kim under the sun

Gratitude

2015-12-31T21:24:00.000+04:00

I thank the Lord for everything that He has given me. All these are not possible without Him. There must be luck too but even in that He is the one who makes sure I get lucky.

I thank the Lord for this imperfect life in which He has shown me humility and gratefulness. The challenges He has supplied me has made me stronger in my faith in Him and in myself. The things he has provided me both in abundance and scarcity has made me appreciate all that there is.

I thank the Lord for the love from my husband, parents, siblings, friends and other loved ones. I am grateful for being able to reciprocate the love that I have been given. These people are the light of my world from which I draw my strength and happiness.

I thank the Lord for taking care of my mind and my soul. He always makes me see and think of the good.

I thank the Lord not only for the year 2015 but for all the years that has passed.

I thank the Lord for this life.

Sunsets

2015-11-23T22:53:00.000+04:00

The sun sets even for sad stories. There are prayers spoken for those who have not found their peace and happiness. And the strongest of prayers hopes that someday the heartbroken will find what they have been looking for amidst the horrors of the world or the demons of one's self. God does not abandon even if it seems so.

None of this life is ours. Even evil that triumphs temporarily will surrender when death decides to take it away. If today is your last sunset, how do you want to be remembered? Were you one of the happy ones?

A taste of Moroccan

2015-11-13T21:19:00.000+04:00

On a lazy afternoon, my husband and I went out to walk. We saw a bookstore which we wanted to visit. Unfortunately, it would open again only at 4:30 PM and we had more than 30 minutes to wait. So we walked around looking for food but mostly for luck since most of the stores in Fujairah are sleeping at that hour. We were lucky to walk past this Moroccan restaurant which had some delicacies and painted ceramics on display.

After speaking a lot of English, the lady in hijab responded to us without a word of English. I do not know if she had spoken in Arabic but I only trusted that she understood us. We bought some pastries and two bottles of soda. The restaurant hall was closed so we had to find someplace else to eat.

Right outside was a dusty road but there was a pavement which was normally used for walking on. We sat on it without hesitation and started biting into unfamiliar food. One of the pastries looked crunchy but was chewy when we bit into it. Another one tasted so much like macaroons because of the coconut. I do not know what the cookies are called but then do we really need to know the name?

For about 30 minutes, we talked. Then I wondered. Where is everyone? The passers-by driving their cars looked at us in confusion. It must be very rare to find two people of the opposite sex chatting and laughing by the roadside on a dusty and sunny afternoon. Shortly before the bookshop opened, two young boys rode on their bicycles and went past us. It reminded me of afternoons in a tropical province where children ran outdoors from their afternoon naps as if declaring their hard-earned freedom.

Remembering Yolanda

2015-11-04T02:46:00.000+04:00

I have really not talked about the time Typhoon Yolanda hit the country in 2013. My life was in a great storm too. The great typhoon had unprecedented effects both to the world and my personal life. I and my friends donated some funds we initially collected for the earthquake that struck Bohol earlier that year. But after finding out about the greater damage from the storm, our kind friend in Bohol who received the money rerouted it for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda. I created an infographic but just didn't have the time to share it before. Nothing is ever late I believe.

When the typhoon struck the country, I searched for a friend who was once my roommate in college. I was so scared that I reported her on the missing persons list after I have not heard from her in social media. She lived in Guiuan in Eastern Samar. It was a city unheard of before and still a bit unknown after the typhoon because the world was focused on Tacloban. Not known to most, the first landfall was right in her town. And it scared the sh*t out of me when I Googled where she lived and found out that she was so near to the coast. Gladly, her family survived and she lived to tell me on scarce phone battery power and no electricity in her home that there was a smaller island nearby that literally had nothing left. There is always something worse than what we think is the worst.

It was a year of tragedy. But we survived. And we do not wish to forget the good things we have done no matter how little it was. Our good deeds and the world's were contagious. Several months after the storm, the department in the company I have worked for at that time decided to donate a box full of goods for school children. It was just right to send it to Guiuan where my friend lives. Eventually, the box arrived on her doorstep. She is an Architect but she devoted her time to help rebuild the school near her home. Sometimes, it is obvious what we are meant to do. Lucky are those who know what they are here for.

Düsseldorf Nostalgia

2015-11-03T02:09:00.000+04:00

You know when you are terribly missing the outdoors when you see a photo of your foot on the ground with colored leaves and that makes all the memories come back to you in a rush. More than a year ago, we stopped in Düsseldorf in Germany to catch a train that will eventually lead us to Amsterdam. Unfortunately, there was a strike and the train schedule was affected. Ours was terribly delayed and for some were cancelled unfortunately. We decided to postpone the trip and went around the city instead.

The first thing we did was buy my brother his Starbucks mug. I laugh thinking about it now because it was such a pain hand-carrying all those collectible mugs when I flew back to work. Then we walked around the city and took photos. That is all there is to do really aside from eating and shopping. But I could not buy everything I wanted since my Euros were limited and I cannot afford to pay for excess baggage. I did buy myself some decent boots. It was surprisingly cheaper in this part of the world. After all, it becomes a necessity to wear them at certain times of the year.

Breakfast with my aunt and lovely cousins was the highlight of the day so the rest of it was a bonus. There was a lovely canal in Königsallee where we took a groupie. I'm not sure if that is even a word but I hear it everywhere now these days. I was shameless for using the selfie stick but they gave me an excuse since I was "Asian." That sounded hilarious but since when did the selfie became a cultural thing? We left the city early back to my aunt's place since we wanted to visit Köln later that day.

Oh I miss this bunch dearly. I was in Europe for just a few weeks and only spent weekends with my relatives but it felt like a whole chapter in my life. I guess it makes sense because the things dearest to you will occupy you the most.

Location: Stadtmitte, Düsseldorf, Germany

Sunsets and Indian food

2015-10-27T02:56:00.000+04:00

I caught the beautiful sunset again on my tiny phone camera a few days ago. Yes I have said it many times but it is always pretty where I am and I am grateful for that. I love sunsets though it used to scare me on weekends because the thought of my rest days ending terrified me. But I no longer feel that way. Everyday, I embrace the red and orange sky with open arms. I look through my window enjoying every second of it until the sun is below the mountains but still radiating that warm glow. Sometimes my husband is asleep when the sun is setting so he misses it but sometimes he catches me munching silently on my cookies by the window.

After sunset, life seems to begin. My husband and I are the kind of couple who enjoys walking and eating at random food shops we find on our way. We can eat anything from boiled eggs sold by the street vendor to fine steaks or even just greens. The other night, we went into this small Indian cafe. We ordered chicken tikka masala and had paratha and chapati for our breads. Unfortunately there was no keema available so we had chickpea dhal instead. The spelling can be totally different on the menus so just rely on your ears. We ate without forks which is how it is normally done. I do not have pretty pictures since it is quite odd to be bringing a bulky camera. As much as possible we would like to blend in no matter how we seem to always stand out from the bunch.

I had not imagined eating this much Indian food in my life but I like it. And by the way, ordering "tea" seems to be tea with milk by default.

Davao Oriental

2015-10-24T01:04:00.002+04:00

It has been a while since I saw the Pacific Ocean. When I visited Davao Oriental last March, I took some videos. Then there is this song in my head which I have loved since the first day I listened to it. I completed this music video which in my mind is perfect. It puts me into a trance where I only see beautiful things -- clear skies, deep oceans, sea foam and fine sand. The irony is that the ocean is always wild right here but it gives me that serene feeling because it takes me away from all material things and just keeps me grounded.

Location: Bato-Bato, San Isidro, Davao Oriental and Mati

Abu Dhabi in square format

2015-10-21T09:46:00.000+04:00

This post is a bit late. I had been feeling lazy about blogging though something else was occupying me. Nonetheless, I am posting mostly Instagram photos of the recent visit to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Upon entering the city, we found an image on the horizon very similar to Singapore's Marina Bay Sands. Google says the structure is called The Gate Towers and the Arc. This is like the chicken and egg problem. But since science has proven that the chicken came first, let us take away the doubt that the Singaporean structure already stood in the skies when I first visited the country in 2010.

The city sleeps in the afternoon probably like most towns in the UAE. We waited until 4:30 PM for the art and crafts shop to open. I got some painting supplies though I did not get to buy the yarns since I still have a lot in my stash. We spent the rest of the first day with my husband's cousins and closed the day with a bottle of brandy.

On the second day, we headed again to the city though it was just a few blocks from were we spent the night. We were stopped by policed at the junction towards the corniche due to something very important. So we had to detour and found ourselves in the midsts of the grey skyscrapers. Among the tall buildings was a small mosque and right beside it was a cafe. Without hesitation, we stepped inside and ordered tea. The Indian guy made us pay cheaper for our two cups of tea which we were happy about.

We walked a bit around the ghostly town wondering where most of the people were. The sun was still up so I thought everyone is still tucked in their beds. Later that day was my niece's birthday party where Filipino food was served. There was a clown who tried to cheer everyone up but sounded a bit melancholic when I spoke to him while he was wiping off his makeup. The rest of the night was spent with the adults at a local pub where beer, tequila, shrieking female singers and dance moves seemed to overflow.

Abu Dhabi feels like family. And it should. We are missing the place but it is a long drive from where we are at.

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Life cannot be taken seriously

2015-10-19T16:07:00.000+04:00

Seriously, life cannot be taken seriously. In the nerdy depths of me, I found some things that still amuses me. At some point, I went to the moon when I sent my name along with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. They gave me a certificate which I've totally forgotten about until I was cleaning my hard drives.

While working as an engineer in Cebu, I found myself playing with my electronic "toys." Not in a naughty way of course. At that time, the novel "War of the Worlds" was made into a movie and I worked with lasers at about the same time which felt nerdy cool. During one of my bored moments, I specifically took some photos that I had imagined were robots with long spider-like legs.

I have not been really anywhere during this idle time but I realized I've imagined and traveled enough to provide myself a lifetime of memories.

Fujairah: A lovely day at the beach

2015-09-27T15:36:00.000+04:00

I got a call from my cousin and told me he wanted to drive with his family all the way to our town for Eid al-Adlha. They came to visit me and my husband in our humble abode. He was impressed by how little and peaceful the town of Fujairah is which reminded him of our hometown back in our country.

In the afternoon, we drove further north to the beaches. The town of Khor Fakkan seems to be misplaced. To get to the northen part of Fujairah, everyone has to drive through the emirate of Sharjah. The town has a corniche which my husband and I have visited once at night before. We were taken aback when we saw thousands of people flocking at the beach. There were manned kites towed by boats. We wanted to see more of the action but there was hardly any parking space or shade left for us. So we continued driving.

A few minutes later, we passed by Al Bidya mosque. It was not wise to stop to see it since most people enjoying the holidays decided to visit the mosque. Most of them were men. I wondered where all the ladies were. We also had a baby in the car. He couldn't possibly stay long under the scorching heat.

Eventually, we arrived at a public beach in Fujairah. I don't know the exact name of the place so that makes me a bad traveller. But I know how to go there like a secret place but one that is not really a secret at all. Some people call it a hidden gem and that probably makes sense because in a vast desert, one would not expect to find a place as beautiful as this. The beach is facing the Oman Gulf. Sans all the skyscrapers and concrete buildings, it is definitely my kind of beach. We parked by the bush but kept the engine running. Our little passenger needed to be comfortable.

We walked out to the beach. Even if the weather was so warm, the water was cold. Then for a minute I thought of sharks. Despite that, we dipped our feet in the water and unfortunately, our jeans too. The sand was golden and the ocean was blue under the midafternoon sun. There were tents on the beach that we wished were ours. We carried sands in our slippers all the way back to the car as if saying we have no plans in leaving. But we had to call it day since there are several other emirates my cousin has to cross before he reaches home.

It was wonderful day at the beach. I thought I was forever away from the lovely ocean but that day I was proven wrong.

Location: Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates

Blogging about blogging

2015-09-23T17:58:00.001+04:00

So I decided to just blog. Do I really need an audience? Maybe not. I wonder how it might feel when the entire world can have a peek into your personal diary. But there are no secrets here. The world is free to read my mind. Unfortunately, not everyone in my family or circle of friends have interest in reading. I get only a very few of those "readers." A comment or two on my posts makes me feel that I do have an audience. I guess I do not need the entire world.

I started blogging even before Facebook was the king of the world. There was a platform in the old Friendster social network. Eventually I joined Google Blogger which was very exciting at that time. Writing was my first intention and I didn't really care about social media. Making money out of my pages was not the priority.

In year 2010, everyone I knew was on Facebook. It was difficult to see photos from occasions without being on the network so I signed up. Blogger did not take a backseat, yet. I created another blog (this blog) which was more general and with which I worked hard to get traffic. I wrote about anything from coffee to restaurant food or just randomly posting photos from my travels. I even joined local blogger organizations and had one opportunity to join a media launch. As an exchange, I talked about them. But then I got confused. What was I really writing about?

I didn't travel too often so I could not be a travel blogger. Though when I do have the opportunity, I talk about them here in my blog. I also do not go out to eat in restaurants every week so I could not talk about food as often as I liked. Reasons for feeling limited could be due to the financial aspect of blogging which no one really talks about. Most things are free in exchange for your wonderful words but I definitely would like to pay for the food and service I talk about so I could be more free in my thoughts. There are always biases when you write about free services because you tend to be kind in your article as a way of paying back. But don't get me wrong, I do not have hatred towards bloggers with this lifestyle. In fact they are living the life! Nonetheless, my blogging life continued.

Most of the time, I blog hopped. That means I read other blogs and left comments. I had a daily feed from my Google Reader so I would know which blog has a new post. Unfortunately, the day Google Reader died, my life changed. There are other tools to manage subscriptions like Feedly and Flipboard but adjustment period took a very long time with respect to how quick a blog post gets published. Eventually, other blogger friends have faded into the abyss. There were no more feeds and I often wondered what has happened to them. But there was one particular blogger I followed and had few comment exchanges. He discovered he had cancer and he stopped blogging when he succumbed to the disease. That is one epic story. I would want to be like that too. I would like to continue writing until I could no longer do it. Because who knew I might have a grave case of dementia and forget about my life. At least I have a blog to read and remind myself. And the challenging part is: Would I actually want to read a blog written by me?

When I left my home country for a job in Singapore, I thought the blogging career would take off. I was very wrong. The ironic part was that while I was there, I had sat in more coffee shops and ate in more restaurants than I thought would be possible. Stress from work and distance from loved ones took a toll on me. I wrote less because even composing my thoughts was very difficult. It was a lot easier to take a sip from my cocktail drink.

My life started to make sense again and went back to blogging. My head was clearer and I realized I could have written about the trips to the zoo or the parks and all the mad-made beautiful places in Singapore. Nothing is ever too late, I guess. But Singapore life lasted only until early this year because I decided to fly to the Middle East to join my husband.

In July of this year, I landed in the city of Dubai for the first time. It was huge and new and glamorous. I couldn't wait to blog about it. And since then I wrote a few things about the city. I expected more people to be reading my blogs but it didn't turn out that way. There are more people watching feeds in Instagram or Facebook. I posted links in Facebook once in a while but often times I only got the blue thumb which I don't really understand what translates to. In real life, it is like talking to someone and just getting a thumb in return. That's sounds like a real conversation ender. But then maybe people are less interested in exchange of ideas and are more interested in becoming mini-celebrities. People get glued more to viral articles sometimes written by unreliable sources or selfies (with no interesting background at most times). How many times do we want to see someone else's face on your digital screen anyway?

All these social media craze made me forgot what I was blogging for. I am actually blogging about my life and I do not expect the world as an audience. This is a journal where I put my hear out and not a quest for fame.

Bride diaries: Lessons on pulling off a simple but elegant budget wedding

2015-09-22T21:35:00.000+04:00

I was going to write about reflections on our wedding day particularly about my being a "feisty" bride. At some point, a calm bride morphs into bridezilla especially when you are trying to pull off something on a tight budget. Instead, I decided to talk about the things we learned. The wedding is not so long ago so the lessons are still fresh and I better write about it.

Shortly after my husband (close friend then) and I realized we were in love, we decided we want to be together forever. Unfortunately, we did not have enough money in the bank to have a wedding we want in such a short time so both we worked hard to get it done. So we started saving straight from our salaries. Also, having been through several relationships before that did not work out, the negative effects they had on our individual financial status at that time is another story.

Since we both were baptised Roman Catholics, a religious wedding would make sense. Traditional Filipino wedding means that you have to pay all costs of the wedding including dresses of your entourage. But since we both come from working class families that work hard to make ends meet and we dislike the idea of having other people "sponsor" some costs of the wedding, we had gone through some budget-cutting measures just so we can reach a reasonable mark.

We created e-vites instead of mailing printed material. Sending save-the-date cards and invites through snail mail can actually hurt the budget. Creating the graphics is easy but having them printed on fine art paper and paying for international post can actually be pricey. Since we had visitors from all over the place, we opted to just send out digital cards through email or social networks, whichever was possible.

We got away with bridesmaids and groomsmen. Traditional weddings have a long entourage but simple weddings are always appealing to me. I have asked our local Roman Catholic parish and was very glad to know that the simplest requirements was to have someone walk the bible, candles, cord and other wedding ceremony symbols all the way to the altar before the ceremony starts. So we had ask family and friends to do this for us. This way, we did not have to worry about the cost of the gowns and coats.

We ordered the cheapest wedding dress possible. I initially ordered a gown from China through an online site which was a terrible mistake. The finished product was not exactly my size and the lace quality was poor. Though the dress was much cheaper than most gowns, it turned out useless and was one of the biggest mistakes I made. Good thing was that I found a home-based supplier in Singapore who was still cheaper than most wedding gowns tailored in my home country. She was kind enough to give me a discount even if she only had a month to finish the dress. The dress turned out simple but just the way I wanted it and it was one of the most beautiful dress I wore my entire life.

We shopped for the groom's wedding suit and shoes from the local department stores. Branded goods are not our thing. We prefer affordable clothes that would look good on us. While in our home town, my husband and I bought his coat, pants and shoes at the nearest local department store. It was not easy looking for good-looking but affordable clothes. We had ran through so many websites for suggestions and looked a few times but it was worth it. As for the bride's shoes, I found it on display at a local shoe shop in Singapore and thought it would look great with my dress so I bought it at roughly above 30 Singaporean dollars or a thousand pesos. That's about the same price of an expensive pair of beach slippers.

We created a palette and a dress code for the rest of our family and friends to follow. There will be lots of pictures in weddings so we wanted everyone to look coordinated. We sent out a dress code and color palette in our digital invite so our family and friends will have an idea how to blend in with the theme. It was not necessary but it was one of the best things we did to have everyone looking their best during the party without having to try so hard and spending too much.

We compromised the cost of the decorators. I have initially thought of buying my own decoration materials but paying for labor and logistics turned out to be more expensive than hiring a decorator. I have asked for a quotation from a local supplier and it was an unbelievable PHP75,000 which was way more expensive than the budgeted food we are paying for each head. It didn't make sense so we asked to have expensive fresh flowers removed and other more pricey options off the list. We only insisted to have the lighting decors since the party was at dinner time and we wanted to have beautiful lights which we were to have them nicely show up on camera. We paid cheaper but definitely not cheapest. We were happy and grateful for the outcome.

We did not hire an outsider to coordinate the wedding. Normally people would want to hire a wedding coordinator but it was not an option for me. The cost of paying for a professional can be used instead for other things such as a room for the family to stay in the resort on the wedding night. So, I had asked my friends and family to help with the ground coordination. After all, we were going for a very intimate wedding so there was not enough budget for other people to join us other than our family and friends. The most important thing was the master plan of the ceremony which we had planned and discussed across different groups days before the wedding. The program went on beautifully though were hiccups here and there which are very normal even if we had hired a "professional" coordinator. Of course, only the coordinators and planners would know about. The rest of the people were happily waiting in their seats and listening to soothing music while a part of the program was actually delayed.

We looked for affordable but wonderful talents to participate in our wedding. A simple wedding cake can be very expensive just because of the word "wedding." So we scouted for budding suppliers with real talents who could help us. We had a cousin's friend make a beautiful rustic-themed cake for us. We also had my cousin's friends in the music industry play as a band that night. They enjoyed playing for us and we loved their music so we were quite happy about it.

We booked a reception place in close proximity to the airport and the ceremony chapel. Most of our friends flew into the city for the first time to attend the wedding. It was a great idea to pick a place very close to the airport so they could fly on the same day and leave the next without much hassle. But of course, they didn't leave the city immediately since they fell in love with Davao and have to look around and see what was in it for them. The most significant decision actually was choosing a resort that has both a reception hall and a chapel. Our visitors didn't have to drive from the chapel all the way to dinner since the distance was a very short walk. Worse thing that could happen was to pay for a bus and not have anyone riding on it. That would really hurt.

We crafted our own wedding party favors and program cards. Wedding parties are not as good as when there are free stuff at the end of it. We wanted our visitors to bring home something special without us having to spend so much. So I unleashed the crafter in me which I talked about in my craft blog. We then printed out simple program and place cards on cheap card stock for use during the program.

I did not expect this list to be quite long but I'm glad to have talked about it here. Weddings are beautiful but making it happen is not a walk in the park if you are on a tight budget. Careful planning and research pays off. At the end of the day, your wedding should be about what matters most to you. For us, it was about an intimate dinner with good food, good music and lastly, wonderful photographs that we can always look at to cherish the beautiful memories that day.

I had to add the link to our wedding album: http://www.yvesandkim.com
Beautiful pictures are from Marlon Capuyan.

A sunset, a fountain and a beach

2015-09-19T23:19:00.001+04:00

I would say Dubai is picturesque. Even just driving through the city streets at sunset, you are treated with a beautiful silhouette of the majestic Burj Khalifa. We went to the city for my second attempt of seeing The Dubai Fountain. I think I can never get tired of watching the water dance. This time, the fountain danced to MJ's Thriller.

The air in September is still humid but you will forget about that after seeing the colorful night lights from the moving water and the towering skyscrapers. As usual, the Burj Khalifa was just right next to us but I could only see the bottom of it.

Most of us had our cameras out but I took only a few photos and several minutes of video with the phone. After which, I decided to keep it in my pocket. For the entire show, we stood outside in TGIF's terrace after a heavy meal inside the air-conditioned room. The seats outside were always full but the stomachs already felt empty so we chose a seat inside the restaurant.

We then drove to Jumeirah Beach Residence. No, we do not live there but we just wanted to see other parts of the city. The beach was dark so we went up a bar but it felt a little gloomy from outside. Thank God for good company and a good view. From where we sat, we could see lights from high rise residences, resorts, and shops by the Arabian Gulf.

It was already late and by then we had already clocked about 10 hours in the city. When we left the place by midnight, there were more people walking on the streets as if the night just started. I wanted to stay longer but duties await us and we still had a long drive home.

Love letters

2015-09-07T15:58:00.000+04:00

I found boxes of cards and letters of yours for mom. I had seen many times before because I love to dig into old boxes for pretty papers. In it you have written how much you have loved her and me. You even call me with a cute name. I liked it a lot that I've scribbled it down in my notebooks while I was in high school and even while I was in the university.

I've read the letters so many times. Yes, this is the kind of love that we seek. How lucky! I am lucky too. I have found this kind of love you speak about. Your words drill deep into my heart. But it does not leave a hole. Even if you were long gone, there was never an empty space. You were right there for me just when I needed you.

Many times I curled up and cry because I missed you. Someone else also still longs for you so deeply. She still speaks of you and thinks of you. She remembers how well you played the piano and the guitar but insists that you cannot sing. I like that thought of you.

I left a rose on your grave last time I was home. It was red, as red as the love you have for mom. Dad, I miss you but I am happy and content. Thanks for being a wonderful memory.

Learn to see the beautiful

2015-09-06T19:04:00.000+04:00

In sensitive times like this, it can be confusing what to write about. I hear about great migrations due to war and other sadder stories. But times have always been sensitive. In my own home, there is a child who misses her parents every single day because they chose to work away from home. There is also unreported animal cruelty when one of the cats died because a careless driver ran over it while it was sleeping. However, we cannot settle for sad stories because we need to always look for the good side of things. If we don't, then there would be no reason to even write this.

But where do we see the good side of things? We see them in little fingers turning little red flowers into something else. We see them in adorable little cats who crave for nothing but food and the feel of you. We see them in green bushes that sprout everywhere despite not having enough rain. We see them in sweet homemade puddings you share with family in the afternoons. We see them in innocent children who knows nothing about the wars of the world but only in loving you.

In any case, we must always learn to see the beautiful. Wars and struggles eventually end but the sight of beautiful things don't.

Sand ghosts

2015-09-05T17:16:00.000+04:00

I hopped into a taxi yesterday afternoon to Dubai City. I shared the ride with four other passengers who wanted a faster way out of Fujairah City. It takes approximately an hour when driving at the limits. Tiny droplets started falling on the windshield. There was a light drizzle as we drove across the mountains. Rains are rare so I wished it wouldn't flood.

A few kilometers into the city, the wind started to pick up but there was no rain. Sands traveled across roads like ghosts staying low on the ground but never touching it. Mounds of sand started to pile up beside the road dividers like the way snow piles up on the road sides.

The taxi driver felt so free shifting lanes at 120 kph and even more. When we entered the city, there was a bird idling in the middle of the city street and the driver tried to swerve. And earlier there was a carton box flying through the highways and he tried to swerve too. A few times I felt a little nervous when his following distance became too short. But I was more worried that he might be sleepy in the glare and the heat. Gladly he wasn't. Finally, he dropped me at the Union Station which was the farthest stop of his journey.

I took the metro and looked for a this one cafe to meet up with new friends. I got lost and found myself walking alone on a dusty road under the heat. Gladly, my luck came and a taxi came by and I asked him to bring me back to civilization. A little later, I had a longer walk in the blasting wind with my scarf wrapped all over my head. I reached my destination and found myself catching my breath at the entrance door.

I recomposed as I sipped from my strawberry milkshake and started chatting, wishing my weak voice cuts through the air. The day felt like a struggle. About an hour later, I looked outside and the sand ghosts were gone. The wind has settled. Dubai has welcomed me.

Google directions from Fujairah City to Dubai Union Metro Station by car:

Separation of heart and brain

2015-09-03T15:35:00.001+04:00

For many years, I've worked as an engineer, one specializing in hardware electronics and computer components most specifically. That is what my brain has been trained to do. It makes sense since I graduated from a government-funded science high school and took a degree in electronics. However, I did not get to work in this field immediately after graduation. There was a roller coaster of events which brought me to places such as working as a technical support voice agent in the contact center industry and even tutoring English to Koreans.

Eventually, I found myself in the engineering research and development and was there for about 10 years. I did not feel the years until I quit my job early this year. And for what reason? Because my heart says so. I left Singapore to travel to the Middle East to join my husband.

Here I am now in a small town facing the Oman Sea where life seems to be more peaceful than what I am used to. The sun shines brighter which gives more daylight through the only window in our home. This sunlight I love the most because it makes colors more vivid. And until now we have not placed curtains and did not bother.

Everyday I wake up looking forward to opening my boxes of yarns, papers, pens and watercolors. They inspire me in ways nothing else could have. And all these because again my heart says so. Then I took a check on my brain. It was working quite well and still is. I manage technical stuff as if they are the most normal things to do -- almost like a default.

Now I realize there are two major parts in my brain. One ticks like a clock and works efficiently and another that keeps me in love. I am not sure if they've ever mixed. Maybe they do but at most times they do not. I guess that is the beautiful part in it -- I get the best of both worlds.

Diaries and food

2015-08-27T02:54:00.000+04:00

I've been re-reading Anne Frank's diary. It was sometime in high school when I first picked up the book. The thought of being able to write lightly despite the circumstance inspired me the most and the timing was right when I started to read it. High school was not really the best part of my life though it was quite memorable.

I am now in that part of her diary where they have gone to hiding. I must be very lucky to live freely but I chose to hide in a building. Hiding is a necessity since the temperature is hard to endure. One night, I was panting while my husband and I walked our way back from the ice cream shop. I thought I was going to collapse.

This part of my life is called domestication. I have spent more time in the kitchen and the bed than anywhere since I got here. This is the day job. The little town does not have so much to offer but we are grateful for fresh fishes and produce from the market, ice cream stores and craft supplies shop. Finding a book shop that suits us has proved to be difficult. But we worry not since we know where to go if we are missing the smell of paperbacks.

With books and a kitchen stuffed with more food than we need, you'd expect an undesired exponential growth on the midsection. The next time I should be looking for is a swimming pool. I need to lose every gram of keema, chapati, pancakes and other gloriously delicious food that I have been putting into my mouth. Too carefree I would say. But that is exactly how I am feeling right now. I normally do not quote but I cannot get Otto Frank out of my head so here it is:

"Make the most of your carefree young life while you can."

Dubai at Level 43

2015-08-23T20:55:00.000+04:00

It feels like Gotham City when you are sitting in Dubai's Level 43 Sky Lounge. For a minute, the camera phone was insulting my DSLR camera/lens for having large enough frame to capture the view though when it comes to noise, the latter still does win. Nonetheless, I thank God for pocket-sized cameras and for seeing the night lights from the top.

Of course, I wasn't alone because it was date night with my dear husband. He was very supportive of the idea of having dinner in about 35 degrees Celsius winds. We had beer and other cold drinks to cool ourselves anyway. The lounge was not packed but seats were occupied by 10 PM. It was safe to dress less conservatively so I took my scarf off since I was already sweating in my cotton dress.

It was a very romantic night I would say. Dinner in the dim lights was fine and the food was delicious. The towering skyscrapers with dancing lights looked a bit unreal. It felt like only Batman's signal was missing in the night sky. Was it pricey? The answer depends on priorities. In our home, we have more stuff in our kitchen than anywhere else because we choose experience.

Location: Level 43 Sky Lounge, Dubai, UAE

Nerd day at the Fujairah Museum

2015-08-16T13:04:00.000+04:00

We fed hungry brains yesterday. The Fujairah Museum is just nearby so we paid only 5 AED to have a closer look at artifacts dating as far back as the 2nd Millennium BC. The fee is good enough knowing that this is as ancient as it could get. There was an excavated tomb which was displayed in one of the rooms. I prefer not to display a photo of it on my blog to keep the thrill and also because I think that would be eerie.

I was amazed at the potteries. Not because of the round shapes but because of how art was obviously deconstructed into basic geometry -- lines and circles. On the entrance/exit was a huge stone with carvings on it which made the scientist in me want to visit the closest archeological site. There were jewelries too of both stone and metals. There were also exhibits from more recent civilizations in the area that reflect the local culture. The Fujairah Fort was just right across but the day was so warm at around 35 degrees Celsius with hotter air blowing so we wrapped it up before 6 PM.

We felt "localized" for a bit except that we were not really local enough since we were walking on loose sand while the rest of the world seemed to be driving. We hailed a cab shortly after being fried. In hot weather such as this, I always find myself at the beach. At this time however, the beach was not within my line of sight.

Location: Fujairah Museum, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates

Dubai: A trip to see the dinosaur and the books

2015-08-11T15:32:00.001+04:00

I love how little towns sprout in the middle of nowhere as we drive past them on our way to Dubai. We were on a trip to see the mall where a dinosaur lives permanently. Unfortunately and fortunately, this is a dead one. Since we are nerds, we were also excited to see our favorite bookshop in The Dubai Mall. But the truth of the itinerary was to see old friends who were unfortunately unavailable that day.

The navigator sat in front as always and was excited to take photos of anything -- even empty roads. But I was actually just holding the digital map though it would have been fancier if I held a huge crumpled map in hand. We passed by red sands, golden sands and oases. At this time of the year, it would not be reasonable to stop by the road to behold the beauty of nature since the sun might scorch you down into pieces. We headed straight to the malls instead.

Lunch was tasty Indian food at the Mall of the Emirates. I like how the place starts to crowd only late in the day. Our nerd sense made us spot a local bookshop quickly after our meal. We swiftly browsed and found some interesting books but decided not to buy since we wanted to check out Kinokuniya first.

So we headed to the other mall where the famous dinosaur bones were. The hall was grand and I would say a bit intimidating or maybe it was just me. Enormous creatures always make me feel tiny. The remains were carried all the way from the USA for a great sum of money. The consolation is that it is free for everyone to see.

There was also a large aquarium with a viewing panel. We might check the fishes next time. There were lots to see like fancy ceilings but our feet started to hurt so we took a break at a coffee shop. I think this is what coffee shops are for -- aging people who have more salt deposits in the joints and less cushions on the heels.

"What do you stay awake for?" The cup holder asked. Books and dinosaurs? I took a sip and spilled my mocha latte onto my white scarf. Clearly, I did not have enough caffeine in my body. I very much would like oblige to the dress code so I got a pretty new scarf out of necessity and was happy with it.

We saved the last hour in this mall inside the book paradise. It felt like eternity standing amidst the shelves deciding which book to buy but actually secretly wishing we could buy all the books we wanted. We walked out the store with a fantasy book and some art supplies.

Before leaving Dubai, we drove back to the Mall of the Emirates. The sun was setting and we saw the Burj Khalifa towering on the skyline. Quickly, we revisited the local bookshop we first visited that day and came out with my favorite book since the copy they had was much cheaper. Then we went to a French cafe to visit a friend who works there. We exchanged gifts and left the city sweeter with boxes stuffed with more chocolates than I could eat.

Location: The Dubai Mall [DubaiDino]

A night at Khor Fakkan

2015-08-10T20:43:00.000+04:00

Last weekend, my husband and I drove out to celebrate. There were no fancy reservations, just an impromptu decision to visit the town of Khor Fakkan and have dinner. By the time we reached the place, we were already hungry so the decision to just have pizza was very swift.

I watched the sun set so fast and took photos with my camera phone. I did bring my bulky camera with me that day but sometimes it is too much of a task to take the tripod out and set it up. Some moments are much better without a camera in hand. I held my husband's hand instead.

For the rest of the night, we went to the park by the coast. There were lights but it was still dim. We found our spot -- empty swings. We each took a seat and looked far at the Gulf of Oman where most things were reduced to tiny lights.

I have traveled some parts of the world but have not imagined to be in this one. But it has always been like that. I come to a place without much a plan. However, the reason for being right there next to a man I love was quite certain.

We continued to watch the horizon and saw some families who were also spending the night at the coast. Some of them just got off a boat from a tour but we remained still. Just as I stood up to take a photo of the sands, a young boy came running to replace me on the swing. He wasn't sure of his decision but my husband assured him that it was all right.

We left the coast just before the stores in town would close. There was a bookshop we passed by on our way out and decided to visit it. We went into the bookshop and met two storekeepers happy enough to see two more people who spoke the same language as theirs. I walked out happy as a bee with a plastic bag almost exploding with yarns. It was another lovely night out in the desert.

Location: Khor Fakkan, Sharjah, UAE

Missing that rustic home

2015-08-06T14:43:00.000+04:00

There is always something about old and rustic. In some ways it defines my mom's home though it is not in a rural place in any sense. There used to be more plants in the backyard but fertile earth is now scarce so we only have the malunggay tree left since we love cooking the leaves in chicken soups.

Last time I was home, the little cactus almost died. It might be because the temperatures are rising. There were not so much coins anywhere since five or ten centavos barely have value these days. The cashiers always do not have enough centavos so they get to keep the change.

Everything seems comfortable where I am right now. Though the desert winds are warm, the walls and the air conditioning work well together to keep you cool. There are no empty bottles lying around anywhere in the flat since afterall we do not own any piece of earth. Nor there are unfinished walls since the room is painted white.

Now I just look at old photos and talk about them. I must be grateful to still have those beautiful memories of how home once was.

A Glimpse of the Middle East

2015-07-31T13:35:00.001+04:00

A night in Dubai

I arrived in the city of Dubai just before sundown. I only noticed that we were already on the runway just before the wheels hit the pavement because I was all caught up with the digital media box in front of me. The flight was a few hours but I could not sleep. The excitement kept me awake and like my other travels, I kept wondering how this part of the world would look like.

My husband greeted me with roses. He gave me the tightest hug and I hugged back, uncertain if the onlookers would understand that it had been a long wait. We stepped out into the humid air, and drove out to see the night lights.

Dinner was planned overlooking the magnificent fountain but we decided to walk across the Souk Al Bahar Bridge and grabbed a burger. It wasn't just a burger though. It was a juicy 100% Angus beef patty sandwiched between cheese, bacon and soft buns that you bite into while looking at the Dubai Fountain and the towering Burj Khalifa. I have seen so many fountains in my life but there certainly is something to it when you are watching the water sway and dance, and reach for the sky while you stand right next to the love of your life. The Burj Khalifa deserved a better photo so I would talk about it more the next time we are around Dubai.

The Road to Fujairah

In the afternoon the next day, we drove to the small town of Fujairah or I would say, home. Deserts certainly are void but some of the scenery reminded me of road trips in Nevada except that in this one, the temperature is much hotter. Surprisingly, I do not have so much complains about that. Engineering tests at 45 and 60 degrees Celsius in my previous job did give me a preview of what it might be like.

The winds sculpted the sand into dunes that were visible from afar. Then there were mountains of rock. The sky was bright blue and the sun glared behind the palm trees. And there was an old song I heard from Dad that played in my head. It reminded me of his photos with the camels. I wondered how his young self felt when he saw the sun set in the Middle East. Was it the same warm glow? It certainly made me feel happy and grateful.

We grabbed a wine just before we reached home. We twisted to open the cap of the less fashionable bottle since we forgot the corkscrew, poured into a glass and thanked the Lord that we were finally home.

Location: United Arab Emirates

A little prayer

2015-07-25T19:57:00.000+04:00

Tonight I say a little prayer though this is not the only time because on most nights I often do. I lay in bed at night, stare at the dark ceiling or look into the abyss of my shut eyes and speak silently believing that a greater being hears me. I speak to the Lord to thank Him and ask Him for everything that my mind can remember.

Tonight I thank the Lord for giving me this life. Though it is not perfect, I am grateful for still being an inspiration to others. I thank the Lord for helping me go through the struggles and for still being in one piece.

Tonight I thank the Lord for my loved ones. I thank the Lord for seeing in them more reasons to see the light of day and for feeling the extension of me.

Tonight I pray for those I have wronged and those who have wronged me. I ask the Lord to give me courage to forgive and to ask for forgiveness. I ask for the all the hurt to subside and be replaced with a lesson.

Tonight I pray for goodness to prevail over evil. I ask the Lord to guide my thoughts and my decisions and to not let evil drive me to destruction.

Tonight I pray for you and me to always find happiness and contentment. I ask the Lord to always remind us what real happiness means and to be always grateful for what has been given.

I pray that the Lord hears me like He often does.