My First Real Christmas in Dubai

i love christmas... i love the message it brings. i love the joy it writes on each ones faces. i love its power to bring together warring couples or friends. i love the cool breeze. i love the opportunity it gives to bring the family together. i love the laughters of the kids, the sharing of memories of friends, spreading thanksgiving, and sharing of the blessings. i love feeling His nearness...


and this year, for the first time in my stay in the UAE, i am having a real christmas. it used to just pass me by coz i usually work for it's not an official holiday here.


dec 7, we started with the distribution of the shoeboxes to the brethren, which went on until dec 21..

dec14, the church had the Christmas Cantata which paved the way to welcoming the season. we were serenaded by the angelic hosts from EBCI ;)


dec 15, had a sumptuous lunch at Boardwalk with the Edifice people, and our boss, Mr. Shahram Forouhgi...

dec 24, afternoon, we had our office party for the first time too...




dec 24 evening, went to a friend's family to celebrate christmas eve the pinoy-style way...


dec 25 lunch, long-distance calls to my family in the philippines...


dec 25 afternoon, bonfire at jumeirah with the church mates...

dec 25 dinner, with close friends mano, j, constance, kate and brett at mercato....

Hope you had a great christmas too!!! however which way you celebrated it, may we not drown the real meaning of christmas--- our Saviour was born so that He may give up His life and shed His blood for the rdemption of our souls... that is the best gift anyone can have!

The Assassination of Benazir Bhutto

(Korea Times, Dec 30, 2007)

The assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto last December 27 has plunged the Muslim nation into extreme chaos. The nation faces its worst crisis since it was founded in 1947. What is more serious is the current situation shows no sign of abating in the foreseeable future with possibly a far-flung impact upon the entire global community. The ``blitzkrieg'' suicide terrorist attack has darkened the future direction of Pakistan's path toward democracy.Concern is rising over the possible nuclear instability given the geopolitical location of Pakistan as the only Muslim nation to possess nuclear weapons. It would be a nightmare of ``nuclear terror'' if Islamic extremists take the nuclear weapons, dealing a critical blow to the global anti-terrorism efforts, led by the United States. Additionally, there have already been signs of fluctuation in the prices of crude oil, gold and bonds.

The killing of Bhutto occurred during stumping for the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) ahead of the general elections slated for Jan. 8. Her death is all the more tragic as it comes in the wake of the killings of her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1979 by the then military regime, and her two younger brothers ― one in a foreign land and the other by police. Pre-election surveys had shown that her PPP was looking to win a majority in the upcoming elections.

The real attacker has yet to be identified as there are too many of the usual suspects ― pro-government activists, Islamic extremists, informants and members of the military. Further confusion will also intensify terrorists' activities and weaken anti-terrorism efforts. The United States faces a dilemma since it has supported the current Musharaff regime in the fight against terrorism. Musharaff has been the target of growing public criticism for attempting to extend his stay in power in a seemingly inappropriate manner. The U.S. deserves a fair part of the blame for having excessively pushed for its anti-terrorism war in coalition with a Pakistani regime that lacks legitimacy.

What a shoebox can do

we usually throw our shoeboxes away after bringing the stuff home. but in our church, these boxes serve a greater purpose-- that is a means to express our love for the less privileged brethren during this christmas season. there are seven items inside: toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, towel, deodorant/perfume, call card and chocolate.

i did not know we had brethren in the outskirts of dubai, until i joined in the giving of these shoeboxes. and i have witnessed how this has equally blessed both the receivers and the givers. i know they were happy for the box, but more importantly, i know they were happy for what the box symbolizes-- the love and the fellowship of the brethren in Christ!

as for me, i have been blessed by their stories of faith. i have been blessed by their perseverance despite trials and difficulties -- real physical difficulties that i cannot imagine would exist in dubai. i have been blessed by their simple joys. i admire how they faithfully worship Him friday after friday, even if some will only have half-day off, and even if to some, this will endanger their lives. they sang praises to God as if the ceiling would fall down from the sheer engergy they give for each song. they listen to the preaching hungrily and anticipatingly, as if this will be the last they will hear. they hug each other so tight that love overflows the small meeting places.

i have been blessed by the generosity of those who gave these boxes and participated in the wrapping sessions. and i have been blessed with the presence of each brethren during the brief but meaningful fellowship.

even if we do not share the same language (we had interpreter), we do not enjoy the same privileges here, the good news is, we share the same Saviour, and we are all heading towards the same direction....

Youth Lock-In

i do not know what i was into when i volunteered to help for the youth lock-in activity of the church a few weeks ago. firstly, i do not know anybody among the adults nor among the teens, so i had my share of initial awkwardess and shyness (me??! yes! you bet!). i have rare occurences of social autism, and this is one of those. but by God's grace, He has dealt with me on ths. secondly, i've always been involved with kids and teens activities in my home church in manila, but overnight??? and locked-in to boot! this is my first time! 31 teens inside one house = chaos??? nah! i was actually pleasantly surprised at my experience...

attendance going 20... 21..22....28...31!!!!

during registration, i already felt the surge of energy... the teens were anxiously waiting for the list to exceed 20, and later 30. why? sometwo brave souls promised to have their heads shaved the mohawk style if the attendance count reach that number! haha! so can you just imagine when the last count was....31? they were all shrieking, clapping, shouting! and anticipating the moment the shaver will touch those precious hairs... haha! so after a few hours, after many games and activities, all the teens gathered around the kitchen to witness the moment of truth! there were mixed expressions of shock, excitement and fun. shock because they did not know they were serious about their promise. excitement because each run of the shaver on their heads is an inch closer to their request of mohawk style (one keeps the middle part, ala-Mr. T of the A-Team if you know this series), the other one shaved only the middle part! and fun because-- do i neet to explain?! hahaha!

ice breaker and a lot of push-ups

not all were friends yet when the program started, as obvious from the cliques i've seen during registration, so games ensued to break the ice-- it's called, name game. each person needed to recall the names of those to his/her right, so if you're the last one, you have to memorize all 31 names! i can't believe the memory banks these teens have! i am so amazed! but there were also some where their memories failed them, and had to do push ups!

of prayers, songs, inspirational words and sharing time...









after the name game, the teens girded up for the praise and worship. as they sang those solemn songs, as they meditated on each word, i can't help but have goosebumps as i see these young ones embrace the songs wholeheartedly. and as the word was preached by pastor david on the identity, i can sense God working in their hearts, God challenging their thoughts, God making Himself known to these young people. when we had the chance for smaller group talks, i knew that He has special plans for these teens. as Phil 1:6 says, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. "

pizza, pizza, pizza!!! need i say more?

one...two...three...GO!!!!they had more games, and more games that really tested their mettle. i liked the treasure hunt in the nearby mall, with the goal of solving the puzzle of the new name of the youth group. 10 groups of 3's were scattered all over the mall searching for clues. can you just imagine how suspicious that looks-- teens in 3's roaming around the mall with pens and papers, and 8 adults waiting by the escalator?? there were a few who even asked the security guards?! well, well, everything went well and we did not have any discussion with the guards nor the police. and finally, some groups solved the puzzle right. and the name is.... 180 degrees. it represents the change in a person when he is in Christ. nice name. figurative and very descriptive.

more games...

at around 2 am, when i thought they've already fizzled out their energies from endless games and activities, they still wanted more! we adults were already knocked out! we still watched movies after the games, until around 6 am!!! and we had to wake up at 730am to taste pastor dan's sumptuous pancake delight!;)

when's next??

i'm sure all the youth have enjoyed this great lock-in experience, as they were asking when's the next one already? haha! as for me, i equally enjoyed it! i thought i volunteered to be of help. but in the end, i think i was the one it helped... it helped me appreciate more God's dealings with our youth... it helped me be blessed by the whole theme of the event... it helped me find my gifts once again which has slept for a long time... and last but not the least, it helped me open up opportunties for new acquaintances which in God's time may turn into good friendships! so... when's next?? ;)

That's very Adultish!

and when i say "adultish", i mean it in the same negative way we regard being "childish". i wish we never have grown up with this, but i guess, adulthood brings with it some forms of moral recession...

when my nephews and nieces quarrel, though it happens always and can really wear down the person tasked to watch over them, they are easy to reconcile. i easily know who are fighting, why they are fighting and what's the degree of their fight is. why? because they speak their hearts out, they focus in the current situation, they recognize the 'reconciling' authority, and it is finished when it is finished.

that's how different some adults are, and here is where i think we must emulate these little ones.

they speak their hearts out. kids would say what's on their mind, which is oftentimes out of line. and what i hope adulthood would achieve, is for this talk to be seasoned with maturity and civility. but oftentimes "adultishness" swallows us. we do not speak, we engage in psych-war, and worse, we masquerade our true emotions with poisonous friendliness which is just waiting to explode. i do not know what prompted us to become afraid of expressing ourselves. but this has oftentimes led to unnecessary strains in relationships.

they focus in the current situation. they say when people become hysterical, they usually become historical. true. adults seldom fight compared to kids, but when we do, we're sure to open a can of worms! some are related, but more often than not, it just makes the situation worse!

they recognize the 'reconciling' authority. even if kids go out of hand in their expression of anger, kids usually quiet down when the authority is mediating them already. we adults usually lose this perspective of authority, usually jaded, and we even question the impartiality. that's how "adultish" we are.

it is finished when it is finished. when it is my turn to end the quarrel talk with our kids, i am amazed at how they instantly pick up from where they left off before the fight. i admire that. unfortunately, experience has somehow eroded that ability, which gives birth to the dangerous 'vengeance'-- either in small ways or big ways.

i've dealt with so many of these adultishness, both mine and others. i've been in the midst of these misunderstandings too. and i can't stop myself sometimes from saying "how adultish!" oh, how we love to complicate things...

Let the Master Do it!

i've been wanting to cut my hair for the longest time ever. been flipping on mags to check out the style that i want. been asking around for good salons.

and then one weekend, a hairstylist went to our villa. he is a kabayan who just usually does home service to our staff. should i let him do it, or should i scout for someone really good? i thought, 'well it's just hair anyways. and the price is darn cheap!'. i did not ask anymore how good he was, and so that evening, at 1am (we went home at 12 midnight), we were all lined up for our tress cut! he did the one before me in 5 minutes tops! and he did mine the same! i guess the others too. i thought since he did it fast, he was really good!

the next day, the verdict was clear! i made a mess! i thought it was just a small hair mess, you know, something really not worth a worry. but i was wrong! it wasn't called a crowning glory for nothing. now, the real master stylist would have a hard time working on it, compared to the raw, unadultered hair.

just like in construction, many engineers and architects told me it is better to demolish an old building and work on an empty space, than try to work around the existing structure.

i should have been patient, i should have let the master do it... i guess not only to the matters regarding my hair, but to other aspects as well, moreso about matters pertaining to my life plans --> i should let Him freely work out His plans in me...

Munchen: more than the beer festival!

germany, day 7

Munchen, or Munich. in search of a castle, we booked ourselves for a one-day trip to munchen. later we realized, that was a wrong move. we should have stayed 3 days in order to really savor the culture, the beauty of the place. it was more than just the home of the Oktoberfest!



we left home at 7am, and arrived in muchen at 1pm via ICE. we met up with Mano's friend mitch who is married to a german, and was carrying a 5-month baby in her womb. since we have to go back to the train station at 5pm, we only covered the major plaza!



we ate in a typical deutch resto specially chosen by mich. mano and mich had a lot of catching up to do. they regaled me with their manila-office stories, and later mitch with her german adventures in between bites of the steak-and-potato (huge helping!) meal!



later, we walked outside the resto and explored the central park of munich. there were a few street acts (see pic). between Koln, Dusseldorf, Bonn and Munich, there seems to be a rather sense of ease and openness in this place. i can't explain it. Koln for me is majestic, Dusseldorf is formal, Bonn is classic, and Munchen seems to be the free-spirited. we just srolled around the place, and i don't think i've been heated up enough, until we realized it's time to walk back to the train station!



we'd have to go back there to munchen and make sure to spend more days... as mitch said it is close to Austria, and of couse to the castle road and the romantic road that we were looking for....

Candid observations

still on germany...

besides the picturesque places in germany, i also noted down some candid observations on my travel notebook.




Recycling : from dusseldorf to munich, to anywhere, they are so much into recycling. we bought, one time, some stuff in a gasoline station mini-grocery. after paying, the cashier just left the items at the check-out panel. mano and i exchanged glances, until tita ching told us to bring the items already! she said that they do not give bags. we need to bring our own, or buy one (which is not cheap honey!). so the after that, we always bring plastic bags, just in case! also, if you bring empty water bottles, they deduct the cost of the used bottle from the total price of the product. cool huh! and yes, almost all the trash sections are divided into 4 (see pic). i do hope dubai will follow suit. we need to give our share to the environment. the environ that our children, grand chirldren, great cgrnadchildren will inherit...


Toilets: while toilets are ubiquitous in the UAE, complete with hose bidet and tissues, i did not see that luxury in germany. you have to pay for the use of public toilets! well, if labor is really expensive, then the government should really charge the upkeep of these public facilities to--- the public!




Vandalism: i do not know if it is an expression of art or expression of repression. whichever, i noticed that almost all the public places--- from buildings, to rail roads, to posts, to bridges, almost everywhere--- you can find these vandalism. but the difference with regular vandal is that this is kinda colorful and artistic, and most of the drawings are names of the persons, and not some political statements.






Canine World. never have i seen so many bred dogs in my life! and they even merit a special place in public transportation. there is a special price for train rides with your canine friend. and if you wish too, to do some sidelines to earn money, it can also be a pleasurable companion. plus, if you'd just like to walk around the plaza, it will willingly accompany you. really a loyal friend ;)







Bus/Train payment system: i'm amazed at the number of trainways that intersect and connect each city-- yet it is centralized! almost everywhere is accessible. they have s-ban (with stops in all corners), the RE (regional express) with stops in major spots only, and of course, the ICE (international city express) with stops in major cities and connecting to other countries!

and being used to to bus conductors, and train station turnstiles, i was amazed when i noticed how lenient the ticket admission system is here. there are payment machines and cashier booths. but when you are at the station already, there are no turnstiles, inspection booth before you enter the train/bus, nor conductors. there are even ticket dispensing machines inside the train already (see pic). they say that there are random inspections, but i've never seen one the whole time we were travelling! i told tita ching that people may abuse this freedom, but she said that people are so used to it that honesty system is a way of transportation life already! and guess what, the ticket that you use for the train, entitles you free bus rides for a period of time! cool!

Jet planes: i've never been in a jet plane, so i don't understand their passion for this here. each time i look up in the sky, i just see either the actual jet or the smoke trail it left behind written all over the sky! maybe taking advantage too of the nice weather when we were there. it was raining before we arrived, and after we left... hmm, we bring sunshine then to germany ;)




Biking and walking: aside from seeing less of heavy traffic, i see more of people biking, and a noticeable volume of people walking everywhere! with good weather, sans pollution and good pathswalks, who wouldn't be enticed to walk? aside from being environment-friendly, it is also healthy! the cobblestone and tree-lined paths makes strolling very conducive... and of course, never forget al fresco dining and coffee-talking too!





No heavy traffic!!! i do not know if i've seen enough to conclude, but really, in my short stay there, i've not seen traffic congestion, considering that most have cars of their own. i do not know if it's only me, but hey, if you've been living in dubai for a long time, this is such a refreshing sight to behold! it is noticeable also that while locals in the UAE buy the biggest, the most expensive, the newest cars, the germans stay simple and classic in their choice of vehicles-- mostly the small european sedans (Peugeot is famous). only a few 4X4's, and big-bodied luxury cars traverse the roads.

Many senior lovers. when i say old, i mean, old, as in 60 years and above. i thought at first that they were a picture of long-and-lasting loves, until i commented that to tita ching. she said, most of them are 'lovers' who just meet up on weekends, but stay in separate houses, just for the purpose of companionship, since their kids have families of their own already. and if the female party is widowed already, there is no more talk of re-marrying as it will nullify the pension she is getting. if in case they get soooo old already, they are then housed in home-for-the-aged, where you assets pay up for the services first (which is quite pricey), and once all is consumed, that's the time that the government pays for it. no wonder many of them spend their money on travelling while they are still able instead of saving up...

No malls. Walking around sans malls is a good respite for me. i've been working for the mall industry for the past decade, and being in a place without the artificial airconditioning, without the flashy advertisements, without the bannering "SALE" signs, without the typical contained mall noise-- was such a welcome breather!




Fashion sense. Maybe it's the season, or the influence of the neighbor city Paris. From kids to adults, it's all about layering, and creative layering that is. I thought germans are kinda classic-followers, but i was wrong. they have some bits of fashionable bones!

Top Running Moments

let me share with you the fun, the laughters and the muscle aches in our top running moments in europe! you should not miss this!!! first you may ask, why 'running'? yes, it is literally running... if you're not used to with punctual bus/train timings, you'd definitely have to run!


Winner

Leaving Amsterdam to Germany, we need to get the ICE (intercity express) train. i checked with mano the timing of the departure. i heard 1:45pm. 'ok, it's 1pm, so it gives us more time to say our goodbyes to our gracious hosts, mary anne, mike and sophia'. so a little play with sophia there, a little more checking of things here, a little putting of make up and last touches here... a few more minutes later, with me having the incurable habit of asking for time, asked mano again what time is the train leaving. and now, i heard 1:35.... 1:35??? 1:35???? did i hear that right? yes, i heard her right, and she was confused where i got the thought of 1:45. hmm, my ears were lying? so we have 20 mins... mary anne was surprised too, and she told us of the other train route that may be faster, and we dashed out of her house...

' if we miss this train, maybe we'd have to buy a new pass (euro 160), and we leave the next day and miss our munich trip (which is another euro 210)-- oh, that is not good!' ok, no place for option B so it's time to------- run!!! so all three of us ran for our dear ICE... when we came out of the back roads and emerged unto the main road, there we saw the tram nearing the waiting area already!!! run, run, run! luggages tumbling right and left... adrenaline rush...

people we passed by were both surprised and amused at the sight of 3 ladies running after the tram--wa poise, in contrast to all the people walking so relaxed and taking their time... and when we arrived at the ICE station and entered the train, a few seconds later, the doors closed! whew! that was very very close!!! i am sure no amount of charm can ever help us in case we were left by the train...

1st runner up

we were leaving Troysdorf plaza going to the relatives of mano... the bus timing said that it will pass by the waiting area at 4:15pm. ok, it's just a stone's throw away from the internet cafe we were in, so no need to hurry up. however, yes you guessed it-- we lost track of the time! with 3 minutes remaining, i dashed out of the cafe to run to the bus station, as mano and tita still needs to settle their bill. i thought 'if i get there first, at least, maybe i can tell the driver to wait for mano and tita'. yes, it would have been easy, if i was not wearing high-heeled shoes!!!! don't ask me now why i am wearing that...

tailing behind me is tita who seemed to be infuriated with this, that she blurted ou "hmmp! i really will not go with you girls anymore! i cannot keep on running like this!" and to that i retorted, "we can make it! go go go!"

and behind tita, is the most funny scenario of all. mano, carrying her lapto---- still open, mind you!--- running so fast that the guys she passed by told her to be very careful. laptop, bag and shopping bag on the other hand! can you imagine how she juggled it? why was the laptop still open? because she has not yet shut it down yet! haha! the thing that made her running more difficult was actually her giigles at seeing the two of us ran comically ahead of her...

and yes, once again, we managed to get on the bus, in the nick of time!


2nd runner up

the last but definitely not the least, was when we first landed in germany. the baptism of fire! with connecting trains having their own times, we had to runa nd run from train to train, station to station, until we arrived home in tita's place--- all the while with 5 luggages on hand!

The City that is Bonn

germany, day 3: Bonn

this used to be the administrative capital before it became berlin... and since it was our 3rd day, we were so used to with cobblestone pathwalk already, and central plaza... it rained when we went there, so we were not able to explore much the place. but we noticed the presence of --- H&M, hmmm, ergo, must be a german brand ;)

Troysdorf, Sieburg and Farm

germany, day 2: Lazy sunday afternoon at Troysdorf



because we had a very full sched the other day, we woke up late and started late. a bus ride away from st. agustine, we went to the small town of troysdorf. imagine a serene afternoon with only the sound of the cool afternoon breeze, some small talks from other diners, laughters from kids running around and playing, tic tacs of the shoes of people walking from all over, and add the metalic sound of the bikes running here and there--- oh, i love the mix! it's so relaxing, so lazy, so unpretencious, so unintimidating.


we had a wonderful al fresco lunch where we opted for their pork meal-- and it was yummy! it was a kinda cheap for german standard.

the whole ambiance is warm, it's like everybody knows everybody. people stopping in mid-track to greet others, families walking their dogs with their kids, lovers (yes, even as old as 70+!!!) parading along the road unmindful of others; and me, doing a mental note of all of these seemingly mundane activities. ahhhh, true essence of lazy afternoon with friends.




germany, day 2: Late afternoon thrift shopping at Siegburg


after a hearty meal at troysdorf, we resolved on burning those calories by walking. and tita brought us to the sunday thrift shop in the next town siegburg. when all the stores are closed (employee rates on a sunday is so high so most shops close on this day), many families take advantage of the plaza to do their own business--- selling merchandize, bazaars, and food! even kids sell items too! and who said that only pinoys are fond of hand-me-downs?

i found it difficult to get any souvenir with 'germany' written on it (maybe they are not that touristic-minded). so i just tried on getting ceramics with deutch language. we got five ceramics for five euro, can you beat that? oh, but the best part was--- when tita suddenly saw this chairs which she said she has been longing for eversince. we thought she was joking when she said she'll buy that. i though, 'ok, they will deliver'. but no, no, no, a bazaar does not have that service. and taxi is sooo expensive. so after tita paid them for fifty euros, mano and i exchanged shocked looks that says "are we seriously bringing this to the bus station?" the next picture will tell you the answer! i had so much fun taking photos---- that we missed the bus by a split second! so after all the walking, we got a cab!









very exhausted from carrying the chairs fashionably, as soon as she lied down on the bed, it's dreamland! haha!





germany, day 2: Early evening at the farm


after the tiring siegburg explorations, we opted for a cool evening walk within the neighborhood. it's 6pm, but it wasn't dark yet. we put on our sneakers and jogging pants, ready for any running needed. i was happy coz i only see these kinds of neigborhoods in the movies-- you know the posh gardens, quiet place, nice houses, NO GATES!, and full of trees stuff.




a few more minute of walking, i was awed at the view of a farmland! i saw horses, cows, farm houses! oh, i cannot take so much amazement in one day! haha! the view was great, with sunset canvassing this whole scene. we sat by a lonely bench, and enjoyed the moment for a while.