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)

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

~George Santayana, The Life of Reason

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