Noche Buena in Bur Dubai

The day I thought I will be lonely celebrating Christmas Eve turns out to be a thought only, a friend save me. I was invited to spend the celebration in their place.

In the pictures are the foods they have prepared for themselves shared to their “visitor”.



Donald is roasting the Bangus (milkfish) when I arrived. Edwin told me that he and Mariz mixed the ingredient, perfectly cooked and nicely arranged the squids and prawns. Ogie after contributing his part in preparation of squids and prawns he then fried the ham. I have found out that these engineers have culinary talents. If there is a branch of engineering called Culinary Engineers they are the ones.



Since it was unplanned event for me, I was not able to join the cooking but instead shared only grapes I brought from Spinneys.

Louie arrived later accompanied by his wife and son who are in vacation in Dubai.

We have chat during the meal and after that singing using Mariz mediacom. Ogie I learned also sing, Donald too and Edwin belting out some songs not for our pitch. Mariz initially lined up some upbeat Christmas song followed by all OPM songs until all drop down to bed remaining only Ogie and me standing up to past midnight.



If only I didn’t realized that Ogie and the rest of the guys except Mariz will have their work the following morning I will not stop singing till I do not have any voice to forget that I wasn’t able to chat and see my family in the webcam due to poor or maybe jammed internet connections in the Philippines.

Anyway, I am very grateful that the good Lord provided me somebody to celebrate with the Christmas Eve traditionally celebrated by Filipinos. Friends are heaven sent. I left the place somehow relieved from sadness. Now, how will be the new year eve.

Cross hands

We had our last taichi session last Sunday. I can do the complete 24-form exercise now. (Cross hands, by the way, is the the step before the concluding one.)

Last Friday, we had brunch at the Shang Palace in Shangri-La Hotel. Great Cantonese food!

Dr. Chen's Taichi Group consists of people of different nationalities. My batch has Amal from Lebanon, Cecil from Norway and Rosalia from Spain. Angela, who leads the sessions when Dr. Chen is not yet around, seems to be English. So is Dalice, who plays the clarinet with the Dubai Chamber Orchestra. Thomas is German. Evelyn, who is my neighbor in Jumeirah 3, is Swiss. John and Judy are Americans, I think. The quiet one, Juliana, is also Lebanese. Rina is Indian. There are some more but I don't know their names and nationalities.

The group practices taichi at Al Wasl Park on Friday mornings. I promised to join them once I learned the complete routine. So, to cap my taichi activities for 2007, I will join them tomorrow ... if, after tonight's Christmas get-together of Morong folks in UAE, I can be at the park at 7:30am ...

Eid excursion

This time, it's Eid il-Adha. And this time, it's Abu Dhabi. It was also the Christmas party of the Pinoys in the Thumb-Up Team.

We had picnic by the Corniche Road ...



bowling at the Zayed Sports Center ...



and dinner and gift-giving in Eddie's flat.



Merry Christmas and Eid Mubarak!

Offline

Isang iterinary ko sa pag uwi s Pinas ay ang mag renew ng driver's license at ipaupgrade ito sa professional.



Maski expire na ang dating kong lisensya at kinailangan ako kumuha uli ng pagsusulit sa pagmamaneho, nakapasa uli ako at nagkaroon ng katuparan, nakuha ko ito s loob ng isang araw, malaking pagbabago kumpara nung huling kumuha ako ng mga taong 2000.

Subalit sa isng opisinang ito ng gobyerno, may napansin din akong kakaibang development, dumami ang negosyante sa tabi tabi at madali na ang kumuha lalo na sa baguhan basta lamang may puhunan ka.

Dumating ako ng bago mag alas 8 ayon na rin sa kanilang payo para daw makakuha ako ng numero, nakakuha nga ako at pang 51 na ako. Nang aakyat na ako para hintayin tawagin ang aking numero sa itaas ay pinigil ako ng gwardiya dahil Offline daw at walang processing, maghintay daw, ngunit magdadalawang oras na ako e wala pa rin. Pero ung iba sa 50 nauna sa akin at ung mga bagong dating ay nakaka akyat matapos n may lumapit sa kanila at may kumausap. Ako ay nilapitan din at sinabi na online sa ibang lugar at pede maproseso, hindi ako kumagat dahil sa tingin ko e negosyante rin siya.



Hindi ako pede magbigay kanino man kung hindi sa cashier lamang, ayokong patulan ang mga ganitong tao dahil sa bukod na lalaki ang babayaran ay mananatili at mananatili ang mga ito Sa wakas ng s tinign nila e wala ng lumalapit sa kanila ay naging online na, pinaakyat din ako pasadong 10 am na, sayang na 2 oras. At ng nasa taas na ako tama ang hinala ko marami ng inaayos na papel sa itaas, ito na ung mga nagsipagbayad ng mahigip sa 50% sa karaniwang binabayaran. Karamihan sa kanila ay mga bagong kuha ng lisensya at mga bata pa.



Ang tinutumbok ko lang sa pagsulat kong itong ng aking karanasan ay ang mga sayang n sandali s aking paghihintay ng isang araw sa opisinang ito na sa halip n makadagdag ng oras pa sa aking pamilya ay ninikaw pa nito, ilang araw lang bakasyon kong ito sa pinas. Sa aking estimate ay kaya ang proseso ng aking lisensya sa loob lang ng 3 oras na ang pinakamatagal ngunit dahil sa mga negosyante ay tumagal.

Kayo na lang mg nakakabasa nito ang humusga kung ano na ang mangyayri kung ito ay nangyayari din sa ibang ahensya ng gobyerno ng pinas. Pinupuri ko yung mga taong nagtiis na maghintay at sa mga nakakabasa sana ay hindi nya matyempohan ang opisinang ito sa MM. Pero balita ko ok naman ung mga nasa Mall.

Overseas Filipino Professionals

During my recent vacation trip to the Philippines, inside the plane I have a chance to sit beside a returning engineer. We have an exchange of stories during our 8 hours travel back home. I learned that he is working for 20 years now in the Middle East, 5 years in Saudi Arabia and currently in Qatar. He is holding a very good position in Qatar Petroleum earning a very big salary. He left working from NPC in the Philippines.

Now I realized that this is one of the so called unsung heroes who keep on pumping needed dollars in our country sacrificing lost precious time with his wife and children. In our project and my company where I am working there are also handful of this elite who for almost their lifetime work abroad to sustain or send their family into a much better life in the Philippines.




Although this I can say and in my opinion not a normal life for a family man being away, like in my situation going for two years now, we really deserve a very good life in retiring or settling back in the Philippines. Good life mean to me as having successful sons and daughters, taking care of my wife, nice savings, fulfilling spiritual life, decent properties or even a modest business.

I hope our countryman or the government we left in the Philippines will have a heart to focus working on preserving country's environment, sustaining peace and order, improving public infrastructures/transportations, establishing honest and efficient governance. Those are the things we only asked for after being an instrument to contribute building malls, condominiums, subdivisions, strengthening banks and businesses where our families funneling the resources we send back home. Philippines is our home, nowhere else.



By the way the man whom I have a chat in the airplane have his trip in the Philippines early not only to celebrate the Christmas season but also to tend to his daughter who is sick of Dengue.