Passionately M

  According to Khaleej Times, one of leading UAE newspaper, "Just 100 days of Expo 2020 Dubai left: 10 things you must check out". I have not gone to the Expo 2020 Dubai yet but my daughter and her boyfriend from another country in the Gulf Region, together with their friends from Abu Dhabi and Dubai have already enjoyed visiting there even in few days. I said I would just spoil their trip if I go along with them due to my calf strain and I did not want to be a burden to these adventurous, fun-loving young people. This Expo 2020 Dubai's theme is "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future" which is very timely. The leaders of Dubai always think beyond here and now, and desire to capitalize on the power of mind connections in the building the future today. Many people thought it would not happen this 2021 because of the pandemic challenges, but there as the organizers committed, one year after the scheduled start date, everything opened with a big bang on 1 October 20...

  And so I am now again drinking a lot of hot lemon tea with ginger. It will help improve my health immunity .  WebMD.com says, " Lemon is a rich source of vitamin C and antioxidants, which both have immunity-boosting properties. Ginger also has immunity-boosting properties and can guard against some bacteria." Am coughing when my back is sweating. The air conditioner is switched off again. If you are in the Gulf area, even if it is December it is still hot. There are times when it is even hotter inside my partitioned room with a window facing the sun, no building near ours to block the scorching heat -- than the actual temperature outside. I have a temperature app in my mobile phone and I regularly check it. When I switch on the air conditioner, somebody else switches it off. (I remember when we transferred to the our previous flat and I was told that the A/C was centralized, 24/7 on. I was grateful because the heat of human bodies, the lights, their gadgets -- laptops and m...

  It is great to witness a great milestone in the history of a nation --  United Arab Emirates . Imagine being in the Land of Opportunities, in the City of Gold , as it turns 50 in just few days, on 2 December 2021 (Thursday).  I have been here for more than 15 years. Life has its ups and downs, but to survive all and remain standing on a safe ground is something to be grateful for. The UAE ranks FIRST with 95% score in the   Gallup Global Law and Order 2021 report . This is a great attractor to investors, and yes, to families particularly for women.  The picture I inserted here shows high-rise buildings that get through the fog, and seen above the clouds. Everybody and anybody can dream high here, and many people so far have reached the heights of success they have chased with great determination and enthusiasm. Am toying the idea of 50 in my mind and here are my thoughts in random, and I will add more later, just to make the number more meaningful for me...

When there are life storms bringing you pains so overwhelming that you just want to vanish for some time, the line "EVERYTHING WILL BE OK" even if it is just a post, means really a lot. In this pandemic-hammered period, the average normal life span of 65 years old is no longer true. Many lives even of those in younger generations were claimed by COVID-19.  Sometimes anxiety attacks and depression hit me hard. But I have such a big faith in our merciful God that no matter what happens, He is true to His promise. Every single day of being alive is a big miracle for me, knowing my situation. I want to believe that I still have a mission to accomplish. I have support of some family members and close friends that keep me going. My 54-year old husband and 10-day old granddaughter died last year when COVID-19 was at its peak. I could not fly home. The loss of loved ones can be very devastating. Time heals. For how long, I do not know.  In the last quarter of 2020, I was supposed to ...

The coronavirus pandemic is NOT over yet. We must always get updated on related news and rulings, local and international, through verifiable sources so we know how to properly deal with it. As per Worldometers.info as of this writing, 02 August 2020, at 1232H, the following are the figures: Coronavirus Cases: 18,043,836 Deaths: 689,187 Recovered: 11,341,930 The Philippines with 109,702,792 population, is the 25th in the ranking of highest number of cases. There are 103,185 cases, with 5,032 new cases and 2,059 deaths. Total recovered cases figure is 65,557. This is very alarming and scary because it has claimed many healthcare practitioners' lives. They must be treated with high respect, like heroes, as they risk their own lives to protect others'. From the bottom of my heart, I salute and thank them all. As I look at the figures of related cases in one of cities in our place which has been put in total lockdown, I noticed that many cases were due to exposur...

The Digital Age opens our eyes to many things and makes our hands longer to reach whoever is in the other side of the world, as long as there is an internet connection. No time gap, no distance barrier. It makes us connected with each other. We are considered to be privileged to be born to experience in our lifetime this great technology that has changed many lives and many things. In the United Arab Emirates, immediately after the outset of the pandemic, the speed of the internet was doubled. It was in preparation for the work-from-home advice to company employees. Life went and goes on. There is a digital cooperation among those who are on WFH mode, their management, customers/clients and other stakeholders. My social media page has been flooded with online webinars and fora, all leaving lessons for self-development and sometimes, entertainment. Common platforms are  Zoom  and  Streamyard . I hope that in the very near future voice and video platforms for W...

The current situation reminds me of 'integration' as I find this image of Geralt very compelling to display. Integration is the 'way of adding slices to find the whole' . We cannot go back to the old normal. This is the new normal. Things are very different now. What is lacking is that empty space from the old normal -- that empty space is a blank whole. Another blank whole is the new normal to which we must adapt, whether we like it or not. Everyone is on equal footing with the others as this coronavirus discriminates no one as to target as long as it can find a living host without the right defense system. We must learn how to co-exist with it, until the right vaccine is discovered and proven to be tested succesfully, to be on the preventive side, which is far better than curative. Survival with great consideration in the basics -- food security and health, is what matters most these days. So how are people ' adding slices to find the whole' ?...

The banking industry is highly challenged these days more than ever. Many businesses have closed due to coronavirus. Thousands of people got terminated. Many debtors cannot pay their personal loans, mortgages and credit card dues. The governments of different countries extend stimulus packages to businessmen and financial assistance to eligible individuals to relieve their agonies brought about by the pandemic. I think this is the best time to make it easy for people to open a bank account with a debit card. Many people are still unbanked as there are many requirements to open and maintain a bank account.   If the production and release of credit cards would be costly, a printable certificate or any form of confirmation of a bank account registration, will do for some time, as long as the data are stored in a highly secured system, and later the physical cards can be delivered after the account holder pays online for the cost and courier. It is safe to do transa...