I've been thinking a lot. (Image from Andrew Mitchell Photography c/o Pinterest)

If you've noticed, I haven't been posting a lot lately. I've been quite busy, the good kind of busy: some thinking, some planning and a whole lot of doing. Hence, I've been thinking about this blog for some time now. I have a lot of plans and am not quite sure if this is still part of the big scheme of things. The big question in my head now is "Shall I go on or move on?"

Though our long distance relationship has long ended. 6-months ago, in fact, when I landed here in Dubai as Dodong's wife. My relationship with this blog has still managed to go on for some time. I am still blogging here, right? But like all relationships, it is not easy to let go…This blog isn't just any blog.

This blog represents a chapter of our relationship (3-years), which pretty much led us to now.

This blog represents part of the creative me, a bold creative venture I decided to start, nurture and grow. (On a side note, this blog recently became a member of the prestigious BlogHer network!)

This blog represents the people, whom I have met and have been holding my hand through this tough journey of mine.

This blog represents a lot of hard work, a lot of sleepless nights of writing, taking photos (plus watermarking and uploading them) and, most especially, figuring out the tech stuff.

This blog is a reflection of ME.

So will it be easy for me to just stop blogging? NO. Will it be easy for me to start anew? Again, NO. I'd like to think of this as the start of a break up. And like the song goes, "Breaking up is hard to do…"

I'd like to think there really is something better out there...

And starting anew is even harder! I'd have to go back to the drawing board with my creative self and throw some new ideas around, test, test some more and implement. Basically, I'd be going back to 2 1/2 years when I had no blog at all. Ugh. Just thinking about all that work is giving me a headache. I know it can be equally, or even more exciting, to start all over again…but, there are BUTs and a gazillion thoughts in between.

So, is this really the end of Loving the Distance? Will I now allow myself to move on? Is this the final plan?

Our first New Year's celebration was straight forward and simple. We both wanted a nice view of the spectacular fireworks display from any of the fireworks hotspots in Dubai: the Burj Al Arab, the Burj Khalifa, Global Village, Bab Al Shams, or Atlantis Hotel. (The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi also had their share of 2012 fireworks) So after the Thanksgiving mass at Jebel Ali and a patay gutom Mandi dinner at the restaurant across our apartment building together with our good friend and neighbor K (*wave!*), we trooped over to the Meydan Hotel, where they had a viewing deck for those who wanted to enjoy a good vantage point for the Burj Khalifa fireworks.

So apparently, it wasn't a viewing deck; but rather a viewing lot, where people parked their cars, set up some seats / mats / tents and catch the fireworks display. We braved the cool winter breeze and stood for around 30-minutes on fine, cold sand waiting for the Burj Khalifa New Year's fireworks display. Thanks to my handy dandy flip video recorder, I capture 8++ minutes of the spectacular fireworks. Hope you'd enjoy the view like we did!

So how did you guys celebrate your New Year's in your corner of the world?

Happy 2012 again to one and all!

Ending 2011 in the desert...Al Hadheera style!

2011 is coming to a close…a year which started with an old flame, but with a new love. 2011 was certainly a milestone year of CHANGE. I wished for change on our LDR anniversary and I did get all of them.

First off, for those of you who are still oblivious to the news, Dodong and I got married! It was an intimate and very happy celebration with close family and friends after 9 long years of being together as boyfriend and girlfriend. And after three years of being in a long distance relationship, we finally put this chapter of our lives to a close. Inday I. Nagintay is now Inday Nag-arrive because I definitely arrived in Dubai. This is the second major change in my life this 2011: a new life in the desert with Dodong, a new chapter of my life with learnings, adjustments here and there, plus loads of adventures and misadventures (a luxurious Six Senses Zighy Bay honeymoon here, here and here, an epic fail Britney Spears concert with new Dubai friends, my first Christmas away from family and our first Christmas as husband and wife, among many others).But ultimately, with the changes, I am loving every waking moment with Dodong beside me.

So last night, because we had a sweet The Entertainer voucher discount (discounts always count in an expensive place like Dubai!, we travelled deep into the desert for an Arabian feast at Al Hadheera restaurant at Bab Al Shams resort hotel…

It was a cold and windy Winter night made warm by logs burning and nifty gas lamps, neatly positioned beside every dinner table.

Live fireplace

Look at these cool lamps!

The buffet tables were filled with warm food, grilled meats and vegetables and sweet treats, where we stuffed our already fat bellies until we could take no more. I was in heaven with my favorite sweet succulent grilled shrimps and my favorite Emirati sweets, Lgeimat! Yum!

Chestnuts really roasting on an open fire

Steaming hot white rice and other assorted Arabic rice dishes

Roast Chicken!

Nuts, nuts and more nuts on display

Al Hadheera also put a spectacular show of Arabian dances: belly dancing, leaping lads and ladies in sparkly elaborate costumes, and a whirling guy (who honestly looked a little…well, a lot gay). Oh, I also loved their live version (using real people and animals: horses, camels, sheep, donkeys / mules) of a short Arabic story of war and peace. Para lang akong nanonood ng COD Christmas show! Hehehe!

He was whirling like that for more that 15 minutes! WOW!

To cap off the night, they even had an explosive fireworks display! Pun intended. An advanced New Year's celebration for both of us (I guess, this is already just in case we fail to catch some fireworks later this evening. Hehehe!). And just to move around the added weight in our bellies, we went around the Al Hadheera facilities to check out other activities they've prepared for guests.

I also took a picture with a falcon. I'm just too shy to post my photo!

They sold some Arabic stuff for tourists. But I didn't buy any.

I did enjoy myself immensely that night and made me a bit sentimental of my roller coaster ride called 2011. There were a lot of days when I felt down in the dumps, but there were also days that put in on Cloud 9 like when the blog was accepted into the BlogHer pool of blogs. But despite that, I still am extremely grateful for 2011, my year of change. It rocked my world. Literally.

And as we all usher in 2012, I do hold onto all these learnings from the past and will put them into good use for a beautiful 2012. If 2011 was about change, then my 2012 is about becoming and being BEAUTIFUL.

A Happy 2012 everyone! Hugs from the Dubai desert!

]]> http://lovingthedistance.com/2011/12/31/al-hadheera-bab-al-shams-dubai/feed/ 0 http://lovingthedistance.com/2011/12/25/our-first-merry-little-desert-christmas/ http://lovingthedistance.com/2011/12/25/our-first-merry-little-desert-christmas/#comments Sun, 25 Dec 2011 12:01:13 +0000 Inday I. Nagintay http://lovingthedistance.com/?p=3129

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Last night, Dodong and I hosted a noche buena for a few friends, who were also left in the cold desert to celebrate Christmas, in our shoebox of a flat. We had a humble Noche Buena feast of pork BBQ, crispy pata, kare-kare, chopsuey, hammour in oyster sauce, palabok, rice (of course!) leche flan and a few bottles of beer. I say feast because the food was good enough to feed a good 20 people when in fact we were only 8 ravenous people! It was a merry night of good food, stories, Christmas carols (alongside boy band songs), and drinks in our little home. We did have a merry little Christmas indeed! Or so I thought…

Read more on Our First Merry Little Desert Christmas…

Print from Barn Owl Primitives (http://www.etsy.com/shop/barnowlprimitives)

Last night, Dodong and I hosted a noche buena for a few friends, who were also left in the cold desert to celebrate Christmas, in our shoebox of a flat. We had a humble Noche Buena feast of pork BBQ, crispy pata, kare-kare, chopsuey, hammour in oyster sauce, palabok, rice (of course!) leche flan and a few bottles of beer. I say feast because the food was good enough to feed a good 20 people when in fact we were only 8 ravenous people! It was a merry night of good food, stories, Christmas carols (alongside boy band songs), and drinks in our little home. We did have a merry little Christmas indeed! Or so I thought…

It was a merry little Christmas, my first OFW (Overseas Filipino Wife) Christmas, until I lay my tired, sleep-hungry body into bed. Dodong was peacefully snoring away when I tucked myself under the blanket and then started sobbing. I couldn’t understand why. I spent my first Christmas with my husband and new friends. I also slept with good food in mah growing fat belly. Though I only received one gift this Christmas, I was still happy and blessed with many other gifts. Then why the sudden gush of holiday tears?

I miss the boisterous laughter from the random everyday stories of my Titos, Titas and cousins.

I miss the mad rush towards the callos, Chinese ham, and queso de bola at Noche Buena table.

I obviously miss the once-a-year Noche Buena food!

I miss family history stories from Lolo, Papa, Titos and Titas…especially food stories.

I miss the popping of Sarsi and Pop Cola bottles…even though I do not drink softdrinks.

I miss the belly rubbing after the Noche Buena feast.

I miss answering a family trivia question, which entitles me to get all my Christmas gifts.

I miss waking up to a busy Christmas day filled with visits to family in Cainta and San Juan.

I cried because I miss my family dearly. I miss the Christmas traditions. I miss the company of my family. Sigh.

But as one of my readers commented a few posts back, loneliness / homesickness is something I really have to deal with (No choice!) and I do have to enjoy what I have right now: my new family, my husband Dodong.

And so I wiped away my tears and greeted my husband, Dodong, with a salty Merry Christmas kiss.

Merry Christmas to everyone! Hope you are enjoying your time with your respective families in wherever corner of the globe you are!

 

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Thanks to www.flickr.com/kudaker for the image

 Homesickness really has kicked and bit me in the a$* quite hard this Christmas season as this is my very first OFW (Overseas Filipino Wife) Christmas, a holiday away from my family and friends. But thank God for the gift of visiting friends, I received a taste of home, my very first Kabayan Padala care package. What the heck is a kabayan padala package anyway?!?

A kabayan padala care package is simply goodies from the Philippines, which can include oddities such as soap or other toiletries (even if there are toiletries of all sorts here), instant noodles, canned goods, cured pork (pork is expensive here!) and more sent by family and / or friends through kababayans (fellow countrymen). I was quite ecstatic when I knew friends (former colleagues from my last company) and family were sending some love my way. They actually asked me what I wanted to receive and made some requests. I didn't expect that they would go the extra mile to send me some goodies!

Sweet treats: Uraro cookies, caramelized pili buts, pili nut tarts and a bottle of spicy spanish sardines!

I know these are simple, simple food items, but it is their love in a package. I really felt the warmth of home with a dash of the Christmas spirit of sharing food. On top of sending my favorite brand of Gourmet Tuyo (we aren't allowed to fry smelly dried fish in our apartment! Boo!) and two packs of my favorite pastillas de leche, my family even sent me a small queso de bola for our Christmas dinner

Queso de bola, a bottle of Gourmet Tuyo (my fave!) and pastillas de leche from my family

My friends even sent me some of my porkilicous requests There is pork here, but it is quite expensive so these pork treats are much, much appreciated! I'm just so excited to share these with Dodong!

Chinese chorizo for fried rice!

Bacon! Bacon! Bacon!!!!!!

Thank you to visiting friends, who are truly kind enough to share some baggage space and weight for homesick Filipinos like me. Thank you to my family and friends, who made my Christmas extra special indeed! I love you all!

I can't believe that I am part of the more than 11 Million Filipinos abroad already. This is my very first OFW Christmas: a Christmas thousands of miles away from home, away from the Philippines, away from my family and friends. Oh, this is my first Christmas in a Muslim country too!

I initially thought that being away from the crazy Christmas-on-steroids in the Philippines (Christmas carols already started playing on the radio as early as August! WTH!?!) would be ok…perfectly fine. I would be away from two things I hate about the Christmas season in the Philippines. Thank God! First, I am thousands of miles away from the Christmas rush traffic. Horrible I say! Manila traffic is already horrid and for some reason, its even worse during the Christmas season!?! How is that even possible right? Second, I am away from the consumerism of the holiday. I love the whole idea of giving, but I think its too commercialized already. Call me a scrooge, but I say Christmas got a tad bit consumed by consumerism.

Christmas really isn't about the traffic because of the shopping / parties and the literal gift giving. For me and millions of Filipinos abroad, especially for those who have been away for yearssss, the best Christmas celebration is simply about being and enjoying the company of family and friends. It's Christmas stripped down to the bare essentials. Being together with family and friends is precious and there is no substitute. So being together with family and friends is THE gift. No balikbayan boxes filled to the brim with Christmas gifts can never ever replace feeling the hugs and kisses, hearing the stories and the  laughter and sometimes even wiping away the tears of dear family and friends.

Kakainis ka Coca-cola for making me cry this morning! Did you cry too?

I've only been away for two months but my homesickness has increased exponentially because of this Coca-cola OFW Happiness video. I will surely miss my family and friends even MORE this holiday season. Aside from missing Christmas celebrations, I will also miss birthday celebrations of my mama, my papa and two of my sisters (Yes, we have 4 December celebrants! 4 out of 8!), plus my lola's 1st death anniversary and two weddings of dear friends. So I will be missing a LOT noh?

But in true OFW fashion, I know that I will get to cope and survive this Christmas away from family and friends just like the millions of other OFWs around the world. Thank God there is the Internet, so I think somehow I would be able to join in some celebrations. Hopefully.

Care to share any tips on how I can survive this lonely season?

Ahhh...the high life

Dubai is said to be one of the world's bastions of extreme luxury. Here it is normal to see a Rolls Royce, a Lambourghini, a Bentley, and an Aston Martin on the highway. It gets old after some time. Unlike back in the PH, we gape in awe at luxury cars moseying down the traffic and potholes of the metro.

Last weekend, Dodong's group of friends and I were lucky enough to get a bit (a teeny one) of the Dubai life with a morning yacht cruise at the Dubai Marina Yacht Club…

We all woke up bright and early at around 7AM (Even if our Friday night ended at 130AM) to catch the 1st Yacht out into the Dubai waters (sea? gulf? whaddaya call it?).

THE Dubai Marina Yacht Club

It was a cool winter morning and I found myself shivering in my board shorts (I wanted to go swimming…). Good thing some of us wore their best beach inspired attire too.

A sunny winter morning at the Dubai Marina

It was my first time on a luxury sea ride, so we decided to take a quick tour inside. The yacht was actually a home on the sea with…

a master's bedroom

a lil' girls' room

a lil' boys room too (can adults fit in the bunk beds? Not sure.)

A bathroom...oh I missed the shower. It's on the right side.

and a fully operational kitchen

Thanks to little big boy Miguel for giving us a tour of the lovely yacht It was quite a relaxing ride out of the Dubai Marina as we enjoyed the view of buildings upon buildings (mostly unfinished) and fellow boaters (on dhows and speed boats)

There's the twisting tower (apparently the world's tallest one) on the right

As we went further out onto the Dubai coast, we also caught spectacular views of Dubai attractions such as the Atlantis Hotel and more hotels under construction. Does anybody know which hotels?

Dubai's Atlantis

The ride out to sea was quite bitin. The yacht crew just grabbed a cooler from a smaller fishing boat, then we went back into a "cove" nearer the Dubai marina for some BBQ and swimming. I really thought we would be stopping in the middle of the sea! But good thing we didn't cause the waves would make me dizzy, too dizzy that my insides would jump out.

Kuya cooking the BBQ on an electric grill.

BBQ was not spectacular. Good thing I wasn't expecting it to be. Hehehe! I drowned myself in Tin's homemade spaghetti instead. Yum! And since I ate more than I intended to (as usual), I burned some by taking a dip. The sad thing was, I was the only one, who took a swim. But I didn't last long in the water. Aside from the fact that the water was extra cool (winter time!), there was nothing to see…No corals, no fishes…just water. Boring right? It made me miss Philippine beaches all the more.

But we saw some guys parachuting from the sky!

Parachuters (like tiny insects) on the upper left corner of the photo!

So cool right? They looked like flies dropping from the sky. Haha! But seriously, I think these guys rock…I don't think I can dive out of a plane!

All in all it was a fun time A refreshing break from busy housewife days at home I wish we could have stayed on the yacht longer (we were only allowed to use it for 3-hours) as a sunset cruise would have been lovelier. Maybe Dodong and I could try that some time soon…

I surrender to the Lord. (Image from www.jodilley.com)

This time in my life has been and still is one of the most prayerful time EVER. I started my stay here by praying the 30-day Holy Cloak novena to St. Joseph (Yes, this is an extra super duper long version of the 9-day novena) then continued with the employment novena to St. Josemaria Escriva. Though I do believe in the power of prayer, I've never done a novena in my life so I don't know if it really works. But yesterday, I am affirmed that the novena does work…

I've been praying for employment for myself, of course. But I also believe in sharing my prayers with those who need it too, so I decided to include some other people who are seeking employment as well: two in the UAE, one in Singapore and another in the UK. I prayed for a total of 5 people, including myself.

Would you believe that on the very last day of the novena, 2 out of the 5 people received employment?

OMG! Yes they did get employment on the last day of my novena prayer I was and am so happy for them! I really am in awe of the real power of the novena  Though I know I still have no work yet (I'd be jumping with joy and shouting out to the world if I had work already), I am continuing my novena prayers for the remaining 3 people in the list. I know and believe that the Good Lord will answer our prayers very soon Kame na ang sunod, di ba?

Forever and ever. Amen. (image from www.sweethummingbirdlane.com)

Being away from family and friends can get lonely, super lonely that I find myself crying sometimes. So when I knew a good girlfriend of mine was due for a visit, I was just so pumped up!

Since it wasn't her first time in Dubai (she's been here like four times already), Dodong and I just took her out to some of our favorite food haunts in the city including a resto visited by famous food & travel show host Tony Bourdain.

For anyone who has felt homesick before, I am sure you know the feeling of meeting a familiar face in a sea of unknown faces. Though we didn't get to see each other each and every day she was here, the time we spent together was AWESOME!  Time with any girlfriend is simply awesome! (Like the picture says, girlfriends FOREVER! Woohooo!) It is such a comfort to pour out my heart and soul about my adventures (and misadventures) here in the desert. It is a comfort to have someone who has known you since high school come over and see how you've grown. Okay, enough of the sentimental shizz, but I can't help it! Family and friends in the barren (literally and figuratively) desert are most welcome for a Dubai newbie like me I am so blessed to have family and friends, who are given opportunities to fly over to Dubai. Plane tickets are not as cheap as Singapore or nearby Southeast Asian countries, plus there are visas to take care of.

I think I'm even more blessed because aside from my girlfriend (who is already back in Manila), two of my former colleagues will be coming over this December I am sooooo excited! Can't you feel the excitement from here? Hihihi!

Excited to see THE Britney Spears in action!

Nothing much has been happening to me in the past 3 weeks. Well, its mostly days and nights of staying at home, attending to the writing job and eating out with Dodong and friends (as this probably is the most exciting thing that happens in Dubai). But last Friday, I was in for a treat. A friend shared her blessings of free tickets to the Britney Spears concert for the 2011 Yas Island, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Yay!

So we all trooped to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi (a good 45 to 1-hour drive from Dubai) to catch one of our favorite nostalgic (she was part of our teenage years!) artists…

Because we were all so damn excited to see Britney set the stage on fire with her famous dance moves (oh, nevermind her voice since she wasn’t quite the singer anyway), we pumped ourselves up by listening to Britney Spears songs the day before the concert. With extra enthusiasm, I even shared some of the medleys on my Facebook account. Hehehe! I, the newbie Dubai-nite that I am, was extra excited since it would be my first time to visit Yas Island.

We got the to concert grounds quite early, around 730PM, before the crazy concert goers started filling up the entire venue.

Yas Island Concert Grounds entrance

How much people could this venue fill up?

Oh they sell BEER! What a pleasant surprise!

I didn't get any souvenirs. Not much of a souvenir person...

Back in the Philippines, foreign artist concerts had front acts, which are usually local artists and / or bands. But here in the UAE, apparently, DJs are the front acts. It wasn’t bad, I found myself pumping my fists in the air a couple of times. But I do miss the warm bodies on the stage to get the crowd going.

DJs pumping up the crowd

The front act lasted for two hours and then Britney made us wait for another 30-minutes before she graced us with her presence…

30-minutes of waiting...

Then the crowd started counting down the seconds. Cameras, phones and other video devices rose up above the crowds to record this momentous occasion.

Time to whip out those cameras guys!

I was so giddy that I couldn’t contain my energy (must have been the pre-concert caffeine fix kicking in) I wanted to jump and dance the night away to the tune of Britney’s songs.

But then, the sad thing about the entire show…Britney wasn’t just into it anymore. She lipsynched almost all songs (except one), so the least she could do was give us those rockin’ dance moves. Unfortunately, it was a bad night for Britney that she couldn’t even spice up such simple dance steps.

Back up dancers did such a good job.

Can you see how the back up dancers did great? No energy Britney.

Her back-up dancers and spectacular production definitely stole the show…which wasn’t enough. We all came for Britney and she just wasn’t there. I mean, she was physically there, but her spirit wasn’t. BUMMER.

This was supposedly the highlight of the show? Really?!?

It was SUPPOSED to be a spectacular show

This will definitely be my first AND last Britney Spears concert. If she performs like this every single time, believe me, it is not worth your time and money.

Good thing that 1) my ticket was free and 2) great company, trumps a sucky concert performance (at least I am making significant progress on the making friends front). Hope that you put on your A-Game next time Britney.