Flying Car!

I was born in the time when Jetsons and Flinstones were the "in" cartoons.  I remember thinking then, would we ever get to live to see the day when cars would actually fly.
Well, today when I browsed Yahoo, it probably has come.
Enjoy how they made this car fly!

Ballet Lessons for the Li'l One

When we were younger everyone wanted to dance like Lisa Macuja. You don't know her? Either you are not a Filipino or you have been hiding all your life. She's one of the premiere ballerina of the Philippines.  Petite, pretty, very admirable.  

When Andy told me/ us that she wanted to go to ballet class I got excited of course!  I wanted her to attend/ get the lessons.  If I wasn't able to do so while young, why not let her, and while I am capable to support her. Go!

Finally, my sis was able to send me the pictures... Enjoy!

All other pictures may be viewed in my facebook account. :)

It pays to be social

After many years of being member in a social network?  What has it done to you?  Many times it actually did me bad.  Negative that is.  The separation was brought about by the discovery over at Friendster. Well, that's history now.


Lately it has been a lot of meeting both new and old friends from all over the world.  Discoveries that one friend is a friend of another that you have met somewhere else.  You wouldn't realize it until you see the "common friends" list between you.


Today I realized that more than the horrors of meeting people online, the innate goodness surfaces.  I met a fellow blogger Ate Antonette who blogs at Cool Mom Antonette.  I was actually at ease when she began commenting in some of my entries.  She probably is around age with Mama.  Seeing her and her husband here in Dubai is really a welcome change in a what should have been a common Saturday at the flat.  I think I just met a truly good friend in them.


Thanks for the goodies!  Mangoes still waits to be eaten. Can't wait.  And the perfume too. :)

Meeting Online Friend (aka- EB!)

There are a lot of horror stories about meeting someone online.  I mean, let's face it, we are living in dangerous times. No, this is not a horror entry.  I 'll try to share here my online quest of meeting friends.

When I was graduating from high school it was the time of the internet boom.  Really, everyone wanted to go online but it was really expensive.  I remember I paid 60p (about $2 then).  Chatrooms were kinda old, First there was something before IRC.  I cannot really remember what it was but I remember I had to use a prefix before I can send messages to someone. Then there was IRC, well, there's still IRC now but I think most people use yahoo or other chatroom sites to chat.  There was ICQ.  I stayed there for quite some time.  My first boss also had ICQ, then everyone migrated to Yahoo!

I met a handful of people through the net.  There's one from Manila.  I have actually met him personally too, on several occasions. We have been in constant communication since 2000, I think.  We have maintained friendship on and offline.  Then there's someone from the US who I still exchange Yahoo messages with (since 2003).

Then blogging came.  I never really thought that I'd meet people through blogs.  Well, there are the exchange of ideas when you post online, but to exchange emails/ messages/ PMs, it's another thing!  But hey, when I started to work here, and you got a lot of idle time in the office (read: recession in the construction industry), finding something good to read and you can relate to becomes life saving (from insanity).  I began blogging on a very personal note, on and off since 2007.  Then I realized that blogging, even if I am not the stellar writer that I wish I were, became something of a release to me.

So then, I frequented a site, soon I became constant visitors to other bloggers webpages.  It's fun to read something about someone and just about anything actually.  

Then I met a fellow Filipina working/ living abroad and actually asked me to help her purchase a ticket to Burj Khalifa (crazy how in the most hi-tech world, they do not have online reservation).  For me, it was, okay, I can possibly do it.  And I did get them the ticket, sent it to their hotel yesterday, and today I was able to talk to her... This is fun!  

It may be a long shot to meet someone as good or as sincere as these bloggers, mind you, there really are nasty bloggers out there.  But isn't it nice to help out a fellow Filipino, even with such a small request.

Oh, we're finally meeting come Saturday here in Dubai! :)

World Cup

It's all over the world! The fever is definitely on.  World Cup that is.  I wonder how many world cups are there.  I thought it would have been finished with all other sports having their own world cups.  

Kidding aside, people here in Dubai are all going gaga over the world cup. Fifa 2010.  Even my officemates are wearing their team's colors to support their country.  The Filipinos on the other hand, kiber!  

Only a handful of us really are into this sport.  Maybe some of those guys (and girls) who were exposed to the sport early on.  But seriously, Filipinos don't play soccer or football like the way they play basketball.  I remember having a soccer game for Intramural meet in college and most players in our division (engineering) were those who came from the province.  Apparently it's some kind of an "in" sport there.


One of my uncles also play Soccer.  I can remember him having a ball and the funny looking spike shoes. 


Last weekend I tried watching the world cup, thank you to free streaming sites, it was actually fun.  If only I'd understand the rules. Good luck to the teams!

Free Google Apps, Anyone?

Now that I have successfully (duh!) bought the domain name and connected it to my blog, the challenge of getting the email using my own domain is next.  That's the problem I think of not getting your own hosting plan.  I never really thought of it until now. 

Previously when I bought the other domain, I was able to get an email with @myowndomain.com.  Now, I hope to get one with the domain above! lol.

My IT flatmate casually mentioned that I can probably use Google apps. And when I checked it, well, they have removed the free service. Haaay... Are ther even free invites?  I am just here.

Summer 2010

Summer is officially here!  Last June 21 was the summer solstice.  Or the time when the earth is most inclined to or away from the sun.  (please see wiki for explanation).   Well, I think we're way too close to the sun nowadays.

Yesterday and today gulf news reported that there is actually a heatwave going on in the middle east. Imagine having to endure 50C of heat on midday at summer, and I just read that in some areas it may reach up to 80C.  I was like, what?! 80 degrees (176F). It's nearly boiling point!  I think you can really fry an egg by the roadside  then.

I used to complain about the weather in the Philippines. But right now, Summer in the middle east is something else.  Enjoy the summer!

Domain Name Migration

I have finally found the courage to get my own domain name.  I tried for about two years for another domain name which we had a different plan with my friends.  But it failed.  It actually became my own domain name and host for my other blog. 

Which actually reminds me that I should be migrating stuff from there to here.  I know, I have been using wordpress previously.. I really liked it.  But this old blog is kinda hard to leave too.  So I am still contemplating if I should abandon blogger for a wordpress hosted blog.  

At the moment, I am perfectly happy with blogger.  So I'll let it be for now. :)

Happy Father's Day

Fathers are very very different to Mothers.  The spelling for one... :D

While I can easily put myself into mom's shoes even if I do mothering from afar, I somehow cannot imagine how it is being a dad.  Well, for starters, I would like to imagine what the men are thinking when given the news that they will be a dad soon.  

Is it the same feeling as mine when I discovered the pregnancy?  Are they nervous, ecstatic, afraid or excited? When the child comes, what's their reaction?  While moms have special connection to their children the moment they are born, is it the same with fathers?

And when the children grow older, fathers poses to be the tough persona in the family.  I've had a not so good relation with my father, probably because we were so much alike that our personalities clashed.  Only later did I realize that.  I am sure that in time I will make peace with it.  I had already made peace with him.  It's just a bit more time to accept that I am truly his daughter and whether I like it or not I am more like him than not.

Just last week I read someone twit a message saying:  

Anyone can be a father but only special ones can be dad.

 It makes sense. Truly anyone any person can be a father in the biological sense but very few really truly become Dads.  

There may be a very very different world between fathers and mothers but whatever they are going through as a father or as a dad to their kids I wish you the best.  I hope your children will look at you with all the respect and love that you deserve.  That includes Andy's father too.

Gay French McDonald's Commercial

When I saw this commercial in youtube last week I don't know if I would smile or get angry.  Being out in the open as gay is something.  But having to confront your father who doesn't know anything is something else.

Well, I think let's just being open minded about things.

Enjoy.

Two Hundred-- Crossroad again?!

When I started this blog I knew it would be something about me and my former boyfriend.  I was then expecting, about 12 or 13 weeks on the way, I was hopeful of so many things.  I tried to be positive inspite of the odds that I knew were against me and our history.  I hoped.

I was excited.  I blogged about the travels I did that year, the anticipation of waiting for him to come back, and of course, the excitement of the coming baby.  It was a fun year, the first.  

But in 2008, the dreaded news came.  I was surprised, or was I? Or was I just waiting for it to happen? Well, it did.  And in a way it was a closure that I was waiting for.  Of course, it would not really close, there is my little girl caught in between. 

In 2008 it was different.  I was in a new challenge.  I would be a single parent, not that I wasn't when I got Andy but truly.  There was no dream and hope of getting back together. Or the wish of a happy ever after for us.  I was alone.  I'd have to raise Andy by myself.  

And then it turned on a different avenue altogether.  I got accepted to a job abroad.  Never did I imagine I'd be working outside the country.  I was quite happy where I was at and there was the baby.  The challenge that the opportunity opened to me made me think, what would happen if I go out there and try?  I am not gonna lose anything.  Well, save for the next 3 years in Andy's life, which by the way is really important.  But I thought this is something that will be for Andy anyway. 

The stay here, more than one and a half year already has been an eye opener.  It made me appreciate what I have and what I don't.  It made me realize that not everything can be bought by money.  Oh, that was said before, right?  But you just had to experience it to learn it.

It made me stronger.  It made me realize how much I want to come back home. Yes, you read it right.  I am still in a crossroad now.  Should I stay for the whole duration of the contract, or should I ask to be sent home?  Surely I would not want to resign from this company to get another job in this country. Seriously. 

The contemplation now is when.

This is my 200th post.  I was thinking of what ti write at the beginning of the day.  Now, I am back at thinking of what I should do.

Andy moment with her Lola

Remember about the broken computer?

Got this from my brother:

Andy called her Mama Baby, crying:

ANDY:  Ma, bakit hindi pa ako nag-aaral ng ballet?
Mama: Sige, tawagan natin mommy mo.
Andy: Paano natin tawagan si mommy, sira man ang computer!

Mommy- hulog sa upuan sa katatawa!