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My kind of weekend in Dubai: Comedy, song, dance

How to make the most of Friday and Saturday. KT recommends...

Vishu a happy New Year!
Auspiciousness is in the air, and the festivities have begun! Several communities over this week(end) are celebrating their versions of harvest and spring festivals.
Baisakhi, for north Indians, Vishu, for folks from Kerala, and Songkran for those from Thailand are just some of the festivals being celebrated.
It's the time for bonding with families, eating great food, buying good clothes, and spreading good cheer - in the form of a phone call to a distant relative, even. We think this should be something of a done deal everyday, not just for a festival. Even the part where youngsters get some money from elders (to be spent, we hope, watching The Jungle Book).
Greet your Malayali friends today/ over the weekend, say happy Vishu, or happy new year, and they might just invite you over for some sadya leftovers - did you know there can be as many as 36 dishes in a sadya feast?! If you don't know anyone, check online for restaurant offers. It's also new year time in Thailand. Doesn't matter where you are, bring on the festivities this weekend. - Nivriti Butalia
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Ideal weekend: besides getting on stage- watching movies, eating shrimp, playing with nephew
Nitin is a stand-up comedian who's lived in Dubai for 37 years. He moved to Mumbai recently and now shuttles between the two. He launched his solo show Komic Sutra in 2009. Among other accomplishments, we hear he had the crowd in splits last year at Shah Rukh Khan's 50th birthday bash
Now that I have temporarily shifted base to Mumbai, a good weekend for me means being back in Dubai. An ideal weekend has always been about good food and great company. Being a comedian, I'm mostly performing on weekends, but even when I'm not performing, comedy is still a full-time activity. So, my weekends also include writing new material because, many a time, I find the week is full of observations that make amazing additions to my next comedy show. My first option on a weekend is to spend a lot of time lazing in bed, but if I do get out, I like to meet creative and like-minded people.
On stage, making people laugh
This Thursday, I bring back my show - Komic Sutra (pic on far right), and I will be on stage with six hilarious comedians for a two-hour laughathon at Dusit Thani Dubai - and I highly recommend you get your dose of laughs there, too!
Nothing like a good movie to unwind
Movies are my way of de-stressing. And more so after a hectic week. This Friday, I am planning a movie marathon. I'll start with Shah Rukh Khan's Fan, which will be in theatres by then, and then I'll watch The Jungle Book.
Like bubba in Forrest Gump, with the shrimp
I love going to PF Chang's for my dose of Chinese food! No weekend is complete without a trip to the restaurant for my fill of their Dynamite Shrimp.
Spending time with 3-month-old nephew
On the top of my to-do list is spending as much time with my 3-month-old nephew, Laksh. I have always recommended that adults spend time with newborns/ children because it's not only de-stressing, but an instant energy cleanse. I believe there's no better way to de-stress than to bring out the child in you.
Key to happiness, a good massage
Booking myself into a spa is something I do over the weekend, given the amount of travelling I do, and airplane seats I change. Being a stand-up comedian, there is nothing like a good spa session to help you stand straight and stand tall.
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Of superstars, and tales of the wild
Shah Rukh Khan is playing himself in Fan. No matter what the reviews say, this one's worth catching even for just his prosthetic make-up, done by the multi-Oscar nominated Greg Cannom, who also did Robin Williams' get up in Mrs Doubtfire, Brad Pitt's in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), and Priyanka Chopra's in 7 Khoon Maaf. Fan is directed by Maneesh Sharma, director of the 2010 hit, Band Baaja Baaraat. Out of curiosity, got to see it. In cinemas across UAE.
Who's not familiar with The Jungle Book? A boy, Mowgli (voice of Neel Sethi), raised in the jungle by wolves, must now leave his jungle-home as the tiger, Sher Khan (voice of Idris Elba), wants him out. Guided by a no-nonsense panther Bagheera (voice of Ben Kingsley) and a free-spirited bear Baloo (voice of Bill Murray), Mowgli has to learn a few things about life. In cinemas across UAE.
Pedicures and passports, especially for falcons
Most UAE residents know that falcons hold an important place in the country's rich heritage. But did you know that the UAE is home to the largest, most sophisticated falcon hospital in the world? To learn about these majestic birds of prey, head to the Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital. Since it first opened its doors in 1999, the hospital has treated over 75,000 falcons, and has expanded into the fields of education, awareness, training and research. It even issues "falcon passports" to birds who are travelling abroad for competitions. In 2007, it began giving educational tours to the public.
At the hospital, the public can take a two-hour tour, which includes entry into the falconry museum, where one can learn about the birds, as well as the special tools and equipment used to keep them. One can also learn about the hard work that goes into nursing injured or ill falcons back to health, and see the luxurious wards where they are given feather repairs and pedicures as well as a free-flight aviary where you can see them in action. Make sure to take a camera, as the tour concludes with an opportunity to have pictures taken with a falcon on one's arm in the hospital's luxurious gardens.
The tours come in two or three hour versions. The longer version includes a buffet meal prepared by Abu Dhabi National Hotel's staff and served in a traditional Arabic tent.
Click for more exciting things to do in Dubai this weekend