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.

nostalgia: halloween

first of all, i would like to greet happy birthday to my eldest brother, john, my cousin, ron, and my former colleague, luis. i envy the booze you're having right now (and i'm sure of it).

my brother and cousin's birthday were usually celebrated in the cemetery.

i remember when i was a kid, we left home around as early as nine in the evening and preparing to set camp on the cemetery till dawn of all saints' day. usually, my father was responsible in setting up the tents, seats and chairs (i'll explain later), and sanitation for us and other relatives who visited the crypts. to us, it's a mini-reunion where cousins updating each other's everyday blah-blahs and oldies do their regular hobbies, mahjongg (chinese poker?) or pusoy (pinoy card game).

our departed ones were situated in different places but we usually ended up in loyola cemetery in marikina. during this season, the cemetery looked like a woodstock concert where there are a lot of food stalls and vendors selling goods, tents pegged beside their loved one's epitaphs, loud music, chanting, praying and others...

i miss the days when we collect melted candles, do some prank calls over the ham radio or just strolling around. at sunrise, we leave at the cemetery and continue our reunion at a relative's place nearby.

years passed, a lot of our relatives migrated to some countries and after my father's death we seldom do this tradition.

discoursed by jeff @ 7:09 PM | 7 comment(s) | permalink

hate leads to anger, anger leads to suffering

i was inspired how a fellow blogger kept her cool inspite of being attacked from sort-of negative comments. almost a year ago, i was also been attacked with a similar flaming. naturally, i reacted (my apologies for other people's harsh comments) but instead of contradicting it, i think it over and over again and explain things why im doing that.

i've been observing the pinoy blogsphere (foreign as well) and things are not going well, where some fellow bloggers do mudslinging and fire-throwing comments on each other. i kept silent for that might add fuel to the burning disagreements. it's normal to argue and express what's your point of view but you say it in a pleasant, subtle way. you might disagree with me on this... we can rant about it on our own blog yes, but be responsible on what we say.

we're not perfect nor saint. it's just there's no right and wrong in their own opinions...

my final answer to this is... world peace!

out of the box: for those whose names have "ñ" i.e. señor, señorito, niño, doña, and españa, etsetera etsetera. type "ñ" in your posts instead alt+164 (alt+164 also works but not a w3c compliant).

discoursed by jeff @ 6:07 PM | 5 comment(s) | permalink

Saturday, October 29, 2005

portraiture

i have a weakness in taking photographs and portraiture is one of them. im afraid of capturing the people's emotion, fearing that they might get angry or disappointed. i don't have the pr touch that's why i prefer capturing landscapes, architecture or still life.

from yesterday's photography class in dubai creek

shutter speed: 1/40 sec, aperture: f/5, iso: 200, focal length: 34mm, manual setting

somehow when they see me photographing them and they allowed me to, i felt inspired and happiness doing the best i could to grasp what he/she portrays.

discoursed by jeff @ 8:49 PM | 6 comment(s) | permalink

Friday, October 28, 2005

unexpected visitor

after my laundry and having dinner, i received a call from amor dagdag, the guy behind from dspc for a little chit chat and later on dropping by at our place.

he visited our pad just to see how things were going and just to kill time. we showed some of the pics we've taken and vice versa. we also talked about what happened to who and why happened to what... among other things. japs and i also found out that our acquaintances are interconnected to each other like my friend T is a member to his and this and that...

finishing his last shot of vodka, he suddenly invited us to come with him in his assignment in grand habtoor in dubai marina to see what's the latest gig. out of the blue we agreed since it's a "weekend" holiday for us (unfortunately not for bob).

sometimes the unplanned gig usually went green light rather than planned ones.

first stop: grand habtoor in dubai marina

shutter speed: 2 sec, aperture: f/4.5, iso: 400, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

we went in leaving our tripods in the car. while waiting for amor doing his job taking photogaphs of people in the place, we decided to stay by the pool. instead of tripods, we used wooden chairs/beds used for sunbathing as armrests and shooting subjects using timer.

later on we headed to madinat jumeirah and went inside to one of the hippiest bars (forgot the name) there. this time we brought our tripod. upon entering, at first we were quite shy due to overwhelming crowd of pretty chicks (sorry hunnie, just looking...no touch!) and yummy dudes. i must say it's quite an experience going inside just like that but we went there for one reason, learning photography. while doing his routine, we focused on the architecture. we never had a chance for a nice spot before and thankfully this guy gave us a break in getting this opportunity.

having a nice spot, i present to you madinat jumeirah with burj al arab on the background.

shutter speed: .8 sec, aperture: f/3.5, iso: 400, focal length: 21mm, manual setting

we made some candid and serious shots as well till our batteries (im referring to our energies) go down and drained.

thanks ser amor for the opportunity and experience. we're in for some more action in the near future!

now see what japs has to say.

discoursed by jeff @ 2:58 AM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Thursday, October 27, 2005

id?

morning became a busy day for us in the office (in my case, it's our team). we went over to media city first to check out the tv commercial. they told us it was finished but the moment we arrived, they're fuzzing about... running to and fro. so we stayed an hour more and informed the next meeting in jebel ali that we're arriving late.

after getting dissapointed an the commercial, we headed for jebel ali and talk about the watch(tic-tock) event but it screwed the day even worse. the driver missed the intersection in the freeway and we had to travel miles just to go back or divert to another road. diverted, we stopped by to a different free zone gate.

they required a gate pass.

and so we told the guards that we're late for the meeting and that we need to go to blah-blah so forth and so on.

"do you have id?" asked the guard.

"we do," said by my colleague. he gave his labour and driving license cards.

"this is not an id."

"then what id do you require?" getting pissed and opening his wallet full of identification cards.

"this one." guard pointing at the business card.

we all looked at each other, very confused. since when did the business card became an id? anyhow, after the confusing encounter we were able to meet up with the client and things went very well. since i'm the creative guy on the team, i asked them to borrow the product they wanted to launch.

they handed over to us the watch. they told us that this watch is the limited edition collection and ninety three pieces of that type only exist. it's a 18k solid gold matched with diamonds and costs a whopping dhs22k (the price may go higher) per piece.

wow, back at home you can probably buy a second-hand car or setup a mini business but still i can play around the product for the whole saturday as a subject and needed for marketing collaterals.

discoursed by jeff @ 11:26 PM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

carried away

after popping some ponstan against my headache and eating ice cream leftovers, we decided to watch a movie. scouring for dvds i chose to watch the english version of the ring 2.

english counterpart is no match to it's predecessor, ringu, ringu2 and baasudei (birthday). when i was in manila, i watched baasudei during at night, alone in our living room. i didn't finished it the moment i saw her first victim...

it became a week's nightmare. it scared the hell out of me. as tribute, we made our own versions...

i'm still looking for the japanese versions and can't wait to watch it again... don't stop.

don't stop.

note: check out the jap version

discoursed by jeff @ 9:26 PM | 7 comment(s) | permalink

is it hard to tell the truth?

an officemate of mine sent me while i was rushing the two ads for upcoming meeting tomorrow. while waiting for the heavy laden file saving, i browsed it to see what other people are smiling about.

just wanted to share:

This is specially for guys...learn How to fool YOUR wife???

A lady tells her husband to go to the store to buy some vegetables. He walks down to the store only to find it closed. So he goes into a nearby bar to use the vending machine. At the bar he sees a beautiful woman and starts talking to her. They have a couple of beers and one thing lead to another and they end up in her apartment. After a while, he realizes its 3 PM and says, "Oh no, its so late, my wife's going to kill me. Have you got any talcum powder?" She gives him some talcum powder, which he proceeds to rub on his hands and then he goes home. His wife is waiting for him in the doorway and she is pretty angry.

"Where the hell have you been?" "Well, honey, it's like this. I went to the store like you asked, but they were closed. So I went to the bar to use the vending machine. I saw this great looking girl there and we had a few drinks and one thing led to another."

"Oh yeah? Let me see your hands!" She sees his hands are covered with powder and says..."You God damn liar!!! You were playing billiards again!!!"

Moral of the story:

Always tell your wife the truth. She won't believe you anyway.
At least your conscience is clear

white lies, white lies.

my head is like being pounded by a wrecking ball... ta-ta for now.

discoursed by jeff @ 5:55 PM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

Monday, October 24, 2005

walk at sunset 2

after yesterday's walk, it's time to take another route... the backside view of the emirates towers. japs and i rendezvoused in our office and walked to find some suitable shots.

due to a lot of pictures posted recently which take a heavy toll on dialups, i'll upload one or two of the shots we've taken (and hopefully upload new galleries from past sessions).

shutter speed: 1/125 sec, aperture: f/4, iso: 100, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

see also the merging pointed skyscrapers and the intersection.

it is also the start of blog collaboration between me and japs since he started his new career in blogosphere. check it out what he has to say about the urban trekking.

discoursed by jeff @ 11:18 PM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

the idea

this artwork was originally conceptualized from dwg discussion which i was supposed to submit last night. there were topics which we will think of slogan or whatever to that topic. in this case, we're tackling about equality and discrimination.

my explanation to this idea was we should not describe each individual by their color or race but as a real person whatever differences or culture he/she possess. from this point of view, i illustrated the familiar toilet signage, male and female wherein male is heading the "grey area"... not black nor white.

i made also another artwork, two types but same concept for the other topic which is driving safety here in uae. in the recent years, accidents and casualties in the streets are rising. same as the equality thing, we have to devise an idea for this.

you can check this first then another version.

discoursed by jeff @ 10:46 PM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Sunday, October 23, 2005

walk at sunset

after work, although sleepy from yesterday's gimmick, i decided to take a little walk along the stretch of sheikh zayed road and practice photography. based on last friday's lesson, i took advantage of sunset, which is one of the best moments to capture a photograph.

unfortunately, i possess only a standard 18-55mm efs lens that i cannot capture the closeup of sunset over the mosque (although i've tried it but ineffective). and so i've taken the closeup shot when the sun was almost beneath the horizon.

mosque in al wasl area

shutter speed: 1/2 sec, aperture: f/4.5, iso: 200, focal length: 33mm, manual setting

backside of sheikh zayed road

shutter speed: 1.3 sec, aperture: f/4, iso: 200, focal length: 28mm, manual setting

after the session, i was suppose to attend a dubai writer's meeting near the area but i was too tired to attend and i have some other engagements. busy bee...

zuruzuru zuru zuru.

discoursed by jeff @ 10:13 PM | 3 comment(s) | permalink

the noodle incident

last friday, we went to the outdoor photography class of dsp club, a club of filipino photo enthusiasts for the first time in dubai creek. after the three-hour lecture and controlled fasting (we're not allowed to eat outside till sunset), we headed to karama for food binge.

the gang opt for chowking in karama center. it's been a long time not eating this dimsum store. aside from the foreign crew, the menu was almost the same (of course no pork). when i was in manila, my mobile (sound and lights) partners and i used to go to chowking after a gig because it is open 24 hours and just outside our village premises. the average visit in chowking that time was 3 - 6 times per week.

but now i can't even taste braised beef in a bowl...

it's ok though since i've been eating that dish and almost cursing it that time. what i missed in chowking was siopao asado match with wanton noodle soup.

shutter speed: .8 sec, aperture: f/4.5, iso: 100, focal length: 18mm, manual setting

though it cost more than in the philippines (wanton: dhs12, siopao: 6dhs), it was worth the treat... mond's treat that is. hehe.

discoursed by jeff @ 12:53 AM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

open beach

after hours of working and letting the sunset pass by, my roomies and i went to the jumeirah open beach. there are a lot of open beaches along the coastline of dubai but we headed between dubai dry docks and jumeirah 1.

there were few people who went for swim. some are just playing football or jogging along the fine sands. we just went there to relax. the weather is getting cooler, wind breezy and water (of course, salty) is clear and somewhat lukewarm.

my officemate and her friend also came for a brief chit-chat and photos. due to a lot of pics taken, i'll post some of the nice ones and the others to my gallery section...

one of the food/refreshment stalls

shutter speed: 1/6 sec, aperture: f/5, iso: 1600, focal length: 34mm, manual setting

ala charlie's angels

shutter speed: 1/3 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 1600, focal length: 53mm, manual setting

after the swim and photography, we were very hungry and fought over the big part of the roasted chicken...

and finally, japs was influenced and conceived a new blog. welcome to the blogosphere, plert plert.

discoursed by jeff @ 12:20 AM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Friday, October 21, 2005

family portrait

for the very first time, me and my room mates were in complete attendance. the group picture was framed... literally.

discoursed by jeff @ 9:26 AM | 10 comment(s) | permalink

Thursday, October 20, 2005

sweet temptation

leftovers... what to do? take photos of them.

we used madel (wooden model) to be our umm... well... model. japs and i setup our workstation area into a mini studio with paper and flourescent lighting. after that, we start point and shooting with the subjects.

my version:

shutter speed: 1/5 sec, aperture: f/5.6, iso: 100, focal length: 50mm, manual setting

shutter speed: 1 sec, aperture: f/5, iso: 100, focal length: 25mm, manual setting

japs version:

shutter speed: 1/30 sec, aperture: f/2, iso: 100, focal length: 11mm, manual setting

shutter speed: 1/80 sec, aperture: f/4, iso: 100, focal length: 27mm, manual setting

after an hour of continuous snapping photographs, we got hungry...

and decided to eat the subjects (excluding madel of course).

yummy!

discoursed by jeff @ 8:05 PM | 6 comment(s) | permalink

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

ghost that teases

i had my anime watching mania as well for two nights already after the "holiness" and "unholiness" session. i downloaded some of the sought top anime movies of all time and this includes ghost in the shell.

while watching this cerebral cyberpunk drama (which eventually got bored and didn't finish it) i've noticed one notable icon...

the thing in the red circle was a filipino product called san miguel pale pilsen. in short, my favorite beer.

the lady cyborg is also having the local booze.

f**k. now this movie is teasing me. they're drinking my beer and i don't have any.

discoursed by jeff @ 10:47 PM | 11 comment(s) | permalink

the logos (part ii)

next batch of the logos for this week's work...

a. interior designing
b. automobile and traffic
c. import and export
d. customer care and service
e. school of leadership

a, b, c are part of the twenty conferences. d and e are separate ones (which of course not branded as the same types).

what do you think?

discoursed by jeff @ 8:05 PM | 0 comment(s) | permalink

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

the four horsemen

after watching of "holiness" movies of jesus of nazareth, the ten commandments and the passion of christ for three consecutive nights, finally my download of mtv icon's metallica was finished.

i was intrigued by the partial movie clip featuring korn performing and justice for all's one, i decided to download the whole thing. the feature was quite old (2003) and i haven't seen mtv show for a very long time (i'm craving for cable connection here).

the show was some sort of revelation of the band on why jason newstead (former bassist) left the band, james hetfield's (lead vocalist) alcohol addiction and rehab, their ups and downs and future redemption. what i'm watching for is the other band's performance of their songs.

blink 182's opening number of enter sandman was good. staind's nothing else matters was lacking due to shortened acoutic version. avril lavigne's version of fuel is ok as long as she doesn't scream (imagine a cheerleader chanting,"gimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme that which i desire!")... that's her. snoop dogg's rap/sing of sad but true was a disaster... but it made james, lars ulrich (drummer), kirk hammett (guitarist), and the new bassist rob trujillo to smile about. korn's one was a blast. limp bizkit's sanitarium is ok at first but somehow it made a good song bad.

i've been an avid fan of metallica since the first time i heard their self-titled album metallica during my secondary school years. from then i start collecting each and every album of theirs and memorizing some of their lyrics as well.

there are good bands out there, old and new... and metallica is just simply rock.

discoursed by jeff @ 10:37 PM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

Monday, October 17, 2005

final fantasy 7: advent children

note: some readers might think it's a spoiler. don't worry, it's not.

scene from the movie

if you have watched final fantasy: the spirits within and you've played the game version of final fantasy vii, you'll get to relate the movie so easily but if you're just a regular movie junkie and didn't seen or played it before, i suggest that you listen and watch it very closely else you'll get confused. i didn't play the game but i've watched the "prequel" that i was also lost a bit with the plot that takes place.

first half of the movie introduced a number of characters and their agendas. the other half, well of course, is where the real action starts. i got a copy on a japanese format with an english subtitle. sometimes, the subtitles are lacking substance on what they are really what has to say (but then again i don't speak nihonggo).

about the graphics, if you've seen spirits within and awe-struck by it's cg-ness (especially the hair), you'll be enjoying with this one. the details, the fight scenes, the camera angles, lighting, etc... superb. be warned though, that the camera movements are very fast that makes the matrix fight scenes become a quite slow-mo.

overall, i'll rate this baby a 4 out of 5 due to slow info awareness to the regular movie goer but spent on ala matrix-dragonball and of course spirits within environment plus a thumbs up musical soundtrack to make you feel the action.

watch this. i insist.

discoursed by jeff @ 4:40 PM | 9 comment(s) | permalink

Sunday, October 16, 2005

poetic rant

see the full story here.

everyday i've been reading the free tabloid 7days during mornings. i usually entertained by the rants, praises and frustrations of people living here. i noticed this particular comment with regards to street racing in their area.

if she wants to amuse the reader, well to be honest for me she did it. it's like watching the f1 racing. unfortunately, posting it to the newspaper using reverse psychology might not work.

i admire her creativity but if she want the authorities to understand her complaint, tell it straight to the point.

discoursed by jeff @ 5:50 PM | 4 comment(s) | permalink

Saturday, October 15, 2005

barter deal

do you want to have a barter deal with designers like me? i got this from our web designer's network mailing list. check this out.

for the record, i don't do this kind of service. :)

discoursed by jeff @ 3:29 PM | 5 comment(s) | permalink

Friday, October 14, 2005

connected

at long last, our pad is online with dsl connection. thanks to isp people who didn't show up as supposed to be, i was able to help myself to connect the wires to our router and configure wireless connection to our pcs.

talk about customer service...

now we're hooked (actually, wi-fied), i've bought a webcam and a usb hub from al ain center at dhs50 for future use.

it's time to work on a friend's blog as scheduled...

discoursed by jeff @ 1:03 AM | 3 comment(s) | permalink

Thursday, October 13, 2005

randomness

i was tagged by my vector-artist friend, tet.

here are the 20 random facts about me:

1. a guy who uses a "busy tone" ringing tone on his mobile
2. a techie freak
3. a member of philippine web designers network (philweavers)
4. an amateur photographer who loves to experiment new perspectives
5. a person who don't know how to draw by hand but knows how to draw by mouse
6. street smart wise-guy
7. a mp3, art and pr0n collector
8. used to be a dj, canteen supervisor, and mis officer
9. my start up page in my browser is "about: blank"
10. i love war machines and tactics but hated the one who started it
11. i love anything japanese
12. i've been out of the country for the second time (hong kong first)
13. i believe that there's a God but i don't go to church
14. i'm a movie and design critic
15. anything extreme except the heights
16. suplado sa personal but when known better...
17. not a fashion conscious-type
18. right eye: 275, left eye: 175 and wears contact lenses
19. i love my wife, mayi, and my kids, miles and julia so much
20. i feel homesick bigtime.

you can syndicate this meme for those who thinks randomly...

discoursed by jeff @ 9:08 AM | 3 comment(s) | permalink

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

the logos (part i)

there ya go, things are moving between my brain, sight and my hands. i've revised the first two logos into an eye-candy colors instead of flat ones. here are the first batch of logos for the conferences:

1. dates and palm
2. agriculture and fisheries
3. natural disaster readiness
4. construction
5. yacht lovers

a less clipart-ish but more into iconic types (which will be used later on).

five down, fifteen to go!

discoursed by jeff @ 4:02 PM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

dubai: the movie recap

dubai: the movie, is the story of two pinoy brothers trying to fulfill their dreams in the mid-east. starring aga muhlach, john lloyd cruz, and claudine barreto, the movie gets complicated when ralph's (aga) younger brother, andrew (john lloyd) came to dubai and accidentally met faye (claudine) which she was the former girlfriend of ralph. it was a love triangle which i won't elaborate for further spoilers.

as always for technicalities, i am a critic. these what i've noticed in the movie:

- ralph's job is a courier for a forwarding (shipping) cargo service. he usually carry balikbayan boxes as if he's carrying books. we pinoys usually packed our stuffs and imagine a jumbo-sized box filled with stuffs such as canned goods, clothing, electronics...

- andrew is new to the city and yet he was able to drive few days after his arrival. ok he can get away with an international license of some sort, still you have to get a temporary driver's license to accredited countries (in which philippines is not part of it). worse thing was, he has the guts to take a carlift service where you use your private vehicle for taxi purposes and it's illegal, by the way. dubai is small compared to metro manila but you cannot memorize the roads in a few months time due to lot of runabouts, u-turns, interchanges, underground passages, etc.

also if you drive here illegally and had an accident, chances are you'll end up either dead or in jail (i think). plus a critically injured person can lift himself from the hospital bed and needed a hug? love and care instantly gone from fractures and hemorrhage...

- repetitions. the movie was close to become "canada" instead of the name itself. from the start of movie (which i had a hangover from "basically" word), vaguely, i started counting those two words... canada got 21 and dubai 23.

a very close match.

- there were few real topics were mentioned in the movie such as pregnancy, crab mentality, carlift, jobs, and not to forget the sceneries. if you've seen our photographs, chances are you will be seeing them again and this time in reel format.

overall, i'll give it a 3 out of 5 rating. it touched me and lisaperts already shed tears first before i shed mine and retracted my emote-ness but still it relates to our lives here. i remembered what aga has said to the movie, "if you place a filipino any place in the world..."

"still a filipino." wahahaha!

discoursed by jeff @ 11:54 PM | 13 comment(s) | permalink

Monday, October 10, 2005

brain fryer

my mind's stir-fried already from analyzing and conceptualizing to make new logos. i've been trying to brand these logos for upcoming conferences... similar in a way that they belong to a one body but different topics... all twenty of them.

so far, here's the two new logos approved.

software used: adobe illustrator cs

1. palm and dates conference
2. construction conference

it looks clipart-ish, but i have to minimize colors because these twenty logos will be put together or serve as icons.

argh, i hate making logos!

discoursed by jeff @ 4:36 PM | 3 comment(s) | permalink

Sunday, October 09, 2005

sunrise opportunity

never disturb a newly-woke up guy

shutter speed: 1/50sec, aperture: f2.3, iso: 100, focal length: 24mm, manual focus

he might eat you for breakfast... hehehe. i savored my late riser during ramadan. instead of a eight thirty office work, it was moved to nine... temporarily.

discoursed by jeff @ 9:09 AM | 7 comment(s) | permalink

Saturday, October 08, 2005

what to eat after the daytime fasting?

one big, hefty pizza slice for dinner!

discoursed by jeff @ 10:09 PM | 1 comment(s) | permalink

Thursday, October 06, 2005

stubbed out

shutter speed: 1/25sec, aperture: 4.0, iso: 100, focal length: 25mm, manual focus

i don't know if this is true that if you smoke a stick of ciggie, it will deduct five minutes of your life. the only fact i know is that cigarette smoking kills. yeah, so with alcohol, drugs, and other vices.

kanya kanyang trip lang yan, they say.

i used to trip these sticks of tobacco and sometimes cigars. tripping became an addiction, almost a pack or two a day or so. i felt like the "cool" type dude to the crowd.

i was wrong.

few years back i was diagnosed with few pulmonary problems (to the fact that i was asthmatic during my childhood years) and it gave me a "bang" in the head... a wake up call.

gradually, i lessen my ciggie habits till to the full stop. i admit, sometimes, i light up a stick whenever i feel very full from eating, depressed, or looking for some creativity (some writers and artists do these too).

after these months, i finally declared myself quit... so it's time for me to celebrate and light up the weed.. hehehe. just kidding!

discoursed by jeff @ 12:56 PM | 11 comment(s) | permalink

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

accident at 4pm

i was wondering at that time on why our colleagues are looking out on the window. i thought first was just another car dent accident along sheikh zayed road. by the moment i peeked the whole-bodied window, i saw a man lying on the ground with people scattered about.

i rushed to get my camera and headed to conference room to do my shots.

he's been lying for more than five minutes (to the fact that my colleagues were staring on the window too long)... no one's helping him except his co-workers. big b was there, calling for an ambulance.

based on sequence of events and time:

according to my colleagues who went down to see, he was sideswiped in the head by a truck. blood gushed all over him.

the victim was part of the team who had meeting with big b few minutes ago.

10 minutes later, a pick-up truck came. traffic from jebel ali to dubai was heavy and maybe it's the cause. first aid was present.

few moments later, the police came.

finally, after few more minutes, the big ambulance arrived.

he was put on to the stretcher, unconscious and most probably with head injuries.

...i just wished he will survive.

discoursed by jeff @ 4:44 PM | 5 comment(s) | permalink

Monday, October 03, 2005

unpacked for oblivion

i've just bought a box of sunmaid raisins (dhs2) from the grocery. i'll be munching it for snacks in the afternoon and i am very fond of eating them. :P

shutter speed: f1/13sec, aperture: f3.5, iso: 100, focal length: 22mm, manual focus

i got tipsy finishing the big box when i was a kid. hehehe...

discoursed by jeff @ 2:45 PM | 2 comment(s) | permalink

hand gestures

shutter speed: 1/40, aperture: 5.0, iso: 400, focal length: 31mm, manual focus

the picture above connotes that you should wait for a while or be careful. fingers formed pear-shaped are moved up and down like weighing an object at your palm. these are a common sight here. it also may be accompanied with curses from the person who is really pissed.

one time, it amused me looking at a guy waiting in a sidewalk, angry and talking on a cellphone, throwing off a lot of hand gestures in the air like he's really talking to the person face to face. after few minutes he used his hands again, this time to demonstrate directions (maybe telling the person on the other line where to go).

i hope the other guy on the phone will see what he's expressing...

thru my observation, most of the mid-eastern and south asian nationalities are expressive with their hands. i've been riding a cab for almost everyday and i noticed when the drivers, usually answering calls whilst driving, using gestures... one hand on the phone, the other fluttering away.

quite fascinating, especially when you're travelling around 100kph...

discoursed by jeff @ 12:00 PM | 3 comment(s) | permalink

Sunday, October 02, 2005

repetitious

maybe we're just bored. my colleague and i were counting the word "basically" spoken by an another colleague of mine for 22nd time this day...

we have different styles, yes but hearing or seeing the same word over and over again is kinda gives you a numb feeling. when i was in manila, i recalled my buddy's love letter message he wrote which i accidentally opened from my computer and read it.

you can call me the bad guy here but i can't stop laughing the moment i've read it.

here is an excerpt as far as i can remember (mostly written in tagalog language):

hi ***** loves,

kamusta na ikaw dyan loves? alam mo loves, miss na miss na kita loves. right now loves, mag uumaga na dito loves pero loves hindi ako makatulog loves sa kakaisip sayo loves...

guess how many "loves" in the part of the love letter message he wrote? it's only a fraction of the love letter message he wrote...

wait, did i repeat what i've just said?

discoursed by jeff @ 3:31 PM | 4 comment(s) | permalink

Saturday, October 01, 2005

oktoberfest na

this will be the san mig beer month throughout philippines where parties on key locations were being held... beer flowing in bars and restos for an affordable price... and don't forget to mention babes and dudes gettin' drunk and looked wasted.

i will be celebrating oktoberfest without the san mig...

just with some cheap local vodka, heineken or bud, or just plain fresh milk.

i miss the pale pilsen... oh well.

discoursed by jeff @ 5:07 PM | 9 comment(s) | permalink

The Dubai Chronicles