/**/ November 2013 - Travel + Decor + DIY

My Dubai Food Blog: Eataly, Dubai Mall

Dubai is indeed a big playground (not just for kids, if you know what I am saying). The thing with this place, with all the biggest, the tallest and other world record breaking acievements , finding something authentic is a bit of a scarce. If it’s not too expensive, you’ll end up disappointed. .


 I can say that I am not that picky with food. I always appreciate what’s on the table, but one can always dream. After my trip to Italy, I became critical with Italian food (naks), there is something with real Italian cuisine that I can’t really explain, but the taste of fresh pizza dough, hand made pasta and overpowering flavor of basils and tomatoes  which you can find in you friendly neighborhood ristorantes and pizzerias is something I’ve been craving for from time to time….and for little less than 10 euros.


 As a normal day in Dubai goes, hanging out in the mall in search of sale items, we passed by a huge market like shop called ‘Eataly. It was the old location of  ‘Organics’ (if I am not mistaken). It has the same concept as Organics and Joe’s the Grocer, but this one, as the name implied, it is an Italian market place….anything and everything Italian.


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The moment I stepped inside and saw the fresh hanging mozzarella balls, I already know that I will like this place. Aside from selling Italian ingredients, it is also a restaurant. Around this Italian market, you can find food stations from pizza, pasta and even a gelato station . You can go directly to those stations or you can get a table and be waited on.


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 Although we just came from dinner, we can’t really passed this opportunity to try their stuff, so we grabbed a table and ordered a Calamari Fritti and a La Mozzarella Fior di Latte. While we were waiting for our orders to come, we can’t resist not to wander around, so we asked the waiter to reserve our table.


I love the way the interior was laid out, the white subway tiles that enveloped the whole place made it look clean and neat but the tile is a bit irregular in shape and artisan-ish, creating a raw organic vibe in the place.


Now back to the food, although I must admit that service needs to be improved as the waiters were not as prompt (and informative) as one can hope for but when our food arrived, we forgot everything about it. I haven’t tasted any Italian dish in Dubai as authentic as this. The best calamari in the city I must say and the freshness of the mozzarella made our stay worthwhile.


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Prices are in the mid range meaning it is very affordable to everyone looking for a good Italian cuisine to satisfy their palate. I will definitely going back and try their pizzas and pastas.


Eataly is located in the ground floor of Dubai Mall in front of Texas Roadhouse. 


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A quick note from Wikipedia:


“Eataly is a high-end Italian food market/mall chain comprising a variety of restaurants, food and beverage stations, bakery, and retail items. The first Eataly opened in Turin, Italy, in January 2007.[1] In New York City Eataly opened in August 2010.”


 follow them in social media: (Eataly branches around the world)


Tumblr: http://eatalyusa.tumblr.com/


facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eataly


Twitter: https://twitter.com/eataly


Instagram: http://instagram.com/eatalynyc/


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Food Blog: Eataly, Dubai Mall


Italian food Dubai


Italian Restaurant Dubai

#TheTravelingJournalProject: Watch out for something new coming up!

With the success of The Traveling Journal Project we are coming up with something exciting for all of our globetrotter friends!


Watch out for it…coming very very soon in 2014!


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#TheTravelingJournalProject: Watch out for something new coming up!


The Traveling Journal Project: Watch out for something new coming up!

#TheTravelingJournalProject: The Ngorogoro Crater Adventure

Continuing with its African adventure, The Traveling Journal Project experience the wildlife in the Ngorogoro Crater.


This is the note from its current keeper:


"Vår siste dag på safari dykket vi ned i det enorme Ngorogoro-krateret som er hjemmet til flere tusen ville dyr. Solen snek seg gjennom skyene og kaste et lys over savannen. Vi startet jakten på dagens viktigste dyr – neshornet!"


(Our last day on safari we dive into the vast Ngorongoro Crater which is home to thousands of wild animals. The sun crept through the clouds and cast a light on the savanna. We started the search for the most important animals - rhino!)


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"Ngorogoro-krateret hadde flere overraskelser. Vi fant tre løvinner som spiste på en gnu de hadde felt i morgentimene. De var allerede gode og mette, men en av dem hadde fremdeles nok apetitt til å gi oss noen gode bilder."


(Ngorongoro Crater had more surprises. We found three lionesses who ate at a wildebeest they caught in the morning hours. They were already good and satisfied, but one of them still had enough appetite to give us some good pictures.)


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And…as part of every adventure, things do happen unexpectedly…but that is the beauty of it, more stories to tell and to pass on (unless there are lions around the corner).




#TheTravelingJournalProject: The Ngorogoro Crater Adventure


The Traveling Journal Project: The Ngorogoro Crater Adventure


Ngorogoro Crater, Tanzania, South Africa Trip



#TheTravelingJournalProject: Gratulerer med dagen Ingvild!

Happy Birthday to the very first  The Traveling Journal Project keeper, Ingvild from Norway! ..more amazing adventures ahead!


Travel on!!!! 


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#TheTravelingJournalProject: Gratulerer med dagen Ingvild!


The Traveling Journal Project: Gratulerer med dagen Ingvild!

Christmas Bazaar: Things Yule Like by Ductac, Mall of The Emirates

This coming 23rd of November, Surat Journal will be participating in ’ Things Yule Like, A Christmas Market’ by Ductac. It will be in Mall of the Emirates, Dubai between 12nn to 7pm!


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It’s going to be an awesome market with different UAE based artisans and merchants. So if you are looking for a place to get those holiday packs, you know where to go this weekend!


Hope to see you all there!


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Christmas Bazaar: Things Yule Like by Ductac, Mall of The Emirates

Dubai Fundraisers to Help the Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) Victims in the Philippines

Over the past days, the Philippines has been all over the local and international news because of the destructive typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).  The biggest to ever hit our country.


Every time that watch the news, read my social media feeds and even talking with someone (whether a Filipino or not), my heart keeps on sinking as I hear stories of what’s happening in my country.


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Photograph by: Bullit Marquez,AP


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Photograph by: Raul Banias


On the other side, in this scenario, we have also seen how the world unites to bring support and aid to those who were affected by the storm. While countries all over the world gives the much needed financial aids (and reliefs), Filipinos have been busy as well to come up even in the simplest way to provide help and relief to our kababayans in Visayas.


As I was looking for news about typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), I came across this article from the Philippine’s www.rappler.com on several creative fundraisers that are being organized right now. Here are a few of them.


Rappler.com’s: Cool, creative fundraisers for Typhoon Haiyan victims


The Better Closet


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MUNI is accepting pre-loved clothes which they will sell to raise cash donations for Yolanda victims.


Art with a Heart


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Designer and illustrator Kitkat Pecson is selling signed prints of her artworks. 100% of proceeds will be donated to Typhoon Yolanda victims.


Original art auction by JL8 creator Yale Stewart


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"Webcomic artist Yale Stewart is holding a special sale for an artwork dedicated to Typhoon Haiyan relief, as well as an auction for the original art seen in the image, to help raise funds. All proceeds from the sale and the auction will be donated to UNICEF Philippines.”


Here in Dubai, from the time that the news broke out about what happened in Tacloban and other neighboring provinces, different groups have been organizing fundraisers to support our motherland.


Here are some of the fundraisers that will happen over the coming weekend. If you are in Dubai, you can choose to support any of the following.


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Aside from these events, I am helping fellow Filipino travel blogger  with the event that she is organizing. It is an independent fundraiser that will happen on the 22nd of November. It’s going to be a benefit lunch and dinner and it will be called Fiesta For A Cause.You can check the original post about this event in her blog www.pinayflyinghigh.com.


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A food-filled Friday for the benefit of YOLANDA typhoon victims in the Philippines. Filipino-style buffet lunch and dinner will be served with unlimited drinks (water, softdrinks, tea) priced at AED60 per person. Food stubs will be sold starting Friday (15NOV), please contact these numbers / Rosso Amore Restaurant at 044564363/0552891931/0552586041 to purchase your tickets in advance.


Lunch timings: 11am to 4pm
Dinner timings: 6pm to midnight
Note: Separate food stubs for lunch and dinner.


Menu:
Chicken lumpiang shanghai
Kare-kare w/ bagoong
Chicken Caldereta
Fish Fillet in sweet & sour sauce
Chopsuey
Dessert: Buko pandan
Plain rice


Note: Italian dishes will also be served. :)


Proceeds will go to:
World Vision


In-kind donations will also be accepted and highly encouraged during lunch/dinner.


What you can donate:


MEDICINES – most especially basic medicines for colds, flu and cough. Also if possible, include medicine for surface wounds as many have been wounded because of the debris and fallen rooftops.


FOOD – Canned goods. There is currently no water source in Tacloban so anything which requires cooking with water is not recommendable (noodles, etc.)


CANDLES AND MATCHES – there’s no electricity for a minimum of two months so all people will need these.


FLASHLIGHTS AND BATTERIES


CLOTHES


ALCOHOL, SANITIZERS


BLANKETS


SLIPPERS


In-kind goods will be sent thru LBC the next day, Saturday 23NOV. LBC is currently accepting donations and is willing to send all these for free.


Here’s the location map of the Rosso Amore Restaurant:


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From the tragic calamities that happened in the Philippines (earthquake/typhoon) I know that we Filipinos will / can stand. It may not be that quick, but our spirit as a nation can never be drowned by any storm. It’s time for us to unite, stop pointing fingers but instead, lend a helping hand.


As what I am always declaring in my life, I am serving a big God and no problem even the strongest storm in history can match my God.


Hope to see you all in one of these fundraisers. image




Dubai Fundraisers to Help the Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) Victims in the Philippines

Grid Gallery - Post Format

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#TheTravelingJournalProject: Serengeti National Park Safari Adventure

I know that I am not alone when I say that I have been dreaming of going on an African Safari ever since I have watched Disney’s The Lion King (and some National Geographic documentaries).


The idea of seeing the wild up close got all my adventure bones tingling. So, when I received this photo of The Traveling Journal Project I was so excited to share with everyone….and like me, their jaw dropped and said ‘wow’!


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Here’s a note from the current The Traveling Journal Project Keeper:


Endelig skulle vi bytte ut den store trucken med terrengkjøretøy for å jakte på de ville dyrene i Afrika. Serengeti nasjonalpark i Tanzania er en av de beste stedene i Afrika for safari, og vi var klar for å endelig se «the big five».


(“Finally, we should replace the big truck with the ATVs to hunt the wild animals in Africa. Serengeti National Park in Tanzania is one of the best places in Africa for a safari and we were ready to finally see "the big five.)


Africa’s big five are:


  • Lion

  • African Elephant

  • Cape Buffalo

  • Leopart

  • Rhinoceros

According to a note from wikepedia:


"The term big five game (sometimes capitalized or quoted as "Big Five") was coined by big-game hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. Subsequently the term was adopted by safari tour operators for marketing purposes.[2] The term is used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. The members of the Big Five were chosen for the difficulty in hunting them and the degree of danger involved, rather than their size.”


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Africa is so beautiful, just looking at this, I want to just to start searching www.cleartrip.com and book my flight.


I cant wait for the next adventure of The Traveling Journal Project in Africa.


To see more of The Traveling Journal Project and also photographs of other traveling journals (My Traveling Journal Project), follow us in Instagram. www.instagram.com/thetravelingjournalproject .


You can also check our current keeper’s travel blog in www.yolotrip.wordpress.com



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#TheTravelingJournalProject: Serengeti National Park Safari Adventure


The Traveling Journal Project: Serengeti National Park Safari Adventure


Safari Adventure


Trip to Tanzania Serengeti National Park Africa

Surat Journals: Good Housekeeping Feature, October 2013

Last month, I was so happy that  the Middle East version of Good Housekeeping feature Surat Journals. Surat Journals became part of Good Housekeeping’s ‘Good List’ for the month of October. It was their pink issue because as what I have mentioned in my previous blog, October = Pink Month….so their used our pink journal for feature.


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Before the feature, we got a brief appearance in Good Housekeeping July/August issue on an article talking about ‘How to Write A Novel’. It was a surprise..and we are so happy about it.



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It was a great year for Surat Journals and we are looking forward to another beautiful season. 


You can check out Good Housekeeping Middle East in their FB page by clicking this link: https://www.facebook.com/GoodHousekeepingMiddleEast


To know more about Surat Journals, you can visit and like our FB page by clicking on this link: https://www.facebook.com/suratjournal



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Surat Journals: Good Housekeeping Feature, October 2013

Event Blog: Burjuman Safe and Sound Pink Walkathon 2013 (Breast Cancer Awareness Month)

For the whole month of October, Surat Journals have been campaigning about the ‘Think Pink, Support The Fight’ initiative. October, being the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a lot of institutions and businesses have been supporting this cause.


We have changed our business banners and profile photo into a pink campaign (a simple gesture of support, which I think anyone can do and participate).


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Personally, I don’t know (as far as I can remember) someone directly who has/had breast cancer, but I have a friend whose mom lost the battle against this (cowardly) disease and the same case happened to a fiance of a close friend.


Although in statistics, there are a lot of women (and also men) who lost the battle but there are also people who are standing right now and waving a flag of victory and won against breast cancer. The thing with breast cancer (and cancer in general) is that without the proper knowledge, people will most likely to detect it when it is in its critical stage. Proper education and awareness is one of the keys for us to prevent and fight this disease. This is the goal of The Breast Cancer Awareness Month Initiative. (knowledge is indeed power)





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(Photo courtesy of Safe and Sound FB page)


Last November 1, 2013 over 15,000 people walked for a cause in Zabeel Park Dubai,UAE.Through the program named Safe and Sound, an initiative by Burjuman in Dubai. It is very vocal on its quest to bring awareness to every woman on how it can detect, fight and stand against the menacing cancer. 



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For the past years a ‘Pink Walkathon’ was held in Dubai as a sign of support for this cause. Year after year the growth of participants increases and this year it reached a record high.


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Geared with enthusiasm people from all walks of life gathered together on a fine Friday morning and let their voice be heard and let the whole world know that we are here and ready for the fight (and Surat Journals didn’t missed out to show our support).


We hope to see you all next year.


to know more about this click on the following links below:


https://www.facebook.com/SafeAndSoundAE


http://www.burjuman.com/social-responsibility/



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Event Blog: Burjuman Safe and Sound Pink Walkathon 2013 (Breast Cancer Awareness Month)