Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Monday, December 5, 2011
Middle East, 2011
Wow. I totally forgot about my blog. It's been crazy, hectic, and all around mad! I've been living my life like there's no tomorrow. Since my last entry, I've done things and been places that I never have before. I'm living the dream, and it's pure awesome in a can. :D
Last November, I visited the Middle East with my photography partner, Parc Cruz, for the first time in my life. We were asked to hold a workshop there. From Manila, it was a straight shot to Abu Dhabi, where the stopover was around 4 hours long, then we continued to our final destination, Kuwait. When we got there, I had no idea what the place was like, and who to meet. After running around the airport like headless chickens for a few minutes, two guys finally came up to us and introduced themselves as members of PINDOT, the photography group who invited us there. They were Filipinos based in Kuwait, and wanted to show us what Kuwait was all about. So we went to McDonald's for breakfast. Go figure. Ha!
But honestly, it's a trip that I'll never forget. I absolutely LOVED Kuwait and the hospitality of our hosts there. From day one, they made sure that all our needs were met, and that we were comfortable and happy. Our accommodations were really nice, and the weather was perfect! It was the start of Winter in Kuwait, so the temperature was hovering at around 19-21deg in the daytime and around 8-10deg at night. It was wonderful!
Kuwait is in the middle of the desert, but along the Persian Gulf. Prior to visiting, the only idea I had of Kuwait was what I saw on TV during the gulf war of 1990. Destruction, chaos, suffering. That's all I knew. But my visit changed my entire view of the country. The place was definitely NOT what I thought it would be like. The roads were beautiful, lights were bright everywhere, shops were open, malls were plentiful, and the city was just really great. Progressive. I rather enjoyed the fact that we didn't really come across any form of racism (except for that one national who thought we looked like criminals. LOL!) or bigotry during our stay. Our hosts were especially nice to us. In fact, I felt like they had been my friends for years, when in fact, that was the first time I had met them. Cheers!
The workshop itself was s success, with around 20 participants. There were Filipinos, Kuwait nationals, Arabs, and a mix of different ethnicities. The workshop was a collaboration between digital artist Parc Cruz, International Designer/Stylist Rocky Gathercole, and I.
The rest of our stay was spent going around the city, seeing the sights, trying the food, and just experiencing Kuwait. On our last night there, the temperature dropped to around 8deg and we spent the evening smoking Hookahs at the bayside. Wind chill factor! It got REALLY cold, and we were out there shivering our asses off, smoking hookahs. FUN! Hahaha!
Before I forget, let me tell you abnout the CARS! I'm a petrol head myself, and the cars I saw on the road over there made my jaw drop! Everyday cars were Dodge Chargers,
Chevy Camaros, and other muscle cars. The regular joes were driving around in drop-top Beemers and Mercs. We would occasionally come across some flying Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but the most exotic car I saw over there was a Rolls Royce Phantom. *eyes bulge* The funny thing about the cars though, is the way people over there drive them. It seems that cars in Kuwait have 2 speeds - wide-open-throttle and stop. Tires were screeching all over the place, you could smell burning brakes, and the roads were covered in tire burns... and that was in traffic!
When I left for Manila, our hosts from PINDOT even made it a point to not just drop me off at the airport, but even to stay there with me until I got on the plane. Talk about hospitality! They even gave me some trinkets and stuff as remembrances of my awesome stay in that awesome country.
Once again, I would like to send out my heartfelt thanks to PINDOT for the great trip. I will never forget it as long as I live!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Time
It's been a while (a rather long while) since I've written anything here. I've been... busy. With work, with friends, with life. The endless workshops out of town, the endless nights out with friends, the endless hustle and bustle of everyday life. I've been so preoccupied with living life that I forgot to write it down. I think it's important to write things down. It's a way of remembering events, names, feelings. I like writing things down because it helps me organize my thoughts, and in effect, my priorities.
I've been living my life like there's no tomorrow, and i try to make every day count. I'm always out with the people I care about the most, and I make sure that I have a good time with them. Even if it's just for a while. You never know when something will make the present change. You never know when you'll see your loved ones again. You can plan for it, of course, but sometimes plans change and things just don't happen as you predicted.
Tomorrow I'm leaving the country, and I won't be back for two weeks. Who knows what I'll find when I get back? Will all my friends still be here? What about my loved ones? We can never tell. I'm writing now to tell you all that I love you. I love each and every person who's been a part of my life and has helped me grow into who I am now. I love all my friends who are there for me day in and day out, in good times and in bad. You guys rock. I love you all because you understand me. I love you all because you tolerate me. I love you all because you've given so much of that precious gift to me. Your time.
Nothing in the world is more precious than time. We all have a limited amount of it in our lives, and once you've spent it, there's no getting it back. That's why I appreciate the time given to me so much. I know that whoever has spent time hanging out, drinking, biking, shooting, talking with me and even just reading my words has spent his or her valuable time on me. And that's a big responsibility. I try to make sure that the time you do spend is worth spending on me. I know that it's not the case all the time. I know that I can be boring sometimes, or I can talk nonsense at other times, but I still appreciate that you do spend the time on me. I don't know how I can repay you for the time you spent. It's the most valuable gift you have ever given me. All I can really do is say thank you. From the bottom of my heart.
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