Dubai yuki

Women of Substance

2010-03-28T01:22:00.006+04:00

I just came back from the day's event, Illustrado magazine's Women of Substance, held at the Emirates Towers. Illustrado is a Filipino magazine based in Dubai, and the event celebrates exemplary Filipinas for their achievements - whether it's for their success with their careers, charity work or strength of character.

So first things first: Congratulations to this year's Women of Substance and to Illustrado magazine for promoting women empowerment.

My friends Obet and Ye came over to my house and we drove up together for the event. When we got there, the hall was already half-filled, there was an open buffet of cocktail foods, the mood was festive with people greeting each other and checking out the booths of the various sponsors. It was also great fun to meet old friends, many from UPAA-UAE whom I haven't seen in a long time. The schedule was a bit disappointing tough, the invitation said 1-4pm, the event started at 3pm and ended at 6.

But it was great to see Filipinos from different sectors - the diplomatic corp, entrepreneurs, fashion, media, etc - all dressed up celebrating our fellow kababayans: nine exemplary women namely Ambassador Grace Relucio-Princesa (the first Filipina Ambassador to the UAE), Ema Trinidad (self-made entrepreneur, dubbed as the Anti-Ageing Skincare Guru in Karnataka, India), Laarni Eugenio (self-made entrepreneur co-owner of a Dubai-based stage design company), Tini Meyer (emerging contemporary artist who has exhibited her works in Canada, Spain and the UAE), Fe Ging Ging Hyde (budding film producer, actor and singer, whose first movie has garnered six nominations in the Philippines’s Gawad Urian Awards), Nila Bandigan and Tess Bautista (both active community volunteers and philanthropists), Cyrine Pinpin (former activist, former president and founder of Migrante UAE) and Remedios Chu (educator, self-made entrepreneur, philanthropist and cancer survivor).

Illustrado's Women of Substance 2010

Lalaine Chu-Benitez, Illustrado EIC, introduced the awardees then had a short dialogue with them onstage about their experiences.

It was so cold inside the ballroom that we, unfortunately, had to pop out every now and then to thaw ourselves!

Then they also premiered the 30-minute mini-documentary 'The Empowered Filipina' by Kamil Roxas, a Dubai-based filmmaker and winner of the Hayah Film Competition at the MEIFF 2008.

The Empowered Filipina trailer

The film talked about the two common stereotypes Filipinas are labeled with: that they are maids and easy women who'll do anything for money. Sad isn't it? Not the first, there is nothing wrong with being labelled a nation of helpers, they are hardworking people who help other people keep their household in order - a very noble profession, but the latter: there is a perception that Filipinas can easily forgo morality and ethics, latch on to another man just for the sake of money.

The film showed interviews of Filipinas from different industries - household helpers, entrepreneur Lucille Ong, editor Lalaine, journalist Maricar Jaya-Puyod, nurses, etc - tackling the subject, discussing why and how we are labelled as such, and ended with uplifting messages of how we, as Filipinas, should counter these labels.

Women working as helpers emphasized that they themselves should not think themselves 'low', that despite their broken English (which is sometimes better than their employers) they must voice out their concerns and fight for their rights.

Special guest speaker Atty Katrina Legarda commented on the video saying that we are not a matriarchal society, women leave the house/country, not the men and on a psychological point of view, children need their mothers more than their fathers. At the end of her speech she emphasized that it is important to be fair and kind to other people, not because we are women, or Filipinos, but because we are human beings. I totally agree.

After her speech, the floor was opened to the audience for a Q&A - I was expecting to hear about women's empowerment in the Philippines and different countries, gender equality and the issues still plaguing this concept but the Q&A quickly centered into the legalities of divorce and annullments.

Obet actually got up to pose a question but after the divorce qs, the forum was soon closed and suprise of all surprises, the last question was also about divorce.

We wanted to know if Filipinas in the Philippines feel more empowered, since you're in your home country where the stereotypes may not necessarily apply. So is this need to further empower Filipinas only exist in migrant or Filipino expat communities?

What do you think?

Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Grace Reluccio-Princesa was not able to attend the event; she's in the Philippines right now attending to motherly duties; one of her children is graduating. During the press conference though, held a week or so ago, she talked about the empowerment of Filipinas, promoted the bayanihan concept, touched on migration patterns and wealth management and how to further enrich the Filipino community, as you can see in the video below:

I am very impressed with Amba Grace, she was also at the UPAA-UAE Christmas Party and even then she was talking about the programs she wants to pursue in the UAE. At the press con, she also started promoting the repackaging of the Filipino expatriate to 'Overseas Filipinos' as opposed to the standard 'OFW' or 'Overseas Filipino WORKERS' because in this growing global economy, Filipinos abroad are also entrepreneurs, humanitarians, investors and not just workers; she also talked about the reintegration program to help Filipinos who want to go back to the Philippines for good and to promote Philippine industries such as abaca-making. It's a very noble cause and I believe, this will help heal a nation that had to battle with stereotyping and national identity, this will bring back the pride of being a Filipino that others have lost.

And for the record, I am a Filipino and proud of it.

Six

2010-03-14T15:09:00.002+04:00

Life is a dice. Sometimes we get a bad deal, sometimes a good deal.

Today, I celebrate the anniversary of my sixth year in Dubai.

Life is taking a different turn. These are definitely exciting times!

These changes have created a temporary hiatus in my blogging life. As you may have noticed, this is my first blog for 2010. That means for the first time in five years since Dubai Yuki was created, I have missed two months - Jan and Feb.

Much as I'd love to rattle on, I am still in the middle of streamlining my online life, so this is going to be a short entry. I just didn't want to break the posting of my anniversary which I usually post on the 13th (the date I left Manila). Happy, happy everyone!

Tech Savvy

2009-12-04T21:56:00.005+04:00

What does a lonely Overseas Filipino do when she's homesick? Glue herself to the computer and chat her head off.

Mirzi did a spot for ABS-CBN's Kwentong Disyerto that aired today. The feature tackled tech savvy kababayans who use technology and the internet to communicate with family and friends. Guess who she interviewed for it? :)

Thanks Mirzi! It was fun!

First time skiing

2009-12-04T00:27:00.017+04:00

I've never tried skiing - well, to begin with, I've never seen real snow aside from the artificial snow inside Ski Dubai (and I was just at the snow park the few times I've been there). When I went to countries that have the real thing, it wasn't winter...

Plus, I have two left feet so I knew this would be interesting.

On the agreed day, Ena and I went to SkiDubai -- it took us nearly two hours to gear up! I never imagined finding the right pair of shoes would prove to be more difficult than normal shoe shopping! First it was too big, then it was too small. Then when the size was finally right for my feet, the hard shell that encases your lower leg kept my foot from reaching the bottom of the boots!

Half an inch into putting the formidable Astro Boy boots, I already knew there was a reason I was born in a tropical country! We haven't even stepped a foot inside where the snow was and we were already exhausted.

We totally missed the first class which was at 12noon. Luckily, there was another class at 2pm, so we waited with a group of giggling teenagers, and a mom who kept looking over to the other class, because she was just there to see how her kids are doing.

The drill sergeant of an instructor immediately started barking orders at us, "Shake of the snow! Toe first! Jump! This is your front!!! Turn! Don't sit!" He didn't even smile once during the whole class. And when you got something wrong, he'd be shouting in your face!

But we followed, the best we could. Which was not much, it felt like there were lead weights strapped to each of our legs. And d*mn if we weren't sweating buckets at -5 c (at least, that's what the guy at the ticket counter said). The effort to move our feet and legs was really tremendous.

I fell down twice, during the first two times we were supposed to just glide with our skis on a pretty level plane. Hehe. Sarge had to bail me out and help me up because for the life of me, I just couldn't do it by myself.

But when we went up the small slope, I finally managed to stay upright and control my speed and stop. For a few moments, I felt the thrill that I was finally skiing -- the cold wind on my face... my arms fluttering widely at my side. At least I managed to stay upright even when I reached the bottom each time I went down the slope.

But just when it was beginning to get fun, the hour was up and we were herded back to the meeting point, given our Ski passports and a quick evaluation that we needed another Discovery Class (the same class we were on) before proceeding to the next level.

Aching calves and soles aside, it was fun!

Marco's a blue belter

2009-11-28T16:51:00.005+04:00

Marco passed his Taekwondo promotion today, he is officially a blue belter.

Way to go Marco! I love you!

FILIPINO PRESS CLUB-UAE STATEMENT ON MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE

2009-11-27T15:40:00.003+04:00

26 November 2009

We, the members of the Filipino Press Club–UAE, condemn in the strongest terms possible the brutal massacre on November 23, 2009 of 57 civilians, including women, lawyers and journalists, in Ampatuan town of Maguindanao province in the Philippines.

We join with the victims’ families in their time of mourning and hope the authorities will act without delay to give them justice.

We are one with the Filipino people in grieving for the fallen heroes on our country's darkest day in journalism.

We deeply ache for the senseless loss of our brothers and sisters in the profession in history’s largest single massacre of journalists ever.

This human disaster is a chilling reminder of how our country has become hostage to the triad of dynastic politics, graft and tribalism that feed off each other.

It is time to end the spiral of violence this triad has bred that has robbed our people of any hope for a brighter future.

We call on the Arroyo government to act with resolve and deal with these barbaric killings with great urgency.

The timing and determination the Manila government takes in bringing the murderers to account will be a test of the function -- or the dysfunction –- of the country’s democratic institutions.

We call on the Filipino people to muster the collective courage to root out this evil from our country.

We resolve that this evil act will not deter us from exercising our freedom of expression and of the press as many of our brothers and sisters in the profession have done against all odds.

Mabuhay ang Mamahayag na Pilipino!

Filipino Press Club-United Arab Emirates

Contact: Mariecar Jara-Puyod, President

Tel. +971-50-2091372

Leftover challenge

2009-11-27T14:52:00.012+04:00

Today I put myself on house arrest. I've been told over and over again that I have to rest, so I decided not to go out. Not that it would help much, as when I'm home I tend to do more - have just done the laundry, a sketch, updated all my FB games and now catching up with friends (I know Gals, I should just turn off the computer!).

And I'm hungry.

Breakfast was my default buttered toast. And for a change, instead of my coffee lifeline, I switched to lemon and honey mint tea which I added with real lemon and honey. By 1pm I was hungry. There's more brown bread but I wanted something tastier to munch on. I only had a bagel for dinner last night and a yogurt for midnight snack.

And because I'm bored, I decided to ransack the ref and see what I can turn up with. (Note: this is a shared ref. I only have a handful of stuff in there.)

There's not much new stuff. Last I went to the grocery was Monday and I just bought plum and milk.

We had plenty of leftovers though.

Great chance to clean the ref at the same time.

1:56 pm. I pulled out the month-old adobo, 3-day old rice, gazillions-old chorizo, breathing-its-last bell pepper, catatonic carrot and old geezer baby carrots, a forgotten butter garlic 2-mushroom dish, an uninteresting overripe banana, a lone strawberry, and the plums I bought recently.

Not knowing whether the mushrooms had grown other relatives, I decided to chuck it out together with carrots that even wabbits would turn their noses up on. Chopped up some garlic and sauted everything, adding the rice last. Two pinches of ground pepper, a dash of salt and the fried rice is ready.

At the other pan, I reheated the adobo till the sauce dried up. It's Raq's cooking, a bit on the sour side not like the fantastic adobo by her mom but a good try (Raq's learning cooking in prep for her dream biz). I poured out the sauce and left it to dry up on its own over the pan.

That done I turned my attention to my drink. With so many goodness how old food being thrown together, I know I needed something fresh. I'm not one for overripe bananas so the solution is only a milk shake.

Add the lonesome strawberry for a little flavor and color, honey to sweeten, and of course ice and we're all set.

2:27 pm everything's ready. And I had my lunch.

Not the perfect fried rice or viand but not bad, not bad at all.

3:35 pm I finished the blog.

Now, I'm going to read Rose Madder.

Greek tragedy

2009-11-24T23:20:00.004+04:00

I’ve been sick for the last week. Colds, sore throat – the usual, except it seems to be hanging on to me tightly this time. My body usually gets rids of these viruses within a day or two but this time round, it’s longer, it’s officially one week now and I still feel (and look) worse off.

While swimming in this fuzzy haze, the only good thing I was looking forward to was next week’s planned escapade to Athens. I’ve always wanted to visit Greece. As a kid, I have read most Greek mythologies years before it became required reading in school. In High School I took on the pseudonym Apollo whenever I entered drawing competitions.

I usually travel alone, if lucky with a friend, like my last European trip when Ena joined me. A number of our friends chided us that we did not even invite them – so when Ens and I was planning Greece, we invited everybody. The group came up to 11 people, all members of UPAA-UAE, and we were all very excited. It’s the first time we’ll be taking a group tour together. And with the Eid holidays coming, the timing was just perfect.

Until, in the midst of my hazy, sniffling misery, while in bed at home, I received a barrage of calls all expressing their extreme disappointment. ALL ELEVEN of us got DENIED for Greek visas.

The official reason ticked off in Love’s denial form was “the information submitted regarding justification of the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not reliable”.

What? Can’t still figure it out. All of us have stable, good-paying jobs. We had our bookings and travel insurances. Six are first timers to Europe (one is a baby) while the rest had travelled to Canada, Switzerland, the UK as well as other European, Middle East and Asian countries.

And we all got denied.

We arranged for a courier service to collect our passports – so we're still in suspense as to what reason will be ticked of in each one's denial letter. But the bottom line is – this sucks! When you're denied a visa (though this is my first denial in Europe and I've been there twice before), you're left with that feeling that you're not “good” enough. That they think you're only applying because you want to look for a job there. Well excuse me, I'm not about to sacrifice the job I love just to go cleaning in the seat of ruined civilizations.

But now that I think about it, I may consider calling on those three lovely, vengeful ladies called Erinnyes, better known as the Furies, for the slight. That would be fun.

So, we have all crossed of Greece in our bucket lists. There are many other countries to see! Will not be recommending Greece to anyone and I highly doubt that the other 10 members of our group will have anything good to say about it any time soon.

Now we’re tying to get refunds for our hotel and flight bookings which we have all paid for. As of Ens' last update, we may be allowed to use it within a choice of four other destinations which includes Jordan. Well, I’ve also always wanted to see Petra (Remember Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail? It's that massive temple that was carved from the mountain - in my mind, there's a similar setting in one of Trudi Canavan's trilogy 'Age of the Five'). Anybody interested?

Oh but not until next year, I’m saving up my energy now for my annual vacation home. That's another ironic thing in this application, they do not believe we'll come back? Most of us already have plans of going back home for vacations, three of us have paid return tickets to the Philippines in December! Ayayay.

Oh loveable Philippines, who spurns not, I’ll see you soon again.

In the meantime, we will probably find ourselves enjoying the lovely coast of Fujairah or Oman over the Eid break instead.

Epictetus said, “What concerns me is not the way things are, but rather the way people think things are.”

How apt.

Sunset at the beach

2009-11-17T19:49:00.006+04:00

One of the things I love about my work is that there are a few days that I can get off work early, like when I came from a press conference yesterday.

And one of the things I love about Dubai is that you're almost always five minutes away from the beach all the time.

So, after Bang & Olufsen revealed their new HDTV that hangs on your wall just like a painting (more about that later), I scooted off to the Jumeirah Open Beach to exercise. The timing was perfect, it was only a little after 5pm when I got there, the sun was a golden orb about to dip in the sea. It was just lovely. I wish I had a proper camera with me.

I joined the queue of health buffs and finished my bit of exercise in an hour's time. I did about 3.5km of walk/jog - mostly walking and panting.

Lovely about Dubai, they made a jogger's and biker's path snaking in tandem along the seaside, but they're a good distance away from the actual beach. So you can enjoy the nice fresh breeze as well as the rubberized path.

Sigh... I think I just had a little too much breeze. Weather is changing and the wind was a bit cold when I got there. Combine it with perspiration and there you go, my tonsils and throat were hurting by evening. So today, I feel a bit miserable. Maybe I'm allergic to exercise...

Loy krathong - letting go

2009-11-14T02:16:00.007+04:00

Loy Krathong is a traditional Thai festival that usually falls in November (the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar.

Through the enthusiastic efforts of the Dusit Hotel Dubai, the festival was also celebrated here last October 29 (Oh yea, what a late post - I really have a lot of catching up to do!). It was an entertaining night with traditional music and food.

But what made the celebration special is the ritual of letting go which was also replicated here. 'Loi' means 'to float' and the 'krathong' means 'raft'. During the real festival, people will release beautiful handmade rafts into the river, to let go to their grudges and anger, to be able to start anew.

They also said we can make a wish before setting our rafts afloat.

So with banana trunks and flowers specially imported from Thailand and fashioned into elaborately-designed Loy Krathong festival rafts, we reflected on our grudges, and our hopes, and let them float on the water.

The rafts had a candle each in the middle, and they said, the longer the candle burns, the more your wish will come true.

I will not post my wish here... but I do hope they come true.

*pictures taken with phone cam

Thinking of home

2009-11-09T23:00:00.003+04:00

Thinking of home means thinking of my vacation, thinking of the people I will meet, the shopping I need to do, the activities with my pampangkins, the food I want to eat.

I am always ticking off an imaginary list whenever I'm driving. It's mostly the time when my mind is free to wander.

Activities I want to do with my pampangkins:
1. Learn ice skating
2. Learn rollerblading
3. Camping

What I want to eat:
1. Kuya's sinigang na baka and chicken curry
2. Ninang's leche flan
3. Good Sheperd's Ube Yam
4. Bulalo and deep fried tawilis in Tagaytay
5. Danny's Grill's grilled squid
6. Sizzler rooftop's sisig (I wonder if it's still there)

Only a month and a few days to go! If I think of the time before my vacation then I wish I can speed it up, but if I think of the work I need to finish before that time then I want to slow it down. But accelerating it seems more fun!

Christmas in the air

2009-11-09T22:31:00.002+04:00

It's that time of the year again, when I can forget for a few moments that I am in Dubai as I cruise along, windows down, the cool air touching my cheeks and hair blowing around my head.

The sun is shining straight down, blinding me. For a few seconds I am transported at the peak of the mountain. Cool air. Welcome sun. A freshness in the air.

I inhale deeply and miss home.

I drive on and the bowed, dust-covered foliage along the road reminds of the tall, ever green trees back home. I think of the grass that covers the ground. The sweat on my forehead as I look up, putting a foot forward to reach the top. Again, that fresh, leafy scent in the air.

My mind plays tricks. The playgrounds of my past appear around me. I look around and everything is familiar. People and places I've missed.

Christmas is just a few days away. My trip back home nearly here. But my heart is already there.

Direct donations to the Philippines

2009-11-04T14:00:00.004+04:00

Just got a call from Albert Alba (UPAA-UAE), evidently, people are still calling his number to coordinate typhoon donations. The UPAA-UAE efforts to collect donations is now over. So, I'm going to take the mobile numbers down in earlier posts.

I am not aware of any more activities to collect donations. But you can still donate directly to organizations in the Philippines who will disseminate collection as they see fit, just click on the links below:

Unicef Philippines

Red Cross Philippines

Kapuso Foundation

ABS-CBS Foundation

Please consider financial donations. I know many are worried that if they donate money, it may not reach the intended recipients. But these are trustworthy organizations and we have to have faith. Consider too that there are a lot of logistics involved in sending goods: shipping costs more money and there are customs details that needs to be passed.

Filipino Community rallies to support the victims of Ondoy

2009-10-09T23:20:00.013+04:00

It's really heart-warming to see the efforts of kababayans here in the UAE arrive at 7 in the morning and earlier, to rally support for the victims of Ondoy back home. Many feel that this is the least they can do to help. Many people from other nationalities also came to participate - great going everyone!

The Hakbang Buhay walkathon was organized by the Philippine Business Council with the Philippine Consulate, Giordano and Red Crescent Society.

A letter from Lucille Ong, the president of PBC:

Dear Friends and Collegues,

On behalf of the Philippine Business Council and sponsors, ABS-CBN (TFC), Giordano and Western Union, under the auspices of the Red Crescent, and with the support of the Philippine Consulate, we would like to thank everyone who forgo their Friday morning yesterday - to join in the Giothon "Hakbang Buhay" (Walk for Life - flood Relief) at Safa Park.

It was truly an amazing sight to see so many kababayans and our foreign friends and colleagues as well - queuing to make donations from their hard earned money. All your donations have been turned over to the Red Crescent (Dubai Chapter) yesterday after the event. They will count the money in their office with PBC present and a formal turnover will be made with the total amount received and signed by both parties.

We will email you again and will let you know of the total amount collected.

Maraming maraming salamat po ulit and please send this thank you email to all your friends that you have emailed for this event.

Warm regards,
Lucille

Drive for victims of Ondoy continues

2009-09-30T19:26:00.004+04:00

The drive to collection donations both monetary and in kind continues. The victim of Typhoon Ondoy still needs help. Two new storms are approaching the Philippines, hopefully, they will not be as devastating as Ondoy. Regardless, the Philippines cannot take another hit.

Here's a list of where you can send donations, sent by the FilCom here in Dubai:

CASH DONATIONS
1. All cash donations whether group or individuals may be remitted directly to the following beneficiary of their choice using remmittance center preferably Al Rostamani.

A. NATIONAL DISASTER COORDINATING COUNCIL (NDCC)
Account Name: National Disaster Coordinating Council
Current Account No. (Philippine Peso) 0-00149-435-3
Swift Code : DBPHPHMM Account No. 36002016
Bank: Development Bank of the Philippines, Camp Aguinaldo Branch
Quezon City, Philippinnes

B. DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT
Account Name: Department of Social Welfare and Development
US Dollar Account No. 3124-0055-81
ZIP Address : TLBPPHMMXXX
Bank: Land Bank of the Philippines, Batasan Branch
Quezon City, Philippines

C. PHILIPPINE NATIONAL RED CROSS
Account Name: Philippine National Red Cross
US Dollar Account No. 151-2-151-00218-2
Swift Code: MBTC PH MM
Bank: Metrobank, Port Area Branch,
Manila, Philippines

Account Name: Philippine National Red Cross
US Dollar Account No. 8114-0030-94
Swift Code: BOPIPHMM
Bank: BPI United Nations Branch, Manila, Philippines

D. SAGIP KAPAMILYA
Account Name: ABS-CBN Foundation INC
Account PT No. 5630020111
Routing Code for International Cash Donation: BNORPHMM ABS-CBN BRANCH
Bank: Banco De Oro, Mother Ignacia Branch,
Quezon City, Philippines

E. GMA KAPUSO FOUNDATION INC.
Account Name: GMA Kapuso Foundation Inc.
Peso Saving Account No: 3-098-51034-7
Bank: Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company
Account Name: GMA Kapuso Foundation Inc.
US Dollar Account No: 2-098-00244-2
Bank: Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company

2. FILCOM in its effort to make a summary report of all donations to Philippine Consulate, we request you to send a copy of your remittance slip via E mail at mercedes.macalalad@yahoo.com / elsafahrer@yahoo.com. Let your donation be counted to encourage other people to do the same to the victims of typhoon Ondoy.

DONATIONS IN KIND

For those who will donate food stuff, medicine, clothing, blankets, etc. Filcom have set up the following drop off points: on Friday Oct. 2, 2009 between 3:00 - 8:00 PM. Donations will be collected for shipping on the same day.

1. Reef Mall will start accepting donations today Sept 30, 2009 during office hours 10AM-10PM at EX-BOOK Plus ground floor near Dome Cafe. If possible food items are our priority so that we can ship as soon as possible via air. For inquiries please contact Rollie Arlante at 050-6533150 and Ronie Balilo at 050-6562301.

2. West Zone with branches in Deira, Satwa and Karama will accept donation on Oct. 2, 2009 between 3:00-8:00PM only. Donations will be collected for shipping on the same day. For inquiries please call Joseph Alipio of FORAC at 050-7456452.

3. Dubai Outlet Mall from sept 30, 2009 to Oct 2, 2009 during mall hours from 10AM to 10PM. For inquiries please call Joseph Alipio of FORAC at 050-7456452

SEA & AIRFREIGHT SPONSORS

Makati Express

- Complimentary (all inclusive) air freight of 500 kgs
- Due to strict policy of airfreight procedures, liquid and pressurized products are not acceptable
- Medicines, in small quantity only, will be acceptable
- Priority items will be food items
- Kindly ensure that the above are followed, to ensure that the boxes for airfreight will not be held back by Customs

LBC Cargo
- Complimentary (all inclusive) sea freight with collection for 2 Fridays (2 and 9Oct 09)
- Boxes will be available at all the above drop-off points (2Oct) + POLO-OWWA office (2 & 9 Oct)
- All items have to be sorted out so that they can be categorised easily for distribution
- Boxes can also be dropped/picked up to those who require this service.

UAE residents can help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy

2009-09-28T10:24:00.004+04:00

The University of the Philippines Alumni Association-UAE (UPAA-UAE) has started a collection of goods and monetary pledges to send to the victims. Please go to www.upaauae.org for more information.

Also posted below are the contact info of the UPAA-UAE members you can contact, they accept both cash and in kind donations:
Dubai, contact Abet Alba, 050-XXXX
Abu Dhabi, contact Earl Palacios 050-XXXX
All other emirates, contact Emily at 050-XXXX.

(Numbers now taken down on Nov 4 - the collection is now over).

If you want to donate goods - blankets, clothes (esp. for children), slippers, canned goods, rice, cooking oil, sugar, coffee, sleeping mats, medicine and first aid kits, etc. you can also coordinate with Arn Cerneo from LBC XXXX and he can give you a free box.

Philippine Red Cross
For cash donations, you can also donate directly through the Philippine Red Cross (you can find this info in their website):

Bank donation:
METROBANK
Port Area Branch
Peso Acct.: 151-3-041-63122-8
Dollar Acct.: 151-2-151-00218-2
Type of Acct. : SAVINGS
Swift Code: MBTC PH MM

BANK OF THE PHIL. ISLANDS
Port Area Branch
Peso Acct.: 4991-0010-99
Type of Account: CURRENT

BANK OF THE PHIL. ISLANDS
UN Branch
Dollar Acct.: 8114-0030-94
Type of Account: SAVINGS
Swift Code: BOPI PH MM

For your donations to be properly acknowledged, please fax the bank transaction slip at nos. +63.2.527.0575 or +63.2.404.0979 with your name, address and contact number.

Credit Card
Please fax the following info to +632.404.09.79 and +632.527.0575:
Name of card member, billing address, contact nos. (phone & mobile), credit card no., expiration date, CCV2/ CVC2 (last three digits at the back of the credit card), billing address, amount to be donated.

For online donations and other details visit www.redcross.org.ph.

Videos
Here are some video posts from the Philippines to show the gravity of the situation:

The video has a message at the end 'click to donate' - I don't know where that leads to. And as you know, we must always be wary of frauds too (I'm not saying that whoever posted that is one, but we should be always wary). It's always safe to donate with institutions you know like the Philippine Red Cross.

Prayers for Pinoys

2009-09-26T23:21:00.006+04:00

Pinoy media are hopping with the news of Typhoon Ondoy and its devastating effects. Filipino families, handicapped children, pregnant women are being reported trapped, waiting for rescue. It's heartbreaking.

A friend here in Dubai is so worried that his parents and sisters are also trapped in the second floor of their house, unable to sleep or rest for fear the water will reach up to them.

Prayers for all of you out there who are affected or who have family affected.

I haven't spoken to my brother yet, but I take comfort in the fact that our house is in an uphill part of the neighborhood.

Lord, please keep them all safe.

Help now

The UPAA-UAE is starting a collection of goods and monetary pledges to send to the victims. Please go here to help the efforts of UPAA-UAE for the Filipinos affected by Ondoy.

Cash pledges and donations in Dubai please call Abet Alba, 050-136 7265. Abu Dhabi alumni can get in touch with Earl Palacios, 050-8223516. All other emirates, kindly coordinate with MemCom, Emily at 050-9533459. If you want to donate goods - blankets, clothes (esp. for children), slippers, canned goods, rice, cooking oil, sugar, coffee, sleeping mats, medicine and first aid kits, etc. - please contact Arn Cerneo from LBC 050-9250662 and he can give you a free box. Mabuhay ang bayanihan spirit lalo na sa ganitong mga sakuna. Salamat sa inyong tulong at pakikiisa.

You can also donate through the Philippine Red Cross. Just click here for the link.

So is the Filipino Community, here's an email from the FilCom Chair:

Dear All,

As you are all aware that most areas in Luzon are under severe flooding because of the typhoon. In particular Metro Manila and nearby provinces has been declared under state of calamity. In this kind of situation our help is badly needed.. I urge officers of all organizations to solicit voluntary help from their members whether in cash or in kind. Kindly forward your donations to our Finance Director Mercedes Macalalad or Olie Pineda Deputy Director of Health and Welfare committee.

Please feel free to call us for any inquiries on this matter.

Best regards,

Eng Robert Ramos
Overall Chairman (2009-2010)
FILCOM Organizing Committee
T: 050-4566272
E: rmr_0601@yahoo.com.ph

Painting again

2009-09-20T00:44:00.005+04:00

It's a long weekend! And after the last three weeks' tiring events, I decided (at the last minute) to just stay home and have some quiet 'me' time while my friends went off to Oman for a 3-day break.

I wanted to go too, but there was just something that I've already put off for too long: I wanted to paint again. So last night, I went out to buy the final materials I need - turpentine, canvas and a palette.

When I got home, I just started sketching a rough outline with yellow paint. That was all that I planned on doing last night, but the impatient imp inside me just couldn't wait and started adding colors.

It's not done yet, it's not very good, but I just like the fact that I'm painting again (except for the smell of turpentine). Hopefully, I can plan the next one better.

There's two more days before we go back to work. I'm happy.

Last stop: Dusseldorf

2009-09-17T18:00:00.013+04:00

We figured, Ens needed to spend time in Germany since she got her visa there so our last stop was Dusseldorf. It was an easy train ride with only one connection. The station was also about 10 minutes by cab to the hotel.

The receptionist at the Marriott hotel was so welcoming, friendly and helpful, it was really refreshing.

I was also leaving the next day to commute via regional trains (four train changes!) back to Amsterdam to catch my flight to Dubai so I did not bother unpacking anymore.

After resting for a bit, we took the bus to Dusseldorf's Old Town - about 10 minutes away - and just went wherever we felt like.

Dusseldorf is known as the fashion and advertising capital of Germany and seemed more modern and industrial.

Dusseldorf's buildings and structures were very interesting. Good thing we were staying near the Media Harbour, so on the way to Old Town, we saw a few of the city's major attractions such as the Rhine Tower (last picture at the bottom) some odd-shaped buildings and one made of what look like metal or aluminum with an all reflective surface, both were made by Frank Gehry and are known as Gehry buildings.

There was also a flag-emblazoned building (The Colorium).

The whole city seemed very different from the old grandeur of Paris or the charmingly uniform water houses of Amsterdam.

But as we walked further (in search of food - whatever we see other people eating, we find), we also happened upon small pockets of the city that showed the same grace of bygone eras.

When it was getting dark and most of the shops were closed we headed to a grocery to buy some sausages, bread and beer. Love the mini sausages. I just wish I had enough room in my bag to bring some back home, but it was too full for me to actually consider it. Hehe.

There will be a next time. Always a next time.

All in all, great vacation! I was ready to go back to Dubai.

Last day in Paris

2009-09-15T21:53:00.042+04:00

When Paris was still a dream, I said that the first thing I'll do when I get there is sit in a cafe and watch people as I drink coffee.

And eat a croissant.

I've done the croissant so it was time to do the cafe.

It wasn't exactly the first thing I did but I'm not complaining.

So the next day was the perfect opportunity. My editor has been in Paris for the past year and we set up a date and time to meet. This day, by far, was the earliest we got up, got ready and left the hotel. Unfortunately, we missed the bus that we needed to get to the metro.

At the bus stop, a nice elderly French lady (by the way, I love the French elderly - all we've met and spoken to were so nice. They all tried to help us despite the language barrier) told us that we should get on another bus, get off the terminus and take another bus and we'll be in Madeleine - the area where we were supposed to meet my editor.

She was speaking in French while Ena and I looked on in total confusion. She didn't give up though. She finally asked for a piece of paper, wrote down the street names and bus number and gestured towards the direction we need to go.

Longer story made short, we missed the meeting. We were at Madeleine almost half past the meeting time and it was another 10 minutes before we found Cafe Madeline, a charming corner street restaurant and cafe just opposite the church.

I've been sending text messages to my editor but I was not sure if she got them, so we decided to have coffee, then lunch, in the off chance that she got the messages and will come back or got the messages and decided to come later.

I had a yummy salad with smoked salmon, shrimps, avocado and a side helping of cream. Ena had a juicy, medium rare burger that we noticed, other people also ordered but did not eat the bun that went with it. Afterwards, I had another cup of espresso and a raspberry tart. The picture doesn't look too yummy, but boy, it was! Fresh raspberries lightly sprinkled with confectioner's sugar on top of an egg white base that was chewy and not too sweet. Heaven.

And I swear, our waiter resembled Mr Big.

My 'v' is for the second cup of espresso. ;)

After the great meal, out next stop was once again the Louvre. We were ready to follow the masterpiece route in all seriousness.

But the Louvre was closed.

It was Tuesday and the Louvre is close every Tuesday. Arrrgh. By that time, I had no idea what day it was and finding out that our last day in Paris was the day the Louvre was closed really dampened our spirits.

But what else is there to do? There's always a next time.

The last two sites on our list were: the Notre Dame and the Pantheon.

The Notre Dame is in one of the two islands in the middle of Seine, since we couldn't see any metro or bus stop that goes directly there, we took the next bus that came and fortunately enough, it stopped just near the bridge that connects the island.

There were plenty of people inside and outside. Getting in is free, but you have to queue. To see the church's treasures, you need to pay a little admittance fee though.

Like almost everything else we've seen, it was a intricate work of art both inside and out.

I love the lighted candles inside the Notre Dame. So peaceful.

They also have this 'take away candles' for a 5 euro donation. We got two each.

I'll give one to my mom and the other to my grandma.

Next time I'm in Paris, I want to attend a service there.

For a few minutes after Notre Dame, we forgot the Pantheon.

We were charmed with all the street entertainment - the musicians, masseurs, puppeteers, violinists, that we just wandered around aimlessly.

Finally, we remembered our final destination for the day.

For the first time we took the RER - it was several levels underground, a bus and a bit of a walk (shorter route would have been to take bus 84 which stops practically at its doorstep but it didn't have a stop near were we where along the River Seine).

It was almost 8pm but the sun was still high. We rested for a bit just before the closed gates of the mausoleum and watched the sun slowly go down. From that angle, we can see the top third of the Eifel Tower.

A fitting setting to bid the city goodbye.

Au revoir Paris... I'll be back again.

Lovin' Louvre

2009-09-15T19:40:00.018+04:00

The first thing we did the next day was to find out where the mythical bus 174 stops. As it turns out, it is only a few meters from the hotel, but on a different, almost parallel street we took the night before.

Eureka! We finally found the stop for Bus 174! That made the walk to and from the hotel quicker and easier from then on.

That day was for the Louvre and Louvre alone.

Unfortunately, we were not able to see all the masterpieces. Ena reached the room were Mona Lisa is but she went back right out to tell me its there. When we reached the door again, the Louvre personnel were literally herding everybody out. They closed sections, formed a line and were herding everybody out. We consoled ourselves with the fact that we can go back tomorrow.

After that, we fulfilled my long-time dream of eating a croissant in Paris. Near the bus stop, we saw a bakery so we bought croissants, a baguette and some chocolate brioche. What can I say? The croissant was flaky yet moist and rich. It tasted buttery but not oily. Totally nowhere in the league of the breads we get back home. I love, love the bread.

And for the first time in several days, we went back to the hotel early. By that time, I've been constantly walking long distances for seven days. But it was still sad to think that we will be in Paris for only one more day.

Paris oh Paris

2009-09-14T21:05:00.030+04:00

We arrived really late at the hotel. We had directions and all to the hotel which was good, we got on the metro all fine and from the last stop, it was a mere 5-minute walk.

On the last stop, the escalator - a pretty long one, was not working. So we had to haul our bags up. By that time, the weight was really getting to me. My backpack was pretty heavy - and I probably shouldn't have picked up those apples (extra large ones).

We kind of expected that Marriott would be seen from the stop - it wasn't. First, we tried the right side, we got to the end with no hotel in sight. Ena was already chatting up an American tourist who was also on the train with us, she came back from the grocery and kinda got lost and was also on the way back to Marriott.

Nobody seemed to know where the hotel was. Finally, as we were walking back to the stop, a passerby said it must be on the left side. And we walked.

It took several blocks, a left turn, a few more blocks and a short right turn. That was NOT five minutes. Yes, they have longer legs than us, but still, that was not five minutes. We were dead tired by the time we reached our rooms. Ena was rallying better than me, I felt like my legs were dead.

So, we woke up late. Really late. And took our time getting ready. My right shoulder started hurting. We left the hotel past 2pm - we know, it was a waste of valuable Parisien (hehe just like the spelling) time. But what to do? We were bone tired.

Again, we walked and got lost going to the metro. We couldn't understand it, it was just two turns and a straight street. How could we have missed it? Ena asked a kind park security guard and we finally found the metro.

From the map, the Arch de Triomphe was near us, so by a very easy consensus we headed to the Arc. We were very hungry by that time - a theme that was becoming very common on the trip. And when we emerged from the Parisien undergrounds, the first thing Ena saw was another pair of golden yellow arches.

Yes, despite the fact that the real arch was dead straight from where we emerged.

After a solid meal of McDonald burgers, a quick check of email courtesy of Mc's free wifi - and I'm sorry, a very amusing exchange (I asked, 'Do you have a toilet? A comfort room? Ladies room? The girl at the counter said, 'Mayonaise?'), we were ready to face Paris reality.

The Arch de Triomphe was just towards the right in all its glory, a magnificent testament of artistry and war, right at the heart of Charles de Gaulle.

We met another Pinoy who was traveling by himself who mentioned that the Louvre was free on the first Sundays of the month (it is, more info here). Attracted by the freebie, we made the great museum our next stop.

Within the city, I love how the metro delivers you right at the doorstep of most tourist stops. When we emerged from the underground, the Louvre was just across the street.

Overheard: "So where's Tom Hanks?"

Oh, did I mention that we were in awe? In Brussels, when we got to the Town Plaza we were amazed and amused at the same time. The historic buildings were there but because of the celebration going on, it seemed like a 'fiesta' so the feeling was evened out.

But in Louvre, the tourists were sitting down or taking photos like us, they were more sedate (or sober), so the focus was on the surroundings and we were, simply, in awe. It finally dawned on us - or me at least - that we, were finally, in Paris.

The Louvre was closed - it was almost 6pm when we got there and they close promptly, as we would find out the next day, at 5:30 pm.

The shops in the complex were still open so we just browsed around and later decided to see the Eifel Tower. Originally, we wanted to see the Eifel Tower on the next day, but we decided, we might as well, since we still had the energy to go around. And the view during the day would definitely be different at night.

On the way to the Louvre, I smiled at an elderly lady crossing the street with us. I knew she's Pinay because I overheard her conversation with her husband earlier. I was not eavesdropping, they just happened to be walking in the same direction as us. After the smile, we got to talking. They've been in Paris for more than 20 years, but they still do not know the language. Their son though, who grew up there, is fluent.

She sells home-cooked food at the nearby church - in her stroller bag she had bico (rice cake), pancit palabok (noodle dish), boiled corn on cobs and more. We were not hungry yet but the food did sound appetizing. And I'm just a sucker, I had to buy something from her. I thought I was buying one palabok dish but it turned out to be two - and quite heavy at that. So I ended up walking around Paris with two sets of Palabok inside my camera bag.

We didn't exchange names, so I'll call her Ate (Elder sister). After we told Ate that we were heading for the metro, she told us that we should take the bus. We'd see more of the city than the dark tunnels the metro trains go through. A very sound idea. So after the Louvre, we decided to look for the bus going to Eifel and came upon the river Seine while the sun was setting.

Gaaah... what torture for two single girls.

Everywhere we went, Paris was proving itself to be the city of love. I guess, coming from an Islamic country, we were amazed at how may people were just at each other.

But there, overlooking the Seine glowing from the setting sun, was a couple. They were sitting on the bridge itself, as if the world was theirs and time has stopped. Beside them were wine glasses glinting from the sunlight. Completing the picture were their bikes leaning against the bridge. One of the baskets was cradling the bottle of wine.

Sigh.

Back to the bus. The problem with the bus though, is finding the right stop. We had a map with the bus lines but as it turned out, we went to the wrong stop, and because of that we had to walk tons more just to find the right one.

Also bear in mind, that sunset is around 8pm. So we've been walking for hours! When we finally found the right bus stop, we were again dragging our feet with fatigue. The view of the Eifel though, immediately revived our spirits.

If we were in awe at the Louvre, we stood awestruck at the foot of Eifel.

This oftentimes called phallic symbol (admit it, it has been called that) was constructed between 1887 and 1889, at the time, the Philippines was struggling for independence against the 300-year rule of the Spaniards. As the French were celebrating the French Revolution, my ancestors were still struggling for freedom.

We sat there and absorbed the view. We just wanted to take it all in. We decided against going up because of the long queues. Beneath the welcome arches, there was a group singing a variety of songs - it was like something else was happening again that we didn't know. But by that time, what we knew was we should just enjoy it.

Oh what made the night perfect? There was a full orange moon.

After Eifel, we indulged in a hotdog sandwich and chocolate crepe, sitting beside the River Seine, before heading home.

Ate did a good job convincing us that the bus was better: more views to see.

So, after Eifel, we decidedly and determinedly looked for the bus stop that will bring us home. When it seemed futile, as the nearest bus stops will only bring us further away, we decided to head for the nearest metro. We figured, we can alight wherever the bus stop we need was.

We asked the lady at the Metro Information and she told us the right stop. We got off there, but by some misfortune, probably because we were tired, we got off on the wrong exit and just missed the stop by a few feet. Literally a few feet (as we saw the next day). All the areas we explored did not have the bus we needed, so we decided to walk it.

Wrong decision.

If I can take that back, I'd be on a cab.

By that time, we were convinced that Bus 174, the bus that stops a few metres from the hotel and by far, the nearest we can get on public transport, was a myth.

It was almost 2 am when we reached the hotel. The memory of Louvre and Eifel dimming with each step.

But of all things, Gwyneth Paltrow's words stayed with me: when she was only 10 years old, her father took her to Paris and when he asked her if she knew why she said no. The he said,"I wanted you to see Paris for the first time with a man who would always love you, no matter what.”

I didn't see it with my father, but I'm glad I saw Paris for the first time with a great friend.

Amsterdam - Brussels - Paris

2009-09-13T01:03:00.033+04:00

Day 3 was very ambitious as my title up there indicates.

We planned on leaving Amsterdam early - yeah right. After all that walking the day before, we were very tired. So as soon as we found out that our train ticket has flexible timings we opted for the relaxed, ultra vacation mode of going when we're ready which was an hour later than the original 7am check out. We made it out two hours later.

Ena, the morning person, was always the one waking up and getting ready earlier than me. So when I was getting ready, she popped out to get some coffee and sweets only to discover that most stores were still closed at that time.

That's Ena, all red shirt and white legs, on the first photo.

There was a light drizzle and there were not much people about. We took the bus to Amsterdam Central (also Schipol Airport) and took advantage of the sky drying up to take a quick photo. So there we were, all smiles and chinky eyes.

The train was not what we expected. We got in and was surprised that there were not much people in the coach with us. So we settled in and started eating our breakfast - bagels with pesto, tomato and mozarella cheese (that was after the croissant) and of course, coffee. A few minutes later, there was an exodus of people moving towards the front end of the train. There was something happening we didn't know.

Minutes later, Inspector comes in and tells us that we are in the First Class coaches and if we want to stay with our second class tickets we have to pay more. Hehe. We wrapped up our breakfast and followed the direction the exodus took. Man, the second class coaches were packed! Ena and I had three bags each and moving along the narrow aisle was difficult! In all fairness, the first class coaches did not look like first class - at least, until we saw the second class coaches.

We finally had to separate just to be able to sit. Till the inspector told us that there were more free seats up front. Luckily, this was the one time my outgoing calls were working, so I was able to call Ena to tell her we can hop off on the next stop and change coaches to look for seats.

When the train finally arrived at Brussels Midi, the final destination, we got off and looked for the left luggage area. The plan was to leave the bags and explore Brussels. Our train to Paris wasn't until 8pm, we tried to change it but it will entail more hassle than we cared for, so we just went back to the original plan of exploring the city.

Brussels was different. It seemed like it had more racial diversity than Amsterdam but none of the laid back, tourist-y feel.

Not to sound offending, but we were a bit 'afraid' as there seemed to be the usual 'bad elements' hanging around - the loafer-nothing-better-to-do types. The station itself seemed safe with all the security patrolling it but one of the first things that greeted us was a poster warning against pickpockets. Not very reassuring.

Map in hand we walked out, got a bearing of where we are, and sat down near a building to decide where to go. Out of all the vacant areas, a group of men, headed our way and sat just inches away from us so we promptly folded the map and went back inside the station. We tried to find out how to go to the 'Maneken Pis' a statue of a little boy pissing - very famous Brussels tourist stop - by metro or bus but it was difficult to find a person who can speak English and give us directions.

One more round the station and we finally saw the tourist information open up, and the lady in there gave us a map and just told us that we can walk it. This time, instead of sitting around, we just headed in the general direction where the street should be.

At an intersection, looking lost as it was a three-way fork - a guy asked us if we're okay and kindly pointed which street (turned out to be the middle) we should take. Finally, kindness in English!

And we walked. As we went on, the city started to look friendlier. Families walking, fruit vendors arranging their goodies, hotels, cafes, comics store, souvenir shops and nice paintings on walls.

I was just taking a photo of a usual Brussels streets when a crowd at the other corner attracted our attention. There was something we didn't know again.

Ena wanted to explore the parallel street anyway, so off we went following the crowd. As we drew near, the smell of sizzling shrimps greeted us, reminding us that it was after lunch and we were hungry.

The crowd it turned out, were hovering around the Maneken Pis. We found him! We went straight to the middle of the crowd to take pics of the little boy but it took only a few seconds before we got distracted with the variety of foods we can see and smell - the Godiva chocolate covered strawberries, the Belgian waffles (dripping with white and dark chocolate) and when we followed the street, we came upon the town plaza filled with people. Turns out there was a festival of sort and there we saw the boiling pot of escargot. Yummm... wouldn't mind having some of those treats again.

After getting our fill of the local entertainment and all the yummy foods, we just walked around some more and when it turned 6pm, we looked for a place to get a real meal (turned out to be beef sandwiches) then we went back to the train station to collect our bags and wait for our train to Paris.

Amsterdam Day 2

2009-09-12T16:16:00.025+04:00

Good morning Amsterdam!

I have tons of photos and selecting which ones to edit and post is really hard.

Anyway, we started the next day with a huge pancake breakfast - and I mean huge! Ena and I were both surprised when the dishes arrived, I could not help but tell the waitress that it's a big serving and she said 'the Dutch people eat a lot'. If that's the case then it's all the walking keeping them slim. Everybody we've seen so far were in great shape!

After a quick stop at H&M, we walked around looking for the Tourist Information Office to claim our I Amsterdam cards. It's really a good deal, I computed the entrance tickets to the places we wanted to go to and the cards were about the same price but it gives us all the tram rides for free on top of that! And of course, you can also go to a host of other places, but because of the time constraint we couldn't do them anymore.

The Canal tour was first on our agenda - fastest way to see most of the city.

While on the boat, we noticed that the Rijksmuseum is a short walk from the cruise stop. So that became our next stop.

It was great to see Rembrandt's works up close - The Portrait of Maria Trip, his self-portrait when he was young and more. There were also exquisite doll houses - not the stuff children play with but exact and up to scale replicas of real things - porcelain, wooden furniture, paintings and other items. It would have been great if we had more time to sit and absorb these wonderful pieces of art and history. No photos allowed inside however.

Next, we headed for the Van Gogh museum - for me, a visit to Amsterdam will not be complete without seeing Vincent's works. I've always admired his self portraits but seeing the strokes up close was just amazing. The colours seemed so off and each stroke could be seen but everything works. What am I going on about? Time and experts have said this and in better ways.

As we left the Van Gogh museum, it started raining again. It was already late afternoon and we haven't had lunch yet. It was a relief to see the hotdog stand and it turned out great. They have nice mustard there.

Ena's always on the hunt for tshirts (geez, when did I stop this? I used to buy a souvenir shirt wherever I went that my friend batch Migs always remembers me in a souvenir shirt). We passed by Deborah's shop - an American artist living there - where she sells prints and tshirts with her own designs. Her store has been closed for the week, and she only decided to open then. We chatted for quite a bit, Ens got her shirt and we went back to the hotel. We still had to drop off my bag at the airport since we needed to leave early the next day.

It was raining again when left the airport. It was 13 degrees, wet and cold. Patrick Dempsey offered little comfort as he smiled from the billboard. There were so many flight attendants and ground staff who needed to get to their cars that we got blocked out when our bus came. After more than 30 minutes of waiting, we finally got on a bus.

It was about 11 pm... we needed a hot meal to restore ourselves and we ended up in this steak place. We shared a big steak, medium rare served with fries and salad, a small glass of small beer each and we were in good spirits again. That steak was great.

To Europe and back again: Amsterdam, day 1

2009-09-11T16:50:00.017+04:00

Whoa. Am finally back in good old Dubai. Vacations can really be tiring. Luckily, it's weekend, so I'll have these two days to recuperate.

For the last 10 days, I've been in Europe - Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany. Though the travel began with work, a press trip with Bang & Olufsen in their headquarters at the lovely town of Struer, I'll begin this post with Amsterdam. The destination after the press trip.

Pic 1. The view from our hotel room.

Ena actually suggested we meet up in Europe after the press trip so ever since we started planning, we've been having fun saying 'we'll meet up in Amsterdam'. It sounded so cool - and it was!

On the afternoon of Sept 3, we met up at the Marriott Hotel in Amsterdam (she flew to Dusseldorf and took the train to Netherlands and I flew from Denmark) and the first thing we decided to do was to just walk around and get to know the area. I also needed a small bag. Figured it would be too hard to lug my lovely green yet gigantic luggage on train trips. It was very heavy - I kinda panicked on outfits and stuffed it with clothes and other personal stuff.

Amsterdam was wet and cold when I got there but luckily, it dried up a few hours later, at the time Ens arrived, so we were able to walk around. It was just lovely soaking up the atmosphere. There were people everywhere, walking around, cycling, riding the tram.

We finally found a nice, cheap bag at Blokker - it's like a dollar shop with almost anything you need in affordable prices. The black hand-carry bag I got was about 9 euros - about 50aed only!

There were also H&M shops in almost every corner. I like H&M but it's only recently that I've become a true believer - most of my basic blacks and LBDs are from there, and I just love it that when they hold a sale, it's really a sale. You gotta love the affordability/style factor specially considering the times we're in. Most of the other brands we saw, high end or otherwise, were pretty much the same things we get in Dubai.

Pic 2. A view from one of the city's canals.

The sun was just setting and it gave the city a nice golden glow. I was glad of that - since most of what I've seen in the last three days were gray, rainy skies.

Pic 3 & 4. Posing around the city's scenic stops.

We saw painted elephants like Dubai's camels and of course, Amsterdam's water streets. We looked forward to the next day when we'll go on the canal cruise.

The dark came with the rain so we had to seek cover. We were near the Redlight District but the rain and the cold forced us to go back where we came from. Anyway, we heard the day later that it was being closed down. A local told us that the houses on that street being rented by the ladies was owned by one person and the government started 'cleaning up'. And honestly, though it seemed like a 'must see' I didn't know if I was up to see something like that.

Pic 5. Dinner: Sheperd's Pie for Ens, Grilled Salmon and Salad for me with Bavaria and Amstel beer.

Near the hotel, less than 5 minutes walking is this great area filled with restaurants and pubs. Ens tried the Bavaria beer and I the Amstel - I liked the Bavaria better.

After that, we called it a night.

Looking for telemarketers

2009-09-02T09:27:00.001+04:00

Hi there! My sis is looking for Manila-based telemarketing staff. If you are interested, please send an email to homebasedstaff@gmail.com.

Please spread the word. Thanks!

Coming back

2009-08-23T00:06:00.005+04:00

It's a strange feeling coming back. It entails a cocktail of emotions; not just happiness, not just excitement, not just apprehension.

I got reminded of this last night. After a long time, I attended a UPAA-UAE event, the mid-year getogether. There were plenty of old faces but almost half I think were new to me. It felt pretty strange, to think that it was practically my life before - organizing projects, jesting and bantering with the group, arguing and fighting bitterly for improvement, time, and a lot more.

When I first arrived in Dubai, I had friends who became my family away from home. Lucky, I know. And through them, I met people who became very good friends. Yet, without UPAA, I would not have had that bigger family that became my root to the Filipino community. Through the organization, I have formed bonds with people that will be hard to break. I have reconnected to a bigger scheme of life, of being here to be of service to others.

Yet, as some good things may turn bad - it also became toxic. It became everything.

So, I quietly finished my term, welcomed the new people in with a big smile, and faded into the background. Until last night. It was weird, coming back. It was the same group yet different.

The organization is doing great, thanks to its active officers and members - that will always bring a smile to my lips. It has forged on, not quite the same entity I saw born and struggle for life. Quite melodramatic but true.

Coming back indeed feels strange. To anything, really. I feel this too when I go home. It's only the short span of a yearly vacation that keeps the weirdness from enveloping me.

You know that feeling that you can just pick up a conversation with a friend you haven't seen in years, and it will feel like you last spoke, only yesterday? The opposite of that, is that unsettling feeling that you cannot sustain a conversation with a friend that you used to hang out with all the time.

Your nephews have grown, your relatives are older, your room seems more moldy.

It still is heaven to lie on your own bed, to cover yourself with all the familiar comforts, yet the smell is different, the noises louder, the perspective tilted; reality is at odds with memories.

They say there's no going back. I hope it isn't true.

Of old computers and games that got me hooked

2009-07-30T09:49:00.001+04:00

I watched 'Pirates of Silicon Valley', a movie that traced the beginnings of Steve Jobs' and Bill Gates' empire from Steve Wozniak's view, last night and it made me think back on the early days of the computer as I knew it:

At School: We had our first computer class in high school where we were taught Cold Booting. We saved files in Floppy Disks and had to memorize how programs go from one end to the other using the appropriate symbols.

At the Uni: We were told about Photoshop in class but never had hands-on. Computer was not as common and we had to go to computer shops to write up our projects. While working on my thesis, Word failed and I had to redo almost half!

At Work: Though Microsoft Word was already the common system at the time, the first office I worked with still had Wordstar. You had to start the computer from the blinking green DOS prompt and there was still a dot matrix printer that made an awful lot of noise.

Then of course the games I grew up with also popped into mind:

Pacman & Space Invaders - Atari
Donkey Kong - the two-level handheld device
Mario Brothers - Family computer - who can forget the Princess, the mushrooms and the cheat moves!
Tetris (the whole family became very competitive, always trying to beat the score of the last one who played)
Where in the World is Carmen San Diego - my first PC game. I just caught Carmen when we had to reformat the computer and I lost my hall of fame
Warcraft - at 3am, when I should be working on my thesis, my mom would catch me playing the game.

When I was reviewing games for a living, I could always finish survival horror games like Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, Silent Hill: The Room or mystery games like CSI than car racing or sports games. Online games I liked isketch, the mind-numbing Bubble Pop and Fowl Words. In FB, it was Restaurant City that got me logging in here. The little people at work were mesmerizing and redecorating the restau was just addicting.

Quite a leap from Atari.

'Pirates...' gave me some insights that 'coloured' my view of Apple and Steve Jobs. Don't get me wrong, I love Apple. I love the ease, the beauty, the capabilities. But what I thought were their original innovations, came from the neighbors. But that's me not fully reading up on history.

Despite that, it also refreshed my appreciation for these nifty machines. I love the fact that we can already enjoy computers as it is today.

Sometimes, I still catch myself wondering at it's complexity, that I can move the cursor with a mouse, or how I can point and click at something and it will open. I love drag and drop, cut and paste and the ability to draw onscreen.

I can't imagine a life now without computers. I balk at the thought of going back to the typewriter (even though I love the authoritative clunking sound it makes), using snowpaque to cover up mistakes. I love writing snail mail but what is life without email?

It has its evils (aside from the horror stories, a more innocent sin are the tempting time-wasters) but the good far outweighs the bad.

* Originally an FB Notes post

King of Pop

2009-07-24T13:48:00.002+04:00

The night Michael Jackson died, I was sleeping over Abet & Malen's house (we all attended a couple of friends' celebration). It was about 3 am, Galo and I have just finally decided to give in to sleep after doing a marathon of 'Heroes', Lucy and Ernie who were also with us were already fast asleep, when Galo's phone musically alerted him to the great King of Pop's death.

Of course, so many things have been said and done for Michael Jackson since then. Even my pampangkin, Coi, asked me if I heard of his passing. He named 'Billy Jeans', "Thriller' and one other song as his ultimate favorites.

Galo, who used to work for Swiss Airlines, recounted the time he 'met' MJ in one of their flights. MJ was wearing a kandura (the UAE locals' national dress), refusing to get off the plane because there was no limo waiting for him. It seems the Sheikh he was supposed to meet was not informed that he was coming. Even the airline didn't know that they would have a special guest on that flight. Their list showed a 'Michael Jackson' but they have a regular client who is also a 'Michael Jackson'. They were not alerted that the 'Michael Jackson' was onboard.

Today, Ena sent me the link to this Youtube piece, which reminded me of other fun videos:

A few months back, we also got this link about Pinoy inmates using 'Thriller':

And a few days after MJ's death, somebody posted this in Facebook:

There are more out there - but the ways MJ's songs are utilised by people from different cultures is a great testament as to how he was able to overcome the walls that divide nations.

Rest in peace Michael.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-17T00:52:00.005+04:00

Just got back from the movie house - love the film! But I'm afraid, I've forgotten so many juicy details about the books I absolutely must read them all again.

I love the scene where the weakened Dumbledore was fighting off the Golllum-like creatures in a fiery blaze.

So there we were, eight friends who decided to see it today, the first day of screening in Dubai. I booked the tickets a couple of days ago, a good decision as it turned out, as the movie house was packed! As we were waiting for the movie to start, my friend Ye shared that she has not had the chance to read the 6th book yet.

I smiled and said "Good. You don't know the ending," anticipating her mixed feelings that everybody who has read the book, felt about the curious turn of events.

Barely a minute later, Lucy, who was in the row after us, leaned in and asked ala stage whisper, "Is this the book after Dumbledore dies?"

Classic.

33 Things About My Papa

2009-06-28T21:24:00.001+04:00

Originally posted in FB for Father's Day.

1. My father's name is Oscar but he is called Bobby by family and friends.

2. He can fix anything - from small electronics, printing press machines, cars, etc.

3. The most "violent" act he ever did against me when I was young, was to act like he's going to 'flick' my hand (that flick with the pointing finger and the thumb) when I was doing something wrong. But he only motioned, he didn't really even flick.

4. As far as I know, he did not have any training in drawing, but he is great at it. He used to make these funny sketches that usually starts with boob-like sketches, so you'd think it's green, but end up being a cute dog.

5. He is always cracking jokes during meals - like asking if you're going to take a bath when you want him to pass the water jug over. OR he'd tell these awful, yucky jokes about different nationalities trying to outdo each other like eat their own phelgm which will usually turn people off their food. Well, I got used to those from an early age, so I will still be able to eat. He can eat through anything. He'd even refer to how an oyster looks like a big blob of pheglm or a man's eye before gulping it down. He will not eat kohol (snails) though. No matter how you tease him.

6. He always encouraged me to draw. Buying me a different-shaped pencil for shading, telling me to keep old drawings even those I didn't like so I can see my progress, and saying I should try different mediums.

7. He loves to cook. He'd rustle up fried rice, throwing every edible leftover in the fridge to make a great combo.

8. He will not say I'm sorry, but he'll cook something and ask me to eat as a peace sign.

9. He also, always encouraged my itchy feet, though he didn't say it. I never heard him tell me not to go anywhere. And when I started mountain climbing as a hobby, he gave me his old stove which he used to bring when hunting, and brought me stuff every now and then like a new tent, a portable shovel, pocket knives (emphasis on the 's', since I kept misplacing em), even those army food packages which were not really tasty.

10. He loves to go fishing; we'd compete on who gets more and he always wins!

11. He always supported my school projects - I was doing a report on Philippine herbs and he bought me a book from a door-to-door salesman. Then in second year high school, I needed sea invertebrate specimens for my Biology class, so we drove up to the beach house in Batangas and we collected there.

12. He made a foot-long boat made of popcicle sticks just for fun. He's always doing stuff like that. Once I got him a gift - a model car for his birthday or was it Christmas? When I got down the next morning, he'd already finished assembling it. It was a piece of cake for him - he can assemble real cars, after all.

13. He loves guns. He's a mean target shooter. He taught me how to aim and shoot well.

14. His standard reply when asked how he is 'okay lang'.

15. He's not very showy when it comes to his emotions. Not very verbal either.

16. He is a chain smoker and I am still hoping and praying that he will stop.

17. I can ask him to drive me to LB (where I studied which is about two hours away from our home), I can ask him to drive us to the beach house in Batangas (about 2 1/2 hours away) or even to Pampanga (about the same time) just because I wanted to shoot photos during Holy Week (the local procession with flagellation - show of penitence) but I can seldom, seldom, drag him to the mall.

18. He does not wear plaid shirts - he says it's 'too busy'.

19. He can be very blase, very impatient and sardonic.

20. After one of his relatives passed away, and he was not able to visit him before that, he saw a white dog in our garage - there was no way the dog could enter our garage. It stayed beside him as he drank his ritual beer. He left the dog when he went up to sleep and by the next day, it was nowhere to be found. There was also no way that dog could have exited since the gate was closed all night.

21. He does not call nor text. He'd talk to you when you call him but he'd be itching to give the phone to somebody else, my mom perhaps or whoever is nearby. He's not big on telephones.

22. He loves to play games - mahjong, casinos - and he has pretty lucky streak too, always winning. With sungka, when we were young, he won a lot (two of his tricks were very quick calculations or 'ipit' lol).

23. He used to go hunting. I just don't know where and with whom. He has a taste for exotic food - snakes, bayawaks (monitor lizard, as galo explained), wild boar, deer, etc. He made me taste roasted pig brains once. 'Think this is where I got the 'will trying anything once' with food. But he knows we love dogs, so once, when we attended a party with hosts who eat dogs, he warned us not to eat any dish with bones we can't recognize.

24. I would say he loves travelling. Even as young ones, we were always being totted around by our parents - Bicol, Cavite, Tagaytay, Subic, Bulacan, etc.

25. He is a very confident driver but very nervous when I was behind the wheel. I think he only got in once when I was learning how to drive. Only once.

26. He buys those kitchen gadgets made easy - the grater-all-in-one, the mixer-all-in-one, etc. Some, we were able to use often, others just got stock in a cabinet somewhere.

27. He's also a mean billiards player.

28. Our pet Smart, a cranky doberman pincher with undescended balls, claimed him as his master. He would 'guard' Papa whenever he's sleeping. He'd sleep on his side, or right on top of him. He'd really growl if somebody he does not know well approaches Papa.

29. They used to have a piano in their home in QC. Then with us, he bought those Yamaha keyboards hoping we'd learn how to play. I took some lessons, till my teacher said I don't have rhythm. My Papa though, he had a feel for it. He can widow.

30. When he sings, he has a good voice.

31. He has a jar back home which he calls 'magical'. He would usually fill it in the morning with coins but by afternoon's time it would be nearly depleted, with me and my brothers digging in.

32. He does not like food to stay long in the fridge. If it's there a day and nobody seems to want it, he's bound to throw it out.

33. If pressed, he'll say 'I love you' back. ;)

Happy Father's Day Papa! I love you!

I Believe

2009-06-27T16:53:00.003+04:00

Sometimes, you just have to trust that...

*Image from a forwarded email.

Revisiting Philippine animation

2009-06-03T20:02:00.007+04:00

I love animation and I will watch almost anything I can get my hands on. Once I saw one episode of 'Avatar' I was hooked - I had to finish it (luckily, I share this fascination with Ang and his ragtag team with my nephew, so I have somebody to talk to about it hehe). Of course there were my favourite animes - my beloved Kenshin and other series I used to watch as a child - 'Candy, Candy', Daimos, Voltron (Lions) and more.

Sadly enough, I haven't seen a lot of Pinoy made animation films. I would love to, but I kept missing the opportunity.

Anyway, I was surfing a totally differen topic when I came upon a blog entry which mentioned 'Dayo' - the story of Bubuy, a young Pinoy whose grandparents were kidnapped by elementals. To save them, he needs to embark on a journey into the realm of Filipino fantasy, and he does so with the help of a new-found friend Ana, a 'manananggirl'.

Traditionally, it's really called 'manananggal', ordinary-looking women by day, but at night, they grow huge black wings (much-like bats') and their bodies separate in half. The upper part flies off in search of food - unborn babies sucked off from unsuspecting, usually sleeping moms, through a tongue that can be lowered like a thread, or mangle poor saps still out about in the dead of the night. But here, Ana is a charming, teen non-meat eater. By the way, 'Dayo' means visitor, specifically a visitor from a far-away land (or realm as the case may be).

I love how the characters look so Pinoy - a trait that other animation projects failed to capture before when characters would look too Oriental or too Caucasian. But with 'Daloy', you can actually identify to it being Pinoy. Love it!

I've only seen the trailer but I'm excited to see it in full. I like the characters they've created and everything looks original. Too bad they're not selling DVDs on their website yet.

This is Lea Salonga's version of 'Lipad' (Fly) which was used in 'Dayo'. Love it too! Simple yet inspirational. The version used in the film was rendered by a guy and is more upbeat.

Since I was already in Youtube, I followed the links to other Pinoy digital animation projects. One of which is 'Urduja' the story of a legendary warrior princess in the Philippine province of Pangasinan in 1350 to 1400s. She led women warriors against invaders and fought alongside men. The synopsis was quite cool - and reading it, I'm excited to see it. But the trailer was not as exciting. First glance and Pocahontas immediately came to mind.

Pocahontas right? I immediately recognised Eddie Garcia as the dad, but failed to recognise the other voice casts. A little digging - very easy in fact, since this seems to be another big project I missed out on, showed a stellar line-up: Urduja the heroine is Regine Velasquez, Lim Hang the hero is Caesar Montano, while other casts are Epi Quizon, Alan K., Michael V., Ruby Rodriguez and Jay Manalo.

I really didn't guess that it was Caesar Montano! While I was watching the trailer, I just kept thinking that a character looking like a Hun (reminded of the nemesis in Mulan) should have a manlier, grittier voice. His voice, was just, so... smooth.

This might just be me, but I also feel a "disassociation" with the dubbing, even with 'Dayo'. I felt like I was watching one of those pirated DVDs where the lips do not sync with the scene, or better illustration is, when you're watching those Korean telenovelas or Chinese movies dubbed in Tagalog. The lips are still moving but the lines are done. But then again, it might not be the films itself but my mind's association that cartoons are almost always in English (even animes).

Another link there led to 'Ibong Adarna' which was produced in 1997. According to a little research, it won the 1995 Star Awards for Best Visual Effects. Hmmm... gotta see why. I don't like the style of the illustration but the angles and 'cinematography' was very creative from what little I saw of the video clip.

The earliest, full length was of course 'Ang Panday' (The Blacksmith) whose hero was the beloved FPJ aka 'The King' aka Fernado Poe Jr., the same guy who ran against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for presidency though I still think he should have stuck to being the Pinoy action king. This product from the 80s, clearly shows the immense leap the industry has taken.

Experts have a lot of opinions on why the Philippine animation industry is taking such a long time to grow and one of them is the lack of a basic necessity in producing a great flick - money.

Come on, even Dubai, from absolutely zero animation suddenly came out with a hit cartoon series, 'Freej' ('Community', if I remember correctly and please do correct me if I'm wrong). The 3D animation is the UAE's first animated series starring four old national women tackling their city's culture, norms and social issues for 15 minutes every episode. The team behind 'Freej' had the dream, the dedication, the talent, and of course, they also had the money to actually turn that dream into reality.

On the other hand, 'Daloy' seems to show that the quality of Pinoy animation has gone on a sharp incline. Because true, the talent has always been there - in fact, a lot is being utilised for projects all over the world, may they be Pinoy artists based in other countries or in the Philippines (think 'Mulan', Finding Nemo, 'Toy Story', 'Cars', etc) - but there were other limitations reigning it in (i.e. funding).

So here's to hoping the industry improves and produces more unique, creative and engaging animated products. Great going Pinoy artists!

Now, I just hope I can find these DVDs when I go back to the Philippines for my vacation - all originals of course.

Here'a an interesting read about the topic Philippine animation, with history and everything, I stumbled on it while looking for more Pinoy works.

Bag organizers in the UAE

2009-05-03T20:18:00.007+04:00

I don't change my bags often - there's always that fear that I might forget something. So more often than not, instead of leaving my 'heavy load' behind even for something as simple as grocery shopping, I'd bring the whole thing. You know what they say, you never know you need something till its gone.

But honestly, this simple little thing has been heaven-sent - a BAG ORGANIZER.

So now, I have my wallet, my business card holder, my lotion, pens, coins and key chain all in one nifty little creation. When I need to change bags, I just pull out the bag organizer and put it in the new bag. Kewlness.

So, my friends and I decided to share this little secret with the rest of UAE (yes, this is a sales pitch) - and we're selling it! So, if you feel the need to be just a little organized, if you feel like you really don't want to rummage through all the junk inside your bag, or if you just feel like you want life a little more convenient - then contact us. =) You can leave a message here, email me, email orangejar@gmail.com, check out http://www.orangejar.com/ or find us at Facebook (search for orangejar@gmail.com (Orange Jar) or orangejar@orangejar.com (OrangeJar Goodies).

Life can be simpler. Get your own bag organizer.

Bag organizers are available in solid colours (red, pink, blue, gray, black, orange, green), printed (yellow plaid, pink plaid, blue plaid) and animal prints.

For the guys out there, you mom, gf, wife, or sister will loooove this! You know where to find us ;).

------
Happy Birthday to my dear friends and relatives:

April 29 - Happy Bday Tenshi
April 30 - Happy Bday Jay
May 1 - Happy Bday Jans
May 1 - Happy Bday Kuya Juancho
May 3 - Happy Bday Rich
May 3 - Happy Bday Nodge
May 4 - Happy Bday Lola
May 5 - Happy Bday Ron
May 15- Happy Bday Betsy
May 22 - Happy Bday Gitz

Canyoning in Oman & Caving in Al Ain

2009-05-01T12:10:00.012+04:00

Another belated post. This weekend fun was actually held on March 21.

Guided by Mountain High's Julie and Calin, we trekked across a mostly dry wadi in Baraini, Oman and then went over to Jebel Hafeet to explore one of its caves.

So there we are, walking across a dry desert plain, in wet suits, carrying bright orange lifesavers until we came to the wadis, and proved that there was indeed use for the stifling hot wetsuits - the water was freezing.

Plenty of times we had to squeeze ourselves in between these gorgeous rock formations. I tell you, my knees were colorful for a whole week after the event.

Don't have much time to work on the photos. But I've posted a lot of the unedited ones in my Facebook and Multiply account.

Here's another adventure they are planning, unfortunately, I've used up my vacation leaves and my pocket is not deep enough to cover it. But in case, you're interested, contact details are below:

KENYA: OUT OF AFRICA August 21 – September 1 2009

Combining trekking through rain forests rich in flora, fauna and birdlife, climbing to the snow capped summit of Mount Kenya ( 4895m ), followed by game drives ,the Great Rift Valley, tree planting with Masai Mara warriors & experience the jewel of Africa’s wildlife, this trip promises to be one you will never forget… Open to men and women. ( 12- 16 pax ).

In The Spirit of Adventure!

Julie Lewis

Mountain High

Tel: 050 659 5536

Fax: 04 394 3061

Email: jules@mountainhighme.com www.mountainhighme.com

More bday photos

2009-04-18T14:57:00.006+04:00

Just a few more bday photos that I was not able to post last time.

This first one here was taken on April 5th itself, when a few friends joined me for dinner at Nando's, Sheikh Zayed branch, for absolutely yummy Portuguese chicken.
In the pictures: Annie, Chat, Romar, Tin-tin, Kit-kit, Tetel, Raquel, Ye and Joel

This second collage was on the Thursday of my bday week - my colleagues held a merienda celebration at the office. We usually buy cake and chips to celebrate each other's birthdays. Sheetal chose a lovely Baskin and Robbins ice cream cake which we devoured in no time.
In the pictures: Ladan, Mohamed, Faizal, Mohamed and wife Sandy, Umaima, Rabiya - Sheetal, where are you?

The third set is for a few Upian friends. Tita Marcela kindly cooked traditional Filipino foods for us, which I brought to Malen and Abet's new place at International City on Friday. It was a yummy, tummy-filling buffet of adobong pusit (squid cooked in its own ink), baked tuna, adobong chicken and pork (cooked in vinegar, soy sauce, usually seasoned with laurel leaves, whole black peppers and garlic), paksiw na fish (fish cooked in vinegar with onions, ginger and salt) and laing (chili, taro leaves cooked with coconut milk courtesy of Mirzi's mom; Mirzi wasn't able to come because she was covering the case of the 137 Pinoys on visit visa, initially contracted to become RTA drivers - but when they got here, turns out there were no jobs for them). Christian and Grace brought a delicious Marble Slab ice cream cake. After stuffing ourselves, we held a marathon movie and TV series watching till 1 in the morning!
In the pictures: Oliver, Yohan (forgot the right spelling), Grace, Christian, Malen, Ena; not in the picture - myself! Abet, Galo, Ernie and Tito Dan

Just gotta say this - I love ice cream cake!

Lola Helen

2009-04-13T21:15:00.007+04:00

My grandmother, Lola Helen, passed away last Saturday morning. She was 96 years old.

She was a Spanish teacher, a businesswoman, a mother, a wife, a sister, a grandmother and a great grandmother to Marco and Wig.

The last time I saw her was three years ago when I went to Toronto. As I entered her room, she exclaimed that I looked like Ria and a few seconds later she realized that it indeed was me. We haven't seen each other in years before that. Actually, the last time I can remember that she was in Manila was when I was still in College. She just met my first boyfriend and she promptly called him 'ulikba' (dark skinned) - out of his hearing of course. Who could blame her? Hehe, the guy was tall, skinny and dark. Up to now, my relatives tease me about it even though we have long since gone to our separate ways.

She often made us pray in Spanish and brought us to the Church whether there was a mass or not. Lola (Granny) always had a handful of prayer books and novenas with her. When she was still in Quezon City, she'd sit by the back door of her room where there was plenty of ambient light so she can read off from her prayer book. There's always a prayer to a patron saint within an hour or specific day.

In Toronto, when she became too weak to hear mass, she'd tune in to the TV, and I heard, the priest would visit her at their house to give her the Blessed Eucharist.

She migrated to Canada when I was only in grade school. She, together with my uncle Dan, and cousin Dennis. Before that, we would spend vacations in their house in Quirino watching cartoons, seeing to their houseful of dogs, looking at the half a dozen aquariums, the turtles in their ponds, and of course, running around with the neighborhood kids.

Our Christmases were spent in Silang but New Years were always in Quirino, with Lola Helen. The length of Tindalo street would be lined with candles on both sides - bought from the money the neighborhood kids collected that afternoon. There would be a few bonfires burning in the middle of the street, illuminating certain spots, keeping others dark. Some firecrackers would start early; kids were excited to light up their special treats. But as midnight came to a close, the candlelit street came more alive. Colours rose up into the air as a variety of sounds melted into one deafening sound that heralded the New Year.

I can imagine Lola's passing like that: a peaceful, candlelit street where she waited for her angel. And as she entered Heaven, the firecrackers were lit and and joyous sounds welcomed her home. Love you Lola.

Put in a good word for us up there.

Bday again

2009-04-07T23:07:00.011+04:00

Wow. It's been another year. But unlike other years where I usually plan several getogethers and activities with friends to mark another year of my life, I just kind of waited to see what will happen.

Luckily enough, the Gulf Traveller feature on Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay, a section in Arabian Man magazine that explores great areas in the Gulf region, was scheduled on the weekend just before the B day. So it was, most definitely, a treat!

Six Senses Hideaway is true to its name. If you don't have a map to the place, you really will not find it. It was a short drive from the border of Oman (coming from Emirates Road, exit 119). You have to make a left turn opposite the Sultan Qaboos mosque, into a one-lane road seemingly going nowhere, and when that road ends, you have to take a left to the dirt road it's attached to. You drive over a dam, follow the dirt road through rocky mountains and wandering goats until you reach a big stone engraved with the resort's logo and name. A few feet down the road, there are stone structures that mark the official entrance of the resort.

A nice smiling man asked us if we wanted to park our car or if we wanted to just drive there ourselves. Ena, my companion for the trip, was concerned that all her shoes were scattered all over the car. She didn't want to scramble to fix her stuff and end up leaving something she needed. So, she said, "No thanks, we'll drive ourselves."

The guy said, "Okay, just go straight, up, up, up, then down, down, down, then turn left."

Okay. Simple enough. Until we started climbing. We were only a fourth into the mountain when we started doubting ourselves, was that a left turn down there? But they didn't seem to be signaling to us that we made a wrong turn so on we went. The road was a one-lane dirt road hugging the sides of this huge rocky mountain. Most bends were blind, so they placed concave mirrors to warn you if somebody's coming from the other side. Whoa. But Ena and her cool gray cute, little Vitara were great! So we went up, up, up and down, down, down. When we got to the other side, we saw that the cove was divided into two. The resort was on the left side while a small community was on the right.

Ironically enough, while we were waiting at the reception, Ena started shaking -- that's only when she realized how difficult the drive was! But she was game for it. There was just a delayed reaction. Way to go Ens!

We were given a pool villa - a one-bedroom villa with a very rustic but classy finish, great wooden doors from the sides and back and a set of glass doors for the front side facing the beach. The facade was also lined with stones much like the rest of the resort, and it was just rustic, Arabic, lovely. Up front there was a small pool and two areas where you can lounge around with with huge cream, orange and dark red pillows.

Ahh... peaceful, luxurious heaven. So that's how we spent the weekend, luxuriating in this beautiful environment... chilling, forgetting for two blissful days that we were mere mortals who had to clock in at 9 the next day.

Ahh... but I must not forget one of the great treats of the weekend - paragliding! We jumped off about 300 metres up, and Ishto, the expert paraglider was so cool. The day before he did 13 jumps. It was raining that Saturday morning, so I was lucky that it cleared up, allowing me that great, palm-tingling experience.

The rest, including the tummy treatment treat, will be in the June Gulf Traveller and Travel secion of Arabian Man and Arabian Woman magazine.

Lovely.

Thanks Zighy Bay.

Thank you too to everybody who sent me their greetings.

On another note, please pray for my grandmother on my father's side, Lola Helen. I was told earlier that she was brought to the hospital, and is quite weak. Lola, my prayers are with you.

Tagged: The Purse

2009-04-01T23:19:00.010+04:00

This seemed fun, so when I read from Frances Amper's Topaz Horizon that she tagged me, I decided to do it. I've also seen this from my good friend Tenshi, but I never really had time before.

Just beware: my bag is a huge mess!

Here's how to do it:
1. Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you can't go into your closet and pull out your favorite purse! We want to know what you carried today or the last time you left the house.
2. List how much it cost. And this is not to judge. This is for entertainment purposes only. So spill it. And if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, we'd love to hear it.
3. List what's inside it and post a picture of the entire mess!
4. Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know why the heck you're showing everyone your bag.

--
I carry two bags now - one is my regular handbag, and the other is where I put my other mini bags. This is to prevent my real handbag from giving up on me too soon -- I've tortured plenty of purses before by cramming them full of my stuff. I really can't explain how I've gotten to this point that I need to bring these much items everyday. But as you know, when you decide to leave them at home, it's the day you'll need 'em. So I say, just tote it along.

This gray beauty is from Bayo - I really do not know the price because it was a gift from Jim & Tricia (Jim is my sis-in-law's brother and Tricia is his wife). I've never really had the opportunity to thank them because I left for Dubai after Christmas -- so thank you Jim & Tricia, I love the bag!

What's inside:

1. Red Paprika Wallet
2. Pink goodies - generic Ibuprofen
3. Pierrot Dental Floss
4. Brown leather business card holder for OJ
5. Black leather business card holder for AW/AM
6. Amouge lotion long since gone, I've refilled it with Jergens lotion
7. Loccitane hand cream
8. Unipin .3 which I just love for sketching
9. A variety of paper for notes and random sketches
10. Green tea wet wipes
11. Brown and green bag organizer I bought from Greenhills last Christmas
12. Kent Micro Taming brush - this is the first brush I bought for a handbag, tell you a secret - I don't really brush my hair much. It's just there for show.
13. Brown BodyShop liquid eyeliner - a recent favorite with the discovery that a nice, even line can make your eyes look wide awake

Next, is this fresh green bag. I also don't know the price because it's a Christmas gift from my Tita Eya and Tito Dave (thanks!!!).

What's inside is a little more organized because it contains more bags!

1. Astroboy bag - I just fell in love with this when I saw it at Carrefore. I use it as my lunch bag.

2. Black, white & silver bear pouch - a Christmas gift from my godmother, Ninang Enee. It's officially my kikay kit. I have tons of stuff inside it, but I don't use each one regularly, it's just there. You know, for emergencies:
a. Bobbi Brown brush set
b. Inglot Mascara
c. Inglot nude lipstick
d. Tweezers
e. Mikyajy Green eyeliner - I should throw this out, this is more than two years old!
f. Pixi Lustrous Eye primer - same story as h.
g. Estee Lauder Eye brown pencil
h. Pixi Natural Minerals set - contains eye shadow, blush and lip glosses - got this
on a random shopping splurge with a make-up crazy friend. I say random, because
when it comes to make-up, I plan and not shop impulsively, well not the case here.
i. Pixi hydrotint duo - it's tinted moisturizer and lip gloss combo - same case as h.
j. Refillable bottle from Daiso which I semi-filled with Givenchy Envy
k. BodyShop No. 29 lipstick - I usually buy from BodyShop but I've recently decided to try other brands
l. Eye pencil sharpener
m. Mac Cool heat eyeshadow - a gift from a friend when I just felt like a change from my usual browns.

I know... a lot of people wouldn't even believe that I use any of these at any given time. But even if I have this much make-up, I am still usually fresh-faced. I just feel the need to put some on when I'm going to events.

3. Black heart pouch - my gadget bag which I bought from Daiso last year:
a. Ipod video - gift from my mom about two years ago, she sent it to me via regular snail mail, and instead of reaching our office, it reached the DIP Office. Luckily, they called me up to collect it. Use it to record interviews and review Aikido moves (though I haven't been back to class for four months -- I should go back, I should go back!)
b. Belkin TuneTalk Stereo - an Ipod accessory to turn it into a very good quality
recorder. Doesn't fail to impress
c. WD Red passport - a recent addition; replaced my black Toshiba external
hard drive when one of the partitions failed on me
d. 1GB Givenchy flash disk - used to contain press releases, now it's a mule
e. A variety of cables.

There, my mess in all its glory. Hmmm... come to think of it sometimes, this green bag contains my camera bag and and a slipper pouch. Most of these stay in the car when I need to go off somewhere and if I'm extremely lazy, I simply take my red wallet and my phone, and I'd leave everything in the office or the car. My phone! It wasn't there because it's by the nightstand now - it doubles as my alarm clock, of course.

I am quite lazy with bags, so even though I have stashed several in my brimming closet, I use only one bag for days on end (unless it's going to clash terribly with what I'm wearing, which is usually not the case). When I change, I use the new one, again, for days on end. That's why I started using two bags - so it's not so strained with all the weight.

Now, I tag, Tenshi of course, who has done this several times, Grace, who loves designer purses (maybe you can do it as Notes in Facebook?), and Chen.

Fashionista alert

2009-03-30T21:15:00.007+04:00

It was fun checking out the fabulously displayed Zufi Alexander bags at the Dubai Ladies Club this afternoon. The items, which were for sale (it's a one-day event), came off cheaper than those at Harvey Nichols with prices ranging from AED500 (diaries, wallets and organizers) to AED2,500 and up (handbags). Ten percent of the sales will go to Red Crescent Society - a charity that Zufi supports because she believes it covers a wide range of causes.

Zufi Alexander, whose creations are sported by Hollywood celebs like Katherine Heigl, Sienna Miller and Beyonce, was born and raised in Dubai, took up a Masters degree in the UK, joined Christie's London, and eventually ended up creating her own handbag line and company in 2004. That's only five years ago, so what she has done during this time is nothing short of amazing.

Despite her success in the international fashion arena, she seemed very down to earth, approachable and easy to speak with. We chatted about her definition of success, where she gets her inspirations, what she does when she's stuck for ideas and what's the 'it bag' for Spring/Summer -- and all of that will be in Arabian Woman magazine soon.

This has made me reflect on my own humble bag collection. Over the years, I've realized I've accumulated a lot of bags. Quite weird, if I reflect back to my early working years: I used to be a one-bag person (a small one at that) but now, I cannot manage without different, and take note, huge bags! I'm a late bloomer, I'd admit. The price tags on those Zufi Alexander bags are still way too pricey for my pocket - but it's just lovely being able to appreciate it up close.

Snap out of it!

2009-03-29T23:09:00.007+04:00

Enough of this doom and gloom. I'm tired of it. I have a job I love and even if the pay is late, it still comes. I am F-O-R-T-U-N-A-T-E. And thank you God for that!

Dubai though, has been in a literal gloomy mood - it's been raining for four days now and I heard on the radio it's going to be the same tomorrow.

Oh, did I tell you that it hailed last Thursday evening? Yeap, after four years, the sky decided to throw pebble-sized ice down at us again, and follow it up with buckets and buckets of water, melting the ice real fast. This is a Dubai seldom seen, so today, I dragged my camera out of its bag and snapped a few pictures of wet, wet, wet Dubai.

That's me on the left, standing before our office door, road pictures are of Emirates Road, taken on my way to the office this morning, and the trees are in our office parking lot. In case you're wondering, I stopped by a gasoline station to take those.

Usually, when it rains back home, your car looks like it was newly washed, but here, the car looks like a poor loser in a mud race. My poor Sam is sooo dirty, you can draw murals on her.

But I loooove it! I love the weather (no offense to motorists who met accidents on the road during these times). The weather is nice and cool, the rain brings fresh air and a feeling of hope.

One of our colleagues who was 'trimmed' came in today to get her final settlement and say goodbye. Fate dealt her a nice card though, after the company trimming was announced, her hubby got a job in another country, making the redundancy a convenient way to exit the company.

We feasted on what may be goodluck cheesecakes - all the best Sahla (up front with her little darling)!

Before I headed home, I met Mae, a previous colleague from Manila. Curiously enough, she's been here four years, and me five and this is only the third time we've seen each other. Now, she's moving on to another phase in her life - she's leaving Dubai for good to establish a new life in the US. All the best Mae!

Hiding behind Mae, at the Mall of the Emirates.

That is life. It's just one adventure after another.

Ahh... we never know what may soon pass. Come rain, wash our problems away and bring new life, new beginnings and revive our souls.

Gloomy Monday

2009-03-23T23:43:00.005+04:00

I've always said, to reassure myself, that our team is too small to be trimmed. But today proved me wrong, we just saw our core team reduced by two, a writer and an artist. A third person was also served her final notice, making it three in total, if I count for the whole group.

But I guess, when the situation demands it, a lean machine can definitely be made leaner.

Bigger establishments are slowing down, such as ITP which suspended or closed about nine magazines and laid off about 60 people. So, we kind of expected it.

But nothing prepared any of us for the reality.

I read recently that people who get left behind are not necessarily happy people. They also suffer from stress - a lot of it. Yes, they do not have to deal with job loss and the pressure of finding a new employment, fast, but they also deal with increased workload and the continuous fear that they might be 'next'.

Which is true. As soon as this happened, and to be realistic, even before, my little me hiding behind my gray matter has been shouting, "Am I next?"

Time Magazine writer Eben Harrell writes in his Time online Health & Science article, "Compared with people who are straight-up laid off, those who keep their job but are under a constant threat of losing it suffer a greater decline in mental well-being."

Harrell cited Brendan Burchell, a Cambridge sociologist, "A newly jobless person's mental health may 'bottom out' after about six months, and then even begin to improve, the mental state of people who are perpetually worried about losing their job just continues to deteriorate, getting worse and worse."

And to that, you can add the benefits of being 'lucky': people who are left behind may suffer severe symptoms of anxiety and depression, such as insomnia, substance abuse and lethargy.

What more can you ask for? It's a complete package - more work, stress of losing your job, and depression, insomnia and other side effects to boot.

The outlook seems bleak, even for those who are lucky enough to have jobs. Will the economy improve soon? We don't know.

Like what our doctor says when a cysts or some growth is spotted in any part of the body and there's nothing she can really do, "It's now a game of wait and see".

And so, we wait.

Missing a flight

2009-03-16T00:36:00.007+04:00

Last December, I blogged about missing my flight. Missing your flight can easily be one of the most frustrating and maddening experiences ever. It throws a whole wrench into your plans, not only for the flight itself but everything that follows.

So on Dec 27, I went to the airport to go back to Dubai. As usual, it was an emotional affair. With my nephews growing up and becoming more conscious of the fact that my departure means missing each other for a long period of time, it's becoming harder and harder to leave them each year. My airline was Emirates Airlines – I used up the mileage points I've accrued over the years to claim a free return flight.

So many things happened that night – most of it not good. I emailed Emirates Airlines on January 4, 2009 asking if the whole matter was tackled in the proper manner, so I post the situation below and the response they gave me. I've sent them two emails and their first official response was on February 9.

The seat

Having checked in the night before my flight, I assumed that the baggage drop-off would take five minutes at most, there was no line for baggage drop off. It took longer – and I didn't know what was happening until the lady at the check-in counter approached again and told me that they needed to block some seats, including my pre-chosen seat. After a long discussion, with me insisting I prefer the seat I originally chose, I finally gave up in the face of her insistence that they needed the seats. So I was extremely surprised when I got this response:

Emirates Airlines Customer Affairs reply, February 9, 2009:
“Our records shows that you blocked your seats online and our check-in agent offered you your preferred seat, but the seat was changed at your request.”

In my reply I insisted that I did not request the seat change. Why would I be crazy enough to complain if I requested the seat change? I always choose one of the two-seater seats at the back of the plane; I did not want the inconvenience of seating with two other people.

Emirates Airlines Customer Service reply, March 12, 2009:
“Turning to your seat issue, our records show that you blocked your seat online, on flight EK333 from Manila to Dubai on 27 December and that our check-in agent offered your preferred seat, but this was changed at your request for front row seat. However, when you were re-accepted on the later flight, EK333 on 31 December, our ground staff assigned a seat which was similar to your online request.”

Again, they insisted that I requested the seat change. They also informed me that the airline can change seats, because it is a part of their policy. That's fine then, if they left it at that. What I do not understand is why they are insisting I requested it. I agreed to a seat change because the ground crew insisted they needed it. And in their report, I requested it?

They are even trying to suggest a behavioral pattern that “my requested seat” was the same as the one I chose for the December 31 flight. The irony in that? I asked a friend to settle my flight arrangements because by that time, I was so annoyed with Emirates Airlines. And if they wanted to cite behavioral patterns – why did they not cite the seat I flew in to the Philippines, which was the same seat I chose for the supposed December 27 flight, a two-seater seat at the back of the plane?

The OEC

The next issue was my OEC certificates. Filipinos, unlike other nationalities who can travel almost anywhere just with their passports and plane tickets, are required by the Philippine government to carry OECs if they're working abroad. Unfortunately, my OEC was misplaced. So after check-in, I went to the OWWA office in the airport, stood in line and easily got the certification that it was lost. My passport had the signature and stamp by OWWA Dubai where I got the original OECs so it was no question for them. In the four years I've been in Dubai, this is the first time I've lost an OEC, so I asked them, before I left the queue if it was all I needed and they said yes.

Of course the first response from EK Air representative was that it was my responsibility to carry all the documents necessary. But the thing is, as far as I know, and was informed - I was carrying all the documents necessary.

But it was refused. They needed three original copies. I asked if they can copy it since it's a certification of loss and not the OEC, they said no. They needed three original ones.

Emirates Airlines Customer Affairs reply, February 9, 2009:
“The report that I received from our office at Manila Airport states that you were offloaded from the above flight as you were holding just one copy of the Overseas Employment Certificate.”

I had a certification of loss, not the actual OEC. So point one is already wrong. And the ground staff insisted on THREE original copies of the certification of loss. I asked if copies can be made, they said 'no'.

I clarified this in a second email. And I got this response (note that they only reviewed my original email then):

Emirates Airlines Customer Affairs reply, March 12, 2009:
“I have taken this opportunity to review your initial correspondence to this office, along with all relevant reports, and I am now in a position to respond to your concerns...

Our ground staff requested you to wait to enable them to obtain the other department approval, in order to accept you. However, due to the time constraints, our staff were unable to accept you on the above flight.”

A ground staff simply said he needed three original copies of the certification of loss, originals, no copies -- well, unless he was the 'department' the customer air rep was referring to, I did not see that effort. All the time, I was insisting that the OWWA themselves said it was the only thing required for a loss OEC (even when I went back to OWWA after missing my flight, they insisted it was all that was needed). When I asked the surly ground staff if there was time to go back to OWWA, he curtly said “NO,” turned to his radio to close the gate. That was that.

Honestly, so far, and I hope it will forever remain like that, I've never had problems with airports outside the Philippines. I'm not a jetsetter like busy executives here in Dubai, but I am fortunate enough to have been able to travel 2-3 times a year and visit several countries in Asia, visit Europe and Canada, and I've never experienced things like these - which reminds me of another Philippine Airport experience when we were off to Singapore (immigration this time).

The clincher

But you know what? Let's give them all that. Let's say that I am crazy enough to complain about a seat change that I myself requested. Let's say that I am the only Filipino expatriate in the world to lose her OEC, that this situation has never risen before, that government offices actually issue original certifications of loss in threes.

Then I still have one question.

When I went to the Emirates Airlines booking office at the airport, right after I asked OWWA (airport office) why they only gave me one copy when the airline needed three (to which they replied, they only issue ONE original copy to lost OECs) I was asked by Emirates staff at the booking office to stay and wait for the next flight as a chance passenger.

If my documents were not accepted in the flight I was originally booked for, because I posed, in their words “a security risk” because of the missing document, what made those very SAME documents acceptable in the next flight, on the dame date?

I asked this question in both emails, it was never addressed, not even once.

The other side

I try not to write about negative stuff, it can really be tiring especially in this tense economic atmosphere, it's just a plain downer.

And to think, that unfortunate event actually allowed me to spend a few extra days with my family, even though it created problems for me back at work.

I would have been at peace if what I got was a simple apology.

But this insistence that only their report is right, that only their version is correct - it's in their report afterall - has left a very sour taste in my mouth.

Omg, it's FIVE!

2009-03-15T20:30:00.004+04:00

I was about to post four - but I went back to last year's post, it already said four. Four? Where did the year go? I went back to every year before that, and true enough, it is five. Where did the time go?

Conquering the world in flipflops

2009-02-01T16:47:00.003+04:00

Today is the last day of the Dubai Desert Classic, a prime golfing event and I've just been to the VIP Lounge of Omega, one of the sponsors where I interviewed the VP regarding the brand's romance with sports.

I was wearing flip-flops.

I had to ditch my fabulous heels when I saw the sandy parking lot and the length I had to walk from the car to the entrance and from the entrance to the lounge (which was quadruple the distance of my car to the entrance)!

So there I was with Omega's VP, in his fitted suit, lavender-toned necktie and orange Seamaster Planet Ocean Omega wristwatch, interviewing him in my flip-flops.

Suckers!

2009-01-25T22:49:00.002+04:00

Dubai doesn't have drainage systems, so when it rains so much, the water has nowhere to go... at least, until the suckers come and suck 'em off.

On a separate climate report - Ras Al Khaimah is snowing! It would be interesting to go up there and see, but I'm afraid it's going to be all slush by the time we get there.

Breakfast at Tiffany's, lunch at BK

2009-01-21T00:21:00.004+04:00

Tiffany & Co. celebrated the opening of their flagship store today at the Dubai Mall; present were Tiffany head honcho Mr. James Quinn, Chief Gemologist Peter Schneirla and the famous Tiffany Yellow.

The first thing I blurted out to Peter, during our interview session, was - how could they cut the Tiffany Yellow to almost half the size? (From 287.42 carats, the stone was reduced to its current shape and size of 128.54 carats). Hehe. He said I should be a diamond dealer with such an attitude, and he proceeded to explain how diamonds are cut...

The Tiffany Yellow was worn only by two women: a Rhode Island socialite by the name of Sheldon Whitehouse and of course, Audrey Hepburn.

Like many others, for me, Tiffany & Co. is forever intertwined with the movie 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. I even read online that people still call the shop to ask if they do serve breakfast!

But unlike many others, after a brief affair with everything that sparkles, I went for lunch at a Burger King drive through.

Bobbi Brown

2009-01-21T00:18:00.002+04:00

Bobbi Brown is promoting a new tinted moisturiser for release in March. They held a one-on-one demonstration, conducted by the charming Eliano Bou Assi, Bobbi Brown's Official Middle East Trainor and Events Manager.

My colours - warm and natural for the tinted moisturiser, black gel eyeliner, Black Glamour Lengthening mascara and Putty for the lips (which I just love!).

Rain, rain

2009-01-15T20:49:00.006+04:00

It's been raining for the last few days... last night, lightning like I've never seen here before! Cool! I miss rain. I even miss thunderstorms. Here are a few pics from the last two days:

When I think of home

2009-01-14T08:38:00.002+04:00

My friend posted this in our egroup, just a few hours before she was to leave the Philippines to go back to Dubai. Like many Upians who read it, it touched not only a chord in my heart, but it resonated so deeply:

In a couple of hours, I will be leaving. Leaving my heart in this room, this house.

The rain dances frantically on the tin roof. The wind is howling against the window. I am grateful for this tempest as the deafening sound drowns my sobs.

The sweetness of homecoming has barely faded, and here I am - ready to leave once again.

I feel and taste the tears that I try to hold back, try to push down past my throat to that abyss of despair. Gritty. Salty.

The dread of leaving feels like a thousand butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

Inevitable. Sorrow.

L

Early Valentine

2009-01-04T21:01:00.003+04:00

This came in the mail today. Heart-shaped chocolates in red foil wrappers.

Awwww...

Shucks. And I thought it was the real deal.

Kidding. Of course, I knew it's from a PR. Sigh.

New Year flying

2008-12-31T06:31:00.008+04:00

After that airport fiasco (okay, minor setback) last Saturday, I was fearful that something else might crop up and hold me back again.

People always say that 'things happen for a reason'. Aside from forgetting a vaccine that I was supposed to bring back with me, I did not see any good reason for me to go through this hassle.

But then, I settled down again. I did not unpack my bags, since the next flight was just a few days later but I did unpack my gadgets and my mind.

We went to Ocean Adventure which my nephews enjoyed so much and I was able to meet some more friends. Last night, dear friends who are usually here for my last night every year were finally able to come. I didn't realize till then that we were not able to hold that annual despedida.

Though I was not conscious of it, I was not ready to go. Now I am, even if I'm spending Philippine New Year on air and most probably, Dubai New Year in the airport.

Luckily, that's nothing new. Once the new year almost found me in a speeding taxi cab, zigzagging through firecracker-filled roads.

But then again, there's also a first - two New Years for once.

I'll be squeezing the vaccine in my apple green suitcase after I log out, then I'll be zipping it close for the last time this year.

So before I go and prepare for another trip to the airport I wish you all a Happy New Year. May the new beginning prove to be what we are all looking for.

*Handpainted eggs by Ysab

Left in Manila

2008-12-28T21:22:00.003+04:00

Somebody is praying real hard for me not to go. And the first candidate would be my nephew who kept praying that we get stuck in traffic so that I don't make it to the plane. Well, long story told short (won't elaborate right now since I need to mention names), red tape got me stranded in Manila. So I'm still here when I should be back in Dubai.

We are getting back on our production schedule so the pressure is on, luckily I have enough materials to meet tomorrow's deadline. It has been all emailed earlier. I can go to sleep now. Good night Manila.

When the shoe dropped

2008-12-16T20:45:00.002+04:00

I haven't been watching the news nor reading newspapers. But when this shoe dropped, boy, did it echo all throughout the world!

Bush visits Iraq and gets the ultimate Iraqi insult, two pairs of shoes were thrown at him by Al Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist, while he was delivering a speech:

"This is a gift from the Iraqis, this is the farewell kiss, you dog!" Al Zaidi shouted just before he chucked his shoes at the US president during the live broadcast of the press conference.

"This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq!" Al Zaidi shouted as he hurled his other shoe.

- Gulf News

As a journalist, I don't believe he should have done it. But I'm clapping inside.

Manila, Manila

2008-12-12T20:37:00.009+04:00

Back in Dubai, we often talk about living in a bubble: we feel like time and even life is suspended. Yes we get our ups and downs, usually with jobs, but it doesn't feel 'real'. This feeling was all the more pronounced during my Manila vacation two years ago. In the short time I was here, two very close friends got married, my cousin's grandmother passed away and my sister was hospitalized.

This time around, I've been in Manila for about two weeks and yet, I've seen another wedding (congrats Irish & Pau!), reunited with old friends and enrolled my nephew in Taekwondo classes. Of course a lot of it is because you tend to cram in as much as you can in such a short time. But we have to admit, and often remind ourselves, that Dubai is not our 'real life'. We are mere visitors there, everybody will go back again to their homes.

Every year, around this time, I go back to my reality. But now, I question if this is it.

Getting used to Manila again is easy. Just accept the chaos.

I haven't been outside yet without seeing people who treat the whole city as their home: bare-chested men hanging out in the streets, tummy bulging out or skinny chest proudly showing, men relieving themselves against walls and even a lamp post in the middle of the road, women and children crossing without looking left or right and drivers who have no concept of lanes and stick their cars wherever they will fit.

Once you're passed those, you're all set. You'll see the beauty that is chaotic and people-filled Manila. A host of friendly, smiling people with beautiful places to visit and great shopping to boot.

But on my way to Quiapo one afternoon, I stood near the exit of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) where I was waiting for my cousin. To my right, I can see the hordes of people alighting from the trains and exiting the station. To my left, I had a great view of the south end of EDSA. Buses where stopping nearly in the middle of the road, motorcycles were zooming past bigger vehicles, traffic aids were motioning vehicles to hurry up or slow down... and the question suddenly popped up, "Is this really my reality?"

Yes and No.

Home

2008-11-25T19:35:00.007+04:00

So I'm back home, in good old Manila for a much-needed break. I still have some work to do, so I've just been alternating between catching up on much-needed sleep, working and contacting friends.

I took the Emirates Air direct flight to Manila and the flight was, thank God, uneventful (except for my snoring seatmate) so I just stayed up and watched all the movies I can cram in the 8-hour flight. All Emirates Air flights now fly out and land in Terminal 3 so I got to see it, only one month after it opened and it's huge! Walking inside felt like you were just walking on and on and on, and as such, it's not as cozy as the old airport.

The signs inside are like the street signs in Dubai - confusing. I needed to go to Gate 121 and signs going to the gate pointed to different directions - to the left, to the right and another says go straight. Eventually, we found out it all converged in the middle where you need to go down one more level from the ground floor.

There were plenty of cafes and little nooks you can grab coffee and food though, which was good so you don't have to walk a long way back in case you want to nibble a bit before boarding.

Back in good old Philippines, getting out of the airport took a mere 30 minutes: immigration, customs and picking up my beautiful apple green suitcase. Then when I got down to the Arrivals area, the whole family was already there waiting for me! Lovely!

In the last three days, I've only stayed home, glued to the computer - yeah, boring stuff, save for trips outside to the doctor. Today was no different, but after the doctor's we decided to go malling and do a bit of shopping. We ate merienda (afternoon snack) at Producer's Market in Mandaluyong City, in a little place called 'Manong Pepe's' which surprisingly, offered decent champorado. I haven't eaten real champorado in a long time - it's chocolate porridge which is eaten with a little sugar and milk. But traditional Pinoy style, you eat it with tuyo or dried, salted fish. Yummy! The saltiness of the fish complemented the sweet chocolate flavours perfectly.

Then we went to Shangri-la, the nearby mall and after walking for quite a bit, we had coffee at Figaro - one of my favourite cafes. They offer the local brew, Kapeng Barako, and one of my ultimate favorite sweets, My Little Oscar, a small round sansrival cake (have to confirm if I remember it correctly). My heart's desire. Every time I go home, I make it a point to eat this yummy dessert.

I haven't really catered to my food whims yet, except for these two. But on Sunday, it's talaba (oysters) and my ninang's special leche flan time!!! Can't wait for Sunday!

7th Kyu

2008-11-20T01:58:00.004+04:00

I passed my 7th Kyu exam today. It's the first in a long line of grading exams for Aikido and as my classmate said last Monday, to a very apprehensive me, "Don't worry, after you pass your 7th kyu that's when you start learning what being a Kyu really means."

Very nervous me bungled up the last move even though I had very good ukes to work with (who were already coaching me what to do! Unfortunately, as I grew more tired, I also grew more confused... there's a step there that I always forget).

But I passed, they said I had a good stance and I was focused, but I have to work on improving my Kokyunage, the move I nearly massacred.

Now, I am officially a learner of Aikido.

I'm glad I continued... there was a couple of classes back there that I felt very frustrated that I wasn't getting it, but Kathy (who will be teaching in Sensei John's absence) said 'hang in there'. I'm glad I did.

Christina Aguilera live in Abu Dhabi

2008-10-25T02:33:00.008+04:00

Had no plans of going, but when you're given a free ticket, even on the day itself - Fate really wants you to go, ayt? Ena, my friend texted early in the morning saying they still had one free tix (actually, it was Galo's) so I rearranged my schedule and headed to Abu Dhabi with them.

But before going to Emirates Palace where the concert was being held, we first stopped at Oriental Korner (a Filipino restaurant in Abu Dhabi) to enjoy a highly recommended dish of Lomi (noodle soup dish) and Pancit canton. We were forewarned that the orders take long and true enough we got our food after an hour.

Despite the congestion near the parking area of the Emirates Palace, we were able to get in with extra time to spare. Our tix were in the Coral area (the cheapest bracket) which was jammed with fashionably-dressed fans and concert goers so we decided to stay at the back were it was cooler.

And then she started... no front act, no big introductions, the concert just started. And she was great! Powerful voice with just as powerful movements. Man, Christina Aguilera looks fabulous, to think she already went through pregnancy and giving birth! We were too far to see her face, and the camera man seldom zoomed in, so we couldn't really see how she looked, we could only really see her very straight, very blond hair and fantastic form!

Ena got so frustrated because the songs were rearranged and she couldn't sing along. Hehe. There were like three costume changes only - but Christina Aguilera changed the mood each time with an accessory, like a sailor cap or a feather Moulan Rouge tail so it worked.

I don't want to sound prudish but in all fairness, the leopard-print tankini looking outfit she had on for most of her performance, looked more modest than what a lot of the lady concert-goers were wearing.

Around 10:30 pm, the concert was over.

The lomi took longer. Hehe.

We headed out as she was belting out the last lines to start the long trek back to our vehicle.

More positions than your yoga instructor

2008-10-17T00:23:00.010+04:00

Adidas is currently promoting Play Yoga so they brought in celebrity yoga instructor Rainbeau Mars to Dubai. The media event started after the yoga session with Fitness First instructors. With the length of time it took for the PR people to confirm my colleague's attendance (who, at the last minute couldn't make it because of transportation problems), I assumed there would be plenty of members of the media joining in the session.

As it turned out, there were only five of us. One is a yoga instructor who is also a radio news announcer and even she was quite worked up that there were only a few of us who were dressed for yoga. A few minutes before the session, two more arrived and luckily they looked like they were ready to sweat it out, and later we found out that they have never tried yoga before.

Can you imagine being in your workout outfit, with other members of the media (in their ties and heels) watching from a just a little farther away enjoying their coffees and canapes? Haha, it was unnerving, even the yoga instructor/radio announcer kept looking and asking around for other participants.

I've only tried yoga a few times before. The first time was in Makati, Philippines and the form was Astanga. I kept thinking I did the forms wrong, but the yogi told me that I should not think about what is wrong but instead, I should think about what I did right.

So when I heard about this particular session with Rainbeau, I was immediately interested. With extra concentration (to dislodge the thought that others were watching) I went on the mat to start the mind-body union.

It was a great workout! I could feel my stretched muscles even days after. I like the way Rainbeau teaches, she somehow makes everything seem easier. During one exercise that tones the butt, she said something like, "How about that, we are toning our butts and promoting world peace." =)

She kept asking why simple things could be hard, like balancing on one foot. Harharhar. Her form by the way is called Ra'yoka, a mixture of different yoga forms, martial arts and what she calls 'core conditioning'. If you want to try it at home, just click the link. I want to get her CD so I can continue practicing at home.

Just before the Q&A, there was a brief pictorial just outside the tent, on the Layali Terrace (Madinat Jumeirah), so while the professional photogs were clicking away, I shot some of my own pics.

But the best, I would say, is this: so who's really doing the contortions here? Hehehe.

Inquirer - blogged!

2008-10-08T23:21:00.002+04:00

The PBC-UP article came out in Inquirer Blogs. Check it out!

For women only

2008-10-01T08:25:00.005+04:00

At Ibn Batuta Mall, women shoppers with one of the mall's mascots

Only a few years ago, Dubai was still relatively unknown. Now, it's name not only resounds all over the world but is often related to fast development, bountiful opportunities and the world's something-something. Sounds funny, eh? Well, Dubai wants to trump every other country in almost everything - be it the most luxurious hotel (it has the world's only 7-star hotel Burj Al Arab) or the tallest building (Burj Dubai, at least currently, the race for the tallest building still ongoing). Then you have The Palm (man-made islands shaped like a palm), The World (man-made islands shaped like a globe), the planned Al Burj (which is supposed to takeover the world's tallest title) and in the works are more developments like Dubailand, Chess City, Hollywood Dubai, etc. etc. -- one project grander than another (If you want to see a collection of it with artists renditions just click here).

Burj Dubai, currently the world's tallest although the exact height is not yet revealed; taken from my phone cam

Now, news of an all-new scheme just came out - Eve Tower, a building for female entrepreneurs. Men can work there, yes, but office spaces will be leased only for businesswomen to encourage female entrepreneurship. Developed by Hydra Towers Project, the project is expected to be finished by 2010.

The building will have special facilities like entrances, elevators and car parks... what I'm wondering is, what else is this building offering? Will it have special rates for women as well? Is offering an all-businesswoman building enough encouragement? Will it be a center of female excellence, offering seminars for women on entrepreneurship, financing, management and what else have you? Because if it's just a building with more female-friendly amenities, doesn't that defeat one of the first guides to owning a business which is to choose a strategic location for it? Would be great though if your target market are also females.

I'm still in two-minds with this 'for women' Dubai feature. In most places, there are designated areas for men and women. In public buses for instance, the first four rows are dedicated to women. If a man sits there, the driver will ask him to move to the back. In hospitals, it's also a great convenience as the men's waiting room is usually full and the women's is usually not. And of course, it's quite helpful when lining up for payments and forms especially in government offices. There are women-only lines and if there isn't they will usually ask you to go up in front, no need to line up or wait. For example, before you get your car registered, you need to bring it to a testing center and pay the necessary fees. When I was doing mine, I was there for only about 10 minutes: I went in, was told I don't have to line up, and even when I did not have the exact change (which they require), it was okay. The nice Abaya-clad woman behind the counter told me that if I was a man, they would ask me to go out and get the exact amount.

But then, if you're in your own world, how do you learn to be more competitive? Don't get me wrong, I love the conveniences, but it's also spoiling me somewhat and Dubai is not my real world... so I wonder, how will one Eve tower fare among a city-full of Adams?

Managing for Business Success

2008-09-27T21:57:00.006+04:00

The Philippine Business Council in association with the University of the Philippines holds its sixth 'Managing for Business Success' seminar (Photo inset left: Professor Art Ilano; Photo inset right: Professor Jo Florendo)

Learning business smarts

For many Filipinos in the UAE, the underlying dream is to save up, go back home, start a business and eventually attain financial independence. But even though many Overseas Filipino Workers have done this before, a huge percentage have also found the path to entrepreneurship very difficult. Eventually, the savings from years of hard work end up in smoke. On the other hand, others have no solid idea where to start realizing their dreams.

This is the reason why 19 Filipinos working across all sectors made a beeline for the 'Managing for Business Success' seminar organized by the Philippine Business Council (PBC) in association with the University of the Philippines (UP), one of the premiere educational institutions for higher learning in the Philippines. The three-day seminar, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel from September 23-25, is the only seminar certified by UP outside of the country.

Choosing the right business to get into is always tricky, but the discussion of UP Marketing and Strategic Management Professor Art Ilano gave the basics of not only finding the right fit for a person, from franchising to starting an all new enterprise, to branding, expansion and effective marketing. Complemented by the lectures of Joselito Florendo, UP Professor of Finance and Accounting, the participants learned the intricacies of income statements, cash flows and balance sheets. However, Florendo emphasized that though the work can be done by accountants and bookkeepers, it is important for business owners to know how to interpret this data to know how their business is faring.

Philippine Consul General Benito Valeriano attended the closing ceremony and awarded the participants their certificate of completion together with PBC President Lucille Ong, Professor Ilano and Professor Florendo. The 'Managing for Business Success' seminar is the sixth in the PBC-UP seminar series to be held in Dubai and was sponsored by the Western Union Foundation.

Business smarts need not be an innate thing right? We can live and learn. Admittedly I don't focus on the business side of a business (if that makes sense) but the seminar, left me with fresh ideas and inspirations. You cannot just rush into business. You have to think it through. Haha. A point I'm always weak at, I get an idea and I want to implement it immediately else I lose the urgency and the idea will dwindle to, well, something that just seemed good at the time. But I guess I can extend my EQ long enough to really plan something, after all, I have to think long term now, as Master Yoda says. Ah, the price of advancing years.

I do have an idea. But I don't have a business plan. Friends have told me that if I plan to start setting up a business, they will in invest in it. Well, we shall see. The workshop has reminded me that I should also set aside capital for any business I plan on launching. It reminded me to make a business plan. It insisted that I understand how numbers work (argggh!). It has been a good three days. Let's see how far this renewed enthusiasm will get me. Hopefully far.

Around the UAE

2008-09-06T23:21:00.003+04:00

Some photos I took with my phone cam.

Left to right, top to bottom: Eye of the Emirates, Sharjah; Qanat Al Qasba, Sharjah; Emirates Road, near DIP; Dubai Festival City.

The Host

2008-09-04T23:55:00.005+04:00

This movie has got to be one of the best films I've seen lately: it scared me, it surprised me, it made me laugh and at other times teary-eyed or frustrated (for them) -- all within it's highly engaging length. Everything worked! Watch it.

Ako ay isang tuod

2008-09-03T23:13:00.004+04:00

Ang masama pa nyan, tuod na utak sopas.

Translated, "I am a piece of wood, and worse, I have soup for brains."

But when we say it English, I think I feel more like a block of wood than a piece.

I mentioned before that I've been taking Aikido classes again, a form of martial art that was started by O Sensei or Morihei Ueshiba as the culmination of his life-long study of martial arts, religion and philosophy.

'Ai' stands for harmonizing or joning, 'ki' for energy and 'do' for the way. In effect, Aikido means the way of unifying with life energy or as others put it, it's the way of harmony. So either way, it's not fighting just for the sake of fighting or even being good at fighting; it's a way of life.

I said 'again', because I studied it for about a year before, and had to quit - believe or not because of Dubai traffic. I couldn't get to the classes on time anymore! So I'm back, but in a different dojo (school) and a different sensei (teacher). It's been one month and one week.

And I feel like a block of wood with soup for brains - not a new feeling. I've felt like this even in the old dojo. Nobody's fault but my own. I can't make sense of left and right or where my arm should go when my foot moves. My friends will testify how I say right but mean left or say left and I mean right.

I can't connect the basic foot movements to the different techniques being showed. And I know most of my friends will readily agree that I look like a piece of wood when dancing. Both my feet are 'left', and when faced with the problem of coordinating movements for both arms and legs simultaneously, my brain promptly activates the "end of the world meltdown reaction" and instead of flowing with the heat, freezes. Ayayay!

You see, Aikido movements, when you look at it, resembles dancing. It involves a lot of hand-feet coordination and timing. Hah! Timing from a girl who, from her early years of learning piano, was told by her teacher that she has no rhythm. Good luck! So there goes the "I lead, you follow" because more often than not, even when somebody's leading, I don't know where to go. And when it's my turn to execute a technique, I am still limited by my height and lack of strength, which should not really matter because when you've mastered your 'hara' or center you'll be able to do it no matter what. You hara is what fells an opponent and not sheer strength.

Our sensei said, we should learn by looking. It's a different way of learning but one that is vital in this sport. Samurai warriors used to pay exorbitant amounts just for an expert to show them one move. From that singular exhibition, they must learn the technique. Luckily, we're well out of that era, or I'll be poorer than a house mice, without having learned anything at all! But I bet those martial arts experts would love me.

It's not easy for me to "get" a movement just by looking at it. I need to break it down into simple components, nice and easy bites. So why the heck am I still there, paying good money for all my faults and insecurities to be slapped on my face?

Because I'm learning. No matter how slow, I am learning.

I've never liked my height, I've always wanted to be taller. But Aikido says you can do more even if you're small. O Sensei himself was below 5 feet tall that he almost did not make it into the army because he failed the height requirement.

Aikido is a good equalizer - the techniques should work whether you're a man or woman, old or young, or tall or small. It says find your center and you'll be able to succeed. As with life, you find your center and you can withstand any storm.

And it's only been one month and I already feel more limber than before. One month and the pains I've been feeling have gone away (hopefully for good). One month and I'm still trying. Trying to learn, trying to be on time, trying to see from a different way. I'm learning again. It might be hard, I might not be good, but I am learning and I am loving it.

August, what's up?

2008-08-19T23:18:00.005+04:00

- Have been seeing more police around lately -- still many accidents on Dubai roads.
- Preparing for a January 09 supplement... believe me, the year will slide quickly
from here.
- Watching movies almost every week: Wanted; The Mummy 3; Tropic Thunder; X Files;
Batman, etc.
- Trying to write my pet project... cross your fingers for me.
- Keeping in touch with family & friends through blogs and other sites. Hi fam &
friends!
- Waiting for my new machine-readable passport to be released. I hope it's ready.
- Sorta got promoted. More responsibilities.
- Had my car towed, battery died. It's ok now.
- Booked ticket for Christmas break. It was quite mad! As early as July, available
dates were so scarce!
- Chatted with my witty pampangkin.
- Trying to keep up with Aiki classmates. Aiki is difficult!
- Tried to cancel my gym subscription. But they convinced me to try and 'work it out'.
- Became a Pupe.jp member. It makes me practice product photography.
- Finished Avatar -- I love 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'!
- Got a ticket for "lane discipline" - I don't really know why!
- Dreaming of home. Yes, dreaming...

Calling creative Pinoys

2008-08-05T22:37:00.000+04:00

Dear Sir/Madam,

Greetings from Dubai Media City !

the Ibda'a Media Students Awards aims to recognize talented media
students in the region. Launched in 2001, this annual quest invites
creative media projects from students all around the world.

Short-listed candidates gain region-wide exposure, and are flown to
Dubai courtesy of Dubai Media City on an all-expenses- paid trip to
attend the Gala awards ceremony. Winners walk away with prestigious
internships and prizes. For media students all over the world, this is
a chance to showcase their talent on a global scale.

Students can participate in the following categories:

Journalism
Radio
Animation
Graphic Design
Analogue Photography
Digital Photography
Print Advertising
TV Advertising
TV Documentary
Film / TV Feature
Mobile Film

The contest is open to all undergraduate students. Students who
graduate in 2007 are also eligible to apply.

All entries must conform to the criteria and must follow the
guidelines for the submission of entries for the respective category.

I would appreciate if you could take some time to our website and you
can find it in this link: www.ibdaa-awards. ae

We kindly request you to spread the word about the Ibdaʼa Media
Student Awards among your students and heartily invite their
participation in this program.

Best Regards,

Benjamin Panaguiton Jr.

Administrative Coordinator

Direct: +971 4 365 4841
Fax: +971 4 390 25 25
Email: benjamin.panaguiton @dmc.ae

*got this from an egroup email

Failed Picasso

2008-08-01T00:39:00.003+04:00

Pablo Picasso's works are currently on exhibit at the Emirates Palace so when the holiday was announced, somebody pitched the idea of going to Abu Dhabi to see it. Soon enough, a group was formed and we ended up with seven vehicles heading for the emirate.

After the stressful convoy (the waiting for everybody to arrive, the heat, the stress of losing a member of the convoy, more waiting, the stress of finding directions and other stuff which almost made the actual exhibit anticlimactic...) and the restful (thankfully) break for lunch at a friend's house in Abu Dhabi, we finally reached the palace's entrance... only to be told that we're not allowed in: the King's delegates were there. We were told we can come back after two hours. We called in advance to make sure that they are open 'but what to do?', it's his palace, it's his delegates...

After getting the number of their office to make sure that we can get in later, we decided to pass the time in Marina Mall .

And after two hours, we were told that the exhibit will be accessible to the public only after TWO DAYS. The exhibit is open but security is refusing to let people in.

Sigh, now, that is a work of art.

2008-07-16T14:46:00.001+04:00

Happy birthday Cords.

Addicted to Weeds

2008-07-11T11:43:00.003+04:00

I was just looking for the new episode of Avatar, it's not up yet so I went to look at the TV series... saw Weeds, clicked and I'm on Season II now. I started last night.

It's really addicting, Weeds, such a good show of how you make a bad decision, try your best, feel like you're doing good but in reality, you're just digging your graveyard... deeper and deeper.

2008-06-30T17:45:00.004+04:00

I missed my calling. I want to be a make-up artist.

I've just been to the Dubai preview of MAC's autumn-winter trends and Vimi Joshi, MAC's regional make-up artist glowed as she described the NY backstage and, in a separate event, how she created a look for a famous Indian stylist for the show in India.

Imagine all the fun they have thinking up new styles, merging design inspirations and creating beautiful, stylish renditions from briefs as vague as 'samurais meet cartoons' as Joshi was given for the show in India.

Put a dab of glitter, draw wide lines, pat a little color - it's making me imagine looks that can be out of this world but will be anchored to earth by briefs that also ties it to the clothes' styles.

And you don't even have to be as slim, tall, made-up or fashionable as the models you will be working on! Not that it doesn't help. But look at Pat McGrat, who's now Max Factor's trend setter; she has designed numerous fashion shows and created world trends for years, always at the fore of beauty industry trends but almost always photographed wearing no make -- and there she's goes, making colorful splashes which trickles down to stuff that ordinary mortals can actually copy and wear on an everyday basis.

Dior couture, McGrath's make-up

A face is not just a face - it's a blank canvas where you can create! I've always enjoyed putting theater make-up, I just didn't realize that there was another application to it. Sigh... exciting world.

Ah... at least now I know what to say when asked the question, where would you be if you're not writing? I'd be painting faces.

Today I will die

2008-06-17T09:30:00.002+04:00

I’ve been listless, moping around the house, quiet as a mouse. I stayed in little dark corners or the safety of my room, not talking to anybody. The thought that I was about to die in two days time hang ominously about me.

The other day, I felt like breathing fresh air and seeing people, the outdoors… I walked out but I did not get far. There’s an old lamp post base just outside our gate, I sat there and read the newspaper I found on it.

I heard my parents talking with some people… they were just inside the gate. They were wondering where I am. They know I’m about to leave them but they do not speak of it with me. They keep quiet as I keep quiet.

After a while, I stood up and went back in. They chose not to acknowledge me so I simply went inside the house.

-- dream two nights ago --

Heaven forbid

2008-05-31T00:27:00.005+04:00

I have just, literally, come home from the movies, and my first thought was - I have to blog. Ever since I heard that Jet Li and Jackie Chan will be in ONE movie together, I was sooo looking forward to it. There's no way they can get that wrong. No way.

I didn't know much about the movie, didn't have time to look it up or watch trailers online. So when I convinced my friend to come with us to watch it, my response to his skepticism was, "Hey, that's Jacky Chan and Jet Li together; it's a win-win no matter what."

I ate my words later.

I can't believe what I'm about to say -- but they suck. The movie bored me and I didn't even find one original idea in it.

- The caucasian kid being picked on is so Karate Kid.

- The witch born of the wolves with her white hair is so The Bride with White Hair (which they also referred to in the movie). Her whip, is... tadaaa! Indiana Jones.

- The legions pouring out of the Kingdom of the Five Elements is LOTR.

- The fight scene among the cherry blossoms is an unsuccessful rendition of Hero.

- The 'immortal' and his wine elixir is of course Drunken Master.

- The monk with a mission you can have your pick of any Jet Li/Chow Yun Fat monk movie.

Not only that, the characters weren't established solidly which is quite a shame. There's a lot to the lore of the monkey king that could have been highlighted and played on. And of course, there must be a girl-on-girl fight scene. Is Sparrow a Zhang Ziyi wannabe? It didn't quite fly. Her most memorable scene though was when she was playing her mandolin at the tea house with her face half covered by her black hood.

Sigh. I feel like I'm betraying Jackie and Jet. I feel sad. But it's definitely a movie kids will enjoy, as the kids with us attested to. But for adults, there's a lot lacking. There are funny moments of course, especially the ascension scene. Now that almost made me fall off my chair!

That said, I still love Jacky Chan and Jet Li.

All I see is a scarf

2008-05-29T11:53:00.005+04:00

Just saw this article while checking MSN. Rachel Ray is not the first to use that kind of scarf, it has been used by numerous Hollywood celebrities and just goes to show how Arab inspirations are starting to influence world fashion. How about the millions of innocent Arabs who wear it because it's part of their traditional garb?

There's also new label called Dinz that uses it, and a few months ago (haven't checked lately) Splash, a popular mid-priced clothes retailer here, also sold that scarf in a very attractive purple hue. I have one of those, my father's Kwaiti friend gave it to him about 10 years ago, and I used it then.

Just goes to show how fear controls people. There's a beautiful lady up there, an enticing iced coffee, a colourful background but all they see is the scarf.

I see red checkered (or black in this case), I see terrorist. Yikes.

Grow up.

Cairo pictures

2008-05-19T22:33:00.004+04:00

Sigh. Don't have time to blog yet but if you want to see the pictures, please go to www.orangejar.com.

Cairo

2008-05-09T00:20:00.010+04:00

This post was not meant to start off like this... in a rant.

I am currently typing away while in my 18th floor room in Cairo, at the 5-star Marriott Hotels and Resorts. The room is good enough, except for a lingering smoky smell -- like the second to the last occupant smoked his lungs out here.

Then there's the toiletries, simple amenities that I've come to expect like a toothbrush, toothpaste and comb are not in the bathroom. I had to request for the first two and I won't be surprised if they charge me for it (but they didn't); they provided it quickly enough (five points for them).

And up to now, I can't find the bedroom slippers, so I've been walking barefoot on the carpet and balcony since yesterday. Which again is fine, I like barefoot anyway.

Then when I came back from the morning's pyramid trip, the cleaner left a dirty pillow cover on the desk beside the TV. Hmm.

But, even those are okay. The most surprising and annoying thing for me is the paper thin walls - just a few minutes ago, I can hear my neighbors in what sounded like an argument. This afternoon it was the other room's TV. And earlier, at 5:00 am, it was a couple talking which woke me up. If I can understand Arabic, I can tell you what they were discussing.

Okay.

That out, let me restart this entry...

I've never been asked if I speak Arabic while in Dubai, as much as I've been asked here and I only arrived last night. Quite funny, I realize that with Dubai, English is so much the medium of communication that there's really not much necessity in learning Arabic. But here, though they speak English, they expect you try and learn their language. They appreciate the little efforts even if you just say shukran or sabahakher. And they laugh at the way I pronounce the difficult h-r sounds.

And I must say, after reviewing all the reviews about the hawkers and peddlers and people trying to get your money off you, I was expecting chaos! But so far, I've encountered very little to prove those comments true. Well, the peddlers each have their own style to "charm" money out of your pocket - an entry for another day -- but every thing's been good so far. Although, I must admit, I've been in a bubble: I went for a private tour of the Pyramids of Giza and I'm staying at the Marriott, which by the way, is beside the River Nile. So I haven't seen much of the real Cairo, except for the crazy traffic and crazier parking. Probably tomorrow I'll have a better insight because we will be walking to the Egyptian Museum.

There are lots of stories. I will write about them. But now, it's late and I have to do some work before I sleep. More to come.

Weird conversations 1

2008-04-16T23:55:00.006+04:00

At lunch today, the conversation turned to hair. My colleague, H, was asking why he sees a lot of Filipinas, stress on a lot, with mustaches and hairy appendages. I was surprised. I said I definitely know more Pinays and they're not hairy. He kept insisting that there are plenty out there, and was asking "Why? Is it tradition?"

I explained to him that it could be a variety of reasons: it's natural, they're comfortable with it, they don't mind, etc., etc. T, my other female colleague, also tried to explain it, our reasoning to be ruined by our fourth colleague F who, after we updated about the conversation, said it's tradition. Somebody, sometime, told him it's tradition.

The picture of a "traditional Filipina"

These guys kill me. Anyway, the conversation turned, and H said that Arab men will not agree to their women keeping so much hair. So the final question is -- "Why don't they [Filipinas] remove it?"

Sigh. The explanations on comfort, confidence and self-worth fell on deaf ears.

Then later, H brought up how Filipinos usually pronounce 'p' instead of 'f'. A conversation, we've had before. I explained to them that in the Filipino alphabet, there is no 'f' so it's a natural mistake.

T said it's like with the Bengolis, who usually pronouce 'z' with a 'j' because of the absence of 'z' in their alphabet. We can go on with examples, for instance, only the other day I found out why Arabs usually say 'Filipini' instead of "Filipino". Actually, H enlightened me, saying that with Arabs, they usually pronounce the last syllable of different nationalities with 'i'.

H's conclusion: because I'm not like most Filipinos, I'm Egyptian.

Those guys kill me. But I'll take it as compliment.

Added on April 18:
Ye told me that one of her officemates before asked if it's part the Filipino's religion to brush their teeth after lunch. ;)

First time karting

2008-04-08T22:05:00.007+04:00

First time karting and I could have been teammates with the UAE karting champion!

What did I do? Chicken out... when the called my name, I stayed waaay at the back.

This is the UAE Karting Champion: SHEIKH HASHER AL MAKTOUM

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Driver stats:
Nationality: Emarati
Speedcar number: 85
Career highlights:
* UAE Karting Champion
* Formula Campus driver

Driver profile:
Sheikh Hasher Al Maktoum is 22 years old, and is the first Emirati confirmed as a Speedcar driver, and is set to be an enormous hit with fans in the region. He is the current UAE Karting Champion, has competed in Formula Renault Campus, and will drive Speedcar number 85 carrying the name of MotorCity.
Sheikh Hasher al Maktoum's team, the UP team is backed by Union Properties PJSC (UP), one of the United Arab Emirates leading property investment developers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason why I chickened out: I didn't want to be the reason they lost.

See? Since he took two rounds, one of which I was supposed to do, they won.

Chicken.

He looks nice. Kept knocking myself on the head on who he looks like -- when I donwloaded the pictures it finally came to me -- a young Wolverine.

In defense to myself:

That's my measly time. And though it made me laugh and extremely happy, we think it's a mistake that I'm not last. Faizal is my colleague and he came back before me. I ran smack into a wall of rubber tires, and spent time recovering. First time, remember? And still very much a chicken. I suck. If it's not so expensive, I would be game to try it again and do a better time -- with no intimidating champions around...

One for each year

2008-04-05T00:53:00.005+04:00

I played up to my vanity again. One expression for each year.

For all those who sent their wishes, thank you!

For those who were able to make it tonight, thanks for celebrating with me!

The dark towers

2008-04-01T22:52:00.005+04:00

We were at the KL Tower having lunch when the clouds gathered around and soon enough, the sky was dark, the nearby Petronas Twin Towers were nearly obscured by heavy clouds. The rains fell and we looked with wonder.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - March 2008

Four

2008-03-14T00:02:00.002+04:00

Never thought I'd still be here... but here I am, on my 4th year. ;)

Shut up

2008-03-11T23:53:00.004+04:00

Bought a t-shirt while I was home, it says "Shut up! Hay..." ('hay' is 'sigh' in English). Unfortunately, now, I am so conscious about wearing it -- that's after the news that a guy was imprisoned for wearing a "Kiss My Ass" shirt. Well, that's what I heard, the radio hosts didn't exactly say on air what the message really was. Only that it offended.

A few months ago, a similar thing happened, but it wasn't a t-shirt but a sticker on a Pinoy's car, same message, same punishment.

Hay...

Izzie storms Dubai

2008-02-20T21:55:00.005+04:00

Been sick for the last three days... I was so drowsy, I was falling asleep on the wheel. I know, I know, I should not have driven. But sometimes, you just get into an automode. I have to go get up. Wash up. Turn the key. Grab coffee. Drive. Walk. Work. It's sometimes hard to say halt until your the little white sentinels push the stop button, or your hand brake, and you jerk to an abrupt stop.

Izzie (Little Miss Influenza) has been doing the rounds in Dubai. My throat's still itchy (and am still a bit droopy) but I'm gonna live. Good news though, we've been given a few off hours for finishing our jobs on time. Hurray! Can catch up on sleep and some cleaning.

Man, I miss backpacking. Long weekends like this, we'd be planning a trip to the mountains, cursing like hell on why I am punishing my body for the strenuous walk through the woods with about 15-20 kilos of stuff on my back, but mercifully thanking God once we reach the peak -- the glorious view, the cool air, the peace. I've always told my mom that up there is the only place I feel quite in tune with God.

The moon is not quite full tonight, but it's clear and bright. I miss my moons. My orange moons.

I was surprised to realize earlier that it hasn't been one month yet since I came back from my vacation. Yet, it feels longer. Time here has a life of it's own. My life here is a different book all together although the same questions plague me, as when I was young. Izzie visits not counted, I wonder, if I'll ever know when to stop?

Grrrr...

2008-02-11T19:15:00.001+04:00

There's still no internet at home...

Toxic Conversations: Going to Macau

2008-01-15T11:10:00.000+04:00

Badette's Christmas gift to me is half the fare to Macau so of course I said yes and went with them. She said we have to be at the bus stop by 6:30 am. I cringed at the earliness of hour but if we have to be there by then, then we have to be there by then.

The start of it all

Foolish me, I didn't check our actual departure time. By 9:00 am we were at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, two hours before early check in in and four hours early for our flight. Bummer. It's a small airport so we had to sit in plastic seats outside the building before we can go in. All three of us haven't had breakfast yet and there were only two kiosks with very limited food choices and which were not open yet to buy food from. Great start.

The cab driver

We decided to flag a taxi and go to SM Clark. This cabbie just dropped off a passenger when we hailed him. We told him we wanted to go to SM and he said, “Bahala na kayo, taga-Maynila ako (I'll leave the fare up to you because I'm not from around here, I'm from Manila).”

Since all of us didn't know where SM is, we asked for directions and were told to just go straight. We did, but at one point, the road diverted and the driver followed most of the cars going right. Badette said, “Manong, di ba diretso? (Shouldn't you be going straight?)”

And he replied, quite confidently, “Hindi, andito lang yon, malapit na (No, it's just here, it's near).”

(So now you're an expert here?)

So off we went and after a few minutes of not seeing the mall Badette finally insisted we ask for directions. We were told to go back and turn right again to join the same road we left. When we started again, the driver said, “Ang hirap talaga ng taga-Maynila (basically, he excused himself because he's from Manila!).”

We made a u-turn and when the right turn was near, Manong Driver moved to the left lane! Badette told him to go to the right lane and he kept saying 'Yes, yes'. At the corner, he asked “San ba? Kanan ba? (Where is it? Right?)

Yes! Yes! Like what you've been told!!!

SM Clark was very visible not even five minutes from there and we fully expected him to head towards it but he passed the turn. When we reminded him that we wanted SM he said, “Ha? SM ba to?” Hmmm... unless those blue signs spelling out S-M are as alien to him as cuneiform then the building that holds that sign might as well be the mothership. Sigh.

After we were able to make a u-turn to go to SM, he did not see the place where he should have dropped us off. So having passed SM (twice now), he looked for a road to turn right, possibly to go to the street behind. But there was none, the next opening, a few meters away from the mall was a small road with a small gate to a cemetery and he was going there! We're not familiar with that area but there was obviously no way to go to SM from there. We had to insist he make another u-turn before he even considered not entering the cemetery. Finally, we just asked him to drop us off at the taxi terminal just outside the Clark gate. Good thing too, the mall was still closed anyway.

Internet Guy

I only had my booking reference with me, no printouts. So when we saw the Internet Cafe, we headed there first. I couldn't print from the terminal the Internet Guy gave me so he told me to print from the computer by the cashier. It's set in the middle of the cafe and was sitting on top of the bar. I had to sit on the raised bar stools. The screen was exposed for all to see, which was fine since everybody else was busy with their own screens. I opened Gmail home to access my email. Internet Guy was standing beside me and was looking at the screen. Before I typed in my username and password, I turned to him and asked, “Do you mind?”

He smiled and said, “Sige lang ma'am (Go ahead ma'am),” and continued staring. Argh. Was that what I was asking? I told him I don't want him looking at the screen – well, in a nice way. He left and started checking the others net users.

The clincher, after I printed out my booking, he read it before handing it to me! What is it with these people? We were thinking, there's something in the air... it might be contagious.

Miss Jollibee

Our next stop was Jollibee. We ordered breakfast and right after Badette asked the the lady at the counter how much is the cab fare back to the airport.

The girl said, “Ayaw nyo mag-jeep? (Don't you want to take the jeep?”)

Hmmm... if we did, we would have asked for the jeepney fare!

After that she asked us about drinks. I asked if they had bottled water. She said yes and after confirming the order, she suddenly jerked as if just waking up and exclaimed, “Ay purified lang pala (Oops, we only have purified water!)

Okaaaay, coffee then...

Badette asked for diet Coke. So the same girl got a plastic cup and started getting from the dispenser. It filled about a fourth through then the flow of the soda fizzled out. Unfazed, she got a 1.5 liter bottle from the nearby cooler and filled the cup again. It was regular. “Miss, nilagyan mo ng regular ang diet Coke ko (Miss, you added regular Coke to my diet Coke?”)

“Diet coke po (It's Diet Coke),” she said.

“Diet coke in a regular bottle?” Badette said, getting incensed.

“Diet Coke po yon (It's diet Coke),” she insisted to which I had to point as well that it was regular.

“Ay regular po ba (Is it regular?),” looking at the bottle.

At that point we can only shake our heads.

Random Drivers

We crossed the street to go to the pharmacy. As we were crossing, this lady on a motorcycle slowed down, and to me seems, like she was looking us up and down. I told Badette, “I hate drivers who slow down to check you out. Instead of us being able to cross faster, you end up waiting for them in the middle of the street!”

The lady passed, slowly, and closely at her but is a FX whose driver also slowed down and even talked to us while they were passing, “Hi Miss Maganda (Hi Miss Beautiful).”

We were possibly laughing and shaking our heads at the same time.

Mr Pharmacist

Badette went to the counter to buy Bonamin tablets (anti-dizziness) for Jojo. She asked the pharmacist, “Ilang ite-take? (How many should be taken?)”

“Isang oras (One hour).”

Hehehe. That's a lot! By the way, how to you measure one hour?

Checker
We went in the airport through all the necessary lines and then we got to the final check. The last x-ray and body check before the departure gate of that small airport. The lady checker did her job and felt for any “alien” object on me. As her hands left my body, she said, “Salbabida!”

Man, when she said that, I just looked at her from head to toe. Salbabida is a tire's inner tube, inflated, which is used at home as a life saver. I think they noticed that I took offense because they all started yammering in their dialect. How rude.

Then another lady entered, carrying a black PAL (Philippine Airline) bag and I don't know why but they probably saw something because they asked her to step aside and they scrutinized everything she had even her wallet and coin purse.

Miss Stewardess

Our flight was supposed to land in Macau around 4pm. Unfortunately, the weather turned foggy, as the captain said, “If your friend is standing right next to you, you won't be able to see him.”

So he announced that we will be landing in Guangzhou instead. That had the two of us scrambling for the inflight magazine to look for the map and determine where Guangzhou is. A few minutes later, the captain was on the speaker again, saying we will land in Hong Kong instead. We were there till about 9pm, it was only then that the weather cleared enough to allow landing in Macau. Anyway, it was a long wait. There was a lot of heckling, impatience and some not so proper behaviour by passengers. There were some Chinese to our left who kept ringing the intercom and baiting the stewardess. By 7 or 8pm, we were so hungry that we had to order instant noodles at the tune of 135pesos each! Tiger Air is a budget airline and do not have snacks included in the fare. To their credit, they gave us free bottles of water after two hours of waiting inside the plane at the Hong Kong airport. We were joking that everybody should order noodles, because when that's done, we would be let off. But of course, international travel is not that simple, we wouldn't be let off the plane, and even if we were, HK immigration might not process us because HK is not our final destination. Even those whose final destination is HK, the captain said, will most probably not be processed if they disembarked because according to their tickets they should land in Macau and enter HK through the ferry port. What a lot of rubbish.

Dan Brown kept me entertained (and sane).

Anyway, we were hungry, we ordered the most expensive instant noodles of our lives. As the stewardess was handing the steaming cup to us, the American-sounding captain made another announcement, “Blah, blah, blah in two minutes.”

I didn't get it. I asked the stewardess... “Sorry, I didn't get it either. I have to go up there and find out.” Okkhhhhaaaay.

The most expensive instant noodles ever.

The time to leave finally arrived. People were clapping when the captain finally announced that we should have our seatbelts on and that we will be leaving soon. In an earlier announcement, the captain also said that it's the waiting for clearance that is taking so long. But once cleared, he can have us back in Macau in a jiffy. Five minutes to be exact. That was when he announced that his company, Tiger Air, told him that he can allow the passengers whose final destination is HK to leave the aircraft but with no assurance that they will be cleared in HK immigration. An announcement which he quickly followed with an advise not to disembark. Hehe. At these times, you can only keep your humour to stay sane. The stewardess were having a harder time than any of us, anyway.

Trapped in the plane with nowhere to go...

As we were finally taking off, the Chinese directly opposite me asked me how long it would take to reach Macau. I echoed what the captain said earlier, “Five minutes.” When one of the stewardess passed by, he asked the same question. Her answer, “I don't know, maybe forty minutes.”

When the Chinese said, “But the captain said five minutes,” the stewardess reduced her answer to “twenty minutes.”

Man, it was funny and irritating at the same time. Luckily, our patience was not tested any further. We landed after about five minutes. But we were also very lucky, having gone to mass the following Sunday, we heard from the priest that 29 people were still in the hospital, wounded from two ferries that collided that same night.

So all in all, it was one long and interesting day.

We will all die, one day.

2008-01-08T23:41:00.000+04:00

Mortality is such a strange creature. You never really acknowledge its looming presence until it touches your heart. Your soul. Your inner being. Then it becomes personal and it seems that the creature has taken over your whole life. Family passes away, friends die, love ones get sick... suddenly you become aware of what is going on around you since before you were born. People get terminal illnesses everyday, hundreds suffer strokes and heart attacks, a number are surprised with diabetes, leukemia or even aids and millions are even stricken with the common cold, which can turn to pneumonia then death.

What's the end all be all? EVERYBODY WILL DIE. One day. They may get up to 156 or as young as 1 month old, but all people will die. One day. The difference lies, in how we go.

Tribute for Cords

2008-01-07T08:04:00.000+04:00

Tribute for Cords
Jan 9 2008
Purple Haze Bar (Tomas Morato near E Rod)
Bar Opens at 6
Tribute Starts at 8
Bands start at 9

Blast from the past

2007-12-31T21:46:00.000+04:00

This is actually a surprise for my mom. We will embed it in her Friendster account tomorrow: a collage of her high school to college pics, my parents' early marriage stages, my brothers and I when we were younger and some pics of Marco.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

2007-12-26T16:39:00.000+04:00

Me with my beautiful grandmother on Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

What? It's Christmas?!

2007-12-22T11:18:00.000+04:00

Back in good old Philippines. Grabe, Manila, Manila, how I have missed you. It's been two years and it was great coming in while the sun was still up. The city looked great from up there -- so green, the rivers glinting with the sun and the clouds were just great! By the time I got out of airport to meet my brother and his family, the sun was setting and the Christmas light decorating the city was lighting up.

We had dinner at home, we looked through my stuff, then I went to work :( and so far, I've been stuck in my room - working. Wasn't able to finish all my articles which were due Thursday (the day I flew out) because aside from the heavier load, I had to prepare for my travel. Luckily enough, I was able to buy every "bilin" and I was able to pack everything in my gigantic red bag.

Sigh, sorry my friends. I'm not really taking any calls yet. I haven't bought a sim for you to call me too. Will do that tomorrow after I've submitted everything. Better to get work out of the way first before I meet you all. :)

Batch, thanks for calling. And Badette, yes it was NOT me you were talking to. Haha. Janette will kill you. ;)

Cords

2007-11-24T23:28:00.000+04:00

How should you feel when a dear friend passes away?

You feel nothing. You feel cold. You cry.

You continue with work... deadlines need to be met.

You drive home, you cook, you watch TV, you cry.

You remember the times you were together and smile...

Cords, I hope you're in a happier place.

The countdown begins

2007-11-22T00:22:00.000+04:00

It's November 21... Exactly one month from now, I will be home, in good ol' Phil with my nephews, my family, my plants, Chuky (Marco's dog), my room, my friends, my drinking buddies, my relatives. Ahhh... I've been thinking a lot about it but it's only in the last few days that I felt the excitement creeping up. There's always so much to do that, I couldn't really feel it, till now...

Haven't been back home in two years! For me the yearly trip home was long enough... and because of the career move I made earlier in the year, those 12 months extended to 24 and it has just been too long. It's time for a break. A nice lovely break back home.

Cords

This thought is marred by one thing though... my aunt emailed me from Geneva yesterday. She was told that a common friend of ours is in the hospital, in the ICU fighting for his life. An accident, an attack -- we don't know yet. I emailed another close friend and it seems she has heard it too. Oh Cords, please be fine. I haven't seen you in 10 years but you're still very close to my heart, our hearts. Be well.

Marry me

2007-11-14T20:08:00.001+04:00

"Are you married?" he asked.

"No," I said.

"Would you like to be married?" he asked again.

"My my mom wishes me to be," I said.

"I will bring you to America," he said. "Marry me."

Hmmm... I think that was my first ever marriage proposal.

I took his arm and said, "Yes, now."

LOL. Don't be too relieved guys, I he was just joking. ;)

OrangeJar.com featured on DubaiLime.com

2007-11-08T19:32:00.001+04:00

Check it out. A feature on OrangeJar.com at DubaiLime.com

Featured above are the staff of that new Dubai online community.

Some-kinda bread

2007-11-08T01:01:00.000+04:00

Having diet problems? Eat this GLUTTON-FREE BREAD. Hehe. Found it at Choitram earlier when I stopped by to pick up lunch.

Glorious weather

2007-11-06T00:44:00.000+04:00

Sunday, I woke up early to go the office early. When I went out, I was greeted by a glorious weather -- nice, cloudy sky and nice, cool weather. A general feeling of quiet satisfaction filled me. What a lovely day.

That feeling soon dissipated into oblivion as I settled down to face a backlog of work... but thinking of those feather-like clouds and those rosy hues on the horizon made me smile.

Dubai is so nice during this time, so friendly -- a time to go to beaches and parks, and finally enjoy the outdoors. If only, it can be like like this all year round.

If only I don't have to waste it by going to the office and staying there till the sun is down. During these times, weekdays should be two days in a week and holidays should be five days a week. What a lovely thought.

Dolphins!

2007-11-04T19:57:00.000+04:00

Spent 2 1/2 days in Oman in Shangri-la Al Bandar for the 25th anniversary of Amouage. Aside from transcribing and trying not to feel to hungry (oh poor me) and attending the launch, we went dolphin watching! Wow! This was a clearer view of the dolphins than the time I went dolphin watching in the Cebu area.

During this trip I found out two things about me:
1.) Throw me in the water and I'd panic - that's where I got the scratches from. Well, nobody threw me, really. I jumped. But I don't know how to jump. Tried diving into the pool before, when I was still a kid, but did it wrong and you know how painful that can be and I've never, never jumped into a pool like those cool dudes (in high school or college) do in movies. Man. So, I jumped off the side of the boat wearing a life vest (have I mentioned my fear of deep waters?) and that combination added to a descent not meant to be seen. I sank, the vest floated, I was yanked, finally emerged beside the boat, but too close so I scratched myself all over. Sigh.

2.) Throw me in a large group of people and I'm the social leper. Ya. Since I didn't see the other journalists from Dubai until the afternoon we were to leave, I didn't know anybody. Nada. Basically stayed by myself even during the launch. Painful. I'm better in small groups. But faced with a large group that is already divided into their own small groups and I'd freeze to death.

Well... we all have our 'things'. And jumping is not mine. I'd like to try sky diving sometime, but it's the question of jumping that makes me pause. I think somebody would have to push me. Would you believe that I used to be afraid of slides? As an adult! But I loved it as a kid, and believe me, I've tried the giant slide when I was in high school (even saw Kimpee de Leon trying it at about the same time too). But when I do it, I find myself thoroughly enjoying the slide going down. It's that first push... or that first comment to start talking...

Where did the money go?

2007-11-04T19:32:00.000+04:00

I love online banking because of the convenience. But I hate the way banks do it. Like last night, with my Citibank account, I did two things:
1.) Pay my electric bill using my credit card, and
2.) Pay my credit card bill.

When I paid my credit card, the money was instantly deducted. Instantly.

Today, I checked my credit card, the electric bill is already reflected there BUT the money which was instantly deducted last night to pay that credit card bill is not reflected there yet.

I know it's the system but where did the money go? Sigh.

Two heli rides in a day

2007-10-24T22:49:00.000+04:00

Ah... I feel human again. Just had a nice and refreshing bath after a veerry long day. I was already at Kempinsky Hotel by 8:40 for the Vertu (a high-end phone who's mother company is Nokia) event which was a bit hush-hush. They just told us to bring our passports and somehow the info that it's casual didn't reach me, so I went there in a nice dress and heels. Heels! We ended up driving a 4x4 through the dunes (my first time off roading with me driving) and a quad bike (hiked up my skirt and had a go at it -- the heat from the motor left my legs medium rare). It was fun!!!

There was still the dune buggy to try out but when we got back to the camp, I was feeling a bit queasy -- I've had no breakfast and going into the desert in my heels (which sank so my feet were practically being burnt by the sand) wasn't so ideal to the situation. Helene the other girl with our group also elected to stay behind (she almost ran into a bush and in avoiding it, she swerved. The quadbike turned over, she fell and the bike almost feel on top of her! She was still a bit shaken when we got back to camp so she wanted to rest a bit).

We used the time to interview the UK reps of Vertu while we waited for the others to come back. The presentation was done earlier. Then we had lunch and then the heli ride! It was so cool, the 30-minute ride which we took by road earlier was reduced to 5 minutes. Unfortunately, the effect was ruined because we landed at the Dubai Airport and we were held up there for about 1 hour. So the time saved was also wasted.

So instead of having a bit of a time to change and freshen up before going to the next event, Gillette at 5pm, I had to go straight to the pick-up point. And again, we went on a heli to Al Sara resort (venue of Jumana: Secrets of the desert, a show with the whole desert as a backdrop which I've hear is awesome! Haven't seen it myself yet). I felt icky, a nice bath would have been my choice, given the opportunity. Anyway, we went on another heli (which was nicer than the first one. The first one didn't have AC so were sweating like pigs -- do pigs sweat? The seatbelts were just straps for the waist and the interior was like those cargo places. This second one, had plush seats, a wood finish food and drink container and seatbelts that strapped the torso.

And off we went to the desert (my second time today but in a different location) and my feet were killing me! Gillette launched their new razor, had a great presentation then as soon as it was okay which was around 9am, I joined the rest of the media reps raring to go home. The ride was a limo back to the city. My car was parked at MOE so we had to take a cab -- it was only 5 minutes from the drop off point -- to get my car.

Once I got home, a bath was the top priority. So now, I feel more human. I got home past 10... it's been a very long but interesting day. I'll add more pictures here when my colleage (who was also there for Vertu) sends me the pics from his cam.

Met Pilita Corales

2007-10-21T21:46:00.000+04:00

I was on my second event for the day, a press conference for World Osteoporosis Day at Madinat Jumeirah, when I saw Miss (doesn't sound right not to call her Miss) Pilita Corales sitting at the back row. I knew it was her but well, I'm in Dubai and I didn't expect to see other Pinoys in attendance, let alone one of the Philippines' most popular folk song singer. Anyway, her features are so European, you can forgive me for doubting.

Anyway, after one of the Pinay hotel attendants confirmed for me that it was indeed Miss Pilita, she seems to be a representative of Anlene. She was having lunch when I approached her, the bone-friendly lunch which I had to miss cos I wanted to go back to the office immediately after the conference, closing the mag and all that... Well, I just introduced myself and wished her well. She said she's flying out tonight.