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/2011/12/06/the-joys-of-kabayan-padala/ http://lovingthedistance.com/2011/12/06/the-joys-of-kabayan-padala/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:30:03 +0000 Inday I. Nagintay http://lovingthedistance.com/?p=3113

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?!?

Read more on The joys of Kabayan Padala…

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!

 

 

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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…

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.

This is MY new chapter (image from uphillwriting.org)

In the Beginning, there was Nothing. No earth. No sky. No sea and sand. No plants. No animals. No man. Nothing. Like in this beginning of a new chapter in my life, I practically have almost nothing.

• My entire family is back home. My father, my mother, my three little sisters (the other sister is in Finland working her ass off as a chef), my brother and our cats (Monay, Raj, Penny, Pandesal) & dogs (Barney, Kimmi, Mandu. The pets are part of my family too! Plus, my lolo, my titos (uncles), my titas (aunts), my cousins. Unfortunately, I do not have any close relatives that live in this corner of the globe.
• My friends, whom I spend my free time with on weeknights and weekends, are back home…and they are apparently enjoying so much without me. Boo!
• My corporate job is non-existent. Yes, I left a corporate career to join Dodong here in the desert. So I am now a certified unemployed statistic…

Though it is nothing: no noisy family, no crazy friends, no work to keep me busy plus buys me the stuff I need and want; this feels like something. Something called a beginning, a chance to start anew. A chance to fill in the blank pages of the new chapters of my life…

• It’s about starting a new family, our new and small family; while strengthening the bond with my original family.
• It’s about finding new friends, while keeping the ties with old ones.
• It’s about finding a new job to continue the corporate career I’ve left behind.

It should be fun right? It is most of the time, but i must say that it isn’t a walk in the park. If in the Philippines, I was up and running. Here in Dubai, I’m back to crawling on all fours, all wobbly and awkward, learning how to get back up and start running again.

• I am still settling to our little family. Dodong’s been a very good husband, trying to be extra patient with me and my strange habits and needs at home.
• I am also gaining new friends…slowly. I take this chance to thank Dodong’s Dubai friends for welcoming me with open arms.
• I am actively searching for a new job ever since I got here. I’ve had two interviews since then, but still nothing definite. I really did my best, but perhaps God still has other plans for me…very soon. For now, writing articles has kept me quite busy and been helping pay the bills.

The Lord stripped me down to nothing to help realize the little somethings I have in this new chapter of life.

• Despite having nothing, the Lord has given me Dodong. A generous husband, supporting me through this unemployment phase of mine.
• Despite having nothing, the Lord has given me Time. More time than ever before to indulge in things I hardly had time for, like exercise, my books and, most important, prayer.
• Despite having nothing, the Lord has given me Faith. Sometimes I feel like I’ve somehow hit rock bottom. And yes, when you’ve hit the bottom, you have to look up. I place my entire Faith in the Lord that he is cooking up something special for me.

I am grateful for this chance for a new beginning. Not many people are given this opportunity. It may be a slow start, and a bit slow than I would’ve wanted; but I know my life here as I’ve envisioned will get there someday soon…very soon.

Dodong and I have been apart for more than a month. Eight (8) months in fact was the longest we’ve been apart. But somehow, the month apart seemed like eight months too…

Keeping my luggage trolley steady on the slightly inclined walk was not such a bother because my heart was bursting with happiness. All the bickering we’ve had in the past week (Yes, we bicker A LOT!) all melted away when I saw him standing at the arrival ramp, waiting for me with his signature gilagiddy (too much exposed gum) silly grin.

As I reached Dodong, I threw my arms around his neck, whispered in his ear: “I missed you so much…” and sighed. His arms tightened around my waist as he lovingly said: “I missed you too.” I would have given him a big slobbery kiss, or even kisses (just like in the video above); but, unfortunately, we are in a Muslim country. PDA with lots of caution so as not to offend anybody else. Dodong’s big welcome back bear hug was more than enough for me.

Sigh. I am still in Cloud 9 after 4 days of my epic arrival Do you think this feeling will last forever? Hihihihi!

I love you so much Dodong! I am so blessed to be back!

P.S. Thanks to my high school friend for sharing the video on her Facebook wall I can so relate to this! It moved me to tears…of joy!

The 7-star Hotel in Dubai, UAE

I can’t believe that my time here in Dubai is about to end. Unfortunately, I am still on my tourist visa, which allowed me an extended 70-day stay here. Since we are newly married (we got married last June 16), our marriage contract is still being processed. It is quite sad and disappointing that the processing is taking quite some time. Well, to be honest, it is expected as this is a government related document. But still, I wished it could have been processed in a more efficient manner so that I need not be separated from my husband anymore. But I guess God has plans we do not understand and this is a bump on the road with a purpose.

But this trip has given me priceless learnings about myself, marriage (I’ve written about it here, here and here) and Dubai. Honestly, I did not expect to love this place as much. But I do love it and it pains me to leave. So I leave you with some useful random do’s and don’ts should you find yourself traveling to this part of the world.

The Heat can kill you. Literally.

If you are preparing for your Dubai trip,

1. Don’t forget your pair of heavy duty shades. You are in the desert so expect an overdose of sunshine.
2. Do also have some non-sticky high UV protection sunscreen. I think you know how much sun to expect from point #1.
3. You also may want to consider packing a foldable umbrella especially if you will be commuting around the city.
4. Summer months in Dubai are in June, July and August. So expect temperatures to rise to 45 degrees celsius with high levels of humidity. Imagine being in a sauna bath under the scorching sun. That is basically the feeling of summer months here. Light weight cotton clothing is advised
5. Even if the summer weather is torture, do pack respectful clothing in your luggage. Dubai is an open city, but keep in mind it is still a Muslim country. So ditch the micro minis, short shorts and skimpy bikinis for now.
6. You may also need to check the Ramadan timings when you are preparing for the trip. Ramadan means no drinking (yes even drinking water) or eating (though there are restaurants that still serve lunch in a cordoned area) in public between sunrise and sunset.
7. Do bring loads of pocket money as costs of almost everything is more expensive than the Philippines. Dubai money = Dirhams (AED). Conversion is roughly around 1 AED = PHP 11. So do the math.
8. Note to bring cash and do not use your Philippines based credit card ever. I know that it could amount to reward points, I think that it is worth considering that the USD to PHP exchange is around +PHP 12 more than the actual rate. Exchange rate of the credit card will surely kill your planned budget. So if you don’t want to be unpleasantly surprised, stick to spending cash.

Visit the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi

If you are planning your itinerary in Dubai,

1. Aside from the usual sights in Dubai (i.e. Burj Khalifa – tallest building in the world, Burj Al Arab Hotel, Ski Dubai, Desert Safari, and the malls), You may want to consider visiting the other Emirates other than Dubai. There are a number of interesting places in Abu Dhabi, Umm Al-Qwain and Ras Al-Khaimah. In my short stay, I’ve been to the Grand Mosque and Jebel Hafeet mountain in Abu Dhabi. Too bad we didn’t get pictures in Jebel Hafeet because there was a sandstorm. Eeek.
2. Do consider that the public transportation system is not as efficient yet as other countries. It would be best if you have somebody to take you around via private car. Almost everything in Dubai is 20-minutes away via car. Taking the bus or the Metro is another story. You may not want to take walks under the hot desert sun, so consider yourself forewarned.

Try Irish Grub at the Irish Village, Dubai for a change

If you are already in Dubai:

1. Though there are your usual American fast food chains like McDonald’s, KFC, Wendy’s and Burger King or your fast casual dining from Chili’s, Friday’s, Outback, and the like, please do find it in your heart to try out the abundance of European, Arabic, Indian and Pakistani cuisine. There are spicy dishes, but do ask the waiters / servers for the non-spicy dishes if you are not too used to the spice and heat.
2. Please be mindful of other cultures and religions. Dubai is literally a melting pot of Arabs, Europeans, Indians, Pakistanis, Russians, fellow Southeast Asians, and more. Religions of the people here are also hodgepodge. So please be mindful and do respect these cultures and religions.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask questions from fellow Filipinos. There are quite a number here in Dubai, especially in the service industry; so it is highly likely…or rather there is 100% chance that you will bump into one, two or more during your stay here. “Kabayan” is the term of endearment for fellow Pinoys.
4. Oh, don’t forget to ALWAYS have your passport and visa with you. Even just a photocopy, since the passport may be a bit bulky. I think that is a standard protocol when traveling abroad

Sigh. Writing all of these makes me wish that I could stay on as long as Dodong is here. Yes, I admit I am a bit homesick; but as a newly wed wife, whose priority is to build a solid marriage foundation with the husband, I’d love to stay on. Again, I do believe that God has reasons for this unwanted “delays” and has a brighter future in store for Dodong and myself.

I think this post is quite comprehensive already. Still have any questions I could perhaps help you with? Feel free to comment or drop me an email if you think it is too personal for public exposure.

Muni-muni in the desert

For anyone who has been in a long distance relationship, it is a dream come true to be physically with the significant other. So it’s now been a month through my long Dubai vacation. An entire month of being married AND physically together, in the same time zone, with Dodong. A dream come true for me. While I am enjoying it thoroughly, I find myself very homesick already. Here are the telltale signs that I am officially homesick…

I'm crazy craving for our home cooking.

Have I had my fill of grilled meats already?!?

I’ve asked my dad for some of the recipes I love from home because I do plan to replicate them over here. I do miss having decent breakfasts with heaps of rice (white rice, garlic rice or fried rice) and fried meats (tapa, tocino, bacon – yes pork bacon! – sausages, etc) with eggs. Dodong is so not a breakfast person. I do miss Sunday lunches with the entire clan. And I mean a good 30-ish people in the clan. Now, it’s just our little family: Dodong and myself. It’s not just the good food, but the chatter, the laughter of people I love around me. It’s Home and the Cooking I do miss.

I am obsessed with my Blackberry

My BB, My Laptop are my windows to the world

Dodong almost hates my Blackberry and wants to throw it out the window very soon. But my Blackberry is my lifeline to my friends back in Manila and one in New York City. The Blackberry Messenger (BBM) is just so convenient for me to get in touch with them. Anytime and anywhere! So my Blackberry is stuck to my hip as long as I am here. Dodong is just dealing with it. He will surely laugh out loud if I ended up tripping over because I keep on BBMing. Hehehe!

I long for human connection.

I do love the internet and it’s amazing powers to connect people from all over the world without leaving the comfort of home. But then I miss real people.

This is what Dodong finds sooo strange about me. He knows very well that I am such an introvert. And now, the introvert me is longing for friends in a foreign land. Yes, I said I need to have friends ASAP. And this does not include Dodong’s friends, who by association will be my friends as well. I want my OWN set of friends…like the ones I have back home. Friends

I love my husband very much, but my life here does not revolve around him. I guess I was just used to having my own life. I don’t want to lose myself in this marriage.

I know that this is part and parcel of what I signed up for and I have to suck it all in. And to think this is only the practice run! What would happen when the time comes that I will soon permanently be away from my family and friends back in Manila?!? Oh man. How to get over this…