It has been over two months yet when I sorted the photos it felt like it was just yesterday of that mid of the three-day exhilarating after-race (F1) concerts last year. Sorting the photos reminded me of the ever delighted crowd, the new acquaintances I gained over twitter and other means through those queries directed to me asking how to get up-close to the stage, how to possibly get VIP passes out of my same kind of luck in the past (*facepalm* heeheee), me advising people as if I am a serial concert goer, and other random thoughts. Hahaha. Well, with no shame I admit that I am one of those who did the marathon for the after-race concerts for the past two years of Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

It was a back to back concert for British band The Cult and Californian band Incubus that carefree night of 12th November, 2011. While The Cult was impressive for their part, without impartiality, Incubus deserved to do the second (i.e. last) half. As they say, save the better for last (at least for that night).

While I am more of a Coldplay and Linkin Park person, I must say that Incubus has its own charm and much can be attributed to its vocalist and lead guitarist Brandon Boyd. Their appearance in Abu Dhabi was part of their tour to promote their latest album “If Not Now, When?”

When they performed Anna Molly, Drive, and Wish You Were Here (finale song) the crowd went crazy. Then the biggest smile did shine when Brandon took off his shirt. Unfortunately, we did not have any photo because we were on a toilet break. What a coincidence eh. When I heard the loudest scream I knew that there was probably an emergency or someone was missing a portion of her life. I am glad I was not that of a fanatic or else I can spell regrets. Haha.

Up next is Beatles’ Sir Paul McCartney.

[Incubus 2011 after-race concert photoset]

I lost count of all the important personalities (the most recent was Queen Elizabeth) and intent whirlwind visitors who made Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque a must-see and experience in their UAE trip. Hence, when I finally saw it in person I cannot believe that it took me four years (yay! I’m soon celebrating another Abu-versary) to experience the charm and validate on my own the record-breaking details of THE mosque.

Thanks to my aunt who visited us in the overlapping momentous months of September and October last year. She made me list down the stuff which might interest her which paved way for discovery and re-discovery of UAE gems.

(The grand mosque features 80 domes,  1,096 columns in exterior and 96 columns in the main prayer hall which are embedded with more than 20,000 handmade marble panels with semi-precious stones.)

The third largest mosque in the world. We visited the grand mosque in October of last year.  There were plenty of visitors that weekend, however, we didn’t feel the need to queue or be negated by the thought of influx. Well, the grand mosque is hugeeeeee! Imagine that its size (more than 20,000 square metres) is equal to five (5) football fields. To sum up the capacity in terms of total number of worshippers, it can accommodate 40,960 people. Let me clarify though that the sum is based on the capacity of the entire mosque. The nerd in me wanted to create a pie chart to better illustrate how many worshippers it can house in the different prayer halls and court yard.

(L) My aunt covered by the traditional UAE dress* (abaya); We were teasing her that she’s got a teen spirit look here even if she’s already a senior citizen. I think that the grandeur of the open prayer hall and the wind contributed to the look.  (R) Visitors are required to remove the footwear before entering the main hall.

*Dress and behaviour code. We were required to wear the sheila (headscarf) and abaya (black robe) to cover the hair and body, respectively. On certain occasions, I had chances to try the UAE traditional dress but I always deferred it under the assumption that there’s always a next time. I’m more content being the one photographing the wearers. Finally, I tried it for the first time. It was an interesting experience especially that at times I visualized that one’s on me when I’m with my UAE Nationals-colleagues.

Putting the sheila on my top and denim was easy but I didn’t realize that covering the hair was tricky. Mine slipped several times and I had to do it over and again because the guards are keen on picking the violators, e.g. ladies with ‘hair sightings’ and not to mention the unacceptable behaviors like holding hands, eating, drinking. Anyway, I seemed pleased to a certain extent when I saw myself with the abaya on because it hid my bulges heehee. On the other hand, men are not required to wear the khoundura (white robe) unless they came in shorts and without sleeves. The kids may enter the mosque as they are but in some cases, little girls might be required to wear the sheila to cover the hair. All these elements — unused and neatly folded will be provided as you approach the open prayer hall but you must return it afterwards.

As a sign of respect, the footwear must be removed before entering the main prayer hall. It is the same protocol we followed when we visited the Sri Marriaman (Hindu) temple in Singapore.

The mosque’s name.  Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque was named after the father/founder and first president of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (“bin Sultan” means “son of Sultan”). He was buried in the mausoleum (a private building inside the mosque compound) which cannot be photographed.  Amongst the many good things he did, it was his idea that the mosque be opened to all nationalities and religions in order to educate people about Islam and its art and history, and the Muslim culture.

(The exterior walls are said to be of traditional Turkish design. The nature-inspired design throughout the mosque reflects late Sheikh Zayed’s love for the environment. Personally, I appreciated the overall cheerful yet solemn effect of  the combination of materials. Of course, the precious-looking chandelier in the main prayer hall entrance is impossible to miss.)

A decade of conceptualization. After ensuring that we were decent enough to enter the main prayer hall, we requested a wheelchair for my aunt to make it more convenient for her. I must warn you that the feeling of being regaled is comparable to a “Pringle moment” (once you popped, you can’t stop), we hardly stopped being wooooowed by every detail; no wonder that it took a decade (started in late 1980s) to conceptualize its architectural design. The construction phase itself and the end result are regarded as an effort to unify the best concepts globally. It has been reported that the artisans and materials came from Italy, Germany, Morocco, India, Turkey, Iran, China, Greece and the UAE. The mosque was inaugurated in Ramadan of 2007.

The crystals and other record-breaking blings. We thought that the bluish and whitish chandelier we saw earlier was more than a breath-taker but the seven (7) gold-coloured chandeliers inside the main prayer hall were more stunning. As reported, those were imported from Germany, have thousands of Swarovski crystals from Austria and some glass work from Italy. Reported cost? US$8.2 million.

World’s largest chandelier. In above photo you can see that under the main dome, the 10 metres in diameter, 15 metres in height and over 9 tonnes in weight chandelier hangs. That’s a mammoth weight! I hope that the mosque is ultra-earthquake proof. Rumor has it that its “sparkle ability” is powered by 40 million pieces of Swarovski crystals.

While I’m not a big fan of crystals, golds and jewelries (except for watches), my eyes sparkled in appreciation. Heehee. Do you also wonder how they do the maintenance of this? Based on unofficial local conversations, there is a built-in staircase within the chandelier itself for maintenance purposes!

The Qibla wall. Being a non-Muslim, I was most curious about the counterpart of the altar and pulpit of the priest’s (Imam in Islam) stand. I absolutely liked the idea that while its components cost a fortune, it was made to look unassuming and simple so as not to distract worshippers from prayers. The niche in the middle is called “Mehrab” which is made of gold-class mosaic. Please take note of the embossed portions as they provide details of the 99 names (qualities) of Allah in traditional Kufi calligraphy. Just a polite note to the visitors not to touch the Holy Quran (Holy Book) and other architectural elements in the main prayer hall.

(Closer look at the Qibla wall. It faces the direction of the Holy City of Mecca in Saudi Arabia — wherein the first two largest mosques can be found.)

The prayer clock (Adhan). This clock is interesting because it shows the schedule of call to prayer as of a certain day. Muslims are prescribed to pray five (5) times a day.

The world’s largest hand-knotted carpet. My aunt did not fully utilize the wheelchair inside the main prayer hall as the carpet is more inviting. Before researching on this subject, it was best to assume that the best carpets are Iranian produced. It didn’t surprise me that an Iranian artist designed the carpet.  The best part of the  trivia is that the carpet was handcrafted by 1,200 artisans in small villages near Mashhadin, a region in Iran popular for its carpet making expertise. To add,  they were flown to Abu Dhabi to stitch the carpet pieces together for the final fitting. Consisting of 2,268,000 knots, the mosque’s carpet is estimated at US$8.2 million.

The inflaid floral designs reminded me of the movie Tangled. There are 96 columns in the main prayer hall which are round in shape. Aside from the floral designs, the Italian white marble adorn the prayer halls. Take note of the ceiling also.

The ceiling at a closer look.

There are reflective pools as well, however I missed a snapshot (that’s why I’m looking forward to my next visit, probably to coincide it with sunset and stay until night). I have seen photos online that the pool itself captures the spectacular image of the mosque.

Taking photos and videos, sketching/drawing inside the mosque. Whether you’re a photo enthusiast or not, you will absolutely enjoy capturing the grand mosque because it is really beautiful, each corner can probably tell a story, capture an indescribable moment and for other reasons. Photo and video taking are allowed for personal consumption. However, I would like to reiterate that the mausoleum is off-limits as a sign of respect to late Sheikh Zayed as his remains are there. For professional film makers and media establishments, prior permission can be requested by contacting tour@szgmc.ae.  On the other hand, feel free to draw or sketch inside the mosque but avoid using chalks and charcoals.

While I wrote about the don’ts of taking photos in the UAE, I would like to remind everyone, especially the tourists, not to take photos of the UAE Nationals without permission whether you’re inside or outside the grand mosque. In case you would like to take photos of the worshippers praying at the time of your visit, I suggest that you first consult the security officers inside the mosque to avoid complications.

Good news! Entry is free of charge.

Another good news: there are free guided tours in Arabic and English. Click here for the schedule.

I realized that I need to learn from the errors of my ways of deferring my visits and/or chances of trying different things which I should have done a long time, especially if it’s for free.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre
Operating hours: 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM Daily, except on Friday mornings, first day of Eid-Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha
Website: http://szgmc.ae/en/
How to Get There

[Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque photoset]

It is my second time to celebrate new year away from home. The eve and today were spent with dear ones, cooking for them and well, it has been spiced up differently because I had a new year countdown with Coldplay. They have been here in 2009 but I was not able to catch them. I guess this is one of the blessings in disguise (no, I am not sourgraping heehee) of not being granted a leave this time due to work commitments.

Unlike the Formula 1 after-race concerts which were consistently staged at Yas Arena, last night’s concert was held at the Corniche Breakwater. I think it is due to the event being highlighted, the Volvo Ocean Race, which is happening in Abu Dhabi Corniche. While I am more at home in Yas Arena, the presence of the group in any venue may probably outweigh other preferences and considerations. It was reported that this British band was paid US$ 1.5 million for this performance and was a personal choice of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The concert kicked off with mini-fireworks display and confetti complemented some of the next numbers. They played Yellow, Viva La Vida, Violet Hill, Fix You, Paradise, In My Place, Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, and more that comprised the epic night.

While I prefer Yas Arena as a venue, I found the stage structure better last night (well, it was particularly built for the event) since it allowed the performers to be visually (and actually) more interactive with the audience. The lights’ vibe was noteworthy, too.

The band’s energy, especially of Chris Martin is unbelievable and crazy, just like the audience’s! Hearts out!

At 11:59 PM, Chris led the countdown to year 2012.

And the fireworks display followed.

What a nice way to bid adieu and welcome the new year. Catch Coldplay if you can, every minute is worth it and that still left me with the playlist/set list on repeat. Happy new year to all!

[More photos of Coldplay in my Flickr photoset]

I’m surprised and pleased when I realized that no matter what I find myself dedicating my “at a glance” post for this blog at this time of the year. And each time I’m (constantly) reminded that my year can be depicted by several photographs, it may look cheerful, boring, crazy, well, anything… but at the end of the day, it looks colorful, challenging and fulfilling to me. I will forever be thankful to the One up there for the blessings being sent to me in different ways (even the challenges are counted as blessings)!

Thanks to all the readers who continue to visit for varied reasons including the non-bloggers who try to keep in touch/ catch up with me from a distance through this blog and to those who occasionally land here to gather information (I hope I did help). May we all be happier , more fruitful and try to be better in so many ways in 2012!

We are three hours away from Christmas in this part of the Gulf. My family including the furbabies would like to wish you a meaningful celebration of this season wherever you are.

And here’s more, our resident Santa and Christmas bears would like to serenade you with a very jolly song. You’ll notice that Winello is an avid listener!

The happy mess of gift wrapping. Need to triple our time, we started so late.

And thanks to our reliable elves, 9 month-old Winello (he’s a big “boy” now!) and 3-month old Perdita (she loves hiding on that particular gift box under the Christmas tree).

The younger elf is more active, busy with sorting the greeting and post cards.

Knocked out!

******

Let’s help!

Click the photo above or this link to learn the many ways to reach out to typhoon Sendong victims.

Following Britney Spears’ after-race concert was a back to back oozing performances from The Cult and Incubus. We didn’t know who is going to perform first, but the spotlight buzzed at 8:00 PM, an hour earlier than the usual gigs in Yas Arena. There the British rock band, The Cult came in full enthusiasm.

I had a little adjustment to the ‘gothic rock’, but they were pleasant in the ears. Add to that the contagious looks of people around me who were obvious die-hards. For a moment I felt a little out of place. Hahaha. But not too long I was regaled by the head banging of the lead vocalist, but I liked more the depth of the guitarists.

The band existed even before I went to gradeschool and it was interesting to see them still standing as group although it went through ‘break-up’, reunion, hiatus, and other challenges. (In my dreams, I hope that can happen with the Philippines’/ our very own ‘Eraserheads’.)

I can say that The Cult’s appearance in the back to back concert with Incubus seemed like a ‘swing by‘ in Abu Dhabi as they are preparing for their 9th studio album.

Ended their performance via the classic She Sells Sanctuary

And as they concluded, we paused for a break as the stage was being switched on to a different kind of energy. We were at the same (front) row with them — few minutes before Incubus appeared to the crowd (*inserts teenage-like screams here*).

[The Cult in Abu Dhabi photoset]

It’s been almost a year since I attended the basic and food photography workshops conducted by the maestro. And guess what, he’s back in Abu Dhabi (although we occasionally meet him here for random gatherings and we expect to see him more since he tied the knot with one of my very good friends; I remember the giddy me when he had dinner in our house and saw this ‘gonna make you thirsty’ photo I took during a workshop hanging at the dining area) and he will conduct a free photography talk on seven (7) easy steps to creating a better photograph.

Please do come and don’t miss the experience this coming Friday, 9th December 2011, in Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi. It will start at 9:30 AM. We hope to make it on the latter part since we’ll be proceeding there from St. Joseph Church (little J is attending the catechism class every Friday). Admission is free, just present your 2011 Paskuhan ticket. (Click here to read about last year’s Christmas bazaar/paskuhan in Philippine Embassy.)

My nicest memento of the celebration is the Spirit of the Union pin. And of course, this long weekend.

Edit: Added new photos as 3 December 2011

[Spirit of the Union pin]

[Photo taking with the falcon in the office]

The following from one of my UAE-related books, Rags to Riches:

[Old Abu Dhabi]

Wonderful coverage of UAE’s 40th day celebrations via Abu Dhabi TV. I had to record this inspirational part (lots of, actually!) wherein the Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad danced with the locals. See that genuine beams.

How moments fly! It’s now round 2 of our version of bloggers Christmas exchange gift. Thanks to our gracious host, PM for sustaining this initiative. It’s given that gift-hunting and and wish-listing would be challenging since I’m too busy (the same old tune), but I willingly joined in again because I don’t want to miss the fun. I enjoyed last year’s entire process of exchange gift — stitching the set of surprises for my baby blogger and personally receiving the package sent by my ‘mommy blogger’ and exclaiming “yehey, she sent me Princess Leia and R2-D2 (Starwars) and all those things that made my 2010 holidays happier!” It was extra interesting because I got the package while I was vacationing in the Philippines in time for Christmas. So here we are again, I’m looking forward to have an ‘exchange of warmth and care’ with another blogger. Do we have the same wish list? (I did a strike through of those which already materialized. Yehey!)

Something (1) small: artsy hairclift (2) big: new or old magazines which had a feature on Ely Buendia (3) cute: earphones (4) soft: socks with cat print

Something (5) techie: e-reader preferably a Kindle (6) fancy: a brown case for my Fuji X100 (I got two from my friends!) (7) fave color: right now my fave color is ginger because that speaks about our new kitten, Perdita; I’d be pleased to have the book “How to Live With A Neurotic Cat”, PM’s post piqued me (8) wearable: bracelet

Something (9) I need: SLEEP. I’m always striving to increase my zzzzzs-time. As an alternate wish, I need Fuji films for my Instamax mini. My film stock is depleting soon and unfortunately, I can’t source anything within the UAE. (10) work: I miss those Panda pens with sweet scent and glitters from the Philippines, with blue ink as I recall (11) sweet: Lala candies from the Philippines.

Wish-listing is challenging but fun. To my exchange gift partner, I hope this helps as a guide. Enjoy the hunt and stay cool because anything from you is going to be much appreciated, basta don’t forget my Lala candies (wish # 11).

[Photo credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11]