OFWs Are People, Not ATM Machines

After being an OFW for x amount of years, I think I already have the authority to say that life abroad is bittersweet. While, everyone back home thinks you just grow money on trees, that is not true. 

Every centavo or peso sent has a story. A day when you had to skip lunch because your boss is panicking that he needs the report yesterday but told you about it, 15 minutes ago. Another scenario, staying in the office late because your officemate got sick and you are trying your best to understand what needs to be done because there's a meeting tomorrow. 

There are probably a few more stories about that hard-earned money that your relatives have but decided not to tell you. I repeat, money do not grow on trees. I wish they do but no they don't. 

Why am I writing about this? Because I saw a post from a Canadian nurse who got lambasted by her brother for not sending them money to buy a car. Why is it the OFW's problem? 

I can't believe this family!

To be quite honest, special favors or requests to purchase this or that is the norm in our country. I am not sure if it's the same in other parts of the world. It won't matter if the giver "willingly gives" the items or financial assistance. However, it should not be abused. 

I remember when we were still living in the desert, I would get requests from my family. I give in because I know I can. At times, I do put my foot down and tell them, it's not possible. My family understands and I am happy they do. 

However, I think the mindset of being "well-off" will always be there when you work abroad. Probably, there is some truth to that. I remember having the ability to buy what I want but it's because of my plastic (i.e. credit card). Meanwhile, some are really industrious and would get more than one job to buy what they want and at the same time, provide for their families. 

Before we decided to go home for good, I brought my mom and sister to Dubai. They were happy about it but they also learned about the different stories behind every dirham earned by my friends, of sales assistants and more. 

They discovered Dubai

My mom appreciated all the remittances I made after that visit (LOL). 

So, please before you ask some money to be sent, please do take the time to ask your OFW parent or relative about their day or anything that can make them feel that you are not only after their remittance (yes, some do feel that is the only reason their relatives contact them. yes, a once a month call). 

I hope the nurse's post will be a wake-up call to my fellow OFWs. Learn to say no. It's okay to do so. 

Your Kindle Needs an UPDATE!!

Since I am obsessed with books and I was literally hoarding them (background story: when we were still in Dubai, I would go to different bookstores or secondhand bookshops to purchase at least one book in a week. Also, I am updated whenever there would be any book sale).

Welcome to the Alarcon's library.. Secretly tucked in a cabinet!

A photo posted by R@chiel (@rach_alarcon) on Jan 8, 2011 at 11:09am PST

R was very forgiving about this obsession that I have. I think he doesn't seem to mind because it feeds the mind and always makes me preoccupied on days when he wants to go mountain biking with his friends then.

To be honest, I can be left alone in the house and I can read all day.... yeap, all day.

Over the years, I think I have accumulated close to a 100 books in my then 7-year stay in Dubai but most of them accumulated for 2 years really *gulp*.

R had to kindly ask me to send my books home because for the remainder of our stay in Dubai, we have been moving a lot. We kind of find it a bit difficult to pack our stuff because of my books! I understand the situation so instead of getting more books, I thought of getting myself an ebook hence I searched and a friend suggested that I get a Kindle.

Back then it was not that easy to buy a Kindle because first off, it was not readily available in Dubai. Only a few shops cater to the device because I guess, they too do not see the benefit of having an ebook reader on stock.

Fire, 7" Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB - Includes Special Offers, Black

Slowly, it has slowly gained its popularity and I was able to secure one for me (thanks R, again!).

I used it to its maximum capability until I got myself a tablet. The Kindle and I parted ways.

I kept it in its box up until I saw series of emails from Kindle and also reminders from web articles online about the need to update my Kindle device or else it will not be use at all.

So, today I got reunited with it. We actually had a bit of a hiccup awhile ago because it was not booting and I was only getting the "empty battery" page. Fortunately, it still is alive and kicking! :p

I have now updated my Kindle device and rather than keeping it in the box, I have decided to use it again. This is so I do not get distracted from other apps which is very tempting when you are using a tablet.

You still have until March 22 to do your update, Kindle lovers. You can read about this article from Good Housekeeping on how to update your Kindle.

**Note: You can also click here for another news link related to the Kindle upgrade 

Summer on my mind

In a few days, summer will be hitting the country or it did already because of El Nino). I remember when we were still in Dubai, I would always look forward to the early days of summer.

Coming from a weather that has been windy and all too cold, the warmth of the sun is being embraced, literally by everybody. You will definitely see more people frequenting the beaches than the parks!

Taken at one of the public beaches in Dubai, Jumeirah Open Beach Park

R and I would always schedule a beach visit then because it's nice to just hang out and enjoy the scenery, the waves of the water, the sound of people's laughter around you because of either great conversations or they have been playing around.

I am not sure if this is the biggest but it sure is huge (Zabeel Park, Dubai)

UAE, though small gives a lot of importance on where families can enjoy and have a good time. That is why they have big spaces when it comes to parks, beaches and theme parks. For water theme parks, they have Wild Wadi and Atlantis in Dubai. I have only been to Wild Wadi once (yes, it is a bit costly to go in) and it was the height of summer so a lot of people were there to enjoy the water and the different slides they have to offer. Just a few years back, Atlantis opened and that was massive.

Atlantis Hotel promo (sadly I can't go back, just yet)

Sadly, I was only able to visit Atlantis to eat buffets in their restaurants and not experience their theme parks and hotels. Friends have mentioned the rooms that they have wherein you'd be like in an aquarium surrounded by different fishes i.e. sting rays, Nemo's Dory, dolphins and sharks!

They do offer a day pass as they call it wherein you can try out all their slides, rides and experience a tour inside with guides giving you different trivia about our water friends. Unfortunately, R's schedule did not permit us to do so and well, we were not really bothered to do it that time.

I haven't unsubscribed to Atlantis' newsletter so I still see their hotel or park promos for the tourists and residents. Definitely makes me want to go back to try it out.

Be still, my heart. I am pretty sure we would be able to do it soon :D

City Living

When we were still in Dubai, I like the city - the hustle and bustle, the lights that you see when you pass by buildings, children playing in a small community park near our area. There was a lot of open space that you don't really feel congested even if literally Dubai's population has doubled or maybe more since 20_ _ (can't really reveal how long we stayed there but it was looooong).

Before you read my rant about Manila, please note that I want to re-discover it however frankly for now, I am still trying to get used to how the routine life is. I guess it is safe to say that this was not the city that I have known when I left. The streets were not overcrowded, you can still maintain a personal space when you walk inside the malls (the only time you lose this space is when SM is having their midnight madness sale!), you can find an empty seat in the foodcourt, MRT or bus (it will be there even if you walk as if you were carrying the Ms. Universe crown). I can go on and on of how I left the city but I can never get it back.

Everything and I think everybody is cramming here - them and their families.

A few days back, I saw this article from Huffington Post about how city living may be harmful to your mental health. I was reading the article and find myself nodding to some points. How the city makes you feel stressed and sad.

One of the suggestions the writer made was to take a hike. I paused and asked myself, where can I actually do that here in the city? When we were driving about last week, I did see one or two people jogging or walking on the sidewalk of a very busy street. I don't think I am going to do that. I then realized that we do not have enough parks or a piece of property that you can just walk around and enjoy the peace and quiet of just being on your own.

Then I realized, I miss the parks in Dubai.

photo from Zabeel Park, one of the many Christmas parties held

Zabeel Park, this park is in the center of the city as you can see the metro train just outside the park 

Still in Zabeel Park, just want to show you how vast the park is 

I commend places like Capitol Commons in Pasig, Greenfield District in Shaw and the Fort development for thinking of having a green patch of land where people can sit and relax... be one with nature. Going back to that article from Huffington Post, they have mentioned that people need to disconnect from the tech world and be one with the natural world. I agree or if you cannot really contain the pressure of the hustle and bustle, you can always move to a much quieter area?

And with this, I say, that is our current plan now. There is something on the works for us to move about and see what is out there on that location. I am not saying we are giving up on the city life but it does feel great to disconnect once in a while right?

I hope that this move will also be a good start (imagine, doing two major moves consecutively - I know, crazy right?!). Well, I guess if both of you are up for it and are more than willing to take the plunge, why not right? ;-) as long as there is a lot of greenery and the air is crisper and better.

What's in your News Feed?

Whenever someone will ask me about this, I feel funny. Well, first being a Journalism graduate, I have this idea that I need to always have a newspaper in hand. Be the one to report about the news and so on.
But I am not.

I think it's safe to say that my dad reads more of the hardcopy version than I do.

I don't read the newspaper but I am super engrossed in getting short tweets via Twitter, news alerts via Facebook (yes, I know they are kind of reliable for me) and compressed news feeds via email.

When I was in Dubai, I subscribed to Arabianbusiness.com, would surf the major dailies like GulfNews and The National. This is to keep me informed of what is happening in the country and if there are any upcoming events that I may want to visit or try. Their news is different from how we handle reporting here in the Philippines. They do not disclose the names of the people involved in a crime scene even if convicted or arrested. They will mask it and identify the person via his initials. Fortunately or unfortunately, you will know about that person if you are associated with him or her.

However, I can say that from over time, some dailies have changed the way they report the news. The only thing is, there is really not a lot of juicy stuff to report about. I guess the crime rate there is contained and there's not a lot of natural disasters that take place (not that we want that to happen).

Now that we are back here in the Philippines, I am currently subscribed to Philippine Star and the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The thing with our news companies is that they report news by the minute or by the hour because true enough a lot of events do happen in this country of ours. May it be big or small, every information counts because we Filipinos are emphatic and some do like the drama (you have to admit).

Though when I get too tired about the ever-fluctuating crime rate, I resort to reading the Opinion section of these news feeds or their Lifestyle section but still online.

I don't know if it's because it's easier to maneuver through our gadgets.

What about you? What do you prefer as a medium?

Writing Seminars and Literary Festivals

You may or may not be aware but I'm a Journalism graduate from the Royal Pontifical University however I was only able to make use of the techniques and methods for only 7 to 8 months of 2003.

The reason? 

Well, it was to be with the love of my life (I have told the story countless times and I even won a Valentine's day contest for this story but I just never get tired of it). Back then, Dubai was not really open for other nationals to penetrate the Arab world of journalism. After a few years, more and more British nationals opened up magazines to suit the locals and the expats desire of being informed about the latest gadget, fashion and food available within the country but most importantly, outside of the UAE.

Though I have witnessed how the country opened its doors for expats to be part of their TV shows or newspapers, I was not able to give it a try. I guess it was more of me wanting to look after my parents than chase my dream (the love chasing was enough). However, I still try to make sure that I keep my writing skills in practice by maintaining a blog. I had a few blogs then... I was not really sure why I thought of having a lot that in the end, I abandoned them all.

Aside from blogging, I have also tried doing some online work which were successful only problem is my 'actual' work got a bit loaded that I had to let my writing take a backseat (again!).

Now that I am free to chase my lifelong dream - that is to write and hopefully become a novelist, I thought of attending writing seminars here in the Philippines.

When I was in Dubai, I got exposed to the literary festival there. The group would invite different writers in different fields or genre to talk about how to write well, how they come up with these brilliant masterpieces and so much more.

I am hoping to see this in the Philippines too though I think National Bookstore has already started the first ever Philippine Literary Festival last year because there was a talk conducted by Inquirer's Pam Pastor . Unfortunately, I was not able to get a lot of details about it (It could be because we were still trying to move things around the house).

Aside from that, I would want to still attend writing seminars and reading this entry from about.com as to why trainings or seminars are good for online writers (ahem, yes I kind of consider myself to be one).

I need this and I hope to find one that is not too pricey or if it is, it should be worth it for the price.

So, while I wait for that, I will just check bookstores like National or Powerbooks and possibly some online references too. I hope someone gets to read my blog and let me know of any upcoming events :)

image courtesy of wikipedia.org 

Feeling the Heat!

Summer is really here!!!

I can feel it heck I have been sweating like crazy. I mean we have already turned on the AC at night and I still sweat (what is wrong with me?!).

After x years of being out of the Philippines, this will be my second time to experience what summer is really like here because of global warming and all. I remember a friend of mine has warned me that I will constantly be in the mall so that we get to experience the free AC. Thankfully, we have not resorted to that just yet.

I know that being in the Middle East should have made me accustom to it. The dry months is even hotter in Dubai (it's not ideal to have a stroll because you can die of heat stroke in 30 minutes to an hour depending on how hydrated you are before you started walking). Though it's hot there, the airconditioner can easily be switched on without having to worry about your electric bill because the cost is bearable if you compare it to the Meralco costs here (and to add insult to injury, I have watched in the news that Meralco will have a price increase this April. Boohoo!).

this was a photo of R travelling to our Desert Safari destination

Now that I am a housewife (well, I am a freelancer as well but more of the former), I have become more conscious on how and where should we spend our money --- in other words, expenses. It was different then because we were both earning enough to splurge a little bit but now, we are mindful of how things are being spent that R thinks I am a grinch or Super S (meaning Super Stingy).

I guess you can say that I am still adjusting to our new lifestyle (yeah! still even if it's already 6 months) but I think I'm slowly getting a hang of it.

Though at times, there really are days when reasoning just wants me to let go of my pseudo accounting skills and jump into how my body will be cooled down by the breeze coming from the airconditioner (hahaha!).

Hopefully the sun won't be as harsh as my friend said it would be. 

Familiarising myself

to what Manila has to offer.

You see being away from this country or city for so long. You get to lose the essence of what you know then. The familiar places were either still standing or replaced with something new... sometimes better.

You might say but you have been coming back year after year.

That is true.

However, it feels like I have lost my understanding of the place. Add to the fact that I am not in the place where I used to live. I now reside a jeepney and a tricycle away from what I know as "home". We now live in R's area.

I don't mind because in Dubai, we were so used to moving about that you do not even have the chance to really get to know the place you are in. At times, the people you have lived with for a few months will say goodbye and you will be introduced to new neighbors so I guess moving here was not really a big deal.

The city that I sometimes miss (photo taken by R)

Unfortunately, being away made me feel a bit lost in this city. The only landmarks that I know are of shopping malls because when we were still OFWs, we frequent the malls to meet up with friends we have left behind or just to cool down because of the unbearable heat.

Aside from that fact, I am also taken aback by the prices of food and its portion. I need to understand that the word "to share" in the menu depends on who will eat it. The amount of money that you need to spend in order for us to finally say that we are stuffed (unless of course, we were just laughing out a lot that air fills our tummies temporarily).

Taco Bell experience with my mom - totally deserved a seperate blogpost!! 

The number of people that I see on the streets - of all ages and races. A mix of the working class and the people who try to find a way to steal from the working class (sorry but it is true).

There is still a lot of getting used to...and to re-acquaint ourselves with what the city looks like now.

At times, it's hard. You tend to compare and yearn for the days when we were still in that oil-rich land. I shrug it off because this is the present and we should start living in it.

Bank Mishaps

Note: Pardon my post, this is just me letting out my irritation on how a prestigious bank like CITIBANK handles the queries of their customers

I didn't really want to write anything about this but my frustration is boiling up that I need to let it out (well, initially, I did that in Facebook)!

I have been a loyal customer for Citibank here in Dubai. When I started out in my first company, they were the first bank who offered to give me a credit card (circa 2003). It was like a gift as I never had a credit card back in the Philippines.

Tempting and it does bite back, over the past few years, I have managed to understand what the credit card is used for.

During those times, I was able to purchase items that are not within my budget, things I want and things that we need. I was also able to understand how the "reward" system works with Citibank and was able to get a few good deals in doing so.

I was able to read in one of the CitiLife Rewards newsletter that I can use my CitiRewards for my annual fee. Since I keep on forgetting to do that, I have made a decision that when this comes up again, I will pursue in using my rewards.

I have enquired and given calls through Citibank's agents. I made about two calls making sure that this is done --------------- wow! only to find out that not only was I MISINFORMED I was also charged with other bank charges.

I made another call only complaining about this (which I am truly sorry for the 3rd agent I spoke with but you can never really avoid having this type of emotions most especially when you have been reassured that this will be dealt with). I guess the 3rd agent can not defend who I spoke with before and can only apologise that I was MISINFORMED.

As I have said, I will understand if outright, someone told me NO, it's not possible but giving you the reassurance this is being dealt with just shows how valuable their customers are --- NOT!

I know we have used the credit card and I know that the annual life is something that I have agreed with the bank and have rightfully paid for the past 9 years but I just want to be clear that this might just be a hundred dirhams only but this is hard earned money I am paying the bank.

The money that I have worked hard for and we do not have a money tree on standby to grow and water. Everything has been hard earned and I was expecting, being a prestigious bank and have consistently been bragging of being one of the best that they do not or they failed to educate their agents properly.

As I have mentioned, I have been a customer since 2003/2004 and this is the service that we get for being loyal customers? I also don't know if maybe because I am not a person in power or authority to demand an explanation.

I thought that we, as customers are always right? In a customer-oriented industry where feedbacks and proper information is important, you have failed miserably CITIBANK.

I do not know where this opinion of mine will go or if it will even reach that agent who has MISINFORMED me but I hope the next time someone calls, do your job well. Be honest if you do not have an answer and I would have appreciate if you have asked me to call back and check again.

Boohoo!!! :(:(:(

image source: http://www.emirates.com/english/skywards/about/partners/banks/citibank-uae.aspx