Back in 2008...

I was dragged by my sister-in-law to attend a free Arabic course at the Eton Institute. This kept me busy while looking for work during Ramadan. It was a good introduction to the Arab culture and a good exposure for me too (Imagine being caught on TV after just living for a weeks here!) . Who would have thought that after 31 months, recession and all, I am still surviving in this amazing city?

See me and my groupmates (who later turned out to be my first non-Filipino friends in Dubai - both have left the country already) count in Arabic starting at 00:40. :) For me, this is where it all started. Enjoy! :-)

Strange Brew

My Chinese colleague Chen made me the strangest brew I have ever tasted.  Now I am not a fan of tea (or hot drinks in general) but of course I could not refuse.  After all, it isn't everyday that somebody makes tea for me.  I gave it a shot...

and regretted it after.  First of all, it looked something like jutes swimming in hot water.  This was supposed to be green tea, "Good for the health!" as Chen said.  It was green, sure, and it indeed tasted like it when the warm liquid touched my mouth.  It was a different story as soon as I swallowed the tea. The bitter taste started creeping in like ants crowding over a mountain of spilled sugar.  Blech!  I took another sip to give it another chance but it was no better than the first.  Ah well, at least I tried...and perhaps the same can be said with certain experiences and with certain people you come across in life.  We meet people who leave a bad taste in the mouth but we still give them another chance in the hope that the outcome this time will be different.  In the end, you realize that you just never really liked bitter.  You can only give yourself a pat on the back for having at least tried.

The Birds Are Falling

I'm going to try my hand at short entries with pictures for a change....

28 January 2011.  I was hurrying on my way to the metro station but I just had to stop and finally take a photo of this eye-catching graffiti.  It was one of those "artistic" shots that you so luckily stumble upon.  I wondered who made this given that a construction site would probably be the last place one would think of writing such a cryptic message on.  Interestingly enough, as soon as I reached the platform, the skies began to get dark and a thick cloud of sand covered the horizon.  It could very well have been an ominous sign to the unexpected sandstorm that lasted for about half an hour.  And perhaps that day, a few birds fell indeed.

My Thursday Surprise

Thursday led me to a small flower shop to buy a bouquet of flowers for a colleague who was leaving.  As soon as I entered, I knew something in me ticked.  I suddenly forgot that I was in the middle of a bustling commercial property.  Time stood still as I looked at rows and rows of pretty flowers in different colors, shapes and sizes.  A smile slowly formed.  I felt like Rosalinda*, in her flower shop.  My reverie was interrupted by a kabayan** who promptly asked how he could be of help.  I answered, albeit in a distracted mechanical manner, that I was looking to buy a bouquet.  Mr. Florist asked what her favorite color was and I told him I had no idea.  He then asked how I wanted the bouquet to look like.  My gaze shifted between looking at him helplessly and looking at the flowers in awe.  The roses, mums, lilies and hydrangeas all seemed to say, "Pick me!".  I was confused.  Forced to make a decision, I pointed at something blue, yellow, white, purple and green.  

While Kuya Florist was arranging the flowers I picked, I decided to make small talk.  I told him he was lucky because he is always surrounded by beauty.  I asked if it was easy to arrange flowers and he said it was.  I asked if he could teach me how to do different types of flower arrangement.  Kuya Florist said I could drop by after work or on Saturdays.  "Proomisssse?"  "Promise!"  I still couldn't take my eyes off the blue flowers.  I asked if they were artificially colored and he confirmed.  "Paborito mo ang blue, ano?"  (Blue is your favorite, right?).  He then decided to throw an extra flower for me and picked a blue rose (Good choice, Kuya!).  I beamed.


I then approached the owner who was manning the counter.  I told him I liked his shop and cheekily asked if I could learn flower arranging there and work on weekends there.  The owner was amused and said he would allow it but I won't have any salary.  I agreed and told him I would swing by one Saturday.  I was pleased with myself because I now have something new to do.


Kuya Florist approached me and showed the finished product.

After which, he handed me my special gift:  my very own blue rose. :)

I walked out of the shop feeling like a million bucks.  The blue rose seemed to catch everyone's attention and perhaps so did the mysterious smile pasted on my face.  I was the happiest girl in the world.


*Rosalinda was the name of the character (she sold flowers) that Thalia played in the hit Mexican telenovela of the same name.
**kabayan (aka kababayan) -  from the same country