Oratio Imperata

just blog-hopped and started dreaming of summer back home, beaches and swimming frenzy...

but alas, my heart is troubled. eversince the tsunami that hit Japan, I could not stay still. i keep fearing of a time when a calamity will hit my country, especially where my family is, and I am not there with them. it is so hard to be away from our loved ones and even small news of bad things happening to people we know, or not know at all, is enough to keep us teetering on our toes fearful that the next one to meet such ill fate may be a loved one.

makes me long for home all the more.

may I offer the following prayer, lifted from my prayer book, Straight from the Heart,

The Oratio Imperata: A Prayer in Times of Calamities, Deluge and Pestilence.

Almighty Father,

we raise our hearts to you

in gratitude for the wonders of creation

of which we are part,

for your providence

in sustaining us in our needs,

and for your wisdom

that guides the course of the universe.

We acknowledge our sins

against you and the rest of creation.

We have not been good stewards of Nature.

We have confused your command

to subdue the earth.

The environment is made to suffer

by our wrongdoing,

and now we reap the harvest

of our abuse and indifference.

Global warming is upon us.

Typhoons, floods, volcanic eruption,

and other natural calamities occur

in increasing the number and intensity.

We turn to you, our loving Father,

and beg forgiveness for our sins.

We ask that we, our loved ones

and our hard earned possessions

be spared from the threat of calamities,

natural and man-made.

We beseech you to inspire us all

to grow into responsible stewards

of your creation, and generous neighbors

to those in need.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

Off Again

again, wandering the streets of rigga on my day off.

.. and eating at KFC.

.. and stealing glances on that DJ bag.

.. and paying my phone and internet bills.

.. and calling home.

.. and doing the laundry.

.. and watching news from back home.

.. and waiting for Imortal on primetime tv.

.. and then logging on to post on my blogsite.

this is the life of an OFW.

Stormy Weather

it was very dark when i went down from my flat to go to work. immediately i flagged the first cab i spotted just as it was rounding the curb towards our building. i thought i should hurry before it rains. it looked like it's gonna be heavy.

just three blocks from my place, however, i noticed it was not rain that came. the wind was picking up. and i mean picking up, like all sorts of things that can go along with it... scraps of paper, cardboard boxes, plastics, and sand- lots and lots of sand. a sandstorm was brewing and i didn't even recognize it for what it was. hardly had i seen it face-on. always i've watched sandstorms from afar. but this time, i was on it. i was so afraid. man! suddenly, the whole surrounding turned dark. i felt like i was inside a tornado. but this was dry and all sand.

the taxi driver's head was moving left and right every so often. i realized then that i was not the only one scared to be on the streets at that time. we could hear the howling of the wind and when we got near the workplace, we had to stop for the signal to go green, and the big sheet streamer at the tunnel was banging against the wall. it was just scary.

when i got off, me and just about everyone were scurrying to get inside the buildings. trees were falling on the cars at the parking areas. whew! it was really dangerous being out.

it was the first time in my life that i experienced that. i was so scared.

An OFW's Prayer

Feeling melancholic but once again, let me post here a prayer lifted from the prayer book that my mom gave me. It's from Straight from the Heart, a St. Paul's publication.

Dear Lord,

source of hope and our salvation,

guide me as I travel,

lead me on the right path,

and never let me depart from you.

Grant me a safe journey from the home

I leave behind to my destination:

may I find true friends as well as

a decent and rewarding job;

may I enjoy the beauty of the place;

may I appreciate the grandeur

of your creation.

Watch over me

and lead me safely back home:

keep me away from harm and danger;

spare me from embarassment and humiliation;

deliver me from scandal and shame.

Stay by my side

and always remind me of my true home:

as a pilgrim, I am just passing by in this world;

as your creature, I must return to you;

as your servant, I must lead others to heaven.

Watch over those whom I leave behind.

Protect my family and loved ones

while I am away.

Keep us always safe

in the palm of your hands.

Watch over all of us

though we live far apart.

With your grace and blessing,

may we see each other in the future:

to enjoy once again each other's company,

to hear and listen to our own life stories,

and to accompany one another

on the road that leads to you.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Paskong Pinoy

Christmas was fun for us at the flat. roxanne and the gang cooked the food which was delish! hmm...

after the eating, we exchanged gifts and played the pinoy henyo game and we were super noisy. but, what the heck, all the other flats were a-ruckus as well..

Happy Christmas everyone!

Christmas Party at the Office

we were told to bring our gifts for our party, and i did. quite frankly, i was really surprised and very happy that everyone joined in, regardless of religion. i mean, i'm saying this because back in the philippines, colleagues who had different religion would back out or just plain refuse to join in on the fun saying they don't celebrate christmas or some other excuse. but here, where most are either muslim or hindu, and just a handful of us are christians, everybody joined in. and i had super fun. it's obvious (in the pictures). ",)

it was simple: we cut the cake and had our exchange of gifts at the office.

and guess what i got?

1, 2, Go

i have already finished the first and second steps in procuring the E-ID. finally...

but see, after step no. 1- typing, we were told that within 48 hours, we'd get an SMS for our appointment (2nd step: biometric scanning) in the processing of our emirates ID. but after a week no SMS came. nada! so i called the customer service number they gave for follow-up and still no SMS came. hence, i decided to take matters into my own hands and went for a walk-by (walk-in ito sa linggwahe nating mga pinoy). i waited about an hour before my turn came 'coz they were prioritizing those who had appointments that morning. and then finally it's done.

naku salamat naman, at natapos din. ngayon, ang next step ay maghintay. don't know how long it's gonna be. but i have patience naman. ",)

Simbang Gabi

attended simbang gabi last night. grabe, sobrang late na kami nakauwi. paano kasi, nag-aya pa ako sa pinsan ko na magpapapicture ako sa may christmas tree. waited until the crowd has somehow thinned bago kami makakuha ng matinong pic. joked with our parish priest while waiting, napadaan kasi siya sa amin habang nag-iikot sa simbahan to talk with the parishioners.

i cannot however complete the 9 night masses, due to my shifting sched. sayang.

the spirit of the season is somehow getting lost on me. lonely yata ang aking pasko ngayon. buti na lang, okay ang atmosphere sa bahay. i can get my moments of peace. at mababait ang mga tao sa house, pinagtitimpihan ako ng aking mga pinsan at flatmates sa aking mga moods.

sana po mabago ko ang ugali ko. mainitin pa rin ang aking ulo at madaling mapikon. lalo na ngayon at may hindi ako type na katrabaho. pabaitin niyo po ako Lord. pahabain niyo pa po ang aking pasensiya. Diyos ko po, di ko na po 'ata kaya.

mukhang madami pa yata akong hihilingin ngayong pasko. but first i have to start the change from within. i should begin with me.

Bertdeyhan na Naman

we had another birthday celeb here in the house. it was cousin guiller's natal day yesterday. kaya kainan at kantahan to d max na naman. at laklakan pala para sa mga naiwan sa bahay nung gabi. i had to go to work (night shift) kaya kahit hinahabol ako ng tagay on my way out, dedma na lang. at heto ang mga ebidensiya:

my cuz roxy busy in the kitchen...

while cuz rene got busy singing videoke...

singit naman ako ng isang kanta.. na sinundan pa ng isa at isa at isa.... ",)

tim-tim singing with feelings...

and d fudang....

Standing in Line

woke up early to hear mass at St. Mary's Church. today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mother Mary. i went for the 6:45am mass so that i can come early for the Emirates ID in nearby Karama. but alas, when i got there at a quarter to eight, the line has been cut for the typing. we were told to come back in the afternoon or else at 7am again the next day.

some went home. but there were a number of us who remained. it's not as if it's so easy to absent yourself from work and request your passport from the office. we have to meet deadlines as well. and to add to that, the E-ID has changed the process. we have to come back again at a set date for the photo, eye scanning and finger printing. waited several hours before my turn came. thankfully i was back home by 2pm. tired and very hungry.

wish it will be easier for the next step.

Holiday Shopping

i was so pooped yesterday.

just finished my workweek and really looking forward to 2 days off. but since i already had plans for today, i managed to wake up yesterday just in time to do some christmas shopping. went from one mall to another, browsing through SALE items as we had pegged the price for our office exchange of gifts and i wanted to make one good buy ( i think i did, ). also bought a couple of sweaters for my night walks, a few socks (loved the colors!), Liz bag (again), and some items from Woolworths (i got a 50Dhs coupon when i purchased mom's laptop). then, went to Reef Mall for some home items that i've been long wanting to buy. Lifestyle is one good place to shop for gifts. finally stopped at Home Centre and bought a couple of baking pans to get me all set for my baking plans.

i was literally dragging my feet by the time i was coming home at 9pm, both arms laden with shopping bags. i think i may have looked like a christmas tree (as what roommie tikz would call me back in the days). one kabayan who was walking behind me even offered to give me a hand with my loot. ".) but i managed all right.

Feeling Cold

the air is so cold outside. i was shivering as i was getting out of the office this morning and while walking the short distance to my flat from the metro.

it's a cold, cold december morning.... i sure long for a warm hug to welcome me home.

Extended Eid Holiday

yes, we've had our fun at the beach.

but wait, there's more....

seems there was money left over from our department's budget for outing. we really didn't spend much at the beach. and since we were each allocated a certain amount for the outing, it was decided that we go for another outing two days after. so we went for a Desert Safari this time.

bitin nga lang ako. mas mahaba ang dune bashing na na-experience ko before with my bro and cousins. sobrang ang titinis ng boses namin kakasigaw noon. this time, nag-ga-gather pa lang ako ng energy para sumigaw, tapos na ang tripping. ngek, parang wala pa yatang 10 minutes iyong aming dune bash. hindi ganun ka-worth it and binayad naming 175 dirhams each.

here are my pics on the desert safari (selected na lang.. baka kasi ayaw ng mga kasama ko ma-post sila dito) :

and in the gathering twilight, feel na feel ko na ang lamig ng hangin. pumapasok na ang lamig galing europa at russia... mukhang kelangan ko nang paghandaan ang taga-lamig ko (tawag ng friend ko nung college sa allergy ko sa malamig na hangin). you got me scared there, Keys & Fingers. i really need to find out how to cure my allergy.

QD Team Eid Outing

namamaga na naman ang mukha ko. it's been like this for days now, in fact almost a week already. season's changing. the air's gettin' cold. and that's where i have a problem. coz i've got an allergy to the cold winds. so here i am, with my face in blotches of mini-rashes.

i remember my birthday back in 2006 when i was in singapore with my mom, aunt and sis-in-law. my face went all puffed up. i really felt bad 'bout my look back then. now, i'm kinda getting used to it. i have not been feeling all that well though. so it kinda adds up. really feeling lousy.

but news, news, news. our outing finally happened. on the last day of the Eid Al Adha, celebrated wednesday here, my dept at work went to Fujeirah to have an outing. i really enjoyed being out of dubai for a day. though, i could not say the same for the driver. he must have been so tired. we left the airport at around 8am and got back around 10:30 in the evening.

guess i enjoyed just watching the view on the way while my colleagues were happily singing all the hindi songs that they love. i saw desert on the way and rock mountains. i was wondering really why it wasn't green from afar. when we got nearer, saw then that they were rocky.

we stopped by Friday market for tea, some shopping and of course, pics-taking.

the place we went to was an open beach. very public. i decided to not get into the water anyway. my colleagues enjoyed swimming and playing. but the water is quite salty. i sure miss our beaches back home.

Holiday

i was alone on the shift this morning. felt quite lonely just thinking of everyone else having a good time during the holidays. well, i can take leave some other days anyway. still, it's just not the same when everyone else will be at work by then.

sure am looking forward to getting my foot out of my lonesome state, this lonely emirate.

Eid Al Adha

We have Eid! .. again...

It's the Eid Al Adha here now and all I see are Sale, Sale, Sale banners in the malls and stores. Everyone's celebrating. We got the memo in our office for the 3-day holiday, which officially starts on the 15th and end on 17th November. Looks like I've got additional comp off's to take. Hmmm, maybe next year or the new year, perhaps. Let's just wait and see. But i definitely have to confirm with my colleague if i can still take that one more off for the Ramadan Eid.

Walked down to my Suki shop and bought a new watch and bag. I'll have to postpone some more shopping for next month then.

Eid Mubarak everyone!

At Home on my Off Day

good it is also my aunt's day-off today. I woke up and decided to go to Carrefour for some light shopping. was able to talk to my aunt and learned she also had the day off and so we went instead to Satwa and did some shopping there.

this is our life here. really looking forward to any rest and quiet time that we can have.

June updates

it's now mid-year and the summer heat is in the air.

it's kinda lonely being so far away from home. i miss my family. i miss my bro kahit siya ay pasaway. i wish time will come when he learns to stand on his own two feet and not be dependent on our parents or me.

this year seems to be exceptionally hot. i've been having constant bouts of headache, fatigue and dehydration. the extreme summer heat and 1.4degC temperature of the chillers at work's just too much. it's taking a toll on my health.

am really thinking about that much-needed vacation now.

Desert Adventure

with nothing better to do, am posting here now pics from last year's (this time around in summer) Desert Safari with bro esmuky, cousin roxy and some friends. hahaha... really long overdue, i know.

It's a Cruel World

'tis a cruel world we live in...


i have all too often wondered if staying in this land of gold is really the right thing to do. i have had nothing but disappointments ever since i arrived. it would have been fine if there was somebody behind me, pushing me to go forward. but the only family i expect to do that is the one person who is breaking my heart to pieces.