ocho-ocho

On this day in 2004, my life in Dubai began.
When I first set foot in the Middle East, I was slim, young, and innocent (err...at least I looked innocent).

taken on my third day in Dubai

renewing our nanny’s visa

Unlike the normal residence visas issued to employees of companies which are valid for 2 or 3 years, the visas of maids and nannies in the UAE whose sponsors are expats are only valid for 1 year. And even though there’s a grace period of one month to renew a UAE Residence Visa after it expires, we decided to process the renewal of Ate Cel’s visa as soon as possible to avoid anything that might cause problems.

have a little faith

Thank you for the gift, Aiza!

The most inspirational man I know only reached his potential by helping a child reach his.
"Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe."
"From generation to generation...rituals are how we remain...connected."
When you come to the end (of your life), that’s where God begins.
"It is far more comforting to think God listened and said no, than to think that nobody’s out there."
His morning prayers began with “Thank you, Lord, for returning my soul to me.” When you start that way, the rest of the day is a bonus.
"The secret of happiness...Be satisfied. Be grateful. For what you have. For the love you receive. And for what God has given you."
If you could pack for heaven, this was how you’d do it, touching everything, taking nothing.

the philippines immigration embarkation card and a helpful tip

Looking at the statistics of this blog, I noticed that my post “What Most People Go Through at NAIA Terminal 1” was viewed quite frequently, most probably by people who would be travelling from the Philippines. I'm glad that it helped; and since I finally found the little piece of paper I had tucked away, I thought it might also be useful to share with you a copy of the Embarkation Card that all departing passengers have to complete:

my holiday gifts to myself

Not counting the consumables, groceries, and food we buy regularly, I haven’t bought anything for myself for quite some time now. From what I recall, apart from buying Style, the only major shopping I did last year was during our vacation in the Philippines. Most of the time, I just wait and save my shopping money for when we go home because the clothes, accessories, and other stuff are much more cheaper there than here in Dubai; plus the quality is usually better even though they’re not branded. So unless I see something here that I really, really like or really, really need, I don’t buy anything for myself. However, over the holidays, I decided that I should be nice to myself and get myself some nice presents. So I thought and thought, and finally came up with these things that I wanted:

entering the most expensive part of parenthood

This morning my daughter and I visited the nursery and school we were eyeing to enroll her in to register her. Although it’s not mandatory for children to be put through nursery before they start KG1, Hubby and I decided to enroll her in one term (April to June) just so that she could have a feel of what a school is and socialize a bit in preparation for Kindergarten in September. Caila knows a few kids in our apartment building who go to school, so I think they’ve somehow influenced her because she always (as in everyday!) tells us that she wants to go to school so that she can play, and read, and write, and meet new friends. She has a small backpack that she loves bringing when we walk to the nearby supermarket or park because it makes her feel like a schoolgirl.

from 23-dec to 2-jan

Christmas and New Year came and went, and I didn’t post anything here. The reason? I was on leave for almost two weeks, and the days were spent bonding with my daughter. We didn’t travel or anything because Hubby was at work and he always took the car; we just stayed at home. That doesn’t mean that I was bored the whole time, though. As a matter of fact, those days were filled with simple joys as I witnessed my daughter do and say so many things that amazed me, made me laugh, or scold her in frustration.