Picking up where I left...

Days are passing by. That's what I know for sure. Waking up one day and trying to be a better person. Do my job. Love harder. Pursue bigger dreams..

All of a sudden, a year has passed already! I didn't noticed that days were so fast and I didn't noticed it (well not really hehee of course I noticed it lol). A lot of things happened and changed within that one year.

Looking back at my last post, I was there at that phase of my life where I am stuck with a toxic career and environment. Thank God I managed to get out alive and strong!

At this moment, I am happy and blessed to share some of the blessings (changes) that I had within that one year..

1) Career - After all the struggles, a better one came along and I am so blessed! I am so proud to join Lushescapes - a boutique luxury travel company based in JLT. I have two days for the weekend and I get to enjoy all the public holidays as well as good office schedule of 8:30 am - 5:30 pm (well I do overtime quite some time haha!) and a well maintained office with a stunning view of Dubai Marina side. Apart from that, I enjoy how I continue to learn every single day. My boss and my manager always push my boundaries to learn and grow more than yesterday. Learning opportunities and career growth are always being fed not only to me but to all of us. I am definitely the happiest!

View from our office - no filter used

2) Second Home - I changed flat twice within the year. First, I moved to Burjuman around May 2016 and met these beautiful girlfriends that I will forever treasure. There are rough days where I would hate our times of teasing and bullying. But we shouldn't be serious everyday right? Most of the time, I love them. They helped me go out my ultra comfort zone which is my bed! Hahaha! I am not joking! Whenever I feel bad or sad, I would stay in bed the whole day and they would literally drag me to get up. Or they would climb up to me and approach me with wide arms open.

Burjuman Girls: Ate Cory, Ate Rochelle (yes we have the same name), Lhei, Tracy, Ate Tin, ME, Aubrey and Ginny
Insert Pearl - missing in action 

Now, I am staying in Dubai Marina (don't get the wrong idea, Iam just renting a bedspace here and it's the cheapest we found!). We are 5 girls in total as of the moment and we usually have our own routine. They would go out with their own schedule, so most of the time, I am alone in the flat doing my own thing. This is what I love the most. I have lots and lots and lots of time for myself. I am starting to pick up all the stuff I wasn't able to finish like books (mostly self help for spirituality and finance books)

3) Mountains - After a two year break (rest) from hiking, I got the chance to do it again with Filipino Mountaineering Federation, also known as F.M.F. in Ras Al Khaimah. They usually organize public hiking events and it is open to all and definitely free! Yes it is absolutely free. If there's a need to rent a coaster bus for big numbers, that's the only time you will have to share some dirhams. And that's just for contribution of the coaster rental. It is equally divided to all as well. So no need to worry!

At Wadi Shah

FMF: Filipino Mountaineering Federation

4) Financial Freedom Journey - Before I left the Philippines, I am already reading a lot of stuff about Financial Literacy. And I know that one day, I will reach that Financial Freedom! But of course, the journey is not a straight line. There were times that we need to borrow money because we don't have emergency funds. There are also times that we need to relieve hunger because the salary is delayed (this happens when we relay too much from our paychecks).

I AM NOT THERE. But! I've had some progress! Each stepping stone achieved is worth celebrating! Some of the stepping stones along my journey are as follows:

*Debt Free - Me and my mom is free of debt after my dad left us with no such emergency funds.

*Small Sari-sari Store - After we finished paying our debts, we managed to put up a small grocery/retail store in front of our house. The sari-sari store serves as our bridges when there is a delay from my salary (because I still depend on it) and it made my mom busy in a good way.

*More time to STUDY - Since I get so much time off in this new company, I have read more books (than what I read in the past two years) and I have managed to read some podcasts and seminars online.

*Truly Rich Club Membership - I have joined this club because it suits my taste. I can do my studying at my own pace. No pressure of commitments for classes. The club itself didn't made me feel that I had such an obligation (attending classes) and instead, it is there waiting for your inner self to study out of your motivation.

Your first step starts here!

*COL Financial - I met COL Financial when I was still in College. And I just opened an account just this month. Crazy right? My account has been activated and I have transferred the account already! Yay! After a long time of waiting, I jumped in! It's better late than never right?

I wish to say more about my Financial Journey because we're not OFW's just to work and spend money like there's no tomorrow right? Don't worry, I will post another one soon so that both YOU and I will reach that Financial Freedom.

See you next post!

Ciao!

WALKING TOUR - OLD DUBAI

Dubai is known for chic places, luxury spas and restaurants, beautiful beaches and camping sites and of course, skyscrapers. But before civilization, what's Dubai?

Old Dubai, mostly the area of Deira and Bur Dubai is not on everyone's list when visiting Dubai. Even I as a resident wasn't able to visit this part until the Walking Tour was organized. And I am very happy to Couchsurfing as the medium where I found this event.

Couchsurfing Members / Residents of Dubai and Travelers in Dubai

Shall we take a little tour? To begin with, we started with the Fish Market in Deira side since it is the closest one from the place of assembly. It looks as a normal local market with fruit stands and dry goods. We came to the wet side of the market and found a lot of unusual kinds of fish (well for my eyes maybe) which is pretty interesting. This makes me realize that fishing has been once the main industry of Dubai. 

I really don't know what they are called and no one is looking after them so I was not able to ask what is it

The next destination is the Gold Souk where the biggest gold ring (with Guiness' Record can be found). However, I was not able to get a picture of it since everyone wants a picture of the gold ring. But, I was held up by these little cute camels. You can find these in every souvenir shops especially in big malls but you can always find a better price. In the shop where I found them, the big one costs 20 AED and the small one ranges from 10-15 AED (it depends if you will buy more).

Camel stuffed toys

Our third destination is the Al Ahmadiya School which is the most prestigious ancient institution and the first semi-private school in Dubai. It was now turned into a museum. It was an interesting place because it's an interactive museum where you can find mannequins and a small computer where you can read facts about the place.

Intricate and detailed art after the renovation

We go straight to the Heritage House which is the typical house (and lifestyle) of an Emirati way back. From the style of the house, up to the utensils and their source of entertainment, everything can be found in the house. 

"G" giving us a brief introduction of our destination

Spice Souk is the next itinerary on our list. Nuts, dried shrimps, and up to spices being used in cooking are in here. The place is so colorful but of course, it comes with their strong smell as well. There are lots of sales people who aren't fussy to teach you a thing or two about these spices. However, some of them might expect that you will buy at least.

After our short stop in the Spice Souk, we crossed the creek with the famous ride, Abra for 1 dirham. This ride is very popular to regular residents who need to cross the creek and with tourists as well. The creek itself have different stations and you can choose which route to take. The longest route (I believe) is from the stop in Al Ghubaiba to the station near the Deira Twin Towers for 2 dirhams. Sorry I failed to get the names of these stations.

Riding an Abra

Creek

Upon crossing the creek, we are now in the Bur Dubai side of the Old Part of Dubai. We went to a Hindu temple and since it's a sacred place, I didn't took any pictures of it because it might look disrespectful. We head straight to the Bastakiya Quarter where you can find the restaurant who serves Camel Meat and Camel Milk. You can also enjoy the maze-like structure of the place where a lot of tourists take pictures as 'lost in the maze'.

Cliche caption: Lost in the Maze

The final itinerary of the Walking Tour is the Dubai Museum. I cannot remember how much is the entrance fee if it's 2 dirhams or 5 dirhams. I like the museum because the main part of it was underground. The whole history of Dubai was shown in a creative yet artistic way. Lights and sounds were supported as well and it looks very modern from my standards. One of the part of the museum that I really liked is how they set aside one big part of it to showcase the fishing industry of the city before.

Fishing Industry as shown in Dubai Museum

At the last part of the museum, typical souvenirs and free books and pamphlets can be found as well. Everyone agreed that the museum is the best place to end the Walking Tour. It was educational, interesting and fun. Hence, the Old Dubai itself shouldn't be missed by residents and tourists alike.

I am grateful for Ghaith, for organizing the Walking Tour. And as planned, everyone who joined the tour went to dinner at a Lebanese Restaurant before we parted ways. It was a good cool down time to chat with fellow CouchSurfing members. I am not as active as before but this event reminded me of what is the essence of traveling.

Dinner at Heritage Village

For us, traveling isn't to see places alone. It isn't to met locals alone. It's the whole journey and the friends you've met that counts. And true enough, this walking tour counts for me. Happy Traveling!

THE POWER OF NO

Companies, big or small, lay off employees in Dubai these past few months. However, our company is the complete opposite of this scenario. They are hiring more staff instead. Guaranteed that there will be enough workforce in our department, I planned a 10-day leave on May to commemorate the first year death anniversary of my dad. The operations manager said she accepted my request but I should wait for the new employees. She said I should ask the admin manager too before I book the ticket.

Today, I saw our admin manager (which is very rare) so I asked her if I can request for the leave form. The conversations are as follows:
Admin: You are requesting for a leave?
Me: Yes but it's for May.
Admin: You can't take a leave.
Me: Why not?
Admin: Because you just took a leave.
Me: That's last year. It was an emergency leave. 14 days. I haven't fully consumed any annual leave.
Admin: No. I don't think you can take your leave.
Me: Uhhh....
Admin: *walks away*

At first, I felt bad. I am mad. I want to scream it out. She did not even ask me as to why am I requesting it. She didn't even ask how long will it be. She never opened her heart to fully comprehend the situation yet she closed it with such a harsh answer. A NO.

In reality, it's getting on my nerves. But I can't let that happen especially this week which is already rough and stressful. So I called my best friend, the Gift of the Gap. Okay, I will try to put my situation in her shoes. Maybe it's not a good timing and she's thinking of other stuff related to our company which is more important than my leave. Maybe she's having a bad day and that's just her initial reaction. Maybe she's just kidding. Maybe.... The list is endless.
 

Two letter word. NO.
Powerful. Deep. And simple.

It's a simple word. It's very easy to comprehend. But why is that we cannot use it properly? People are using it for the wrong ideas with its essence being trashed.

When it comes to our loved ones, we always say no to their small favors very easily. Our thinking is that, they will understand me because they know me. But when it comes to other people, we cannot say no because we want to be "in" or we want to portray a different version of ourselves since they don't know us yet. Sounds familiar? The examples of wrong usage are endless. Our norm (and stupidity) of saying 'no' is infinite. The ideology of how it is being used is so wrong that we cannot notice its impact. Why?

We have to be reminded that we have choices. These choices are the answers to the things that we can't control...

Yes.
Yes to commitments, to dreams, to achieving goals, to success of everyone, to love, to adventure, to "YOLO", to the life ahead of us.

Maybe.
Maybe we can do something. Maybe there's another way. Maybe we can check it first. Maybe it's not the right time. Maybe there's something better.

No.
No to the things and words that hurts you, me, and other people.
No to the ideas that kills the passion, integrity, and principles of this society.
No to the toxic people and relationships that hold us back to realize that we deserve better.
No to everything that is not helping us to be a better person.
No to the wrong ways of this world.

We have a choice of what to use.
And that simple choice can change something... maybe someone's life or someone's way of living. Who knows? One day you will realize, that maybe it's time to change YOU.

AROUND THE WORLD IN GLOBAL VILLAGE

When I was in college, I worked once in a theme park in the Philippines as a summer job. It is known as Enchanted Kingdom which is located in Southern part of the metro, in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. I've been there for 2 and a half months and it's one of my happiest part-time job I have (apart from McDonald's). That experience made me love parks. Theme parks to be specific became very close to my heart.

Summer Job 2011

In Dubai, there's one theme park (fully operating) that I've always wanted to visit ever since I arrived here. It is called Global Village which is located in Dubailand. We took the public transportation by bus from Union Metro Station. One way costs 10 AED and the entrance fee costs 15 AED. We went there at exactly 4 pm and the park is open until 12 midnight.

The park consists of pavilions of different countries showcasing products and crafts from the country of origin. Replicas of famous landmarks were built and products were imported to be sold here.

Replicas of Big Ben, Leaning Tower of Pisa and Colosseum or Flavian Ampitheater

Chinese Gazebo

African Pavilion

This pavilion is my favorite and it deserves a special mention. The products are all authentic. Every craft and art and all products were new to my eyes (not that I've never seen anything like that) because you cannot find these in big malls of Dubai. The song playing in the background was an African one (that's one thing for sure) and there are people standing outside the pavilion wearing native costumes of their country.

What I love about it is that I felt their pride of their country. Here in Dubai, a lot of Africans were paid really low. They weren't treated that nice. But here, they are all happy. Their face shows their love to their origin. Being patriotic. Patriotism. Yes. Despite of all their struggles in their country, here they were, full of pride and saying, I CAME FROM AFRICA. I LOVE AFRICA. Salute to these people!

Crafts and stuff from Africans

 The second pavilion I liked is Japan's. Anime is from Japan and I am so happy to see some collection! Yes it is not complete and very limited, but still, it's so hard to find these stuff here in Dubai. I found a small stuffed toy of Chopper and it broke my heart that I didn't bought it. It's too expensive for me! LOL. #byechopper

Collectibles

You can find two Japanese friends in the farthest stall of the pavilion. One guy and one girl. I am not sure if they are a couple but they look good together. Haha. Anyway, they are offering this service where you can try wearing Yukata (Kimono is the elegant one, more expensive and traditional one with the bow at the back where Yukata is more casual) and they will take a picture of you for 10 AED. They will give you a print out of this picture. You can also add a background of Japan for 30 AED if I am not mistaken. And no, this is not the picture they took. I look so silly there.

I am able to try Yukata too! Look at the face! Mission accomplished!

Yukata, the casual style form of Kimono

Each pavilion offers short performances (groups, bands, individual) of any kind of entertainment they have. I remember the band from Iran playing a happy 'bandari' music. I saw dance performance in India's pavilion with a Punjabi group as well. A traditional dance was performed of my 'kabayan' in the pavilion of Philippines.

Syrian Performers on Main Stage

There's a small part of the park with rides for kids and adults. They have a huge Ferris Wheel called Wheel of the World for 30 AED. It doesn't move that fast unlike the others and you won't feel scared up high. The aerial view of the whole park is fantastic.

Wheel of the World

Aerial view of Global Village

It was tiring but fun. I felt like I'm a kid again. And it's a feeling that everyone would like to go back to once in a while. Though I was a little bit sad that I was not able to buy Chopper and I wasn't able to play those games with huge stuffed toys as prizes, but surely, I'm gonna come back.

So long Global Village! I'm gonna come back sooner or later!

A DAY TRIP TO ABU DHABI : SHEIKH ZAYED GRAND MOSQUE

One friend of mine from Couchsurfing is in Dubai right now for his vacation with his friend. One of their plans is to visit the Grand Mosque which is in Abu Dhabi. And since I haven't been there, I asked them if they can arrange this visit on a Saturday so that I can come with them. Lo and behold, my wish is granted and after so many months, I finally got the chance to visit the Grand Mosque! 1 goal down for this year!

We took the bust E100 from Al Ghubaiba Bus Station and it took nearly 2-3 hours of travel from Bur Dubai to Abu Dhabi Bus Station. A round trip bus ticket costs 50 AED. We arrived at around 3 PM and went straight to Al Wahda Mall before heading straight to the mosque.

Before entering the mosque property lot, the security at the gate asked us to stop because my hair was not covered. I covered it with my scarf (good thing I brought it with me). Then there's a small tent as an entrance where I was asked to put the abaya as my body cover.  Wearing an abaya is one thing that I would really like to experience even once in my entire life. The Islamic culture is really interesting. Okay don't freak out. I'm not about to convert to Islam. I just appreciate it.

My friends went to their ablution and prayer while I roam around and be as a happy tourist as I can. 

I ran out of words more when I entered the main area. The beauty is overwhelming. The art itself is magnificent. This is one of my inspirations to go to Iran.

Chandeliers

Zoomed in.

From ceiling, chandelier and wall art... intricate details.

Even the pillars itself are not left unattended

I had so much fun and if I will get another chance to go back to the mosque with less crowd, I would like to go again. Happy tourist today!

PinayHakawati gets to visit the Grand Mosque in abaya. Goal achieved!

NEW YEAR, NEW ME, NEW GOALS

Happy New Year! 

It's the time of the year where everything is fresh and new! Last year might not be one of the best years of my life, but it's over. It's already in the past. So right now, I should focus on planning and claiming to be waaaay moreee HAPPY this year! And for me to maximize my time here in Dubai (Inshallah), I've decided to come up with a list of my own goals (SMART goals).

These smart goals, once achieved and accomplished, will have it's own post here in my blog. And so here it is and let me try my best to fulfill these goals before the year ends!

Travel, Sports & Adventure - UAE
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Global Village
Walking Tour - Old Dubai
Arsekal Avenue
Ferrari World
Ski Dubai
Jebel Jais
Yas Waterworld Abu Dhabi
Iceland Waterpark
Motiongate Dubai (still under construction)
Oman Musandam
Practice ice skating in Dubai Ice Rink (Dubai Mall) and in Hyatt Regency
Try paddle board around Burj Al Arab
Attend one Yacht Party

Travel - outside UAE 
Hike one mountain/volcano
Visit one town outside Luzon
Travel to one Asian Country
Try Couchsurfing as a GUEST

Road to Financial Freedom
Be debt free
Create a solid emergency fund
Help our small convenience store in the Philippines to grow bigger
Buy 1 22k carat gold as an investment
Buy the gold arrow ring or a necklace with the arrow pendant
Open an account in mutual funds 

Personal Growth
Land in my dream job/company
Learn how to do make up professionally
Learn how to wear good heels

How about you? What are some of your goals for this year? Let me know and maybe I can add it to my list! Good luck to everyone!

AT THE TOP: BURJ KHALIFA

Dubai holds a lot of the 'est' when it comes to infrastructures. Biggest, largest, tallest. And sure, the tallest building of the world is here. And that's Burj Khalifa.

Photo source

Burj Khalifa, tallest artificial structure in the world, stands at 2,722 ft. When I heard that, I was like, 'Oh, it's just another building.' And even when I see it every day, it looks like an ordinary building to me.

Until... I've experience the 'At the Top' last Saturday with a CS friend, Lukas, from CZ.

Tickets can be bought at the counter but like what we do, we booked it online thru the site itself. The cheapest tickets (for Level 124) costs 125 AED. Availability depends on your preferred time of visit. We prefer to be there by 4:30 pm so we could watch sunset as well.

Overlooking Sheikh Zayed Road and Old Dubai
(Copyright photo by Lukas Winter)

Level 124 has a 360-degree view of Dubai. You can see the old part of Dubai (Old Dubai) and the Sheikh Zayed Road and of course the rest of the new part of Dubai (New Dubai). The World (artificial islands), Burj Al Arab, and the Dubai Marina can be seen as well but of course, from the distance.

Everyone seems to wait for the magic hour but I cannot say that Dubai nor At The Top is the best spot to watch sunset. No one can tell if the sun really set already because you cannot see it clearly. But as far as I know, magic hour is still the magic hour.

Business Bay view / Burj Al Arab - Marina is on this side
(Copyright photo by Lukas Winter)

They are selling souvenirs as well from ref magnets, planners, mugs, and of course the miniature figures of the Burj Khalifa. But since I am a sucker for ref magnets, that's the thing I bought.

Ref magnet for 15 AED

It was a wonderful day for me. Not only the building nor the view amazed me but I cannot hide the fact that I was so inspired by the passion of those people behind the iconic tower. They are wearing the pride of success in their sleeves. It was not built by the locals/Emiratis alone, but it was built by a lot of nations, who worked as one for one goal. And that is what you call TEAMWORK.

I admire the building itself. But most of all, it made me love Dubai.

BOOTY CALL FROM MR. FLIGHT ATTENDANT

I heard a lot of negative feedback from other members of Couchsurfing based on their experiences. It was all about someone taking advantage of the other person. Or harassment physically and sexually. Or being plainly abusive I can empathize with them and I always think it must feel really bad if I am on their shoes.

Until last night, I had a small talk with Mr. Flight Attendant from airline-that-he-didn't-mentioned. He sent me a message saying that he is in Dubai and on a layover. And that if I am free we can have some coffee out or hang out. I said we can do that and I can meet him for a few minutes and that I live in point X and that I have work until 10pm. He said that's so late and we can just grab something and drink something in HIS room and that I can stay there if I want to.

I said no and if he want to meet, we need to meet outside. All of a sudden, he went defensive. He said why can't you meet me at my room? Do you think I would like to have sex with you? (Sex or murder yes! It's a possibility duh!) I am still being kind to him and said, it's for safety and that I don't know him and I don't go into a guy's room especially when it's the first time to meet and to answer his question, no, it's not all about sex.

He said, maybe I should protect myself from you because I don't know you??!

WTF. He started it first. So I said, then why are you inviting girls inside your room? He's weird!

Anyway, I just said that I think I am not the perfect company which he's looking for (and I am still kind) and in case he want to meet, just let me know.

Can you imagine what he said in return?

"I found other one she's coming at 9pm"

It's not the end of the conversation, he said good luck for me in Couchsurfing and that he hope I find trustable (yeah he said that word, sorry for being a grammar/spelling nazi) person and that it's not his fault that other guys do something bad to girls. He said I can also check out his references from a lot of girls which he hosted in his house.

That moment I had enough. Let's talk about the way he handle bragging rights! I don't want to shame a person especially online but I posted this picture to show that I just want you to see how many friends and references that he had here but his account is not verified.

After my encounter with Mr. Flight Attendant, I realized that I should not depend on references and friends anymore. I am already disappointed of the stories of my friends let alone knowing a person who uses the site to satisfy his booty needs. Or I must say his dick. Clearly it is a booty call to me. If you think it is not a booty call then please elaborate it to me.

Couchsurfing is for people who's looking for fellow travelers and hosts or vice versa. It is not the same as Tinder (I believe the common purpose of Tinder is for booty call - or that's what I heard).

I haven't hosted yet but I am a proud member of Couchsurfing and that I am grateful to all the wonderful people I've met thru this. I will meet some more and will surf at others' couches and go to events. As a wishful thinking, I hope the negative/bad stories like these will soon come to an end. Happy traveling everyone!

DESERT SAFARI

My birthday was already a week ago but I am still receiving birthday greetings, let alone another birthday present! Yes! Yesterday, a friend of mine asked me for a desert safari as a birthday present for me! Woooh! I couldn't be more happier since desert safari is a must in Dubai. I don't usually follow the everyone's flow, but at least let me try it. No one know when can I get another chance right?

My friend booked it with Happy Tours (online) but I haven't asked how much it is. They picked us up in Spinney's - Burjuman via a coaster ride. We picked others in Lulu Hypermarket in Al Barsha as well. The trip from Al Barsha to the Desert is roughly another 30-45 minutes. I couldn't figure out the exact location of the camp but I saw (from the signs) that it is near Al Awir. The camp says it is 'Marjan Tourism'.

Sunset X Sands

We had Dune Bashing from the main road to the camp. I heard from others that the drivers were good and it was smooth. When I heard that, I thought you will get the feeling of a sailing ship. The feeling of stomachs churning from the adventure and from the sway of the vehicle. But since every company differs from one another, I must say that my experience is really different from their stories. The Dune Bashing was kinda rough than I expected. The glide of the SUV into the sand was hard. There's a point where I thought we had an accident and I thought the windshield broke.

In the camp, there are lots of stuff you can do. Like a free camel ride.

How about camel for a pet for my next birthday wish list? Sounds a great idea!

You can ask their photographer to take a photo of you then you can buy the picture for 50 AED.

And a pose with the falcon.

He dug his claws in my head. Can't you see it hurts?

And a free henna tattoo. I wanted to have one ever since I arrived here in Dubai. There are lots of artists who can do it in the salon but I wouldn't pay for it (as of writing - maybe some day I will lol).

Henna artist from Lahore, Pakistan

And  'sand boarding'. I am not sure if I am just fat or if the spot is not the 'good spot' to try sand boarding. I am sure I am not that fat but I cannot do it properly!!!!

Do we look like we're fat? Not at all right?

There's a free shisha in one side and you can try the local dresses (which I forgot to do!) and some more stuff. Water is free but you can have other drinks. They also have alcohols and not just some alcohols but even beers from Philippines! They have Red Horse for 30 AED/can. Yes that's how expensive beer here in Dubai.

There are performers during dinner. There's the 'Tanura Show',  Fire dancing (that's what we call them in the Philippines and a Belly Dance. The dinner is buffet as well with options of salads, hummus, grilled meats, bread, biryani and a noodle dish which I don't know what it is called.

After dinner, they call it a day and they will bring you back to the coasters to bring you back in reality.