Desert Adventure

Gold's Gym - now in the U.A.E. !!!

2011-11-17T00:33:00.006+04:00

Gold's Gym U.A.E.
2nd Floor - Mixed Gym & 3rd Floor - Ladies' Gym
Business Village Building
(near Clock Tower) Dubai, UAE
Tel: (04) 451 4400
Fax: (04) 374 6783

http://www.goldsgym.ae

Check out their Facebook Page: Gold's Gym UAE

overdue postings ... :D

2011-11-17T00:28:00.005+04:00

i have lots of things to blog about - bits and pieces of what had happened to me the past few months, but i never was able to jot it down ... anyways - this week-end hopefully i would be able to 'update' my blogs - hehehe .. as if naman ahahahaha ....

but for now - time to sleep - have to get up early to catch the bus to work! yes mama mia - i got a job again! yippeeeee ..... more posts to come ....

pink walkathon ... my third year

2011-11-16T22:00:00.012+04:00

this is the third year that i was able to join the 'walk' and the first time for my cousin, marie and her friend josette. this year we made this walk for our ate lucy - a family friend who is more of a big sister to us. she is battling with the big 'C', sadly she came to know about it only recently and it is already on a latter stage...

ate lucy - we are praying for you ... be strong, we are with you in prayers - always.... we love you!

... magic !!!

2011-11-16T21:06:00.011+04:00

my friend Adz, gave me (and another friend -Jaz) a black mug ... one of their giveaways for the coming 40th year celebration of UAE's National Day on Dec. 02, 2011. Jaz was kinda ...'bakit itim? wala ba iba kulay?' .. and Adz simply smiled at her and told her to wait till coffee time! puzzled - Jaz was like : ah ok .. i will wait for you! hehehehe (she didn't quite get it that time)...
the following morning - she cheerfully told me that it was 'cute' - "magic" daw :D

anyways, two more weeks and the UAE nationals and expats will again experience a grand celebration of the founding of the emirates. actually there has been a lot of happenings already, one of which is the Dubai Air Show that will end tomorrow, and the just concluded Formula 1 Race in Abu Dhabi.

Click here to view more of the coming events: http://en.uaenationalday.ae/spirit-union

after long years ..... together again ...

2011-11-16T20:52:00.010+04:00

ang mga alaga ko .. after so many years, nagkasama-sama ulit even for a short time! nakakatuwang tingnan ang picture nila: si jomar, si marie, si amy - ang tatlong makukulit na mga alaga ko... growing up together sa bahay ni Lola Orang sa Basilio.

i remember i was still in college when jomar came to live with my auntie virgie & uncle jun .. wala pa sila kasing anak that time .. super kulit! then amy came to live with us - pamangkin ko sa pinsan - she was just 2 years old yata .. isa pa ring makulit .. then came marie ... the youngest of them three... ngayon pareho-pareho na silang de-pamilya: jomar got two kids a boy and a girl; si amy: two kids - both boys youngest is timothy - 6months old pa lang daw ,then si marie, a boy named migz naman ... isa pa ring super duper kulit na bata!!

also in this pic is riya youngest sister of marie and the boy is adam - eldest of amy. below pic naman kasama na si migz trying to carry timothy na tabaching-ching din!!

parang kahapon lang .. they were running around Lola's house :D ngayon their kids are the ones running around na! hayyzzzz .. time sure flies so fast!!!

flowers...

2011-07-15T20:59:00.003+04:00

i asked a friend on fb if i can borrow his pic and he said yes .... i simply did this because i just love the photo of the butterfly and flower !!

thanks Shantin Joy .....

don't quit ....

2011-07-15T20:47:00.007+04:00

feeling somewhat low - i was trying to find something to 'lift me up' and i came across an old poem sent to me by my friend...

i have this photo of the sunset taken in 2008 in the desert - and i thought of writing this on this .. well it came out pretty nice ... i love it! and i posted it on my wall and thought of posting it here too! wala lang ...

... no matter ....

2011-07-11T15:06:00.010+04:00

my FB friend wrote a very good piece on her wall and everytime it is very uplifting .. esp. for me. i wrote her and commented and thanked her for sharing her wonderful thought for the day and she replied and gave me a very touching response to what i wrote her.

this is what she wrote.. and I hope she wouldn't mind me sharing this here because it is really very touching - and just reading it this morning brought tears in my eyes..

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Don't stress your gentle heart out over 'down times' much, Aleth. We all have them. I do too. It will pass. Just hang in there be brave and anchor your hope and faith in God who knows all about your day. He has everything all figured out. Our role in the bigger scheme of things is to hold on to faith and walk alongside Him. Not easy sometimes I know.. (I struggle with that too sometimes.) but with Him by our side... we conquer and overcome. Believe and you shall have peace. In Christ.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

God bless her .....

.... down the memory lane .. :D

2011-07-10T23:46:00.006+04:00

thanks to FB - i found another friend on line! it's been what ...after hmm.. 21 years!!!! omg!!! that so long time ago... he sent me private message then i wrote him back .. then asked for my number (of course bigay naman ako) :D he called and there - kwentuhan/reminiscence of the old times .... just proving that we are that old?!?!?! ahahaha .. it is nice to talk to friends long lost ... a lot of catching up, about family, work, etc...

ahahaha he just sent me a message saying he is just now viewing my photos hehehe ... oh well ... this would mean a lot of kantiyawans again next time ahahahaha....

ok friend - enjoy viewing my photos and hope to see more photos of you and your family!!!

butterscotch ...

2011-07-10T10:31:00.013+04:00

my friend Ivy came by last night bringing me some yummy butterscotch from iloilo!! her sister arrived the other night with these goodies. it was only a week or two ago that i first tasted these cuties from "rgies delicacies - iloilo's pride", also from Ivy and she did say that she will ask her sister to bring more of these - thank you Ives ...!!! yummy - yummy - yummy.....

i also love the butterscotch from cebu that i tasted sometime ago from my sister SIL - Cora... i can't remember the name of the brand but it came in a box, individually wrapped in colored cellophanes .... hmmm ... i think i need to call Kat and ask her to send me some of these goodies hehehehe ..

:D good i remember to take pic of the yummies before i finished it all up .. was so engrossed in its yumminess that i almost finished them all :D

a day-out at Iceland Water Park

2011-04-11T12:45:00.027+04:00

April 8, 2011

friends invited/sponsored me :D to join them on their journey to Iceland. A new water park located in Ras Al Khaimah, one of the emirates of the UAE, a smooth one and a half hour drive from Dubai, cruising through the Emirates Road. We left early morning to meet up with the other families and drove in a convoy of four vehicles ... and once we got there ... we were amazed with huge crowd who came by the busloads!!! i was not able to take picture of the huge crowd outside waiting to get in, with their tour leaders giving them instructions.

Kids were so eager to enter the park so inside we made our way and waited for the contact of our friend Nina, to get our tags... and while waiting .. siempre .. posing here and there ...

finally, all counted, tagged and kids started running into the park.... although Nicole has been there before, she is still so eager to get to the slides, and with her friend sarah, kian and sean, they ran to the kiddie grove for the fun... and the fun did begin !!!

the park was so huge! slides/rides for the adults are awesome - well if you are fond of such rides hehehe .. i tried one slide only with my cuz and friend - their daughters well laughing at us when they saw us about to be pushed down... waaahhhhhhhh ... ahahahahahahah .. that was the sounds you would be hearing all over the place .. riders laughing at first and when their rubbers were pushed would be shrieking at the top of their voices - mind you .. even the guys! ahahaha

but of course, the mommies and daddies and aunties did have a good time too! the park as i said is so huge --- it would be nice to go back there - well maybe after summer time :D and try the other rides ... with a different group of friends maybe? hehehe ... another friend's family is visiting next month .. hmmm !?!?!?!? hehehehehe

on vacation ....

2011-04-09T12:58:00.014+04:00

my bff's daughter is in town for a month-long vacation.... i haven't seen her for quite some time too! and was i amazed to see how big she's grown! i remember her as a small girl .... with my daughter walking the aisle as a flower girl and my girl as a junior bridesmaid (coz she's tall for her age!) anyways ... her mom (my bff) is back to work already so i asked her if i could take her little girl for malling at DCC... the kid readily said yes so i told my friend that her kid is looking forward to our 'malling' time together - so she cannot say no ! ahahahaha

first - upon arriving at the mall (actually the metro train just pulled in ) i told her that we will grab something to eat first coz i am so hungry na .. she just smiled and said yes... we directly went to the foodcourt to check what she wants - and she simply said - i'll just have the burger king .. so BK it was ...

after that we went to look/shop for some clothes... and she's sooo tiny we had a hard time looking for her size. But we finally found one at Pull and Bear, and some shirts at Bershka and Jennyfer.

We had a scoop each of baskin ice cream while deciding what movie to watch after - but then - the line up is not that great - the movies showing didn't appeal to her nor to me hehehe... so around again we strolled and finally decided to head home .. she was kinda bit tired - still adjusting on the time difference ...

we took the metro train back home and it was a breeze traveling by train!

i called her mom and informed her that we are heading home and said she would be home in minutes too so i waited for her ... she checked the things her daughter bought .... hehehehe

it was a nice afternoon spent with natalee .... and i am glad she enjoyed it too! looking forward to another day/time out with her !

reunion-of-sort

2011-03-24T21:58:00.023+04:00

march 03, 2011

finally the 'day' came ... thursday... mid-afternoon, i started to prepare the cupcakes i baked for the celebration and around 5:30 called gratz that i would be passing by their office and pick them up... but ohhh... thursday!!! and taxi is always difficult to catch on this day... luckily a kabayan came over and asked me where i was heading, so i told him the route and we bargained for a reasonable fare. but it took us quite a time to reached our destination which is china sea restaurant nga, near the Clock Tower in Deira, due to the "week-end traffic". anyways, we reached the venue, was guided to our designated room and placed our orders before the others would come. the guys fixed the videoke and started their 'birits' while we waited for the others to come and for the food also hehehe.

soon the food was being served and friends started coming.... yipeee.... singing and dancing, laughter, giggles... each teasing one another ... it was fun ... saya talaga promise! :D well not all sang that night, like me hehehe .. i am the 'dakilang taga-tawa' lang ... wehehehehe...

a lot of pictures - but i guess this would suffice for now... everybody had a great time ... hope we can do it again ... with more of our friends joining us !!!

food sampling committee (daw)?! :D

2011-02-25T17:10:00.023+04:00

22 feb. 2011

after the interview in karama area, where we waited for some time (actually super tagal kaming naghintay!) i went back to my old office in al hana with my colleague - kyut and hanged-out for the rest of the afternoon; accompanied my friend to the bank to clarify something concerning her account, already there i inquired also about closing my account with that bank , which i did closed, and ...opps reminded me now that i have to follow up on that!... after work, gratz asked me to accompany her to check the venue at rydges hotel - the restaurant on the 9th floor with a videoke - hehehe.

we went there with kyut & kres, checked the menu and their package, and decided to have dinner there na lang. ordered the usual fav of the boys - crispy pata and papaitan, with mixed fried rice and adobong kangkong ... sadly .. no photos of the food .. sa gutom nagkalimutan na ! hehehehe

the area is open and would only be enclosed by a wooden divider should we choose this place. ok na sana ito kasi - malapit to all, kaso lang they are already booked for the date we wanted. :( sayang.... - so need to check other places ... :D

romz did mentioned some place in al diyafah - but nobody from our group has tried that yet - will check it out anyways...

ohh ... yes .... we are scouting for a place to hold the "Videoke - Post Bday Dinner/Get together RGG & Quad Friends" of gratz...

23 feb 2011

my friends gratz asked me to accompany her to check this restaurant in deira (they have videoke room :D) and sample the food they serve. i've been here before like 'sometime ago' hehehe and have sampled their food - they are nice ... 'tho i was not able to attend the bday bash of another friend that we helped arranged there..

neweiz - there we are: ako, si gratz & si eric, ordering ... with so many choices - hirap tuloy pumili, we wanted to order more kaso we cannot finish naman all the food .. so we just settled for some few items on the menu:

while eating we were also checking some of the items on the menu - noting what to order for 3rd march get-together-sort-of-reunion-cum-post-bday-celebration of gratz... hehehe.... some of the guys/gals already confirmed their attendance and hope all would be there... it would be great fun - with all the singing to abound - i heard they started "rehearsing" their song selections ahahaha..

hmmm.. i hope too that my pretty-little-friend-lumix would cooperate for the night and take good photos of the evening! well pretty sure kres would be having his cam with him - and romz too and rodel as well.... oh well then that would be good - i could just grab theirs while they would be singing...

would be definitely posting crazy pics !!! hehehehe

just walking ...ala samuel bilibit ....

2011-02-20T11:50:00.107+04:00

15 February 2011, tuesday

i got up early, decidedly going to the bank to clear my accounts - i'm still receiving statements despite the fact that i have closed that account like ahh.. one year ago!!! and it shows now that i still have to pay them something for some charges???? aba.... naman !!!!

but then i got into bbm with my cousin, yay, hehehe and was able to leave the house like uhh .:D 11:00am hehehe .. niweiz - recharged my NOL card (bus card - these days they don't accept cash - you gotta have that NOL card which can be used for the bus and metro train rides) - mahirap nang pababain sa bus! me thinking ...... i would simply take the bus - no rush

so i arrived at the bank went to the counter - the lady was gracious enough to check my query and told me that the account is in fact already closed and that i wouldn't be receiving any more statements and that i need not pay anything! wow.. great ... done in a few minutes - my bus travel took even longer .. hehehe

as i was going out of the bank i was thinking of where to go next - i don't want to stay home - coz i will end up eating again .. ahahahaha... hmm.. so DFC or DCC .. hmmm before i knew it i was walking, walking and had walked past the bus stop .. oh well - next bus stop then.. but my feet took me somewhere else!!! i was walking .. literally walking - i guessed my mind was somewhere else and then i realised i've walking na pala for almost half an hour and was near the bur dubai bus station na. o siya, take the bus ride home .. okey - but my feet just continued walking and took me further ... passed the station and towards the souk area.. i found myself looking at some tourists feeding the seagulls near the creekside and taking pictures of them once they fly away.. i groped into my bag - :D great i have my pretty little friend - lumix! ( and yes kapatid - nakakabit ang battery heheh)... took it out and started taking shots din - feeling tourist din ba daw ako! ahahaha

i noticed there were some kabayans mounting their big cameras too.. ahh siguro mga estudyantes ito ng OPPPS (Overseas Pinoy Professional Photographers Society)... taking pictures of the seagulls and the creek views. medyo nahiya nga ako bigla kasi liit lang cam ko - pero - bakit ba? heheheh .... walang pakialamanan di ba?

sige klik-klik-klik din ako .. (lintukekong naman itong mga seagulls na ito! pakipot! hirap kunan ah! ahahaha ... pilit ba daw habulin with my pretty little lumix! more tourists pa further down .. natuwa naman ako.. wala lang .. natuwa lang ... then.. i started walking again but instead of taking an about-face - i continued forward till i reached the entrance na pala ng souk... eto i took pic din (and i grab a photo of the front from the net - i was not able to take the shot eh!)

the pic on the top is taken by yours truly... ay readable ba yung notes?!? :0

and this one was the one grabbed (and borrowed :D) from www. dubaiwall.com - nilagay ko naman dun sa pic yung source eh .. :D

i walked passed through this souk (market) to go to the abra (water taxi) station that would take me across to deira side.

here are some photos i grabbed from wikipedia showing the before and now, well that photo was taken 2007 still - and some more developments has been done to the area....

Dubai Creek - 1964

Dubai Creek - 2007

the abra ride cost 1AED (US$ 0.27 /Php.11.50) and took about 10 minutes to cross. this is better than taking the bus to Deira side which would normally take you like 30-45 minutes depende sa traffic, or mag taxi ka which would cost AED. 25/= (mahal!)... and during the ride klik-klik ulit ako sa camera ko.. a lot of changes na talaga!!! (it's been quite some time na rin na ndi ako nag-abra kasi!)

view of the Deira side of the Creek - doon ako papunta - pero sa banda pa roon.... pero further down the creek towards the Maktoum bridge you will see more landmarks of Dubai (sa susunod - turista talaga dating ko .. will set a day para talaga maggala heheh)

when i reached the other side, isip na naman ako saan ako pupunta?! when i chanced upon these cuties perched on the wooden railing....

.. cute talaga .. ndi lang ako nakalapit masyado kasi baka magliparan... ahahaha

lakad pa rin ako - i don't know nga where i was going eh .. then i saw these 2 hotels .... The Riviera Hotel and the Carlton Hotel - still standing ... brought back some memories of my early years in Dubai .. :D

then, this building - the Twin Tower, Deira also known as the 'Rolex Tower' - obviously because of that big Rolex writing on top of it! This a res/com building and houses a couple of well-branded shops/boutiques, good restaurants and a fairly good foodcourt... where we had our 'shabu-shabu' dinner ... will be going back coz the food is really nice ...

so there i was .. still walking with feet aching, was deciding to take the metro or taxi na lang pauwi .. but wait! i haven't had lunch pa pala! ... ahhh .. great ... walked past the metro station onwards to Al Ghurair Centre .. i saw McDo!!! .. hmm been craving for a burger so straight away to Mcdo - ordered.. no not beef burger - fish sandwich meal hehehe ... shackkkkss after walking for nearly 2 hours from bur dubai to deira - i ended up with mcdo meals .. ahahahaha

you might be wondering why i wrote 'samuel bilibit' on my title - hehehe .. kasi i felt like samuel bilibit - ohh in case you don't know this guy - he was cursed to walk the earth daw till he dies - a myth of sort - alam mo naman ang mga oldies. my lola used to call my cousins na gala na 'samuel bilibit' daw sila!

i took the metro train ride back to satwa, got off at jafliyah station - the feeder bus was taking ages to arrive so finally .. yes.. i took the taxi! waahhh .. AED10/= (anlapit-lapit lang - i could have walked sana kaso my feet really hurts na!)

in almost 4hours - i used 4 modes of transpo pala: bus - abra(water taxi/bangka) - metro train - taxi ... hehehehe... mura rin lang pamasahe ko.. AED. 15 something... but my mcdo meal was even costlier at AED14/-per meal ++ .. shhhhh i ordered extra apple pie (take away) and ice-cream cone (lang naman) which i bit n licked while walking to the train station .. :D

nice to be a 'samuel bilibit' for once in a while - helps you clear your mind off things .... :D

Night at the Burj Khalifa

2011-02-19T17:50:00.019+04:00

14 january 2011

my cousin Marie came back from vacation in Manila and visited me in Dubai a week after but that time we were not able to book for the time we wanted at the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa. so she came again the week after - we managed to reserve for the 5:30pm slot :D and below are some shots taken from the observation deck, 124th floor of the burj khalifa.

it was very cold - chilly cold actually up there! and with my 'little' camera with me .... i tried to take these photos .... :D

At the Top, Burj Khalifa, the tower’s 828m-high observatory deck.

We watched the Dubai Fountain from up there and it was awesome - but when we took the picture, it didn't turn out good - so better not to post any heheheh ..

A new restaurant called At.mosphere, conceived as a complete lifestyle destination, is described as ‘The Centre of Now.’ At 442 meter on Level 122 of Burj Khalifa, the restaurant is located only two levels below ‘At the Top, Burj Khalifa,’ the tower’s 828m-high observatory deck.

For more details of the Burj, see: http://www.burjkhalifa.ae/
For more details of the Dubai Fountain: see: http://www.thedubaimall.com/en/entertainment/entertainment-section/the-dubai-fountain.html

"just go with it" .....

2011-02-19T16:02:00.024+04:00

18 feb.2011 : afternoon, was heading to the mall with my friends gratz and mai ... was supposed to (only) buy the mp4 player that gratz and another friend ivy bought the day before. but mai saw that the movie 'just go with it' is now showing in the cinemas and asked if we wanted to watch the movie... well nothing much to do that afternoon - so why not ..

so off we went to the DCC (Deira City Centre) and first checked the movie timing - ohh.. we missed the 7:15 showing!.... 9:15 still available so we bought our tickets and made way to the restos first -what we first thought of - just coffee - turned to a hearty dinner at TGIF!!! ahahaha anyways - it was gratzie's birthday so .... and this is what we had ..

the food is too much for the three of us - we even had 'take outs' hehehehehe ... after the foodie, we went to Carrefour to buy what we were supposed to (and the reason why we were there in the first place!) ... this ... MP4 PLAYER - and yes... in pink :D

that goes with a freebie ... reasonably priced - i wanted to take all colors but then.. what will i do with it???

and i got this one too ... mp3 player in pink! now hmmmm - to whom shall i give this to!?!?!?! ahahaha ... impulsive buying again ..... :D

we first put the stuff in the car and headed to the cinema.. just in time - previews are just about to start... :D i love watching previews ... hehehehe

so finally - the movie went on .. and i tell you - it is a very nice movie .. awesome!!! i had fun and good laughs (which i really needed in this time!) ... the guy seated in front of me was having his good time too - he was laughing and laughing and i was really amused by the way he laughs .. well i think the guys in the cinema was laughing more loudly than as girls! ahahahaha

another nice movie for jen and adam .. i love the kids' actings too - Maggie with her 'british accents' and Michael with his dramatics.

we reached home almost midnight and had our coffee and cupcakes at my place!!! we had really great time !!! will be looking forward to another great night out with friends next week!!! :D

as the movie title says: Just go with it ... i guess i will likewise 'just have to go with it' ... with what is happening in my life now hehehehe ..... i simply have ... just go with it ... :D

my friends .. the 'tourists' :D

2011-02-18T14:08:00.013+04:00

early today, we went to the airport and sent off two of our friends ... they are traveling to Europe - entry through France - first time for them so they were really excited... we were likewise excited for them! we wished we are altogether traveling but then ... :D... next time maybe ... ahh hope our planned group trip would push through - that would be great! just have to save, save... lots of mulah! hehehe

anyways - our friends checked-in early and came out again - they are starving they said and wanted to grab something as their flight is still at 11:30am and it was like 9:30 only .... so up we went to the departure lounge to grab something to eat and we ended up ordering breakfast from Mary Brown.

i had a not-so-good experience last time i ordered from MB and was hoping that i will not go thru that again.. luckily the crew this morning were very friendly and chirpy as well... even sang 'happy birthday' to my friend gratz when they heard us teasing her ... thank you guys!

their breakfast is nothing fancy but was okey (to ladies of grumbling tummies!).. :D

to my friends... ives and zah .. enjoy your holiday .... !

fun times with friends

2011-02-16T18:49:00.027+04:00

03 February 2011, Thursday, we decided to go out after work and try the recently opened Fish & Co. outlet at Dubai Festival City. We've tried the one at the Al Ghurair Centre and food was really good. So off we went to DFC and was thinking of taking the outside seating but the weather change was unexpected and it was really cold that night - we settled instead inside (bit warmer). We had a good dinner together and fun ... fun it was !!!

As it was the DSF time, fireworks displays goes on every 8:30pm on week-ends ... and when the clock chimed at 8:30 we were asked if we wanted to watch the fireworks outside, which of course we watched and took some pics .. that was our intermission :D and then went back to our dinner.

It was a great night and we had great fun.. despite of what happened to us in the workfront - we still managed to laugh the blues away!!!!

It was also a good thing that - that time we were having fun taking photos of ourselves, the 'conservative ladies' were not there yet ... we were done by the time they came in - otherwise no shoots would have happened... hehehe .. they do not want any cameras clicking anywhere near them :D

We would be definitely be coming back for more of the fish & co. yummy dishes... and more fun.

Pink Walkathon 2010

2010-11-23T11:15:00.024+04:00

long overdue photos from the Pink Walk Nov. 03, 2010 :D

Cancer Awareness

2010-10-06T14:04:00.008+04:00

I received an email from a friend and thought it is good to share with all... October being the cancer awareness month - moreso of the breast cancer - and it has this page of different colours.

I'm also thinking of making pink ribbons and give them out to friends and whoever would want to wear them during the month.

There is also the "Pink Walkathon" in Dubai... sponsored by Safe & Sound Organization to take place on the 29th October 2010 - starting point will be at the Bur Juman Centre and the walk would start at 8:00am - that is a Friday so I'm sure a lot of people again will be joining.

I joined the walk last year, my friends were not able to come, but this year they already confirmed that they will join the cause :D... I'm happy and looking forward to having my friends with me during this walk.

So stay tuned.. photos of the event will defintely be posted here :D

one thursday ...

2010-06-27T13:53:00.018+04:00

i told my cuz - to come to our office instead of me going home pa, last thursday, so after work we went to DCC (Deira City Center) we took the bus - we're not in a hurry anyways. it was even hazy that afternon due to the sandstorm.

we reached the mall (DCC) - was just simply "malling around" then she remembered that she has to check some backpacks for the kidos, so we headed to the sports store - the kidos (her niece and nephew) have a brand requested so we have to just look out for that brand, otherwise if you buy other brand surely they will not use it! - nothing very expensive naman - "nike" lang daw ... well ok... there is the DSS (summer sale!) so we can check on those if included in the sale!

good thing they have it on sale!!! hehehe .. i hope the kidos will like the backpacks .. we bought 4 pcs.. after that - i was feeling a bit hungry na - so i told my cuz we grab something first - my tummy is becoming quite "noisy" na with all those grumblings inside hehehe (nagwawala na anaconda ko!)

we headed for the foodcourt hmm.. actually - we are not that hungry - hungry .. but we ordered pizza anyways :D, and 9 pcs. chicken wings .. hehehe ... we tried that new pizza hut "crown crust with meatballs and cream cheese" - Super Supreme. after ordering we were given this thing - don't know what exactly they call it -but it's like a buzzer when your order is ready... no need to stand there and wait. you can wait at your table instead :D

when the order is ready it will light up and ring like a cell phone ringing... so you will go and collect na your order.... before ours rang - there was this girl - arabic speaking, her pad was ringing and she was like answering it: " hallo? hallo? " the guy sitting next to her (arabic speaking as well told her to go to the counter instead - and it's not a phone.

so our order came .. and the lights went on and before i could klik my cam.. hehehe.. the lights went off... my cuz was laughing at me .. sabi ko: "bakit ba? walang pakialamanan!" till i was able to get a pic of it - with the lights on .. (hayzzz.. kababaw talaga! ahahahah)

eto na yung order namin ...

my cuzin ...

after that .. "attack na!! hehehehe... nice thursday evening .. wala lang ... kwentuhan ng konti tapos ikot-ikot ulit .. tingin nito, tingin noon.. till we noticed na .. uyy gabi na pala - time to head home ... actually early pa rin yun - it was only past 10 ... we still could have seen a movie sana ano! hmmm .. neks tym ...

..on children...

2010-06-23T17:29:00.026+04:00

i posted this to my other account but felt like posting it here again. was talking to a friend who is going through some pain - and i can relate to her because i've been through that - and still is going through that. i'm glad my short notes to her made her feel a bit light ...

i cried also while writing those note to her - because it was like - suddenly all the pain i had that time in my life came back! .. i felt the hurt in my heart - the lump in my throat, the tears that slowly rolled down my cheeks .. and yes... i let it roll even if i was (still am) in the office .. because if not - i am sure that the pain would be unbearable again.

the full poem is here:

On Children

by: Kahlil Gibran

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

They come through you but not from you,

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,

and He bends you with His might

that His arrows may go swift and far.

Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;

For even as He loves the arrow that flies,

so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Nicole's 4th birthday

2010-06-19T17:03:00.023+04:00

i attended nicole's birthday party ( yeah i know - kid's party :D) at the burger king at the jumeirah beach center yesterday. had some fun - coz adults were asked to play some games and well - yap - i did play the game! hehehe .. now i'm nursing a bruised knee - don't ask!!! ahahahaha .. it was good - kids had fun so did the adults!!!

the birthday girl!

after the party, my friend (her mom) invited us to grab something - somewhere else! :D and off we went to golden fork restaurant - she ordered a platter of seafoods...

we had a good time - kami-kami lang - chika-chika, tawanan.... she wanted to order more but we stopped her - my!! - we are still kinda full from the burgers!! heheheh

nurse's watch

2010-06-19T16:45:00.010+04:00

my cousin, a nurse, is working in al ain and asked her kid sis to send her a "nurse watch" - i was wondering - what the heck is a nurse watch?!?! i know before the nurse just have to wear a wristwatch with the "secondhand" and that's it ..

hmm...when my colleague returned to dubai after a month's vacation - nakipadala kami and eto pala yun .. comes in different colors pa!! heheheh

now i know what a nurse watch is .. !!! :D asus!!!

( eh kasi naman pala si cousin eh naka "baby G" na watch eh!! hehehe )

ganun pala yun!?!?!

2010-06-17T16:55:00.020+04:00

a colleague returned the office digi cam she borrowed and i was about to put it back in the drawer - but then i simply just started playing with it - the result of reading things in the net - reviewing ba daw! .. yung tipong "isang basa - isang gawa" hehehe (katamaran!) and i took this shots .. nice naman di ba ... well, to me atleast .... me being a-not-so-techy-even-with-a-camera kind of person... masaya na ako .. hehehe

sabay: ahhha .. ganun pala yun!?!?! hehehehe ... pretty me again !! :D

testing 1..2..3..

2010-06-17T15:17:00.054+04:00

my friends are traveling to egypt... sadly without me! :( and one of them was bullied (hehehe) into buying a new camera DLSR - a Nikon D90.. hehehehe.. she got it thursday evening after office, they went to the mall and purchased it. saturday she went to the office (we don't work on saturdays) but she wanted to try her cam and also to get some last minute tips from a colleague - who unfortunately didn't show up!! luckily, mr. giant was there, so she so got few tips.

and click she did that morning, here and there, whoever and whatever is in sight ... and yours truly just happened to be just so all around the office that morning too! :D click here, click that - okey ..goodah .. needs to adjust this and that .. should be.. must be .. don't do this.. don't do that .. ok..ok.. my friend hoping that she could absorb all... and here are some of the practice shots she has taken:

my muffin... i love this pic - for once my muffin looked soo good in pic! :D

me.. so all around :D ...

monkeying around with Ives ... England /Spain??

i know, she knows .. we know - she still has a lot to learn - but as we have read in the different sites offering tips - just keep practicing - click, click, click .. it's digital anyways!

i think i will be giving her assignments ... what/where to start ?? hmmm landscape???

saturday call ?!?!

2010-05-25T22:52:00.020+04:00

i was awaken by a call early saturday morning .. not expecting it (at that hour !?!?!) .. but then.. :D.. hehehe.. it really made me feel happy, good, elated, thrilled... ok, ok.. that's a bit exag. na ...

that was "the" call from my "friend" - long-lost (as in lost talaga ahahaha !!)... have been bugging another friend to look for him - o di ba - para naman daw maliit ang CA para maghanap itong isa! pero mabait so naghanap siguro ... informed me na natagpuan na niya nga etc.. etc.. at hiningi nga daw contact no. ko! so bigay naman ako .. days have passed - no call - so entonces - di na me nag expect pa. oh di ba? ganun lang naman ako ..... hehehe

so ayun - tumawag naman nga - kumustahan .. imagine, after what ...25-26 years? the usual tanong: familia - trabaho. tawag na lang daw siya ulit .. 20+mins. din - ganun lang .. tuwa lang ako - sabi naman sa inyo - mababaw lang ako eh!

that day naman din - i planned to make some muffins - haven't tried muffins so that was my first time. i always make cupcakes kasi. i used the basic muffin recipe i saw on "kusina ni manang". i have choco sprinkles only so i added some and sprinkled some on top of the batter and this was how it came. the second batch we added mocca flavor and a bit of cocoa, but i used the smaller cups - i don't know why it didn't "domed" ????

after baking .. and cooling... i had my friends taste it - sapilitan bah! they said it was good so i will be baking some more over the week-end! brought few to our office for breakfast - ok naman daw - kaso bitin! hehehe

recipe used here:
http://kusinanimanang.blogspot.com/2009/04/basic-muffin-recipe.html

JAYWALKING ...in Dubai

2010-05-25T21:42:00.014+04:00

"The strict approach to jaywalking is an effort to prevent pedestrian injuries and deaths which is a growing problem in the city. Traffic patrols will continue their campaign against jaywalking and will continue their presence in Dubai’s outer and inner roads at all times". - Brig Mohammed Saif al Zafeen, Director of the General Traffic Department.
(Rasha Abu Baker - The National, May 19, 2010)
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090519/NATIONAL/905199983/1021/rss

Traffic police in Dubai have caught more than 20 jaywalkers this afternoon in Satwa/Al Mankhool Road and fines of AED.200.00 (approx.US$55/=)were handed out to jaywalkers.

I got a call from a friend, whom I was expecting to pass by our office to collect some documents - and he said he was caught by the police (in civilian clothes) - I asked him .. caught?.. where? why?? then he said: Jaywalking! I thought at first he was just joking and that he just doesn't want to come up... and he asked me to come down, meet him opposite the building - BUT to cross at the zebra lane!!

So then I went down and saw that there was some group of people behind the waiting shed - next to the white SUV.. I went near there, looking for my friend - called him on his cell and I was like - "all grins" when I saw him ... bad me! hehehe ... only then did I really believed him.. hehehe (peace man!! cool ka lang!!)

He was so pissed off, so were the others - still i saw some people crossing the road but were not caught! lucky them.. There was only one guy out on the street holding out his ID and one writing off the fine receipts. Identifications were asked: labor card, driving license, atbp. I was told told that if you do not have your labor card with you - direct you go inside the vehicle (hmm that's why I saw 2-3 already inside!). My friend's labor card was taken and was told that he can collect them at the RTA office in Barsha after paying the fine of AED.200/=. Hope he could get it back tomorrow agad.

Few minutes more he pointed out 2 people newly caught, sa may ilalim ng puno sa island and I was just so surprised! ahahaha .. si tatang at si tito! (amo ko at amo sa kabilang tanggapan!!) nahuli din .. hehehe .. napangiti na lang amo ko - wala pa naman itong labor card at under process pa, huh! Sabi ni amo .. "it was just so hot to walk more!" (sobra naman kasi na ang init kanina ano! ) 3:30 pm pa naman yun - ako nga pinagpawisan din ng husto eh.. :(

hayzz... talaga!!! tapos pala while waiting for his receipt - my friend handed me a box of goodies from the bakery nearby.. i felt guilty - kasi i was thinking he got caught crossing the street to get me these goodies.. otherwise he could have just got off the taxi and straight to our building.. :( ...can't seem to start "devouring" these beauties....

sent him a msg .. me feeling so.. but then he said .. hindi naman daw yun .. so.. now i can "attack" na these beauties/goodies!!! (teehee.. already attacked na!... yummy !!!) salamat friend! (kahit na me pahabol ka na pakonsensiya.. hmp!) hehehe...

back in time....

2010-05-24T23:19:00.025+04:00

my younger cousin (yay) found some old photos of our lola from the cabinets in my grandmother's house in basilio and she was fascinated by the photos. she posted some on her FB and emailed me some ... hehehe.... see the two photos below:

photo on left: the house on the background still stands till today... although the plants are long gone. noticed the design on the windows and the ballisters beneath??? i still remember those - growing up in that house. repairs has been done through the years .. but still you can recognize those features - once you see that house :D

photo on right: hehehe - i think this was taken on my birthday in the year 196?? ! my cuz was saying - because i was (sooo) wearing a dress?!?! ahahahah.... that house (lola terang's) on the background also - is still standing in basilio - lumang-luma na (very old) of course, but still there.

my lola's house and that of lola terang's are the only two remaining old houses in that street... those houses, we were told withstood the war in the 1941-45. My mother used to tell my nieces/nephews that during those times, whenever there is a "dogfight" they would run to lola terang's house and hide in the basement made into a "bunker" of sort and watch the fight through a small opening on the wall.

the first photo was taken in 1937, according to uncle jun - (the boy sitting on my grandmother's lap), obviously - my mother was still very young! hehehe... only a few of those in that photo are still alive today ... and the photo on the right ... i can't seem to remember some of those faces!...

my classmates are also into posting class pictures when we were in our kindergarden/preparatory grades ... and it is very nice recalling all those years - you still remember the facesbut can't seem to get their names! :D ...

my cuz is telling me: "ate when you reached that age of yours - talagang puro "reminiscent of those years" ka na lang hehehehe" ... huh? it comes with the age?!?! hahahaha....

now i feel like digging into the old boxes/cabinets of my aunts and lola.. i think i will do that soon .. i wanted to make something that will be treasured by the families' younger generations... somebody has to - right? actually i have started on our family tree - still tracing some other families .. it's a shame because i know them by their palayaws/nicknames only and not by their full names ... there is still one family from the brood of eight from my lola's descendants that i need to fill out - i have made progress on the others. i even sent the partial list to some of my first cousins and they were very happy!! they also added and commented on the list to update it. some wants photos to go with the "tree" hehehe .. yan ang nose-bleed na baga,, :D still i will endeavour to finish this tree... have another project lined up - that of my lola's side - the MACALINO Family and that of my father's side - MAGLALANG Family.

others have asked "when are we going to have a reunion" ??? -- come to think of it - our family (lola orang's) never had a reunion of any sort! :( sad - madami na ang nalagas ... pero siguro if one will organize a reunion - everybody will cooperate and come... hmmm... we will see about that :D

name acronym....

2010-05-18T23:01:00.005+04:00

he he he he..... was browsing through the web and came across this site .. played with it .. and viola! :D

wala lang .. hindi pa antukin eh ....

sentimiento ;(

2010-04-28T14:24:00.026+04:00

i'm not feeling well lately - don't know why ... lahat na lang yata pagdiskitahan ko..

i was browsing through my files sa computer ko sa office and i went through these photos saved in my documents file .. was trying to clear my unit (kuno!) and i noticed that in our group ako lang pala ang walang cake na ganito.... sad.... sad....sad... :(

this was the cake i ordered for our director and construction manager - a big one bcoz that time madami pa kami sa company/office .. hehehe.. simple lang naman ..

and the following photos are the cakes for the group, designs made by jeh, chris and ian ... for "them" - their favorites... (waahhh.. i'm not their favorite???)

for: sherilla, eric, julie

for: jeh and chris

for: gratzie and romeo

ang daya nila ... hmp! .....

(ahahaha... pati cake daw pagdiskitahan! ... hayzz.... )

ps: not included here are the pics of the cakes "he/they" made for the others .. is it favoritism ba or discrimination na ???

paalam kaibigan.. hanggang sa muling pagkikita...

2010-04-18T18:11:00.066+04:00

dramatic effect ba? tee-hee .... but if you already know me - for sure hindi kayo maniniwala.. :D

thursday- april 8, 2010 last working day ni rhea sa tanggapan nila..

we decided to chip-in and have a small lunch together - wala lang ... konti na lang kami .. so better na magsama-sama ulit kami - bago kami magkalagas-lagas lahat .. :D as always - food lang ayos na kami .. ganoon nga kami kababaw eh ... simpleng tao - simple kainan - basta magkakasama .. masaya na ..

pero hindi kumpleto ang saya kapag walang kodakan! siempre pa.. posing dito at posing doon !!..

mami-miss ko na yung "babaeng laging nakaliyad pag nagpo-posing" hehehe

nabawasan na rin ang "mga takot sa araw" ! ahahaha

here's wishing you all the best rhea dear! keep in touch .. and hope to see you in bicol.... soon! :D

shabu-shabu night

2010-03-09T12:23:00.045+04:00

"Shabu-Shabu" roughly translates to 'swish-swish,' referring to the sound made as the sliced meat passes through the water.

Monday afternoon - me mga pinaplano ang aming mga utak .. hi-hi-hi .... it's a matter of "now or never" - and the "now" won !! actually we planned it for Sunday (the day before sana) kaso - medyo nagbusy- bisihan kami sa office so we postponed it to some other day/night na lang.

However! .. :D something happened that monday afternoon, so even without gratz (her feeling is not well that day eh! hehehe) we went to this shabu-shabu thing in deira - a few minutes drive to the city centre. there was not much traffic but parking took a bit of time.We arrived at the restaurant - it was on a terrace of the building - I think of the food court area - overlooking the creek side - it was a lovely evening - a bit cool... the place is not that fancy - but hey - it's crowded ha... and after some time there were people on the waiting area na. Jules ordered agad - then it came ... asus!!! kadamo!!!! maubos kaya natin ito? (anim lang kami eh!) the platter ordered... omg!!!

so umpisahan na ang pagluluto! ahahaha .. amidst the biruan - ayun "luto-luto " na sila. demy did our share, simpre jules did hers & hubby's; chris & eric did their bits too!

ok naman "luto" nila hehehe.. although hindi namin naubos ni demz yung share namin... mahina kami! nyahahaha .. :o in short .. full naman kami :D ..

sila habang naghihintay .. asan na nga si ako????
ayun si ako .. hehehehe ...
ngeek!... now lang na post ... :D

..tikoy pa rin :D

2010-03-07T15:11:00.024+04:00

yeah i know, too late for welcoming the chinese new year... but what the heck! :D

i was craving (again) for tikoy...with the chinese new year coming that time, i remembered back in philippines - back in hi-school (many, many moons ago!), we (me and my barkada) would always have a box or 2 of tikoy to bring home - courtesy of susan's papa... (ohh they are chinese and her papa used to make all the tikoys himself - God bless his soul)...

my office colleagues and i were talking about the chinese new year sometime back and started telling our own stories of tikoy experienced - and explaining to the others the tikoy effect on us.. :D (ang babaw namin ano?!)

then after that (or i should say during that) discussion.. i began craving for tikoy .. i can't seem to find a store here that sells tikoy :( sad.. then i remembered a colleague is traveling back to dubai on the 3rd march .. hehehe ... si tito obet .. hehehehe

i called my cuz and told her tito obet is coming back on the 3rd march and if she can buy me a box of tikoy .. oo naman daw .. ayun nakabili naman (utusan ba daw si daddy niya bumili sa binondo!?) at naipadala naman kay tito obet.. thursday, march 4, tito obet reported to work and he was bringing all 5 boxes of tikoy to the office .. 'wawa naman .. namaga tuloy ang wrist niya - hehehehe

here - the box of the tikoy and its content - cute naman nung chinese girl painting!

friday march 5, it's our week-end here so i got time to whip up breakfast!! .. got up at around 8:30am... still don't feel like eating yet - (got used to having breakfast at 10am :D).. but prepared the tikoy already - my roommate is still sleeping so i watched tv first ... hehehe

at 10 am .. i started frying the tikoy na, but the oil got a bit hot, so the "slightly burnt" look.. but hey ... it's been years since i last cook tikoy! but .. still ...it tasted good :D

dipped in eggs, then fried

take 2: march 7, sunday .. got up a bit early (than usual) and prepared the tikoy for frying to bring to the office.. :D and see... also dipped in eggs then fried... but they are not burnt hehehe ...

sabi nga nila:
"huli man daw at magaling .. TIKOY pa rin !! "

a bee on my donut!!

2010-02-25T17:54:00.015+04:00

earlier this month, as i was just coming in the office, my colleague - jules, immedaitely told me that there are some donuts on the table and pointed them to me... :D that's how we love each other here .... food comforts...

hmm.. donut for breakfast? why not - di naman daw masyadong matamis eh! i-justify ba daw ahahah .. o siya siya... i made my usual morning tea... grab a donut - hey - new donut shop ha .. well lemme eyes if trulily na ndi matamis..

went back to my little corner .. and tasted this new-found donut....... bite.. munch ..munch ... ohlalahhh... sarap nga!!! sige .. bite pa and munch... munch ulit ... ubos na! hehehehe...

kaso lang .. malayo sa amin ang new donut shop na ito .. pero kinodakan ko naman siya .. eto o...

sino kaya ang mabait na mapakisuyuan punta sa bur dubai, pabili ako ng donut?? :D

a reunion of sort ...

2010-01-30T21:30:00.027+04:00

29th january 2010 - nathan, the 3rd child of tess & henry vinas, celebrated his first birthday. as always, mom & dad never forget to invite us all, friends and colleagues from the old company, healthlines middle east and sportslines. the event became a sort-of-reunion for us all. we have not seen each other for quite some time - and i for one - haven't seen them for almost a year - i think! :o. jeff remarked that we only get the chance to see each other on baptism and birthdays of the kids! and i think this coming years, only birthdays will be there ! hahahaha.. well that is good - happy occasions --- di ba?!

souvenirs from the b-day boy!

a treasure box of goodies .. : we adults finished the chocos! hehehe

we got so engrossed on catching up with each other we almost forgot to take photos! hahahaha... i had a great time last friday evening - it was quite short but still... and i'm glad i was able to attend though i thought i would be canceling b'coz i suddenly felt dizzy again as i was on my way out. we had fun reminiscing the old days at HME & Sportslines, and they made fun of each other - teasing each other, and laughed about just everything in the past! and again , they made benilda (beng) guilty of sort - becoz of the aborted "planned reunion" that was supposed to take place some months ago..( hmm.. hindi ko yata nabalitaan yun?!?!)

and before we knew it kami na lang yata ang natitirang tao sa venue! it was quite late na - kids still have school the following day so nag-alisan na ang mga bisita after eatig ... hehhe .. "eat and run" ba daw !!! but we (again) promised to see each other soon .. i mean soon daw talaga .. while the weather is still cool... sa creek park daw next week-end .. whenever that "next week-end is!" hehehe however, we were able to take some snaps ....

1st table: beng, ellisa mae, tess, joyce
2nd table: bong, eugene, jeff, eric, eonil, beng, ellisa mae, tess, joyce, tan-tan

hope we could all agree on a date for the next get-together :D

late na nga eh ! ....

2010-01-24T21:07:00.016+04:00

late na ang posting ko ng pics ... wala lang - trip ko lang mag post .. bakit ba, di ba? kanya-kanyang trip lang yan .. hehehe. after the coffee.. lusob naman kami sa New Yorker - nanggulo lang ng konti sa mga girls dun at nag klik-klik ulit! after that .. uwian na...

with the "elves of new yorker - DFC

.. a coffee after ... (24th Dec. 2009)

2010-01-17T20:09:00.012+04:00

hindi matatapos ang hapon ng walang kape! hehehe .. kahit bundat pa sa lunch - pag sinabing coffee.. hala .. ayun coffee na nga. we went a floor down pa sa "second cup" - suki na kami dun eh! hehehe

the "mugs"

ang "grupo"

here with ives and gratz

with weng...

pero hindi dito nagtapos ang bisperas namin - me huling hirit pa! :D

lunch date - 24th dec. '09

2010-01-09T08:27:00.013+04:00

hay naku.. at nagbusy na naman si ako at naperde ang pag posting ko... p'sensiya na po! :D

eto na ang my litratos namin when we had lunch on 24th dec. pinoy nga naman - basta me klik - maligaya na . . :D.. natatawa (o natutuwa?!) nga sa amin yung ibang guests sa resto eh ...klik dito-klik dun .. hehehehe imbes na umorder na sila - sa amin pa rin nakatingin...

anyways, so ayun nagsi-orderan na nga at dumating na ang food, pero sa palagay nyo applicable yung " galit-galit muna" or "the line is busy"???? hindi po!!! super kasaya habang lumalafang!!... sad nga din lang kasi super namiss ko rin ang mga dati naming kasamahan. i was thinking - mas masaya pa if andito din sila ... ;( ... blame the "the global crunch kasi" .... ay sa totoo ka, lalo na si she... super hyper!... yung kasabihang "small but terrible" yon siya.. hehehe .. no dull moments with her... at laging dala ang camera niya .. sabi niya: " ate, kasi hindi ako handa!" hehehe

dito naman - yun nga si federico ang kasama namin - na super kulit din - nabusog yata ako sa hangin kakatawa sa mga kalokohan niya eh!. not really kalokohan-kalokohan, pero kasi the way he addresses things, dinadaan niya sa humor - pati na yung super alat na grilled salmon niya hehehe ... ayun tuloy me free dessert siya! hehehe (ganun lang daw - mag complain ka - me free ka! hahahaha siempre joke lang yun sa kanya - kasi naman medyo napaalat yung salmon .. as in hindi naman kami first time na kumain dun ano!

me kadugtong pa yan .. after lunch hehehehe

24th December 2009

2009-12-28T12:31:00.021+04:00

the big day .. ika nga.. hehehe all the gifts were there .. as per wishlist... everybody was into a guessing game as to who picked their names .. who their secret santa was ... but I knew.. hehehe.. siempre - ako pa!!!

first off... ako pa rin .. next foto with jules ...

with gratzie, jules and ives ... next foto: silang tatlo lang

the quad with some of the hospitality guys

the collage ..... dami pics eh ... here, one is shown handing their gifts to their "monito/monita"...

masaya naman kahit na ganun lang... katuwaan .. we decided earlier that week na instead of ordering lunch - lunch out na lang kami... sa mall or wherever para maiba naman atmosphere.

sabi nga iba - "naku baka mahal yun kasi me ambiance"! hahaha that day after the exchage of gifts we headed to DFC - Dubai Festival City at sa suggestion ni boss Charu - sa "On the Border" kami napadpad.. mexican type lunch (at 2:30 in the afternoon?!?!)

dikit-dikitin ang mga table - bale 3 tables seated 10 persons, at nagkanya-kanyang orderan na. buti na lang gratz agreed na hati na lang kami sa isang order kasi madami ang isang serving nila.. ndi ko kaya .. you can see me big but i eat little lang .. nyahahahahaha ... daw!! eh si gratzie ganun din ...

anyways ayun - dumating ang order at lumafang na kami.. tym out - kasi lafangan na nga di ba? photos next .. hehehe dami istorya habang kumakain .. hehehe

revelation day.. 24th Dec

2009-12-22T15:57:00.012+04:00

thursday will be the "revelation day" for the gang... and all are pretty excited .. we're like small kids .. wanting to take a peep into the gift boxes! of course the gifts are not yet in the office .. hehehe ... for "safety reasons" as they said .. ahahahaha....

first take a glimpse of our "christmas board" - we didn't buy a tree - we simply printed one and decorated the bulletin board - where we posted our kringle photos and of course the "wishlist" of each ..

part of the wishlists....

kris kringle: day 5

2009-12-22T15:04:00.009+04:00

17th december 2009 - last day of the themed kringle
and guess what they got???? :D he-he-he-he-he-he-he

(click the photo for a larger view)

theme: something naughty.. nasty.. but nice ...

the ball.....

2009-12-22T14:15:00.012+04:00

some (of our) photos from the night ..

... the masked team of Quad Group ...

... belles of the night ..

posing galore ....

the group with our boss...

at the entrance of abdelwahab

more photos to come ...

Christmas Masquerade Ball '09

2009-12-18T12:59:00.010+04:00

the invitation for the Fitness First Corporate Party....

i can't wait to see their masquerade masks!!! hehehehe

we, the Quad Group, simply bought simple mask... (gee the masquerade masks are pretty expensive!) ... and made our own designs ... simple and yet cute .. :D

we will be fixing some of the others' masks this afternoon .. add a little of this and that ..
but mine is done .. hehehe... so is my boss's and another manager's.. they wanted only a plain black .. so be it....

the girls are pretty excited - career-rin ba daw ang masks nila at dress! kami.. ndi siguro ... as mentioned - " smart-casual" - pagdibatihan ba daw if jeans is considered smart casual!!!! hahaha ... then issue ng note si CEO - no jeans daw! ayy hahaha.. kami ng boss ko nagkatinginan - we are the "jeans person" ika nga... sabi ko hala if they would not let me in - ndi ko ibibigay gift ko sa monito ko! .. and guess who.. hahahah .. yung CEO lang naman nila!!!

so .. abangan ang kasunod na kabanata .... oppps need to buy something pa pala for my monito!

the abdelwahab restaurant

2009-12-15T17:57:00.017+04:00

this is the interior of the Abdewahab Restaurant at Souk Al Bahar, OTCI. Overlooking the world's tallest building - Burj Dubai.

and this is the terrace area..... people are always asking for a seat in this area because of the view and because of the dancing fountain, which can they can watch while eating or having their shisha....

the Fitness First Corporate party will be held in this restaurant and of course, we already reserved our seats in the terrace.. hehehehe

will post the photos of this, before and after the party. we hope to be the venue early so we can take photos of the decors set-up by the tech guys of FF - headed by Zaini. A videoke was also set-up .. hehehehe... siempre kapag me pinoy - me kantahan!

at natapos din ang Christmas Tree

2009-12-13T17:50:00.022+04:00

10 december 2009, thursday.

maaga(mga 11:00 am) kami nagpunta sa OTCI para mag-ayos na naman ng puno sa loob ng restorante. wala pang tao... nagmamadali kami dahil kapag lunch time mapupuno na naman ang kainan... kasama namin ulit si julia para mapadali ang trabaho...

we first fixed the additional xmas lights, then made (more) gift boxes and placed them all beneath the tree.. next we started doing the straight decor to be placed on top of the bar... but then.. oh -oh... no can do! nataranta beauty namin ! what to do? hmm... cannot do any hammering - it will damage the wall paneling daw... arghhh.. i forgot my thumbtacks!!!! grrrrr...

we went around the mall first looking for a stationery shop or bookstore where we can buy some stuff but sadly there was nothing :( finally we decided to call eric sa office for assistance .. hehehe ..

so eric came with the stuff and we started to fix the trimmings sa bar... then tito obet came ... hayyyssss bakit nalimutan ko na andun nga pala siya sa dubai mall din lang?? sana maaga pa natapos na namin yun?! we could have asked him to send a carpenter with a martilyo at pako! hahahah .. anyways - ayun - he helped us fix the trimmings at natapos din ang assignment!

so simple lang ng decor but it took us like 4 days to complete it .. kasi naman hirap gumawa kapag marami nang customers sa restaurant ano! you cannot just go around hanging this and that .. hehehe.. at puro company parties pa naman yun - baka mamaya nga me mga photos sila na nasali kami sa background... hehehe

nice pa nga when we were doing the tree - may mga bata na guests na pinanonood kami .. at panay ang "wow!" hehehe .....

so eto na yung mga final pics ng puno.. we forgot pala to take photos of the trimmings outside the resto! ..

next episode .. yung interior photos ng resto habang lumalafang kami :D

kris kringle: day 4

2009-12-13T16:43:00.010+04:00

10 december 2009

fourth day of our kris kringle - theme was "something warm" ...... and i guessed everybody was happy with their loot! :D

for something warm, the items given/received were: blanket (i got one - yellow!), wool socks, towel; candle holder; pasmina; teapot; a tin of chocolate drink; a mug & pashmina, a mug with a packet of 3-in1 coffee plus an ashtray; a sweater; a scented candle with matching black jacket - lucky eric !!! hehehehe

photos as below collage:

ang christmas tree...

2009-12-09T15:49:00.024+04:00

linggo, a-sais ng disyembre... sinabihan ako ni bosing na me assignment daw ako.. busy pa ako that morning sa mga nakabuntun na dokumento sa la mesa ko. ask ko: anong assignment??.. sagot niya: sasamahan ko daw si ives magbili ng malaking christmas tree para sa abdelwahab restaurant ng ceo namin.... ngeekk.. bakit ako?!?!?! pero dahil sa mabait ako .. :D sige lang po (tutal parang lakwatsa na rin kasi dun daw kami punta sa dragonmart... uy! gusto ko rin iyon - malayo kasi yun - hirap puntahan kelangan talaga sasadyain mo pagpupunta ka dun.. so sige lang. kaso, abala din maghapon ang taga maneho nila .. so walang andar ng linggo - lunes na lang daw at agahan namin punta dun para ma set up na kaagad. ano ka?! eh ganun na naman ang istorya - hapon nang dumating ang driver nila - so - larga na kami mga bandang alas-kuatro na yon - eh susundo pa daw ng alas singko sa media city! aba dapat hintayin tayo ano - mahal ang pamasahe pauwi at sino magbubuhat aber?

in short nakarating sa dragonmart - ikot ikot .. mula ulo ng dragon inabot namin hanggang dulo - buntot na!!! aba.. ni anino ng christmas tree wala kami nakita??? unbelievable!?!?! di ba made in china karamihan ng christmas tree - eh bakit wala dito sa dragonmart?? dito kasi puro made in china ang products on sale dito - wholesale mostly pero nag re-retail din naman kasi nga madami ring gumagala-gala na tao na gustong bumili ng mura-murang gamit. kasi sakop ng free zone area ito kaya mura...

sakit ng paa ko sa kakalakad... hindi ko na kayang bumalik sa entrance sa "uluhan ng dragon"... buti me exit sa gilid .. call sa driver - hanapin kami tapos punta na lang kami sa mall.. hahaha dun din pala bagsak - sana sa karama na lang - me tawad pa! nagpaiwan na lang kami sa mall kasi nga susundo pa si driver... babalikan na lang daw kami later..

entonces nakabili kami ng puno at palamuti at ilaw na kumukutitap.. sa pagod hindi na namin kayang i-set up ang puno sa restaurant sa OTCI.. pinahatid na lang sa driver yung mga gamit at kabukasan na lang namin gawin., which we did naman..(kahapon nga). and sinama pa namin si jules ...

...at naitayo din namin .. :D fixing the trimmings ..

.. siempre sama na posing .. hehehehe

... ives with the staff ...

eto na yong tree pero kulang pa trimmings niya .. simple lang kasi gusto ni charles para sa restaurant niya .. pero we still need to get him the wreaths para sa labas ng resto at trimming para sa bar area at reception area... hayyy .... mamaya after work .. ikot na naman kami ni ives .. wala pa naman kami driver .. :

kris kringle: day 3

2009-12-09T11:56:00.007+04:00

december 3, 2009

third day of our weekly kringle.. the theme: "something sweet and memorable" and something "not sweet happened" after the exchange of gifts. i felt sad kasi it was supposed to be fun lang naman kaso ayun na nga, hindi naintindihan ang theme yata ng ilan kayakung ano-ano lang dinala.

ok - fine.. sa halagang sampung dirhamos... pero meron ka rin naman mabibili na sweet and memorable ah! ... hayyy.. panay pa naman remind ko sa kanila at i even asked them if they need assistance in buying their gifts .. "yes" .... puro "yes" lang sagot sa akin ... ewan ko nga ba...was it my english? but kahit biyakin ko ulo ko - i can still remember na very clear ang tanong ko sa kanila at pati na yung explanation... yes nang yes ndi naman pala na-gets!!! :D anyways... medyo ok naman sa iba.. and below are the pics taken ...

theme: "something sweet and memorable"

kris kringle: day 2

2009-11-29T10:28:00.011+04:00

26 november 2009

day 2 of our kringle :D .... unfortunately i was not there to enjoy the gift-giving .. i was still sick that day. but i heard from the guys that all went well and everybody had fun especially the new guys who joined in - 3 more from the hospitality division.

however i think the the new guys did not get the "right" message about the gifts - so we have to put down "some rules" hehehe .. ano ba yan .. kris kringle na nga lang me rules pa hahahah!!!

i was not able to give "my baby" his gift that day (me sick remember?!), but i did call a colleague to do some funny thing .. anyways the theme was "something funny".. so i remembered there was a sample mirror piece and i asked him to wrapped that up and put his name on it... and if he would ask - what's funny about it .. i told my colleague to pull "my baby's" face in front of the mirror and take picture ... hehehehehe .. that's the funny thing ... his face hahahaha!!!

anyways... they had fun (minus me!).. below are pics they took ..

kris kringle: day 2 / theme: "something funny"

i'm sick !!!

2009-11-24T22:34:00.004+04:00

thursday pa... masama na ang pakiramadam ko... friday .. i rested.. totally did nothing at home...hoping to feel better by saturday... medyo nag ok naman ng saturday meaning no more fever .. pero sama pa rin kasi me sipon ako! sabado me bertdeyan akong pupuntahan... gabi pa naman at malapit lang so pahinga pa rin ng sabado maghapon - konting linis dito, linis doon lang ginawa ko. tapos around 6:45pm i headed na to the venue ng selebrasyon... sa rydges hotel - up on the 9th floor..

konting salo-salo lang naman with some friends of the celebrant - tipong surprise party ng mga kaibigan niya para sa kanya (hindi po kami yun - imbitado lang kami... heheheh) masaya naman ang gabing yon... kainan, kantahan at siempre klik-klik ng litratuhan...maaga ring natapos kasi me pasok pa kinabukasan... around 10:30pm nag uwian na rin kami (tapos nang kainan eh! :D)

linggo me pasok na kami... sama na ng pakiramdam ko na naman... pero tinapos pa rin ang maghapon .. lunes.. medyo malala na pero pasok pa rin ang beauty ko.. naghasik ng virus sa opisina .. hahahaha ... early afternoon pina uuwi na ako ni amo - eh alam kong me dapat pang tapusin na kapapelan so tinapos ko din .. pero grabe na feeling ko.. groggy na rin ako kasi uminom ako ng gamot - eh medyo malakas ang sedative effect niya ... so parang high na daw ako hahahaha....

martes .. wala na .. ndi ko na kaya ... uminom ulit ako ng gamot ng lunes ng gabi at nang madaling araw .. ayun - ndi ko na kayang bumangon ng umaga .. so tinulog ko na lang - maghapon yatang akong nakatulog - kasi dami missed calls eh! hahahaha ... eto sakit naman ng likod ko sa kakatulog yata ....

bukas ewan ko kung kakayanin ko nang pumasok... i feel so tired pa rin .. uy ha! hindi po H1 eto - weather is changing na dito from the super init to malamig na.. tapos biglang iinit na naman siguro yun na ang dahilan .. yun lang ang gusto kong maging dahilan .. heheheh

me imbitasyon pa sa huwebes - binyagan naman .. hayy sana .. umigi na ng husto pakiramdam ko. ayoko nang nagkakasakit. kasi i'm scared mag-isa lang sa bahay coz my flatmates of course have to go to work ..alangan naman mag babysit pa sila sa akin ano?! madaming what-ifs sa utak ko pag me sakit ako at ako lang mag-isa sa house. like: what if mag collapse ako - sino makakaalam?? aber??? kaya iniiwasan ko talaga magkasakit - pero ewan ko ba... bakit ako dinapuan ngayon?!?!?!

ingat na lang sa lahat ......

quote:

To keep the body in good health is a duty...otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. (Buddha)

kris kringle: day 1

2009-11-23T11:20:00.007+04:00

19 november 2009

second time we are having this kris kringle in the office, sad though ‘coz there were only a few of us compared to last year’s - you know , becoz of the global “ek-ek” that happened everywhere.

anyways, we asked the other divisions if they wanted to join – kabayans naman .. ayaw daw kesyo-ketal.. o sige ‘wag pilitin.. so kami-kami na lang. ang nakakatuwa - yung isang kasamahan namin (let’s call him “kuya”) ang nagpaalala pa sa amin ng kris kringle na ito! hindi ba daw namin gagawin ulit? last year kasama siya at aliw-na aliw naman... tuwang –tuwa sa palitan ng mga mumunting regalo. ang ginawa namin kada huwebes – last day of the week dito – ang bigayan ng regalo sa halagang sampung dirhamos lang (katumbas ng siento beinte sais pesos). isang kalahi pa ni kuya ang sumali rin ngayon kasi naenganyo sa kwento ni kuya at eksayted namang makigulo din.. pero ano daw mabibili sa sampung dirhamos lang? paliwanag namin: yun nga ang challenge at fun doon eh! kada linggo me "theme" baga kami...sinimulan namin noong 19 nov.. ang unang bigayan .. theme: “something wet & sticky” . . . :D

masaya naman at narito ang larawan ng kasiyahan namin ng hapon na yon..... pati nga bosing namin nakigulo din habang nagbibigayan ng regalo eh! inabangan din daw kung ano ang nakuha nino.... hehehehe

pinagsama-sama ko na lang sa isang kwadro ang lahat ng litrato – collage na lang ..

kris kringle day 1:
theme: something "wet & sticky"

at isa pang kaarawan ang ipinagdiwang ...

2009-11-19T15:31:00.012+04:00

muli isang munting salo-salo ang naganap sa aming tanggapan.. :D .. in celebration of Toffer’s bday ... simple lang, unlike last year na medyo bonggang kainan hehehe .. “austerity” sabi nga namin ...

although the day before – nagtreat din yung isang manager namin ng lunch of pizza & KFC – kasi akala niya that day yung bday ni Toffer!

masaya naman na kaming nagsalo-salo... mababaw lang naman ang kaligayahan naming magkakaibigan... basta magkakasama sa espesyal na okasyon ..me konting food, at siempre klik dito at klik doon.. ayos na! at eto ilang larawan ng munting kasiyahan.. :D

the birthday boy!

mcdo breakfast!!!

2009-11-01T12:07:00.003+04:00

mcdo introduced their "mcdo breakfast" in dubai months back - but it's only today that i got to have it!!! my colleague julia came in this morning with this, and a big smile on her face :D...

as expected, when she handed it to me.. saying "ate para sa 'yo".. hehehe .. my smile was from ear to ear .. hehehehe ... love it!!!

thanks julia!!!!!

Pink Walkathon '09

2009-10-30T15:41:00.022+04:00

The Pink Walkathon 2009 Take a few steps to fight breast cancer.
http://www.safeandsound.ae/pink_walkathon.asp
Location: BurJuman
Walk Starts: 8:00 a.m
Distance: 3.6 km

I did it!.. I walked the "walk"... though i am just by myself this morning - i still went and joined the event and it was fun!... the mood was festive.. merriments abound .... large crowd gathered to support the cause...different nationalities, different ages and i'm glad i came :D

and i did this in memory of my three aunts whom we lost to breast cancer:

MOMMY DORING, NANAY LING and TITA MUNDS

parang kailan lang ...

2009-10-26T18:06:00.013+04:00

the following photos are of my cousins dear... seems like only yesterday i was looking at them in the the nursery of the hospital.. ngayon super laki pa sa akin!

how time flies... both are graduates .. the eldest anna is now in Al Ain, UAE, working as a nurse in the gov't clinic....and the youngest, yay (as we have grown to call her) is working with a network back home... these fotos were both taken at the Dubai Festival Centre...on different dates :D

Anna... september 22, 2009 on her first visit to dubai. she arrived with her batch on aug. 18, but they were in abu dhabi for their briefings and stayed there for 2 weeks i think. after that they were taken to their accomodation in al ain. Eid holidays she came to dubai and it was our first meeting in the UAE .. :D

on the way out after the malling... nah.. she's not the shopping type .. hehehehe

yay... december 8, 2008

this was taken last year pa... when yay came for a visit.

here, we just arrived at the mall....kaya no "bitbits" pa.."D

i just noticed .. now lang .. both were during the eid holidays pala! hehehe...

ganun kabilis ang panahon??? hehehehehe ....

choc-nut .....

2009-10-21T10:04:00.006+04:00

ang all time favorite ng mga pinoy na nasa abroad! ... hehehehe .. well.. sa amin dito totoo ito - lagi na lang me bilin na choc-nut - kung me mabalitaan na me uuwi.

pasalubong sa akin ng pinsan ko when she came to the U.A.E.... plus some other stuff...

kayo - ano paborito niyo ibilin from home???

the leaning bottle ...

2009-10-19T14:46:00.012+04:00

my youngest sister gave me this bottle - nothing fancy, just that, as she said, i will have a nicely measured drink of iced-tea next time with this bottle. the measurements of the powder and the water is on it - so it would be that simple. OK.... so i've been using this bottle since, to make my nice iced-tea... that I even brought it with me when i return to Dubai!

brought it with me to the office to use as a water bottle only... and i used to mix up cold with hot water from the dispenser. but on that "fateful" morning :D - guessed my mind was really somewhere else ..... unknowingly i filled it up with the hot water first - then the cold water.... and went back to my desk ... not until Edam - my colleague asked me..."ate what happened to your bottle?" (with the matching british twang.. hehehehe)

only then did i notice that it was leaning to my right (if the bottle faces me) .... hmm.. hehehehehehehe... i even asked Edam what happened!?!?!?! super pretty me ...

so now here it is ... the leaning bottle of nestea .. . wala lang ..... :D
(walang magawa sa opis - me feeling sleepy zzzzzzzzzzzzz...ssshhhhh)

bertdeyan ulit!

2009-10-15T16:15:00.029+04:00

october 14, dubai...

bertdeyan na naman ... hehehe ... kaarawan ng isang kasama sa trabaho.. si eric... isang arkitekto ng group namin .. pangalawang pagseselebra ng kanyang kaarawan sa ibayong lugar. for sure he missed his family on this special day of his .. na-miss niya yung ipagluluto siya ng kanyang butihing ina ng paborito niyang food... pero nandito naman kaming mga "kapatid" niya sa dubai.. kaya sinabi namin sa kanya na ..."hala umorder ka na lang!" .. mabait at masunurin na bata itong si eric... sumunod naman sa nakakatanda sa kanya .. hehehe.. ako .. este .. kami pala yon ... at eto nga ang pinagsaluhan namin sa tanghali na yon ... kahapon lang pala.. :D

pizza from pizza company at manok from the walang kamatayang KFC

eto naman kami bago umatake sa hapag ..

isang hirit pa.. .... ayyyy ate....puro spicy !! ...

attack na!!!! nagkakahiyaan pa daw ...

basta me klik ... all smiles :D

si kami with our bossing...

si ako with the birthday boy... (sumingit si chris - ang ampon namin!! hehehehe ...)

"HAKBANG BUHAY" (Walk for Life)

2009-10-15T15:09:00.013+04:00

October 09, 2009
Safa Park, Dubai , U.A.E.

Dubai Charity Walk for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy

The PBC (Phil. Business Council), in cooperation with other Filipino Organisations,
the Filipino community and the Phil. Consulate, organised a Charity Walk event.

We attended this event and was very surprised (and happy) coz the turn-out was indeed very large! It was mentioned in the notice that circulated, that the "walk" will begin at 8:00am, but it seemed that they started early :D .. 6:00 am.. so we in turn joined in instead with the Fitness First's coined " burn a calorie for ondoy victims" ....... photos as below ...

my colleague was just telling that she saw on TFC that they featured this event, last night daw ... and she was looking for me in those shots of the people taking part in the exercise .. hehehehe ... nahirapan siya coz there were a lot .. and everybody enjoyed that morning!!

oats for breakfast :D

2009-10-04T10:32:00.005+04:00

(Jungle Oats)

i don't take breakfast early in the morning, except for a glass of juice and cup of coffee. I usually eat something around 10am... my tummy would be wide awake by that time! before, we used to order from moulin d'or bakery: a manakish mix of cheese & chicken, or cheese & egg, or cheese & salami... or whatever we fancy eating that morning. sometimes we will order "egg parata" instead - no chilli for me please! :D

one day, a colleague gave us a packet of this oats and asked us to try it, which we did of course (libre eh!...hehehe). and by goolay - we got hooked on it!!! for some time now, i have been enjoying this morning breakfast of oats, which comes in different flavors. more healthy (as he says) and we agree....

now seems the whole office is into this breakfast oats.... try it next time .. you might like it too! :D

kalapati, puno, bus at ang roundabout ....

2009-09-22T16:32:00.057+04:00

september 14, 2009:

on my way to work i chanced upon these pigeons (again) ... actually i've been eyeing them for sometime now... there were plenty of them in the early hours of the day... and it was/is a nice sight to see them feeding on the seeds that the guy scattered and the bird bath - hehehe... blue plastic basin (palanggana), everyday changed by the guy. there is also another guy who throws them feeds - the guy from the iranian bread shop.

i took out my cam and just took a shot.. before they would fly away ..

i was slowly getting closer to them for a close-up pic...when suddenly this "killjoy" man - shooed them away and walked away laughing!!..

grrr - i wanted to run after him and wring his neck! there's nothing fancy, but hey!.. i just wanted to take a photo of these birdies no!.. hmp!

anyways... on to my walking ... and there i saw "my tree " hehehe .. inangkin ba daw!.... i call it "my tree" becoz it is under these tree that i find refuge in the summer heat! nakss.. hehehe.. what i cannot understand is why do the municipality people have to trim down these trees during summer? aber? kalbo na - wala nang lilim!!! here in this photo "my tree" has grown back its branches .. giving refreshing shades to the pedestrians waiting to cross, me included :D

while waiting to cross and standing under "my tree", this big bus passed by, one of the newest addition to the fleet of RTA.. "kambal" (twin bus) as my friend's kid would call it.. it's like a 2-bus connected.

and the last photo is that of the Satwa R/A, one of the remaining roundabouts in Dubai... better to take a snap of it before they break it down. Before Dubai has many different roundabouts - there is or should I say was the Falcon R/A in Bur Dubai, the Fish R/A in Deira, the Defense R/A, Shk. Zayed and the still standing Clock Tower in Deira and Trade Centre R/A in Satwa/Shk. Zayed Road, to name a few.

hmm.. good idea.. i should make a compilation of the demolished r/a's - there must be a record of it and then take photos of the remaining and still standing r/a's... good.. good.. hehehe.. the weather is getting a bit cool - so it would be nice to walk around and check out the remaining r/a's... hmmm..... a lot goodah if "someone" is there to walk with ..... :D

Metro Ride (10.09.09)

2009-09-11T01:32:00.015+04:00

here are some of the photos we took during our ride .. wala lang...

at the Jaffliyah Station:

the Metro Silver card:

just having fun....

Metro Experience - Dubai, UAE

2009-09-11T00:13:00.006+04:00

The Dubai Metro was opened to public on the 10th September 2009. A lot of people thronged the stations and destinations of the rail transport (us included hehehe :D)

It's a week-end so my colleagues and I decided to join the lot that wanted to experience the metro ride. Para naman daw wala sa Pinas ano?!... back home meron nga tayong dalawa pa eh .. LRT and MRT.. pero dahil nasa Dubai ka.. so makigulo na rin daw kami sa madlang people.

After work nagkayayaan nga.. we left the office after 4pm (we worked till 3pm lang during Ramadan) kaso we waited for a friend who finishes at 4pm. Anyways, ayun - to get to the Jaffliya Station, we have to take the taxi..hmm.. 10Dhs agad yon ano! and we have to take 2 cabs kasi hindi kami kasya sa isa lang (naku 20Dhs na agad yon!!)

The others were already waiting for us at the entrance .. dami na tao doon! ... buti na lang may kabayan who guided us through (what card to buy, advantage of so & so, etc), entonces we purchased the silver card for 20Dhs.. enough to go to and from our destination which is the MOE (Mall of the Emirates).

Pag-akyat sa itaas -Platform - wala pa ang train , so kodakan muna kami.. hehehe.. yun lang naman purpose namin eh! picture dito, picture doon...posing dito, posing doon... ganon lang... kami kababaw.

Naaliw naman kami kasi ang dami ngang tao and parang yung iba first time nakakita o makasakay yata sa metro train...swerte pa rin tayong mga Pinoy kasi sa atin ngang bansa meron pa tayong dalawang klase!

Ang hindi nga lang maganda eh halo-halong amoy na sa loob ng train kahit pa airconditioned siya - mas matapang ang "jango" ng ibang people! dusa talaga pero we wanted to have the experience eh so tiis na lang.. buti na lang at medyo busog kami at kung hindi sa tindi ng "jango" eh mahihilo ka talaga.. nakataas pa naman kamay ng nakararami.. :(

Sa madaling salita, nakarating naman kami sa aming paroroonan ng hindi nahilo ng todo.. konti lang...pero idinaan na lang namin sa tawa.. "for the sake of experience" sabi nga ni Toffer...

Parang medyo mabagal ang takbo pero ok lang - hindi naman kami nagmamadali at ilang minuto pa nasa destination na kami - Mall of the Emirates - kung saan andun din ang Dubai Ski.

Pagbaba ng train siempre picture picture ulit bago pa makarating sa Mall itself and being Ramadan nga - close pa ang mga eateries and restaurants... and we have to wait for more than an hour pa before we could grab something to eat. Grabe din ang dami ng tao doon sa food court! Finally, naka-order na rin and after few more minutes nakakain na rin kami. We finished our food and noticed that it was still quite early but we decided to head back na because for sure mas madami pa ang darating... we got our chance / experience of the ride na rin lang so, sila naman.. hehehe... ang bait namin ano!

We headed for the train station na ulit and wow - haba ng pila sa entrance pa lang! what's happening? people are turning back... why? .. sandali (nakisiksik ako to inquire bakit - then I heard the guy at the entrance saying that all those with cards lang muna ang pwedeng pumasok na and those who do not have can purchase at the counters inside the Mall.. aba, aba, aba.. I pulled out my card and waved to my colleagues to go forward with their cards.. kaso nakita at narinig nang iba so yung may mga cards din pushed their way through na rin :D

Nakarating kami sa Jaffliya Station minutes after 8pm na rin... ang maganda ka, hindi namin naorasan ang biyahe hahaha.. sa kaka-pose - ayun hindi na naalala! hehehe.. pero mabilis din naman at walang traffic - o di ba?! hahahaha...

With the 20Dhs card we purchased earlier, we still have a balance of 5.80Dhs yata.. hindi na masama. If you will take a taxi to MOE it would cost you around 40-50 one way, return would cost 100Dhs, depende pa sa traffic. So we can just recharge that card and pwede na ulit gamitin.

Next week-end we will try naman daw the other route from Jaffliya to Rashidiya... atleast, we had a sort of relaxation na rin with this trip - naaliw kami kahit papaano at nalimutan ang tension sa aming tanggapan....wala lang.... :D

photos taken to follow ....

Dubai Metro

2009-09-11T00:06:00.004+04:00

UAE Vice President launches Dubai Metro

Dubai became the first Gulf state to have a metro and joined the league of megacities around the world that have similar transport systems.

(Source: Gulf News Sept. 10, 2009)

read link below:
http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Traffic_and_Transport/10347699.html

sunday morning . . . .

2009-08-02T20:20:00.006+04:00

... waking up to a hazy morning.... parang sarap pang matulog....
sa 'pinas umuulan ng tubig, dito buhangin naman .... :(

"Thick blanket of dust continued to envelop the UAE as the National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) issued another marine warning on Sunday... The dust blanket was much stronger in some areas creating breathing problem for some".
GULF NEWS: Sunday, August 02, 2009.

ang banana cake - bow!!

2009-07-23T14:46:00.009+04:00

i was feeling depressed (again!) last night.. having bouts of depression lately - ewan ko ba... :( .. and to fight the depression off - isip ako what to do - to clean or to cook or to bake... i have a couple of bananas na na-over ripe na nga yung iba.. sitting in the kitchen.. hmm, bake na lang ng banana cake. this will be my second time to do this.. hope it will come out nice..

sige, measure-takal-beat-mash till all is mixed na.. placed the pan in the oven.. sabi mga 30 minutes daw... ok lang. basa muna tayo FB natin.. aba.. sinilip ko sa glass door ng oven - ehh? bakit parang hindi yata umaalsa? open ako konti - oo na .. bad mag-open ng oven door! kaso gusto ko makita eh!... ay palpak yata...

sige medyo maaga pa naman... lipas ilang minuto ulit - aba umalsa na! masaya na ako - ang babaw ano... anyways.. tingnan daw if the toothpick inserted comes out clean....eh .. ndi pa as in super hindi pa!! nataranta ang beauty ko kasi medyo nagba-brown na sa gilid yung pan.. hahaha...

sabi ng friends ko sa fb baka madami banana.. after few more minutes ayun - nasunog este - naluto din.. hehehe...

brought some to office this morning - gusto naman nila - sarap daw! hehehe .. or gutom lang sila?? hmm?? the kids in the opis requested for more! hehehehe. masaya naman ako kasi nagustuhan nila ..

eto yung photos nung cake..

eto naman yung mga opismayts ko...

flat tops

2009-07-15T17:37:00.010+04:00

my colleague ”Ligaya” gave me yesterday after lunch 2 pieces of the ricoa flat tops chocolate... medyo nabitin ako and when i went down to her office to submit some docs for signature (and to ask where she bought it) – she readily said – tomorrow i’ll buy you a packet! And she, of course, gave me some more .. :D

today, during our lunch break , she came up and said: mummy for you! and gave me a full pack of flat tops!!! yummy .. ( thanks ligaya-mwaahh !!!)

i offered my boss to taste it... and even told him that we used to have these chocos as our gift for the monito-monita (kris kringle) during our elementary days! hahaha... and he started teasing me and telling the others in the office that i’m travelling down the memory lane with these flat tops!

ahhh and the others started telling their stories about their memories of the flat tops :D.. indeed a travel !!!

this hand is of hot rod's ! trying to snatch a piece while it is being photographed.. :D

kayo? do you also have nice memories of "flat tops?" ??

soul searching (?)

2009-07-04T16:26:00.010+04:00

a friend of mine came up one day and said: " i will be away for awhile - needs to do some soul-searching".... huh? si friendship ko mag soul-searching daw!?!?!?! hmm.. teka, ano na naman pakulo nito? sige makisakay muna... :D (ang maldita ko talaga ano? )

ako: why, what happened?
siya: i just need some time alone...need some thinking, i feel lost.
ako: (hmm lost daw?.. lost-mind maniwala pa ako!) pero siempre "good friend" ako (di ba?) asked ko: what do you intend to do? where to intend to go for your soul-searching?

take note si friendship seemed somewhat serious ha..kaya medyo i wanted to believe na my friendship is really in a state of "loss".

ako: talk to me.. what happened?
siya: nothing happened...i just wanted to be alone!
ako: (naku - baka something happened nga at magpakamatay ito - konsensiya ko pa!)
ako: (kulit ulit) .. we're friends di ba, i told you when you needed someone to talk to - i am just here.. ready to listen....
siya: basta.. i just wanted to be alone!
ako: eh what do you intend to do nga? where do you want to go?

siya: i feel like going home.... sa pinas.
ako: if you like i can check with my cousin and make arrangements at the convent in Laguna.. ok lang naman kina sister supe yun eh! you will be most welcome there.
siya: ano? sa kumbento? ano ka sira? yoko dun!
ako: huh? soul-searching ika mo? where else can you find a serene place kundi dun! maganda doon.. very quiet and the sisters will not bother you - they'll pray for you pa 24/7! ayaw mo ba nun? they can help you find your path, if ever...
siya: ayoko. ayoko dun! gusto ko sa ano - sa baguio kaya...
ako: ah okey din dun... malamig pa.. i can arrange din if you want me to...
siya: ano ka ba? okey lang - ako na lang...

ako: (maybe my friendship is just "pulling my leg" ika nga).. o siya bahala ka... basta if ever na matuloy ka - give me a call and let me know where you are so i can give you some numbers to call if you needed some "help" sa soul-searching mo.
siya: okey - thanks...

ako: eh - maitanong ko lang, what would you do if ever naman na matagpuan mo na soul mo?
siya: ewan ko.. siguro - i'm gonna say "hi".. where have you been?
ako: (note seryoso pa rin si friendship!) anong "hi" ka dyan??
siya: eh hindi ko pa nga rin alam kung ano magiging reaction ko if ever eh!

ako: tadyakan ko kaya si friendship?!?! pero mukhang seryoso naman , so hinayaan ko na lang. baka naman totoong "lost soul" nga siya... baka nga need niya talagang magsolo for the meantime. my friendship has been through a lot na rin the past years - she's a bit "self-less" you know. siguro itong "soul-searching" niya is the time that she wanted for her self.

watching my friend sitting quietly on the sofa, i wish i could help her go through this - whatever she's going through. she really seemed troubled of sort, pero she wouldn't talk to me about whatever is bugging /troubling her... she was even laughing and goofing around, but i sensed that it was a just a facade to hide the real emotions she is feeling within. i saw the sadness in her eyes - her eyes that used to glow even with the corniest of joke - and when she looked at me, i felt as though she was reaching out.

siguro my fault - kasi whenever she would come and tell me something - i most often than not - would only tease her - na para bang wala siyang karapatan to feel sad or bothered ba. i would often say: "hmm ikaw pa!" and she would then just laugh it off, so i really didn't know what was in her mind those times she came to me.

I think now i would really be a friend to her...to be just there for her...

to my friend, always remember i am here for you - will always be here for you.

my friend and i

2009-06-07T12:34:00.004+04:00

my friend and i
so bored one day
we went to the mall
to stroll the day away.

passing by the cinema;
my friend asked me:
“do you want to see a movie?”
being me, I replied: “do you want to?”
my friend retorted: “ i asked you first!”
and so i said: “okey!!”

into the cinema we went
and to our seats without a word.
the movie started
the movie ended
still without a word.

out we went
and continued to stroll;
the day passed by
without an uttered word.

my friend and i
got tired and headed home
took a cab and in silence,
held hands together
without looking at each other.

my friend and i
that’s how we were
we understood each other
even without an uttered word.

still on solitude . . .

2008-09-01T21:37:00.002+04:00

What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think.

This rule, equally arduous in actual and intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it.

It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great person is one who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

solitude...

2008-09-01T21:32:00.001+04:00

The worst solitude is to be destitute of sincere friendship"
(Francis Bacon)

One Friend

2008-08-25T21:13:00.002+04:00

(dan seals)

to my kitty...

I always thought you were the best
I guess I always will.
I always felt that we were blessed,
And I feel that way, still.
Sometimes we took the hard road,
But we always saw it through.
If I had only one friend left,
I'd want it to be you.

Sometimes the world was on our side;
Sometimes it wasn't fair.
Sometimes it gave a helping hand;
Sometimes we didn't care.
'Cause when we were together,
It made the dream come true.
If I had only one friend left,
I'd want it to be you.

Someone who understands me,
And knows me inside out.
And helps keep me together,
And believes without a doubt,
That I could move a mountain:
Someone to tell it to.
If I had only one friend left,
I'd want it to be you.

'Cause when we were together,
It made the dream come true.
If I had only one friend left,
I'd want it to be you.
Someone who understands me,
And knows me inside out.
And helps keep me together,
And believes without a doubt,
That I could move a mountain:
Someone to tell it to.
If I had only one friend left,
I'd want it to be you.

wonsaponatym....

2008-08-25T20:15:00.010+04:00

there was a time....

of sweet memories:
of winter walks,
of silent conversations,
moments treasured...

then the time was gone...

and the sweet memories and
treasured moments were locked up
in the soft corner of my heart.

to be cherished forever ... in silence

a friend found anew ...

2008-07-20T20:54:00.002+04:00

after more than twenty years, we found each other again... and it is wonderful! to find somebody that you have been with during your younger years.. college in fact.. memories flooded my mind - with the good times that we spent during those times....college days.. yes those days when we feel so free - no worries except the assignments!

reminiscing the past with my friend gave me some kind of "peace within"... ahh... those were the days: spending the week-ends at their place in batangas, exchanging pleasantries with her families, jokes with her brothers and cousins, even her parents are lovely people to be with. i missed all those times.

we parted ways after college, but have kept contact for sometime.. i attended her wedding and some weddings of our college friends as well. but things changed and we drifted apart... but she was always in my memory... whenever i have a talk with my "new circle" of friends - i will always make mention of her and the good times i had with her. she is more than a friend to me.. she is my sister, a second family to me and her family became my second family...

anyways - it is good to be in contact again with her... she called my number in manila.. hoping that it is still the same, took chance and viola! still the same number... my uncle gave her my cell no. and she sent me a text message to which i readily replied. gave her my email add and she sent me a mail which of course i replied to and that is the start of it ... again... our friendship.

i was not well the last few days.. and this morning she sent me a text message ... i was touched by it... made a lot of meaning to me... here it is:

the best friendships are made in the heart:

silent,

unwritten,

unbreakable by distance,

unchangeable by time.

once a FRIEND

always a FRIEND.

amy, you will always be a friend, my friend. i missed you too!!! we'll see each other soon...

crime...

2008-07-12T13:51:00.008+04:00

i accused myself of a crime
i tried to deny
but guilt weakens me...
i am guilty ... that

i am in love...

d promised pic...

2008-02-14T23:14:00.002+04:00

mon ami.... eto na po yung sinasabi kong picture....cute ano?!

shy siya eh! :)

one valentine's day...

2008-02-14T21:26:00.009+04:00

Valentine's day... got up on a very good morning mood - said my prayers of thanks to my God for all the blessings He has given ... went to work..... greeted all with a happy hearts day greetings...

only to be pissed off by one of the brand manager !!!! asar.. ganda araw ko sinira - held my tongue so as not to say more to him but he provoked me - so rumatsada rin ako - but in a very polite but sarcastic manner (?!) ... meaning i managed to keep my voice low compared to his already high tone and reasoned out with him - aba - layasan daw ako! while in discussion with him - natatawa na lang boss ko... pero i did apologized to my boss - sabi naman niya - i don't have to apologize coz medyo abusado na rin kasi sila... and that he will speak to them later... hehehe ang laking mama pa naman nung brand manager na yun !!! sabi nga rin nung nasa creative - uupakan na daw niya sana if nagkamali pa ng salita eh! dami ko kakampi!

anyways... the day passed by with good things naman happening... had a good lunch date with my colleagues sa pizza company - had pizza n pasta hehehehe... sayang, we were not able to take photo of the "feast" we had for lunch...puro gutom na kasi eh! then the pizza guys gave us ladies only, red roses!!! yipee - i got a rose on valentine's day! (..ang babaw ano?) tapos later in the afternoon one of the architects - Julie went out and came back with a lovely Valentine cake... (para lang daw sa Quad - kami nga yun! hehehe)

siempre posing-posing na naman...

the Quad ladies... si ryla, me, gracie and julie...hehehe sabi nila "ang nanay kasama ang mga anak"...

the Quad guys... boss with charu, jignesh, kourosh and obet

yun lang... masaya namang natapos ang hapon na yon... then after office hours - punta na me sa gym - nag work-out na at kinakawayan na ako ng personal trainer ko! we were given vouchers kasi for PT - aba - kung pwede nga lang i-cash - i would have opted for cash eh.. laki rting halaga daw nun! hehehe...regalo ng bosing namin actually for christmas pa yun... ngayon pa lang namin ginagamit... baka bawiin eh! ok naman ang training.... 2nd day ko na with rod of Fitness First - AHC (Al Hana Centre) same building lang din ng opis namin so ilang hakbang lang talaga... walang takas... sarap feeling after the workout... even if my legs/arms muscles are beginning to feel a bit sore :)..... konti lang naman...

hearts day

2008-02-13T23:40:00.004+04:00

HAPPY - HAPPY HEARTS' DAY TO ALL !!!

early valentine

2008-02-13T22:43:00.006+04:00

my friend called me around 8:30pm, wala daw tao sa bahay namin... asan ka ba, asked niya.. dito pa me sa opis eh! bakit? ah, ok daan na lang kami diyan... "kami sino-sino kayo.. basta kami. "o sige - buzz me when you 're down the building" sabi ko.

so tumawag na sa ibaba na raw sila - sabi ko "o sige na papalabas na rin ako..wait lang ha" - ok daw. labas ako sa front door ng building.. tingin to the left - tingin to the right, asan kaya sila - tawagan ko sa cell.. sa right side daw - hirap daw parking.. o sige punta na me diyan...

kita ko parang dami tao sa car.. aba ang buong familia pala kasama! pagbukas ng pinto - kent handed me this bouquet of roses..

and kissed me sa cheek tapos si sheena din... sakay agad ako - flying kiss na lang sa mag-asawa kasi naka illegal parking kami eh!..

andar na.. so naiyak naman ako - they wanted to be the first daw.. how sweet naman... naalala nila ako... hinatid na rin ako bahay namin...the whole bunch of the gucilatar family... many many thanks for your thoughts!!! kahit bihi-bihira na tayong magkita-kita... lagi kayong nakakaalala and i love you guys for that!

salamat ulit... ronald, shelly, sheena and kent!!! happy hearts day to you too!!!

“somewhere over the rainbow”

2008-02-12T20:04:00.000+04:00

my friend “nemo” (ayan na extra na kita sa entry ko ha!) sent me via e-mail, few days ago, the song “somewhere over the rainbow” by israel kamakawiwo’ole – when i was chatting with him and was kinda feeling low (?!?!) .. and he kept on asking me if i already have listened to it - and i would say “no - not yet”. He would insist that i listen to it na .... as in now na daw!!! aber!

me being “so pretty” was thinking of the tune that i knew then, hehehe and .. I was in the office this morning when i turned on my pc and clicked on the music and played that song..... buti na lang i had my earphones on! aba.. i was wondering why i still cannot hear the beat in that music that would make it known to me.... hmm maybe this one is another song with the same title lang?... sige listen pa... hmmm then the guy started singing the lyrics...

know what happened???? I wanted to take off my office attire and shoes and don my little grass skirts instead, with the matching leis !!! aba... it’s in a different beat – bit touch of hawaiian thing to it... instead of me mag-emote eh – natawa tuloy ako...hehehe parang gusto kong maghula-hula there and then.

In the little nook of my mind – i was like making a “choreography” – sequence of steps... kulang na lang talagang tumayo ako at kumendeng-kendeng dun ... siempre pa, iba na rin ang moves, graduate na sa pearly shells and tiny bubbles.. hahahaha

I have that impish smile on my face that morning till my boss came - that was something like 11:47am. amused maybe with that “sylvester-type-of grin” on my face, – he asked me why i looked so happy today... of course i can’t tell him that i am in the “hula-hula mood” noh!... so i just smiled more widely and just said: “because they are starting to demolish the other unit!” ---- duhhh?? and he said “ohh...well that’s good enough but not convincing enough ... in my office” . . . hehehe.. i guess my boss knows me a lot better than i thought!

Now.. how can i attach this music file on this page so i can share it with you guys and you can dance the hula too!.. good belly and hip exercise too :)

i'll attach it na lang later pag dating ng flatmate ko - papaturo pa ako eh! :)

first day at work...

2008-02-11T23:08:00.000+04:00

sunday ... took out my new mug from the bag... and after sometime – around 10:15am, i made my first cup – or should i say “mug” of tea... for the day and dyaraaaan... introducing my new tea mug on it’s first day at work!

can you please show me your coffee /tea cups/mugs?

quite by mistake....

2008-02-10T00:23:00.000+04:00

damned! i almost cut my wrist!!! torpedos!

i was almost done with my laundry.. just cleaning up the machine... i saw this soapy like thing sa spin dryer.. i reached in to clean it then.. araaaayyyyyy... something somewhat scratch me... what the #*#!! huhuhuhu.... it bled for a while - i really thought i cut my wrist na....

i cannot just run to the hospital if ever - they will require police report pa - otherwise i could be charge with "attempted suicide" !!!! what - me attempt suicide?? di daw ano!? i still love my life.. still enjoying every breath i take, every breath i make.....

super pretty me... pakialaman pati washing machine... my flatmate - a bit nervous after seeing it - told me to go to sleep na! hehehe... and my chat friend told me to put on antibiotic cream...

found the antibio cream - applied it and maybe i will wrap it with a hanky...

lesson learned: leave the cleaning to the washing machine technicians!!! :)

the burj dubai at dusk

2008-02-09T21:07:00.000+04:00

after the buying spree (of my cuz not me) from home r us, we went to have a quick lunch at the SFC - Southern Fried Chicken, just on the next block and off to Aweer to our friend's bike shop - no silly, not his - that is where he works - he manages that bike shop.

Anyways, we went there to have a small hand massage for cuz - she hurt her thumb during a volleyball game like 3 weeks ago... and our friend knows how to - he did study that thing.. so massage - massage...stories (kwento) and more massage.. after that - my cuz still in her spending mood.. went around browsing through some of the items.. first she got that sort of handle cover for her bike... ok fine - not expensive minus discount.. ok.

aba, she saw the biking shoes, checked the sizes and uhummm.. asked for her size, fitted them, asked me if they looked good - i readily said yes (guess i was afraid that very minute to say no - she might leave me behind and honestly i do not know how to get back to my place!). in fairness, it really looked good on her - so she had the steel something-like fixed on the shoes... that is after 50% discount - 125 only, good buy ( i forgot to take pic of that pair) ... and before she could buy something else i asked her if we can leave na, coz the DM Club will be closing by 6pm... and our friends are still waiting for us...

so we left... on the way to ghusais where the DM club is located (and where our friends are working) we can see the burj dubai... and it is a bit dusky now with the sky turning orangy.. nice scene.. and this is all i can show you - a pic taken from inside the car, in motion...i'm not good in taking photos... but then...

the burj dubai - towering the skyline of sheikh zayed ... taken from a road in aweer. as of 5th feb 2008, it has reached 159 floors; current height 604.9m. expected to be completed by late 2008. see http://www.burjdubai.com/

Burj Dubai (Dubai Tower) is predicted to be the tallest man-made structure in the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Dubai

ang "mugs" bow !

2008-02-09T20:00:00.000+04:00

saturday morning, i went to my cuz's place to return something i borrowed from her. and then she said she wanted to go out - "we'll" go to this and that... ehh??? i cant' say no to her - coz it's been quite a while since we went out.. so i said ok... (thinking that it would take few hours only).

what few hours? - i got home past 7pm !! hehehe... really went to this and that .. hahaha.. first stop... home r us - she needed to exchange some items she bought - but then it is a "sale season" so not allowed - she was asked to come back after the DSF instead - so that would be sometime last week of Feb... still we went around the shop.. i said to myself " i will just browse" but can't resist the sale prices !!! hahaha... but i managed to control my urge to shop - lucky my credit card is not in my wallet..BUT STILL i bought few items... nothing much - i just fancied them... wanna see...

i saw these cute mugs.... i just fancied buying them... cuz asked me why i am buying two (thinking that i might give one to a colleague - but i told her that i'll use the one with "coffee" when i am drinking coffee; and the the one with "tea" when i am drinking tea :) -- hehehe she just rolled her eyes and kept quiet...

and these cushion covers.. they have so many designs but i am looking for something in particular - something.. but i can't pinpoint what... so i settled with these plain satin with plain colored embroderies... they are nice .. basta!

then i was going through the kitchen items and was eyeing a simple bread toaster - she saw me and asked me why i am buying a toaster. i told her mine was already worn out - still working though - but i think i ought to give it a "rest" na ... it has served its purpose - just imagine since 1992 till now - but still in tiptop condition! galing kong mag-alaga ano!???

then she said - no don't buy - i'll give you one.. ehh?? why, you have two? she said yes.. so before we went to our friends place, we went back to her apartment which is just a few blocks away from the showroom and picked up the toaster that she said she would give me.. and this is it...

kenwood brand - and it looks like it's still unused!?!?!? so i asked her " are you sure you want to give this away? - she said yes... me: did you ever use this? her: once ot twice i think... well then ... i grabbed a plastic bag and into it the toaster went.. hehehe.. baka magbago isip - bawiin...

yipee i saved some "filos" ... i'll add that savings to my budget for the kitchen aid... :)

ang "cd"

2008-02-08T23:36:00.000+04:00

i was a bit busy yesterday doing my early morning routine at work. checking email, posts, faxes, notes, when a colleague asked for a blank cd.. without seriously looking at the container i took out one and was replacing the lid when i noticed something...

looking at this angle - clear pala siya! hehehe.. ignoramus you would say?!?!?!

hehehe.. wala lang natuwa lang naman ako...i found it amusing :) i've used up a lot of those cds in a container but it's only now that i noticed this. those white reflections are the papers scattered all over my desk.. i will try to take a pic of this again minus the scatters.. hmmm

Subject: Nasali si Inday sa 1 vs 100 Part 8

2008-02-06T11:48:00.002+04:00

I received this from a friend via email: funny... enjoy reading! :)

Umabot na sa puntong nasa halagang P10,000 na ang isang tanong. 4 na lang ang natitirang mob members at P414,000 ang laman ng prize pool.

Edu: Inday, 4 na lang ang mob members na naiiwan. Dalawang unbeatable, isang propesor ng Philosophy sa UP at may isa pang katulong ang natitira. (Napatingin si Edu sa floor director tilang di makapaniwala sa nabasa nya sa prompter).

Edu: Anyway, maaga pa lang ay naubos na ang iyong help pero parang hindi mo naman talaga kelangan ang mga yun. May 414,000 pesos ka nang naiipon. Ayaw mo pa bang kunin ang money? (gusto na atang tapusin ni Edu kasi lagi na lang syang napapadugo ni Inday).

Edu: Tandaan mo Inday, you have the option to walk out and take the money and leave the mob with nothing. So is it the money? or the mob? (pagod na si Edu sa kakasigaw ng money or the mob)

Inday: I’m enjoying this game so I’ll take the mob!!

Napa-hayyy na lang si Edu. Kinausap niya muna saglit ang director at naghanap sila ng mahirap na tanong.

Edu: Ok sige Inday, here’s your question worth P10,000. Para saang OS or Operating System ginawa ang Longhorn? Is it A, Linux? B, Mac or Macintosh?, or C, Windows? Mob members please key in your answer. Siguro Inday ay nakakita ka na ng computer diba? Meron sigurong PC yung amo mo sa bahay. Or baka nakagamit ka na nyan sa mga internet shop para mag-chat or mag-email.

Nakangisi lang si Inday habang pinapakinggan ang pag-explain ni Edu.

Edu: Yung OS or Operating System ay yung software na nagpapatakbo sa isang PC. Di ko alam kung nagegets mo mga pinagsasabi ko pero manghula ka na lang siguro since wala ka na ring help.

Inday: Ok. Let’s see if I can explain how I would arrive at my answer in a way that you could comprehend. I’m sure the answer is not letter B. Mac OS releases are usually codenamed after a wild cat such as Jaguar, Puma, Panther or the most recent major release of OS X, which is Leopard, which I incidentally have currently on my Macbook Pro.

Nagsisimula na namang dumugo ang ilong ni Doods.

Inday: I’m also sure that it’s not letter A which is Linux. The common Linux distribution right now are Fedora, SUSE, Mandriva and Ubuntu which is derived from Debian, a non-commercial distro. I even get to install Ubuntu in my master’s machine which is currently running a dual boot system side by side with Windows Vista.

Nagpakuha ng maraming tissue si Edu dahil umaagos na ang dugo sa ilong.

Inday: So that leaves me with letter C, Windows. Longhorn is the codename used for Windows Vista that was released early last year. My answer is letter C. (Sabay pindot ni Inday ang letter C).

Nagpakuha muna ng tubig si Edu bago tumuloy.

Edu: Ok, tignan na naten kung mauubos mo na ang mob members para matapos na ‘to. Ilan ba ang nagkamali? 1, 2, 3…! Nagulat si Edu nang may natira pa.

Edu: 3 ang nagkamali! Isa na lang ang natitira. Number 94, yung natitirang katulong. Grabe na ‘to ah. Napabagsak ng 2 katulong ang 99 na mob members.

Kinausap muna saglit ni Doods si number 94.

Edu: Number 94, ano po ang pangalan nila ma’am?

Number 94: Miriam po sir Edu, pero tawagin niyo na lang akong Manang gaya ng iba.

Nanlaki ang mga mata ni Inday nang napansin nyang si Manang pala ang natitirang mob member.

Inday: You!!! (Napatingin na lang kay Manang)

Manang: As Einstein once said, “Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods.”

BLAG!! Hinimatay si Edu sa kakulangan ng dugo. Di na alam kung paano ipagpapatuloy ang show kaya’t hinati na lang kanila Inday at Manang ang P444,000 na nalikom sa pool.

New Yorker - Grand Opening

2008-02-04T21:10:00.000+04:00

January 24, 2008 - grand opening of the first New Yorker shop at the Dubai Festival City (DFC) in the UAE - the slogan..."New Yorker - dress for the moment". The opening was announced on the radio a week before the day - the radio 104.8 dj - DJ Moe ( i love this guy's voice ... kilig!) would say this line and i just loved the way he said it... there was this "it" in his voice... :)

anyways, New Yorker was the recently completed project of our division - so entonces, punta kami sa opening... all our big bosses were there, minus our boss - who sadly was in the KSA :( ... DJ Moe of course was there, and the execs of the New Yorker from Germany... interviews here and there - sila lang ha... posing here and there... pati kami nakiposing na rin....

and here are some of the photos taken during that night...

popcorn & cotton candy stands were set up, mini softdrinks were likewise served and lots of New Yorker goodies /accessories were given away.... prices of the merchandise were reasonable...obvious ba.. with our shopping bags???

opening soon ( this feb. Urban Behavior - from Canada... stay tuned...for more)

thank you po!

2008-02-03T23:23:00.000+04:00

i've been quiet for some time (again) but still some of you guys out there remembered to send me emails instead - salamat po!

and to those who offered their condolences during our time of grief - many, many thanks po ulit!

will "try" to update you guys with what happened the last few months... ok lang kahit na delayed na...

salamat po ulit - sa di pagkalimot...

'kakatuwa naman ...

2008-02-03T22:50:00.000+04:00

i made a "new friend" (of sort) over the week-end.. via net... oh di ba?

friday - saturday is our weekend here.. when i got home yesterday morning - galing ako sa cuz ko - i was lazy to do any housework pa.. so switch-on ako ng pc... checked my mails, checked my other site, and my office mail too... wala lang, sign-in ako sa IM.. waiting for my cuz n sis in PI to sign-in too para maka-chat kami... aba.. me biglang nag ring! nagulat pa nga ako kasi i was seriously concentrated dun sa kabilang site! kakaiba ang ring, yun pala pc ko, then a msg box popped out - voice mail ek ek daw... eh wala naman akong mikropono ano?! nataranta na naman ang beauty ko - alam niyo naman super pretty ako sa mga ganito?!?!?!

look ako kung sino siya .. si N daw - so IM na lang ako na wala ako mic - "limited edition" ang pc ko eh - sabi ko pa... tawa lang siya tapos wala lang ayun - chat na kami and so totoo lang - di ako nunong masyado sa chatting :( ..kasi instead of chatting - i call na lang my sis.. dinig ko pa voices nila... :)

anyways, ayun - magkalapit lang pala kami sa pinas - manila - 2 blocks away... and may have seen each other sa kapilya na malapit sa amin... kaya medyo familiar siguro "beauty" ko sa kanya .. hahaha (kapal!!) pero we attended the same university pala - kaya natimbog niya ako sa net eh! nakiki-usyoso baga :)

ok siya kalog kausap... kwentuhan ng konti - pamilya, anak, trabaho - ganun... ah yes kahapon kasi after asking for my cell no.. tinawagan ako - gulat na naman ako, coz i picked up my cell without looking at the no. calling and just answered it. aba malay ko ba na tatawag nga?! knowing na mahal ang phone call from the usa, i didn't expect na tatawag siya... hehehe walang magawa... checking lang daw kung totoo yung number ko - salbahe! anyways - sinisi lang naman ako at nag low batt daw siya..ngee?!?!?! ako pa ang me sala! well atleast di ako sinisi sa laki ng babayaran niya!!! hahahaha

tapos this evening - aba tumawag ulit! "nagmamagandang gabi lang daw po" - hehehe.. bait ano...

wala lang.. yun lang...natutuwa lang kasi ako eh!

no ordinary love

2008-02-03T22:46:00.000+04:00

i was doing my work on my pc when the DJ played the song.."no ordinary love" - one of my fav..

hmm.. i remembered somebody with this song . . . sana siya rin ... :)

a tribute..

2008-02-02T21:21:00.000+04:00

I should have posted these months ago, but for what reasons - I cannot seem to.. first, the blog page came in all arabic! and second, i get emotional just with the thought.. this is a tribute to a loved one who passed away...

to Auntie Cely... may she rest in peace...

difficult as it is to accept her sudden death.. i will have too - that she may be in peace.. i know she is at peace now... She would have turned 80 years old last Jan. 31st .. we were planning on celebrating it with the family - to be a reunion of sort, but then death tragically snatched her from us on the morning of 23rd october 2007.

God saw that she doesn't deserved the pain that she would be going through and He gave her rest...

Auntie Cely - second mother to me and my siblings, a loving, caring, forgiving and a selfless person. Me and my sister, we are where we are now because of her and for that we will forever be very grateful... words will not be enough to express our deepest appreciation of all the love and care she has given us; for all hardships she has gone through, and the sacrifices she has done for us.

MARAMING SALAMAT Auntie, sa pagmamahal mo, pag-aaruga at pagkalinga sa amin... sa mga sakripisyo mo para maitaguyod kami, lalo na sa aming pag-aaral.... maraming salamat....

Lagi ka sa aming mga puso, hindi ka namin malilimutan... - pipilitin ko ang puso kong mapatawad ang taong may sanhi nang maaga mong pagpanaw.

Magpahinga ka na, Auntie Cely.

Greetings !

2007-12-24T16:30:00.000+04:00

Wishing you all the best of the Season !

Merry Christmas !!!

God Bless.....

eid 2007 (part 1)

2007-10-14T17:03:00.000+04:00

First day of Eid fell on a Friday, and it was announced that there will be a two day holiday so our holiday was Saturday and Sunday, plus the Friday so 3-days holidays kami !!!

We've planned to go to out-of-town for the week-end. Yani (Mama Aleen's eldest son) and wife, Aizel invited us over to their place in Ras Al Khaimah - second to the last emirate of the UAE. I was surprised coz we arrived earlier than I expected - thanks to the new Emirates Road, made traveling easier for us staying in Dubai to visit the other emirates.

So ang naging plano, Friday morning head to RAK, tapos pahinga tapos punta sa beach, overnight dun, ihaw-ihaw, kainan, games, at kung anu-ano pang scheduled activities na prepared by Aizel and friend niya. Next morning swim sa dagat tapos head back sa bahay, have breakfast, freshen up (dami yata naming naka-line up magshower!!). tapos, punta sa shooting range. kaso mo nagkatulugan na! paano ba naman, 2 am na nag ge-game pa kami ano! at me nag continue pa nang bbq - chicken wings, hotdogs, kaya naman after the games - tsibugan na ulit, sama na ang kantiyawan ulit ng mga kapalpakan sa mga games.... madaya daw kami (?) hehehe kami kasi nanalo eh.. pero later na yun... sa lahat nang nag-camp dun kami pinaka-maingay yata :)

On the way to their place we made a stop at the Al Manar Center coz they have to buy some stuff from Carrefour. While the others do the shopping, me and my friend, Mai, went around and took some photos outside the mall.

si ako... o di ba me dolphin pa raw !

wala lang - aakapin ko sana yung puno - hehehe....hiya lang ako kasi me dumating na mga arabo at patungo sa amin - nagpapa picture din - kasama daw kami ?!?!?! hindi siguro ano!!!

mai - posing at the back of the mall facing the lagoon.

pagdating sa bahay ng mag-asawa, siempre gutom na, so galit-galit muna habang kumakain. kaya nga walang litrato kasi lahat abala sa pagkain :) tapos pahinga muna. marami nang tao sa bahay nang dumating kami kaya naman abalang-abala ang mag-asawa sa pagluluto. meron pa pala sa kuwarto na nagpahinga muna at galing sa duty - mga nurses kasi. kaya naman nang handa nang lumarga - nag 2 trip pa yung van na hired namin from dubai. ang saya-saya kasi kalog naman sila (although di yata talaga maalis na me "kj") parang matagal ng magkakakilala kung magbiruan - tawanan...kantiyawan.... masaya....

first pics taken around 5pm at the beach. as expected, marami nang tao and dami na ring nakatayong tents. siempre nag-save na kami ng puwesto namin, labas ang mga tent at tinayo na. first time na nag-pitch ng tent ang ibang kasama namin at kakatuwa, pabale-balentuwang yung tent! hehehe... pati yung aso - remember the doggie we found? " husky" ang name niya ngayon at kasama namin... pati siya excited sa mga tawanan habang itinatayo yung tent

ang tropa from dubai: dexter, mama aleen, si ako, mai, vangie, cora, ann, jo, may-may (w/the sulo)

the same tropa minus may-may, but now with husky - "the doggie who wouldn't bark" !!!

while waiting for the others ...

si cora sa loob ng tent namin... hmm... balak na naman matulog....

hohummm, time out muna ako - antok na me.. aga ko pa ring nagising kanina. kung bakit naman kapag walang pasok, dun ako maagang nagigising.... :(

abangan ang kasunod ha...

remembering the voice..

2007-09-29T21:39:00.000+04:00

have you ever wondered how a friend would sound like after so many years? would you still be able to recall / remember her/his voice???....

well, i got the surprise of my life when a friend gave me call - OA ba? ok ok - i gave my number, but I was not expecting him to call!?! so it's an overseas call - siya tumawag - ok na ok - kanya charges hehehe :)

so ayun kumustahan, kwentuhan, alaala ng nakaraan, ng mga kalokohan, ng mga kaibigan, pamilya.. asaran, tuksuhan pa rin like before, pero sa totoo lang i was having a hard time putting a face to that voice that i was hearing! parang hindi siya - hehehe... he sounded so young - isip ko tuloy baka niloloko lang ako ng mga pamangkin ko ah! hmm... pero he said things that only happened during those years - years ago!? o siya - i said to myself - siya na nga - ganon nga siguro boses niya... talagang di ko ma-grasp ba..

wala lang - kakatuwa lang kasi after such a long. long time .... nagkaroon ulit ng komunikasyon - natagpuan daw ako sa isang site.... the wonders of internet nga naman...

kayo - have you heard from your long lost friends??

workplace ko...

2007-09-24T12:23:00.000+04:00

this is my work area... looks tidy ano? wait till you see what is on the right and left side . . . hehehe ...

usual stuff on my table? calculator, pin holder, sharpener (ang cheap ano!), siempre the pc, the keyboard, pens, pencils, cutter, pic of my princess, my cup of tea .. but then - i eaten my sandwich so it's no longer there, and my cookies, chocolates and nuts are stll in my drawer...

what about you - what are the usual stuff on your desk?

it's official!!

2007-09-24T12:07:00.000+04:00

it's official.... "AUTUMN" na raw sa UAE... sabi ng newscaster ng Channel ONE.

and according to wikipedia:

Autumn (also known as fall in North American English) is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter. In the northern hemisphere, the start of autumn is generally considered to be September 21 and in the southern hemisphere, its beginning is considered to be March 21.[1]

Around this time, deciduous trees shed their leaves. The leaves of the trees change their color to a reddish hue prior to falling. Such colored leaves have come to be colloquially called "fall foliage". In the temperate zones, autumn is the season during which most crops are harvested, and deciduous trees lose their leaves. It is also the season during which days get shorter and cooler, the nights get longer, and precipitation gradually increases (in some parts of the world).

The word 'autumn' is derived from the French word automne, and became popular in usage for the season since the 16th century. The North American name for the season, 'fall', probably derived as a contraction of the phrase "fall of the leaves", and since became used interchangeably.

...hmm... trees shed their leaves kaya it is also popularly called "fall" kasi falling down ang leaves.. hehehe - explanation ko yan sa anak ko nung maliit pa siya. makapasyal nga sa park at obserbahan ang mga puno sa dubai ?!

sabi din sa news - lalamig na rin ang klima - kaso kaninang umaga - mainit pa rin... pero kagabi after mass, madilim-dilim na.... so dapat nang halungkatin ang mga sweater and jackets at iprepara para sa tag-lamig!

week-end sa dubai

2007-09-21T22:59:00.000+04:00

friday na naman ng gabi - tapos na "week-end" namin dito sa dubai. back to work na bukas. thursday we worked half-day (kuno!) then friday whole day off...

whole day - to do your laundry, house cleaning, ironing sa hapon (kasi natuyo na yung nilabhan mo nung thursday ng hapon), luto if feeling magluto, mamalengke if feeling mamalengke.. ganoon nauubos ang maghapon ko/namin dito.

minsan naman pag talagang tinamad ako - wala talaga akong gagawin!!! hehehe... nood, kain, tulog.....

kayo musta na week-end niyo?

my hand...

2007-09-21T22:12:00.000+04:00

i woke up one morning,,, parang maga ang kamay ko na di ko maintindihan.. manhid ... walang pakiramdam... natakot siempre ako! masahe masahe... wrappped my whole right arm in hot towel.....hanggang sa yung kamay ko na lang ang parang manhid... after sometime, yung daliri ko na lang ang parang me maling pakiramdam... walking to office minamasahe ko pa rin kamay ko.

pagdating sa office i told my colleague na masakit ang kamay ko lalo ng yung knuckles ba tawag dun? " ate - arthritis yan" - walang kagatol-gatol na sinabi ng bruha!!!! sarap bigwasan ah! troubled naman ang beauty ko - aba kasi naman maraming bawal na food kapag me arthritis ano!? hehehe tsibog pa rin ang nasa isip! seriously - nakita ko kasi isang tita ko na may arthritis and her fingers were deformed... sobrang sipag kasi daw sabi ng ibang tita ko.. (kaya na nga ba ok lang na tamarin paminsan-minsan eh!)

isip ko baka naman dahil mahilig akong magpatunog (knuckle cracking) sarap kasi eh! silip naman ako sa wikipedia - wala pa naman so far medical proof na me koneksyon ang knuckle cracking sa arthritis... :)

i just finished a call on my cell phone then wala lang i took pic of my hurting hand/fingers... hehehe kita pala ako ng construction manager namin... tanong sa 'kin: "what are you doing? why are you taking picture of your hand? (siempre ingles kasi briton yun eh!) - - gulat ako - sabi ko " ah nothing - it 's hurting i just wanted to take this pic so i can compare it when it's not hurting" (any sense??) anyways - sabi niya" oh really? but can you still type coz I have this report and I need it quite urgent but I am going out for a meeting now and be back again for another meeting - so I cannot do it myself" - sabi ko naman no worry I'll do it... (yun lang pala - me ipapagawa dami pa tanong...)

eto yung hitsura ng daliri/kamay ko that day...

later naman that day medyo nawala na yung sakit. pero iniiwasan ko nang mag knuckle cracking - hehehe... pero me friend ako na even in her sleep nagka crack siya ng knuckles niya!!! di daw niya alam (siempre tulog nga ano!!!)

kayo mahilig din ba kayong magpalagatok ng daliri niyo?