missing the Emirates

i saw Josh and Dars (with Mark at the background) online at Yahoo. they kept me entertained for a while by turning on their webcams haha! it was so funny because for a while i got really scared because my mom might walk into me with two webcammed boys on the screen. she might think i'm up to no good on the internet. chatting with Josh and Darwin made me miss Abu Dhabi so much.



contrary to what people think, we did not have to rely on camels to get to places and Abu Dhabi isn't a lonesome desert in the Middle East. UAE is actually the most developed city in the Mid East, not to mention the "open city" because you don't have to wear clothes that made you cover most of the skin including the forehead. so as teenagers, we were pretty much free to do whatever we wanted except drink, of course because it's against the law for underage teens to drink and unlike here in the Philippines where you can sneak alcohol down that underaged throat of yours... you'd get arrested (or even deported) there.

i may have complained endlessly about the humid summer days there. if you think Philippines is HOT in the summer, you haven't felt HOT if you haven't spent a summer at the Emirates. wow. it's like sauna! i bet you can even fry an egg on the pavement! erm, it's a city at a desert. what do you expect? but since electricity is cheap there, we had centralized airconditioning so no one really complains about the heat when they're indoors.

i used to live in a building at the center of the city-- Hamdan Street. i think it's the best place to live because all you have to do is take the elevator to get to the ground floor, walk a few feet and then you'll have the center of town within walking distance. the sea was also a few minutes walk from where i lived. they call it "Corniche" which translates to "seaside". there's a park where you can enjoy the sea breeze. a sort-of boardwalk where kids and oldies alike can enjoy walking, jogging, cycling, or rollerblading. the Corniche stretches far... ending at a breakwater where you can have the best view of the city.

back in ABu Dhabi, i didn't have to worry about hold-ups, pick-pockets, kidnappers, or the like. all you have to brace yourself for (if you're a girl) are catcalls from from men. other than that, people are really harmless. on lazy afternoons, i'd just call or text my friends and we usually met up at Burger King which was very near from home. from there we'd go to Corniche, sit on the cool grass, and talk about whatever. we've had many talks there- both shallow and deep. my friends and i bonded at Corniche. those were fun times.

shopping is amazing in the UAE because there's no tax there for imported goods so you get them for a reasonable price especially when designer labels go on sale. when they go on sale, they really mean it! especially in March where there's the Dubai Shopping Festival. my family and i usually went on trips to Dubai almost every other weekend to go shopping or just driving. it's an hour away from Abu Dhabi. i remember during the long drives to Dubai, i'd look out the window and feel my heart leap with joy hearing my father's old music playing in the car, my mother bothering my dad and lecturing him about road safety as my sister sleeps soundly all throughout the trip. i remember how i made a mental note to myself to let my kids grow up that way -- spend quality times with the family so that there will be weekends to take time off from everything and devote it to family. my father took us to the coolest places-- malls, parks, tourist spots. the best place of all would be The Global Village. it's a huge bazaar with different nations as participants. the Philippines had stalls there (they still do) and my favorite stall was the Vietnamese because they sold pretty Vietnamese dresses. there were concerts from various countries too! if you didn't watch it at the news, the Bayanihan dance troupe was invited there last March.

if i had a portal, i'd let you see how fun life was at the sunny side Emirates. we lived a slow paced life there. must be the desert. but there must be some power that slowed-down time there. maybe it's because the country is clean, crime rates are low, they're very wealthy because of their endless supply of oil, and well... good governance, i guess?

someday i'd visit. this entry itself won't give any justice to my life at the Emirates :) i had the best times there. if my life was a book, it would be divided into chapters based on the places i lived. Burma made an impact on my life with several trips to Bangkok and the U.S. in between... it was an awesome place to grow up. the UAE was also a great place to spend my teenage years, and college... well it's home sweet home in Manila.

if i were to write a book on my life, it would be so thick because i remember details of my childhood. i have sharp memories on my past because probably because my whole past is a MEMORY itself. i don't claim my life to be perfect. there were a lot of detours along the way but i can say that every single moment, both good and bad, was worth remembering.

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hit play so you can listen to the song :) one of my favorites. initially wanted to let you hear Avalon's version but i couldn't find it so here's Winona Judd instead.

Avalon - Testify To Love Lyrics

All the colors of the rainbow
All the voices of the wind
Every dream that reaches out
That reaches out to find where love begins
Every word of every story
Every star in every sky
Every corner of creation lives to testify

(Chorus:)
For as long as I shall live
I will testify to love
I'll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough
With every breath I take
I will give thanks to God above
For as long as I shall live
I will testify to love

From the mountains to the valleys
From the rivers to the sea
Every hand that reaches out
Every hand that reaches out to offer peace
Every simple act of mercy
Every step to kingdom come
All the hope in every heart will speak what love has
done