This time of the year

It's our third of our annual family vacation. 

Our first was in 2012 in Palawan, nothing beats the first I guess. Every place we went in that beautiful city of Puerto Princesa was worth every penny we spent. Definitely we will go back to Palawan one summer day and I am already dreaming about Lagen Island in El Nido. But you may ask me, why did it take us very long to start going on "family vacation"?

For several considerations:

1. Budget. Although I have been advised by a senior officemate that it is good for our growing children to have travel memories with the parents early in their lives, we still opted to wait for the right time. We couldn't afford to be in bad debt just so we could have our "enjoyable time" in a paradise. 

2. Bonding with relatives. Vacation before means either in Mindoro or Bataan and it was fun no less. My kids are used to riding the comfortable and clean super cat but they also knew how to spend their time in a 3 hour sea travel in a stinky, crowded RoRo. Likewise, my children developed good memories with their immediate cousins; they knew how to kiss the hands of elders; they can sleep comfortably on the floor with just a mat as their mattress and without A/C. 

3. Their age. Traveling with toddlers is a major major production. Mothers can very well relate with me.

Our second vacay was last year in the city of Pines - Baguio. It was absolutely memorable because we were with my cousins and nephew and nieces. We had a great time because it was between summer and the rainy season. Drizzling yes (but no problem) and very cool walking around. Ohhh Baguio!

Now that we are in the UAE, traveling anywhere is easy. We are in the Middle East remember? We initially planned to go to Italy this August because we had a an aunt there who can easily show us around. Unfortunately, hubby had a hard time getting a break for our visa application because work is outside UAE. Upon our inquiry, visa takes at least ten days processing. "Hubby, can you leave your passport in the embassy and travel with just a photocopy passport?" :( Heartbroken indeed.

Now where do we go? For the next three years, we can just go to visa free countries. I have to admit, for a while I was really disappointed. But upon reflection, I realized how ungrateful I have become. Instead of being thankful for all the opportunities and blessings that we have, I chose to sulk and complain. Instead of waiting for the that perfect time, I was insisting to do it my way.

I was wrong. So wrong. Tsk... tsk... tsk...

So next week on Eid Holiday we are going to a beautiful country closer to home. Final preps of clothes and itineraries this week and we are ready to go on a week long vacation (yahooo!) 

Number 1 on my list: Comfy shoes for an all day walking.

It will be quite a long haul and we are traveling economy, so i started to condition the minds of my little companions that it wont be as cozy, homey, and spacious as that of business class but we will get by definitely. They said "It's fine". Good. Bon Voyage to us.

Oh by the way, finally I made a decent baked mac. I didn't mess up with the cheese this time but there was still a confusion along the way when I was making the cheese/milk mixture. It came out a "little bready" but taste got a passing mark. :)

beside it is a Betty Crocker cake mix. Baking is still instant because 

I have yet to buy those basic baking equipment :)

Today is a Sunday and its laundry day. Time out for the meantime!

God Bless everyone! 

Breakfast craving

This morning I woke up to the loud whispers of my three roommates. I was wondering what time it was because they seemed to be already in high spirits arguing about what Eastern time meant in minecraft updates. Everything about this minecraft was greek to me so I didn't bother to butt in. I checked the time and whoa! it's past 8. This black out curtain really blocked every single rays of the mighty sun because it's still absolutely dark and cold in our room.

Thinking of breakfast made me suddenly crave for seafood pasta. This is my 5th day of no rice diet so that explained probably why I wanted that carbohydrate laden pasta. I went down to check what ingredients I had in my fridge and cupboard. I found 5 small size left over prawn in the freezer (maybe one week old lol). I had cherry tomatoes and a block of untouched parmesan cheese (grating it was not a problem to me). Of course I didn't have fresh basil and parsley so I just had to be contented with my dried herbs in the bottle. 

I surfed the net to check recipe using my ingredients but frustratingly, I found none that fit into a T. But I proceeded anyway. Just do the basics, that's always my guiding principle. I took my cue from my former officemate, Inday (Sheila) who always encouraged me to make my own healthy pasta by just using olive oil, fresh tomatoes, century tuna, black olives, salt and pepper.

So our breakfast at 9:am? Cereals (Nesquick Duo and milk) for Anjo and Abi, steam rice and fish fillet for the teenager DJ and DIY shrimp pasta for me.

Tadaaaaaaaaa.....

Because my craving was so great, it tasted so heavenly for me. 

Have a fun filled day everyone!

Just the two of us

Come this September we are going to have an addition to the household - we are employing a housemaid basically to help me out with the chores. Actually and truthfully I don't need one. I singlehandedly took care of the house, the three children and a shih tzu for nine months back in the Philippines and I think I did quite well, except that my dog was always in the vet clinic (too much love, I guess).

However eventually, I decided to get the services of an "iron lady" when I noticed that ironing that mountain of clothes every weekend was already robbing us of an enjoyable family time. 

So why hire at this point where in fact household chores are a lot easier nowadays because of the dishwasher, floor polisher, gardener etc etc, plus I don't have to drive any of my children to school because I lack the license here. Ask my husband why and his reply would be: For my wife to have someone to talk to the whole day while the children are in school :) Mahal,bili mo na lang kaya ako ng parrot tapos ibigay mo sa akin un salary nya?

Anyway, the real reason why we are employing one is because most of the time hubby is out of Dubai during the weekdays. There were times back then in the Phils. when I would wake up in the morning feeling sick, feverish, with aching muscles all over my body and so dead tired to get up from the bed. We were just so lucky that hubby was in good grace to be with an understanding boss that he could always asked for a time off to substitute for me. Here, I worry about the unexpected and unwanted days. I just want to make sure my kids will go to school well fed even if I have to stay in bed. 

Another reason why I also insisted getting one is because I would like to bring our "just the two of us" back to our lives.When I was still working, we had time to have dinner regularly either in our favorite Contis or a newly discovered restaurants. We shopped and window shopped, we had scheduled body massage, we went to places without worrying much of the kids we left behind in the house.

                                                          (http://meanttobehappy.com)

When I sent the nannies home for good, we also bade goodbye to alone time. And here in Dubai, going out for grocery was always in a haste, with my mind always worrying what the children might be doing while we are away. And yes, we haven't tried any of the fine dining restaurants here in Dubai, it was always "fast food" and most of the time take away (take out).

I have read that date nights with your husband/wife is one of the best ways to keep the love alive. True. Date nights allow us to talk to each other face to face while enjoying what we both love to do - Eating. Dahil walang distractions, naaalala namin ang mga bagay na laging nalilimutan sabihin because we are so occupied with a lot of things in our mind.

So needless to say, I am excited this September. I am excited to explore Dubai on quiet evenings with my husband. I am praying that she will come as scheduled and everything will be smooth sailing with her documents, terms of employment and her permit to work.

But for now, I am enjoying my children 24/7

and when they are busy with their own minecraft businesses, I entertain myself by planning a nice family vacation somewhere, sometime :)

and I'm thinking about

this

(photo from the web. thank you.)

when I saw the gorgeous pictures of my former officemates in FB I suddenly thought "Oh why not?" Dubai fashion allows you to style yourself freely. Walang pakialamanan. :)
Maybe one day. or maybe not. :)

Ramadan Kareem

Today marks the beginning of  the Holy Month for Muslims all over the world. Two weeks ago, I saw the phrase "Ramadan Kareem" in the mall printed on the glass walls of a number of boutiques. I thought it meant Sale on Ramadan (ohhh, forgive my being so naive and insensitive), it was only when I bought this Ramadan Guide magazine that I was enlightened. Ramadan Kareem means Blessed Ramadan. 

I had my first real encounter with a Muslim who was on his fast during this Holy Month three years ago. That was when I was still employed and we were having our CBA Negotiations. Our lawyer was a Muslim belonging to a royal house in Mindanao. During the entire Ramadan Month, he refused to partake with our foods nor did I ever see him drinking water during the entire meetings that we had. Negotiations would normally start at 9:00 am and end at 4:00 pm but his state of mind from the morning would still be as sharp until we finished every agenda for the day. His grasp for details didn't wane a bit despite the hunger and thirst. I swear I could imagine his tummy growling during lunchtime. Up to this day, I feel honored that I had the privileged of working with him. 

But anyway, back to the present. I am in Dubai and Ramadan is a whole new experience for me. The British girl from the relocation team assured us that we would get by and I need not be scared, we just need to make some adjustments. :)

The first thing I did this morning was to have our groceries delivered. 

Except for meat and other cold cuts, I have in these plastic bags my supply for at least a week.

See how easy life is in Dubai? One phone call and you are saved from the hassle of dressing up and going out. But why delivery? I wanted to avoid the roads because of the conditions of taxi drivers now. Heat alone can make anyone tired and grumpy much more when it's coupled with hunger and thirst. Taxi drivers' last meal today was before sunrise (that's around 4 am) and their iftar (break from fast) would be at sunset. Although during Ramadan, Muslims abstain from negative behavior and avoid being angry but it's still best to be careful.

The second adjustment would be on clothing. In Dubai, you dont feel you are in a Muslim country. People can dress up the way they feel right, so it's not peculiar to see women in short shorts, in tubes, in short skirts and dresses. But during this month, it's a cultural donts to wear revealing and tight clothes. So women are advised to cover their shoulders, midriff, chest and knees. I dont think I would have any difficulty with this one :)

And the third which is the hardest during weekends is dining out. Restaurants in the malls open only from early evening when the sun has gone down until 3:00 am and usually they are packed and reserved. Our plan now is to leave the house after an early lunch and be home before dinner. 

But rather than be annoyed about the temporary changes, I will just choose to seize this opportunity to learn about Ramadan and the Islam religion. A little knowledge wont hurt us, will it? 

Ramadan Kareem. God Bless us all.

starting the week right

In a country where I hardly know anyone how do you think I am able to survive? In a neighborhood where I only get to interact to one person, the Filipina nanny beside our house how do you think I am able to keep my sanity? Of course there is TFC and it's pretty awesome except on days when signal turns bad, and yes, my kids but who are more often lost in their minecraft games. 

More than two months have passed and I still feel ok, sanity wise. Uhmmm, maybe. Well. that's because I entertain myself by exhausting my body through cleaning and cleaning the house. Every nook and cranny, every corner, walang pinalalampas! Pero hindi naman ako nag iisa. 

So, let me introduce to you to my almost everyday buddies

living in a desert country requires me to clean my furniture, my windows, my sink, my cabinets etc almost everyday. You dont like to inhale the dust, do you? There are lots of them here and they never get tired getting through all the holes in the house. grrrrrrr!

there are weeks when I wash almost every day and these are my best friends on those days.

I swear, I can't last a day without polishing our floor (adik! adik!). But despite that I couldn't achieve the shine that I want. must be the kind of tiles they used or maybe i need to use wax. but i couldn't find any floor wax in the UAE. why oh why? kelangan ko rin ng bunot dito!!!

another best friend but not so oftenly used. Three or four times a week is good enough.

My time for myself starts after lunch or a little before lunch like today. It depends on the time I woke up from bed. Yan lang ang kaibahan ko sa housemaid, pedeng gumising ng tanghali :) hehe.

I get tired, yes. I also have mood swings during weekends, perhaps when all the physical and emotional stress have compounded to make me mareklamo and "unhappy" so to speak. But it will just take lambing moments from husband and a little shopping and everything will be ok again.

But kidding aside, it's not easy. not only the exhaustion but also the mind conditioning that I do to myself. -that this is a choice that I have made; that a lot of working mothers out there would willingly exchange places with me just to be with their children and watch them grow up; that there are people whose problems and preoccupations are far more serious and heavier than mine. I constantly think of those things to remind me of the countless blessings that I have received in my life, despite being undeserving most of the time. :)

Setting the mood for the rest of the week.

Happy Monday!

Baked mac

for now i will just be posting the major ingredients that I used. I did everything right except one major boo boo with the cheese. So i have a doubt if I got the top layer right.

I used three kinds of cheese here. Mozzarella, parmesan and cheddar. and that's where I died :)

It tasted good, though. And looked like baked macaroni. But I don't like to embarrass the source of my recipe so I'd just wait till I got this dish perfectly made.
Bon appetit for me!