The Clock is Ticking

sept 14, 240pm was our flight to germany from dubai.... we went to boarding gate25 at 2pm, the line was long, but guess what? inside the gate was empty-- everyone headed straight inside the cabin! whoa, talking about punctuality huh... mano and i were left outside coz we still need to do our last phone calls to different people...


sept 14, 730pm, landed in dusseldorf airport... the moment we set foot at the airport, we already knew we were in germany... why? every second counts! no matter how big our luggages were, we have to run and run from airport tram to the dusseldorf train station, to koln hauptfbahnhof, to siegburg station, and finally to the last bus, the st. agustin station! i do not know how we did it, but obviously, it was adrenaline rush! there was even no time for the dramatic hug by mano and her mom who has not met for 9 years, until we arrived inside the train! haha!

train and bus timings are right to the minute and they will not wait for you!... 8:48 pm; 9:10 pm and 10: 10 pm. if you miss it, get a cab!!! and cab fares are exhorbitantly high! so many travellers really use the train system. i wonder how germans were able to live in traffic-laden dubai? hmm..

since we are using the public transport (and very on-time they are!), we have to really follow strictly the timings! WELCOME TO DEUTCHLAND!

Back to Reality

oh yes, i just got back a few days ago to reality, from our dreamy and wonderful european adventures. as usual, when you're back from vacation, your workload has gone up neck deep-- what a great welcome treat, hehe.

with so many things that had happened, i do not know where to start...

let me just organize my thoughts first, and my thousands of picture files (yes, you read it right!) so that i can bring you close to where we've been -- germany and amsterdam. neighboring countries, but poles apart in many ways!

Sad but true -- Facts on Erap's Plunder Case

The verdict...
Deposed president Joseph Estrada was sentenced Wednesday by the Sandiganbayan's Special Division to life in prison and barred from holding public office again after being found guilty of the crime of plunder in a marathon six-year trial.


The plunder case...

Estrada bought the Boracay Mansion, a property consisting of a house located at No. 100 11th Street, New Manila, Quezon City, using P142 million jueteng (numbers racket) money.The bank deposits were P542.7 million (this is where tax went the past years!!!) including P200 million under the Erap Muslim Youth Foundation deposited with Equitable-PCI Bank, and the P189.7 million commission from the purchase of Belle Corporation Shares by the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System that ended up into the Jose Velarde account.

The guilty's innocent plea...

"As expected, this Special Division was created to convict me," Estrada told journalists as he was led out of the courtroom."What is important is the support of the people, and they have overwhelmingly acquitted me. This is a political decision," he said.

And this is the most perplexing, unbelieavable and sad fact...
"With only one-third (36 percent) of Filipinos believing that former President Joseph Estrada 'enriched himself with hundreds of millions of pesos from various corrupt practices while he was President,' 57 percent expected the Sandiganbayan would acquit him," ayon sa pahayag ng SWS sa http://www.sws.org.ph/.


For the complet story, click the link.
http://www.gmanews.tv/erapplundertrial/story/60237/Sandigan-verdict-Erap-guilty-of-plunder-cleared-of-perjury

Ramadan Blues

i can already feel ramadan even if it is still 2 days away (or until they have sighted the moon in the right crescent)...

our center is now relatively quieter (which is not good for our business! oh no!). many people are planning on going out of the country again. memorandum on changed office timings are circulated (we usually work just 6 hours during ramadan). we have given orientation to all our staff who has not yet experienced ramadan (no eating, drinking and loud laughing in public until 630pm in respect of the muslims). the nocturnals are rejoicing! mall timings have changed. our center will only be open from 7pm until 1 am. there is liquor ban the whole month, though i heard other bars were already allowed to serve alcohol. the muslims are more serene, more forgiving, less complaining, though there are extreme cases when some are more irritable because of lack of food and drink.

it's like the world is suddenly brought to a halt during the day, and goes crazy and festive during the night until wee hours in the morning.

for us as a company, it is budget-setting time for 2008. it is time of cleansing (of files and stockrooms! haha!)...it is time of reflecting (of past projects)... a time for planning (for 2008 action program)... and time for preparing (for the the Eid celebrations!)

and for our staff, it means sleeping at 6am, sleeping during the day, movie-marathons, chikahan-to-the-max, and eating-to-the-max!it's the time when the office people (morning timings) usually do not see the operations people (evening timings)...

for me personally, i like the serenity of ramadan. i've always bee exposed to the noise and chaos of being in an amusement park, so this is a welcome change for even just a few days of the year. it's like catching up on yourself and on your life, since there is nothing to do outside during the day! you have to be creative to enjoy this month, unless your sense of enjoyment is eating, sleeping, reading, watching movie, strolling at the parks at 2am-- all of which is just perfect for me!

Ramadan Kareem!

Visit Visa Holder dilemna in UAE!!!!

here they go again... this is how fast they can change policies here! and now, where will all the filipino visit visa holders go????


**********************************************************************
No work visa for visitors
By Ahmed Abdul Aziz
4 September 2007

ABU DHABI – The Ministry of Labour (MoL) will not approve work visa applications for workers who have entered the UAE on visit visas, according to Saleh Al Jabri, head of the Firms Department in the MoL. “It is a clear violation of the Labour law as visitors are not allowed to work on visit visas,” he pointed out.
Al Jabri told Khaleej Times that any company desirous of employing an expatriate should obtain a temporary work permit or employment visa, not visit visa.
In case of violation, the employers would risk Dh10,000 fine and suspension of transactions for six months.
Sources at MoL said that the ministry had recently rejected an application that had been initially approved by the Abu Dhabi Naturalisation and Residency Department (ADNRD) because the company had sought to hire employees on visit visas.

link: http://www.khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile= data/theuae/ 2007/September/ theuae_September 118.xml§ion=theuae&col=

Kids' Greeters

last friday, for the second service in the church, mano and i volunteered to be the kids' greeters. being the first session after the 2-month summer break, there was influx of the kids, some pre-registered, some just registering. we were given a 5-minute briefing on how their process works. it was simple, but i can't believe i was anxious. they were only kids, but would you believe that there are times that my knees shake more with the comments from kids? why? because it is straight from the heart-- they say it as they please! no hitting around the bush, no window-dressing. case in point: mano was assisting a 'regular' attender, and he told me mano, "i have my bible". mano said "ok", and thought to herself 'so?' and before she can say another word, the kid just said impatiently, "ok, later" and turned his back. haha! later we learned, that when the kids bring their bible, we have to put a star somewhere!

then it was my encounter. the door opened and i saw this boy coming in. as the greeter, i smiled and enthusiastically said "good morning! are you registed?" and then he said with a poker-face, "i am just going to use the bathroom". "oh.... ok". after a few minutes, he came out, and said, still not smiling "thank you". mano and i just looked at each other, and laughed! we learned that this small boy, maybe about 5-6 years old, does not attend the children's session, but the adult session!

we spoke with the head teacher, and we said, "we'd like to be greeters again!" ;)


i remember the toddlers i used to teach in our sunday school in my manila church...

"teacher, why is your teeth moving when you talk?" said to a teacher wearing false teeth.

"teacher, dad fell asleep when we were having devotion last week" o-ow!

"teacher, i don't like to color" when told to do the activity for the day.

"teacher, why are you late?" ooppps, no excuses!

"teacher, i missed you last week" ohhhhhhh

"teacher, why did david kill goliath? it is ok to kill?" whew!

"teacher, i told my classmate do not pray to idols" the courage!

and so on and so forth....

kids... oh, i love them!... i love their candidness! i love the mix of innocence and simple logic. i love the age when you do not have to second guess their intentions, because what you see is what you get, and what you hear is what is real.

and best of all, when they say "i love you teacher!" with a kiss and a hug, it just really vanishes all the weariness away....

Othello, how are you?

othello... i met him last aug 30. we did not have a good start. he was sizing me up and did not seem to like me at first. as for me, i can only be very casual with him. i do not have a choice. i told mano i am so used to with his kind. and we will be breathing the same air for the next 4 days!!

second day, he kinda sent a different signal to me. i think now, we'll be friends... i was right. at 1 am, he did not let me sleep. he kept coming in and out of our room. he was lonely, very lonely. and we were there to keep him company.

third day, we rocked! we danced! we cuddled!

fourth day, he should not know i am leaving... i sneaked behind his back. no goodbyes... i shall return...


that was my encounter with my new canine friend! oh, i badly miss panda....

New weekend on this side of the globe

UAE did it last year... and Kuwai is following suit this year... when will the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Oman take this huge step???

**************************************************************************
by Lynne Roberts on Sunday, 02 September 2007

Kuwait switched to a Friday-Saturday weekend yesterday from its original Thursday-Friday, bringing the country in line with most of its fellow Gulf states.The move, designed to give the state an extra day with major trading partners, met with objections from Islamist MPs who called it ‘unIslamic’ and said it was done to please the Western world. Clerics say Islam forbids the imitation of Jews and Christians, and that the decision has been imposed based on the interests of a small group of businessment is following suit

Proponents argue Islam neither prescribes nor prohibits Saturday as a day of rest, and say the move will boost the economy. The Thursday-Friday Muslim weekend is now applied only in Saudi Arabia and Oman out of all of the six GCC nations. In Saudi Arabia, an attempt to switch to a Friday-Saturday weekend was blocked by the Shura Council, but the initiative is still on the agenda.The change applies to public sector offices in Kuwait. Private sector companies are not bound to follow the government, but most already work to a Friday-Saturday weekend to be more in line with international markets.

When God does not make sense...

how can i explain to my colleague that God makes sense, when in a span of 2 years, she lost her grandmom, grand dad, father and now, her precious son?


how can i tell my friends that God knows everything that is happening when we lost a friend, including her son, in a car crash with a drunk driver on a new year's eve?

how can i convince my relative that God is the healer, when her mom lost the battle (on the eve of my birthday) with a seemingly simple sickness?

how can i comfort my single friends when they ask why God does not give to them a good gift they were asking for for years?

how can i appease my brother who has ever since been struggling with financial indebtedness, and has never seemed to have barely made it through?

the never ending whys... i do not have the answer. the never ending tears and pain... i can only point them to God, who i believe that even when He seems to not makes sense, He still makes sense! no amount of my explanation to them can satisfy, because only He, in His own ways, can comfort us, open our eyes and make us at peace...

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28.

"Be still, and know that I am God" Ps 46:10.

******************************************************************************

i read the book "When God does not Make Sense" by James Dobson given to me by MD and PD, and it is very liberating! ;)

Schengen visa, anyone?

applying for schengen visa... the feeling was like a mix of my first job interview and my finals in chem17.... go figure!

we woke up at 5am, went out of the villa at 545am.... we were at the embassy at 715am, and the office opens at 830am. we were the first in line but for some reason, we became 8th and 9th because they said they've been waiting downstairs, and we just walked past thru the security! well, we did not know! anyways, we did not argue anymore. mano said it is better that we see how it is done, so no. 8 is not that bad. while waiting, we managed to strike up a conversation with a south african stewardess, who was so perky and friendly. she said she cannot move without a visa, so she keeps renewing it every 6 mos. and even if she's been doing it always, she made us felt at home by empathising with our nervousness.

at 830am, they opened the office, and we were formally lined up. there were 5 bank-type windows (and yes, the typical venetian blinds!) and i realized "wow, everyone can hear what you are saying!". and then there was one glass booth for all german nationals.

then, two people were there on the other side of the glass window... hmm, they don't look like germans.... and oh, they smile! so they are not snobbish at all!! the indian family whom she is entertaining at that moment seemed to be so excited with his planned trip that he volunteers his stories about going to europe. the lady just kept smiling. and after the indian, i saw the local guy with 5 passports on hand. wow, they really have the money to do this with the whole family! and the girl spoke in arabic...hmmm, she really is not a consul, but just a receiver of the documents.

then my turn. i was nervous. maybe we overdid the 'impression side' as we were the only ones in office suits! i thought i had to make an impression that i can pay for this trip, and that i am coming back to UAE. i was so anxious what questions they might ask???? until, she saw my NOC certificate with the company logo, and beamingly she said "oh Adventureland! i always go there with my kids!" whoa, i hoped it was a 'ganda' point for me, haha!good conversation piece, so i followed it up with aksing her how often she goes there, where she lives, etc. just to relax me a bit. and it did the works. and then she asked for all of my documents (the online info was wrong! all the photocopies were not asked, and the application form need be in duplicate!). mano was on the other window. and she heard that her receiver spoke with my receiver, as if saying 'here's another one from Adventureland". cool!

then, i paid AED 300 (money down the drain if we do not get approved!) and we were given a receipt to wait for 10 days for the passport to be given back by TNT. yes, 10 waiting days..... the TNT guy who happened to be a kabayan, said that there are only 2% being rejected. i looked at the whole room.... there were only 10 filipinos... hmmm, that can make mano and me the 2%!?#$% haha! well, we just kept believing that it is all upto God now. nothing can be done on our side. the kabayan gave us these pamphlets about germany that really whetted our appetite the more!!..... oh, we just have to make our plan B super attractive so that we will not feel sooooo down in case we get rejected...


and just a few hours ago.... the TNT packet arrived, with my passport inside and....... the Schgenen visa stamped on it! yahoo!!!! we can finally plan our itinerary!!!!

Religious Freedom in UAE...

the first time i flew here to dubai, i thought the bible was not allowed. i brought it nevertheless. you see, UAE is known as an islamic country. but praise God, worship is not restricted here unlike in other countries such as saudi arabia. my churchmates in the philippines used to think that it was an underground thing. but no, we were blessed to be able to move freely as christians. i even pray in food courts before my meals... UAE (dubai in paticular) has become an open city, and christians are growing in numbers, even though churches are located only on 'church zones'.

but the sad thing is, when we experience this freedom week after week, our enthusiam for it usually goes to a lesser degree. and last friday, i had the rare moment of re-savoring this great privilege when we had a visitor in the church from maldives. maldives is known as the place which comes close to being called the paradise- idyllic island, blue seas, rich corals and marine life, friendly all year-round weather, and untouched nature! but to the christians, it is a terror place! christianity is banned. period.

so we can understand why our visitor was full of the spirit as he shared with us the joy he felt for being with a church for the first time, singing hymns and songs without worrying that somebody out there might hear us! his joy was even contagious! he enjoyed fellowshipping together, reading the bible, listening to the preaching and worshiping Him freely, undistractedly.

we are praying together that in time, they will be able to do the same in maldives... i covet your prayers for this... Matt 19:6 says "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible".

Entertaining the Thieves

how would you react if you learned that your neighbor's house was ravaged by thieves, and instead of them driving the thieves away, they have welcomed them, entertained them and worst, fed them! they were robbed off of their wealth, and yet they even displayed the unbelievable stockholm syndrome. the thieves left, and a few days after, they kept coming back to your neighbor's house and robbed them more. and when they found nothing else to amass, they went to others' houses... and on to yours!!! how would you react? would you treat them the same???

i am sure that your reaction is an adamant "NO! they are thieves!!!" i am sure you would be preparing to fight them with all your might to safeguard your wealth. i am sure you would have been prepared to ask for help and plan your action. i am sure you would have faced the thieves with fierce anger and no amount of compromise will happen!!! this is how we will react when we are talking about physical wealth e.g money, house, car, furnitures, jewelries, etc...

but do you know that we are like the neighbor in so many ways? we welcome the thieves named 'negative discontent' or in escalated level 'covetousness' and let him rob off our wealth named 'happiness'? and they do not even deceive us by coming as wolves in sheeps' clothing. they present themselves to us as they are-- thieves in all its form and 'glory'! and that thief is such a parasite and we have been such willing hosts, willing victims, to the point that we even indulge in it! oh yes, we love rambling about our discontents in life! we keep entertaining the thoughts! we feed them by giving in to them, and inviting their close kins such as regret, sadness, envy and worst, covetousness. and we let all of them stay in our hearts until we ran out of happy thoughts!

i am not trying to be philosophical here, but sadly, this is the reality, the trap that many of us are falling into deeper everyday, which if we do not stop, will keep on stealing our happiness away... until we have no more to give... and as they say, if we lose money, we can easily regain it; but if we lose our happiness, no one can say the extent of salvaging methods we have to perform!

i want to share some of the anti-thief tactics that i found useful in my life:

1. "always remember that the thief is an enemy". never confuse it with friends. stop welcoming it, stop entertaining it, stop feeding it! Deut 20:4 "For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."

2. "it's all a matter of perspective". it's either half-full or half-empty. i choose to cultivate the half-full perspective! be slow to complaint and quick to thanksgiving. God's blessing is being showered on us every minute, everywhere, even at the most seemingly dark providence! Deut 6:12 "be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery"

3. "choose your company". if you surround yourself with perrenial complainers and you have such a weak resolve, it won't be surprising if you'd end up being one of them. Prov 24:1 "Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company"

4. "cultivate only the positive discontent". it is opposed to lazy contentment which is not good in equal measure to negative discontent. it is not bad to graze at greener pastures, as long as you can manage and properly balance both reality and your expectations of yourself and your life.

5. "laugh a lot!" don't wallow in discontent and its close cousins. don't give an opportunity for these to enter your life by filling it up by its antidotes - a lot of laughter, positivism, and good contentment.

life is so short to be wasted and given away to these thieves! fight the first signs and sight of it, and live life to the fullest! ;) c'est la vie!

Hymns and Tears

i seldom cry. but if there's one thing that never fails to make my tears fall, it is hymns that tell of what Jesus Christ has done for the sake of undeserving sinners like me. it brings me back to that day in january 1992 when, by HIs grace, He has opened my eyes to the understanding of that bitterwseet cross of calvary... below is one of my favorite humbling and heart piercing-hymn... i hope you read and digest each word...

Words by Thomas Kelly, 1804
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/s/t/stricken.htm

Stricken, smitten, and afflicted,
See Him dying on the tree!
’Tis the Christ by man rejected;
Yes, my soul, ’tis He, ’tis He!
’Tis the long expected prophet,
David’s Son, yet David’s Lord;
Proofs I see sufficient of it:
’Tis a true and faithful Word.

Tell me, ye who hear Him groaning,
Was there ever grief like His?
Friends through fear His cause disowning,
Foes insulting his distress:
Many hands were raised to wound Him,
None would interpose to save;
But the deepest stroke that pierced Him
Was the stroke that Justice gave.

Ye who think of sin but lightly,
Nor suppose the evil great,
Here may view its nature rightly,
Here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the Sacrifice appointed!
See Who bears the awful load!
’Tis the Word, the Lord’s Anointed,
Son of Man, and Son of God.

Here we have a firm foundation,
Here the refuge of the lost.
Christ the Rock of our salvation,
Christ the Name of which we boast.
Lamb of God for sinners wounded!
Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded
Who on Him their hope have built.


who can fathom this great love? not i, for until now, it still amazes me, humbles me... there's so much depth in its beauty, and i only need to yield...