mosaic patterned tulips
tr11 (23k image)
turkish tea by the Bosphorous

PinkSushi on 12.29.08 @ 12:24 AM GMT+4


Saturday, December 20th

ROYAL JORDANIAN

music: Mocean Worker::tres tres chic
mood: rejuved

Before i describe my exhilarating adventure a la indiana jones infused with a lawrence of arabia twist to it i hope all of you had a great and much needed break! happy belated national day and a belated eid mubarak tooo! I think i've been away for a bit too long with my globe trotting escapades but i am finally back home !!! wuhooow. When it comes to spontaneity i dnt think anything beats our decision to set off to Amman, Jordan for a weekend and actually boarding a plane in less than 24hrs of planting that thought in our l'il think tanks. Thanks to Bhavna at Sharaf Travel whom can be a gem at times we got 4 seats on Royal Jordanian which was not as bad as i envisioned it to be and in around 3 hrs there we were in a lost land filled with a rich and glorious history long forgotten.

Our trip was somewhat like a shopping list in which we simply rushed about ticking off boxes on our to do list but i truly feel we saw it all from the buzzing souk albukhariya downtown, to the wonder of the world Petra on horseback, Jarash, Moint nebu, stepping foot into The Dead Sea, and a 2 hr bumpy desert ride in the back of a 70's open air truck into wadi rum with a twelve yr old driver followed by a rock climbing race against the boys! Yup that scoooped the most thrilling and adventurous trip i've been on for a while.. This trip really got my adrenaline gushing and i simply fell in love with the exquisite handwoven jordanian products such as alburgan handcrafted by women with special needs in Jordan, bravo to their encouragement of handicrafts their creations were simply beautiful..

next post Istanbul a hip version the second time round....

j1 (16k image)
the great kings
j2 (18k image)
care for some mint tea
j3 (11k image)
pillars remains in jarash
j4 (18k image)
fahad in deadsea mud sprinkled with seasalt
j5 (13k image)
entering petra
j6 (17k image)
moose & fahad exploring the narrow rock carved entrance
j7 (19k image)
mind rattling petra
j8 (16k image)
our '77 silver truck lol
j9 (15k image)
wadi rum
j10 (20k image)
my lion king

PinkSushi on 12.20.08 @ 12:28 PM GMT+4


Sunday, November 16th

PROJECT MULSAQ

music: invigorated
mood: sticky

My winning design was exhibited at Traffic in the Project Mulsaq exhibit's opening night this passing Thursday. Fun stuff!! outoff 150 entries 18 were chosen including mine for mass production to be sold internationally by the hip Dubai based company Mosaiques in conjunction with the Khatt Network for arabic typography lovers such as yours truly... The Show was gorgeous everyones artwork looked fantabulous scattered around the galleries walls. All the stickers are currently on sale at Traffic and will soon be on sale in 50c and Dia Diwan starting December 2008. The Project Mulsaq exhibit will be running until December 5th so do pop in the ultra hip Traffic Art gallery for a real glance at the vinyl wall stickers... a preview of the artwork can be viewed on the Mulsaq e-catalog enjoy the show...

Massive thanxs to Huda for curating such a masterpiece, Pascale & Nathalie for inviting me to participate, Rami for hosting the show, Soura Magazine for sponsoring the show, Moose for being my cameraman, Rima/Pallav for their support and Yoos for being a rooooaaaaar.

traffic1 (17k image)
Traffic Gallery AlBarsha
traffic2 (17k image)
Ahlan Wa Sahlan by me
traffic3 (16k image)
Bang in the entrance
traffic4 (15k image)
l'il artists get creative with leftover vinyls
traffic5 (19k image)
Ru7 by Fara7
traffic6 (21k image)
cuz i like eye thingies
traffic7 (24k image)
ab fab sticker by Sheikha
traffic8 (54k image)
help yourself corner
traffic9 (28k image)
making headlines in Emirates Today
PinkSushi on 11.16.08 @ 11:14 PM GMT+4


Monday, October 13th

TEACAKES

music: duffy:mercy
mood: numb

I woke up this morning with the limbless feeling, Thanks to my personal trainer's over the top G.I.JANE inspired fitness programme! It's as if the whole pregnancy/labour she-bang isn't enough for a female species to deal with, then along comes societies dire n brutal demands to get back into tip top shape over nite ! Yup its a harsh harsh body conscious world out there and i am caught up in the race to go back to my uk size 8 form, i am almost there.. at the borderline.. i think... hopefully, 2 more months and i will be satisfied with all this wacked out workouts inshallah it all pays off .... goshhh...

Yesterday my twin sissies hit the Giant 3 0 ! Yup the dreaded 3 0 is not too far off the growth chart for me either ! garr makes me wonder would i truly feel like i'm 30 when i do turn 30 in a few years ? I am already past midway of my twenties but i don't feel it for some surprising reason! when i was younger i'd always envision 20 -30 something peeps as oldies but now that i am classified into that agegroup i am like hey it's not so bad life is still fun and i am still proactive with nonsensical activities lol so anyway to celebrate i spent all day baking pretty tea-cakes using the readymix pillsbury cocoa cake mix, vanilla frosting, red food colouring and pretty chocolate leaf lattice shapes for decoration! The end result was a delicious set of fuschia and bubblegum pink smothered frosting on dark chocolate tea cakes... V fattening eye candy but i did manage to swallow one down GUILTLESSLY! i still have a sugar rushh hehehehe!

Also, i attended the first screening of the New York METropolitan opera in the madinat Salome' captivated her audience but i've come to the conclusion that opera ain't my thing maybe when i hit my 40's and i actually feel 40 i shall appreciate this dying art lol...

teacake1 (27k image)
Chocolate Lattice Bits
teacake2 (27k image)
fuschia n bubblegum pink
teacake3 (25k image)
cake crumbs on top
teacake5 (13k image)
the big 3 0

metop (13k image)
Tickets 2 the metropolitan opera


PinkSushi on 10.13.08 @ 11:13 AM GMT+4


Wednesday, October 8th

I <3 MALDIVES

music: Mylo:emotion 98.6
mood: witty and whimsical

Its been forever since i've been craving to set foot on the sandy Maldivian shores but for some reason or the other plans change and it never happens.. But this time my dream came true and Gosh! how magical a dream it was more beautiful than i could ever have envisioned. The Island, The People, The food, the Music, The resort, The beach, The sun, the marine life, the speedboats! WOW WOW WOW! i've been blown away!!!

But the best of all was our magnifecent resort's witty and whimsical approach to everything the fantastic branding approach made the W RETREAT & SPA MALDIVES the most gorgeous hotel i've ever stayed in on any getaway! i mean the staff never greet you with the usual "how may i help you?" but instead its replaced with a "What do you WISH for?" oooh aaaaah how could we escape this miniscule fragment of paradise on earth sub7aan allah! I also went snorkelling for the first time in my life and managed to see a giant turtle, baby sharks, massive human size lobsters and fishies painted with all the colours of the rainbow!! Breathtaking under the surface and above the surface viewsss!

Nature's beauty surpasses all in these circuit of islands and considering its only a 4 hrs flight away i am gobsmacked by why i have overlooked this relaxing holiday destination for so long! The hubby and i are undergoing serious Maldives Syndrome we have mutually agreed that we need to replace this crazy stressful dubai city-life of ours with those azure skies, turquoise waters and tranquility minus the noise, traffic and pollution.

Take me bacccccck , i'll live the robinson crusoe lifestyle just like the LOST survivors and build meself a l'il house under a coconut palm tree .. just take me back to Male' Nowwwwwww.....

OOOh and a belated 3id mubaraaak to all of youu hope u gathered tons of 3idiya hehehehe!

wm15 (23k image)
throttling off to our resort
wm1 (19k image)
w maldives
wm6 (19k image)
ocean oasis villas
wm2 (16k image)
yup thats me
wm3 (21k image)
sweet spot free cornetto stations
wm5 (20k image)
at the away spa
wm7 (31k image)
w beach flipflops
wm8 (22k image)
sunbathing turtle
wm9 (21k image)
fesdue island
wm10 (20k image)
our private sundeck
wm11 (16k image)
sunset at our private island
wm12 (25k image)
peace out lol
wm13 (25k image)
saving memories in my daily journal
wm14 (19k image)
tub ocean views
wm16 (31k image)
my flippers
wm17 (22k image)
eternal horizon
PinkSushi on 10.08.08 @ 11:04 AM GMT+4