Out of College

you're reading it right-- out of college. that exactly how i feel right now! as i venture into the unknown tomorrow, i am anxious but excited in equal measure at the prospects ahead. 2007 has been quite a whirlwind of major events in my life, which culmated in january 2008 when dad passed away. and then i knew, major changes will happen, and i have to do that leap of faith in Him and accept with open arms the new life that He will send my way...

if you know me, you'll understand my trepidation. i've always been a planner, a "segurista". and whatever iota of uncertainty the future shows, it rattles me. i am not talking about small plans, coz i can be very flexible with that, nor small adventures coz believe me, i love adventures. but i am talking about life plans. life plans that may kick me out of my comfort zones.

at the same time, i am thrilled at the thought of new beginnings. i never realized life is full of so many choices! wayback when i was really out of college, my only category of choice was -- which company should i apply for? my feet and hands then were itching for real work. and now that i've passed thru work life for 13 yrs now, i realized there is more to life than work, work, work. it's not too late to start anew i guess. i have a second chance at being out of college coz anyways, they say i am still 25 ;)

so whatever the future holds, i am at peace now knowing that God is there.

and if in case i choose the wrong path, He will be compassionate enough to bring me back to the right tract. i am His child and i believe He wants the best for me.

God will Make A Way

i love humming this simple song each time i am confused or worried.... and i am reminded of His sovereignty in my life. and i am at peace.

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

God will make a way
When there seems to be no way
He works thru ways we cannot see
He will make a way for me
He will be my guide
Hold me closely to His side
With love and strength for each new day
God will make a way
God will make a way...

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

My 7-11 Trip

i am not talking about 711 convenience stores. i am talking about 7 life-changing days for 11 ordinary people going on an extra-ordinary adventure trip...



i've always been amazed at people, at community and the dynamics that exists between them. if possible, i always opt for cultural immersion trips rather than touristic ones. i'm fortunate that my job has allowed me in the past to explore a bit of social science as i study market behaviours in our target country locations.



now on this trip to maldives, we went into different inhabited islands. it is a very beautiful place where beautiful people live; where beautiful nature abounds; where the beauty of the sun, stars and moon shine in splendor; where life lived in simplicity reigns. but i realized beauty ends there... they do not know our beautiful Saviour.

on our first day when we arrived, the host set the rules upfront: (1) no talk about religion, and (2) no talk about politics. and guess where we were housed? right in front of a mosque! i am sure this is not mere coincidence...

for 7 days, the 11 of us lived like the locals, did what the locals did, ate what the locals ate, played what the locals played. actually, it felt like i was in one of our provinces in my hometown where beach, sand, coconut trees, fish and fresh air abounds. the community is so small, where everyone knows everybody. the men do the fishing, the ladies keep the house and do their crafts, and kids go to school and play in the afternoons. it felt like home...

in 7 days, i learned more about their lives, their culture. in 7 days i have been personally enriched with my dealings with the local people. in 7 days, i appreciated the true simplicity of life. in 7 days, being one of the 11 lives, i have been changed. it was enough to scratch off the surface of God's masterplan for this place... but to fully continue with this, we need more than 7-11

i have faith that in His time, He will make His glory be known there... To God be the glory!

Getting Hi-Techie

i do not like hi-tech gadgets.... given a choice between a notebook planner and palm, i'd choose planner where i can fold the page, write on it, dirty it, highlight it, cross the words, etc. for some reason i like the feeling of paper. friends have enticed me to try one. i did. i bought one, and after a few days, re-sold it.

i hate blackberries and complicated mobiles..... as long as i can call, send sms, have an alarm, have my reminders and have a calendar, i am fine. people have prodded me to upgade my mobile to no avail.

even my digicam is outdated. for me, as long as it can capture the moment, and has self-timer, i am happy.

my car is even outmoded. who's still using casette tapes nowaday? i raise my hand! ;)

you see here in dubai you're spoilt for choice when it comes to these gadgets. friends have showed me mp3, mp4s, multi-media players, but they did not interest me at all.

but........... a few days ago, i started looking at a multimedia player in a different light. it started to appeal to me, especially in one of my out of town trips where i've travelled for hours and reading a book made my vision blurry and my head achy! i thought twice and maybe, i might consider getting one, specially knowing that i love looking at snapshots every so often, and bringing a laptop is not usually the best option.

j, mano and i looked around mall of the emirates. we saw creative, merlin, etc. and j's best bet is ---- i-pod classic, holding 160GB of files!!!!!!!!!! wow! that's thousands of pics, videos, movies, sounds, sermons, etc.

hmmm.... will get hold of you in a few days. i'm excited to travel again... no wonder they are going gaga over this.... now i'm living up to my name as i get hi-tetchie! ;)

Pretty Much Mixed Up

Name: Marites Ingente
Nationality: Filipino

Other Nationality: huh?????
Nationality in Passport: huh????

That question used to baffle me. But now that i met numerous who fit into this category, i now fully understand. air travel has made the world smaller. people lived in different countries, and thefore, couples have been more interracial, resulting to a pretty much mixed up upbringing and culture of their offspring.

Case 1:
her father is japanese and mother is venezuelan. she lived in venezuela, and married a scottish guy. they live now here in dubai with their kids. their kids' passport is british, but when asked what their nationality is, it will depend ;)

Case 2:
her mom is filipina, her dad is italian, but she was brought up in saudi, then in london and now she lives in dubai. so when asked about her nationality, it's italian, but she is every inch a filipina.

Case 3:
she is born in malaysia, lived in singapore, but her father's side is german, and she now resides in dubai. so her passport says singaporean, but she can also be a true blue german lass.

Case 4:

his father is irish, mom is nepalese. they settled in india for many years, and now he's living in dubai. so his nationality is indian, though he does not look any inch an indian.

there are more mixed up cultural stories like that here. so the simple question "from where are you from?" would usually be difficult to answer in one word ;) and this one question begets another question.... really an interesting conversation starter.

Evenings with CnC Guys

for us from the philippines, we call it singles fellowship, but here and the US, it is called College and Careers. i think CnC is pretty much a better word, taking the pressure off out of the word ;) and here, we also have some friends attending who are 'single' in a sense that they are far away from their spouse.

i've been going to the weekly sessions since february 2008, and man, we have covered the life of joseph in a way i've never dealt with before. it's like we were given a magnifying lense and focused that on everything revolving his life. truly, bull's eye for the kind of life we live.

EB is our ever patient and quick witted teacher. every week, i have a dose of my college nostalgia-- what with all the 'kulitan', in-depth study and open discussions with young-looking guys and gals ;) watch out for words of wisdom from sri, narmi, aleks, nana, david (i learn a lot from them), comic reliefs provided by judson and daniel, inquisitive cris, andrew and mark.... and what makes the discussion more interesting is the varying grains of thoughts contributed by a good mix of filipino-, indian-, lebanese-, iranian-, british-, american-, singaporean-, brazilian-, australian- and german- grey matters.

so sunday nights, at 615pm, i've to be dashing out of my office all the way from sharjah to burjuman to catch mona, and then to mall of the emirates to fetch mano, and then to EB's place at the Meadows at 730pm!

see yah!!!

It all started with I-Hop

it was the first church fellowship mano and i dared to go where we really do not know anyone. it was i-HOP, a weekly prayer meeting during ramadan (Oct 2007). the church coordinator hooked us up with others based on location. it was funny actually, coz the first email said "manoleth, you will meet with tetch", coz i guess we were the only ones who registered for deira area. after a few more days, names were added, until it became 5 of us. there i met the wonderful couple brett and kate (aussies) and the opinionated constance (singaporean). and that first meeting sealed a good friendship....

for almost 2-3 weeks, we met up in brett and kate's house (thanks for the hospitality), and after that, we have always kept in touch-- whether we bump into each other in the church, or we'd go to mercato for lunch or KFC twisters after the service, and oh yeah, the movie night at brett and kate's house where we watched National Treasure. all throughout those months, we've shared our conversion stories, work tales, culture, and so many other things under the sun. we were also together for mano's baptism at the jumeirah beach; in one shoebox ministry; and then the church christmas bonfire. two weeks ago, we had a nice movie night ("Feast of Love") and coffee talk at grand hyatt... and guess what, we all love Alias (and kate is Jen Garner's dead ringer, mind you!). i guess constance and now esther, will watch it too, if they find the time ;)



i've always been endeared to brett and kate's warm and sunny disposition, as opposed to my biased view of aussies... very humble people despite their (literal) towering statures... a couple who has their own brand of sweetness... a couple always on the go for outdoor adventures (very melbourne-y huh, if there's word like that)... a cool and sensitive couple i must say!

constance strikes me as quite a feisty girl, well opinionated despite being the then sickly one-half of twin sisters. she's the typical singaporean who knows what she likes, goes for it and grabs it. and yes, fast talker and fast mover. one thing she strongly impressed in me was letting go fully of my dreams and unknown future into the able hands of our sovereign and loving Father.

we know how hard it is to get good pals here in this transitory and quite superficial world of UAE, but you guys, you're one of my rare prized catches!

Friends are genuine gems from our great Father who knows our needs-- especially for us who are miles away from home ;)

The End of An Era

I've known fidel castro's name since high school, you know, the current events quizzes. and then vladimir's name has been there in the political arena eversince 90s. and now that they are stepping down, is it really the end of their era? maybe not, as they 'appoint' their successors...

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

Feb 19, 2008 ABC News

After almost half a century in power, Cuba's Fidel Castro is stepping down.

He made the announcement overnight on the online edition of the Cuban Communist Daily paper Granma. "I will neither aspire to nor accept the positions of president of the state council and commander in chief." That means that for the first time since 1959, the 81-year-old will not be officially in charge in Cuba.


His brother Raul, 76, who has been acting president for his ailing brother, since July 2006, will be formally installed this weekend. The world's longest-serving political leader is leaving on his own terms, having survived efforts by 10 U.S. presidents to bring him down, including a disastrous CIA-backed invasion in 1961 and a missile crisis that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war in 1962.

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

March 3, 2008, World News

MOSCOW, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Russia's first deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev won a landslide victory in Sunday's presidential election, becoming the successor of incumbent President Vladimir Putin, who is barred constitutionally from seeking a consecutive third term and is to step down in May after eight years in office.

Following is a timeline of highlights of Putin presidency:
-- Aug. 1999: President Boris Yeltsin names Putin as acting prime minister.
-- Dec. 1999: Yeltsin resigns on New Year's Eve; Putin becomes acting president.
-- March 2000: Putin is elected president of Russia.
-- May 2000: Putin is sworn in as Russia's second democratically elected president.
-- June 2000: Putin holds a summit in Moscow with U.S. President Bill Clinton. The two leaders sign agreements to tackle new threats to global stability and also agree to bridge differences over missile defense system.
-- Aug. 2000: The Kursk nuclear-powered submarine sinks in the Barents Sea, killing all 118 sailors on board. Putin's image suffers a jolt as he comments on the crisis for the first time four days later.
-- June 2001: Putin and U.S. President George W. Bush meet for their first summit in the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana.
-- May 2002: Putin and Bush publicly differ in Moscow. Putin denies Russia could help Iran develop nuclear weapons.
-- June 2003: Russia closes the TVS television channel, the only countrywide TV station not controlled by the state.
-- March 2004: Putin is re-elected as Russian president, winning more than 70 percent of the vote.
-- Sept. 2004: A group of terrorists take more than 1,000 people hostage in a school in Beslan, North Ossetia-Alania, triggering a three-day standoff that ends in gun battle. More than 300 hostages are killed, half of them children.
-- April 2005: Putin becomes the first Russian leader to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories, as part of a Middle East tour.
-- Jan. 2006: Russian gas monopoly Gazprom halts gas supplies to Ukraine after Kiev rejects its terms on natural gas deliveries and transit. Europe's energy supplies are affected.
-- July 2006: Russia hosts its first Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg, as bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington soured.
-- Dec. 2007: Putin publicly voices his support for First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as his favored successor and starts to support him in the election campaign.
-- Dec. 2007: Putin is named by the Time magazine "Person of the Year" for 2007.

Gift Cheques

i receive numerous gift checks. most of which i am happy to receive, yet normally, i'd tuck them under my planner and forget about them until......... it's near expiry! we keep stalling enjoyment of it until we do not have time anymore to think on how best to use it!

in many of our promotions here in Adventureland, we would always have people coming to our office and asserting (not requesting!) that their vouchers be made valid even after days or months of expiry. reasons given ranges from them being out of the country, to them coming here to Sharjah just to redeem this voucher so we have to make sure that make it worth their trip, or to simply not giving any reason except charming us with their kids' longing looks!

Gift checks... we'll never realize their worth until they're about to expire. i guess the same holds true with the one great gift given to us--- the gift of life!

Construction Wonders in Dubai

this is the architect's perspective of the Burj Dubai, the current tallest building in the world.

here's the vertical comparison of the skycrapers in the world

this is burj under construction, towering among all the other construction projects in dubai.

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

here's another construction wonder--- Al Nakheel's The Palm-- not one, but three! Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira (biggest).

here's a closer look at one of the branches of the The Palm.

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

and if Burj Dubai and The Palm are not enough, here's one more amazing project -- The World .

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

Dubailand was conceptualized to be 'the' leisure and entertainment destination in the region. composed of numerous projects (some under construction, some under negotiation, some still on conceptual plans, while some are still in someone's imagination )

whew! and then there's the Metro Rail, and the underwater hotel, and the list goes on and on (just google it!)..... whatever Dubai is aiming for, one thing i admire with them is that they turn their visions into reality, amidst all the skepticisms and impossibilities.

Pure Madness

Posted last Feb 17, Gulf News

Abu Dhabi: Licence plate No 1 broke the world record as the most expensive, fetching a whopping Dh52.2 million in fierce bidding in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Saeed Al Khouri, 25, a businessman in Abu Dhabi, won the number plate after a furious contest in the final stages of the auction conducted at the Emirates Palace hotel.

He broke the record by paying more than double the previous record which went to plate No 5 that sold for Dh25.2 million and is owned by his cousin Talal Ali Mohammad Khouri, also a prominent businessman.

"The final value of the number plate auction exceeded our wildest hopes and dreams," said Abdullah Matar Al Mannaei, Managing Director of Emirates Auction, the official auctioneer for Code 5 distinguished number plate auctions, supported by the General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police.

"Today we set not just one, but two records," said Al Mannaie, adding that the auction - the sixth organised by Emirates Auction - attracted 750 participants and generated a record Dh89 million from the sale of 90 number plates.

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

even if they say that the money generated will be used to establish a specialised hospital in Abu Dhabi for accident victims, i still think it is pure madness!

One Windy Day

it happenend last Feb 1. we were preparing to go to church. i saw from our room window that strong winds are gushing, fiercely bending date trees and other trees. we even heard the wind wistling thru the very small space between the window panes. but there was no rain.

still, mano and i braved the winds.

it was a long way from where we live to the church. and all throughout the trip, we witnessed how rainless typhoon can be as dangerous! sandstorm is what we call it here, as sand kept being whished thru the air, everywhere! it made the sky really grey and dim as well!

while on the freeway, i can feel the power of the wind... i recall typhoon days in the Philippines...

mano took some snapshots of this day...

Happy Anniversary Adventureland!

when i was walking up the escalator, and i heard the joyful screams of children and vibrations of the roller coaster, i knew i was close to the premises of Adventureland already! (as if i don't know! haha!) and there, the Customer Service booth greeting you, decorated with green and yellow balloons, bannering our "6th Anniversary!". oh, yeah, it's been that long!

i hear the all-too familiar noise of the game machines, the greetings of the cashiers, caught sight of the redemption booth that will definitely tantanlize any kid's appetite for toys! and the most familiar and eye-catching of all--- the roller coaster and train coaster appearing out of the facade running even above you as if saying 'hey, stop staring! come and have a ride!' what a way to give a glimpse of the thrill that's in store inside!

Adventureland is a brainchild of two great leisure and entertainment visionaries--- my bosses Glenn Figueroa (Filipino, who used to own Glico's), and Shahram Foroughi (Iranian-French). I've been working with them since... 2002! wow! and considering that my first handshake with them was for only 3 months! oh well, time flies when you're having fun! i've been into different departments -- food service, marketing, sales, business development, operations management, and now, general management. as i fondly say, i'm a jack-of-all trades, master of none! haha!

We hope to conquer dubai, abi dhabi, other GCC counties soon. This year, we will open Adventureland Morocco!

and of course, anniversaries are usually coupled with.... FOOD!!! even if we didn't have the usual buffet lunch, we still had fun just celebrating it even in a more modest way. and i love the cake too!

To our Adventureland family, past and present--- Happy Anniversary to US! Praise God for keeping us successful in this business for a long time! ;)

Flashback

it happened while i was driving to work this morning. scenes of my last year plans flashed back in my mind. normally that excites me. but now, it rubbed more strongly and painfully that many of those plans are now useless--- with the absence of my Tatay (dad). in between tears, i continued driving while my mind was busy rewinding...

last year, i planned on having a vacation in Boracay in April 08 with Nanay and Tatay, so that Tatay would be able to see the beauty of one of the most pristine beaches in the world. i'm sure he'd hesitate coz he'll think of the cost, but he'll give in to my charms. but now i am thinking of foregoing it for now...

last year, i bough a land in his home province in Quezon sold for a very cheap price, which really thrilled him! he has been talking to a lawyer for the documentation, even until 2 days before he passed away. he would have loved going to Quezon every now and then, making use of the land for coconut plantation or whatever he wished to do with it. but now i am thinking of just re-selling it...

last year, i planned on building a mini-studio for his paintings atop our garage where he could freely enjoy looking at his works of art. and yes, friends too when they pay us a visit. but now, i am thinking of revising that plan...

and the one very thing that brought me to sobbing was this:

last year, more than once did he ask Nanay when i'd finally have a BF... maybe he would already like to meet and know that someone he'd send off his daughter to; that someone who'd take care of me, instead of him....

and if the Lord wills, Tatay wouldn't be able to meet him anymore... and sadly, he will not be able to walk his only girl down the aisle... deep inside i know he's been waiting for that...


it took me a few more minutes after i parked to compose myself. by God's grace, things will be ok. i walked again to our office to face another day, trusting in Him that soon He will wipe my tears away...


@@@@@@@@@@

Prov 19:21 "Many plans are in a man's heart,But the counsel of the LORD will stand.

2 Cor 1:3-5 " Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

A Sister, A Friend, A Confidante

i don't know why i am writing this now. but anyways, i do not need special reasons to, coz she herself is special enough... (naks!). i'm talking about Manoleth. to those who has been reading my blogs, maybe you are wondering who this 'mano' i refer to always.

we were dormates in college, in Yakal (UP Diliman) wayback in early 90's. but really, we were not close then. she has her own world. we only get together whenever our wing would have gimiks. we call ourselves WestWingOneGirls (WW1). we'd have a lot of group activities from sports fest, to movie nights, to dorm open house, etc. but the fact also that i am a bit (only a bit) older than her, made my circle of friend different from hers.

but things changed after college, when WW1 would always have reunions. we're a group of girls who branched out into different careers, living different kinds of interesting lives, had a bunch of love lives, some got married and some have wonderful have kids now...

last early 2005, when we had an opening in our sharjah office, i immediately thought of her since Nong, her fiance at that time (now they're happily married), was working in Oman. she said yes after a couple of thinking, and finally landed in UAE Nov 2005.

and since then, we've been inseparable. she's like the sister i've never had. she's the answer to my prayers-- i was praying at that time for another friend when Shey got married...

and for the two bonding years, she's been many personas to me:

she's a true friend-- definitely! always there, rain or shine, happy or sad, with dinero or nada dinero. also, will not tell you the things you want to hear, but the things you need to hear.

she's a confidante -- tucks in a lot of my secrets! and of couse, discourses with me when i cannot seem to make up my mind, specially about matters of the heart. she's got great sense between those ears, and has good humor when you needed one. she's not oh-too-serious, not too emotional, but does not take things very lightly as well. she's balanced, i should say.

she's my roommie -- sometimes we'd stay up late just talking and talking about anything under the sun! we'd talk about ourselves, our families, our plans, our works, etc. we do not seem to run out of topics to discuss especially now that we are involved together in many things!

she's my memory bank -- when my memory fails me (which usually happens), she's there to laugh about it first (what a friend! haha!) before she fills in the details.

she's a planner and a dreamer -- oh, we love to plan! but the good thing about her is that she's as fluid as water, as flexible as rubber -- so no hurt feelings if plans don't push thru. she just loves to write, plan, and write, and plan... we both love exploring life plans, and dream about many things...

she's a book reader --she's the person responsible for my current rave about reading. thanks mate! but the funny thing is, i'd end up finishing the books she buys, because she does not finish them at all. she said she'd like to read slowly coz she panics when she has no more book to read! wow! weird...

she's my pen-provider -- she's a pen stealer! haha! be careful with your pens, she has a weird fettish for that. good thing she has not taken any of mine, hahha! (or i just didn't notice? hmmm..)

she's my mind-reader -- finishes my sentence, and knows when i am bluffing. ugh, sometimes i hate that when she verbalizes what i am really thinking even if i've hidden it in my most non-chalant expression.

she's my travel-mate -- even if she really is lazy doing activities (believe me, sleep is equally interesting for her compared with leisure activities), she's been a great companion in qatar, germany and amsterdam... and soon, maldives!

she's my coffee-talk-mate -- oh yeah, she loves coffee!!! and the talks that comes with it. whether at hotel lobbies, at starbucks, or nescafe at home...

she's my movie-mate -- whether at the cinemas, or at home, we love watching movies. we go for the same genre such as romcoms, suspense and at some times, thinking movies. and she also introduced me to the world of TV series such as Friends, Prison Break, 24 and now Alias.

and best of all,

she's my sister -- not by human blood, but by blood of Christ! i praise God for this.

Thanks for being who you are in my life! Thanks for spicing up my stay in UAE! May God bless us with more years of friendship!

Election Blues

Kenya's disputed presidential election triggers an explosion of violence that has killed more than 275 people, including dozens burned alive as they sought refuge in a church. President Mwai Kibaki, newly inaugurated for a second term, calls for a meeting with his political opponents.

Kenya's leaders came under increasing pressure from the international community on Wednesday to end post-election violence that has resulted in the deaths of at least 250 people, including dozens who were burned alive as they sought refuge in a church. (NPR, Jan 2 2008)

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

US. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, two of the Democratic Party candidates for the US presidency, have clashed in a debate before South Carolina's primary. Mr Obama accused Mrs Clinton of saying anything to get elected. On Sunday he had accused her husband Bill Clinton of making false statements about him. But Mrs Clinton said it was hard to debate with someone who never took responsibility for any vote he cast. (BBC News, Jan 22 2008) oh, and they are from the same party, huh?

*******************
Lahore, Pakistan. Fearful of violence and deterred by confusion at polling stations, Pakistanis voted Monday in parliamentary elections that may fail to produce clear winners and could result in protracted post-election political skirmishing. A number of clashes among polling officials and voters resulted in 10 people killed and 70 wounded, according to Pakistani television channels.
Suppressed by fears of violence and vote rigging, turnout was low, which was expected to favor President Pervez Musharraf and the party that supports him, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q.

Within hours of the polls closing, however, several major defeats were reported for Musharraf's party, which some of his party workers took as a harbinger of bad news to come. Though no official results were yet announced, those parliamentary seats appeared to go instead to the Pakistan Muslim League-N, the opposition faction of the same party that supports the president's main rival, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. (International Herald Tribune, Feb
18 2008)

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

the ugly heads of elections, elections... always been connected to violence, confusion, etc. unfortunately, it happens in my own country as well. oh well...