CRISPY DATE

Yesterday, we pursue our long time plan to have a group date.  Together with my officemates, we try one of a not-so-familiar restaurant in Dubai. Though we admit or not, some of us find it difficult to convince ourselves to reserve some seat and take wild guess of their best-selling menu if we are not fully aware of what they can offer. According to hearsay, this Chinese Restaurant provides a various dishes approved by Filipino customer. Since it was highly recommended, we decided to make it as our venue for that night.

The beanery was dimensionally undersized but I believe the first floor can accommodate 25 people. They have 2nd floor which according to my officemate is more spacious. We ordered mixed fried rice and best selling for filipino, Pata-tim and pecking duck. Since it took sometime to serve, we try their seafood soup as appetizer. Well, sad to say, there’s no such amazing taste on it.  It seems like an ordinary soup in our kitchen.

Unlike soup, Pata-tim and Pecking duck was perfect for our bellies. Pata-tim is a braised pork leg knuckles with a thick sauce. It is not a typical menu that can be cook anytime we want because boiling in a slow heat is time consuming. I often find this food as ‘pulutan’ in my home country. Their portion of Pata-tim is good for a group of people. The meat was succulent when you cut with knife as if they boiled it continuously for 1 week. It was my first time to eat a softy Pata-tim. For health concious individual this kind of dish is not for them but once in a while, its not harmful to satisfy our cravings for this rare specialty.

PATA-TIM

I got a chance to eat Crispy Duck only here in Dubai. It was originated from Beijing, China and recognized as one of the famous dishes among Chinese communities. On this chinese restaurant where we dine in, pecking roast duck, commonly known as crispy duck is one of the filipino favorites. I must say they also hooked my stomach as the dish was so perfect. The duck skin and meat is very crispy. I’m not sure if they marinated it before roasting but the authentic taste within is something like you were longing again and again. It is good combination to serve the crispy duck in  a bed of small cut lettuce. You can eat both in between.

CRISPY DUCK

Opposite our table are two Japanese national (haha, I assume) who savoring their food. We heard them asking the waiter to cook Kangkong. This plant was popular in our country and often uses as additional ingredients in cooking. Here, it is part of the menu. After a series of bowl, again they request for another set. Ohhhh..maybe it taste good.  These Japaneses gave us an idea to try our very own but different version of sauteed kangkong. I like its greenery and crunchiness as if it was freshly harvested in a cultivated garden. It was good compliment along with delicious Pata-tim and super crispy duck.

Thank you for the recommendation and the food itself meet our expectation. At the total value of AED 172.00 is not bad for the 4 of us. Somehow, it’s not the place that matters but the consistency of their dishes to become the most wanted food to those who take risk to discover it.

MY CONFUSION LEAD ME TO ONLY ONE SOLUTION

Last chapter of 2011, I found myself on the battlefield of a great challenge. It was too personal for me that I almost ended the conversation with overflowing tears in my eyes. My mind were boggling with a lot of questions. Why me? I never done wrong to them. Why I need to be involved? Why bad things happen to good people? These are the queries I need an immediate answer on that particular moment.

Though I was confused, I have to mask the hurt feeling I have inside. I need to pretend that everything is fine despite of unfortunate circumstances I’ve been going through. During that time, those people whom I think could understand my situations was too far away from me. I didn’t bother to call them. I thought just by being quiet will give me enough space to think but it’s not easy. I can’t stop my teary-eye. Whenever I think about the challenge, something was about to burst out. Pain. Hatred. Confusion. Tears. It leads me to nowhere but to hallow mindset. Worst of all, the feelings of solitude centralized my emotion.

I open my laptop. Music will surely help me re-direct my feelings. While listening to inspiring songs, I browse some blog website just to make myself busy and temporarily make an excuse not to think about the issues that makes me weak a while ago. Amidst the uncontrollable situation, it heads me to Bo’s blog. His published weekly article “3 Keys to Unlock the Happiness Door” gives me a definite answer on my unending question and assure me that I’m not going to face the battle alone. I am skimming quickly on the article when some words written in bold and red big letters caught my eyes. It was a bible verses that miraculously saves my day.

PSALM 55:22 Give your burdens to the Lord and He will take care of you.

A deep breath pause me from reading while my tears slowly shed on my cheeks. I couldn’t imagine how I was able to move by this short sentence. I was inspired to read the whole content of the article. I believe it was the main reason why on the middle of my adversity, I choose to browse the net, read blog, and dicover the hidden blessing on my current situation. I read continuously without skipping any single word. I can’t count how many times I wipe my tears because of the message penetrating deep within me. Each and every word in the article is so powerful as if I was talking heart to heart with Him. It’s really flattering that on my solace, on a simple paragraph, on a very short sentence, I could feel Him. I find peace. I felt His unconditional love.

The circumstances made me devastated but the article I just read shows me a different path on how to dwell positively on a big issue. After I compose myself, I was able to face the challenge without any emotional grudges. I’m relieved. Even though I cried a lot, I’m thankful it gives me an opportunity to enlighten my way of thinking towards an issue. It helps me to release all the pain and face the challenging situation head up high. The battlefield I step into might be too long journey for me but along the way I know I will receive an infinite guidance how to win the challenge. Thank you for the great article. It reminds me to remain faithful and calm despite of unfortunate happenings in my life. At the end, it teaches me a great lesson that life’s mishap, if too complicated and heavy for us to carry, then its time to surrender everything to Him.

Jaunt at Palm Jumeirah Monorail

There’s a lot of things to enjoy while you were maximizing your stay at Atlantis The Palm.

One of this is taking a short trip via monorail overlooking a man-made island, Palm Jumeirah. The monorail began its operation last april 2009. Till now it bring forth more tourist to have an accesible aerial view of fronds and other enticing area of Dubai. To begin our brief tour we bought ticket (AED 25.00 per card) at the Atlantis Aquaventure Station-First Floor. Then we proceed to the main platform (2nd floor) where the monorail train will start. It run every 3 minutes during peak hours.

While waiting for the train to arrive, a breathtaking view of Aquaventure hooked our eyes. It’s really awesome how this water theme park accomodate more visitor and gives a total enjoyment on their stay.

Atlantis Aquaventure

The greenery side of Atlantis The Palm Hotel with anticipating view of  Burj Al Arab.

The monorail comprises 4 station. Two of them were still closed due to unfinish construction.

Palm Mall station which is not operational for now will be a ‘next-big-place’ to look forward in the future. From its structure, the station is directly connected to Palm Mall.  The perspective design of mall is printed on each card (ticket) to give some tourist a glimpse of how it looks like once done.

The actual design .....wow!

Though only 2 station is open for public, once you sit inside the train, it will bring you to a magnificent view of places nearby hotel.

Multi-storey buildings at Palm Jumeirah

Look how water compose the fronds of the island……

breakwater at the fronds

More built villas in Jumeirah.

Another superb view was the back side of Dubai Marina facing the Jumeirah beach.

lofty building At Dubai Marina

Along the way, we saw this……..

hot air balloon arising from the breakwater

Wanna see the azure water of Arabian Gulf…….

on the way to aquaventure station

Heading yourself to Palm Jumeirah monorail gives you a chance to see the impressive view of Atlantis The Palm Hotel.

whaatttaaaa...view....

Getting up close to pinkish most visit hotel in Dubai.

Thumbs-up for a great design

Our short journey on the first monorail in the Middle East show us the hidden beauty of Dubai that can’t be seen by just driving in a car. Your aed25.oo is worthy enjoyable.

OUR TROUPE AT KALEIDOSCOPE

We got a chance to visit Atlantis The Palm when my officemate celebrate her birthday at Kaleidoscope. It is one of renonwed restaurants there that offer a variety of worldwide cuisine. Having a good location just beside the Ambassador Lagoon, a multifarious menu to choose from, a classy ambience and very accomodating staff, it’s no wonder why the place was crowded with lot of visitors especially during weekends.

Being an early bird and taking the advantage of buffet style, we comfortably sit inside past 12pm. Right after we found an area where we can totally enjoy our lunch, a staff approaches us about our drink which is not included in our reservation. After a very short conversation, we embark to food exploration.

Kaleidoscope has a lot of promising internatinally-acclaimed menu that will surely satisfy our empty stomach. I believe they keep very good chefs to maintain a high-rated standard when it comes to food quality. As expected, different food station were purposely set to give each visitors a freedom to choose between Mediterranean, Arabic, Asian, Italian and other globally-inspired cuisines.

On my camera, it looks so small but at the back of this station launch a number of dishes suitable to your taste.

A triangle style station at the middle of Kaleidoscope.

On this quarter, we found a different kind of pasta cook in distinct style of italian theme cuisine. Various toppings of pizza were also available. The mass favorite Hawaiian, chicken barbeque, pepperoni or simply a flavors good for vegetarian is readily display on this corner. A bunch of crispy coated calamari, which I think one of the fast-moving pieces on this station, create an appealing sensation in our taste buds.

Big slice of Steak…an eye-fetching dish that invite us to taste it. There’s some sauces on the side that can be poured on the steak. Just ask the staff to cut small portion enough for each plate. Steam vegetables will help to complete your meal in one round.

In every restaurant we dine in, seafood catch our attention. We can’t call ourselves as seafood enthusiats but since it is rare in our household to have it all (in one time), seeing a various display of shrimp, mussels and crab craves us to come back again and again on this station. I can’t remember how many times our birthday girl gets a peice of crab and meticulously enjoy each and every part. The crab was a bit spicy reminding us of Thai cuisine.

A simple message: read before you take….

If you want to take a break in between your meal, a fresh fruit is a perfect match fo you.

Kaleidoscope is a family-friendly restaurant. They emphasize the importance of kids by providing a colorful choice of candies.Yey!

I admire their generosity when it comes to dessert. Assorted color, shape and taste is truly attracting not only on the eyes but stomach as well.

Whats more appealing to see a fountain of chocolate where you can dip marshmallow there.

So Yummmmy.....

Though more choices were on display, we just get enough servings good to our capacity.

At Kaleidoscope, we enjoy the unlimited food at unlimited time. This is the advantage of eat-all-you-can buffet style. As long as your stomach is not yet full, you can get more and more of your favorite dishes. They are not very specific to which station you should come first. You have the freedom to choose.

By having Kaleidoscope in town, you don’t need to travel in different countries just to try their best gourmet.  Within Dubai, you can able to experience all of these in just one stop. All you have to do is to go directly to Atlantis The Palm, then booked at Kaleidoscope.

A PLACE CALLED “ATLANTIS”

I remember last October, together with my DXB family, I headed to Atlantis The Palm for a very short visit. I called it short because it was past 10pm and we just went there to see how it look like. We are just standing outside, keeping our eyes on look at the stunning design of the hotel. The night were dim but the light coming from each room create a beautiful picturesque that is indelible in our memory. Only visitors with prior booking are allowed to get inside. For us, being onlookers, we’re contented to feed our mind with a view from outside. On the way to our house, I throw a joke that make them laugh. I told them: “I SHALL RETURN”, referring to the place we have been. They draw a lot of doubt and answer me: you’ll return on year 2015.

Haha…I don’t need to wait till 2015. Would you believe that my word come into reality. Yes, I return to the same place but not just a bystander but a visitor who got a reservation inside. I was given a golden opportunity to see the hotel’s main interior thru the help of my Officemate. She celebrate her birthday there.

Come, let’s see the wow-factor of Atlantis the Palm.

Welcome to….

From the word ‘Atlantis’, which is concatenate with water, Atlantis The Palm is primarily built facing waterfront of Palm Jumeirah. The hotel develop a notable aquatic theme that each visitors will surely enjoy their maximum stay. The Hotel accommodates more than 1ooo rooms, home of culinary expert with 17 restaurants, hosting a 17 hectares water amusement park and many other things to explore.

The main entrance of the hotel with a widen door pleasurely invite us to come inside.

Atlantis The Palm Main Entrance

Just before we set foot inside, an eye-opening design hook our attention. Imagine, how Atlantis symbolizes the element of water as part of their motif. Even on this small area, a few step to the main door, they set up a water inspired view.

a vista before the main entrance

The framework of hotel outside is really amazing, but when I get inside…oh..lala….another masterpiece of an architectural design—The Royal Towers.

Atlantis The Palm Main Lobby

And look at the ceiling…..a result of creative mind.

An art of Atlantis

Atlantis The Palm is not only a good source of relaxation but a residence of some top designer shop. The Avenues, is a quarter in the hotel that gives a  chance to their visitor to do some splurge.

Our group @ The Avenues

Right after the Lobby, Platos’ Walk, is another abode for shoppers. Considering it’s astounding design that will captivate each passerby to explore more inside.

Plato's Walk

Just before the super big aquarium, on our way down, another enticing interior caught my eyes. The decoration on the wall is like a portrait of a family—sea shells. The same goes with each towers wherein cute shells was strongly glued in linear position.

One of the most visited area in Atlantis The Palm is Ambassador Lagoon. Just imagine how many small aquarium were add together to make this super duper big aquatic domicile. I can’t guess how many liters of water or the exact numbers of marine life were found within. The spectacular view from top to bottom provides a window for each visitor to experience the extravagant scenario of Ambassador Lagoon.

Ambassador Lagoon

Look at the different kind of fish freely move inside…..

up close.....

Got lost….???? a big no..no… Just a simple pose on this fascinating quarter… The Lost Chambers! Seeing the tunnels of each chamber will give you a mere understanding about the life in an underwater world.

Glimpse of The Lost Chambers

Most talked water theme park in Dubai is no other than Aquaventure which is connected to Atlantis the palm. Without mentioning any season, visitors or stay in guest can experience the excitement and fun-filled on this 17 hectares attraction. Guests will have access to private beach and to Ziggurat- the platform of all rides that mainly features 7 water slides. For now, I enjoy the stunning view of aquaventure. Maybe on my next visit (????), I’ll experience the most electrifying action in Atlantis. 

Aquaventure

Atlantis The Palm, is indeed, one of a kind tourist attraction in Dubai. Being there gives me a chance to learn something new, discover ingenious design, time to unwind and explore Dubai in a different view.

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY 2012

Year 2011 was a wonderful year for me. I accomplished a lot of things—from my personal goals, career progress, up to the simplest way of enjoying my day-to-day activities. I learnt a lot of lessons too that I hope I can apply in 365 days of 2012. Another new start, new beginning, new opportunities, new challenges, new accomplishments and most especially—-NEW ME! From better to being the BEST!

I was thinking of what to write to start my 2012 stories. Till, I come out with 12 questions I just read while browsing the net this afternoon. Let’s admit, if theres some question, whether some person ask us to answer or just personally pop in our eyes, we tend to give our opinion/advice in every way we can. Way back in Highschool, I remember most of my classmate own a slam book. The simple question of  ‘who is your crush or define love’ is always part of every page. We didn’t leave any question blank. Once done, we’re happy to read it over and over again. It was a long year back and maybe some of my classmate kept it as a remembrance of our highschool life.

I can say that as the year grow older, my way of thinking upgrade into maturity. To lead the path of happiness for 2012,  I will try to answer 12 interesting questions that could help readers to really understand of who am I. Here we goes:

1. I REALLY ENJOY…..(list 15 things)

•  Travelling. It was my wildest dream to discover personally the hidden beauty of one place. Given the chance to  do it very often will absolutely paint additional happiness in my life.
• Sharing some stories to my family while we’re eating together during dinner or sitting in our living room while watching TV.
• Reading blog. I feel kinda happy whenever I read a new update from fellow blogger. Whether the article is full of stories or plain photos only, it serves as a good inspiration for me to write something that others will benefit also.
• Going out with friends. A simple invitation from my friends reminds me how I am blessed to be part of their friendship chain.
• Exchanging girly talk to my mother before I went to sleep. There’s a lot of stories to share that only a mother-daughter tandem could understand.
• Daydreaming inside the car (morning time while heading to the office). My imagination gives me a quick response to where I want to go in the future or what I want to achieve in my life.
• Buying ‘pasalubongs’. When my vacation comes closer, I enjoy listing of  ‘what-to-buy’ for those people I left in my home country. Of course, on top of my priority is my gift to my family.
• Listening to music. I am a music lover. Rnb and love songs pleasantly soothes my soul. I can easily finish my household chores if I turn on my mp3.
• Doing my office work. I celebrate my six year last november doing the same responsibilities. I can’t stay longer years if I’m not enjoying every tasks they assign to me.
• Family reunion. Working abroad keeps me away from our family occassion or family gathering so having the opportunities to attend and meet them personally makes me joyful by heart.
• Sales. Most of the time, shopping mall offer some sales on their product. Having such kind of advantage, I spend my money on my ‘needs and wants’ as well as for my family way back home. I can able to buy more products within a limited budget.
• Eating. In our home country we plant and reap fresh vegies that we could easily cook any time we want. Im fond of eating ‘patani’, sitaw’ (both under the family of beans) and our very own squash/pumpkin. One of my favorite food which was limited here is jackfruit cooked in coconut milk. This is the main reason why I prefer to eat vegies over meat once I landed on my home country.
• Writing. Blogging every details of my out-of-town trip, restaurant I have visited or simple happenings in my daily existence makes me glad. Its like a diary that I open for public reading.
• Taking picture and posing like an amateur model. I love pictures. It reminds me of a memorable experience I had with my group or any place I discover.
• Laughing out loud with my family and friends. Our unending stories and jokes put a big smiley in my face.

2. I AM VERY GOOD AT…. (list 15 things)

• Listening. I can lend my ears to someone who wants to express their emotion. Without giving judgement on their statement, I assure them how my listening power prevails on a given situation.
• Money management. In this place where standard of living is very high, my character of  ‘knows-how-to-handle’ my salary is really a great help. I learn how to enjoy my way of spending as well as saving for my future needs and wants.
• Planning. Being a September baby, it is one attributes that I possess. I am a good planner. It could be the reason why I landed a job (previous and current) wherein planning is highly required. Even at home, I spearhead the planning session of our daily activities.
• Writing a rhyme. Especially if I will use our own mother tongue, I can fluently make comment in rhythmic lingo on the net or reflecting my thoughts in the form of poems.
• Filing systematically. I was surrounded with lots of documents in the office and organizing my files properly help me to trace it back easily.
• Rendering good deeds to other. A simple act of kindness to other people can make a differences on their lives.
• Time management. I know how to maximize my time resources to be more productive in every minute. There are best moment for concentration as well as taking leisure.
• Sleeping inside the car ( going home from office takes time due to traffic). This is my best way to allow my brain to rest for a minutes. It help me to recharge my energy for my next activity in our house. Oftentimes, my officemates were astonish on how I can easily lull into sleep in such small space.
• Computation. Enclosing myself in an obligation where numbers are most priority, it is a must to know the basic fundamentals of mathematics.
• Cooking preparation. I can’t consider myself a good cook but I master the process of preparing the food before cooking. Peeling and cutting to the desired shape was one of my strength. Who knows maybe in the future I can cook a complicated recipe also.
• Keeping secret. When my loved one share their secret, they can trust me that it was comfortably safer than ever.
• Crying. It sounds negative to others but for me, it was another source of strength.  When I’m extremely happy, either by hearing some jokes or got surprised, tears of joy will definitely shown in my eyes. It’s also my way of releasing pain. Tears easily flows in my cheeks whenever I watch tele-novela with most dramatic scene. 
• Re-using stuff.  Whether in the form of scratch paper in the office or personal belongings, I try to use it again to shows that another benefit could be extracted from it. . 
• Appreciating the natural beauty of our resources. This is the main reason why I don’t forgot to bring my camera whenever I’m on a new place.
• Saying Yes. I am a doer. When it comes to my family and friends, I always reserve a big yes to them.

3. I AM VERY INTERESTED IN….. (list 5 things)

• Investing. Its running in my mind every now and then. How to multiply my income and saving for the best. Hopefully, I can fully understand all the process pertaining to investment.
• Finishing our house project. There still some renovation to be done in our house and I confidently claim that budget and schedule will be on my side this year.
• Personal development. More things to change, learn, and improve  for me to reach my star.
• Exploring Disneyland.  Who said that disney is for kids only, it is the main subject of my daydream in the morning. hehe..
• Meeting and loving him. To reveal who-is-he was the best gift I’m looking forward this year. For sure, those person close to me was also excited to know him.

4. I DON’T DO IT MUCH, BUT I LIKE TO…..(list 5 things)

• Sing.(Videoke). It’s really fun to express your feelings thru singing.  I may not be a good singer but hitting the right notes in front of people is enough to enjoy the moments.
• Excercise. Due to time constraint, it is one of the least thing I do. Hopefully, I could include it in my daily activities.
• Read books. It will surely give additional knowledge for me.
• Go home quarterly.hehe I’m sure all expat want the same. Happiness and joy were inseparable feelings once I see my family and friends constantly.
• Know how to cook.  I was inspired by those cute kids who can able to cook different menu. While my capacity is limited to simple dishes, the thoughts of venturing into more challenging culinary process were always reserve in some part of my mind.  

5. WHEN I WAS A CHILD, I WANTED TO BE…. (list 3 things)

• Teacher. I became number one fan of a teaching profession maybe because I spend most of my time inside the classroom. During that time, it is the only work that clearly visible in my mind.
• Nurse. I remember in my elementary days while we have a monthly project of formal writing, it is one of the topic that we discussed. What we want to become in the future, I ended explaining it being a nurse someday.
• Doctor. hehe.Even now if we ask our next generation kids, they will answer: to be a doctor.

6. IF IT WEREN’T TOO LATE, I WOULD…. (list 3 things)

• Learn how to swim. Whoaaah….I admit I am afraid of swimming alone in a deep area of water simply because I don’t know how to save myself once I stranded on it.
• Do a Laser Eye Surgery. I am a little nearsighted and my doctor told me undergoing to an eye surgery will help me to restore my 20/20 vision.
• Get a Masteral Degree. Why not? If it will help me to step forward in my career.

7. IF MONEY WERE NOT AN OBJECT, I WOULD… (list 5 things)

• Use it as Flying carpet so that I can fly to place  I never been.
• Keep it for life.
• Dare to ask how can I help to save it from abuse person.hehe
• Let it live the way it goes.
• Be more responsible in allowing it to be part of my happy life.

8. IF MY PARENTS WOULDN’T OBJECT, I WOULD……( list 5 things)

• Give them a short vacation in Dubai. Many times i try to convince them to come with me so that I can show how I learn to lead my life successfully and to expose them the great attractions of dubai. 
• Buy Washing Machine. My mother likes a simple life. For her, washing clothes manually is another seed of excercise. Still, I want to give her a good living that she never had when she was young.
• Take them to my out of town trip so that they experience how to live temporarily away from home and allow them to meet new people.
• Pay for Household Help. Both my parents can be consider as a senior citizen yet they wanted to do all household chores on their own.
•  Teach them how to use computer so that we can able to meet everyday thru skype.

9. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE I ADMIRE….. (list 3 names)

• My Father. I admire his way of upbringing us to become a better person.  He didn’t finish his schooling but he gives us a good living and he didn’t stop  working till he saw us graduating from college.
• My Mother. She knows what best for us. She, along with myFather, worked together to provide our family needs. She is a great source of our strength.
• My Brother. He take a vocational course in a school where there is very strict rules in attendance. With his determination, he pass all the challenges and landed a regular job.

10. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE I SECRETLY ADMIRE… (list 3 names)

• Bianca G. She had a big heart to small people.
• Bo. S. His article moves me spiritually.
• Jane M. At a very young age, she used to accomplished a lot of things.

11. THE WORLD IS IN NEED OF MORE…. (list 5 things)

• Love
• Peace
• Respect
• Discipline
• Good people.

12. I THINK GOD WANTS ME TO BE….(list 2 things)

• Good daughter to Him. In this way, He can abudantly share all His store plans for me.
• Successful in every area of my life.

Answering these question reminds me of how I start my humble beginning and how to be a better person starting today. Let me design my 2012 with all positive energy. Yes, I claim it. Cheers for successful and happy 2012!!!!!