Hollywood meets Bollywood...

The theme for the Capital Club's Gala this year was "Hollywood meets Bollywood".

Continuing to embrace our minimalist lifestyle and wardrobes, we pulled out our only gala outfits and accepted we would just loosely embrace the Hollywood part of the theme.

Sangita - Beth's co-worker - however, truly came through in the clutch.

Rooting through her daughter's closet, Sangita showed up at work the morning of  the Gala with one of her daughter's traditional Indian outfits.

A beautiful colour and close-enough fit, the happy ensemble allowed us to embrace both sides of the theme and the outfit itself was actually way more comfortable than Beth's usual formal wear!

Shakespeare Under The Stars...

The weather in Dubai is gorgeous at this time of year and perfect for Shakespeare Under the Stars to make a short stop in Dubai.

The production's all-female cast adapted MacBeth to take place in current-day Dubai, complete with cell phones, fashion shows and a hip clubbing-culture.
Taking place in Al Serkal Avenue, Dubai's main art district, the immersive production had guests following their favourite characters around the district as the story unfolded.

A little slow to start, the acting and pace improved throughout, with Lady MacBeth's bathtub drowing leaving us almost breathless.

And even better than the fantastic fake ambulance and paramedics who came and picked up all of the "dead" bodies, a small group of teenage boys who sprinted from area to area so they wouldn't miss any of the happenings, unexpectedly helped to infuse a little humour into an otherwise dark storyline.

Great acting, a rich backdrop and some true surprises made for a powerful evening.

Books for all...

In May 2016, the UAE's National Reading Law came into force, making the UAE a pioneer in promoting and supporting reading, a key ingredient in nurturing the mind and soul.

Not only is Dubai spearheading Reading Nation, an initiative to distribute 5 million books to children in refugee camps and in places in need around the world, but it is encouraging a love of reading much closer to home.

All round the city you can find small libraries, with free books available for use.  Beth passes one on her walk to work,  Geoff sees them around the financial district...you can even find them on the beach!

One more innovative and impactful Dubai initiative...

Divine Downtown Dubai...

Pictures speak more powerfully than words...

Sunny London

We were incredibly lucky to enjoy one of London's nicest weather weekends so far this year.

And we tried to make the most of it.

Deciding to forego a traditional restaurant for our final trip meal together, we instead visited some nearby takeaway shops and picked up a picnic to enjoy in Regent's Park.

EAT did not disappoint with it signature Vegetable Gyoza soup.

As we lounged in the sunshine (with the thousands of other Londoners taking advantage of the Spring weather) eating creamy brie and ginger snaps, we reminisced about the wonderful weekend and strategized about our next reunion. 

 After Catharine and Molly headed to the airport, Janna and I soaked up the last few minutes of tthe weekend with some mandatory Pimms cocktails and snacks over at St. Christopher's Place before heading on our way after a whirlwind but incredible reunion.

Next year...Dubai!

Sketchy Sketch

Having read multiple glowing recommendations, we arrived at Sketch restaurant with some lofty expectations.

The room itself was lovely - with lush pink decor and some very cool artwork on the wall.

And the bathrooms - individual pods and some distorting mirrors - added a funky touch.

But those were the restaurant highlights.

The servers were aloof yet pushy and the food and drink over-priced and not very tasty.

Only after we paid and were waiting at the coat check did someone come over to say we had to go and sit back down for a birthday treat (which somehow became almost expected after being celebrated so often over the weekend).

The restaurant was certainly overrated but the company continued to be divine...and we tackled our Sketch disappointment with a nightcap at the bustling and welcoming Chiltern Firehouse, an old fire station that was ablaze with people, energy and a divine outdoor patio.  Definitely a better choice for next time!

Dreamy Dreamgirls...

A bit delayed due to our unexpected tasting-menu lunch at The Clove Club, we bolted out of the taxi and charged up the hill to the Savoy Theatre for an afternoon performance of Dreamgirls.

Thank goodness we had picked up the tickets the day before!

It was a powerful ensemble cast and the music was particularly memorable.  Having been moved beyond words at the end of the first act, we clearly supported the play reviews that declared Amber Riley was born to play Effie.

The Clove Club

Thanks to Geoff's avid reading of RSS Feeds, we learned at the last minute that The Clove Club had become London's highest ranked restaurant.

And so, of course, while enjoying afternoon tea at one restaurant, we furiously tried to contact another restaurant to see if we could squeeze in a Saturday lunch to an already packed restaurant schedule.

Luckily, we got the last table!

And for all of my jokes about the amount of dining we we were doing over the weekend, this "five-course tasting menu" addition was well worth it.  The understated yet pretty restaurant offered some of the most delicious food that we enjoyed all weekend. 

The Wondrous Wolseley

Although Catharine chose the healthier "go for a run" option, Molly and I could not resist having breakfast at The Wolseley on Saturday morning.

The grand and historic former car showroom attached to the Ritz Carlton showcases its original 1920s black and white marble interior, domed archways and intricate geometric designs, and offers a stunning place to refuel.


Although the restaurant no longer serves its fabulous vegetarian sausages, its other breakfast options were delightful and, paired with such a regal and lively setting and wonderful conversation, was a perfect place to start the day. 

So many birthday celebrations...

I only realized the popularity of our dinner spot - Nopi - when Nikki pulled out her Nopi cookbook over breakfast that morning.

We were clearly going to be in for a treat.

Greeted by a buzz of people and a delicious-looking display table of vegetables and salads, we excitedly settled into a comfortable table and ordered some unusual and colourful cocktails.

With all the bustle of the restaurant, however, a hush came over the table when the waiter arrived a few minutes later and started opening a bottle of champagne.   Not sure if he had made a mistake or, if not, which one of us had ordered it, we were surprised and delighted to learn that Catharine's husband, Geoff, had organized this wonderful surprise.

Although a few thought that the meal did not meet expectations, I was impressed with the extensive vegetarian options which allowed a vegetarian to participate fully in the concept of "sharing plates".   And, for the second time in one day, we were treated to a happy birthday dessert.  Perhaps we should always say it is our birthday??

  

A spot of afternoon tea...

To celebrate our 40th birthdays, our H.C. high-school crew planned a reunion in London for a long-weekend of festivities.

The overnight flight proved a star as we all arrived from our different corners of the world (Singapore, Toronto, Dubai and London) bright and early on Friday morning to give us the full weekend together.

Actually arriving half an hour early (before the sun even awoke), I jumped on the tube to head over to Janna's new house.  A couple of subways and an unplanned bus ride later, I walked up the final hill to be greeted by catcalls from a passing car before arriving at Janna and Nikki's place.  The excursion was worth it - visiting their inviting new home and enjoying a leisurely healthy breakfast catch up and a well-needed shower (which only made the earlier catcall that much more surprising), was a perfect start to the weekend.

Meeting at The Marylebone Hotel (Doyle Collection), the four of us wandered over to The Corinthia Hotel for afternoon tea, the official kick-off to our "HC Girls Do London" weekend.  Having examined and smelled all of the possible tea options, we selected our choices - supplemented with a glass of sparkling - and spent the afternoon eating finger sandwiches and scones - while we caught up on the latest happenings.

Realizing that we needed to finish our afternoon tea in order to make it on-time for our quickly approaching dinner reservation, we headed over to the Savoy to pick up our theatre tickets for Saturday and took a quick stroll through Covent Garden before catching a taxi to the hotel for a quick dinner-clothing change.

A delicious start to the celebrations....

Polo. Dubai Style.

As part of a conference Geoff was involved in, he was invited to a Polo tournament at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club.  Lucky for Beth, Geoff's work date had to cancel at the last minute, opening up a spot! 

Even better, the polo afternoon hosted not just horse polo...but camel polo!  

To play camel polo, two people actually ride the camel.  One steers the camel and the other focuses on hitting the ball.  The camels seem slightly smaller than regular camels, making it a little easier to reach down and whack the ball.

We are not sure whether some of the riders were fairly new at the game, but it all seemed a little more chaotic and unstructured than traditional polo, making it a humorous and enjoyable game to watch.

Much like regular polo, the riders seemed very happy to get off their animals at the end of the game and come and enjoy a gorgeous lunch spread and some champers.