HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone! How did you spend your new year? Hope it was a good one!

Thank you for all the messages you sent to me via email, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram asking if me and my family are ok after several news broadcasts reached you regarding the massive fire in Dubai last new year’s eve.

We are all fine and wasn’t near the vicinity. We were at home, like all the other new year’s eve nights in the past.

However, I had many friends who were at Downtown Dubai waiting for the fireworks show when the fire broke out. Dubai Police was very efficient to take action to evacuate people to safety, successfully managing crowd control.

The fire broke out at 9:30 pm and there was speculation the annual fireworks show at Burj Khalifa could be cancelled but no, it went on despite the fire still going on. The live broadcast on TV however shifted its focus to the countdown and fireworks show at Burj Al Arab. (Dubai new year fireworks show is on at 3 locations: Burj Khalifa Downtown Dubai, Burj Al Arab, Atlantis and JBR)

The hotel that was on fire on New Year’s eve was The Address Downtown Dubai, one of Dubai’s most beautiful and iconic buildings.

We saw it being constructed when we came to Dubai in 2007 and completed. We personally love The Address brand of hotels. We are frequent diners of their restaurants and have stayed in one of their hotels. It breaks my heart to see it on fire on live tv.

It definitely wasn’t a great way to welcome the year of the FIRE monkey.

How about you, where were you when 2016 rolled in? What do you look forward to in 2016?