My friend,

Smile. The sun will shine tomorrow.

Randomness

There's not much men that would make me all gooey... I mean, Denise Trillo is cute but then again, he recorded those songs, Tom Cruise is attractive but he went all kooky, Brad Pitt is -- oooh still Brad Pitt but he's a live-in yaya now, so as of late, there's really been nobody to make me feel all coy and girly (not that coy and girly is really me) but then I heard Josh Groban again. Man... that guy can make me all gooey inside... his face reminds me of somebody... and his voice... man, that voice...

Randomness
6&7 Face Painting at the Chili Crab Fest earlier this year
1 Ahhh Dubai Traffic (World Trade Center Roundabout)
5 Yesterday, lunch with officemates at a Japanese Restau at the Courtyard, DIP - look at my eyebags! Having sleeping problems lately...
2 Waiting for the signal to turn, too tired, long day...
8 My kikay night - makeup by Clarins New Makeup
4 The only rose I received for Valentine's this year - is from an event (inspired a story which I hope will see the light of day)
3 At the Madinat Hotel, waiting for friends to arrive.

More randomness
I've been catching up on www.justjared.com - for a dose of hollywood chicka, just to keep myself uptodated: American Idol presents Celine Dion and a hollographic Elvis Presley duet - freaky-awesome; a number of stars gyrating to Staying Alive for a Stay Alive charity for AFrica - hilarious-cool; and of course the Josh Groban song on American Idol - made my day.

*Sam has a teeny scratch near the back - don't where I got it. Could be from pebbes that attack cars on Emirates road.

Beaten to death

Horrible dream. Restless Sleep. I killed Bubbles and Aster - two of my beloved pets by hitting them on the head with a hammer. I couldn't take care of them and there was nobody else who could, so I killed them.

Later I realized, with their bodies lying still, that I shouldn't have done it. I should have stuck it out with them.

I knew it was a dream, everything was neat and clean. No blood. There was also a guy from my past who was there, also a dog lover, and I was ashamed that he would find out what I had done. But I was already ashamed of myself even without that. I cried and cried.

Bubbles was a short-haired, tan-coloured Dachshund. I found her one day, lying on a broken office chair in our bodega already stiff dead. I believe she died of a heart problem cos my Papa kept feeding her fat scraps from the dinner table.

Aster, my beloved Aster died a few months after I left for Dubai. Like his big brother Stripes, he was a Dalmatian with black spots, sons of my beloved liver-spotted Major. Stripes also passed away a few months after I left for this desert, and a month or so later, Aster died of the same liver disease.

Flying a plane

Piper Warrior III

Just spent an hour flying at 1,500 feet above Dubai on a four-seater Piper Warrior III - spectacular view!!! Unfortunately, no photography was allowed because of security concerns. :( There were three pilots - one is Filipino - who handled our small group and we were divided into three planes. In our plane, the two guys I was with let me sit up front and the Captain gave me the chance to handle the wheel for a while, till he got bored coz I was moving it in eeny, weeny bits only. Anyway, first he made me point it towards the Emirates Road, and next to the right, to The Palm. Hehe. Was afraid, I might cause the plane to nose dive. The event was organized by Euro RSGC for the Davidoff Silver Shadow Altitude ME launch. Pretty cool event.

Was on the same plane as the head of the Perfume and Cosmetics Division of Jashanmal -- I asked him about the perfume sales in the region, I just did a story about modern vs traditional perfume. Curiously, he said that its 50-50 in the Middle East, unlike in the international market which is 70-30 (70 Women's, 30 Men's). The region really likes their perfume. No wonder, it started with them. The Arabs also invented glass and one of its first uses was to contain perfume.

This afternoon, I was on the phone with Carole Samaha, a popular Lebanese pop singer. She's the star of the musical "Zenobia" which is playing from April 18-23 in Dubai. She's nice to talk to, quite different when I first met her last Wednesday before the opening of 'Zenobia'. Well, it was quite understandable too, it was the first night and she was pretty tense.


With Marwan Rahbani, a well-known Lebanese director (Rahbani Productions) and the Director of the musical "Zenobia", backstage during the opening night

I also heard that Paulo Coelho's coming back or has he been? Not really sure. I wish Neil Gaiman will come over. I just finished Anansi Boys and I really enjoyed it.

The Aviation school offers a kind of 'dip your toe in' class for 500dhs. It's pretty much what we went to earlier this morning. Hmmm... flying a plane sounds like something I want to do... lol. Now, it's my imagination taking flight. Gotta find the budget for it... ;)

By the way, Sam has been devirginized!!! She got her FIRST car wash last night.

Dearest Mama,

Happy Birthday!!!

Love you!

Dear Mama & Papa,

Happy Anniversary!!!

Love Ria

surprise!

Was sick the whole weekend: bodyaches, headahces, swollen throat - can barely drink water without feeling pain. There was only one bright spot, well one BIG bright spot: I got my car!!!



I dragged myself out of bed yesterday at 10 in morning to sign the loan papers then around 6pm, Hadeel, the Ford sales agent called to say that my car is ready for pick-up. It's a navy blue (they call it Ocean Blue) Ford Focus Hatchback 2007. Mama (Raq's mom came with me to pick it up). She said it felt like riding in a plane. ;)

Last night was quite comic. I wanted to show Sam off (yeap, it's got a name, Sam the Sugar Bunnie - long story) but I was just too sick. We went down twice with the kids only for me to rush back up again and be sick (Eeeww ... twisted fascination to describe 'sick' but worry not, I won't).

Sigh. Still sick. But with new car!

Happy Birthday to me! Bday Celeb Pictures and kwento here:

Ria's Bday 07

Not really my day...

Day started out fine enough... I was just about to get to my first appointment at 9am, I was on the leftmost lane waiting for the signal to turn left. When it did, I started then automatically slowed down to avoid this guy on my right who took over to make a u-turn. I was so mortified with what he did, trying to avoid him while still making my turn that I didn't realize I didn't make a turn big enough -- so I faced the oncoming traffic from the left side. I immediately corrected my course, but there I was, already looking like a fool.

Then I got to the hotel where I was going to interview two visiting chefs. I was already about to alight and leave the car for valet parking when the valet guy told me to just follow the other car ahead, which was being parked by one of the valet attendants. Honestly, I should just have insisted that they park my car -- but sweet ol' me thought that maybe, since it's 9am, there would be plenty of parking spaces. So I followed the first car to the basement parking. It was almost full. And the lanes were a bit on the narrow side. Found two slots free but couldn't manage to fit the car in. Was getting late already for my appointment. The PR person of the hotel called me and I told her I was just downstairs parking. Took me 15 minutes to find a parking big enough. Later, I saw that I managed to scratch the left bumper on their bright yellow walls. Argh. Now I have to pay for that damage. I'm still on a rental! *$^#&$%!!!

The interview and photoshoot lasted till 11am. I had an 11:30 presscon to attend, launch of a new perfume. The photographer didn't have a ride so I dropped him off on my way to the presscon at the Kempinski Hotel , Mall of the Emirates (MOE). Their office happened to be at Bank Street, one of the busiest areas in town. But it was fine. Press cons usually start late anyway. I got to the hotel at about 12:00. Good, I thought, they'd just be starting. When I got up to the room, the press con was over. They've even ran out of press kits! And the PR at the registration said, "You're late!". Okay fine. I know that. I came from a photoshoot in the city. Got a brochure, a couple of business cards and left.

To console myself, I dropped by Carrefore and grabbed a pack of maki, a liter of fresh orange juice and two packets of M&Ms. I went straight to the office and started work. At 6, I left. I had a 7:30pm dinner -- it's the 100th Anniversary of Fairmont and I was going with Raq, and I was sooo looking forward to the R&R. I used Al Kail road like I always do to avoid Sheik Zayed traffic. I don't know why, but my mind was wandering so much I missed my exit. And I ended up in Rashidiya in the middle of evening traffic!!! Argh.

By the time I got home, I was so looking forward to drinking.

But my friend is sick. I couldn't leave her like that, so I just cooked dinner and we ate in as she watched a CNN documentary while I consoled myself by yakking on the phone with Ena and later, indulging in the mind-numbing game Evil Switch.

What a great day.

Feels like the day after tomorrow...

We've been saying it for days now... something's happening out there. The skies will darken, the wind will pick up and then sandstorm. Yesterday, it was weirder than ever, sudden sandstorm (the video up there), then it stopped and it suddenly started raining --huge drops!!! It felt like a typhoon back home. It lasted for a few minutes only, like the sandstorm. After that, the sun started shining... not that bright but it shone. Then it became cloudy again. Sigh. What's happening to the environment...

April 1st 07

Wonderful start to bday week. Got drunk on champagne, got filled with wonderful swiss cheese and swiss chocolates.

Yum.

Now, if I can only convince my body that all these are non-fattening.