I cook with L♥ve!

Cooking is one of my passions. Delightfully cooked according to my taste palate. My specialty revolves anything to do with pasta. Italian cuisine is my first love. Simply because of my favorite Chef  Gino D'Acampo. He once said, "italian food is like italian men, minimun effort, maximun satisfaction." 

Arroz ala Valenciana

Having a strong Hispanic background, I can also do some famous spanish delicacies such as Paella and or Arroz Valenciana. Hailed from an Asian origin, it is a shame if I can't cook anything asian. Recently, I've experimented on some few famous asian cuisines such as Pad Thai which is so good and not to single out stir fried noodles from Japan or what is famously known as Yaki Soba! Surprisingly, I can do some tricks also making maki-sushi roll. Not to mention I am a big lover of anything japanese as well.

Pad Thai

Bon Chon chicken

Korean friends, please don't be jealous. You think making that famous Bon Chon chicken is still a secret? Think again! I've learned the art of cooking it! Haha! I dare you should try mine! :) Bulgogi, Korean style meat barbecue are effortless to me! :) Naks! 

roasted chicken adobo 

Well, well, well! To be perfectly honest, filipino dishes seems to be so easy to make but it is definitely NOT! Maybe that's why I have a very little knowledge about doing it. But, I can boast of my own style ADOBO! My Pancit Bihon! 

Interestingly, Filipino cuisine is a mixture of everything! american, continental,  and asian flavors are all mixed together and that I would say, Filipino Cuisine is much more of a fusion of tastes from around the world but of course with strong flavors from the Kastilas or spanish and is very dominant. 

Penne rigate pasta Tuna ala King

So, enjoy and keep the flame burning! Let's cook it up! :)   

On the HOT rod!

JANUARY 25, 2011 EDSA BUS BOMBING 

Another terror act! The PNP officials are still not considering it a terroristic act pending upon completion of investigation. What and How do you classify such act? Come on, let us not complicate things. I know terrorism is such a vague word and up to present there is an on going debate as how to classify terrorism. With that tragedy,  what do you call it?

Ako naman po ay nagtataka, why is this happening again and again? Remember the Travel Advisories issued by  our allied countries stating an immenent threat of terrorism act in the Philippines? What have we done following such advisories? Nothing. Rather we demanded lifting of such notices. Sumama pa ata loob natin. 

You know what, whether that is valid or not, we should not be relaxed dealing with it. All year round we should always heightened our alert status. Ang problema kasi sa atin right after na may mangyari lang, that's the time that we only level up our security procedures. PAULET-ULET  NA LANG, PILIPINAS! Matuto naman tayo!

SIM CARD

One of the discussions circulating today is whether to register or not to register SIM card in the Philippines. By all means GO AHEAD! Damn, I have been a long advocate of making mobile SIM card be registered before it can be activated by providing valid and legal documents. I just do not understand why in the Philippines where everybody can just buy SIM cards everywhere and anywhere without presenting anything?

For God's sake, PLEASE do not cry about VIOLATION OF PRIVACY or HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION! Come on, right is not ABSOLUTE! FREEDOM CAN BE RESTRICTED AND SHOULD BE PRACTICED RESPONSIBLY! By registering it, people will be more responsible sending messages and making calls because people would be more aware of their responsility being the owner of that SIM card.

In the Philippines today, society becomes rowdy. Stricter rules and regulations should be in placed to restore order, peace, security and decency.  It is what we need at the moment. We have enjoyed so much freedom and we seem to be forgetting the responsibilities attached to it. I know it is not the best way to stop the crime from happening but surely it will help prevent and track down criminal acvities.

Maid in Dubai

While browsing the web, I came across     a newspaper site and it featured an unknown Filipina maid blogger writing about her life story. I tried reading each blog to find out her mettle. 

I have never encountered or heard anyone of the same status doing it. What I meant was, as a maid, she took her way out to learn how to use the social site to write with the help of a friend.

Though poorly written, the message is clear with  candidness and sincerity. You would feel her while reading it. Sally's story in fact, is  not an isolated one. I know there are hundreds or even thousands of Sally out there working as housemaids but her story became exceptional thru blogging. Come to think of it, she is so lucky with her ma'am considering the stories of other househelpers who were beaten and abused by their employers. 

In her blogs, you would know the reasons why she left her hometown, family and most importantly her son. Don't worry, I am not going to write the whole thing. Definitely not my intention to pre-empt your desire reading it. This is the blogsite:  http://dubaisally.blogspot.com/

All I wish for Sally is to continue doing it. You are definitely taking your readers walk along with your stories. Believe me, all  these hardships will bear something good in the future. All of us are facing burdens and trials as we go thru life each day. I am not sure if you would be able to read this but nevertheless, just hang on with your grip tight. Your purpose is the same  as our purpose why we are away from home and certainly most of us have a little Sally deep within us. Your struggle is our struggle as well. Be brave! 

One concern though, what if your ma'am, one day finds out you are using her PC when she's out?  Just be careful ok? ☺

Truth Hurts

I do not believe Filipinos are not aware of the truth. We know within ourselves but we merely ignore and deny the state where we are in. If we hear criticisms from other people or country we tend to react negatively as a form of defense without realizing what people perceive things from outside are the realities that we have been ignoring and denying for the longest time. By nature Filipinos are so sensitive and we do not want to tackle the issues upfront. It is about time that we change this character. We will be triumphant only if we acknowledge and do something about it no matter how hard it is because for all we know, TRUTH HURTS. 

I have read an article in the internet and it is worth sharing.  He may have his  shortfalls as well but I greatly admire this man for what he has done and contributed to one of my favorite cities in the world. I hope we acknowledge positively and learn something from it. Let's act now!

(Excerpt is taken from from Lee Kuan Yew’s book “From Third World to First”, Chapter 18  “Building Ties with Thailand, the Philippines, and Brunei”)

 ***

The Philippines was a world apart from us, running a different style of politics and government under an American military umbrella. It was not until January 1974 that I visited President Marcos in Manila. When my Singapore Airlines plane flew into Philippine airspace, a small squadron of Philippine Air Force jet fighters escorted it to Manila Airport. There Marcos received me in great style – the Filipino way. I was put up at the guest wing of Malacañang Palace in lavishly furnished rooms, valuable objects of art bought in Europe strewn all over. Our hosts were gracious, extravagant in hospitality, flamboyant. Over a thousand miles of water separated us. There was no friction and little trade. We played golf, talked about the future of ASEAN, and promised to keep in touch.

His foreign minister, Carlos P. Romulo, was a small man of about five feet some 20 years my senior, with a ready wit and a self-deprecating manner about his size and other limitations. Romulo had a good sense of humor, an eloquent tongue, and a sharp pen, and was an excellent dinner companion because he was a wonderful raconteur, with a vast repertoire of anecdotes and witticisms. He did not hide his great admiration for the Americans. One of his favourite stories was about his return to the Philippines with General MacArthur. As MacArthur waded ashore at Leyte, the water reached his knees but came up to Romulo’s chest and he had to swim ashore. His good standing with ASEAN leaders and with Americans increased the prestige of the Marcos administration. Marcos had in Romulo a man of honor and integrity who helped give a gloss of respectability to his regime as it fell into disrepute in the 1980s.

In Bali in 1976, at the first ASEAN summit held after the fall of Saigon, I found Marcos keen to push for greater economic cooperation in ASEAN. But we could not go faster than the others. To set the pace, Marcos and I agreed to implement a bilateral Philippines-Singapore across-the-board 10 percent reduction of existing tariffs on all products and to promote intra-ASEAN trade. We also agreed to lay a Philippines-Singapore submarine cable. I was to discover that for him, the communiqué was the accomplishment itself; its implementation was secondary, an extra to be discussed at another conference.

We met every two to three years. He once took me on a tour of his library at Malacañang, its shelves filled with bound volumes of newspapers reporting his activities over the years since he first stood for elections. There were encyclopedia-size volumes on the history and culture of the Philippines with his name as the author. His campaign medals as an anti-Japanese guerrilla leader were displayed in glass cupboards. He was the undisputed boss of all Filipinos. Imelda, his wife, had a penchant for luxury and opulence. When they visited Singapore before the Bali summit they came in stye in two DC8’s, his and hers.

Marcos did not consider China a threat for the immediate future, unlike Japan. He did not rule out the possibility of an aggressive Japan, if circumstances changed. He had memories of the horrors the Imperial Army had inflicted on Manila. We had strongly divergent views on the Vietnamese invasion and occupation of Cambodia. While he, pro forma, condemned the Vietnamese occupation, he did not consider it a danger to the Philippines. There was the South China Sea separating them and the American navy guaranteed their security. As a result, Marcos was not active on the Cambodian question. Moreover, he was to become preoccupied with the deteriorating security in his country.

Marcos, ruling under martial law, had detained opposition leader Benigno (Ninoy) Aquino, reputed to be as charismatic and powerful a campaigner as he was. He freed Aquino and allowed him to go to the United States. As the economic situation in the Philippines deteriorated, Aquino announced his decision to return. Mrs. Marcos issued several veiled warnings. When the plane arrived at Manila Airport from Taipei in August 1983, he was shot as he descended from the aircraft. A whole posse of foreign correspondents with television camera crews accompanying him on the aircraft was not enough protection.

International outrage over the killing resulted in foreign banks stopping all loans to the Philippines, which owed over US$25 billion and could not pay the interest due. This brought Marcos to the crunch. He sent his minister for trade and industry, Bobby Ongpin, to ask me for a loan of US$300-500 million to meet the interest payments. I looked him straight in the eye and said, “We will never see that money back.” Moreover, I added, everyone knew that Marcos was seriously ill and under constant medication for a wasting disease. What was needed was a strong, healthy leader, not more loans.

Shortly afterward, in February 1984, Marcos met me in Brunei at the sultanate’s independence celebrations. He had undergone a dramatic physical change. Although less puffy than he had appeared on television, his complexion was dark as if he had been out in the sun. He was breathing hard as he spoke, his voice was soft, eyes bleary, and hair thinning. He looked most unhealthy. An ambulance with all the necessary equipment and a team of Filipino doctors were on standby outside his guest bungalow. Marcos spent much of the time giving me a most improbable story of how Aquino had been shot.

As soon as all our aides left, I went straight to the point, that no bank was going to lend him any money. They wanted to know who was going to succeed him if anything were to happen to him; all the bankers could see that he no longer looked healthy. Singapore banks had lent US$8 billion of the US$25 billion owing. The hard fact was they were not likely to get repayment for some 20 years. He countered that it would be only eight years. I said the bankers wanted to see a strong leader in the Philippines who could restore stability, and the Americans hoped the election in May would throw up someone who could be such a leader. I asked whom he would nominate for the election. He said Prime Minister Cesar Virata. I was blunt. Virata was a nonstarter, a first-class administrator but no political leader; further, his most politically astute colleague, defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile, was out of favour. Marcos was silent, then he admitted that succession was the nub of the problem. If he could find a successor, there would be a solution. As I left, he said, “You are a true friend.” I did not understand him. It was a strange meeting.

With medical care, Marcos dragged on. Cesar Virata met me in Singapore in January the following year. He was completely guileless, a political innocent. He said that Mrs. Imelda Marcos was likely to be nominated as the presidential candidate. I asked how that could be when there were other weighty candidates, including Juan Ponce Enrile and Blas Ople, the labor minister. Virata replied it had to do with “flow of money; she would have more money than other candidates to pay for the votes needed for nomination by the party and to win the election. He added that if she were the candidate, the opposition would put up Mrs. Cory Aquino and work up the people’s feelings. He said the economy was going down with no political stability.

The denouement came in February 1986 when Marcos held presidential elections which he claimed he won. Cory Aquino, the opposition candidate, disputed this and launched a civil disobedience campaign. Defense Minister Juan Enrile defected and admitted election fraud had taken place, and the head of the Philippine constabulary, Lieutenant General Fidel Ramos, joined him. A massive show of “people power” in the streets of Manila led to a spectacular overthrow of a dictatorship. The final indignity was on 25 February 1986, when Marcos and his wife fled in U.S. Air Force helicopters from Malacañang Palace to Clark Air Base and were flown to Hawaii. This Hollywood-style melodrama could only have happened in the Philippines.

Mrs. Aquino was sworn in as president amid jubilation. I had hopes that this honest, God-fearing woman would help regain confidence for the Philippines and get the country back on track. I visited her that June, three months after the event. She was a sincere, devout Catholic who wanted to do her best for her country by carrying out what she believed her husband would have done had he been alive, namely, restore democracy to the Philippines. Democracy would then solve their economic and social problems. At dinner, Mrs. Aquino seated the chairman of the constitutional commission, Chief Justice Cecilia Muñoz-Palma, next to me. I asked the learned lady what lessons her commission had learned from the experience of the last 40 years since independence in 1946 would guide her in drafting the constitution. She answered without hesitation, “We will not have any reservations or limitations on our democracy. We must make sure that no dictator can ever emerge to subvert the constitution.” Was there no incompatibility of the American-type separation of powers with the culture and habits of the Filipino people that had caused problems for the presidents before Marcos? Apparently none.

Endless attempted coups added to Mrs. Aquino’s problems. The army and the constabulary had been politicized. Before the ASEAN summit in December 1987, a coup was threatened. Without President Suharto’s firm support the summit would have been postponed and confidence in Aquino’s government undermined. The Philippine government agreed that the responsibility for security should be shared between them and the other ASEAN governments, in particular the Indonesian government. General Benny Moerdani, President Suharto’s trusted aide, took charge. He positioned an Indonesian warship in the middle of Manila Bay with helicopters and a commando team ready to rescue the ASEAN heads of government if there should be a coup attempt during the summit. I was included in their rescue plans. I wondered if such a rescue could work but decided to go along with the arrangements, hoping that the show of force would scare off the coup leaders. We were all confined to the Philippine Plaza Hotel by the seafront facing Manila Bay where we could see the Indonesian warship at anchor. The hotel was completely sealed off and guarded. The summit went off without any mishap. We all hoped that this show of united support for Mrs. Aquino’s government at a time when there were many attempts to destabilize it would calm the situation.

It made no difference. There were more coup attempts, discouraging investments badly needed to create jobs. This was a pity because they had so many able people, educated in the Philippines and the United States. Their workers were English-speaking, at least in Manila. There was no reason why the Philippines should not have been one of the more successful of the ASEAN countries. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was the most developed, because America had been generous in rehabilitating the country after the war. Something was missing, a gel to hold society together. The people at the top, the elite mestizos, had the same detached attitude to the native peasants as the mestizos in their haciendas in Latin America had toward their peons. They were two different societies: Those at the top lived a life of extreme luxury and comfort while the peasants scraped a living, and in the Philippines it was a hard living. They had no land but worked on sugar and coconut plantations. They had many children because the church discouraged birth control. The result was increasing poverty.

It was obvious that the Philippines would never take off unless there was substantial aid from the United States. George Shultz, the secretary of state, was sympathetic and wanted to help but made clear to me that the United States would be better able to do something if ASEAN showed support by making its contribution. The United States was reluctant to go it alone and adopt the Philippines as its special problem. Shultz wanted ASEAN to play a more prominent role to make it easier for the president to get the necessary votes in Congress. I persuaded Shultz to get the aid project off the ground in 1988, before President Reagan’s second term of office ended. He did. There were two meetings for a Multilateral Assistance Initiative (Philippines Assistance Programme): The first in Tokyo in 1989 brought US$3.5 billion in pledges, and the second in Hong Kong in 1991, under the Bush administration, yielded US$14 billion in pledges. But instability in the Philippines did not abate. This made donors hesitant and delayed the implementation of projects.

Mrs. Aquino’s successor, Fidel Ramos, whom she had backed, was more practical and established greater stability. In November 1992, I visited him. In a speech to the 18^th Philippine Business Conference, I said, “I do not believe democracy necessarily leads to development. I believe what a country needs to develop is discipline more than democracy.” In private, President Ramos said he agreed with me that British parliamentary-type constitutions worked better because the majority party in the legislature was also the government. Publicly, Ramos had to differ.

He knew well the difficulties of trying to govern with strict American-style separation of powers. The senate had already defeated Mrs. Aquino’s proposal to retain the American bases. The Philippines had a rambunctious press but it did not check corruption. Individual press reporters could be bought, as could many judges. Something had gone seriously wrong. Millions of Filipino men and women had to leave their country for jobs abroad beneath their level of education. Filipino professionals whom we recruited to work in Singapore are as good as our own. Indeed, their architects, artists, and musicians are more artistic and creative than ours. Hundreds of thousands of them have left for Hawaii and for the American mainland. It is a problem the solution to which has not been made easier by the workings of a Philippine version of the American constitution.

The difference lies in the culture of the Filipino people. It is a soft, forgiving culture. Only in the Philippines could a leader like Ferdinand Marcos, who pillaged his country for over 20 years, still be considered for a national burial. Insignificant amounts of the loot have been recovered, yet his wife and children were allowed to return and engage in politics. They supported the winning presidential and congressional candidates with their considerable resources and reappeared in the political and social limelight after the 1998 election that returned President Joseph Estrada. General Fabian Ver, Marcos’s commander-in-chief who had been in charge of security when Aquino was assassinated, had fled the Philippines together with Marcos in 1986. When he died in Bangkok, the Estrada government gave the general military honors at his burial. One Filipino newspaper, Today, wrote on 22 November 1998, “Ver, Marcos and the rest of the official family plunged the country into two decades of lies, torture, and plunder. Over the next decade, Marcos’s cronies and immediate family would tiptoe back into the country, one by one – always to the public’s revulsion and disgust, though they showed that there was nothing that hidden money and thick hides could not withstand.” Some Filipinos write and speak with passion. If they could get their elite to share their sentiments and act, what could they not have achieved?

Reference: 

http://antipinoy.com/lky_phil/

Lee Kuan Yew's Profile 

***

Source: WIKIPEDIA

 Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH (English name: Harry, Chinese: 李光耀; pinyin: Lǐ Guāngyào; POJ: Lí Kong-iāu; born 16 September 1923; also Lee Kwan-Yew) is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades. By the time he chose to step down to enable a stable leadership renewal, he had become the world's longest-serving Prime Minister.^[2]

 As the co-founder and first secretary-general of the People's Action Party (PAP), he led the party to eight landslide victories from 1959 to 1990, oversaw the separation of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965 and its subsequent transformation from a relatively underdeveloped colonial outpost with no natural resources into a "First World", Asian Tiger. He has remained one of the most influential political figures in South-East Asia. 

Singapore's second prime minister, Goh Chok Tong, appointed him Senior Minister in 1990. He currently holds the advisory post of Minister Mentor, created by his son, Lee Hsien Loong, when the latter became the nation's third prime minister in August 2004.^[3][4] With his successive ministerial positions over 50 years, Lee is also one of history's longest serving ministers.

***

picture! picture!

Last January 1, 2011, we were supposed to watch the the light show in one of my favorite shopping malls but to my disappointment, the show finished a day earlier and there was nothing I could do but just had some photos taken using my camera fone. 

Anyways, the place always amazes me due to its themed design which combines modern and ancient Egypt and Greece showcasing the pyramids, parthenon among many others.

Here are some of the pictures taken.

giant christmas tree inside the mall

The Parthenon

Pyramid and Pharaos

columns

obviously a fountain ;)

Someday, I'll come visit the real ones. ;)

Beware of AZKALS

The Team Logo

AZKALS or the Philippine National Football Team derived from the name Asong Kalye or commonly known as street dogs or stray dogs have been making waves recently during the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 when they have beaten up the asean football powerhouse and advanced the team to the semis.

Football in the Philippines have long been ignored since Filipinos are die-hard fanatics of basketball considering PHL team is the oldest football team in asia. Now, that it has again gaining popularity among filipinos especially the young generation, the government and private sector should hand in hand develop the sport better since we have a great potential in this field and eventually we will also be known globally competetive  in this sport and be in the ranks of Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United, Brasil among many others.

AZKALS

The AZKALS if supported properly will go a long long way. The team is composed of great team players and coaches and have shown tremendous courage to win the game. They are hopefull as well to be qualified in the upcoming FIFA WORLD CUP events. Let us just pray and extend our support that they attain what they have set out to do. Afterall, it's the Philippine flag they are waving up high! 

Mabuhay AZKALS!

Facts and Figures about Philippine National Football Team.

The Team

Source: WIKIPEDIA

 

The Uniform

The PFF logo

 Players

Source: WIKIPEDIA

Current squad

The following players were named in the squad for the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup

No. Pos. Player DoB/Age Caps Club 1 1GK Neil Etheridge 7 February 1990 (1990-02-07) (age 20) Fulham 22 1GK Eduard Sacapaño 14 February 1980 (1980-02-14) (age 30) Philippine Army 2 2DF Rob Gier 6 January 1980 (1980-01-06) (age 31) Ascot United 4 2DF Anton del Rosario 23 December 1981 (1981-12-23) (age 29) Kaya 11 2DF Alexander Borromeo (captain) 28 June 1983 (1983-06-28) (age 27) Global 15 2DF Rey Palmes 27 December 1979 (1979-12-27) (age 31) Philippine Air Force 25 2DF Joebel Bermejo 28 February 1981 (1981-02-28) (age 29) Philippine Air Force 26 2DF David Basa 2 April 1989 (1989-04-02) (age 21) Global 27 2DF Ray Anthony Jónsson 2 March 1979 (1979-03-02) (age 31) Grindavik 28 2DF Kristopher Relucio 22 April 1978 (1978-04-22) (age 32) Global 6 3MF Roel Gener 27 June 1974 (1974-06-27) (age 36) Philippine Army 7 3MF James Younghusband 4 September 1986 (1986-09-04) (age 24) Unattached 13 3MF Emelio Caligdong 8 September 1982 (1982-09-08) (age 28) Philippine Air Force 14 3MF Mark Ferrer 12 February 1989 (1989-02-12) (age 21) Philippine Air Force 17 3MF Jason de Jong 28 February 1990 (1990-02-28) (age 20) Veendam 18 3MF Christopher Greatwich 30 September 1983 (1983-09-30) (age 27) Morris County Colonials 19 3MF Nestorio Margarse 3 May 1976 (1976-05-03) (age 34) Philippine Army 30 3MF Mark Drinkuth 12 June 1991 (1991-06-12) (age 19) Agon Düsseldorf 9 4FW Yanti Barsales 6 February 1973 (1973-02-06) (age 37) Philippine Air Force 10 4FW Phil Younghusband 4 August 1987 (1987-08-04) (age 23) Unattached 21 4FW Peter Jaugan 2 July 1983 (1983-07-02) (age 27) Philippine Air Force 23 4FW Ian Araneta 2 March 1982 (1982-03-02) (age 28) Philippine Air Force

PARDON me?

oakwood and manila pen mutineers

I have tried to keep my silence over the clemency as a give away to the offenders by the Aquino administration. As a normal citizen, what do I think about  giving pardon to military people involved in the stand off during the last administration or the Arroyo government? Is it a way of Pnoy retaliation with the Arroyos? I hope not! 

Giving out clemency in the name of reconciliation is so absurd! These people involved in the military stand off headed by Sen. Trillanes is a different thing. It was a rebellious act where there were serious deliberate threat to civilians, damage to private property et.,al. Despite the admittance of  gravity of the offense they have committed under the Philippine law they have given amnesty thru the president's constitutional  "power vested upon me" thing. This could become a precedent to future mutineers and offenders that they could claim and ask for the same pardon granted by Pnoy.

In the spirit of peace and reconciliation, "to promote an atmosphere conducive to the attainment of a just, comprehensive and enduring peace”, PARDON ME?!

NYE @ DXB 2011

Manigong Bagong Taon! Happy New Year! Kul 'am wa antum bikhair! Akimashite Omedetto Gozaimasu! Xin Nian Kuai Le! Bonne Annee! Feliz Ano Nuevo! and the list goes on! 

No matter what and how we say it , common denominator is, we are all excited and we all celebrate the coming of the new era! 

some of my closest friends

So how's everyone been doing? I've been out of the loop for quite a while. How did u guys celebrate new year? As for me, we just had the simple and intimate way. Since I am miles away from my biological family, it's been difficult celebrating occassions such as this one. Nevertheless, life has to go on. After hearing a mass, me and some closest friends had a feast over a shabu-shabu type of dinner chinese style in one of the restos frequented by Filipinos beacause of it's affordability and a relax ambience overseeing Dubai creek. Its an eatery type on the 8th floor. You know, we don't have to spend it grand! What is important is we get to share something and celebrate the occassion. Besides, last year I celebrated it with steak, wine, champaigne and glamour. Maiba naman! 

Burj Khalifa Firewoks display

After a hefty meal, ofcourse as a tradition for Filipinos, NYE without fireworks is incomplete. We headed on to Burj Khalifa aka the tallest building in the world for the tallest fireworks display. Watching the fireworks made me a little melancholic remembering yester years we were watching it with my family back in the Philippines.

At any rate, can you imagine I was at the tallest building with the largest fountain watching the tallest fireworks display? See, It was GRAND after all! 

Here are some of the photos  during NYE @ DXB.

 

 

munching cookie

Peace on NYE!

we stand Tall!