The Dubai Chronicles: Rebirth

about dxb chronicles

The saga of Jeff living in the City of Gold. Presently living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, unravel his journey throughout the city with memoirs and everyday life stories.

crazy weather

two weeks ago, it was cold. then it rained. last week, the weather turned up the humid and couple of days ago, someone turned on the airconditioner.

i got sick because of the this abnormal weather.

this morning, the fog once again appeared and this is a true sign of a very humid weather till september...

if i can't take the heat then i might consider for a skinhead look (over my dead body)...

discoursed by jeff @ 1:47 PM | 1 comment(s) | permalink

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

something for home

few days from now, my tita will be leaving for manila permanently and i have to send something for my family. my salary, as always, has been delayed and will be given on the second week of april. now, im still financially short and the dilemma of giving something to them is very minimal (weight limit for the parcel is around less than two kilos only). cash is good and practical but i want something that they can keep and remember me when i was away...

photographs.

and so i scoured the best pics that i've taken and prepared it for print developing. i spent the whole evening to enhance and crop the pictures and handpicked 40 out of 120 (pretending that i used film camera) to be sent home.

here are some pics that i haven't posted before:

jmerts and japs hit the ground looking for a good shot of the burj al arab from afar.

ray of light cast upon madinat jumeirah

waterfall and the top of sceira ride taken from wild wadi entrance

i finished searching and editing the pics around 1am and i thought i can sleep early tonight... eyebags are swellin' once again.

discoursed by jeff @ 11:44 PM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

Monday, March 28, 2005

k700i songs of the week

im lazy updating my sony mini disc player for mp3s and so i opted for bluetooth technology and transfering mp3s thru my phone. it can handle up to 5 - 6 songs only and it depends on the file size.

here they are:

chicane - autumn tactics
chemical brothers - out of control
modjo - lady (chillout version)
love spit love - how soon is now
staind - outside
wolfgang - anino
razorback - munting paraiso

in my blissful evening, i watched the movie alexander. i must say it sucked. the storyline was quite draggin' and kinda gay. good thing i didn't watched the premiere...

i hope the facts portrayed in this move weren't true because if it was, well, the man who conquered half of the world was indeed a fag.

discoursed by jeff @ 10:40 PM | 3 comment(s) | permalink

Sunday, March 27, 2005

easter sunday

happy easter guys! we're on half day today...

i'll do my laundry, get some good sleep and cook sinigang.

discoursed by jeff @ 5:57 PM | 1 comment(s) | permalink

Saturday, March 26, 2005

burj al arab revisited

i got a chance to publish the pics i've taken last conference from the burj. here are some:

the view from the 27th floor towards inland. jumeirah beach hotel in view plus the long stretch of jumeirah beach. sheikh zayed road buildings can be seen afar.

this shot taken upwards. the interior look of the burj coming from the lobby area.

ongoing construction of the palm jumeirah, one of the magnificent projects of dubai.

front view of the burj al arab in a cloudy, mid-afternoon.

discoursed by jeff @ 9:06 AM | 1 comment(s) | permalink

Friday, March 25, 2005

good friday

back in the philippines, as catholics, people solemnly practiced the lenten season. not just what i've seen this afternoon in the news. people bringing deadly weapons on their way to vigil/grottos, drinking spree in the streets and one of the most hypocritic scene was local police pose themselves as jesus, carrying the cross, nailing (literally) themselves to the cross as if the real crucifixion.

if you really want to be sorry for thy sins, you don't have to show it to public. be down-to-earth attitude, confess and atone yer sins and do good.

amen.

discoursed by jeff @ 5:20 PM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Thursday, March 24, 2005

down with the sickness

im so stubborn. after popping two pills of paracetamol, im on the move again. im not fully recovered yet and still i kept myself busy.

i was bed-ridden the whole day because of the event that happened on thursday. but after jap's came into the scene, things were goin' to be back in track again. joel was not around (he's doin' part-time at the dubai world cup at nad al sheba) and we're only two doin the dirty job...paint the room.

good thing the paint was water-based...but still my fever came back. i managed to fight the sickness but in the end, i prevailed...

...and still managed to eat burger and hot choco around three in the morning.

discoursed by jeff @ 5:05 PM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

sulit bulilit

from last night till the moment im writing this blog, i've on the move... working, doing some sidelines, sharpening interpersonal skills, among others. i slept less than three hours because of the setup of conference materials at the burj al arab and jamming at jap's place (video clips to follow) and not minding the post-sickness i had for three days.

extend thy body to the fullest... not wasting any precious time and energy.

my job description this day was a photographer. i borrowed jap's digicam and started point-focus-snap at any subject that i encounter. big personalities came over to the conference like the dubai police chief, prominent sheikh, an american ambassador, ceos and other noted guests. it's my first time doin' some photoshoot in an event...and i have to cut my balls to have guts to take pictures in front of many people.

the venue of the event, the burj al arab, which is the world's tallest hotel (as of to date) and tagged as a seven-star hotel. it proved tallest indeed because when we ride the elevator from ground till the 27th floor, my ear pops. the view from above was magnificent. when viewing seaward, you can see the ongoing ambitious projects of dubai: the palm jumeirah on the left, the arabian sea, and the world which is the map of the world, literally, divided into islets. inland, you will see the jumeirah beach hotel, wild wadi water park and the madinat jumeirah. if you guys wanna visit burj al arab, definitely this is a must. architecture of arab and modern technology mixed well and the resto views whether on the topmost floor where you can view the cityscape or under the sea where underwater habitat lives.

the event finished in around 2pm, the job doesn't stop there. we have to rush ourselves to the office and produce press releases and distribute pics that the media have taken. if i didn't forgot the usb cable of camera, i shouldnt wasted much time at the photo studio downloading and burning a cd copy. that's not all. there are pending jobs waiting for us there and pisses me off big-time when someone is pushing ourselves to the limit when all they do is bark and wait. donkeys. anyway, i didn't mind them. just doin' my job.

suddenly, another emergency call... i have to rush to crowne plaza for the conference media shoot. darn. i got home around 7pm and i just wanna close my eyes and drift to sleep for two days. if i had time... and there's no time.

now, im waiting for the carlift for us to be picked up scheduled to paint a room with an "arabic taste..."

if time can be sold, i would gladly to buy some...

discoursed by jeff @ 8:18 PM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

virus

i was down and out for few days... and i have to go to work just to be in par with the event tomorrow.

i'll post as soon as i'm ok... more stuffs coming.

discoursed by jeff @ 11:40 AM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Saturday, March 19, 2005

glitches again

i thought things were going to be smooth. one of my companions on the past exit to kish had a trouble in his flight booking. this is the start of trouble. just for all times sake we had to wait him at the reception in kish island iran in order to be together in one room.

this time, the plane we took going here (in iran) was better than the fokker planes but the ride was bumpy. the weather here was raining. the moment we arrived at the airport it was a smooth breeze...

not for long.

the hotels were fully booked. i thought they were lying... it really was fully booked. why? because it was the iranian new year and tourist from other places are coming over. we have to find another hotel and found one. unfortunately, we're overcharged from normal rate plus the place was below par.

what can we do?

wait... and wait till our money runs dry. to be continued...

discoursed by jeff @ 2:29 PM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Thursday, March 17, 2005

frequent flier

it's time to fly again. i called up kish airlines and they told me that the flight on friday is fully booked. i have no choice but to take my flight tonight to iran. if i go on saturday i will be penalized for dhs200 (USD54.xx) a day for overstaying the country.

this will be the 5th time going to kish... and i told myself thiw will be the last time.

i really hate flying.

i'll see you guys when i get back (or if i can logon there...)

discoursed by jeff @ 10:27 AM | 1 comment(s) | permalink

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

steamrollers

i've employed part-timers which are friends of mine to do some packing stuffs in our office. i told them to what happened last night. the patans were ultra-slow in doing the job. it took them one hour just to fill the small box. i told them to be quick in getting the job done.

and so they did. before 6pm, they packed it everything. if the supply of other flyer weren't lacking, we should have stayed till 1am. anyway, they'll be back on friday.

last night, i was forced to eat "spicy" food. to them its just normal flavoring... for me, i distaste spicy food. if i weren't hungry, i wont be eating chicken biryani. now, felt steamy...

...and stinky.

discoursed by jeff @ 8:32 PM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

the mind is strong but the body is weak

i finished the godfather I, II and III last night and now experiencing sluggishness. the motivation to finish the job today is there but the body is failing me...

i'm struggling myself between alertness and drowsiness. the volume of my headphones are now to the fullest playing "wake up" by rage against the machine doing some flash animation...

...i wonder if the matrix movie is real...

discoursed by jeff @ 11:16 AM | 5 comment(s) | permalink

Sunday, March 13, 2005

decisive tactic

i thought i was going to be axed because i didn't go to work yesterday. the big boss called a meeting between him, my fellow noypi and me. he told us that one of us is going to be sent back home in the philippines...

...and he had fooled us.

instead, he rewarded us with a lump sum of money (the amount is huge :P) for doin' the great job. all i can say is... waw.

i'm thankful for the blessings from above. now, it keeps me more motivated to do the right job.

discoursed by jeff @ 8:05 PM | 13 comment(s) | permalink

Saturday, March 12, 2005

backtrack: birthdays

my sleep was less last week... most of the evenings spent jamming or just hanging around with other people's houses. btw, i didnt go to work today... i felt sick and i needed some rest.

friday:

wife of my old friend's birthday. if it was not for our friendship i would'nt be coming over because i was too tired from laundry, cleaning up the house, and less sleep... plus the haunting of jack daniel.

thursday:

another birthday party. i didn't knew the celebrant much but we're just here to play music (and consume their alcohol..hehehe). unlike last week, it's more fun.

happy birthday sheryl

the plert plert band with the chuwariwariwaps

wednesday:

this time we're ready. we've practiced hard (i guess) and we're prepped up for tomorrow's party.

praktis laaaaanggg!

discoursed by jeff @ 3:56 PM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

krriiing kriiinggg!

yey, i got my new phone last night and i have to tighten my budget for this...

...bluetooth is nifty. }:)

discoursed by jeff @ 2:28 PM | 1 comment(s) | permalink

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

salty

last night was a baaaad night. why?

first, i didn't go to burj al arab. someone urged me not to. then, japs didn't get his cash advance. lastly, bobby didn't got his mobo either. whaaaaat a night.

and we didn't finished the exorcist either. baaaaargh!

discoursed by jeff @ 11:15 PM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Monday, March 07, 2005

the seige

everything (at least on my part) was prepared for tomorrow's women's conference. the personnel were instruced, ordinance being accounted for, but the cavalry is missing. wtf wrong with these *()#$()#$*()#$ drivers? ano feeling nila, bossing?

anyhow, that's not my problem. they're gonna be the ones whose heads will be chopped off if the siege will not take place tonight. oh, the target?

burj al arab...

...and it's going to be my first time going inside to the world's first seven star and tallest hotel. hope i can get the camera tonight for souvenirs.

discoursed by jeff @ 5:37 PM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Sunday, March 06, 2005

toxicity

i've never felt this so wasted since i left manila. we have an upcoming conference this tuesday and everything was a rush job. first the three plasma tv screen ads, then the fax and mail invitation of a well-known processor company, and lastly, the redesign of the recently redesigned site.

...all in one day...

after work, i have to catch up with the blog and install the floppy drive.

busy, busy, busy.

discoursed by jeff @ 7:35 PM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Saturday, March 05, 2005

evil dead

when i was a kid, i was so scared of this movie. we watched the series(evil dead I, II and army of darkness) and i kept on laughing... effects was on par that time. now, its just like watching a clay movie(frame by frame shot).

anyway, its a good killing time... because jmerts borrowed my pc for a week in an exchange for a desktop casing and an optical mouse. good deal...hehehe

discoursed by jeff @ 8:13 PM | 1 comment(s) | permalink

Friday, March 04, 2005

in requiem

i just got the news when i visited to jaffliya that mohan passed away. he was our indian neighbor who gave us generous goodies when we're partying. he had a car accident near sharjah few weeks back. may he rest in peace.

in other news, japs, joel and i went to my aunt's place to check the room for rent. joel, a friend of japs who just came few weeks back from manila is looking for a new place to stay because his wife is also coming. they will take the room and close the deal. people connected.

afterwards we headed back to jap's place and fixed their network. yeah, i missed being the MIS guy. :P

ei euge, wassup? hehehe

discoursed by jeff @ 8:24 PM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Thursday, March 03, 2005

pictorial II

as promised, the continuation of the pictorial:

discoursed by jeff @ 2:37 PM | 1 comment(s) | permalink

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

pictorial

last night after having dinner at golden fork, we headed to jap's place for practice jam, chat and also a little show... pictorial.

it was supposed to be a speaker picture for a wedding of my friend. i made it a little bit 'humor' feel. and so we grabbed the white linen, black cloth and a charcoal pencil. japs made the makeup. i've added the shades just to add coolness a bit. japs made the shots.

we also did some other pictorial stuffs (kung-fu master tandems with cristo and ozzy osbourne) and rock-band-ala-cdcovers... it was fun. more pics to come.

...and i'm late this morning because we went home around 2am.

discoursed by jeff @ 2:37 PM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

The Dubai Chronicles