Filipino Christmas Party 2013

On Dec 24, 2013, thanks to our company, who sponsored these delicious variety of food - Local fruits, Indian chicken Biryani, Filipino pancit Noodles & Lumpia, and the international unbeatable Pizza hut & KFC chickens so we fed more than 50 people at work during our happy Christmas Party!

Christmas Gifts

Merry Christmas!

We all love to receive gifts but this year I never expected to receive many and my heart was overwhelmed.

The Last Lunch Treat

Because they finished compiling everything needed to finally submit our EOT, one of our managers decided to feed our 2 smart colleagues- our Pakistani Planner & Filipino QS with this delicious Jajangmyeon. Glad I was also invited hehe.

Santa gave me a Swarovski! |(and 2 dogs)

<free santa claus>

Nature's Hug

Last night I set my alarm at 6:30AM so that I can go to the sea early morning. The seashore is just 5 minutes walk from where we live. Walking by the park, the grasses & trees are still wet from the water sprinklers and the air is cold. It is now the middle of December, christmas is just 2 weeks away. The green trees and grasses, the blue calm waters of the sea, and the refreshing cool breeze are powerful medicine for the body and the spirit. Last week I suffered from physical and emotional pains, my family is far away and I have no one to hug. Life in UAE is sometimes terribly lonely. We all left our families in our home country, came here to live and work alone.

Line to Heaven...

Yup. my voice may not be very pleasant but the reason I sing is to make myself happy. Cheers!

Twinkle-twinkle UAE!

UAE is now 42 years independent. Every year the country celebrate with parades, fireworks and a variety of great events and most of all it is shining at night until new year. 'love it!

Lions Vs Stallions

Today we got invited to dinner by our Korean Manager.

 <Sir Ben, Joan, Me, Sir Lee, Sir Jeon...sir Baek is hiding & smoking>

Hot and Painful

Today is a terribly troubled day at the office. There are a lot of work and the whole day I could not rotate my head. Our site nurse gave a pain reliever patch he said "Stick it on your neck." Salonpas makes you feel hot and makes you smell like menthol. But does not remove pain.

Byun's Visit

Anneong-haseyo! We were refreshed when we met our friend from south korea who came back to UAE to see us. Her name is Byun. Such a sweet lonely girl. She used to work day and night non-stop like the other koreans, but now we were glad to see that she had found her "inner peace". She said she was able to think for herself during her visit in Turkey, hehe. 

St. Petersburg

photo credit: danielkorzeniewski

St. Petersburg is the 2nd largest city in Russia with a population of 5million. It was built by the famous 'Peter the Great'. When Peter the Great ruled Russia, he opened and reformed his country to grow and become one of the most powerful in Europe. The city is like a big cultural center, it has 150 museums and 60 theaters.

Moscow

Moscow is the capital of Russia. In 1993 the Soviet Union collapsed and Russia became a democratic state. It has 12million population. 16million in daytime because some people live outside in their country houses but work in Moscow so 7 million people commute daily to the city. Private offices working hours are from 10am to 6pm  while government offices are from 8.30-9am to 5pm. Some markets are 24 hrs open. And big shopping malls open from 10am-10pm. Russians love to wear black. They have black dress black jackets, black boots and black gloves and caps.

A Taste of Thunder in the Emirates

It rarely rains in the UAE. If it does, its only mild and just for a few minutes. Today is different. Its strong and there is a sound of thunder also. 

To: Philippines...From: The hearts of PISA

Typhoon Yolanda (haiyan), one of the most powerful storm to hit the world crashed a part of our country recently. It is very devastating. Terrible news runs through the local as well as in the international networks during the last weeks. To help even in a little way we combined our donations from the different nationalities in our workplace (filipinos, koreans, indians, lebanese...).

Welcome back Logos! Hope Floats in Mina

The Logos Hope is a christian charity ship which travels the world, they have crew of about 400 volunteers from 45 different countries. They help people in the country they visit by giving medical assistance, providing water purification systems, building infrastructure, or setting up libraries.

In Love with the Prince of Asgard

Thor's new movie is as good as the previous one. It is great fun watching it. The same great actors played it skillfully that you will get carried away so easily. And they shot most of the scenes in the beautiful city of London. The story plays with the opposites of our emotions: love & anger, hope & despair, forgiveness & revenge, then of course tears & laughter.

Bibimbap Dinner at Hankook Abu Dhabi

There are many nice international cuisine restaurants scattered around the city. And we like everything korean so we stopped by to try the HANKOOK restaurant near the bus station last week.

Shushi Lunch at Sho Cho Abu Dhabi

Everyday we eat free food from the Company's catering services....but me and my friend agreed that we are tired of its same taste over and over so last week we both decided to go out for lunch. Our project site is near Fairmount Hotel and there is a nice 'shushi' restaurant in souk qaryat al beri. Even though we only have an hour to spare, we risked getting late back to work and went inside Sho Cho.

Tbilisi

Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia. It is a small European country between Asia and Europe, east of Black Sea, and south of Russia, near Turkey. Visa is open for tourists, you'll get it upon arrival and costs approximately Dhs.100 ($30)

Farewell Ms. Sri Lanka!

As we live we come to meet many people, we open our hearts to some, they become our friends and by and by we have to say goodbye. We joke and fight at the same time but most of all we try to learn from all. No matter how much we want to keep our friends but still it is necessary to separate ways again. Today we said goodbye to our one and only beautiful Sri Lankan colleague.  Such a sweet yet stubborn girl.

<pretty rona, joan, & gayani...PISA at the background)

Beauty does not come in a Size

My stomach is hurting. I think I exceeded tonight the maximum allowable food volume to put inside. My dinner was enough for 3people. Food can be therapeutic you know, when you have a problem.

Moving On...

Today is Thursday. 5:20am, I awoke with a heavy heart, took hot shower and drink bitter coffee. I am scheduled for a job interview today. Here in the UAE, the market is very competitive, there are so many nationalities, and its normal to feel nervous for interview. Finally I got down on my knees and poured out all the fears, doubts, & desperation. The sky is very bright this morning, at 8 AM its a little difficult to catch a taxi, there are no commuter trains, the public buses are always full especially in the morning and it has to stop in each parking lot.

Obsessed with South Korea

What is it about South Korea that charms the world?

Korean Gifts ^^* memorabillas

<from sir Baek_08.09.13>

Shawarmas and Curtains

We finally moved in to our new room in flat 1208 Al Yousuf Tower

beside Pizza Hut in Hamdan Street, in the center of Abu Dhabi City.

 My room mate brought many of her things....

It's your Life but I love you!

We know what needs to be done.

And we know what is good and bad.

But we often ignore everything else and do what we like. 

Even if it harms us, we don't care. 

Sometimes we don't know but someone cares.

Be MAD & RIDICULOUS! (or be boring)

~~Thanks Ms. Marilyn!

Give It All Away (Short Story)

Legend has it that a man was lost in the desert, dying for a drink of water. He stumbled upon an old shack-a ramshackle, windowless, roofless, weather-beaten old shack. He looked about this place and found a little shade from the heat of the desert sun. As he glanced around he saw a pump about fifteen feet away-an old, rusty water pump. He stumbled over to it, grabbed the handle, and began to pump up and down, up and down. Nothing came out.

The 4 Cows and the Lion (Short Story)

Unite or Die

Once upon a time there lived 4 cows in a forest. They were very close friends and always stood by each other in times of need. Whenever some wild animal tried to attack them, all of them got together and chased them away. So no animal in the forest dared to attack them.

How NOT to Observe Office Ettiquettes

Wear weird and fancy clothes.

The Wolf is Back!

He's the awesomest of the X-men! Oh don't you love to hear the sharp metal scraping sound from those shiny knives coming out of his knuckles, and his angry scowl with his signature wolf hairstyle and beard...hehe.

How to get a Russian Tourist Visa

<visit visa to Russia>

They said Russia is one of the most or the most expensive place in the whole world.

Yes, maybe right, because just the visit visa processing fee costs approx. AED700 (approx $200), compared to only  approx. AED 200 ($60) for Schengen, or UK visas.

The Day we took Someone else's Lunch

<who looks guilty?>

Everyday at 12 o'clock noontime we have lunch together with some colleagues.

Before we eat, we bring out our lunch box's and heat our food in the microwave.

We have to fall in line because there is only a small oven and we are many.

New Sleeping Arrangement

This is our new home starting next month.
Now I have to share a room with another because it is necessary.

Stormy Heart Today

Brace Challenge

"You need to eat too much now, tomorrow onwards you will be hungry because you can not eat anymore."

She's right. So we eat the whole pot of carbonara yesterday.

My friend referred me to her lady dentist.

Today I got my own teeth braces.

I thought it is easy. Wrong. It is a struggle.
It feels like a hard gum is permanently stuck to your mouth.

The pain is tolerable but its constant.

Eating is difficult, it hurts to chew.

When you talk, you can not pronounce very well, your 's' sounds like 'sshh'.

And your face deforms, when you smile you look like a vampire.

And the worst is you can not kiss anymore, huhuhu.

(There is no one to kiss. It's just a joke.)

One year of vampire smile and monthly tortures is challenging.
Cost me a lot of money too.

No matter what, I have gone for dental braces on my own will. Nobody forced me.

Mwah. Cheers!

How to cook Carbonara (Filipino Style)

Today, I tasted the best carbonara ever.

One of my friend kidnapped me to their home, she said she will feed me full first before sending me to the dentist.

I am going to share with you her secret recipe, ssshhh!

 1) Prepare the ingredients: 450g pasta, 4pcs eggs, 500ml cream, shredded cheese, sweet ham & bacons, green onions and garlic, cooking oil.

Sentimental Friday

Last week, I sent messages to all people I love and told them what makes them special for me.
Most of them are miles far from Abu Dhabi.
I did that because I was afraid I will die and will never get the chance to tell them.

My heart just prompted me to be more loving to others this time.
No I am not sick (nor planning on suicide).
I am getting older maybe.
There is a Filipino joke about single- women "walang napaglalabasan ng init" Haha.
Single ladies tend to be more strict, easily agitated, and often moody.
Hopefully I am not like that.
Being alone most of the time, I think and talk to myself all times.
Myself said to myself "If you die later what will you do now?".

Yesterday at work, we received a special email:

Modus Operandi: Be Careful during Ramadan

Few years ago Gulf News gave a warning about thefts under disguise who beg for money particularly during this season, taking advantage of the people's vulnerability during the holy month of Ramadan.

I Love you Friend (unconditionally)

I was alone.
I could hear only the sound of my heavy breathing and of my running footsteps.
The air was still humid but I could feel a slight breeze this evening in Corniche.
It is dark at 8pm but there were many street lights around.
I saw a few people also walking or jogging.

Why You Should Respect a Guitar

The Origin of Guitar

The guitar was born more than 4000 years ago <1900-1800 B.C.>

"Mood Swings" Day

All girls experience 'mood swings' days so relax its normal, my friend.

When I'm having a bad day, I eat and sleep. Hide inside myself.... in my own world.

How to Tell if you are a True Filipino (in heart and in mind)

You are 100% Filipino (genuine and true) if:

1. You have close family ties, you are hospitable, respectful and industrious.
2. You send giant cargo boxes “Balikbayan Box” to the Philippines at least once a year.

Looking for Room in Abu Dhabi

<warning notice, ouch!>

Upon arriving home last Wednesday, there was an arabic note posted on our door. It is a warning to the tenants to vacant the flat immediately. So I have to leave my room and search for another accommodation asap. Oh life. 
Most of us struggle to find a decent place to stay in the city because of the high rental cost. I searched and checked more than 10 buildings hoping to find a good but economical place to stay but all are not satisfactory.
Some Filipinos do business by renting a flat then subletting the rooms to other Filipinos, making it very expensive. For example now I pay to my Egyptian landlord Dh2000 ($550) per month for my 9m2 room, but for the same room size, my fellow Filipinos will sublet it for Dhs3000 ($825) to gain additional 50% profit. If you want a cheaper option, there are bed spaces or partitioned spaces, these are double deck beds, very small area just enough for sleeping, it costs Dhs500-2000. They hang curtains to divide the room into small portions, but anyone can move the curtain to see the other side hehe, so there is no absolute privacy. Also the toilets will be shared by 10 or more boarders so it is very busy and crowded. You can see the photo below to have an idea.

My Hamsters went to Heaven

The blanket covering my body was uncomfortably hot it woke me up. It is dark, checked the time past 1 o'clock AM, maybe the a.c. is not working. I stood up switched on the light and searched for food, yesterday left Al Maqta bridge, got down from bus, lay in bed and sleep without eating dinner. I felt pain. My stomach is hungry and my heart missed my hamsters.

Silly Worries

Today is very hot.
We came out of the church after the Friday worship service and the sun burned on us. Summer here in the UAE could reach a temperature up to 50 deg.C or more. We start sweating from head to toe when we go outside even at night. The date fruit trees start to change color from green to brown. Our Muslim brothers start preparing for Ramadan. And my colleagues start applying for their annual leave. Most expats spend their vacation during this period, including me. But my passport is soon to expire, so last Tuesday I visited our embassy to renew it. It was a disaster. The embassy said that they only accept new applications after 3 weeks. After that it would take another 6 weeks for processing. Oh life. I felt that everyone except me is going away to enjoy their summer vacation. I worried, complained and got upset.

And then I realized that this thing is beyond my control. Sometimes we run our minds with worries and become angry about things which are not even worth thinking.

At work we get stressed when we feel that there is so much we have to finish.

But if we plan we can easily organize our time schedule based on what are most important according to our employers requirement and priorities.

We complain that we have unpleasant work environments.

But if we lose our job we get a bigger worry on how to support ourselves.

So we just have to work hard and compromise until we can move on and find another suitable company.

Financially, we get burdened when our funds are insufficient for our monthly expenses.

But if we can just budget our cash, we can control our expenses, sacrifice some extra entertainments. Spend only for basic needs, cut off loans and credit cards. Do not make 1 dozen children if you can only afford 1. Do not buy a Mercedez if your salary is not enough.

We also worry about other people's business, we think about why people do bad things, why  a person said that or why that person behave like he did, why this happened...etc.

Heck, these things are not our concern. Silly things should be treated the same way. Laugh at it. Because they are just wasting our precious time and reduces our energy. Wipe them out from your system.

Some worries are more serious, these we should not neglect.

Like our health, physical worries needs immediate action,
seeking for medical advise should not be delayed.

If we need to rest then rest. If we need to take medication then take medicine.
There is no choice.

Sometimes we hurt our loved ones.

When our families and friends do not meet our expectations we become disappointed with them. Relationships are important. Take some time to cool down and think how you can satisfy each other's need, most often relationship problems can be solved by mere discussion.

So finally, you yourself can help yourself to everything that worries you.

Life equipped us with many available resources but you already have the best formula to your own problems. So be disciplined and take responsibility.

Birth and Death is final, no one can change it. Then why worry?

Nothing is permanent the world is continuously moving and
every second is one step towards our end.

So do not worry, be happy and just enjoy life.

Why Goals are Important

A man was traveling and stopped at an intersection. He asked an elderly man, "Where does this road take me?" The elderly person asked, "Where do you want to go?" The man replied, "I don't know." The elderly person said, "Then take any road. What difference does it make?"

Suppose you have all the football eleven players, enthusiastically ready to play the game, all charged up, and then someone took the goal post away. What would happen to the game? There is nothing left. How do you keep score? How do you know you have arrived?

Would you sit in a train or a plane without knowing where it was going? The obvious answer is no. Then why do people go through life without having any goals? Enthusiasm without direction is like wildfire and leads to frustration. Goals give a sense of direction.

(article from google)

Xerox Copy

(Manong and his son).... before 30 years.....(Manong and our Lolo)

>_+_< >_+_< >_+_< >_+_< >_+_< >_+_< 

"The family is one of nature's masterpieces."

~George Santayana, The Life of Reason

>_+_< >_+_< >_+_< >_+_< >_+_< >_+_< 

Farewell Mr. Vice President...

(another goodbye...)

Someone once told me, 

"Life is like a game of chess...

We have to move the pieces one by one to place them in the right spot;
Every move is important and sometimes there are some pieces that we have to sacrifice,
Just to be more stronger and to be able to finally win the fight...."

Today at work all the staffs ate lunch together.
Our PM invited us to a nice Thai Restaurant near our project site.
It is a secret farewell party. For the VP.
We had happy talks, about the place and food, about life,
about families here and home, about many things, except about our situation at work.
After 2 hours we all headed back to our offices and worked again as if nothing happened.
This is my construction company. Full of drama.

(the Pinoy group)

(the Hindi mixed)

(the Arab mixed)

(the Pinoys mixed)

(the international group hehe)

(27.06.2013_the Noodle House, Souq Qaryat Al Beri)