Burj Dubai 2009 - soaring high

this post is 2 weeks late...
my favorite spot here in Dubai... the Burj Dubai.
of course, i wont miss taking its picture at the last day of 2008 & the first day of 2009.

31 December 2008 / 930 - 10AM

up to date, it reached its peak. the current height - 688.00m
and the tip of the spire will be visible from 60 miles away...
wow! the tallest structure in the world.

01 January 2009 / sunset

when you look at it, within the area, its just like one of the ordinary high rise building here in Sheikh Zayed Road. but from afar, the rest were just half of its lenght.

i am always amazed and somehow scared with this fact:
that man was so eager and were able to create something this huge! (which always reminds me of the 'tower of babel')
it once happened. i hope not again...

the goal of burj dubai is not only to be the world's highest building, but to embody the world's highest aspiration.

great vision... awesome achievement!

same as this burj (tower), dubai has also reached its peak. it has become the center for trade in the middle east. and became an inspiration to other GCC region.

and this is the most frightening stage - being at the pinnacle, holding the beacon.

and the hardest is maintaining to be there, on top, when there is no other stairs to climb.

burj dubai also has the record of the world's highest elevator installation and the world's fastest at 18m/sec (40mph). can you imagine? i would love to try this... my greatest dream at the moment!!

but how fast can this elevator go down?

i am not saying that dubai will be going down...well, nobody says that USA will be, too...
im not saying that because i want to, but somehow, it is the reality.

we can all have our peak... and eventually, we there will be no other way...

so, maybe, for now, while we still have the benefit of 'being on the prime spot', while dreams continuous to fly & while we have the choice to enjoy & be glad... lets all do it.

it will be an exciting journey, as the burj continue to soar high, we should all be in inspired to do the same. we can shine our own light... we can set our own star.
all we have to do is to have a vision that we can also embody our highest aspiration.

Gaze on Gaza

Fighting rages in Gaza
Troops pushed deeper into Gaza in a day of fierce fighting on Sunday as Israel brushed off continuing global protests but indicated an end was in sight to its war on the Palestinian enclave since most of its strategic objectives were close to being fulfilled.
Civilians again fell victim to Israel's brutal offensive that has left more than 900 people in the Gaza Strip dead in the 16-day-old war, including 275 children. Two women and four children were killed in a strike on a house in Beit Lahiya, medics and witnesses said, while 12 bodies were pulled from the rubble in Tal Al Hawa.

photo c/o business week

i certainly do not know how this begun... i am clueless of what they are fighting for, aside from Gaza... all i know is that the victims reached almost a thousand innocent people. children were deprived by the right to live and see these beautiful world... parents loses their kids... kids loses parents.
it will be over soon... since they already hit the major targets?!? or maybe it really should end soon, because no more soldiers were left alive... no more people to live in Gaza...
it must be a decade of pain that made Israeli's heart exploded with revenge... years of mourning for being prisoned from freedom and rights.
and the Palestines, caught off guard... unaware that the planted a seed of reprisal from the Israelis and will reap hostilities that can wash out their community.
admittedly, i dont know the details... what is clear to me is that - this is WAR. and what i understood about it is that war arises due to unsettled terms.
whether its military war, civilian war, religious war... even personal war.
war is a result of seeking revenge, claiming un served justice.
i know that Palestine is suffering and will suffer more after these tragedies... almost everybody hates Israel...
i am not being biased. its not of who is right & wrong... good or bad...
its not finding who to blame.

this time, we should be awakened by different wars that happened all over the world. its not just about killing... but fighting for each others' rights, principles, freedom.

everybody will emerge a loser in this war

nothing will be left but the pain and suffering of the innocent victims.

and the hope that somehow, the battle cry of the warriors will be heard and will be recognized...

City of Gold

another pride of dubai...

facing 2009

i will agree that the start of the year is not that good as we expect it to be...

here in Dubai, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Umm Al Quwain His Highness Shaikh Rashid Bin Ahmad Al Mualla, passed away last Friday (02/01/09) morning in London.
in the Philippines, flash floods welcomes the year in Cagayan de Oro City, and not to mention the problem in the government.
in Gaza, war continously kills innocent people.
globally, inflation is still down... financial crisis is felt everywhere.

people will say hi! how are you?
can you still reply - im good, thank you?

hours ago, a friend told me that she is in critical situation at work... hopefully, she wont be affected with the increasing numbers of terminated employees, and so as everybody. i hope that there wont be any termination anymore...

another close friend called me, crying... she told me that she is having a hard time in the office. stressed & pressured at work. deadlines... reports... its been 4 sleepless nights and she was so tired...

and another friend sent a message... asking for a favor to call somebody who borrowed money from her. she is jobless...

the three have something in common.
1. struggling to have her job
2. wanting to leave her job
3. needing a job
bottomline: Job - crisis. problem.

life may seems so hard these days. thick clouds might seem to cover the bright sky... giving up might be the common term used than fighting for. it maybe hard to get up from all the tragedies, but life always have its own way of twist & turns, ups & downs, push & pull.

it may seem impossible, but we must always try to look up in the sky, even if it was covered by clouds, surely, it will never be that dark after all...

it might be gloomy down here, but there will always be light on top of everything...

Coke Side of Life 2009

100 Years After

Coke Side of Life 1909

100 years ago...

DUBAI: silent countdown

same as anybody else around the world, me & my friends prepared well for the new year's eve celebration. its been weeks of discussion where to go, which restaurant is the best, where we can enjoy the view of the grand fireworks as before. the reservations were almost fully booked...

finally, after several days of inquiries... we have decided to go to the same place where we were last year (2007-2008). i can say one of the best, since we have the view of Burj Al Arab, the only 7-Star hotel in world. a perfect not so loud nor discreet crowd that was there before.

erika found the number... and reserved.

then came 31 December, all prepared. we still went to the office, yet kept our fingers crossed that it will be another half day of work, same as 24 December.

then the BA#$%^&NG!
its not yet midnight, but an explosion of news came in...

Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, ordered the cancellation of all forms of celebrations marking the New Year in Dubai emirate, as an act of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
whhooooh! what a blast!

then, my phone rang several times. my friends were asking... confirming... and thinking what else to do???

too late to prepare for a dinner at home!!! and the reservation...

then, the work continued. lunch time came... no announcement yet.
it will be a long day. since the celebration was cancelled... why do we need to leave early???

ok. fine. this is it.
6PM. ding!!! time to go and prepare.

we still went to the restaurant... nothing can break the plan...with a little hope that the countdown will still give a thrill!

then we arrived. the place was still loaded. people still gathered. long tables on the restaurants... families were together. children on their best dress... all the same new year's eve.
just dont try to ask for loud music. its a fine dining set up... alcohols were available just inside the resto... and if you wish to drink outside, starbucks coffee will do :)

we had the best, year end dinner. more than the food... we ended the year together, with the special people in our lives. 6 of us. sharing our dreams for the coming year and analyzing what went wrong for the past year... & so on.

then, its almost midnight. we were rushing for the "countdown" outside.
it was soooo cold. a foggy cold silent night.

we passed at starbucks to have some latte...
then went out at the ampitheater of madinat jumeirah...
almost all the people did the same...
for what??? maybe that's the way it should be...

outside, fog embraced us... it covered the view.
all you can see was the big christmas tree, as if floating in the air.

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2...happy new year :)

instead of fireworks... people greeted each other.
hugs... kisses... love was all around us!
as if everybody knew each other.
everybody is smiling... happy... full of hope...

one night, 2 different years.
one closes and another begun.

it was different. i grew up in the fireworks capital of the Philippines (Bulacan) where really loud fire crackers were lit during the eve... it was totally a different experience.

being part of the protest againsts the war that now killed more than 500 people...
the new year celebration that we had this year was more meaningful to me.

i am thankful that i was somehow able to give my little share with what is happening in Palestine & Gaza... that night, we prayed for them... and realize that while most are celebrating... some people had just lost their homes, or even their love ones, or even their own lives.

most of us has been trying to think of ways to improve ourselves for the coming year... some spent hours regretting things that they did and didnt do on the past year... new years resolution for ourselves... plans... project... self.
all about us.

the year that was (2008) brought many tragedies. records of crime... disaster... financial downfall... a history of its own.

and the beginning of the year gives a new hope for everybody.
not just for you & for me... but everybody deserves to be happy.