off to dubai-3

the next days, we joined a tour - DHOW cruise and DESERT safari.  it was Good Friday, and to attend to our duties, we heard mass in the lone Catholic Church in the vicinity - St Mary's Catholic Church.  it was hot and humid and most of all, crowded.  good thing there was this adjacent basketball court to cater to the throngs of people.

the DHOW and ABRA (water taxi) both traverse the dubai creek.  the former is a sailing vessel used by earlier settlers as means of trade (for dates and fish) while the ABRA is a means of transportation to avoid traffic congestion in the major bridges of the city. now, the DHOW is used for tourism to let visitors enjoy the view from the creek. the cruise, which lasts for 2 hours includes dinner with a view.  but, im not sure i enjoyed the food though. hehehe

DESERT safari includes hotel pickup, dune bashing, henna tattooing, abaya photo op, belly dancing show and dinner.  food was better here.  i love the arabic bread and the BBQ chicken. realized i dont have the taste for lamb, mutton BBQ.

our campsite area

i was soooo relieved to finally get to our destination because the DUNE BASHING is taking its toll on me.  after the first half of being tossed left and right, up and down my seat in the car, i felt a bit nauseous already.  the 3 of us rode at the back and even with my seatbelt on, i couldnt stop myself from bumping with others.  it was more than a roller coaster ride, more than i could take! hahaha at least for a theme park ride, it only lasted for a few minutes but this one... takes you on what seems like FOREVER!  i grew quiet as time went, coz im not feeling good anymore.  thank goodness, before i even reached my limit, we reached the campsite.  boy, was i so thankful.  however, i was too drained to even ride the camel (kaya pichur nalang) and try the sheesha.  

during the latter part of dinner, of course there was belly dancing... and more dancing.  i prayed we didnt have to endure that same dune bashing experience coz it was already night time and drivers wouldn't dare under such situation... but no! they still opted for one last hurrah... good thing, it lasted only a minute plus the paved road is actually nearby.  whew!

off to dubai-2

dubai international airport reminds me of singapore.  i guess, it's because of the print of the carpet(?), the size of the arrival area, and the enclosed seating area in the boarding gate.  noticeable too, is the palm tree(?) indoor.  it was 5am when we arrived so we lingered a little in the airport, got a cab and checked in at 7am in at the hotel apartment in bur dubai. 

we ate breakfast, rested then headed out to meet rose.  we also met with gcel and jobert.  super thanks to them we have transportation to go around.  if not, we would've taken the cab from one place to another.  i learned that you CANNOT just walk, even if it SEEMS near, in the map.  dubai is nOt a walkable city, in that sense.  of course, the tour wouldn't be complete without the classic backdrop... BURJ AL ARAB, the 7-star hotel.  

went to SOUK MADINAT, a sosy tiangge nearby. but we still had to take the car.  saw some souvenir items.  i was warned not to buy coz cheaper stuff can be bought elsewhere.  and true enough, we found affordable items in KARAMA, ala divi in pinas.  we had dinner in MALL OF THE EMIRATES.  visited the SKI DUBAI for some photo op.  haha and while walking around, window shopping, rose, jobert and gcel were surprised to see a familiar face - sheik MAKTOUM.  (i hope i got the name right.)  he's the highest ruler in dubai and the 2nd highest in the UAE.  

after dinner, we headed to JUMEIRAH Beach residences (where gcel's office is) for coffee.  shempre, starbucks. hehehe from here, we can get a glimpse of ATLANTIS, another star hotel in dubai located in PALM JUMEIRAH, this is the reclaimed area built to be a luxurious residential area because you can have your very own.... beachfront! right!

after some catching up, jobert and gcel dropped us at our hotel.  kahiya, coz it was already late and momi gcel and her baby are still up. hehe but anyways... thanks soo much!

off to dubai-1

our midnight flight to dxb gave me enough time to work in the morning, go home, get my stuff and head to the airport to meet my bro, who flew in from manila. we checked in online to at least guarantee that we'd be sitting beside each other. checking in cathay was a breeze. immigration, customs are not a problem. i prepared my documents just in case i would be held for questioning. bro was stalled in NAIA for some time (good thing he was in the airport early). there was this visa checker making sure all necessary papers are available. she asked why bro only have the photocopy of the visa... and why he was issued that type of visa. she even showed sample visa papers from previous passengers.  bro called my sis in dubai to clear up the misunderstanding.  eventually, the visa checker conceded, "sige sir, kayo na po bahala sa immigration dyan sa papers nyo".  uhm, of course, who else would take care of it?!  so off he went to immigration... not even one question!  

transit in HK

fast forward to meeting in hk international airport... bro was still fuming about his encounter at the NAIA.  hahaha i got a bit naririndi over his repeated rants and so we just opted to eat and googled the directions to our hotel.  finally, boarding time!  

the flight lasted for about 9 hours, arriving dubai at 5am.  i wasnt bored coz there are a lot of things to keep you busy just with the cabin entertainment.  i just found it hard to fully rest by just sitting.  but that didnt stop me from being excited to explore.  we hailed an airport taxi to go to the hotel.  the drive was a sight to see with wide, clean roads and architectural structures, which i later learned are malls. hahaha  now, that's interesting.  so much to explore, so little time.

getting ready for dxb

i've been trying to go home early the past 2 days to prepare for my holy week sojourn.  i seem to always find ways to buy things especially when im going for a trip.  why can't i just buy them way before and not cram the shopping in a few days?!?!  hmm.. i guess that's the fun part of it.  knowing i can buy with just a wave of the plastic, rationalizing that i NEED that item, more than WANTING it. hahaha in a span of 2 days, i managed to buy a luggage bag, sturdy and classic-looking enough.  i bought this gray, echolac bag with lock.  it's on sale in JUSCO but still a little expensive than the pierre cardin, elle bags on display.  i opted for this coz it looks classy (hindi pala classic hahaha) and strong for me to carry around or should i say, whenever i happen to lazily transport it on a plight of stairs thus, bumping it's wheels, scratching its body on the ground.  i also bought some pistachios, which my sis loves so much.  bought some HK pasalubong to my fwends in the hopes that they'll like it.  hehehe gotta travel light!

outbound this holy week

finally!  we got our travel visas already.  this travel plan was in the works for a month now, and at last, things are actually happening.  we're a little apprehensive in getting our visas denied coz we passed incomplete requirements and the guy from the hotel sponsoring is not so optimist.  no thanks to him.  he said if we can't get ALL the requirements by that day, we might as well postpone our trip.  i just think he wants to rush us for our own good.  so now... i gotta prepare for the 5-day trip.  plus buy some stuff, etc... just need to remember to spend within my limit.  i CANNOT go beyond, as the airfare and hotel alone is enough to max out my credit.  hahaha i just like to think that this is my way of helping the economy - by spending!  something good will come out of it.. even not for me hahaha 

meeting with other expats

got back from a geoexpat language exchange meeting.  it's just a casual meetup with a little english-cantonese exchange.  i mean "little" coz it's not really a formal lesson.  besides, i don't even have a pen and paper to write down notes! haha i organized the meetup mainly to meet people and get a few cantonese expressions.  we're 5 in the group, just enough to talk with everyone.  met with 2 aussies and 2 chinese (1 local and 1 UK-bred).  that leaves me - a filipino.  we met in starbucks ferry pier (i was late!) and headed off to IFC for dinner.  i forgot the chinese restaurant.  but it was good.  i was expecting it was expensive, but it wasn't.  we sat and talked for 3 hours.  nothing very formal learning.  there's this one guy though, that kept on mentioning to me why i DONT have a plan.  i didnt realize i HAVE to have one.  i merely wanted to meet casually and talk.  turns out that he's quite a veteran with these eyeballs cum meetings and every time, the event organizer ALWAYS has a plan, itinerary for those joining.  well, i guess my plan was simply to go with what others would like and not impose.  simply put, we decided right there and it turned out fine for my "first time".  

work. work. work

thank God it's finally weekend.  time to bum around!  suffice to say, i was a little stressed with meetings, project launch and some misunderstanding with the big boss.  the latest had me most tired and dazed.  it was morning and im in our head office for a meeting.  just as i got in the meeting room, my immediate boss handed me the phone with big boss on the other line.  he lashed out "where are you?" and i answered i'll be in a meeting in a few minutes.  he asked me the status of a project, and he was expecting me to be in our data center for another meeting.  we talked the night before, told me about meeting to decide the direction for the project.  i didnt realize that it will have to be FIRST thing in the morning to discuss with the related parties.  i only have one hour meeting and i'll be back.  guess i didnt realize the urgency.  coz i was thinking, i can work from head office, call our vendors and handle it accordingly.  i told this to him.  so we were on the phone, and he's asking me what to do next.  i told him that i will call some people first, investigate the problem further and report to him our action plan.  i cannot just decide and tell him what went wrong without going to the root of it.  after what seem to be endless calls between developers and users, i called him and told him that by 10:30am the system would be up and running either by fixing the problem or doing rollback.  to make the story shorter... it did resume to normal.  

return to data center

it seems there was a scene that morning.. that big boss was looking for me.. disappointed why i was nowhere to be found.  my colleague even said that he sat in my area and threw a pen on my desk.  huwatt?!?!?!  he missed me THAT much?  i was relieved that i didnt have to witness this first hand, if this is even true. hahaha  it's good that im kinda used to him when he's frustrated with something.  i will just post my most stoic face and answer back in honesty about the status of the problem and the resolution.  i guess he's also being pressured that's why he's just gotta share it with others. hehehe  what i learned about this job also is that, since we're on the system side, we'll never really know the gravity of the problem of a user unless we're in their situation.  say, a customer inquiry screen is hanging, in the middle of dealing with a customer, or a loan application is missing when a client is asking for the status... geez! too bad for front staff... worse for system people, i guess.  i try to do multitasking, but sometimes it just fails as you lose focus on other tasks at hand.  

april 1

first... a shoutout to my cousin across the seas... 

H A P P Y   B I R T H D A Y   R O N A !!!  *power hugs*

not fooling around with that. hehehe  hmm... so, what's up with today?  hang on.. another 'uninteresting' story ahead.  went to work a little early to check on our project deployment.  seems ok... but of course, we wouldn't know UNTIL transactions come in and we're really live.  i'm constantly on the lookout for issues from users via email, phone call.  questions from peers about this and that.  it's kinda exhausting even sitting down at my desk.   1 incident left hanging and we have to decide on it the next day - to rollback or not..   (i hope not)  

dont read: uninteresting

im thinking what my cousin commented... no interesting entries, huh?!?! does that mean i have a booooring life? me thinks again.  what constitute interesting posts?  you tell me.  fact is, im trying to come up with one.. based on my life.. but seems i cant!  hahaha i guess if ive done bungee jump in macau, skydive in aussie, scuba diving in pinas, or belly dancing or camel-ride in dubai, THEN i will let you know.  

im still in some kind of limbo and it doesnt feel good.  one moment you're fine.. suffocating the next.  they say, "think that you're happy... and you will be."  i'd like to live by this one-liner. life is short.  you cant take back time.  here in hk, i really feel time flies fast (same sentiments from my peers).  i dont know why is that so, but i just noticed it by comparing being here and in pinas.  they say coz here, we do everything by ourselves - from thinking of what to eat for dinner (plus if you have to cook it pa) to what to eat for breakfast (plus you have to drop by the un-friendly bakeshop nearby).  back to the one-liner... at times, it works... some times, it just doesn't.  like a fragile glass, im holding on to happy thoughts, memories to keep me strong and whole.  i dont wanna rant coz GOd might hear me. hehe  i have a good life.  i am grateful.  i hope HE wont take it against me if there are times i ask him for some more.  so when im really in that slump... i turn on to chico and del for immediate relief. hahaha

carpe diem!

sunday lipat-bahay

i need a massage.  after just a few hours of moving stuff from one flat to another, i was still ok.  that was sunday.  we had a full dinner, hangout and then went home.  the morning after, i felt this strain in my arms and upper back.  sigh.  this is what happens when you don't get enough exercise.. plus the fact of aging?  hahaha  so in the office, i would sneak out to the bathroom, lock myself in the cube and stretch all the way until i feel relief in my muscles.  i miss going to the spa/massage parlors.  i havent gone any here in hk.  hmm, how about acupuncture, or thai massage?  that remains to be seen if my kakuriputan won't get the better of me. haha

morning rush: chico and delamar's top 10

i found another way to distract myself... listening to chico and delamar's top 10.  back in pinas, i've been an avid listener, not to the extent though of sending in entries to their top 10.  on the way to work, i used to tune in to RX93.1 until 9am.  that's the time their show ends.  i remember i was listening to the car radio, then papa would change it to another station coz he says it's all talk, no music. right!  just in time when my fave segment signs in!  yeah, it's all talk coz they discuss the entries... and they're not nonsense at all!  well, it depends on their topic.  hahaha their topics range from the mundane to the deep, as chosen from among their callers.  bespren and i are what they call silent listeners, because we plainly listen to them without sending entries or joining "rushers" events.  

my very own morning rush

i couldn't forget though... one weekday morn, as usual im tuned in to RX.  they have this segment where they call people requested by their listeners and just say hi and good morning.  suddenly... my mobile rang... on the other line is... chico and delamar! huwattttt?!?!?!  all my senses were awaken!  first, im a very lazy person in the morning.  second, i was sooo worried about what to say.. in english - knowing im LIVE on the air!  hahaha and so, they said their cheerful "good morning" while i grasp for words.  i meekly said, hi and mawnin.  they said "your bestfriend asked us to call you to greet you.  she says you're not a morning person.." blah blah.  waaa i feel so starstruck too! hahaha i couldnt believe it!  i was on for a few minutes and said that they made my morning more eventful.  when i got to work, my officemates were like "is that you on air?" hahaha now, im a celebrity - for a moment.  (no) thanks to bespren! hahaha that was just amazing and a picker upper.  in one of their live shows, i even went to burger king in greenbelt and had a book signed by them.  and so now, im trying to rekindle those moments even by listening to their podcast. 

(photo from rxmorningrush.com)

are you a mother or a wife first?

"im a wife first...because only by having a good relationship with my partner can we together create a better environment for our child. "  simply... wise.   the cliche is being a parent first and having your life revolve around your kid.  what we overlooked is that the relationship between a husband and wife is the basic foundation of love to nurture one's child.  this is just a different angle of seeing a woman's role in the family.  

thanks to chico and delamar for such words of wisdom.  hehehe

hana yori dango final

i looooove hana yori dango series. i completed all the season episodes. not surprisingly i had to watch the movie... the story goes with the domyoji tsukasa manning their great empire and announcing to the world his engagement to makino tsukushi. poor makino and family - now the center of the news all over japan - had to adapt to the lavish lifestyle of the domyojis. as pre-wedding gift, makino was given a bejeweled tiara, a prized possession of the domyoji clan. unknowingly, the couple didnt know that this tiara is the way to test their love for each other. traveling to the US in las vegas, to hongkong, to a southern island, the young lovers journeyed together to find the stolen jewel only to discover the real treasure they are looking for is right before them. simple, right. but sometimes, blessings are just too close for the eyes to see, too easy to get to value it's worth. in the end, they realized how much more they love each other because of the ordeals they dealt with. i looooove matsu jun (domyoji tsukasa) with his black wavy hair, kinda pouty lips and strong yet fragile character. i like hanazawa rui's mystery; the support from soujiro and akira also help to complete the formidable F4. damn, these japs are hot! hahaha anyways, in the end, makino and tsukasa bore a child... and that's a wrap!

reminds me of judith mcnaught novels - a more subtle one though - where the guy is very dominant, the girl is meek... at first. and in the middle, their strong characters clash yet beneath what they exude is that sense of vulnerability to the one they love.

awww love.. it feels good to fall in love all over. you never get tired of it, even if you know it just leads you to heartbreak. nyahahaha well, you just don't give up on that coz someday, somehow it will be your turn (to break other's hearts hahaha)

*make love not war*

mamuy: 40 days

miss you mamuy!  we know you're in a much better place and we'll all be seeing each other someday. in the meantime, si mavic na muna ang "bahala sa bahay mo."  =p

natasha richardson's gone too soon

and so another casualty in this film called LIFE... i've only seen her in one movie, Parent Trap, where she played mom to lindsay lohan. pretty, elegant lady, no doubt. more to that, she's wife to liam neeson. i like the guy - i like TAKEN, i like qui-gon jinn in STAR WARS. scouring through imdb, i found that he's also in Love Actually (yeah, i remember), Michael Collins (haven't seen this), Schindler's List, to name a few.

back to the real story... natasha richardson got in skiing accident in the candian resort of mont tremblant. what seemed like a 'tumble' turned into a critical condition.  her sudden death is such a devastating news to her family, friends and to those who look up to her.  you can't control these events and just learn to accept it. more than ever, every little in life is more precious, every time spent with loved ones is more valuable.  all our actions are more driven to make each day lived to the fullest.

gloomy day @ work

and so it's done.  3 people from our division were let go by the company.  it's sudden because they were only told this afternoon that it's their last day.  so, off they went and left with their own stuff.  one of them is a pinoy colleague.  i didnt know what to say to him or how to approach him.  after he was told about the news, he fixed up his things and  there was our boss by his side to get his IDs and keys.  guess i was shaken by the turn of events.  i felt guilty in a way because i've known this will happen.  everyone in our dept knew except him.  i didnt breathe a word to him.  firstly, because i'm not so close to him, plus the fact that my boss told me not to.  so, scout's honor la.  he has his family here - his wife, his son.  i didnt even see his face when he came back to his desk.  no goodbyes, etc.  i can just see him from my peripheral view and didn't offer any support.  argh, how good is that?  i didnt want to show pity as i wouldn't want the same if im in his position.  i believe he'll be fine... eventually, recover from the drastic events.  

honestly, i felt sad yet relieved that it was not me.. yet.  i don't wanna leave the company in that way.  i will go in my own time, my own terms.  i told my brother that if that happened to me, he should come and pick me up here. hahaha  for whatever it's worth, i know that this crisis is hitting closer to home.  gotta pick up the pace even more.

gossip girl is back

"sometimes fate throws two lovers together only to rip them apart"

why oh why do you have to do that?!?!?!  it's just too much to play around with people's emotions.  too much drama eh?  finally, gossip girl is back.  after X weeks, i got to stream the latest episode of season 2.  in spite of the series, trying to have a high school-ish setting, the story is still real - for more adult people hehe it's like melrose place with a vengeance. hahaha

i learned to like blair coz even if she's a biatch, when she cares, she's all heart.  i can't wait for the next episode, especially now that chuck FINALLY realizes who he should give his heart.  it took a wrong girl for him to know that! i know it won't be an easy road for him to win blair back.  he's just gotta put up with the challenge.  go fight and win, chuck bass!

keypad cover for maxxie

i strolled around wanchai window shopping.  went inside 298 to check out some stuff for maxxie.  i have been planning to get him some protection, if you know what i mean.  he's been bare ever since the day i bought him.  so, i got him 1) keypad cover  2) notebook bag  and  3) card reader.   i was excited for him so i let him try them on.  hehehe so for any defects, then i can exchange. 

keypad cover

-->  i first saw this on my friend's ASUS laptop.  it seems easy to use and most importantly covers your keypad from crumbs of food when you eat.  you don't have to worry about those remnants going inside.  

notebook bag

-->  until now, i still use the free bag that came along my MACbook purchase.  now, maxxie should be easier to transport - more protected with pads inside the bag and a strap to carry around.

card reader

-->  to retrieve my files from those different memory card sizes... digicam memory card, DS micro SD, phone mem card, even a sim card! (ohhh no, i didnt buy that one) --- damn, too many kinds! hahaha

adobe photoshop for maxxie

i installed photoshop for maxxie.  i got excited with the idea of playing around with photos, and decided to explore my creative side (if there's any).  bro mentioned some tutorial sites BUT, i have yet to complete my masterpiece.. yeah right!  after browsing thru the site, looking for simple, quick and easy designs, i realized that those pieces of artwork which we think are just so-so, take a LOT of time to create.  the video tutorials last for almost 1 hr!  and of course, i was looking for a touch and go type... sumthin like magic and wallah!  hahaha much to my frustration also, i should know FIRST my tools before actually using them hahaha so much for wanting to impress you guys immediately.  i know it's a loooooong way to go before i can show you anything... know this, im currently in step 4 of 30!  beat that! LOLZ.  

ipod shuffle: 3rd generation

have you seen the latest ipod shuffle already??? i mean, the actual one? i havent yet.  it's soooo small la! smaller than your average USB, i guess.  even smaller than the AA battery!  all right, enough about size.  this tiny player is still a powerhouse with 4GB, 1GB capacity.  added bonus is a voice over - available in 14 languages- to know what song is being played.  beat that! hahaha  the controls are now located in the earphone, except for the power button.  uhm.. ergo, i cant have the option to change my earpiece unless it has the compatible controls?  then again.. another biz strategy for apple to market their own earphones for such purpose?  possible, but we'll see... in the future.  heard apple still has a lot of in store the coming weeks.. new software releases, new gadgets... the turnover is fast.  i must say though, that im still pret-ty tied to my own shuffle.  i like the color (in red), small enough for me, and does its purpose of playing music.  any upgrade, i'll pass... for now.