Make a Smilebox slideshow

After living in UAE for over a year, it was a great relief to get out of the desert country and away from Arabs. For a week, I enjoyed smiling at people and saying "Ola!" to strangers without them thinking I'm interested to have a relationship with them if they are men. For a week, I enjoyed wearing whatever I liked without knowing that the guys who will see my bare shoulders or cleavage will not think of me vulgar nor am I inviting them to have a relationship with me. By the end of the week, I felt refreshed and inspired again.

Dubai...You'll Love It Or Hate It

The moment I landed in Dubai, a blast of warm air hit my face and was more surprised how hot it was considering it was eight in the evening. It was June 28, 2007 and summer was about to peak on August. What the?!?

Coming from the tropical Philippines, I am no stranger to hot weather. But I was not prepared how it extends to what should've been cool evenings! It's a blessing that every establishment is fully airconditioned. Still, as much as I love the sunshine, I don't think I can tolerate hot nights!

It hit me hard then the climate will be one of the major things I'll have to adjust to in the coming months or years. Uh-oh!

It's been over a year and after all the ups and downs I went through, there is one thing I don't think I can ever get used to...absence of common sense. It is a rampant illness, almost like an epidemic.

Really, there is always a single day when I get home wondering with stupefaction how people think here. I miss talking to logical, sane, and well-balanced human beings!