At every single birthday, I reminisce about the day, the moment that each of my children were born. It does sound gruesome and icky for the most part but it’s my own way of cherishing a wondrous moment of both my life and that of a newborn offspring.
This year’s birthday for my youngest is bittersweet; this year he turns 13. *sigh*
It seems like a lifetime ago now but we recently visited Georgia for the first time. Georgia the country in Europe, not Georgia the state in America. It’s one of the Eurasian countries where Filipinos can travel without requiring a visa, that is if you have a valid residence visa in the UAE, which we have. Yay! We are allowed to visit visa-free for up to 90 days. We only needed a few days so that was great for us. In fact, there were quite a few Filipino holiday-makers in the same flight as ours. Why not take advantage of visa-free travel, yes?
We’re going back to London tonight! It will be a very different place from the last time that we visited in August. We’re packing layers and hats and gloves and an umbrella. We expect to shiver down to our toes and we will love it. We have a jam-packed itinerary for the few days that we are there including a trip to a magical place. So excited about that one.
The UAE will have a long weekend from tonight so I hope everyone has a wonderful time, whatever you are doing. Enjoy and see you on the other side.
A belated but heartfelt thanks to everyone who made my birthday a special day.
My family for the phone calls, private messages, silly Facebook posts (yes, I’m looking at you, Bee!) and virtual and real hugs.
My work colleagues for the birthday card, the cake which I shared with fellow November babies, Josica especially for the roses and the homemade tiramisu.
My friends online and offline who remembered the day and sent messages throughout the day; having friends in all time zones mean I celebrate my birthday well over 24 hours. Thank you all.
Another year over, another year wiser I hope. Looking forward to the challenges of the year ahead and making new memories and achieving more life goals.
Salamat x
This is how much difference three years make!
June 2012, Ras Al Khaimah
Aug 2015, London
Living in the UAE for the past 20 years, some people we know assume that we know everything about this place. It has been steadily, sometimes exponentially, growing since we arrived here. It is darn hard to keep up with everything! There’s a new restaurant popping up every week and even more shopping malls at every corner. I exaggerate of course, but there is some truth in that.
And don’t even start with brunches! The entire country goes on brunches at the weekend! Some only go to boozy brunches and hardly eat so that’s a waste of food. I remember about 15 years ago when the biggest thing about brunch in Dubai was the 12-hour affair at the JW Marriott in Deira. Now that was a marathon brunch if there ever was one. We rarely do brunch now, and if we do, we try to find something which does not make it look like a waste. And that is what we did a couple of weekends ago.
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At the Grotto, Baguio City, December 2013
Tagaytay City, December 2014
My baby turns 12 today.
That means no more child’s rate for airline tickets or hotel rooms. That’s one year away from being a teenager. The next 12 months will be the last of his childhood. But he will always, always be my baby.
