Bye Philippines

My last visit to mamang in Pangasinan. Masama pa ata ang loob nya kasi iiwanan ko na cya. This is her exact words: “awanen di nak ton maabutan…” which is I told her after a year, I will go back to see her again. She is the most wonderful lola in the whole world and I’m always  thanking God for that. Magisang lola ko na lang cya and she is most dear to me. We are celebrating gyan’s 6 months old in Baguio. Si ate hindi na nakasama sa paghatid sa Manila since mahihirapan si gyan sa byahe. Ang aking mga kapatid na mamimiss ko ng sobra. Always remember na kahit hindi ko madalas na sabihing mahal ko kau hindi ibig sabihin na hindi ko kau mahal. Ayt!

My pamangkin si Aleeyah, laging parang me takong pag naglalakad. Sana lumaking hindi matigas ang ulo. Sa ibabae mga relatives ko na sumama sa paghatid sa kin sa Naia. Salamat po ng marami.

Nagkukunwaring masaya pero hindi nmn. Pretending we are happy though we will miss each other much.

 

Dad, wala ng gugupit ng buhok ko sa Dubai. magpatayo ka ng barber shop mo, isipin mo n lng na parang ako na rin ung ginugupitan mo.Ayt! Mom, i love you much. You and dad are the best parents in the world. The only thing I’m asking from Him is to give you both good health. Masaya n me.

Sana masilayan ko man lang ang graduation mo pero hindi na. Ganun pa man e Im proud you made it. We’ll see each other in Dubai in God’s time. I’ll miss you bro.

Mom and Dad sa labas, cannot wait for my take off. Wala na me. Teka ung bag ko bakit may bata?

Its hard to part ways from your family! I wish I can carry them with me. Sa bulsa ko.

DUBAI OFFERS FREE PARROTS, SNACKS AND SWEETS

Maybe there are other countries in the world where parrots are flying freely.

It enlightens my day when I saw parrots flying together with hawk (uwak), uncased like pigeons of Italy around Medcare’s and Safa Park’s trees. Safa park is surrounded mostly be Dates trees. They also have Mayas (national bird of the Philippines before independence, but now it is Monkey-eating Eagle) but they are outnumbered by hawks, green-colored parrots and even Martinezes (as what we call them in the Philippines). And mind you, they are big! I was waiting for Wi to come out of hospital around 5pm local time (9pm in Phils of the same day) when I saw the birds. At least they are not caged unlike in the Philippines where mostly good-looking birds are caged, or on sale.

I teased her “siguro pag nanghuli me ng parrot at ibenta sa Phils yayaman me..” She commented “magdala ka ng sabong mahilig sila dito, patok un!” ok fine.

They also have McDonalds, Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts, Jollibee (pero hindi masarap), Chowking, KFC, Subway, Cinnamon & Seattle’s Best, and Teriyaki (all known in my home country). Furthering, this land offers Baskin Robbins, Eat & Drink Restaurant (since 1982), Karam Express, DQ-Grill and Chill, Jeff de Bruges, and others that I haven’t explore yet.

Dubai is where the merging of different cultures is happening. I saw one lady Chinese on the massage section in Centre Point ( a hypermarket), and asked if how long she’s working in Dubai. She replied 3 years and still enjoys living and working here. Ayt!

Laki ilong ng ibang lahi (if you remember the movie European Gigolo, the masked woman with male genital on the face…wtf!) and bata p lang PUNK n dahil sa itim n make up sa mata, ganun daw talaga… balot na balot pa ,m ata lang kita, naku mamimiss mo ung amuy pag balik mo ng pinas!

Wifi connection at Starbucks in Mall of Emirates

Dubai Internet City to Jebel Ali Free Zone to Thanksformyjob.com

Television said a lot of job openings are happening in Dubai, “maybe”, I say. They also said that for you to apply for a job, you need to hand carry your CV (or resume) to your prospectives. The last film about Dubai by Claudine Barretto and Aga Muhlach states that if you ever forgot your belongings in a certain place, you can find it to where you left iyour belongings even after hours. The finder will make the effort to return your belongings coz they are afraid of the law. I’m thinking “maybe” again. Few days ago, a “Kabayan” (tawagan ng mga pinoy dito) after getting out of the taxi, the driver flee. Kabayan still have the 8 bags of goodies, etc. that she bought from MOE na ipapadala sana nya sa likod ng taxi. Tsk, tsk tsk – see!

 It’s like a good painting! (another point)….

 For weeks now, I still don’t have a piece to be proud of. My wallet is becoming thinner and thinner every day. I am lucky though that I have her to assist me for my daily needs. She never leaves me behind. Hehehe. The next day I arrived, there is a job fair in Knowledge Village. Knowledge Village is near Dubai Internet City and Media City (I’ve been through here as well dropping my CV though I need to enter the back door of the building since the receptionist at the front don’t allow applicants to drop their CV, they say online is better – another point that I want to iterate to her that physically hand carry CV’s a thing in the past!) I’m about to accept the job offer but it’s far from where we live (that is the reason I went here is to be with her and not to have a long distance relationship again), so I didn’t accept.The offer was in Abu Dhabi, QA Analyst or something and they got my credentials (photocopy, hehehe). I didn’t know back then that you have to carry the original documents during interviews coz you’ll never know that the company you’re looking for is just right in front of you.

Moving forward, the next stop is at Jebel Ali Free Zone, to which you need to have a pass to enter the zone.  The pass will be given by the company who invites you to come over for an interview, and I don’t have any that day. I said  try lang. The security let me pass saying “God Bless in looking for a job”, when I told the guy that I’ll be dropping my CV in free zone. He further instructed me to say to the security when I go out of JAFZ: “If you go out from here, tell the security you came by Taxi, that’s the reason why you have no pass”. I’m a bit happy back then and feeling lucky, unfortunately I don’t know where to begin. The place is deserted, with long winding dusty roads. I see no one like me moving around dropping CV’s to every company he feels comfortable with. The receptionists are mostly Filipina’s and they told me it’s better to give my CV online – another poiint not to hand carry CV’s.  Picture yourself in a village with no trees only asphalted roads with sand everywhere and buildings surrounding you, under the heat of the blazing sun, with no umbrella or head gear. It’s not a good picture when you’re there. Tanning lotion is useless, hehehe.

 Since the net was cut off to where we live, I don’t have any other reason but to pay for thanksformyjob.com (150 Dhs). Some of friend’s friend told good stories about it; some said it’s a bad choice. Well, pera lang yan compared to the physical discomfort when applying personally, your taxi’s, your everyday food while applying, your fare…mababayaran din yan pag me work na. If possible, use all available resources. Kahit na ung mga kakakilala lang sa bus station or bus stop, sa mall, etc. Use them, be a user, not used. Unfortunately, there’s nothing happened to my last resort (thanksformyjob). Yeah, they emailed a lot but mostly your emails will be returned due to: misspelled email address, or the recipient is no longer using that email, or the recipient’s mail is full and cannot accept anymore, and the like. So my AED150 went into a total waste. I’m not against this institution ayt, this is my blog so I can write anything I wanted. This is what happened to me and I’m only sharing what I feel most sharing.

This country with the seven emirates I consider a place for the rich and the feeling rich. From wheels to branded stuffs, its all here, including a mixture of culture and nationality.

BEING CAUGHT BY Roads and Transport Authority, RTA

“Welcome to Dubai, my friend”, was the greetings he gave me before the RTA officer got out of our car.

 At 6 in the morning of Oct 30, 2008, Emirates Airlines landed at Dubai International Airport. As usual, I was too excited to see her. But she’s not yet there to meet me because she is waiting for the carlift – she asked her friend to give me a lift from the airport to her apartment.  Then she came. Don’t ask me about what I’ve felt the moment I saw her, it is the same. We see each other via webcam, call and text most of the time.

 We are about to get out of the airport when suddenly out of nowhere, this officer approached our driver, asking him to get out of the car. They talked for like 5 minutes then the officer went to us (me and Ilaw who were seated at the back of the car), and accusing us that what we had done is illegal. Car lifting is illegal in Dubai, especially at the airport, where the taxis are waiting and ready to serve the passengers instead.

 Hell no! We argued and explained to the RTA officer that we didn’t hire the driver to get us from the airport because he is in the first place our friend! Why we have to pay our friend when he is a friend, and we didn’t give him a cent for his services since he is a friend. Still the officer is putting words into our mouth. Until he spoken to his supervisor and he received a go signal to jumped into the front seat of the car after getting the driver’s ID (which is a fellow Filipino) and Ilaw’s ID. He then told us that he will be filing a case for carlifting because the car is always at the airport lifting different people every day. I challenged him if he has the evidence then he can go ahead file a case! (What if this car is really at the airport every day? Lagot!)

 “To the police station”, he said. He’s still insisting that if we tell the truth that we hired the driver then Ilaw will be free from charges and the driver will be given a little fine, instead of both of my companion receives charges plus a fine of DHS100/day for 6months. Though it’s the truth, we consistently lied to him that we didn’t give the driver a dime.

 In short, after long drive, he let us go. Matripan lang ng kumag!

ABOARD EMIRATES AIRLINES

Departed at Philippine Airport around 12:20 am of 30^th of October 2008, I landed at Dubai International Airport at 5:20 in the morning, local time (9:20 am Phil time). It was my first to fly miles away from home, at an airplane with such a convenience.  

The ladies assisting the passengers, the so-called flight stewardess, are wearing a kind of headdress (red hat) with shiny cloth from head to shoulder colored cream. Elegantly clothed in cream dress as well, faces covered with lots of makeup, eye-lashes and so forth, she greeted me with “Good morning sir, enjoy your flight”. I answered back, “Thank you. Where is your comfort room?” (while waiting for the plane, I didn’t let someone take my seat by not getting up and go to wash room, afraid of losing a piece of chair and wait for hours for the plane to arrive squatting on the floor, as other passengers were). She glanced at my boarding pass and whispered “from your back, right”. OK

As soon as I figured out where my seat was, I placed my hand-carry bag on top of me, not literally, ayt! On my seat I found an unopened headset to be plugged into the armchair and I only figured it out 3 hours before landing!;  3 magazines in front of me, of which mostly written  in Arabic; a blanket and a small pillow. “This is fabulous”, I muttered, only that I don’t know how to decline my seat so my chin is not touching my neck, damn first timer! The plane is big as such on my left 3 are seated on the window, 4 seats in the middle, and 3 seats again on my far right. Damn seatmate, not a kabayan! Sige bahala k jan mabulok ang laway. I don’t want to waste my time chatting with nonsense, nood n lng me ng movies in front of me. There is this small lcd where you can entertain yourself while in flight. Sige pindot pindot kasi touch screen.  Haay complicated sa una.

I don’t see anything on the window, kasi nga gabi! A little shake while the plane is taking off, cool, para me puntang Baguio na kailangan mong lumunok ng marami for you to hear again. Pressure is much more evident while taking off.  Turbulence is evident as well, and during the flight where there are clouds (according to my aunt).

The food they served is not good. I only ate a piece of everything. There is bangus and rice that I ordered instead of the food I’m not accustomed to. Baka matae me sa plane, dyahe, baho, hehehe.  Then after 9 hours, I arrived at Dubai International Airport, kung saan nahuli kame at gagawan daw kame ng kaso. WAAAAAT?