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Catholic churches in Penang, Malaysia
(Clockwise: Churches of Saint Francis, Saint George, of the Assumption, Saint Anne)

We are still cheered in thoughts about our last minute decision of traveling to Penang despite the ifs and buts (like staying there for only a few days). It is a long story, but yes, we spent the Holy Week in this island prominent for its representation of East and West (claimed to be one of the 10 islands that one should explore before he dies).  Although after a short stay, it marked more on me as “one of my weakest spots” (read:  food heaven).

Old St. Anne Church, Penang, Malaysia
(Old Saint Anne Sanctuary)

While Holy Week in the Philippines is literally more colorful, it was a rare chance for us to have observed the remembrance of holy days in a more serene and reflective manner, minus the traditional procession in my hometown. The best part is that we spent it with a very dear relative (more than a sibling to me) who is based there alone. So, it is a win-win presence in both camps.

Peranakan Mansion, Penang, Malaysia

Staying in Penang for few days sounds unreasonable. Yes, I agree, but it is amenable. With my limitations of being away from work, I grabbed the chance as soon as it presented itself.  I do not want to discuss in details how much effort it took to take the needed break. But at this point, I am just more than grateful that I jumped in this whirlwind trip because it recharged my batteries in many aspects. If only we had enough time, we could have taken one of those flights to Thailand due to its proximity to this island.

George town World Heritage, Penang, Malaysia

We really had a great time in the island and I cannot wait to share how enriching the experience was. Enjoy the photos for the time being.

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Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque framed, Abu Dhabi, UAE

I lost count of all the important personalities (the most recent was Queen Elizabeth) and intent whirlwind visitors who made Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque a must-see and experience in their UAE trip. Hence, when I finally saw it in person I cannot believe that it took me four years (yay! I’m soon celebrating another Abu-versary) to experience the charm and validate on my own the record-breaking details of THE mosque.

Thanks to my aunt who visited us in the overlapping momentous months of September and October last year. She made me list down the stuff which might interest her which paved way for discovery and re-discovery of UAE gems.

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE

(The grand mosque features 80 domes,  1,096 columns in exterior and 96 columns in the main prayer hall which are embedded with more than 20,000 handmade marble panels with semi-precious stones.)

The third largest mosque in the world. We visited the grand mosque in October of last year.  There were plenty of visitors that weekend, however, we didn’t feel the need to queue or be negated by the thought of influx. Well, the grand mosque is hugeeeeee! Imagine that its size (more than 20,000 square metres) is equal to five (5) football fields. To sum up the capacity in terms of total number of worshippers, it can accommodate 40,960 people. Let me clarify though that the sum is based on the capacity of the entire mosque. The nerd in me wanted to create a pie chart to better illustrate how many worshippers it can house in the different prayer halls and court yard.

(L) My aunt in Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque when she visited UAE in October 2011; (R) Footwear must be removed before entering the main hall
(L) My aunt covered by the traditional UAE dress* (abaya); We were teasing her that she’s got a teen spirit look here even if she’s already a senior citizen. I think that the grandeur of the open prayer hall and the wind contributed to the look.  (R) Visitors are required to remove the footwear before entering the main hall.

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At a glance: September to October 2011

August 23, September 23… two of my preceding posts were logged coincidentally on a 23rd. I never thought that I can be absent from blogosphere that long. Anyway, I’m sort of affirming, as the title of this post says, “to pick things up” including the bloghopping part soon. I realized that my attempts the past months were not enough. While things are overwhelming at work and off work, it’s in a nice way and I’m doing really well. I just sometimes wish that we can freeze a moment and/or have more than 24 hours in a day. I’m probably one of the happiest people with this long break brought by Eid celebrations because I finally had the chance to catch up on sleep and savour few hours of lazy days (*points to the specific lyrics of Bruno Mars’ song*).

I have a handful of pending posts, i.e. not even in draft form, the memories are just all written in my head and heart. I don’t know if I should deal with those on a first in, first out (FIFO) or last in, first out (LIFO) basis. Randomness is good at certain times!

  1. My closest aunt stayed with us during her almost 2-month visit to UAE. We shed a gallon of tears that day we brought her to the airport.  We got to re-visit and visit new places in the UAE as we showed her around. Having her with us was an enriching experience for so many reasons. It took us some time to be back to normalcy since every bit of things reminded of her. My mother is probably visiting us next year so we must get used to bittersweet farewells.
  2. Tasted a camelcinno (that’s cappuccino with camel milk) for the first time!
  3. Another first – wore sheila and abaya (UAE’s national dress for women) when we visited Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
  4. Screamed at Ferarri World.
  5. Had my second godchild (yehey to ninanghood!) in the UAE
  6. Started setting up our Christmas tree (the bokeh below).
  7. Got our buy 1, take 1 (many thanks to a friend!) F1 tickets. After-race performers from November 11 to 13 will be Britney Spears, Incubus, The Cult, and Sir Paul McCartney. It’s been a year since the Kanye West, Linkin Park and Prince high.
  8. Winello, our kittycat, has reached his manhood’s “maturity” and was neutered (i.e. testes removed) last month. After the surgery, he was required to wear a cone for several days to prevent him from licking and scratching the wounds. We got a note from the vet that  literally reads as “he’s a good boy (*insert smiley*)” during the operation. We’d like to think that our cat is too gentleman for a nagbibinata (sexually matured) because he didn’t bother us with all those known mischievousness of a maturing cat. However, we noticed that he became a little moody (probably would like to court an equally ‘mature’ ladycat). He is back to his normal angelic self.

Our kittycat's soon-to-be first Christmas

Just a little sad though I can’t sing “I’ll Be Home For Christmas This Year” concept-wise due to work commitments. I have so far gotten over this fact; I can only be grateful that I had several Christmasses at the Christmas island the past years and even had whirlwind trips back home twice a year for certain occasions. While Christmas is best spent in the Philippines, but it (and any occasion) is nevertheless, also best spent with people we love most wherever we are. Ahem, I have just had an early drama. Forgive me, heehee.

Thanks to everyone who continuously knocked and left messages and comments while the blogger in me was away. I did miss everyone and I earnestly hope to catch up soon!

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Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Marhaba (that’s “hello” in Arabic) to everyone! I can’t believe my month-long absence from this space. Thanks for the continuous visits and I gathered that most of you thought that I’m still in the Philippines for a vacation. I’m back in Abu Dhabi 3 weeks ago, yet I’ve been (and still) swamped with work. My responsibilities are getting crazy and amazing at the same time, but I’m not complaining! When time gets tough(er), I always refer to that scenario when a man complained about his feet sores until he saw a man who’s handicapped. And of course, it’s best to think of the better days. Anyway, here’s to catch up with the things that happened not so long ago. Before I share the Philippine-related entries (i.e. highlights of my recent break), this one’s to reminisce the less than 24 hours we had in Singapore enroute to Abu Dhabi.

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

We intentionally booked the flight with the longest layover in Changi airport since we planned on staying in Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Hotel for a day. Our last year’s trip to the Lion City provided a glimpse to the ship-like establishment; impressed, we wished to the Universe that “alright, we’ll swim,, errr, stay there next time!”

Marina Bay Sands Hotel

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Flower girls in a wedding in Hinatuan

I’m currently home for a short vacation and it’s amazing how much we did the past few days. That goes to say how much we were going around. From Laguna to Davao (it’s good to be back after my 2003-2004 visits) to Surigao to Butuan to Manila-Laguna. We attended a wedding of a very good friend held in South of the Philippines and it follows that we did a little sidetrip to nearby places. All in all it was a mixture of urban and rural experiences. That made me realize how important it is to be genuinely flexible. We had a lot of fun, especially that we had new discoveries about the hidden beauty of the Philippines… our country is full of surprises.

While I’m still sorting photos, I’m afraid that I won’t have enough time to blog (soon) once I’m back to Abu Dhabi. Hence, here’s a peek to the fun-filled past days that zoomed like a blast:

Pearl Farm Resort

Pearl Farm Resort

We stayed in one of the stilt houses in Pearl Farm Resort. It was very nurturing to wake up (in each glance, in fact) with an environment like this.

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