The tale of blueberry jamboree and the red velvet cake

I went into a famous and uber delicious bakeshop one fine evening to get what I wanted, a dose for my sweet tooth.

So after being so busy the whole day, my heart leapt when the clock had hit 8:00 PM. Yes that day was a day before my rest day (did I just repeat saying day for 3 consecutive times?) and I was planning to treat myself a little, a guilty pleasure of mine to a something called CAKE.

As I have tasted the ever-so-famous-banana pudding for I think for over a  hundred times, I was dreaming to taste other goodies that Magnolia Bakery can offer. I was nearly giddying my way up to get my stuff and want to surprise myself for what’s in store when my colleague interrupted me and ask me what is/are my plan/s for a two day holiday away from work. I answered with a delighted voice, “I’m going to stuff myself tonight with a slice of cake”.

“What are you going to buy?” she smiled at me. She caught my attention when she surprised me with her more excited reaction when I mentioned her my ‘future plan’ for tonight.

“Ahmm I haven’t decided yet, but I plan to get myself something different, something that is not tasting banana?” Almost showing my 32 pair of teeth, I think I satisfied her.

“Oh I hate the cake with banana tastes, It tastes like …like a simple banana? Oh but anyway, should you want an advice, get yourself a red velvet cake, you’ll love it, that is my old time favorite.” That’s it, I dunno if I felt confuse with her opinion about which cake shall I get.

I shrugged my shoulder and went direct to the bakery. Nevermind, why will I listen to her? It’s not that I don’t believe her that red velvet is awe some, it is just that I don’t want somebody to influence my choice? Never mind…

While standing at the cake counter and just tasted a sample of a chocolate cake, amusingly found myself looking at the blueberry jamboree. It has walnuts, it has fresh bluberries on top of a cheese cake and an undoubtedly nice dough. I was ready to get few bucks from my purse to have it and for nearly seconds of being mesmerized by it, suddenly she came and poked me. “Hey! You’re here, I know you’ll be here! yalla, have it now, see the red velvet is waiting for you!”

Then the next thing I knew, I was on my bus on my way home carrying a slice of red velvet cake on my lap. That was very fast. If I am going to rewind it, it will be like me staring at the blueberry jamboree almost drooling my mouth then she poked me and talked to me like a machine gun and pushed me to buy myself a cake that is favorite by hers and get my bucks and pointed my finger to the red velvet cake and paid into the counter and leaving the bakery in a fastest way I could in my whole life. In a blink of an eye, I was on a bus. You think it is magical? Me neither.

I came home that night still thinking why I gave in into her advice. I opened the box and looking at the cake. I am so grateful and I have a job that the bakery is nearby, blah blah blah. But, I look at myself and trying to make up my mind about the frustrated attempt to buy that bluberry jamboree. Why didn’t I buy that? Or why didn’t I buy a blueberry jamboree and the red velvet? I found myself in more depressing situation giving myself answers to the questions; I didn’t buy that because I bought the red velvet cake already. I didn’t buy the two cakes simple because my budget can only accommodate one choice.

I tasted the red velvet cake, hmmm it’s not because I was trying to console myself that time but it was not that bad choice, though. It is delicious and that is no surprise either. Anyway, all the cakes there are really delicious however, as I was slowly savoring the red velvet cake, my mind was wondering what would I felt had I bought the blueberry jamboree. Would I wonder how would red velvet taste like or I will be contented at the moment enjoying the blueberry jamboree.

Sigh. Life indeed is all about choices. I choose to let my colleague to choose for me even if I was wanting another thing. What was I feeling then? Was I afraid that I might have let her down if I’d go for blueberry jamboree and not the one she thought best? Why was I persuaded of the idea that her choice, will suit my taste? Or did I just accepted a fact that I didn’t want her to feel that I rejected her advice?

Whatever it was, I learned and was reminded of a simple truth in life. Everybody has a choice of what is best. But sometimes, along the highway of our lives, what’s best for X could not be also be the best for Y. It is a matter of choice and being happy of our choices and going for it. If our choice should be based upon on other’s choice then this what I think called a secondhand happiness.

In my case, that was still not a matter of life and death. Still I can go to the same shop and can buy the flavors that I want and crave. Colleagues, peers or friends might still try to influence my choice over which one is the best…. I told myself, hey It’s just a cake. I can grow old and eat blackberry jamboree for the rest of my life or a red velvet cake on that case. 😀

 Lesson learned: stand by your choice and be happy on it than putting the priority of pleasing others and wondering if only…

Whoah! by the way, allow me to enjoy my first blueberry jamboree 😉

I Run To Catch My Bus

It’s been a year since I saw my beloved country. It’s been like ages for me working my ass of to the maximum of my being as a retail slave. Whew!

Dubai. Cozy. Noisy. Hospitable and friendly and sometimes can be so intimidating. I love Dubai without being so hypocrite because Dubai is not only the place where I have my bread and butter but it is simply an amazing city. I get used to it.  Dubai’s weather, its different nationalities, its fabulous malls, its ….oh its never ending adventures, needless to say.

Every night I get to see the Burj Khalifa, the highest building of the world as of date. Be it at 8:30 pm or at 10:30 pm ride going home, Burj Khalifa never fail to astonish me. As I am on my journey, it seems there is an automatic push to my conciousness to always look at the proud building that was built from 2004 – 2009 and officially opened on 04 January 2010. Its dashing lights and the way it blinks right before my eyes, makes me remember an expensive diamond. It WOWs the hell out of me as it always takes my breath away and thanking my Guy up above for another day has finished on a city far from my native land (for approximately 8 -9 hours, straight flight and it depends on the Airlines sometimes.)

Summer is almost over, as I see the proud tower almost everyday and in every night, I couldn’t help but think of how far different the way Filipinos’ live here back then in Philippines. The proud tower is my reminder how close I am to going home and how far I have travelled.

I miss my country; its noisy and busy streets (In capital region to be exact); its delicious foods, be it on normal carinderia or in a fast food chain to grilled houses; its (some) grumpy people on the the government desks (oh don’t give me that look, don’t tell that ALL of them are very friendly and accommodating. LOL) I miss my friends I haven’t seen for a long time, my family and..cut this…I miss them all. But one thing I miss now at this particular moment happened almost few years ago but I believe I still do here in Dubai.

Could anyone here in Dubai have thought that we, as Noypis have some not so good attitude when riding a public vehicle? YES! We tend to push people to get our way and secure our seat regardless who are in our front, (Disclaimer: This is not to criticise our people) but I miss the moment that I have to run to catch my bus that seems like my exercise routine when I was still working at Ortigas almost four years ago.

Running to catch my bus going to North Edsa was not a romantic way of travelling going home but that used to be a part of my life that I miss sometimes. Oh how I hated when it was raining and there’s water on the side walk and I’d have to secure my shoes not to get wet that much. Be in any kind of weather, I never walked so slowly to catch my bus…NEVER did I remember any of such a thing!

It make me smile sometimes how life is so poetic and how it is so genius giving us metaphors.

I ran to catch my bus when I was in Philippines.                 

I run to catch my service bus when I am in UAE. But a consoloation of seeing Burj  Khalifa everyday also reminds me how a dream can be achieved if we pursue it. Anyway the proud tower consumed 5 years to be completed!

I guess I am not the only one running not only for a bus going to work, but it hits me, I am also running to catch the oportunity here in Dubai. I guess all of us, the Noypis and all the Expatriates  from all over the world, trying to dig some golds in Dubai and hoping  that in the near future, running to catch the bus going to a more comfortable life we’re hoping is right there waiting for us and the running might not be that fast.

Happy running! 🙂

• Carinderia – local eatery in the Philippines selling and serving meals and snacks mostly found on the sidewalks; busy at lunch time.
• Ortigas and North Edsa – names of places in the Philippines.

Me Minus You Was Such A Lonely Ride

How do you feel when an old flame, not just an old flame but  the passion you’ve always dreamt that has been running on your veins, suddenly surprised you? From heaven-knows-where, it came suddenly in front of you with a puppy dog eyes mesmirizing you to hug again? Will you push it away? Will ignore it?…. Or will you teary eyed embrace it and state the words ” I missed you,welcome back to my life…..”?

Woah! Pointing my fingers to myself, and self inflicting “so who’s sentimental?” A question that I found difficult to answer. Not because of a foolish pride but there are things in life that you tend to throw away and not feeling guilty about it and there are things that you really love to do but fate and circumstances hinders you from enjoying it. And sometimes the pinch of bitter regret will poke your heart.

Whatever happened in the past that we became so distant, here we are again. We might feel a little awkward sometime but I know we’ll get there. Thanks for coming again to my life (come on, I’m not becoming so cheesy) I hope you’ll stay as much as I want you to. I hope I’ll count years with you…

Me and WordPress. Reunited. 🙂

A reason for something.

When can you say the time is right?

I came to work and headed my way onto the log sheet. On normal days, I would just look at the clock right there up in the middle of the wall where the customer service is. Our clock there has a standard round shape, a standard 2 arm, standard numbers up to 12..oh well just giving a thought about having ’13’. Anyway he is the dictator of our time when will we eat, come and go. He is so powerful that everyone must follow him. That’s him, our standard clock right at the heart of the customer service wall. But today, I came bit early and just the habit, my eyes automatically searched for the place of Mr. Standard, but to my surprise, he’s gone.

I got bothered and I don’t know if it’s because that he’s not there or another has replaced his throne. The thing is, Mr. Standard was replaced not only by one but 2 more clocks! Awful! By my quick assessment, the 3 clocks bothered me in a way that my eyes are not used to seeing flashy colors, roman numerals and a pendulum. Wait…wait did I just see a pendulum? Yes, my eyes never tricked me, I just saw 2 pendulum not one. It is as if a combination of  grand father’s clock pendulum and normal wall clock and I find it disturbing.

I decided to finally log myself in to my work. I knew that I was bit early for my usual 2 o’ clock in the afternoon duty but I immediately got confused and disturbed by the three clocks there hanging. Three different designs; three different tick tacks and… wait a minute does  theory of relativity now is entering the scene?

I had to make a big decision, I looked at the clock faster, the timing for the other one 1:49 and the other one is 1:50 and so the other one. I was having a doubt if their difference is consisting of how many seconds only or a minute really. One fast look from one clock to another and again… to another, hence already took time. So how would I know?

‘Got to decide to look for the pale one who had 1:49 timing. As I was keeping the pen and go to my work area, a simple question has come to me: When can you say that the time is right?

Now, the simple question as followed by more complicated ones;

Is it when you are not impatient anymore?

Is it when you discover finally no matter how your age is, that time cannot wait for anyone.

And who was the one invented the word “punctual” and “early” and the word that people  often regret: the word “late” and what are the bases of these inventions?

‘Not here to discuss or argue anything about time. I myself will be charged as guilty. How  many times I had been late for very important appointments even those were not intended, I cannot plead as not guilty beyond reasonable doubt, I am sure. How lazy I could get during those school projects and was cramming over things that had to take days and I wanted to do it overnight. And blah blah…bad memories of wasting time…What else to think but to let a miserable sigh? Time is not enough to enumerate how many times I wasted my time!

As I took one more glance to the three clocks, I got ready to erase the questions about the timing. A-not-so-complicated plan for me is to finally get my ass to work and think that the time is always… RIGHT and that would mean, NOW GET BACK TO WORK OR..ELSE.

Kalas. Stop this gibberish…or I am practically now wasting my time and your time.

Merci!

Of men and the box of chocolates

Grew up practically in the house of men. Angry men, sweet men, intellectuals, sensitive, sensible, the idiots, hypocrites, the playboys, ambitious and lovable men.

A lot of stories, novels, movies, songs curse have been made out of these creatures. Countless of those are stating how women were deeply hurt by these species.

I won’t be a proud one here, but it’s just I appreciate men, not to extent that I’m dreaming to be one. (wink, I had a very manly thing I really dreamed of; on how they manage to be man with balls, those guy who kick ass and be cool about it) I know their flaws and get frustrated about it sometimes but makes me cool knowing that in real life I meet several men that really I like to talk with just because they are showing what their hearts want, and I like them simply because they are the epitome of different class of men. Not so special in other’s eyes but they are able to have touched me in special ways. Yalla, meet my friends:

Meet the Local Whiner. well he’s a local here in Emirates. Got the ordinary height of local guys, the deep set yet round eyes and curly eyelashes that I feel jealous of. No, nothing too special about him at first glance, but boy, he rocks! Without exaggerating here, I never realize that a local guy can be that cool. Nope he doesn’t smoke, he doesn’t do drugs at all, he seldom goes to bar. He has this simple coolness that he alone make a very good impression out of the local guys I know and may know in the future. Well he had this guts to go get ask his parents to marry a girl who doesn’t belong to his caste system and still living to the decisions that he made without any sign of regrets. He was able to go out at the fence and not just discovering that fields are greener but he sure made a happy person to be the happiest. He’s such a gambler and brought home the bacon – bacon made out of beef.

I really thought that he’d be one of the jerks around. He smokes and drinks and womanize etc. Oh no, I don’t salute these acquired talents but he has this bone designed for laughing. He works in an exchange where he learned relatively good Tagalog and can speak it by heart. Oh, never guessing how many Naypis had gone out with him. We, judgementally, the first step in the desert and smelling the Biriyani’s on our way, were warned about the grandchildren of Cleopatra. Yeah, read it right and please don’t ask me how many kilometers the Nile river is, but if you may ask the equivalent of inches to foot…Lol, they lie; he lies but manage to dream and do something about it. he’s special in his own right. Kalas!

He’s a Noypi, shorter version. The super friend for everyone and the Kuya without benefits. Oh at least for chosen people. He’s special because we talk about dinosaurs; on why sand in different Emirates are having different color; why the cultures are different depends on the scene. And why, of all the nationalities we know, Noypis are the most dramatic men? He is a closet sociologist. We jive on observing people and their behavior over certain circumstances. If we could only made a thesis about these. Looking for someone to talk with your relationship complains? He only charge 5 Dirhams…per stories, so as I am a chatter box, I better keep my mouth shut. Well he’s platonic, what more can I say? Panalo!

Men are simply special human beings with different characteristics. They are the opposite of what you expect, yet they run after you just right after they’ve pushed you away.

They give you flowers and box of chocolates after they made you feel miserable.

They are the bestEST of friends you can ever find but the jerk boyfriends/husbands/monster they can ever be.

They will warn you to stay out of assholes but they would be one with other girlfriends.

They play the coolest lad in town after they would get the mobile phones that was given as a gift by other guy as well (iewww this makes them a LOSER.)

They are impatient with you after you have waited them for a long loooong time.

They have the right to be categorized as womanizers but never to accept being victim by the playgirl.

Dominant but they become tamed by the girl they love…in occasional chances.

Won’t give you a call even if they are dying already to hear your voice.

In any given situation, they will gonna get the opportunity to impress the girl even sometimes it means giving their debit cards to the lending woman that charges 13% for one whole month of money borrowed. (Geez, that’s a damn good business, isn’t it?)

And blah blah blah…

If you think this entry sucks….blame it to the men around here who made this one lame.

And by the way, I’m straight.

GLOSSARY:

• Yalla – Arabic word for come on, let’s go, move…better fix, ask my Iraqi neighbor.

• Local whiner – My 20 something friend, hot daddy of 3 local cute babies.

• Tagalog – Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 22 million people. In short, the language I do speak, any problem?

• Biriyani – Usually basmati rice (long grain rice) combined with beef, mutton, or chicken and a mixture of characteristic spices.

• Kalas – Means finished in Arabic word. Have a doubt? Check out the angry old lady down the 7th Street and sure she’d tell you the better way to pronounce it.

• Kuya – Tagalog word for male sibling; shares the same parent. Now belongs to same league.

• Panalo – Winner

Gracias!

So who among us belongs to ‘CERTIFIED Single’ category?

Oh yeah! I received a forwarded mail from my significant other who happens to be a noypi. We had a small fight so I assumed he was thinking to make me laugh at least . I don’t know if this was a sign of showing white flag indirectly or simply to make me smile. Either way, I’m not gonna go down into that business now.

On the lists of humor stuff, I couldn’t help but wonder the so called-symptoms of CERTIFIED SINGLE and CERTIFIED TAKEN, if they are, on the other hand makes a simple validation of the truth and reality these days. Let’s go get down to the  details.

NOTE: Bold lettered sentences are being  translated into English from NOYPI’s language, however those italicized sentences were just an observation here in the desert. Enjoy!

Symptoms of CERTIFIED SINGLE:

1. Eats a lot. – You have all the time in the world to indulge and taste all the food that you can munch in. Be it an Indian, Arabic, Chinese or any-kind- cuisine.
2. Social life is a blast. Knows where to hit the coolest bars in town. – No one to take care about and ask permission from. I know this is a little bit old fashion; but having relationships hinders you from enjoying the coolest  bars and great crowd.
3. Sleeps a lot. – Being awake for almost 24 hours, a SINGLE is entitled to sleep when one wants to, without the obligation to send a message or call anyone.
4. Knows well in gadgets. – Ought to know what is latest in store stock  in any gadget shops. Even one knows when will the shops have the new arrival. Be it a mobile phone, specs of a laptop, the pixels of digicams and etc.
5. Smiling alone. – Remembers all the funny jokes shared with co – workers and friends (let’s suppose the friends and co – workers are single as well)
6. Gaining weight. – Eating too much over favorite desserts has its consequences but one doesn’t mind. Nobody to impress with and care less even  if the shape of the body becomes similar with the Coca Cola’s shape – in can.
7. Spends lots of cash to look cool and trendy. – Obliges to buy the latest fashion available at hand. No reason to look cheap. Why not? All the friends will come on certain parties or get together they attend to.
8. Looks happy even there is an emptiness inside. – Laughs out loud and having the best time on earth while in the party but suddenly shuts the wide mouth up when  a SINGLE eyed a happy couple.

While, on the other side of the plate;

Symptoms of a CERTIFIED TAKEN:

1. No money. – Shares everything with the other; dates, dinner outside (doesn’t matter if it is just a cheap shawarma or  mouth-watering kebab) and…don’t forget the fares (NOTE: fares applies to mostly NOYPI only)
2. Looks stressful. – Often gets sleepless night thinking and worrying especially if there is a fight over silly things. Or worst, one waits for the boyfriend/girlfriend on the meeting place and got lost.
3. Frugal. – Must budget everything to be ready in case of emergency (NOTE: These emergencies consist of: dinner outside, going out during off days and worst a peace offering gift)
4. Has to look good not to lost the current flame. – The eyes of the other belong to you not the other hottie sitting over there
5. Lame social life. Talks a lot to boyfriend/girlfriend ONLY – SOCIAL life is hardly in the vocabulary anymore. Forgets the meaning of party. remembering how good to sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY at least.
6. Tend to be a dull conversationalist. – Run out of topic to talk about with the friends except the fact on how the present seems to be a satisfying one even himself/herself is having doubts to believe what he/she is actually saying.

I was laughing after I read the other jokes. That’s when the time I tried to count my friends and colleagues who belongs to certified SINGLE and TAKEN category and I made a mental calculations that these have 80% accuracy.

Anyway, on real life drama, I belong to both but having more of the percentage in SINGLE category, but…hell sorry for being rude because I won’t discuss it why and how…or else the humor will be in jeopardy.

A question to be answered: Are you a certified SINGLE or TAKEN? Why? Explain in one whole A4 paper and use only a black ball point pen and hand over your answer sheets to the 1st British taxi driver you will meet in AL AIN  DUBAI road.

Ciao.

Meet us.

Me.

The noypis.

Foreigners.

Arabs of different kinds.

Locals.

Us, trapped in one place. Trying to make everything normal and living up with each other even we are having different  skin colors; culture that cannot be disregarded; religions we avoid to discuss; food we eat and different point of views.

Perks of smelling the desert sands, meeting new people and days that are not ordinary..here in the land of Bedouins with camels already tamed and where cities are built in a matter of seconds.

Care to join us?