witsandnuts

  • Home
  • The author and this site
  • Travel
    • Philippines
    • UK
      • England
        • London
      • Wales
      • Scotland
    • US
      • Los Angeles
      • San Francisco
      • Las Vegas
      • New York
      • New Jersey
    • UAE
      • Abu Dhabi
      • Dubai
    • Malaysia
    • Singapore
    • India
  • Music
    • Concerts
      • One Direction
      • Ed Sheeran
      • Jadine In Love World Tour
      • Anne Curtis
      • Eraserheads
      • Britney Spears
      • Linkin Park
      • Incubus
      • Prince
      • Kanye West
      • The Killers
      • Coldplay
  • Food
  • Books
  • Films
  • Tag: Abu Dhabi

    • Ripe Market at Umm Al Emarat Park

      Posted at 5:45 pm by witsandnuts, on October 24, 2016

      Ripe Market at Umm Al Emarat Park, Abu Dhabi

      Summer in the UAE officially said “Adios!” and that means things are livelier again at parks. Ripe Market is back in Abu Dhabi and it is happening in  Umm Al Emarat Park (which means ‘Mother of The Nation Park’; the Arabic terminologies translated as ‘Umm’ = mother, ‘Al Emarat’ = the nation). However, some find it quite a handful to pronounce and/or remember, so do not be surprised if it is still fondly called ‘Mushrif Park’.

      Ripe Market at Umm Al Emarat Park, Abu Dhabi

      While the park is open from 8:00 AM to midnight everyday, Ripe Market is happening from 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM every Saturday only. As you enter the park, you would see from your left the stalls where organic products (locally produced in UAE) are being sold. Continue reading →

      Posted in Food, UAE | 4 Comments | Tagged Abu Dhabi, Architecture, Free yoga, Ripe Market, Shade House, Umm Al Emarat Park
    • How to renew your car registration in Abu Dhabi?

      Posted at 5:45 pm by witsandnuts, on October 20, 2016

      Car registration receipt
      Car registration card good for another year and sticker to be attached to the car plate.

      Ho-ho! It is that time of the year when you get the SMS from Abu Dhabi Traffic Police reminding you that your car registration is expiring soon. Usually, you will get this reminder a week before the expiry date. ‘My month’ is every October. I like that every year the renewal process gets more efficient. How is it done exactly?

      1. Pay your fines. I did not have any this year. Yay! That meant I saved on insurance cost. I remember how much I suffered for my stupidity of beating the red light two years ago. Payment of fines can be made online or through the Abu Dhabi Traffic Police Office in Muroor Road. (By the way, ‘muroor’ is the Arabic terminology for ‘traffic’.)

      I suggest that you periodically check online if you have fines. Supposedly, the registered car owner receives an SMS from Abu Dhabi Traffic Police for a traffic violation committed. But what if you did not get the message, by any chance, particularly for those violations which were captured through the camera? Checking your fines online gives you the benefit of reporting to the Abu Dhabi Traffic Police the erroneous fines, if any, and/or availing of the discount if you pay the fine early or within a certain duration. (This depends on the nature of violation.) Some drivers do not bother to check theirs and just do this in time with the registration renewal. What a way to surprise one’s self.

      2. Get a car insurance. I suggest that you ‘window shop’ first to get the most reasonable deal (note: maybe not the best deal, but you know best what you really need). You can get quotes online, e.g. through MoveSouq (not a sponsored post). Of course, the existence of and nature of fines (see step 1) will significantly affect the cost.

      Vehicle inspection receipt

      Good news! As you queue for the car inspection, you may pay at the kiosk at the same area. Apparently, this added efficiency was introduced in August 2016. Quite convenient. After paying, keep the receipt as you will need it when collecting the result of the vehicle test later.

      3. Have your car inspected by a designated testing center. You may skip this step if your car has not celebrated its 2nd birthday yet. Continue reading →

      Posted in UAE, Uncategorized | 3 Comments | Tagged Abu Dhabi, Expat Living
    • Jumping revolution on giant trampolines in Bounce Abu Dhabi

      Posted at 6:21 pm by witsandnuts, on October 8, 2016

      Bounce Abu Dhabi, Marina Mall

      Do you love to jump? I do! I am fond of happy kind of jumping because it brings me very pleasant memories — like playing and jumping on the streets when I was in grade school, jumping from our ancestral house’s roof to the neighbor’s, and jumping out from the sampaloc (tamarind), lanzones and other trees. The most nostalgic and dearest kind for me was whenever we jump at New Year’s eve (promptly at midnight) since I was a kid because we were told by my grandparents that doing that will make the kids grow taller. Whether it has scientific basis or none, we carried on with this tradition until now that I’m past 30. However, I realized later on that I have never really jumped on a trampoline. But nothing is too late!

      I am delighted when the sort of ‘trampoline park’ (popularly known as Bounce) came to Abu Dhabi. In their well designed trampolines, you may do free jumping, quick drop, zipline, performance trampoline, and more. They offer interesting programs and activities.

      Bounce Abu Dhabi, Marina Mall

      One of the programs that recently kicked off  in Abu Dhabi is Bounce Fit. It is said to be NASA’s recommended fitness routine. While I am not a fitness buff, I shamelessly signed up for the 8:00 AM session today. I usually have my easy Saturday mornings,  (our version of Lionel Richie’s easy Sunday mornings since workweek in UAE starts on Sundays), but today was a little ambitious and exciting. I was nervous and thrilled as I parked opposite the Marina Eye. As I entered Marina Mall, where Bounce is, near Five Guys (how strategic, one gets tired then Five Guys waves at you to eat a family of burgers afterwards haha), I told myself, “Goodluck! Treadmill is not even one of your best friends! You do not even go to the gym.” Continue reading →

      Posted in UAE | 2 Comments | Tagged Abu Dhabi, Bounce, Marina Mall, Physical Fitness, Trampoline
    ← Older posts
    Newer posts →
    • About witsandnuts

      Snapchat-5703935704258315256 Marhaba! That's "hello" in Arabic. I am an expatriate based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). I started writing about my adventures and misadventures few months before arriving here at winter of 2008. I have 2 cats and a dog who live harmoniously together. I am also surrounded by kindhearted, crazy, funny and indescribable humans! I was a dormant blogger for almost 3 years because of countless reasonable justifications like watching football, postgraduate studies, sleeping, traveling, caring for the world, and more! :) I am just so happy that I am back! It is never too late to catch up with the people and things we really care about. Feel free to look around.
    • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    • Recent Posts

      • 2017 Reflections and being back to basics in 2018
      • Obtaining a license for your dog in the UAE
      • 2017 Spring break in the US
      • Citywalk, Dubai
      • Not in This Lifetime Tour: Guns N’ Roses in Dubai
    • Categories

    • Random snaps

      No Instagram images were found.

    • Useful resources

      Living in United Arab Emirates

      InterNations Guide Abu Dhabi

  • Recent Posts

    • 2017 Reflections and being back to basics in 2018
    • Obtaining a license for your dog in the UAE
    • 2017 Spring break in the US
    • Citywalk, Dubai
    • Not in This Lifetime Tour: Guns N’ Roses in Dubai
  • Instagram

    No Instagram images were found.

  • Tags

    Abu Dhabi Architecture Blogosphere christmas Concerts Desert Safari Dubai Emirates Palace Ferrari World Films Food Friends Life Malaysia Music New Year Philippines Photography Ramadan Singapore Travel UAE UAE National Day Wales Winello

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • witsandnuts
    • Join 34 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • witsandnuts
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...