The "In-Betweens"

Napansin ko ang unti nang blogpost ko this December and so i thought of blogging what had kept me busy during these times.


Dec 15, 2009 Tue -1st night ng Simbang Gabi sa St. Mary's, nai-blog ko pa ito sa Simbang Gabi 2009.


Dec 16, 2009 Wed- 2nd night ng Simbang Gabi, present ulit kami ng mga busmates/friends ko. diretso ulit kami dun after office. Dun na din kumakain, ang daming filipino foods doon! as in! (eto lahat nang nakain namin: nilupak, lugaw, kwek-kwek, barbecue, banana cue, ube, leche flan, cassava cake, bibingka)


Dec 17, 2009 Thur- absent ako sa 3rd night ng Simbang Gabi :-( dahil sa Backstreet Boys in Dubai. :-) sabi ko sa mga kasama ko, make-up class na lang ako kinabukasan. :-)



Dec 18, 2009 Fri - off namin sa office. as promised, nag-attend ako ng early mass (make-up class). tapos, nagsimba ulit ako for the 4th night of Simbang Gabi. Nagkita-kita ulit kami ng aking mga busmates/friends now my simbang gabi buddies. :-)
Kinokunsensya nila ako pinagpalit ko daw ang simba sa BSB at nde daw counted yung make-up class ko. Actually, medyo na-guilty din ako kaya talagang pinilit kong makapagsimba ng 2 times for this day. Inisip ko na lang, naiintindihan naman NIYA ako. :-)



Dec 19, 2009 Sat- off ulit from office. tinawagan ako ng aking chilhood friend JS. kararating lang niya that day. kinuha siya ng ate nia. she's on a visit visa. sakto may tumawag sa kanya, for interview daw cia sa sharjah. i volunteered na samahan ko cia since meron pasok ate nia. Naligaw kami pero nakarating naman kami on time. hehe..Kaya lang it turned out agency lang pala yung tumawag sa kanya at kailangan pa magbayad para i-process ang papers (beware: hindi dapat magbayad sa mga agency, kasi mga client ang magbabayad sa kanila). Medyo nakipag-away pa ako kay kabayan at sinabing galing pa kami sa Dubai, sana man lang sinabi ang totoo. Parang panloloko kasi ang ginagawa nila thru misrepresentations, sinasabi nila na company sila pero ang totoo client pala nila ang mga ito..haaayyyy...inintindi na lang din namin si kabayan baka may quota din cia na dapat ma-meet pero sana lang naisip niya ang hirap na nararanasan din ng mga naghahanap ng trabaho.
Anyway, nag-enjoy naman kami ng aking kaibigan at nakapamasyal kami. Then, inaya ko siyang magsimba for the 5th night of Simbang Gabi. My special intention that night is "sana makahanap ang aking kaibigan ng gusto niyang work at sapat para sa pamilya niya sa Pinas."

Dec 20, 2009 Sun - Grabeh, may memory gap na ako! hindi ko maisip kung ano nangyari this day. Pero sure ako, nag-attend ako sa 6th night of Simbang Gabi with my busmates/friends ulit.

Dec 21, 2009 Mon - 7th night of Simbang Gabi. Nagtanong si Father, itaas daw ang kamay ng mga nakaka-kumpleto so far. Nagtaas ako ng kamay..hehe...:-)

Dec 22, 2009 Tue - 8th night of Simbang Gabi. Excited na mga kasama ko kasi malapit na daw naming makumpleto Ang Simbang Gabi. Sabi kasi, matutupad daw ang mga wishes mo pag nakumpleto mo ito.

Dec 23, 2009 Wed- 9th and final night of Simbang Gabi. Ang saya saya namin that night. Naramdaman ko bigla ang Christmas. Ang gaan gaan ng feeling ko. :-) Biruan nga namin ng mga simbang gabi buddies ko, parang bumait pa kami lalo..hehe...

Dec 24-25, 2009 Thurs & Fri - holiday sa office. busy sa paghahanda for our Noche Buena. Nai-blog ko pa ang pagbati ko sa Happy Birthday Jesus!.

Dec 26, 2009 Sat - off sa office. blank. feeling blue.

Dec 27-28, 2009 Sun & Mon- leave ako from office kasi kelangan namin ubusin ito dahil forfeited na ito next year. super emote pa rin. nagpunta sa consulate para kunin ang bago kong passport. nag-renew kasi ako last time. then, uwi na ulit sa bahay. emote ulit. walang kasawaang nag-chat sa Pinas.

Dec 29, 2009 Tue- back to work. sobrang busy. year-end closing. nag-gala kami ni PC after work, madami na ciang kwentong naipon about her lovelife sympre :-)...ako naman, i needed a break sa pag-eemote. lol.

Dec 30, 2009 Wed- busy pa din sa work. last working day namin for this year 2009. after work kanina, dumiretso kami ng aking mga busmates/officemates/friends sa KFC-Karama para i-fullfill ko ang napagkasunduan namin dati. I will blog about this very very soon with working title My Promises. :-)

Ang bilis nang araw! Malapit nang magbago ang taon. Malapit na din dumating ang aking inaantay. :-)

"Dear Lord, I pray for his safe flight & enjoyable journey tomorrow. Please guide him. Please keep him safe and sound."

Happy Birthday Jesus!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

The Big Christmas Tree @ St. Mary's Church

"Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday to you."

Dear Jesus, we thank you for coming into our lives,

for always being there for us. :-)

Christmas 2009 (with my family in Dubai- Rm no. 1 Villa 7B)

lahat kaming mga housemates may participation
sa aming handa for the noche buena.

tuwing Pasko hindi ko maiwasan ang hindi malungkot

dahil sa sobrang pagka-miss sa aking pamilya sa Pinas.

dinadaan na lang namin ito sa pagkain at pag-videoke.

we're trying our best para maging masaya pa din, afterall

this day is not about us. Sapat nang si Hesus ang kasama

natin para maging masaya tayo. :-)

Ladies and Gentlemen presenting the housemates of Rm No. 1

with their specialties. :-)

1) Tita F- kaldereta; 2) Tita W-maker of special sawsawan.lol.;

3) Kuya J & 4) Ate T (ang mag-asawa)- lumpiang shanghai & crispy pata;

5) Ate A (pinsan ko)- fruit salad 6) JC (kaibigan ko)- carbonara

7) ako- spaghetti. :-) guest housemates: ID & RD- cassava cake thru Ate E.

Backstreet Boys in Dubai!

OMG! They're So Back! BSB, I Heart You! :-)

@ Palladium Media City, 17 Dec 2009

From L to R: Brian, Howie, Nick & AJ

It was a dream come true seeing BSB in flesh! Me & my barkada (since mid 90's) were such a huge fan. But it was only this time that i got to have a close encounter with them. (pasensiya na sa mga barkada ko sa Pinas, nakalamang ako..hehe). Whooaah, i can still feel the excitement..i'm so lost for words. :-)

I was with RS, my officemate/friend that night, she's such a BSB fanatic too. we really had a great time. our teenage years had come back all at once. all we can say is that our long wait is over & it's definetely worth all the wait! :-)

Note:
BSB's concert is the 1st international concert i attended. i was so determined not to let the opportunity passed. it's like i can move mountains just to see them. haha. :-)

Simbang Gabi 2009

Nagsimula na kanina Ang Simbang Gabi sa St. Mary's Church. Maswerte ang mga Filipino dito sa Dubai dahil na-oobserve pa rin namin ang ganitong tradisyon kahit papaano. Kaya naman kahit napakalayo ng aming opisina ay pinilit naming makasama sa selebrasyon na ito. Sama-sama kami nina PC, MG, CR- lahat mga busmates/friends ko. May usapan sila na kukumpletuhin daw nila ang 9 days. Ako, ayokong mangako muna pero ita-try ko ding makumpleto ito. ( isang beses ko pa lang nakumpleto ang Simbang Gabi, ito ay noong Christmas 2007 dito din sa Dubai)

Isang Filipino ang Kura Paroko dito sa Dubai. Siya ay si Father Tomasito. Napaka-effective niyang pari. Sa kanyang misa, lahat ay gising at siguradong tatawa. Hindi matatawaran ang kanyang sense of humor. Bagay sa kanya yung salitang 'simple pero rock' :-)

Pero kanina kahit nagpapatawa siya, tumimo sa puso ko ang sinabi niya sa homily:
"Tungkol sa pagpapatotoo or pagiging witness ang sermon. Meron ba daw long distance parenting? Paano daw magiging magulang ang isang tao kapag malayo siya? Naaalala daw niya sina superman, batman at iba pang superheroes. Lahat lumaki na wala sa piling ng magulang kaya daw nde nila alam paano magsuot ng brief. :-("

Parang maiiyak ako kanina. Naalala ko ang nanay ko na nasa Pinas. Naiisip ko kelan pa kaya kami magkakasama ulit. Miss na miss ko na siya. Gusto kong maging mabuting anak sa kanya. Gusto ko ako naman ang magsilbi sa kanya. Gusto kong ipakita sa kanya kung gaano ko siya kamahal.

For The Love of Music & Gift Voucher :-)

It was raining hard yesterday. But it did not keep us from attending a Music Survey at Rotana Hotel in Zheikh Zayed Road from 6:30 pm to 10pm. This is the 2nd time we participated in a music survey, the 1st was in 2008. My partners in this kind of crime were RS, JM & SB- all are my officemates.

We had really fun listening to almost 5oo songs. It's very easy, what we just need to do is rate the songs according to our taste of music. They provided a radio-like tuner to which we could crank it up if we really like the song and crank it down if we don't (ratings is from o to 100).

But what made it more enjoyable is that we get to expose to other nationalities. Out of 100 participants, only the four of us were Filipinos. I was surprised to know that other nationalities also love music very much like most of Filipinos. There was this one Lebanese guy who really got carried away by most of the songs like he's dancing & singing in his chair with feeling. Haha. We were laughing hard secretly while watching him. His favorites were that of Madonna's as in he knows all the lyrics! (kakabilib at kakatuwa siya, napasaya niya kami ng bongang-bongga.hehe.)

And of course, what motivated us evenmore to join is because of the gift voucher. Lokohan namin, we braved the rain for the love of music & gift voucher. hehe :-)

photo taken by RS at my office desk today

Thanks RS! (sobrang busy ako kanina)

From the survey, i heard the song of Beyonce's Sweet Dreams which is now my current favorite. :-)

Note: I will try to upload Beyonce's Sweet Dreams next time (sana matutunan ko na kung paano mag-upload dito). Meantime, may we always have sweet dreams or beautiful nightmares hango ito sa kanta. Wish ko talaga, sana ako ngayong gabi. I WISH! :-)

Thanks mp3codes.org! uploaded on 19 Dec 2009 @ 11:16 am kaya lang ayaw mag-play. :-(

When Love Begins...

It's 11:33 pm, just got home. After attending the 5pm mass at St. Mary's Church, i and a friend decided to go to Burjuman Centre and had our longest conversation about her LOVElife ever! I guess, this is a girl thing. We just love to talk about the feeling over and over again.



I already blogged her in my previous post. She's a friend who met her love and inspiration thru online chatting. And today, she confirmed that it is official. He is now her boyfriend. OMG! My reactions are a BIG WHATTTT!!!!!?!!! Followed by..Is this really happening to you? Then ended with...i just want you to be happy. :-)



I had a great time listening to her endless updates about her newfound love and inspiration. And for the very first time, i heard her sing a song "One Hello" . This is the movie soundtrack of When Love Begins played by Aga Muhlach & Anne Curtis, hence the title of this post. :-)



It is very rare to find TRUE LOVE here. In my statistics, there are more sad endings rather than happy endings here :-(. I told her this statistics. I know I'm so KJ but i want her to guard her feelings & to always be in control. My prayer is that she and her boyfriend would really be the ONE TRUE LOVE for each other.

She assured me that she knows what she's getting into. I need not worry for her eyes are open just like what i advised her. :-)


Disclaimer:
i hope this is not an invasion of your privacy, friend. i'll let you read this one day, just so you can tell me what is private or not. parang sobrang personal na yata ito. i made an effort naman i finished this post at 1:53 am . wala lang, anticipated appeal ko:-)

Tidbits

Do You Know?

1) though i am publicly blogging i don't want my friends & those who personally know me to read my blog. i made some precautionay measures to prevent this from happening. i did not give my blogsite or blog name to them. i also 'google searched' my blog & i 'successfully'did not found it. so i was convinced that i could still be anonymous. i also stop mentioning what i'm blogging for the day so they won't be curious about it (sometimes, i'm getting paranoid akala ko yung sinasabi ng friend ko related sa mga blog ko..hehe). i should have never mentioned about my blogging to my friends, but i can't blame myself i was so excited & happy. I wanted to share these to my friends.

last night, i was about to start to blog when AB (a cousin & housemate) told me that she's currently reading a blog titled "The Secret Keeper". i felt cold, i knew instantly that it was my blog she was reading. i have a vivid memory on all my blog titles. she told me she found the site on her laptop. (it was a carelessness on my part, i have typed my URL. i forgot that it could be access through internet history). she told me she never knew it was my blog. it turned out she's following it whenever she has time. haha. we were both laughing. she had discovered my elusive blog. to my satisfaction, she allowed me to delete the internet history on her laptop. hehe. i told her 'ayokong mawalan o masira ang aking bagong career'. i asked her 'wag na nia hanapin ito'. naawa cguro sa akin, she promised nde na..hehe...kaya tuloy ang blogging. :-) thanks ate AB!

of course, i would like to know what's her feedback/comment about my blog since she had read it. she told me, 'MAGANDA' daw especially stories about... mentioning several titles & contents. The reason why she followed it. Haha. Natuwa naman ako sympre. :-)

2) i have a closed friend who met her inspiration via on-line chatting. they decided to meet (in personal) after one month of knowing each other on-line. now, they are playing sweet music together. i'm really happy for my friend because i can tell she's happy and inspired.

this friend of mine is really 'tahimik', but love could really make the world go round. she's now the one talking and i was the one listening. she talks about him over & over again. sometimes, out of nowhere she would mentioned things about him. OMG! my friend is in love!

in one of our recent 'bonding moments', she seriously asked my opinion about it. i told her to take it slowly. savour this good moment. let herself experience the joy of being in love. kilalanin muna niya nang mabuti ito. i added this is a critical stage, she must open her eyes widely & let her heart & mind agree on whatever she sees. i trust her judgement. :-)

3) someone who's really very close to me and i love so much might visit me here in Dubai this Dec. sana matuloy. :-)

Matutuloy Ba Ang Pasko?

Malapit na ang pasko. Pag nasa ibayong dagat ka at malayo sa pamilya, sigurado feeling 'homesick' ka na naman. Naiisip mo, ang saya saya na sa Pinas sa panahong ito. Samantalang ikaw, eto ka pa rin pilit na kinakapa ang sarili para maramdaman ang diwa at saya ng Pasko kahit papaano.

Huwag malungkot. Don't fret, nde ka nag-iisa. Madami tayo actually. Lahat tayo gusto makasama ang ating pamilya sa Pinas sa araw ng Pasko. Pero ganyan talaga ang buhay, kailangan kung minsan magsakripisyo.

Share ko itong kantang ito. Gumagaan ang pakiramdam ko pag naririnig at kinakanta ko ito. Naniniwala akong sapat na SIYA ang kasama natin para maging masaya tayo.

Tuloy na Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Pasko
by Apo Hiking Society

Ngunit kahit na anong mangyari
Ang pag-ibig sana'y maghari
sapat nang si Hesus ang kasama mo
Tuloy na tuloy pa rin ang pasko

Melason Fever

Grabeh, nakakakilig talaga si Jayson and Melai of PBB. Lahat kami dito sa haws kinikilig sa mga 'moments' nilang dalawa. Tomorrow, extended pa ang kilig na ito sa ofis namin. Maka-Melason din kami dun (lalu na kaming dalawa ni RS). For sure, matatagalan na naman kami sa canteen for our lunch break dahil sa kwentuhan. :-)

Katatapos lang namin manood ngayon sa TFC kaya nakangiti pa ako habang sinusulat ko ito. Naalala ko pa ang kakulitan ni Jayson kay Melai and vice versa. Pero sobra ang kilig kagabi dahil ipinalabas na ang pag-akyat ng ligaw ni Jayson kay Melai. Ang cute ni Jayson...(sigh) :-)

At first parang duda pa kami kay Jayson sa intensyon niya kay Melai pero ngayon grabeh, naniniwala na kami sa kanya. Ramdam namin ang kanyang sinseridad. Sobrang nakakakilig talaga sila. Dinaig pa ang mga romantic movies. Ang cute nilang dalawa together. Ang sweet ni Jason....haaaayyy.. :-)

Salamat sa youtube para sa video nilang ito:

Panaginip

Ayon sa Wikipedia, ang Panaginip ay ang pansariling karanasan ng mga guni-guning imahen, tunog/tinig, pag-iisip o pakiramdam habang tulog, kadalasang di kusa.





Binasa ko ang lahat na nakasaad dito, pero wala akong nakita or walang binanggit na panaginip habang gising. :-) Tungkol kasi dito ang gusto kong sulatin ngayon. Madalas kasing mangyari sa akin ito lalu na pag ako ay nag-iisa.



Dahil sa nalalapit na ang pasko, napapadalas ang aking mga panaginip. Nasa Pinas na daw ako. Kumpleto daw kaming lahat ng aming pamilya. Masayang-masaya daw ako kasi lumaki na din ang pamilya namin. Tatlo lang kasi kaming magkakapatid. Ang dalawa kong kapatid ay pareho nang may asawa ngayon. Meron na din akong tatlong cute na pamangkin. Naghahabulan at naglalaro ang mga pamangkin ko sa aming bakuran. Samantalang kaming mga grown-ups (kasama ang aming nanay sympre) nasa balkonahe kami nagkukuwentuhan habang pinapanood ang mga bata. Inaantay din namin ang pagdaan ng prusisyon. Malapit lang ang bahay ng kuya ko pero dahil pasko buong pamilya niya sa amin daw matutulog ngayon. Yun ay kung matutulog kami kasi ang dami naming nakahandang activities para sa noche buena. Sobrang miss na miss na din kasi namin ang isa't isa.


Napagmasdan kong mabuti ang aking nanay habang nakaupo siya. Meron na siyang mapuputing buhok ngayon, simbolo iyon ng kanyang pagsisikap upang mapalaki kaming magkakapatid ng maayos. Kinaya niyang maging malakas at matapang para sa amin sa kabila ng kahirapan ng buhay. Maaga kaming naulila sa ama. Ang aming nanay ang mag-isang nagtaguyod at nagdisiplina sa aming magkakapatid. Siya ang pinagkukunan namin ng lakas. Sa kanyang mga mata ay nakikita ko ang kanyang kasiyahan. Naisip ko, siguro very proud siya sa aming mga anak niya kasi lahat kami magkakasundo at puro mababait na anak. (naniniwala talaga ako na mababait ang aking mga kapatid, sympre kasama pati ako.lol.)

Tuwang-tuwa ang mga pamangkin ko nang dumaan ang prusisyon sa tapat ng bahay namin. Lumiwanag ang buong paligid dahil sa sinindihan nina kuya ang mga 'fountain'. Tangan tangan naman namin ang mga lusis. Yung umiilaw lang, takot kasi ako sa paputok.

Pagkatapos ng prusisyon, noche buena na! Hmmmm..ang dami naming hinanda ni nanay kasama ng aking mga hipag. Kung dati rati taga-kain lang ako, ngayon nakikialam na ako sa kusina. Matured na daw kasi ako. At tsaka interesado na kasi akong malaman ngayon ang mga secret recipes ng aking mahal na ina. Merong lechon (yung ulo lang ng baboy), embutido, chicken roll, cordon blue, barbecue, baked macaroni, fruit salad, sympre hindi mawawala ang nakaugaliang quezo de bola at ang home-made kalamay (kakanin) at marami pang iba. Pareho kami ng nanay ko na ayaw na ayaw yung nasasayang ang pagkain. Sa kanya ko pala minana yun. Teka lang, nde naman namin kailangan ubusin lahat kasi kinabukasan ng gabi pupunta kaming lahat sa lola ko, nanay ng nanay ko. Yearly, doon ginagawa ang family reunion. Grabeh, tiyak na masaya din yun. To date, nde ko na alam kung ilan na kaming miyembro ng pamilya sa side ng mother. Meron na ngang apo sa talampakan ang lola ko. Besides, 14 na magkakapatid sila nanay at take note lahat sila sa ay naka-base sa isang barangay lang. Naalala ko tuloy yung Christmas ko (2004) before ako magpunta ng Dubai, ako ang naatasang maging organizer ng aming reunion. Isa sa pinakamasayang reunion daw namin sabi ng mga tita ko. Ginawa kasi naming interactive ang mga games namin. Tapos meron pa akong mga tito at tita na likas na komedyante kaya masaya talaga.

Habang kumakain kami, tuloy ang kwentuhan sa aming buhay-buhay. Nagsalita ang aking nanay na masaya daw siya dahil kumpleto kaming mag-anak.. Nagpapasalamat siya sa Maykapal at hindi niya kami pinababayaan. Pero meron pa daw siyang isang hiling sa Diyos, yun ay makapag-asawa na din ako at sana daw yung mabait din. Hala, sabi ko na nga ba at isisingit na naman ni nanay yun. Tawanan lahat..

Haaay, mis na mis ko na talaga ang aking pamilya sa Pinas. Sa darating na Pasko, 5 christmases ko na silang nde nakakasama. Ngayon pa lang hinahanda ko na ang sarili ko. Sigurado, dadalawin na naman ako ng 'christmas blues'. Pinapakalma ko na lang ang sarili ko, di bale next year sa bakasyon ko (plan date is Aug), request ako sa nanay ko kung pwedi mag-noche buena na kami kahit nde pa Pasko. :-)

Be Aware: Hepatitis B in the UAE

"Hepatitis B is a disease caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) which infects the liver of hominoidae, including humans, and causes an inflammation called hepatitis. The acute illness causes liver inflammation, vomiting, jaundice and—rarely—death. Chronic hepatitis B may eventually cause liver cirrhosis and liver cancer—a fatal disease with very poor response to current chemotherapy. The infection is preventable by vaccination. Transmission of hepatitis B virus results from exposure to infectious blood or body fluids containing blood.

-from Wikipedia




I have never been afraid of this disease until I heard the bad news from a friend here in Dubai. :-( The health authority detected that he is infected by Hepa B. And according to the new UAE Law on 1st of July 2008, this is one of the deportable diseases ( others are HIV, TB, Hepa C & Syphilis). A medical test is required and performed before issuance of any residence visa (new/renewal). My friend transferred to another company thus, had his medical test for visa requirement. He was not aware that he had this disease. He's practicing a clean & healthy living. He exercises everyday. He constantly plays tennis. He regularly visit his doctors but his focus is more on his high blood and cholesterol level since these are the most common illness of his age. He's in his late forties.

What's saddening me is that he's been working here for more than 10 years. He was able to get his family from the Philippines and resides here. His children are also studying here. He had managed to settle his family here all this time. And one disease could & will change his life drastically. He's under the UAE immigration watchlist. He's supposed to be deported immediately but since UAE govt had 10-day holidays after the result of his medical, his deportation was moved to 1st working day after the holiday which is this coming Sunday. A blessing in disguise he told me for he had still time to say goodbye to his family & friends.


I am still in state of shock. He's like a father to me. I have a high regard of this man. Beside him being my previous boss, he's also my advisor in my career and life in general. He's an active preacher in a Christian organization while I am full pledge Roman Catholic. But this was never an issue to us. We respect each other's faith.

I strongly believe that he can surpass this trial in life. I pray that he & his family would be given continued strength in facing this challenge. As questioned by the priest today in the homily, "Is there anything that i can do?" I would answer, Yes. That is to pray and to make my friends & family aware of this disease.

Moving Forward

Today, Dec 2 is UAE National Day thus i'm on a holiday again. But more than this, I'm singing a happy tune because I FINALLY learned to let him go. :-)

After so much self-contemplation, I had come into terms with the fact that we could never be together forever. We're not just meant for each other. There are good things that really never last. I love you with all my heart and soul. In you, i always feel connected with the world. You made me closer to my family and friends. Just knowing that you are with me, i feel safe. You were always there for me. Thank you for everything. I will forever treasure our memories together.

My life will never be the same without you for sure. But i need to be strong. I believe this is the best thing that I could ever give to you- your FREEDOM.


N.B.
You might want to read my earlier post about him on 16 Oct 2009 entitled The Art of Letting Go.

Two Months After...

Today is my 2nd monthsary in blogosphere! Yippee! Happy Monthsary to me! :-) hehe.

I am happy that I got the courage to start blogging. I never thought i can ever do it but i did. :-) I really considered it as my personal achievement. However, i'm not super proud (just proud lang.hehe) with the content of my blog. They are mostly ( if not all) about my own thoughts & personal experiences. I know I can write more than these. Meron pa akong ibubuga. Hehe.

I am challenging myself now. I want to see a different 'me' in the coming days. I'm hoping to write more serious topics like maybe politics, economics, business etc (haha..sobrang serious yata talaga ang mangyayari). My future topics will not be limited to myself, friends and families. I will also try to blog more of those topics in general interests.

From now on, I will focus on whatever I will be blogging. I will make time to proofread it. What i'm doing right now is like i'm just writing on a diary. I just post whatever's on my mind. There is no checking nor editing.

I expect myself to be busy this month, not with the coming holidays but busy thinking very hard and profusely what will i going to post. Haha. I'm in trouble. :-)

OYM!

Ang pamilya namin nde mahilig sa techonology, makaluma talaga. Pare-pareho kami na nde mahilig sa computers (since, i am a blogger na pinipilit kong maging updated na ngaun.hehe). Lately lang nila in-embrace ang pag-chachat. Yung dalawa kong kapatid kelan lang sila nagkaroon ng sariling yahoo email. Yung nanay ko naman, ginawan ko pero ang ginagamit na account yung sa kapatid ko din. So malamang, inactive na din yun. Nakalimutan ko na nga din password niya.

Pinilit ko talaga sa amin na magkaroon ng internet kasi mas mura ang chat kesa tawag plus yung kuya ko nasa abroad din tsaka yung asawa ng aming bunso, mas convenient lahat sa amin pag may internet. Malaking tipid sa load sa akin. Kung dati 8 cards ang budget ko sa isang buwan, ngayon pwedi na ang 3 cards pag walang okasyon. Yun nga lang tuwing Friday or Saturday ko lng sila naka-kachat. Dahil sa 4 hours time difference, tulog na sila pagkatapos ko sa work. Ok na sa akin yun. Normal chat hours naman ng aming nanay is almost 3 hours lagi..hehe. Grabeh, sumusuko ang aking nanay sa akin. Masakit na daw ang tenga niya...hahaha. Tinatawagan ko din sila in-between days. Sabi ng aking nanay, daig ko pa nga daw nung nagta-trabaho ako sa Maynila. Parang andun lang daw ako. (Sa akin, sana nga andun lang talaga ako)

Buti nga natuto na ding mag-chat ang aking mga kapatid. Dahil siguro naranasan din nila ang magtrabaho sa ibayong dagat. Alam na nila ngayon kung gaano kahalaga ang YM pag nasa abroad ka. Dito kasi, walang limit ang usapan...one to sawa kumbaga. Unlike pag sa mobile, laging bitin ang usapan o kaya naman nagmamadali lahat kasi alam na mahal ang tawag pag overseas. Kaya ako, sanay sila dati sa amin ..."HELLO MA! MUSTA NA? OK NAMAN AKO DITO. CGE, BABAY!". hahaha....o kaya naman on other side of the line "LOLA, SI TITA NASA PHONE"-sigaw ng pamangkin ko sabay takbo ng mabilis papunta sa nanay ko..."HELLO ANAK, NASA LIKOD AKO NANG BAHAY, BUTI NA LANG SINAGOT NI GEY2 ANG PHONE. MANGANGANAK KASI ANG BABOY NGAUN KAILANGAN MAY NAKABANTAY. YUNG KABABATA MO PALA NANGANAK NA, NINANG KA DAW. SI MANONG ISUNG (jogging mate namin dati sa baryo) NANDTO NGAUN SA PINAS, TINATANONG KA. PUNTA AKO SA TITA MO BUKAS, BIRTHDAY NG APO NIYA, SAMA KO SINA GEY2, AWUD, & KOB (my three pamangkins)...kwento pa si madir..hanggang sa "MA, MERON NA AKONG NARIRINIG NA WARNING SIGN DITO PAUBOS NA ANG LOAD KO, PAG NAWALA AKO IBIG SABIHIN UBOS NA"...."OK"-sabi ng nanay ko sabay tuluy sa kwento at biglang may naalala pang bagong kwento...at Tooooot..Toooot. Tooooot....naputol na ang linya.

Ako, naiwang balisa at hindi mapakali. Pag feeling ko makakatulog naman ako, sa next tawag ko yun ang unang-una kong itatanong. Pero pag feeling ko kailangan kong malaman yun, punta sa tindahan at bili ng card. Bitin. :-)

Pag sa YM, patatagan kami. Actually, parang paulit-ulit kami kung minsan ng aking nanay. Kung minsan nagku-kwento siya biglang sasabihin niya sa akin parang nakwento na daw niya sa akin. Naikwento na nga niya. Pag wala na kaming mapag-usapan showbiz at politics naman. hehe. O kaya naman pagku-kwentuhan namin ang palabas..usually TV Patrol kasi live ito sa TFC. Kaya parang magkasama lang kami sa bahay na sabay nanonood. :-)

Why suddenly i thought to blog YM? kasi ka-YM ko ang kuya ko kanina lang. As i've earlier blogged, isa na siyang chef ngaun. Ang kulit kulit ko daw sabi niya. Kinukulit ko kasi siya to send me back pic na naka-uniform at yung mga gawa niya para sa aking blog. I'm so proud of him kc and I want to blog him as chef. hehe....Sana mapadala niya ang mga ito soon. :-)

Ang comment ng kuya ko regarding my request:
"Bakit nakatalikod na litrato ang gusto mo? Ikinakahiya mo ba ang itsura ko? Pangit ba ako?"

Napatawa niya talaga ako dito. I explained to him na gusto kong magpaka-anonymous sa blog ko. Pero kung gusto niya, cge ipo-post ko pic nia dito. Akala ko sasabihin niya, cge i-post ko (ang kuya ko is kabaligtaran kasi namin ng aming bunso- mahiyain daw kami). Buti na lang ayaw din nia. hehe.

Saying Yes Responsibly

This post is inspired by the 'YES' commercial of Western Union. I have liked this commercial the first time i saw it. I got to LISTEN. THINK. ENJOY. My heart always beats faster whenever I see it. I personally believe that this was made especially for all OFW's around the world who are working very hard just to make things happen not only for themselves but also for their loved ones back home. I am saluting them for their unwavering love and sacrifices.

The Tagline:

Everyday millions of people around the world are moving their lives forward, making things happen. Saying 'yes' to a brighter future.


The Lyrics:

Standing on your two feet baby
Tell me what do you need

Oh
It's not to show or prove, make your move
Do what you gotta do
Do what you gotta do

Standing on you two feet baby
Tell me what do you need
Stand up on your two feet baby
That's how it's got to be






ps:
today is another milestone in my 'blogging' life. i successfully posted the first ever video in my blog (from YouTube). i'm so proud of myself. lol. feels like heaven. :-)

Being Childlike Once in Awhile

I Got A Feeling Lyrics by Black Eyed Peas

I gotta feeling that tonight’s gonna be a good night
that tonight’s gonna be a good night
that tonight’s gonna be a good good night (x3)


I was right all along. It was really a good good night. Thanks PC for having to bear with my kind of 'trip'. :-)

@ ZABEEL PARK, DUBAI UAE

i really wanted to try this slide eversince; so i took the courage

to do it today once and for all para matapos na itong nararamdaman kong ito.

but it happened that this is for children's use only- nakita ko nga puro mga bata.

sa isip ko, sana pwedi batang isip. hehe...anyway, atleast i have taken the first step. :-)

then, nag-go karting kami. :-)

i was so serious, parang totoo. hehe.

@ Stargate, inside Zabeel Park
this is supposed to be the Planet Earth but can't find Philippines in it.

this could have been better if they modelled earth as seen in the globe.

just a suggestion. :-)

inside Planet Earth at Stargate

i'd wanted to pick this flower and give it to anyone

who loves flower. :-)

i love this pic.

can you feel our joy and happiness?

ang saya saya! parang fiesta. :-)

Sleepless in Dubai

I was out the whole day yesterday. It was the 2nd day of my seven long holidays. I'm trying to enjoy my holidays as much as I can. But really when you're away from home, it's very difficult to be 100% happy. No matter how much I tried, parang kulang pa rin. :-(

When i'm consciously feeling lonely & dissatisfied, that is the time i get to re-think & reassess my own life. I always get the same assessment everytime i do it- that i'm so blessed and my life is not that bad afterall. Then, i'll be okay. Ready na ulit makipaglaban sa buhay-buhay. :-)

I am more mature now. Dati kasi pag nalulungkot ako, ayokong lumabas ng bahay. Masyado akong nagpapakalunod at sinusulit ang nararamdaman kong kalungkutan. lol. But i've changed now, parang kayang-kaya ko na ang lahat. Or natanggap ko na lang na ganito talaga ang buhay sa abroad. Bittersweet.

Eto ang mga ilang bagay na nakakapagpaalis ng 'homesickness' sa akin:

1) dalawin at makipaglaro kay baby MJ, ang aming super cute na baby

dito sa Dubai. He's just one year & 4 mos old, ipinanganak dito.

First baby ng aking kaibigang sina ID & RD.

me and baby MJ while 'driving' - marunong na bata :-)

sweet at super bait ni baby MJ (mana sa kanyang magulang at mga ninang.hehe)

grabeh pag nag-kiss na yan, wala kaming nagagawa kundi ibigay ang gusto niya.

iba talaga ang naibibigay na kaligayahan ng isang bata.
ngitian pa ako ng ganito. parang ayoko nang umalis tuloy. hehe.


2) eto ang favorite past time ko eversince; magpunta sa mga bookstores.
nagagawa ko lang ito pag lumalabas akong mag-isa so this is the perfect time for me.

dito ako sa Borders naglagi kasi i discovered na mas good price ang books nila

meron pa silang promo- buy 3 for a price of 2.

eto naman ang aking fave corner. i am always on the look of a

good book kaya binabasa ko muna ang preview nito bago ko bilhin ang mga ito.

dito nde bawal ang magbasa so kung gusto mong tapusin ang isang novel, pweding pwede.
favourite ko ngaun mga nobela ni Jodi Picoult. :-)

3) gawin ang bagay na kailangan kong asikasuhin.

i need to buy a demand draft so dumaan din ako sa aking bangko.

Ang daming tao dahil holiday na kinabukasan.

4) dumaan sa Virgin Megastore dahil........

MALAPIT NA! And I'm so excited! :-)

And sympre ang isa pang nakakapagpasaya sa akin ngayon ay ang pagba-blog at blog hopping. Natutuwa ako na finally nagawa ko na ding magkaroon ng blog. Soon, sana makilala din ako ng aking mga sinusubaybayang blog.

I wanted to share this new found happiness to others. Kung minsan biglang maikukwento ko na lang na i'm into blogging. Sinasabi ko kung gusto nila, subukan din nila. Nakakatuwa kasi dalawa na sa aking sinabihan may blog na din ngayon. :-). Kaya lang dahil gusto kong magpaka-anonymous sa kanila, ayaw din nilang magpakita sa akin. hehe. That's fair enough.

It's 12:20 am now, gising na gising pa ako. Tapos na akong mag-blog hopping. Patapos na din ang aking post for the day. So what's next? I must sleep kasi kailangan kong magising ng maaga bukas.

My Two Brothers & Our Nanay

I am the middle child and the only daughter in our family. Napapagitnaan ako ng aking kuya at ng aming bunsong kapatid . Naisipan ko silang i-blog kasi ka-chat ko kanina ang nanay namin. Nabanggit na naman niya ang walang kamatayang issue tungkol sa pagkakaroon ng sariling pamilya. Huwag daw akong mapili as if naman meron akong pipiliin. No one's perfect daw. Natawa talaga ako sa nanay ko. Kinuwento din niya ang isa kong Tito na matandang binata (kapatid ng tatay ko). Ayaw daw niya akong matulad sa kanya na parang hindi na pinapansin ng mga kasama niya sa bahay- ang pamilya ng tita ko na kapatid nia. :-(

Sabi ko sa nanay ko, huwag siyang mag-alala. Ngayon pa lang magpapakabait na ako sa mga kapatid at mga pamangkin ko para pagdating ng araw maalala nila ako at alagaan. hehe. Huwag ko daw gawing biro ito baka magaya ako sa isa na namang kamag-anak na babae na 43 years old naman. Ngayon daw nagsisisi siya na hindi siya nag-asawa. Nahuli daw siya sa biyahe. Eto pa ang sinabi ni madir, dapat daw sa edad ko ngayon meron na akong boyfriend! Tama bang i-pressure ako. hehe. I told her about daring myself getting a date before this year ends, tawa siya. ( i'll blog the dev't of this soon).


Back to my two brothers:

MP- He's the 'bunso' in the family. Unlike me & my kuya, he is super tahimik. He seldom talks. Sabi nga nila, paano kaya daw siya nanligaw at nakapag-asawa. In fairness, napakaswerte niya sa kanyang naging asawa. Ang bait daw at marunong sa buhay. Coming from my mother, naniniwala ako dito. Napakabait din kasi ng aking kapatid. He's currently busy in his farm (this is a true farm, not Farmtown.lol). He's a farmer now :-). We're so proud of him for he has become a responsible person esp. now that he's a family man. He has a one very cute son turning one-year old this Feb which we all adore. I remember when he told me that he's getting married, i was adamant then for really for me, he's still my little brother.

Ang ikinakatuwa ko sa kapatid ko nung bata kami is pag meron siyang kailangan, lapit agad siya sa akin. Ako naman, feel na feel ko ang pagiging ate. He calls me 'Te' short for Ate. He's the only person who calls me that way. Would you believe ako ang tagagawa ng love letters ng aking kapatid nang magsimula siyang manligaw nung highschool? hehe. Salutatorian daw nila ang nililigawan niya, gusto niya english ang letter, sympre nagpapasikat si bunso. haha. Ganun kabilib sa english ko ang aking kapatid. Hindi naglaon napasagot ng aking kapatid ang kanyang nililigawan. Ako ang numero unong natuwa. In fairness sa aking kapatid, sulat kamay naman niya ang mga love letters na ibinibigay at isang babae lang ang sinusulatan namin. Partners in good crime kami talaga nun.

JP- He's our big brother. Nasa ibayong dagat din siya. Kelan lang cguro mga two weeks ago, he phoned me for his good news. He is now a chef! I'm not joking. He never attended a formal cooking school, though i have no doubt kayang-kaya niya ang maging chef. Sa bahay namin dati, pag nagluto siya para siyang chef talaga. Lahat kami pagod sa kanya sa kaka-assist sa kanya. hehe. Sabi nga namin ni madir, nakuha niya ang kanyang gusto. We're just so proud of him! Lalo na ang aming nanay at ang kanyang pamilya sa Pinas. He has a 9-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter na kamukha ko daw. Lagi kaming napagkakamalan dati na mag-ina pag sinasama ko siya sa lakaran. :-)

To read more of my kuya, please click my previous blog entry Ang Aking Kuya.

When we were younger, i always tell other people that our 'bunso' was the favorite of our mother while me was the favorite of our father ('tang, mis na kita. 2nd yr highschool ako nang mawalan kami ng tatay). Our parents would always tell us we are all their favorites- pantay pantay lang daw kami. When I grew older, my mom confessed to me that iba daw ang panganay na anak which is my Kuya. Lahat ibinibigay sa kanya. Hmmm, kuya nakalamang ka sa amin dun ah. Anyhow, sa aming magkakapatid walang sibling rivalry na nangyari. Mataas talaga ang respeto namin sa isa't isa.

Would you believe next to my mom is sa Kuya ko ako natatakot. I guess ganun din ang nararamdaman sa amin ng aming bunsong kapatid. Takot not because of anything but because of the love and respect we have for each other.


Back to the concern of my mother:

Tinanong ko siya kung sino sa dalawa kong kapatid sa tingin niya ang kukupkop nang maluwag sa akin pagtanda ko if ever nde nga ako makapag-asawa. hehe. Aba with all her pride, sinagot niya ako na wala daw akong problema dun kasi love na love daw ako ng aking mga kapatid. :-). Sabay sabing pero nde daw makukumpleto ang kanyang kasiyahan sa buhay pag nde niya nakitang may sarili akong pamilya. Hala, ang nanay ko masyado niya akong minamadali. Bakit daw nde ko subukang makipag-chat or makipag-text mate? Hahaha...napatawa talaga ako ng malakas dito. Uso naman daw ito kasi yung anak ng kumare niya, nakapag-asawa thru chat lang. Biglang sisingitan naman niya na pag daw nag-asawa ako, sasama siya sa akin. Doon siya titira sa amin. Sabi ko talagang dapat ang mapangasawa ko mabait talaga. Kaya huwag kaming mainip baka piniprepare pa ng Nasa Itaas or baka on the way na pala. :-)

Ang aking nanay talaga. Binibigyan ako nang isipin ngayon. hehe. Bukas chat ulit kami, baka biglang mabago na ang topic. Napapansin ko parang all time favorite niya ang tungkol sa pagpapamilya ko. Next year daw 29 na ako, yung pinsan ko kasi na feeling ng lahat ng kamag-anak namin na tatandang dalaga 29 nakapag-asawa siya. So biglang nasabi ni madir, malalampasan ko pa pala ang record na iyon. hahaha....Natatawa talaga ako.

***naiintindihan ko naman ang aking nanay, kasi lahat ng mga kapatid at pinsan ko nag-asawa na lahat. Ako na bale ang pinakamatanda talaga na walang asawa pa. So feeling cguro ng nanay ko, huling-huli na ako.***

All About My Passion in Blogging

I am on-leave from office for 3 days starting today. In addition to this, our company declared Nov 29 & 30 as the holidays for the Big Eid Celebration. So it means, i'll be on vacation for 7 days considering Thurs & Friday as my days off! :-) Yippee!

What's the best way to start my vacation than to blog. hehe. I'd finished my blog entry yesterday at 4 am today. I was so engrossed with what I'm doing that I forgot the time. Ewan ko ba, iba ang hatak ng 'blogging' sa akin. Masyado akong pinapasaya nito (kahit na lately medyo may mga kalungkutang sumasagi sa isipan ko). Aminado naman ako na hindi naman talaga kagandahan ang mga pinagsusulat ko dito. But still, i can't help but feel proud pag nakikita ko na ang aking blog. :-)


I set a target of an average of one post per day. My friend & housemate JC always laughs at me kasi tuwing gabi pagkagaling sa ofis lagi akong nagmamadali to blog na para bang may hinahabol akong deadline. Niloloko ako ng mga housemates ko, sana daw yung blog ko pwedi din nilang makita. Hindi lang ako ang nakakaalam. hehe. Sabi ko, in time.


Malapit na akong mag 2 months! Yehey! Nakakatuwa kasi ayoko ng count down talaga pero ngayon i'm anticipating the days to come. Excited sobra. hehe.


Hindi na din ako masyadong insecure sa mga sinusubaybayan kong blogs ngayon, nde ko na nararamdaman na nakakahiya ang blog ko.hehe.. Bagkus, lalo akong na-iinspired sa mga gawa nila. Malay mo, one day makapagsulat din ako ng kagaya ng sa kanila. :-)

'Madugong' Araw

Galing ako sa probinsya kung saan masasarap daw magluto ang mga tao. Ang nanay ko as in superb ang mga luto. Pero ako medyo ang nakahiligan dati ay ang pagkain ng mga masasarap na luto ng aking nanay kaya ngaun pa lang talaga ako nakakapag-aral magluto. Kasi required, nasa Pinas si madir walang magluluto para sa akin. :-)

Anyway, mukhang in-born naman yata sa akin ang pagluluto. Naks! (binuhat ko na ang sarili kong bangko). Sabi kasi ng mga kaopisina ko, masarap daw ang luto ko. Minsan kasi dinalhan ko sila ng 'dinuguan' for our lunch. Aba, nde na nakalimutan. Hehe. Last week, kinulit ako ng kinulit ni JM, ang bagong kasal na kaopisina ko. Kung pwedi daw akong magluto ulit ng 'dinuguan'. Sabi ko cge kasi bawal daw ang tumatanggi sa taong naglilihi, niloloko ko lang kasi kagagaling sa honeymoon.

So nung Saturday ng gabi, nagluto ako ng dinuguan sa bahay. Parang fiesta nga sa amin kasi halos lahat natakam sa aking niluluto. Natuwa naman ako. Naisip ko agad ang nanay ko, she would be proud of me. Ang anak niya marunong ding magluto. Mana sa kanya. hehe.
Nakakatawa kasi medyo 'feeling down' ako sa mga panahong ito pero nakalimutan ko ito nang mag-umpisa na akong magluto sinabayan pa ng aking pagkuha ng mga litrato. :-)

HOW TO COOK A 'DINUGUAN'?

Complete Ingredients: pork belly, pork intestine, pig's blood,

sili, vinegar, fish sauce

cut the pork belly & pork intestine into small pieces; boil it until tender

igisa at ilagay ang pig's blood na may halong vinegar;

lutuin ng maigi bago tikman ito, lagyan ng fish sauce at vinegar ayon sa panlasa

yipee! my masterpiece :-)
(nilagay ko lang alak dyan for picture purposes;
matagal ko nang kinalimutan ang pag-inom. hehe)


fiesta kami sa canteen namin last Sunday
nagdala pa ng puto si JM para kumpleto ang puto't dinuguan

Segue. Kinagabihan nag-pregnancy test si JM para malaman kung buntis na nga siya. Take note, POSITIVE! Congrats, JM! So, totoo talaga na pinaglihian niya ang aking luto. Kinukulit na naman tuloy ako kanina ng mga kaopisina ko magluto ulit daw ako. Tokwa't baboy naman. Hala, masyadong nasarapan sa aking luto. hehe..Sabi ko, cge sa December na, naka-leave na ako from office. :-)

ps: grabeh, 4am na dito. i need to sleep na. :-)

A Grand Reunion That Was

My previous and 2nd company that I worked with here in Dubai had been very memorable to me. Not only because it had given me the 'perfect job' but also because of the people I became friends with.

I am always thankful that I met all these wonderful people. We were the most happiest & loudest in the company. There were no dull moments. There were lots of dramas but always with happy endings. :-). I really felt true friendship in them.

I was there only for one year & one month but the friendship we had built will stay here forever. We are no perfect for sometimes there are disagreements, even persistent discussions over something. That's very normal to us. The important thing is the lesson learned after those 'tampuhans'.

Since maybe half of the group (including me) had left the company, we seldom have time to see each other. I am fortunate enough to have my communication line open to all of them. From time to time, I was keeping in touch to almost everyone & updating them at the same time. Then, one suggested that we hold a Grand Reunion. Hmmm, such a great idea for really, it's been such a long time since we had bonding time together.

And the Big Day was held on 19 Nov 2009 Thursday night at Jumeirah Open Beach, Dubai. It was indeed a happy and successful event altogether! Thank you so much JAMDABARKADS!

@ JUMEIRAH OPEN BEACH

spaghetti, macaroni con fruit salad & of course the

'fried chicken!' (not in the pic). My friends would be laughing out loud

should they read this. There's a funny story behind it. :-)

The Jamdabarkads' Girls

From L to R: RT, Ate M, Ate J, JY, LT & me

looking at Burj Al Arab Hotel (the ony seven-star hotel in the world)

not visible in the pic though
Again From L to R: Ate M, RT, JY, Ate J, LT & me
it's winter time here in Dubai; malapit na Pasko. :-)

sitting & looking @ the beach
i told them my new hobby is taking back pics of myself. :-)

they have no idea they've all been blogged here. hehe.

thank you friends for willingly posing with me.

I wasn't able to get a back pics of the Jamdabarkads' Boys for they arrived late as usual. But we're still glad they made it, it's better late than never. They will kill me if i post their pics here with their faces while us girls, just back pics.

They say, it's difficult to find a good and true friend here in Dubai. I say otherwise, for i found all of them right here in Dubai. :-)

To conclude this, i'd wanted to share the short note I sent to them thru my work email last Sunday 22 Nov 2009: (now, i forget the exact words i sent. lol.)

To All Jamdabarkads,

Thank you for being a friend to me and to each one of us. May we always be a true friend with one another. Kahit anong mangyari. Kahit saan man tayo mapunta.

-me

ps: nde ito drama ah. :-)

With the above note, I received some violent reactions & at the same time some heartwarming responses from them. To all of you guys, thank you. thank you so much. 'til our next grand reunion.

Shocking Revelations

Naiiyak ako. Ang sama sama ng aking loob sa isang taong itinuring kong kaibigan. Wala akong hinangad kundi kabutihan lang sa taong ito. Never akong gagawa ng isang bagay na ikakasama niya. Nakakalungkot kasi hindi pala niya nakikita ito.

Akala ko tapos na ang aking 'paghihirap' sa taong ito. Lately kasi napansin ko talaga na ang bait bait na niya pati sa akin. Nararamdaman ko na ang kanyang concern. Ang saya saya ko kasi okay na ang lahat sa buhay niya. Nalampasan na niya ang mga unos sa buhay niya.

Nagkamali ako. For the nth time, pinasama niya ang loob ko ng todo. Hindi ako makapaniwalang all this time pala kasama ako sa mga taong itinuturing niyang kaaway. Harap-harapan akong pinagbintangan sa isang bagay na hinding-hinde ko kayang gawin sa kanya. Ni sa aking hinagap ay hindi sumagi man lang sa isipan ko ang bagay na ibinibintang sa akin. But I do appreciate him for telling me the whole truth. For his honesty and trust. Yun naman ang gusto ko. Malaman kung ano ang totoo kahit gaano man ito kasakit.

Naiiyak pa rin ako. Masama ang loob. Disappointed. Betrayed.

But

FREE.

It's My 4th Year Anniversary in Dubai!

Earlier today at work, I had sent below messsage via email to JC & ID (they're partly the reason why I'd decided to go here in 2005; see my post about Going to Dubai):

"Today is my 4th year anniversary in Dubai and I'd like to thank you both for everything! ( with teary-eyed) :-)"

Time really flies so fast. I'm feeling nostalgic right now. I'm thinking deeply what had Dubai made me after being here for four years and more years to come I believe. My original plan is to work here for just 2 years then I'd go back to Philippines for good. I'd find a work in our province so I don't need to stay in a boarding house again. I'd wanted to experience everyday the comfort of home & my mother's care immediately after work. While working, I'd take my masteral for I dream of teaching in a University when I turn 30. I was also full of hope that by that time, I'd probably meet the one for me and i'd be ready to settle down. :-)

But things have changed. I no longer imagine myself working in the Philippines. :-(. Does it mean i'd be forever working in abroad?!? Not a bad idea as long as I retire to my home country. I'm really grateful that I had this opportunity to work abroad and had managed to successfully embrace it. I don't have a concrete plan for myself right now. All my plans are focus to my family esp. to my mother. (my mom wouldn't want to hear this statement for she doesn't like the idea of me forgetting myself). She would always tell me to enjoy my life here in Dubai. She would say, I need not worry about her for she is still as strong as a carabao (oldies' saying). She can still manage everything. I believe her for she's really our source of strength in the family. For the love of my mother and my family, I could stay for another four more years working here or in another country even if it means re-arranging my own plans. :-)

Since it's my anniversary, there's no better way to celebrate it than eating. hehe. My friends prepared and ordered some of our favorite Filipino Foods.

@ ID's Home

from Salt & Pepper Restaurant: palabok, siomai & putong puti

home-cooked meals by Ate E- shanghai rolls & sinigang?! (ulam nila ito.hehe)

From Baskin & Robbins- praline ice cream..hmmm, yummy!

More Than Just The "Libre"

I wasn't supposed to blog about this for it is not something about my life. It just so happened that I got invited by a friend to join him in his celebration of happiness and joy. He might soon blog about it so I won't give the details for now.

When you're friend is happy for whatever reason it maybe, you also tend to feel happy for that friend. Bonus na lang ang malibre ka niya lalu na kung sa gusto mo pang kainan yun.hehe... :-)

To this friend of mine (you know who you are), I really wish you good things in life. You are so blessed by Him, don't ever forget that. You have changed but for the better. You became wiser and also nicer. I couldn't be any happier. :-)

@ FISH & CO., Al Ghurair City

banana mango shakes

banana mango shake on the other side & calamares

seafood platter for two- the main attraction. :-)

Manny Pacquiao Made Me Feel Proud To Be Pinoy :-)

Manny Pacquiao is truly the greatest fighter of all time. After winning the fight via TKO over Cotto today, he is now the first boxer to win seven world titles in seven different divisions. He is indeed the pound-for-pound king!

THE TITLES
1. WBC Flyweight - Dec 04, 1998 - Chatchai Sasakul
2. IBF Super Bantamweight- Jun 23, 2001 - Lehlohonolo Ledwaba
3. The Ring Featherweight- Nov 15, 2003 - Marco Antonio Barrera
4. WBC Super featherweight - Mar 15, 2008 - Juan Manuel Marquez
5. WBC Lightweight - Jun 28, 2008 - David Diaz
6. The Ring Junior Welterweight & IBO Light welterweight- May 2, 2009- Ricky Hatton
7. WBO Welterweight - Nov 14, 2009 - Miguel Angel Cotto

i was able to watch the whole fight dubbed as 'Firepower'

thru Pay-Per-View on TFC

Mabuhay si Manny! Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! :-)

Source: Wikipedia

Memorable First sa Buhay 'Blogger' Ko

Medyo nde ganun ka-retentive ang aking memory. Medyo hirap din akong mag-memorize. Pero pag mga unang beses na pangyayari sa buhay ko, tiyak tatatak talaga sa isip ko ito. Hindi na ito mawawala sa isipan ko lumipas man ang napakahabang panahon.

Nitong mga nakaraaang araw ay may mga unang pangyayari sa buhay ko na tunay naman nakapagpasaya sa akin bilang blogger. Oa na kung Oa pero sobrang saya talaga ang feeling! :-) Hindi ko nga masyadong ma-idescribe ito. Basta yung feeling na nanlalamig ako tapos nde ko alam ang gagawin dahil sa sobrang tuwa. Then feeling inspired at energetic ako the next day. hehe. :-)

Kahit hindi kami magkakilala ng personal ng mga sumusunod na bloggers (except si Dating Tambay na kaibigan ko), nais kong iparating sa kanila ang taos puso kong pasasalamat dahil napasaya talaga nila ako ng todo sa kanilang munting paraan. Sila ang mga salarin kung bakit mas lalo pa akong na-inspired mag-blog ngayon. :-)

the 1st 3 memorable blogs to me; hope ok lng sa knila to be in my blog roll. :-)

Si Chookminder- sa kanya nanggaling ang pinaka- First Comment ko na natanggap last Nov. 9. Grabeh, hyper na hyper talaga ako that day. Obvious naman at nai-blog ko pa ito sa Those Things That Makes Me Happy. Pramis, kinuwento ko pa ito sa mga kaibigan ko para bang nanalo ako ng award. hehe. Syempre umasa ako na merong ciang follow-up comment sana pero naiintindihan ko naman kung gaano ka-busy ang isang blogger lalu pa ang kagaya nia.

Si LordCM - sa kanyang blog roll ko naman nakita for the very first time ang aking blog noong Nov 12. Grabeh, napa-wow talaga ako sa saya! Ibang level na ito! I'm so grateful na in-add pa rin nia ako kahit wala naman akong mga ka-blog roll pa.

Si Dating Tambay- siya naman ang dahilan kung bakit meron na akong blog roll today. Yipee! Medyo mahina kasi ako pagdating sa computer samantalang cia marunong daw..hehe..Totoo naman ito talaga. Madami pa akong dapat ipagpasalamat sa taong ito pagdating sa blog ko. Alam na niya ang mga ito. Sa sobrang tuwa ko, bawi na siya sa lahat ng sama ng loob na idinulot niya sa akin. :-)

Girl Friends' Day Out

I am really thankful to God that He gave me these wonderful friends in my life. They are my family here in abroad. They treated me like their little sister. I'm the youngest (pero nde daw halata sabi ng iba.hehe.) and also the 'sumpungin'. They always understand me. They accept me for what I am. They have been so good to me through all these years. They are so kind and are a pure-hearted souls. With them, I can never go wrong. :-)

We have been very busy lately with our own lives- JC just got engaged, ID of course is busy with our little angel MJ while me is busy blogging?!lol. But today, we took time off to date ourselves once more- just the three of us. (actually we're 4 in the group but PC stayed in the Phils. PC, we miss you so much!!!)

MAIN TRIP

From L to R: me, JC & ID

my friends are not really keen/'addict' on having their pics taken.

i just asked this favor from them and so they give in. :-)

they knew about my blogging. but i've warned them not to ever look for it.

i don't want them to feel that I am invading their privacy with my stories.

@ Reel Cinema, Dubai Mall
we watched the movie 2012. this is also our first time in Reel Cinema.
the cinema lounge area is like in a hotel plus the screen is much bigger!

Reel Cinema's snack bar menus/posters are electronically made
those posters are actually moving. they're fast moving
that we really had a hard time reading them. hehe.

finally, my choice- Nachos combo. :-)


SIDE TRIPS

@ Dubai Mall Aquarium

I'm 100% sure, the guy feeding those fish is a Filipino.

See the Philippine flag in his chest . :-)

a dancing chef statue

this photo was taken from the 1st level of Dubai Mall

the newest attraction for candy & chocolate lovers

CANDYLICIOUS

those young and young at hearts will surely enjoy going here.

cameras are not allowed inside

ANOTHER MAIN TRIP

we soon got tired strolling and stopped at Noodle Factory

but wait, where's the noodles here!?!

we all love eating rice, kaya tumataba kami. :-)

Note: After ng aming girlfriends' day out, sinundo kami ni RD (husband of ID) kasama sympre si MJ para sa aming family's night out naman. hehe..Baka magtampo si RD sa akin pag nalaman itong blog ko, kasi nde ko man lang nabanggit na kasama din namin sila. Just in case lang na mabasa nila ito in the future. :-)