MMK Publishing | Public figure
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24.01.2022 preorders available soon guys x
23.01.2022 My latest blog . Can I get a share and feedback thanks guys
23.01.2022 Thanks Marlena May Katene! Josee loves the new felts addition to her most favourite story
22.01.2022 my new book coming soon guys
14.01.2022 It's too dam hot for a penguin! As Adam Sandler says in the movie Billy Madison, It's too dam hot for a penguin. That was the case in Dubai last year when... we were expecting many adventures but never in our wildest dreams did we think we would be putting on ski jackets to have an encounter with a king penguin. We were starting another European adventure and to break up the flight we thought we would stop in Dubai for a week. After a few days of wandering around the amazing metropolis of Dubai we were keen to do a few things we hadn’t done before. It wasn't our first trip to Dubai so we kind of knew the area. Also this was the beginning of our trip so shopping was to be kept to a minimum, as we didn't want to lug crap around Europe for a few months. Prior to booking this trip I had done my research on things we could do and as an avid skydiver I had to jump out over the Palms. It truly was a bucket list jump I had to tick this off, as it is very rare to have a jump zone in the middle of a major city. That skydive, over the palms, is another story in itself and I will leave that for another day. As we were paying for the skydive we noticed a free voucher for the Dubai mall's snow park, but it was to expire in the next day. We managed to grab half a dozen of them even though it was only the two of us travelling. I remember we first went to this mall back in 2010. This snow park was brand new and we couldn't believe our eyes. Picture a little skiing village in a shopping centre a few stories high not to mention in the middle of some of the hottest desserts in the world. The prices were freaking expensive and at the time we were broke because it was at the end of our first trip to Europe. From memory it was over $200 each to have the experience of skiing in the dessert back in 2010. At that time it didn't make sense to spend the money on a few hours in the snow. Fast forward to 2019, it was a hot afternoon and we had just finished the most amazing skydive ever. Cooling down was something we needed to do so we hopped into a cab and headed to the Dubai Mall. The roads were jammed packed with cars beeping and 25 minutes later we pulled up to the mall. Everybody was keen as us to get into the cool air. We got a map from a security guard and headed to the lifts but this mall was HUGE and we parked on the opposite side of the mall. We finally got to the entry of the snow park. The line was long full of tourists and local folk. The left over free tickets we gave to another family lining up. This saved the family $1000 as even getting on the snow was approx. $250 each. As we lined up we were looking at their encounters that were on offer. Skiing was out for me but I saw the King penguin encounter. This included a photograph with a King penguin, behind scenes tour and a few other bonuses. As we had got into the park for free we thought we might as well spend bit to do something unique. We had a chat to the manager, who happened to be an Aussie, and he said he would chat to the trainer’s, as they hadn’t had a wheelie do this before. Initially they mentioned the Penguins would be curious by the wheelchair and we may not be able to partake. After sometime they were keen to see the penguins reaction so we bought our pass and walked into the locker hall. It was packed with families trying to put on ski jackets and boots. We found our locker and started to get all organised. It was hard to fathom we had just walked in from over 50-degree temperatures outside and it wasn't even lunchtime yet. We had a few hours to kill before it was our time to hang with the penguins. So let’s hit the ski fields and do some snow fights and tobogganing. On this day I was in my manual chair so getting my ski pants on was a little bit of a challenge for us. Without my AFOS (foot braces) my legs and feet go fucking everywhere and this was driving Bert nuts. Just chill the fuck out Marlena; he joked as he struggled to get me changed. We finally entered the main gate and felt the cold rushing towards us. It was such a relief! We walked down this hallway that was full of interesting ice sculptures. Entering the main room that looks like a mini snow wonderland with a huge window looking out to the mall. Kids were running around throwing snowballs at each other. Suddenly, I felt something hit me! I turned my head and saw Bert with a fucking snowball in his hand. Bang! Right in the face! Oh you're going to get it, fucker, I thought. Sometimes it is a good thing being non-verbal as there were many kids around. Another snowball landed on my tray. While I was having a laughing fit, I managed to get some snow in my right hand and tried throwing it at Bert. Shit I missed and it landed on my wheel. Ha-ha nice throw, miss, Bert said while everyone is looking at him like he was a prick for smashing the poor woman in a chair. Hour or so later we were lining up for our encounter with 2 other families with kids. The kids were so excited. A lady met us in the same hallway of the ice sculptures and took us to a room for a quick introductory lesson about the king penguin. Afterwards, we moved into a room that looked like an igloo. As we were sitting down, another door opened with a guy holding a bucket of fish. Behind him was a shadow wobbling near the door. It was a male king penguin and his eyes were on the bucket of fish. The guy introduced us to Eddie the penguin. For a few minutes, this guy was telling us a few facts about Eddie. Before you knew it we were all trying to get some pictures with him. At this stage, Eddie was over it and started walking around looking for the bucket. The guy gave him some fish and Eddie downed them in seconds. He tried to coach Eddie to come back to us but Eddie just was wandering around the room. He finally wobbled back to join us where we all got individual picture. When it was time for our picture Bert was holding his little shoulders and I leaned down to pat his head. While the penguin was curious about my chair it didn't appear to bother him and he came very close to my wheels and appeared to be checking them out. A few minutes later we were saying goodbye to Eddie, as he wobbled back through the door. It was time to depart and tick this off as one the most bizarre random experiences to have in a desert. This day was a highlight of my trip to Dubai and never thought I would experience a penguin so up close and personal. It's mind-blowing what Dubai has to offer in one shopping mall. We so blown away we got sold all the photos, snow globes and merchandise. It sure was a day to remember and one I will not forget in a hurry.
