Finishers Wanted

For days now, I’ve been fancying about owning a D80/D90 Nikon camera and eventually piddle around the streets of Dubai with the magic bullet on my hand. I picture it must be so cool!!!

Like a woman speaking gently to a child, I pulled myself over into a corner somewhere in the recesses of my mind. The proverbial pang of guilt seems to move stealthily around. Since when have I been this interested in photography anyway? Well, probably since the day my officemate started coming to the office with his DSLR cam slung over his shoulders. He would normally take pictures of literally everything under the sun including the clutters on my table. With much coercions and constant push from my colleague, I feel like I could just go ahead and grab one for myself.

Here I go again… the starter version of myself... I’m a starter, a spark plug. I’m good at starting things because I’m in love with the idea of doing things… It’s not a bad thing somehow if not for the unfinished businesses I have on my hands which from time to time berate the conscious mind. Just what are the things have I started so far?

- Guitar lesson
- Painting session
- Unfinished blogs saved in my laptop - titles with 1 or 2 liner articles
- Cooking lessons (informal session with Rachel Ray in Youtube.. LOL)
- keyboard lessons
- AutoCAD (I finished the course at least)
- Exercise routines
- Part time job in Networking business
- Piles of books with markers somewhere in between pages
- The long-been-planned backpacking trip to Europe
- Master’s degree in Environmental Science


This morning, I was going gaga over the idea of earning my MBA specializing in Human Resource Management. I’ve done my research online, phoned up a few friends and done the math for the tuition fees. Now I could sense a bit of a cold feet creeping inside once again.

From childhood to being full grown adults, among the familiar chap in the street are phrases like – finish your vegetables, finish your milk, finish your homework before watching TV, finish your report before the end of the day’s business...

What does it take to finish a task?

I was surfing the net over the weekend and I was hilariously entertained with the advert I came across with. It says “FINISHERS WANTED!” Well, I will surely be not fitted for the job. Apparently, it’s an advert of an automotive company looking for skilled workers who can do the finishing touches for repaired vehicles.

In my deepest most profound thoughts, I understand… the glory in running a marathon doesn’t always lie in finishing first… but in finishing the race itself. A project contractor only gets paid in full when the final touch in a project is done. A good story means a good ending and a good ending means a good story. An unfinished masterpiece is not masterpiece at all. The final hour in a student’s life is on that day when the crowd is cheering and the caps are finally tossed into the air.

Isn’t it that the final words that redeemed the world are the words “it is finished!”

Dare I say, one of the happiest and most fulfilled feelings of all in a person’s life is when something is accomplished, when the crescendo is finally attained, when the to do list is all crossed out. It is when one can finally say.. I’ve fought a good fight.. I’ve finished the course… I’ve kept the faith.

And it all starts deep within, when one finally found the resources to change, the will to persevere and the right reason for what you are doing.

Hats off to the finishers!

So, should I or should I not get a Nikon DSLR for myself?

Happy Words

It became a regular habit for me to scout for catchy phrases, unfamiliar words and idiomatic expressions from whatever I could lay my eyes on... magazines, newspapers, articles.. anything. I don’t really know if it’s just me or there’s also somebody out there who has the same weirdness as I do… but this routine gives me a sense of delight and pride all in one.

Now, I have a collection of what I call happy words… happy words because of the contrast and the harmony of the lexis put together in one expression. I have listed below 6 of my top favorites:

Gentle giant – the phrase is so interesting it’s been used to name an artist, an organization doing rescue and adoption of puppies, and a variety of companies doing zillion kinds of businesses. How can a giant so mighty and powerful be gentle anyway?

Stubborn love – a love that never lets go in spite, despite.. practically whatever!

Crazy busy – you’re so busy you look really a lot like crazy J

Saving grace - I was told once “grace” also means something you don’t deserve but is given to you nevertheless.. To me, this phrase is that “something” which snatches me away from disaster, brought me to a soft landing and finally orchestrates everything into its proper places.

Godaddy- This is actually a name of our server host in the UK. There is just something very personal and intimate about the name I wonder how in the world the brainchild of the website came up with such a name.

Thinking aloud – this is the cousin of crazy busy… coz if you think aloud with no one around, you tend to speak to yourself… most of the time, the act makes you look a lot like crazy as well.. har har har…

Bizarre, is it?

But these words to me are like feel good music… ever listened to I’m Yours of Jason Mraz, the reggae version of Stuck on You by Ekolu and the ever favorite Power of Two? If you have, now you got an idea of what I mean…

Enough of my early morning craziness... Over and out!

Mr. Maxwell

It’s been about a week now since I planned to hang out in a coffee shop and once again have a tête-à-tête with my laptop. However, so many things… beautiful ones… kept me from doing so. I felt I already missed the sentiment of the events - the surprise party, the concert at the park, the coffee night out, the gifts and to top it all.. the flowers.

In a sense, having the moments slip by without being able to capture the exact thoughts and emotions while fresh made me realize one thing… that it’s easy for me to be glib about how beautiful life is without really knowing what others have to go through just to get through another ordinary day. The past weekend has been a string of pleasant surprises for my birthday. I’ve got everything that I’ve wished for that day but I plainly forgot not everything is about me all the time.

After the hype of the birthday celebration was over, I felt a nagging feeling within me that I just couldn’t ignore. I became aware of the laborer who toils under the scorching heat of the sun for a really meager pay, the kabayans whose visa are about to expire, the roommate whose father has been in a hospital bed for days now, the friend who has been diagnosed with cancer, the neighbor who has no place to stay, housemates and friends who have just been unemployed and who are leaving soon… so many other people around whose plight are much more difficult than what I currently am going through. How narrow I was to have asked why people can’t sometimes appreciate life as I do. How shallow my ideas are of how they go about their day at these trying times.

Coming from a totally different angle now, I am suddenly consumed with burdens that have been keeping me restless for days now. John Maxwell, in his book “21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader’s day” said that the essence of a burden is the desire to do something beneficial for others… and that a burden leads to a vision. He even had a checklist of particular emotions when people have a burden. I scored 7 out of 8... I am burdened indeed!

I started pulling out notes, rummage around old text messages and Bible verses in search for words and thoughts I think could be of use to encourage that which I am burdened about. I prayed, assessed the situation, encouraged, motivate, and conveyed what I thought God told me…yet end up striking the wrong note, pulling out the wrong strand, … almost totally messing up every turn…a state of ambivalence it was… I know I am not being a lid lifter at all. It seems like I’ve practically done almost everything possible… but one… to be still.

A realization from a realization! Be still…

When all else fails, when you can’t find the right words to say, when there is no love language to express, when assurance of friendship and love is needed, when amidst a process called growing, when daunted with uncertainties, when trouble is lurking around, when nobody understands, when you feel like hiding, when things are just to overwhelming to absorb, when grappling with the realities of life, when simply trying to get through an ordinary day… be still… and know that he is God.

Yes, there are a lot more people I am and I could be burdened about. There are lots of burdens and issues of life I could carry in my heart... all for the cause of a vision coming from above. At the end of the day, it is not about me, nor is it about the things that I cannot and can do to put people out of trouble or make them happy. It’s not about my happiness or my loneliness. It’s all about recognizing the fact that it is still He who is in control. It is about the lives being touched and transformed to glorify God.

I may have failed recognizing the square for a square instead tried hard fitting it on a circle… I may have truly failed the people who at some point supposed I could be the wind beneath the wings.. I may have faulty thoughts about how people should appreciate life in its entirety… It’s a frenetic journey. It’s a fluff I’ll try to slough off.

I still have the burden. Devoid of my own idiosyncrasies, I’ll go back to step 1. Hopefully, I still have time.

If I could meet Mr. Maxwell in the future, I would ask a question… what made you realize life is not about one self after all?

Couch Potato

It’s time to write again… Do you have that feeling when you just feel the urge to do that thing which you used to do routinely but have not done so for quite some time? Whew, did I say it correctly? Anyway, bottom line is I have to and want to write again.
Back from a very looong local vacation, 10 days to be exact, I regret that it’s only now I could write again much as yet, not a well composed blog or article but a would be haphazardly written journal. Ummm… what have I been doing during the past days? Here we go:

- Attended Christmas parties.. (no only 2 christmas parties, 1 with DMI, the other one with the housemates in Villa 69). I’ve got a female bear (nice) and an electric flat iron (for my balikbayan box) as gifts

- Slept. Do I need to say more?

- Watched TV- the big idiot box, as somebody back in my college days used to say. I now know that The GMA news is shown 2 times a day while Eat Bulaga is aired thrice. Couch Potato? What if there’s no couch, only beds in the room. Can you call it Bed Potato? Har,har..

- Has tried doing a few routine exercise, again seen from the TV, and end up with a terrible muscle pain all over the body until today. This proves one thing, Galaw galaw para di ma stroke.!
- Prison Break marathon (until season4). Was able to finish the whole race... yahoo!!! Imagine cleaning the CR while watching the series!

- Painted my nails at least twice.

- Chilled at the Dubai Marina apartment of my boss for 3 days with my friends ABSOLUTELY FOR FREE! It was one of the times I really appreciated having a well lit apartment with nobody but friends around. The last time I had a room all for myself was about 5 months ago in Shanghai. Whatever happened to the housing in Dubai?

- Attended Victory fellowship worship service on Christmas. the experience made me wanna stay a bit more even when the service was already over.

- Been to Day by Day Ministires Christmas concert. Talk about church hopping!

- Been to Burj Al Arab with friends. I’ve had quite a few good shots which my friend Ferdie painstakingly edited in Photoshop.

- Been to Global Village with the same friends I was with in Burj al Arab plus Ate Dory and Jerry. We’ve ridden the Ferris Wheel. Mga kuya’s na natatakot sumakay, nagdadahilan pa.Akala makakulusot. Hahaha..

- Washed and ironed my clothes. It’s an accomplishment indeed!

- Treated my hair with Hot oil. As if something’s changed.

- Watch the movie “The Women” with Janet on New Year’s day. Come on!

- Has practically attempted to watch movie (immediately after “the women”) without paying for it just for fun or thrill. I had butterflies on my stomach, I felt like throwing up because of nervousness. We eventually had to slip away from the theater in fear of getting caught and end up in jail or being pictured. We were definitely thrilled!

- Had Barbeque with the in-house cocktail drinks made by the “manangs” at the villa during New Year’s Eve.

- On new years eve, has tried wiping off the mist on Pablo’s windshield with tobacco believing it would go away. Janet and I bought a pack of cigarette from Choithram, rubbed about 4 sticks on the outside windshield only to find out later that the mist would disappear by simply turning the AC low haha! I knew for sure the temperature inside was not the same as that of the outside so what I need to do was to make sure the temp was the same. I’ve tried opening up the window. Still I couldn’t see the road clearly. I was thinking if it was some kind of warning from God telling me to stay home. I remembered our company driver from long way back doing the same trick in his car. I thought there’s some sense to it. I wanted to brag to my friend Janet about this seemingly brilliant idea that, she obviously didn’t know. It’s no rocket science after all. Har,har..

It was indeed a very simple vacation. I was initially afraid to have this long break. I was afraid I would just be lonely and sorry for myself for several reasons. But I was able to pull it through. Thanks to the people around me and those far who have not forgotten to pray for me. Above all, thanks, to my God who is faithful ever since and forever more.

In the land of Kimchi

I’ve been in a hype since I arrived here in Korea last Sunday. Hence, I couldn’t wait to share the simple yet superb experiences and feelings I’ve had since then.
We are staying here with a Korean family. With my broken Korean words coupled with really nice body languages, Loida and I were able to communicate with the host family’s mom. She in turn, would always grab her Korean-english dictionary and show us the things she wanted to say.. Now you could imagine the plight we are going through when it comes to using English in the land of Kimchi.

But these things I don’t really mind coz beyond the awkwardness in communication, I am still on cloud 9. Here, I could eat as much Kimchi as I want to, I could drink as many cups of Nuk Tza (Korean green tea) as I wish. My body shivers everytime I go out of the building but it’s just alright. The array of yellow, red and brown Gingko and mulberry trees along the strees of Seoul is a sight to behold I want to keep in my mind for as long as I can. The city lights I saw as we rode the boat along Han river was one of the highlights of my short visit. The busy streets of Nagdaemun market, the sweet aroma of Mandu (siopao), the hot noodles, the street food we had in Gwangnaru subway station, those are just a few of the things I would miss after I leave the land of Kimchi.

Talking about noodles, I thought it’s kind of strange coz it seems to me Korean food are on both extremes. They like to eat food while it is literally cooking in front of them. It’s a mixture of a flammable hotness and spiciness that my tummy still ached 2 days after we’ve eaten that very spicy food. Just the other day, our friends ordered for us Neng Myon. It is a kind of cold noodles eaten with literally blocks of ice on it. It was a strange food but it tasted really good.

We’ve also met our friends from way back 2003 here. It’s interesting to learn how their lives have been. Some have already gotten married, some are still singles, some have gone abroad, some we couldn’t get in touch with anymore. I will still meet some of my Korean friends this week. I’m excited to share stories and gossips with them about our lives. Wahhhh… I am indeed blessed.

I still have a week to savor the flavors of korean food and discover the best kept secret of Asia, as one of Korea’s battle cry says. On the second day of my stay here, I’ve haphazardly written my goals in coming here. I hope I could accomplish them all so I could go back to the middle east with a refreshed mind and body.

Surprising Treat from Heaven

It was a surprising treat for the day, a natural high, a miracle in the making that soothed my soul and warmed my heart – the 30-minute downpour on Sheikh Zayed road early this morning.

We left my house worrying about how to water Pablo’s windshield wiper’s water tank as it is already drained. Then, it started drizzling so I thought what a nice coincidence. After about 7 minutes on the road, it began raining like it’s does during the rainy days in the SouthEast without any warning. Then all vehicles started turning on their headlights and hazard signals. The road was hazy and white, windshield wiper working as hard as never before while we shrieked with delight as our vehicle get splattered with water by the passing cars.

I thought I could have brought my umbrella… the yellow one I’ve bought from Shanghai last June and has been keeping in my closet since then. I was a bit worried that the parking lot might have been full as of this time since there would be no guard to traffic the incoming vehicles to the parking area, plus the fact that we are already about 10 minutes late for work.

However, the unlikely thing happened. Passed the Mall of the Emirates, the rain was gone as quickly as it had come. The on-coming vehicles on the other side of the road didn’t show traces of being drenched nor being drizzled. There were even rays of sunlight escaping from an island of cloud as we emerge from the tunnel at the exit going to Al Barsha South. The parking lot in Emaar Business Park is half full and the guards are as usual, in their post, patiently inspecting all the entering vehicles. It looked as if someone had taken a great vat of water and poured it over Sheikh Zayed road between the 1st and 4th interchange at 8:30 this morning.

I love waking up in a beautiful sunny day just as I love it when the weather starts cooling down and gentle chilly breeze fills the air in the evenings. Yet, nothing can be compared to the experience of a rain after endless days under the desert sun. It is one moment that matters and that I’ve been longing for quite a long time. Each moment captured as the mizzle falls gingerly on my outstretched hands, the heavy beating of the raindrops as they rush falling on the car and finally to the ground, is a sight that made me feel both thrilled and fretful at the same time. Thrilled - for the feeling of freshness, of being washed from head to toe, hence, draining away all those that have marred the spirit and hardened the core. Fretful - that the streets might get flooded, the car would stop running and we would be stuck somewhere.

Still, I considered it a happening especially done for me by the One above despite the odds. There is this song with the lyrics, “sometimes He comes in the rain’ by Steven Curtis Chapman. So I thought, when everything in me seems to have crushed, when I feel like crying hard but the tears are just not there, when I want something so badly I would give up everything but still cannot have my way on it – then there would be no better time and no better way of assuring me that my God knows what I’m going through than by literally sending rain over to me. And He did… today.

As I sat in my office desk working on this, I could still see the picture of the rainy day on Sheikh Zayed road in my mind, and the joy I found on the rain falling on blue days. I believe all experiences come with lessons/messages never to be taken for granted, otherwise, a great deal of learning will be missed. As for me, I hope I could figure and sort out things in my life that seem to need some rearrangements.

Also, I hope there could be more morning downpours on Sheikh Zayed road to come.