when the Choc Nut and Christmas islander blogs within the breeze of the Gulf

(Fronting St. Joseph Church. Taken during my first week in UAE)

That night I was fetched from Abu Dhabi airport, one of the things that caught my attention were the date palm trees. These seemed like parading and accessorizing a grand entrance in the streets. “At least it is not all sand here as I expected”, I bravely did kid the driver. I think I was subconsciously engrossed with these trees, evidenced by the number of photos I took at different occasions since the day I laid eyes on them.

At the heart of Elektra Street in June 2008, that was the first time I saw its fruits covered by green nets, just like the way that some of the mangoes are covered in the Philippines. “Those are Arabian dates”, a colleague confirmed.

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(Taken in September 2008 during Ramadan in Al Wahda Mall)

I’m a Catholic but I’ve started reading selected sections of Quoran when a colleague volunteered a copy from her brother who is an Imam. It’s not forsaking but respecting one’s faith and/or religion. Since I’ve been living in UAE for over a year now, it’s important to know where they (the locals) are coming from.

This is my entry for this week’s Photo Hunt.

(Photo originally uploaded here)

Optimism is contagious. Sometimes the mere presence of a person or his/her aura cheers us enough. Although physical beauty is delightful to the eyes, I think it gets passe in a minute or so. I prefer to be and be with those oozing with positivity. Scents certainly can influence the mood. It’s been a week since I’ve rested (Lacoste’s) Inspiration and tried a couple of awesome scents from Life Amulets Shoppe in Etsy. Positivity is more in the air since I got Relaxation (Potion No. 2) and Confidence (Potion No. 4), all natural and handmade fragrance.

This is not a sponsored post. I just thought that this is something worthsharing. Life Amulets are a wonderful venture by Maidapaypay and Oodles of Goodles. I’m especially hooked to the scent of Relaxation. I spray a little amount to my pillow at night. This is one of the reasons why I’m having a good night sleep. On the other hand, I use Confidence before battling a meeting or in the middle of finishing a deadline and I’d feel like superwoman.

Scents of Romance, Attention, Joy and Creativity are also available. Any of these positivity scents will be a charming gift and/or helpful for personal use. Visit their shoppe here.

I love chocolates as early as I can remember. Surprisingly, my teeth grew favorably. Almost similar to sorting the book titles and covers while in a bookstore, doing a chocolate run never fails to cheer me. Early on, I have manifested fondness of doing this run. When I was much younger, my late grandmother asked me to look after her sari sari store. And after an hour, the goyas and Cloud 9 (for retail) were all sold out – to my mouth. Also, whenever we would pass by to a certain area in Cainta , I would boldly sniff the aroma coming from Serg’s factory. “I’m going to be a factory worker there someday”, I wished.

My version of chocolate run these days is going to the chocolate section of the supermarket, primarily to check what’s new. But most of the time is consumed in comparing the labels, ingredients, and occasional sniffing. Just like what I do whenever I’d come to Lindt subsection. Few weeks ago, I bought several Madagascar and Chilli Darks. I personally prefer dark chocolate because it has more cacao and less sugar. The darker, the better. Although Meiji’s black choco is my ultimate favorite, I instantly liked Chilli Dark for its soothing spice as it melts.

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I think we/I overate last night that I thought my tummy was going to explode. I was confident that I mastered the art of eating when I had a five-hour lunch in Bale Dutung during the Ultimate Kapampangan Tour last December. Maybe I was too regaled by (unintentional) eavesdropping to diners analysis of sex videos of you know who, that I forgot the techniques of gluttony. Kidding. Diners were so at home exchanging views about this issue. I felt like a minority because aside from that I was only thinking that it is a bad time for Atty. Adel Tamano to be associated with the lady wellness consultant, I have no much personal concerns. But I suddenly remembered Vicky Belo’s charming sisters who became my buddies during a tour. Moreso, my mind was flying to Farm Town. I only got to play a few minutes during the weekend.

Chowking in Abu Dhabi is alone in this area that it is now tantamount to being UAE’s Max’s. I have not visited Chowking when I vacationed several months ago. Hence, I have no idea if kare kare, sinigang na hipon and seafood platter are really part of their menu or just here. We also had their traditional chicken supreme (best to settle with this when you are craving for Jollibee’s chickenjoy), and of course halo halo for dessert. I do not know if it is just me, but I find Chowking’s halo halo not too beautiful. It is attractive on top, but after that it no longer makes sense. You probably figured out that I only ate the toppings. Or maybe, I am just too loyal to Razon’s of Guagua halo halo. It is served simply but more beautiful all throughout. It is the best halo halo ever.