iftar buffet presentation

Iftar, refers to the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan and is often done as a community, with people gathering to break their fast together. Iftar is done right after Maghrib (sunset) time. - from wikipedia. This is the Iftar buffet at coral international hotel in dammam, ksa. unfortunately, we dont get to participate unless you pay from your own pocket.

lasagna

shoe matter

you'd think that we have an elf on board! a passenger from kano, nigeria has some quirky style. they say you can tell a lot about what a person does just by looking at his/her shoes. my own cabin shoes would tell a lot i can say. i just bought it in february and now there's nothing stellar about it. its not as shiny and it looked like its two years old. scratches adorn the front part, the toe part and the heels are becoming uneven due to friction. i apparently am more heavy on the right side. the scratches are from the constant contact of the toe part with the mostly defective carts that we have on board. ive tried to restore the pair to its previous glory but to no avail. i cant make the scratches to at least disappear. one colleague suggested i rub some dark shoe polish on it and it should do the trick. i have yet to do that.

L-O-V-E

this beautiful verse from the bible about love best describes it. 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. i wish to love like this.

sometimes a girl can only go so far for love. you should be able to trust the person you love. - photo from the net

eye of the storm

This photo was taken about 2 hours from take off bound for Jeddah from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There was more than moderate turbulence during that time and when I looked outside this is what I saw. I thought that this might be an eye of a storm somewhere over south asia. I was watching Rio (a ridiculously funny animated film) and the fasten seatbelt sign was switched on the whole time. I have seen and have come very close to what seems to be the eye of a storm.  

*sigh* + *big sigh*

when will i ever find someone that i can truly say is wholly (entirely, completely) mine? someone i can trust to be there for me whenever i need him. a person that i can just grab anytime i want to to come with me and explore life and see new places in the world. somebody to make plans with and him actually interested and involving himself in making plans with me. i can guarantee that i can do the same thing for him. i can devote my life to this one person. i have so much love to give and i want to just overwhelm him with it. it's all a matter of time. i just wish i find him in this lifetime.

hongkong from the peak

hongkong is my one of my top ten favorite places in the world so far. eventhough i am more of the outdoorsy kind of person who likes to be with the natural environment more than anything else, hongkong has become an exception for me. i imagine myself in a place where there are so many buildings around me that it becomes difficult to breathe. the sheer number of the buildings suffocate your being and their towering heights overwhelms and humbles you at the same time. man has come a long way. each new construction is always better than the previous one. and everyday, people are coming up with ideas for a taller, bigger, a more magnificent creation of concrete and steel. hongkong has the real hustle and bustle of the city scene. everybody is walking fast (in a funny way)and in a hurry. totally unlike what im used to. hongkong will always be a place that i will never get tired of going back to. this photo is taken at the peak tower or victoria peak. you ride the peak tram to get here which is one exciting journey..it's probably the most exciting ride youll ever get in hongkong.

marina bay sands

a photo of the infinity pool at the marina bay sands just before sunrise.

My mother and I stayed in the Marina hotel in Singapore for a night. A close friend of mine works there and she got me a discount.  It was still quite expensive for a 25 year old me even after the discount but we had a good time there.  So it paid off well.
We didn't get into the pool, I wasn't really interested to.  The view is amazing from the top.  It's like a scene from a scifi film, films set in the year 2050 upwards.  It wouldn't have surprised me if I had seen flying cars passing by.  Of course, the Chinese people played their part in all of this by looking like alien crabs from the future.  
This hotel is nice. On the ground floor are lots of shops for the monied folks.  Although I didn't really like the feel of the hotel at the ground level.  It felt like I was in a mall and everyone is so busy and it was so noisy.  If you want to escape from the city, this isn't the place to stay unless of course you wouldn't mind spending your entire vacation in the infinity pool at the rooftop with the half naked alien crabs of course.

taxi

It is not uncommon to see old workers in singapore. In fact most of the workers i see in the service industries are old people.  People that are at least 55 years old.  This taxi driver is probably 60 years old..nearing retirement.  But of course my approximation is conservative to his benefit.  
Taxis are a rip off for the price but it's normal in Singapore to pay for everything with a rate much more than what I would pay for in my third world residence. However, with further analysis, I say that it's actually more expensive here in the Philippines.  why?  first of all, if you ride the taxi and you don't know the place, the taxi driver will take you to your destination using the longer, more complicated route.  second, the taxi driver will impose an "additional" fee for you because he anticipates that he won't have any passenger on his way back. third, the taxi driver won't give you your change, sort of like a withholding tax thing..he is withholding his tip for you.  if you are gutsy enough to argue with this, he will give you an evil look and make you feel like a selfish person who is too cheap to tip.  yes i've experienced this.  i don't tip those who assume that they deserve one, as if it's their right to have one and you are obligated to give one.  i'd give tips when i want and if you don't ask for it.  In Singapore, the taxis are metered and you get your receipt and your change when you arrive at your destination.  Here, the taxis are metered but when you get in the taxi the driver will negotiate with you whether to use the meter or agree with his proposed fare.  this is especially true when you take one from the airport or towards the airport.  Of course, not all taxi drivers are like that here.  Some are really good people and honest.  The few who are misbehaving though get more attention and exposure (like this) than those who are just trying to make an honest living.

merlion