Christmas is here!
Can you feel it? Smell it? Taste it? Hahah! I finally did last weekend at Movenpick Ibn Battuta Gate! Ed and I went there to visit the hotel's first ever Christmas Bazaar and to welcome the jolly season with a festive brunch.
 |
Dec 29, 2015
Christmas Staycation in Centro Sharjah
'Twas the day before Christmas. Almost everyone I know was busy whipping up something delicious in the kitchen, wrapping gifts, and sending out some virtual Christmas love on Facebook. Ed and I, on the other hand, went off to a non-traditional celebration.
We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for the first time in Sharjah. Perhaps you're wondering why we wanted to be there when all the yuletide fun is in Dubai. Well, we both have been very busy lately. Ed even spent half of his holiday at work, hence quality time was the best Christmas gift that we could ever give to each other.
So, we gleefully agreed to a Christmas staycation in Centro Sharjah.
 |
| Centro Sharjah |
Dec 31, 2014
Video Diary: A Very Merry Christmas
Happy Holidays!
Out of all my six Christmasses in Dubai, this year was the merriest! My parents are here for a month-long vacation, hence it's like spending the most wonderful time of the year at home away from home. That's also one of the reasons why I wasn't able to update this blog with the latest events. Sorry, but for now, allow me to drench myself with some "Family Love". :)
 |
| my fun-filled December looks like this (see the happenings in our video diary below) |
Dec 28, 2013
The White Winterland at BurJuman
I went window shopping at BurJuman Centre yesterday and was delightfully surprised to see a portion of the mall covered with snow! I heard the Ice Queen paid a visit, sprinkled some magic snow dust and turned BurJuman into a White Winterland!
This Festive Season, the mall of high-end boutiques has a great treat for the shoppers (window shoppers, like me, included). There's a Snow Zone where the kids can make snow angels and have a snowball fight. BurJuman also placed a temporary ice rink where shoppers can enjoy free skating lessons and world-class entertainment. And to top it all, there's a live snow fall every hour!
Dec 27, 2013
A "Merry Christmas" Lunch at Boardwalk
Our Christmas was too perfect for words! I never thought I could say that a week ago! I was actually down and not feeling the holiday vibe as Ed and I had to do things differently this year. I had to be at work on Christmas Eve and was a little scared that I will still be in my white lab coat when all the others are on their holiday outfits! To avoid disappointments, no Christmas Eve plans were made. We looked forward to a simple celebration for two on Christmas Day instead.
Right after a solemn Christmas Day Mass at St. Mary's, Ed and I went to Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club for lunch. Out of all the hotels and restaurants that offered Festive Lunch, we chose to dine at Boardwalk primarily because of its location; it is just a few minutes away from the church and fairly in between our workplaces. Yup, no holiday break for us! Little did we know, we chose the best!
Dec 22, 2013
Christmas Spectacle at the Souk Festive Market
With the winter solstice on the news over the weekend, I had my thoughts on what to do and where to go on the "longest and coldest night of the year" in the UAE. Though it was written on the news that it may rain, I chose not to bury myself under the warm fuzzy blanket at home. This sun-drenched girl officially said goodbye to the hot and humid summer days and welcomed the winter chill in an Arabian Winter Wonderland!
Dec 8, 2013
Christmas Craft: Build Your Own Gingerbread House
What's your favorite Christmas tradition? Mine is setting up our Christmas Tree; hanging balls, ribbons and colorful blinking lights while holiday songs fill the air. It's my favorite childhood Christmas memory! The gifts under it and in my Christmas stocking were just an icing on the cake! :) This year, since I am away from home (again!), I couldn't build and decorate our artificial tree, but I got to experience another Christmas tradition for the first time! I built my own gingerbread house!
In Europe, it has been a tradition for families to build a gingerbread house days before Christmas. It is a Christmas decoration made by children using hard gingerbread as the house's walls and roof, white sugar icing as the snow, and variety of candies to make it just like the witch's house in the novel "Hansel and Gretel".
Nov 23, 2013
Random Ramblings: 15 Days after Yolanda
It's been fifteen days since the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda. My heart still bleeds for the typhoon victims, but as they say, life must go on! I have also been coping up with a recurrent flu for the past two weeks. I really thought that taking a break from blogging could help me, but it actually made me more sick and depressed. That's why I came up with this post. I want to share what I've been through while I was on a blogging hiatus. I still have loads of unfinished posts in my draft folder, so I will try to settle everything and will be posting regularly next week.
* On Strength
There's a trending comment on CNN's website about the Filipinos' strength and resilience. It is a fact and I have seen it surfaced amidst the tragic situation. Days after the typhoon, my Facebook news feed was filled with inspiring words from the typhoon victims themselves. While I was dazed and depressed, they remained strong and hopeful. Instead of me encouraging them, it's actually the other way around! I am blessed to know people like them. They are the ones who inspire me to be what a Filipino should be: a true survivor!
Dec 29, 2012
Christmas Eve at Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Ed and I spent Christmas miles away from home for the 4th time! Though it's getting sadder and harder each year, we were able find ways to make our Christmas a merry one. It has been our yearly tradition to have a good Christmas Eve dinner, then hear carols at St. Mary's Church, followed by a High Mass at midnight. As we have managed not to have a holiday shopping spree this year (which took a lot of self-control), we rewarded ourselves with a Christmas Eve feast in a 5-star hotel.
We booked a dinner buffet at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, a luxurious hotel along the coastline of Dubai. It is located beside the famous 7-star Burj Al Arab. The two iconic structures complement each other, Burj Al Arab is sail-shaped and Jumeirah Beach Hotel's design is wave-inspired.
 |
| A wonderful Christmas Eve at Jumeirah Beach Hotel |
Dec 25, 2012
Dec 23, 2012
Insta-Pics: Holiday Cheer
Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year; a joyous celebration of the birth of Jesus, a festive season of gift-giving, a special occasion spent with the family. My husband and I initially had a plan to spend Christmas with our loved ones in our home country, the Philippines. The celebration at home is definitely more simple; no lavish buffet dinner, just a home-cooked Noche Buena after mass, but it's more meaningful, more fun. Our December vacation plan was not pushed through due to some conflicts on our busy work schedule. Frustrating and disappointing as it is, we are currently in Dubai, still trying to make this Yuletide season a happy one. To enliven the spirit of Christmas, we visited our favorite places to see the dazzling decorations they have for the festive season. Here are some holiday cheer on photos.
