This blog had a sudden surge in hits from searches on the new road to Fujairah through Maleha Road, and that gave us a cue where to head this weekend -- off for a lunch buffet at Fujairah Rotana with our 2011 Entertainer voucher before it expires end of this month.

We started through E11, or from Ittihad Road, but we thought this is a longer route after we came back to Dubai through the By Pass Road, which took considerably shorter time and avoiding the usual traffic at National Paints roundabout.


ROUTE TO THE NEW FUJAIRAH ROAD FROM DUBAI

• Coming from the Deira Clock Tower, head towards Airport Road.
• After the Rashidiya Metro Station, get straight up the bridge, then down to Emirates Road towards Sharjah.
• As you approach the National Paints Bridge, take right, do not go up.
• Taking right before National Paints Bridge and down before the roundabout, be careful not to go straight, but take the road to the right, signposted as Maleha Road.
• Keep driving straight along Maleha Road for around 54 kilometers from the National Paints Roundabout before you need to get up the interchange to take you on the new road .  Here are some guides to spot the interchange, aside from the sign posts: Soon as you see the first hills/ mountains, you'd see a petrol station,  the Maleha Interchange, then Maleha Hospital.
• From Maleha Hospital, stay on the right lane as you are approaching Exit 47. Take right at Exit 47, go up left through the interchange and voila! you're on for a smooth three-lane drive along Shaikh Khalifa Road - the new Fujairah road.

One of the Gremlin's assignments - Merry Christmas!

Can you know online if my irritability has something to do with my pregnancy? I asked my husband this morning. Jokingly he asked back "Arent you that way everyday?"

As much as I am avoiding rants in this blog, I just cant withhold it. I don't mind being irritated, if only there's not a Little Precious One in my tummy whom his sibling whispered to me "Mama, are you not hurting Ading too, because if you get mad, she will feel it?" (Ading refers to a younger sibling)

(PS - I cant get much help from the Gremlin's dad who's based in a nearby country who flies in and out during weekends only -- who because of my rants, thought of resigning to rejoin us. Also, there are instances of after work stress, hence tired to spend the night doing assignments after cooking dinner and packing next day lunch.)

My frustration on the Gremlin's schooling is at its peak yesterday and today. It's 10:49pm and he just hit bed after 2.5 hours of doing his home works, and much of them I'd say is worked on 'blindly' because he just copied what I wrote as answers.

ASSIGNMENTS:

• On occasions the Gremlin seem to have not learned/ understood underlying lessons to his assignments, we just photocopy his questionnaire, and let him copy what we write as answers. If it's a reasonable lesson he understands, he participates in answering it. Most of his assignments seem advanced and that there's not much sign that the teacher is really discussing it adequately in class if I am to rely on his book activities. His book activities are mostly not answered, and if they were, the Gremlin only gets half as correct - where the half are 100% guessing it seems. And rarely does his books have check marks, I mean rarely does the teacher inspect the answers.
• I just can not count how much of his assignments are the so called parents' assignments, or those that we need to source out.  How many are "... cut pictures of this and that" and we parents google them as soon as the child is put to sleep. Or those that says "... bring this and that to school" that we need to scamper out to buy. 

I came to a point of asking, is it valid to say we pay for our children's education so that the institution let them learn how to read and write, and home learning would only be supplemental, and not the other way around?   When we spent 2.5 hours today for assignments, it was just for the Gremlin to copy my answers, and it I did not really have time to explain why and how. If I still had let him understand, I surmise we have spent 5 hours learning? If only one of us his parents does not work, then might as well, we put him into home schooling, and save on tuition fees as well as frustrations on school expectations.

Looking back at my education back home (I had elementary education in a CAtholic school then), I now appreciate how much better it was. If only we could send our son to study there... Or yet, I miss how the Gremlin has been well attended to by his teacher last year in KG 2, who along with teaching him the start of reading and writing, she also showed care and affection, having to hug my kid whenever he gets frustrated.

In honor and gratitude to our host country, the Kalel wore a Kandoora (a white cloak used by male UAE nationals) accented by a cap and silk shawl in UAE flag colors  to school during their UAE National Day celebration. The United Arab Emirates marks its 40th year today since its  formation as a country .

"National Day is celebrated on the 2nd of December each year in the United Arab Emirates. It marks the UAE's formal independence from the United Kingdom and the eventual unification of the seven emirates in 1971 which combined to form the modern-day country.

On 2 December 1971, all emirates except for Ras Al Khaima, united as a country at the suggestion of H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, H.H. Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and his other brothers, the rulers of other emirates. Ras Al Khaima joined later as a part of the country. Qatar and Bahrain were also suggested to be a part of the country but they declined the idea.

" (Source: Wikipedia)