A Case of A Dead Filipina in Dubai

such a loss...it's not so safe after all... i hope justice would be served!

*****************************************************************************
Last Updated : Wednesday 22 Aug, 2007

Dubai - Police have recovered the decomposing body of a missing Filipina in the Jumeirah district of Dubai. Last week 7DAYS reported that 38-year-old housemaid Mary Ann Carbellido, had been missing since an early morning driving lesson on August 12.The victim's younger sister Anariza Tangan, 35, was contacted by Bur Dubai Police at 11am yesterday to identify the body at the morgue.

"Police told me that they found her behind a villa in Jumeirah and they believe that she had died five to six days ago," Anariza said.She said that when she went to view the body, she could not recognise her sister's face, which had turned black.Police showed her Mary Ann's silver watch, jewellery, and the black blazer and black jeans which she was wearing when she went missing.

"I could not go near the body which was wrapped except for her face. I was only able to positively identify her when the police showed me her belongings," Anariza said. Mary Ann has three children and a husband back in the Philippines , who she called at least three times a week. "I haven't informed anyone yet in the Philippines .

Her employer told me today that he will cooperate with the CID to trace the whereabouts of the person who took my sister to the driving school. He said that the person who drove her to her driving lesson has already left the country," Anariza said.The last time she saw Mary Ann was on August 10 when they visited friends in the Satwa area of Dubai .

"We didn't have any problems. We were so happy that day. I can't believe that she's gone forever now," her sister said.A spokesperson for the Philippine embassy told 7DAYS she believed the case was being treated as murder and that they would be monitoring the case closely with police.The family has requested the repatriation of Mary Ann's body back to her homeland.

Awakening the sleeping bookworm

mano is such a bookworm! every time she goes to the mall, she does not go home sans a book. and even her habibi is such an avid reader. and the more i spend time with her, the more i get brushed with this passion. i guess she has just awakened the sleeping bookworm in me! such a nice positive influence...

she gave me "tuesdays with morrie" last april, and it spoke strongly to me. and "teacher man" for my birthday which is my current read. she lent me colayco's book on investment, and the expat's guide to managing your money, and it enlightened me on many practical matters. and when she left for oman, i saw on her bed "rich dad, poor dad" which i breezed thru in 2 days! she also made me reminiscent and laughing out loud with abnkkbsknpl of bob ong! when we had a book sale at the church, we both bought "a woman after God's own heart" which i've finished a few weeks after. and i'm also done with "the devotionals for women" which has seasoned my thoughts with the essentials.

now, i enjoy more my bible reading. i enjoy my devotions. we discuss many things over a cup of coffee from our latests reads. i can't let a week pass without reading something, or let a moment pass, whether i am waiting for something, riding the car for a long drive, having my foot massage or lulling my mind to sleep. i always have bathroom books too! now, i get excited with bookstores. i get high with the sight and smell of books, old or new. mano and i enjoy quiet moments together - with good reads on hand! of course, this is squeezed within the time with my old friends -- the journals, the internet and the magazines.

i think i am already having information overload... but the reality is, the more i realize i know so little coz there is so much more to be learned out there! it's great to be a bookworm ;) thanks mano! i'm gonna read your "princess diary" soon. it is a shocking and revealing true accounts of a saudi arabian princess... and more book adventures to us!

How do I tax you? Let me count the ways...

nowhere else in the world (unless someone corrects me) would one still enjoy a "tax-free" living, except here in GCC (gulf cooperative council) countries like UAE. as an employee, it's such a huge weight off our backs. it has attracted so many expats, in fact 80% of the population are expats! and so many companies have invested here. there are even a number of freezone areas in every emirate. last august 22, it was stated in Gulf News "UAE has ranked 20th worldwide and third in the arab world for the best international investment destinations (international outsourcing and offshore services center)..."


but wait!!!! no need to pack your suitcases and come running here! there are a number of hidden creative taxations that you should know first...



for employees like me


1. housing - flat rents have soared high!!! so if your housing allowance has not increased the past years, it either means you need to make do with lower standard of room space, or you go as far as ajman (and yes, accept the traffic!). in 2002, we were renting a nice 3BR flat for only $6,250/annum. now, we can't find 3BR within our budget, so we opt for 2BR at $16,300/annum. do the math to get the rate of increase in a span of 5 yrs!


2. electricity and water - oh same story, but a little less cushioned than the flat rent stories.

3. food - prices of basic commodities have shot up by almost 30%! so your budget allocation for food has increased in the same proportion, unless you go the famous route of 'dieting'!

4. transportation - given that your transportation to-and-from office is free, your cab fare for your leisure activities has increased by almost 50% since 2003!

5. if you're a filipino - your salary converted to peso has decreased by almost 18% (from P55 to P45 dollar conversion in a span of 4 years!), considering that most salary levels has not increased, or if they did, only about 5-10%


6. dining out - even with restos mushrooming everywhere, it does not make the pricing pro-consumer. i guess the demand is still much higher than the supply!


so you're one blessed employee if the company pays for your housing, furnishings, water, electricity, clothing, car, gasoline, parking, phone bills, medical insurance and gym! ;)



for companies




1. emiratization - for every 50 employees, the company should hire one local (emirati) with a minimum salary of AED4000 ($1,086) for a high school graduate! plus you have to pay part of their pension, and give way to special working conditions for locals.


2. labor visas - visa fees per staff has crazily gone up by almost 500% since 2002! plus you need to surrender a bank guarantee of $1000 per staff!


3. parking fees - gone are the days when you can freely park anywhere! public roads are charging $0.27 per hour, $1.35 for 2 hours and $2.17 per 3 hours! i'm sure in a few years' time, the malls will start making money out this too!


4. salik tollway - here's another bygone privilege... no more free use of the Sheik Zayed road! salik, proclaimed to be created to reduce the traffic in that road (oh, yeah?!) was said to be amassing dirhams by now, what with $1 per passing, and $54 for fines!


5. promotional fees - i can't believe that each kind of flyer we have to pay $135 per month! plus we have to pay all kinds of concocted fees for every promo that we make (and it's darn expensive!) and on top of that, we have to pay the economic department and/or chamber of commerce (really confusing at times! double pay!) to participate in their lame promos!


6. fines, fines, fines - sometimes you will not be aware of a ruling, until someone from baladiya (municipality) gives you a notice of fine! oh well!


7. business permits - many of business process has modernized, but entails more fees. of course! modernization has a price tag!


well, at least, as what taxation was all about hundreds of ages ago, it is those who make much money a.k.a companies, that are being heavily 'taxed'!

Good Morning!

finally, i saw blue skies in UAE. i took this shot last week. all i had to do was wake up early! as in 630am, and there it is, in all it's beauty! with the white cirrus clouds cheerily spreading its layers. and i heard once again my winged-friends chirping and singing its songs. Oh, goodie goodie morning! ;)

The Chief End of Man

"The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever".


that is point no. 1 in the the westminster catechism. that is what i have always believed in upto now, but ashamedly erratic in practice. it is such a direct, happy and simple life goal, but 'self' and the 'enemy' has always complicated this. they make me a willing victim to 'merryland' and 'vanityland' and slowly blurs my vision.

i've toiled so hard to make my career CV flourishing (a stark difference with my spiritual CV), and i forget that it is supposed to be just a means (to achive my chief end), and not the end in itself. i keep forgetting. consciously and unconsiously.

one pastor said, "your life vision will guide your present action". and Matthew 6:21 says "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also". such a shame if God will reveal my heart right now. i'm glad He gives me mornings to start anew. new mercies. new hopes.


yes now, i have to focus back to my basic goal, cut out the unnecessary trimmings. i've to re-align my thoughts and efforts. i think i've detoured many times. i need His strenght, i need His guidance. Philippians 4:19 says "and my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus".

and to my investment plans? i know He wants me to be a good steward of His blessings while i am passing by in this world, and yet i have to keep remembering and keep living what Matthew 6:20 says: "but store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where no moth nor rust destroys, and thieves do not break in or steal".

The Good is the Enemy of the Best

i know that the bad is the enenemy of the good, so i avoid the bad...

but, i often forget that the good is the enemy of the best. having to choose between the good and the best is not always easy, especially if the good is in terms of material, and the best is in terms of spiritual. i am a sensual being, and so those that i can physically see, hear, touch and taste usually have a better grip of my decisions. i've tossed a number of times the good and the best choices, where i let the good win.

and so for my seemingly perennial crossroad, this has finally hammered down my ever-wavering thoughts...

Call-in Sick!

i just took a paracetamol. for 2 nights, i've been having bad cases of sore throat-- the first sign for me of low resistance. i gargled with bactidol, chewed losenges and ate hot munggo soup prepared by mano.

i know my body. every year, i have a once-a-year dose of fever, real sickness that lasts for days. maybe this is it for this year. maybe i should not supress it thru all these drugs, but let my body surrender...

maybe it is time that i stop trying to be strong always. accept that humans have down moments, and start appreciating that in my weakness, Someone and some people are my strength.

maybe it is time that i take things really slow. and acknowledge that this is my cooling down period of my shift from the fastlane to the slow lane.

maybe it is time that i put myself in the proper perspective. refrain from thinking that the company will suffer if i don't go to work. that actually sounds more vain, than concerned.

maybe it is time to accept deviations from plans. we plan for the day, but let God work out His plan accordingly.

maybe it is time to enjoy moments of solitude. and catch up on my latest readings such as teacher man, devotionals for women and so many others lying there on my side table.


it's not a bad idea after all to file for sick leave... and come back really refreshed and invigorated!

Wazzup? Keif? Musta?

i've always dreamed of having this special power of conversing in many languages. like Jason Bourne. he just speaks spanish, french, italian, whatever the language is spoken by the person he is talking to.

how do i do that when i don't even know a single dialect? i've always envied my college friends who speaks their province dialects. it seemed a nice 'secret' language in the company of many people.

so in this quest of mine, i would like to start with arabic. yeah, i know. i've been here for five years, and i've only thought of doing this only now? why? beats me! but i guess, it's never too late to start.

i bought an arabic book, with tapes which i usually play when i am driving so that it goes into my subconscious. it helps since my memory anyway always fails me. it's been 2 weeks, and i think i'm learning quite a bit:

welcome - marhaba! or more formal saalam mulaykum
reply - zain or bikhair or mulaykum maaslam
kumusta - keif halak? (to man) keif halik (to lady)
what's your name - shu ismak?
do you understant arabic/english - tefam arabi/inglesi?
no - la
yes - na'm or aiwa
i don't have money - ma andich fulus
no problem - ma fi mushkila
big problem - mushkila kabeera
Filipino - filipini


just like any skill, it has to be continually honed. i have to, so that i can move to the next level-- french! ;) wow, what a dream! haha! and i also would like to learn sign language and one pinoy dialect... one by one tetch... one by one...

A Baby Girl?!%# I'm sorry...

i thought it only happens in the outskirts. but seeing it on CNN recently confirms that getting rid of baby girls is widespread even in the supposed 'modern' cities of India. there, it is indeed raining men!

i have an indian officemate who testifies to this. he's from kerala, a province in india. i've asked the same question with other indians i know. while some dismiss it as an 'urban legend and so yesterday', others confirm its existence upto now. do you know that ultrasound machines were prohibited in some areas so that the couple will not know the sex of the baby?

and if asked why is this practiced, i only get one answer on why it happens --- the dowry being paid on the wedding day is so high, that most have to start saving as soon as the baby is born! but an indian friend of mine who was born and raised here in dubai defied this tradition. he had an arranged marriage but he did not ask for dowry! very good indeed! very unstifling for the in-laws.

in ending, as Oprah commented (when she featured this is her show), "if it's gonna be all boys, i wonder how will more baby boys be conceived without a woman?" you really wonder how...

if there is dowry for the groom, i hope there is 'labor gifts' for the mothers --- i guess this will equalize everything!

An Evening at Burj Al Arab

burj al arab is an iconic structure in dubai. it is said to be the tallest hotel in the world. set-off against the shore, and was dubbed the only 7-star hotel. all the rooms are suites (see left photo), and you cannot enter the passageway going to the hotel without a reservation (and take note, for reservations, they really get credit card numbers!!)

no, i did not get to stay in one of the suites coz i do not have $1000 to shell out. i am no dignitary nor celebrity. i did not get to ride one of the rolce royce parked outside the hotel. i did not get to use the world-class spa. nor did i get to touch the helipad at the top which saw tiger woods teeing off or the tennis champs playing!

but i get to take a peek at the exclusive seafood restaurant, and of course the grand lobby. it was a blast! this dinner would really make anyone's birthday special...

the first collage is at the waiting area of al mahara seafood resto. waiting for the submarine ride. yes, they have 'submarine' drama to bring the guests to the restaurant. next collage are pics inside! it can acommodate upto 10 people and runs for a minute. the windows run digital video images simulating under-the-sea voyage. and of course, the last collage is dinner time! can you believe that photography was not allowed inside? so these are stolen shots! i'm sorry, i can't help it! cannot let this moment pass my lens. i had a sumptuous seafood platter, superb german white wine and choco dessert! and see that giant aquarium beside us? lovely!

and now, the grand lobby pics! the first two pics here are from the net, coz vain as i may be, i forgot to take full shots of theses angles without me! haha! everything seems golden here! but it is just polished tanso and good lighting effect. in the collage pics (sorry, i'm in it gain!) i love the shot where i was peeking thru the squares with all these beautiful flowers!

oh, lovely evening! lovelier is the thought that, "wow, God blessed me with 33 years!" i couldn't be more thankful.

My Kabayans

it has always been a delight for me to say "kabayan!" (filipino term for countrymate) to pinoy strangers-- whether at the supermarket, restaurant, gym, mall, hotel, in Adventureland, on the phone, etc. it is a word which instantly connects me with these people. even some foreigners (who know other pinoys) use that word to just illicit smiles from our kabayans! one of our visitors who was here for a 5-day trip, and who has been elsewhere in the world, commented that pinoys here are friendlier to other pinoys. that i have to find out.

and each "kabayan" greeting is greeted back with a smile and usually with a question "matagal ka na dito?" (have you been here for a long time?). and that opens numerous work and personal tales that lasts a few minutes. most are always avid to share their stories, and i've always been eager to listen coz they teach me so much about life. precious encounters. whether we'd see each other again or not, the joy must be in connecting with someone they feel familiar with.

and i am glad that most of them say that they are treated well by their employers. if asked if they are happy, 50% says yes, 50% says no, on the basis of salary. there is still a wage discrimination -- if you are asian or non-arabic, both on the rank and file and the managerial level. it is a sad fact. there is no minimum wage law here. and among managers within the same company, usually a white and a local (emirati) manager earns higher than a pinoy manager.

but just the same, kabayans keep flocking here to dubai expecting greener pastures. some has good endings, others charge the bad result to experience.

wayback 2002, there were only a few of the so-called professionals here. i would often get the comment "you are the first Filipino manager i've dealt with". for them it must be flattery, for me it was an insult. exodus started in 2004 and was furhter boosted by the 'Dubai' movie of aga mulach and joh lloyd. but now 2007, it seems that all companies have their Pinoy clouts! and guess what? the reputation that we have gained thus far, are: hardworking, multi-tasking, very neat, and delivers good customer service. bravo!

so to my kabayans here: cheers and keep up the good work! whether the intention is to stay here and help the country thru dollar remittance, or to plough back to philippines the expertise and the savings gained here, i salute you!

Friendster vs Facebook

Friendster

i love friendster. i've touched-based with my long lost friends even wayback in elementary, in yes, friendster! how amazing can it be? it surprises me with the extent of its reach among the pinoy circle all over the world! it used to be the number one online social site, but it slid down and gave way to myspace. no. 1 or no. 2, just the same, when it comes to hooking up with my ex-classmates, ex-officemates-- nothing beats friendster! the true filipino online community! almost all people i know has an account, young ones and young once alike!

whenever i want to wile away time, i go to friendster and look at profiles and pictures of friends, or friends of friends, or friends of friends of friends... got it? i like flicking thru the pages of friends and strangers as well, and how they are doing now in life. new parents usually have their baby's photos on the first pic! newly weds have wedding pics, or the pre-nup pics and honeymoon pic, mala hollywood romance movies! those 'in a relationship' of course would banner who they are with at the moment! and the singletons---- their pets, travels, pamangkins and what-have-yous!

i am amazed at the 'how you are related' portion of friendster! i can't believe that my friend is also a friend of my friend! talking about 6-degrees of separation or in this case, relativity huh!

so now, whenever we take pictures here in the office, we make sure it is 'pang friendster'! haha.

Facebook

i also like facebook. salawahan! haha! blame its rise to stardom to prince william! but you see, for my non-pinoy friends, what they usually have is facebook. though i find the template kinda boring (blue and white), what they lack in color, they make up in applications! a whole lot of applications! even 30-ish people would enjoy these funky and interactive profile add-ons. right now i am still trying to figure out how to apply those to my profile!

facebook is not a good site if you wanna 'take a peek' at someone else's profile. all you'll see is their name (no nicknames, as opposed to friendsters' nickname mania... i wonder why!), thumbnail sized shots and the network they are part of. it's rare that one's profile is open for public (as far as my experience with flicking is concerned). you have to have the guts to 'add him/her as a friend' or 'poke him/ her' or 'send him/her a message'.

but one thing i enjoyed though is browsing thru all the clubs/organizations that facebook people have created! gazillions of them! it reminded me of my freshman days in college, when i'd apply in so many orgs and clubs, but ends up in maximum of 2 at the end of the year!

there you go with choices for online social networks.... so enjoy browsing!!!!!

Ciao! Arriverderci!

tues, my friend gelli introduced me to her three italian friends. we met in Vu's bar. after a few mintues of pleasantries, we instantly hit it off with discussions ranging from italy, to philippines, to business, to dubai, to each one's works. when we left them, we learned that they still jammed with the people from the other table, who happened to be-- you guessed it-- italians!

then thursday, they were invited by their new-found kababayans to a (italian) house party. they invited gelli, and gelli tagged me along, not wanting to feel left out. with nothing else to do, i agreed. plus, i think it sounded exciting! and an adventure...

at 10pm, gelli and i arrived at the villa by jumeirah. we were met by our friends, and then, by the host of the party. with all blondes, tall people, long noses and speaking italian, i suddenly felt out-of-place!!!!! they even separated me and gelli from the sitting arrangement in the dinner table, but was glad i was seated next to this cute italian guy ;)

the first part, as any social gathering is of relative strangers, was kinda awkward, especially when they started talking in their language. once in a while, when they remember us, they'd speak in english. hmm.... now i kinda know how it feels to be in a conversation where each word they speak is greek to me, and i really felt so lost! and the best conversation piece i can give is just a nod and a smile! now i can sympathize with foreigners in the company of pinoys who endlessly talk in tagalog! this is one of those times when i wish i had the power of linguistics!

but that part usually ends after a few minutes of ice breakers! and the big group talk disintegrates to small group talks... and that's when a cute seatmate comes in handy! unfortunately, to his right is a disarming pretty fil-italian! but he was kind enough to engage both of us in a good english talk...

now comes the part when they serve pasta... pasta... pasta... yes, in one plate, i was given 3 kinds of pasta! whew! one was carbonara, one was tomato-based and the other one was meat-based! i have to remember i was in an italian party. the noodle was so al dente, that i realized i liked my less al dente pinoy spaghetti so much more!

after the pasta feast... they served steak-- rare!!!! oh, haven't eaten a rare steak before, but with an adventurous palate, i tried it, and i liked it! and for dessert, i've tasted the best tiramisu i've tasted! i had two servings. i already lost my 'hiya'. and the hostess appreciated my fondness for her dessert.

then of course, wine flows like a river! they talk about different kinds of wine... wherein i only know 2-- red and white! they served different kinds of red wines, and different kinds of white wine, with each wine having a story of its own... and that simply means the table is filled with wine glasses! the last i've seen so many wine glasses on a table was during our home economics fine dining exam!

then, lastly, and the part closest to me--- was the picture-taking time! gelli took two shots, and left my camera on the table, and the guy beside me started taking candid shots of all of us, and even of the cherries in front of us! that was cool and fun!

then later still, as we let the food we ate settle in the inner corners of our tummies, there was the natural gravitating of the genders-- the guy talk there and the girl talk here! and some one-on-one talk on the living room...

at around 1 am, we bid ciao and arrideverci! it was a nice house party, and i would gladly be a willing victim next time gelli tags me along again...

London Bridge is Falling Down....

that was a cute nursery rhyme. but replace 'london' with 'minnesota', and it equals tragedy which happened last wednesady.

i was watching CNN, and caught the safety camera shot of the collapse of the minnesota bridge. i cannot believe it! in split second! i felt goose bumps all over me. can it be true? the whole bridge?!#$

the survivors were interviewed. the city officials gave statements. the safety specialists have something to say. the newscasters have their two-cents worth on the issues. like a thunderbolt, it once again awakened the people... the survivors felt being given the second chance at life...

if i were there, i wouldn't know if i'd have the presence of mind some of the people had at the scene of the tragedy. they immediately thought of rescuing others, of jumping out of their cars, of taking a photo of the whole thing...

and would i be prepared to meet my God? by God's grace, i can say 'yes'.

but since i was not there, and i am still here alive and kicking... He is giving me another chance to cherish the gift of life, a gift which i usually take for granted...

Does Life Imitate Art?

Scene 1: three months ago, afghan president is pressured to release its 5 terrorist prisoners in exchange for 1 italian reporter. he did.

Scene 2: the world community condemned this act.

Scene 3: two weeks ago, the terrorists kidnapped south korean christians riding a bus in ghazi province in kabul-khandar hi-way in afganistan. the demands --> release 8 taliban prisoners held by kabul, afghanistan government and pull out the korean armed forces in afghanistan.

Scene 4: kabul government did not heed.

Scene 5: talibans killed one hostage, the pastor. taliban pressured korea to pressure afghanistan, or else the remaining 22 will be killed. new deadline set.

Scene 6: kabul government said they will not release taliban prisoners.

Scene 7: talibans killed another hostage, and threatens to kill the others.

Scene 8: south korea pleads US intervention. others blame US for angering the talibans in 2001. korea government is in hot seat in deciding on this issue.

Scene 9: to be continued.....

i can't belive that what i am seeing are actual footages ad what i am reading are real stories, and not scenes from a movie. the sad thing is knowing that this does not end within 2 hours of reel-time. and that there is no assurance of victorious ending.

all i can do for now is to pray on bended knees, and seek the mercy of the Highest authority.