A Tourist & a Resident

i'm sure that when my folks went back home, they had a lot of nice things to say about dubai...

yeah, they've marvelled at all the goodness of living here starting from the fresh air, to the no-cent-to-spare architectural designs of malls and different property developments, to the discipline in driving, to the safety of mobile phones and bag, etc...

they've unceasingly compared whatever can be compared between here and manila, and as always, manila is taken on a bad light. sometimes it becomes irritating, that i told them in jest, "hey, be careful...in a few days time, you'd be back to the place you're degrading..."

my dad even said it is somewhat the dream place he imagined... and even asked me why i don't choose a guy for a husband here? i know it was more of a balloon thought which unintentionaly became a thinking-out-loud...


but i think that is the difference of a tourist and a resident. it takes a number of close encounters before you'll see the real picture, the bigger picture. as a tourist, i've just showcased to them the best among the bests. but as a resident, you breathe and live the good, and the bad side of this place, the latter of course i spared from telling them, or else, they'd just worry about me here...

i guess in life, it's like that.... there are times when you need to be just a 'tourist', a passerby, and there are needful times when you have to be a 'resident'.

whether you are talking about a place, a topic, a new friend, a problem, or even a political candidate, you must be a 'resident' who knows a great deal of unbiased facts before you can really see the big picture which gives prudence when decision is needed...

and yet, there are times when it is better to be just a 'tourist'... more of the optimism and beauty, less involvement, less energy zapped out, less headache...