I’m shaking my head as I wonder where the time went in 2009 and how the landmark decade of the 21st century has flown by. I have asked myself before whether I would be aware if time was somehow passing quicker. I guess it’s all about one’s perception in terms of the way that time is measured, experienced and rationalized. Is this perception affected by a busy schedule, by having a job or a routine that is benchmarked by deadlines?

If your one of those highly organized people who plan their activities in advance, do you find that time passes really slowly leading up to an occasion and then goes by super fast throughout the course of the event itself? And by the time it ends, the feeling of anticipation is crushed by the disappointment that it’s all over.

Luckily, I never suffer from that because I’m Mr. Spontaneous, generally disorganized and without the ability or the foresight to plan anything.

So with a new year upon us, it’s time to take stock I guess. What did I learn about myself and the world in 2009? As far as looking inwards goes, I once again count myself very lucky in life. With the religious belief and faith in God, I always try to be true and honest to myself and those around me, and when the opportunity presents itself, I extend a helping hand to others.

It has been a year to reflect on relationships with my family and the role that plays within that structure. It’s been four years now since I’ve been here in Dubai and because of that I have been a little remote over the years which has only increased my emotional distance from my loved ones. This year I will do everything to deal with that issue and be more active in interacting with them.

There also has been an instance in 2009 when an emotional change has come about. Rachelle came into my life  and from then on everything became a bit more happier and satisfying, making my outlook into the new year less than bleak and more hopeful and clearer, having a sense of direction.

More generally, I remember 2009 as being the year of, among other things, the global financial crisis. I think this has affected the whole world in general, making life harder to live by. I have been witness to many friends and colleagues losing their jobs almost everyday. I just thank God i was not one of them, instead He has blessed me with a new one. Also, in hindsight, I wish I have bought some shares in companies that manufacture those little bottles of hand sanitizer (due to widespread swine flu) and  in Michael Jackson’s publishing company (when the King of Pop’s death spurred the flood of written material about his life and achievements). because sales in those areas skyrocketed!

In closing, I just hope the new year brings new hope and beginnings! May God bless us all!

She’s very much into pistachios, so I picked up a pistachio-flavored cake for her from the specialty bakeshop Bakemart at their branch in Dubai Media City,

After munching the carbonara that she had cooked, she thought that the celebration was already finished. Without her knowing, I still have other plans in store for her. An hour before the clock strikes 12, I told her that I’m going to take her out. As her birthday is a very special day, I took her to the place that was both very memorable and special for the both of us. We went for a walk at Al Qasba. Al Qasba holds a very special place in our hearts. This was where we first went to while I was still courting her. This was also the place where we had our first hair-raising and heart-pounding carnival ride. We also rode the 60-meter high Ferris wheel called the Eye of the Emirates (reminiscent of the London Eye).

That night, we reminisced while walking, remembering the moments we had at Al Qasba, joked about how we were before and of course, took some pictures! Then, we decided to ride the Eye of the Emirates once more to take a another glimpse of Sharjah from a top of the towering amusement ride. The stride and the ride took its toll on us and our stomachs started protesting. I have promised her for ages that I’m going to take her to the best Thai restaurant I know. Luckily, just days prior to her birthday, I learned from a friend that the Thai resto Lemon Grass just opened a branch in Qasba. We savored on the authentic Thai prawn and noodles cuisine that really satisfied our appetite.

As the day came to a close, Rachelle thanked me for everything that I did that day. Seeing her smile at me like that never fails to make my heart skip a beat. Priceless as it maybe, I can say that  made her birthday a happy one.

]]> http://akotosidennis.com/2009/12/07/happy-birthday-baby/feed/ 0 http://akotosidennis.com/2009/04/16/our-first-month/ http://akotosidennis.com/2009/04/16/our-first-month/#comments Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:56:08 +0000 densyo http://akotosidennis.com/?p=405 Our first month together went by like a breeze! Maybe it’s really like that when you’re happy, you don’t even notice how time flies. It was just like yesterday when Rachelle and I got together “officially” that I still remember everything so clearly in my mind. This first month is so special for us that I planned to do something different.

I thought of us eating in a posh restaurant (so common), go out of the country (so far) and take a hot air balloon ride (so expensive). But none of those I thought of were viable in the time frame I have. I was already alarmed and in deep thought when I remembered one of those talks that we had about some of the things that we still haven’t done here in Dubai. She at one time mentioned about she and her friends’ plan to go on a Dhow Cruise but they were not able to do so. That gave me the idea to take her to a Dhow Cruise by surprise.

A week before our “first monthsary“, I devised a plan on how to go about my little surprise. The “hopeless romantic” in me kicked in and with that, this plan materialized: I gave her three roses, but not all at the same time. I gave her the first rose in the eve of our “monthsary”. When the clock ticked at 12 am, together with a card, I gave her a long stemmed red rose and we greeted each other a happy 1st monthsary. I told her that we’ll just go out tomorrow and eat out to further celebrate our first month together.  What she didn’t know was I already talked to a friend of hers, Freia, and asked her to give Rachelle the second rose in the morning with a card. Inside the card, there are instructions on where we would meet in the evening and what clothes we should  wear (I still didn’t mention anything about the Dhow Cruise). I asked her to wear the clothes that we wore when we had out first date. That moment was so memorable for us that I want it to be a part of our celebration. I also asked her to meet me at Al Ghurair Mall in Deira. It was already close by the Dhow Cruise area and I want her to think that we would just eat our dinner in one of the restaurants at Al Ghurair.

When we met in the evening, she played her part well and she wore the clothes that I asked her to wear. At this moment, I gave her the third rose and another card. But unlike the other two fresh roses that I gave her, this one is an artificial rose. Of course, she asked me why. So, I told her that those roses will represent the love I have for her, that as long as one of those roses is alive, my love for her will always remain (I would no longer go into detail on the dramatics that followed that moment, I’ll just let you all play with your imagination…).

After that, we took a taxi ride towards the Dubai Creek where the Dhow Cruise I earlier booked was at bay. She was still clueless as to where we are going. She keeps on guessing on what restaurant in Deira we are going to eat. Not until we reached Dubai Creek that she realized what we were doing there. I saw the glimmer of happiness in her eyes when she learned of my plan and  that was more than enough for me, my efforts paid off, I’m sure I made her happy.

We dined at the Falcon Oasis Floating Restaurant which serves a mix of Arabic and Oriental food. While we were eating the boat is cruising the length of the Dubai Creek, which gave us a good view of the creek and Dubai at night.

It was truly another night to remember for the both of us and we are looking forward for many more to come…

I will never see the 15th day of March as ordinarily as before. Today marks the beginning of my new life with my girlfriend (and future wife!) Rachelle. Finally, after a month of courting her, she decided to give me her sweeetest “YES” that made us officially “together”. But it’s not as usual as it sounds, she didn’t give me her answer the traditional way (as in I asked her and she said “Yes”).

When I visited her at her place earlier, she had me listen to a song on her phone, telling me that she heard a song and wants to share it with me. She also said that surely I will like it. As it turned out, the song was “Feels Like Home” sang by Chantal Kreviazuk. True to her word, I did like the song, with its soft melody plus the enchanting voice of Chantal made the song very appealing to my ears.  As I listened to the song, I was surprised to find that I can relate to its lyrics. It just purely conveys my feelings for Rachelle: how I feel when I’m with her, how my heart beats when I see her again, how lonely my life was before I met her and how it became happy again when she came. As I was in reverie over the song, I suddenly realized that it was her that wanted me to hear the song, not the other way around. So I quickly gave her a quizzical look! And I found her staring back at me with anticipation. Not hearing the song, she asked me what part of the song was already playing. Before I could utter an answer, the last part of the second stanza was already playing with these lyrics:

If you knew how much this moment means to me, and how long I’ve waited for your touch. If you knew how happy you are making me, I never thought that I’D LOVE ANYONE SO MUCH…

Honestly, I was caught off handed. She must have seen my reaction over the song that I saw her smiling back at me when I looked at her again after the song. I asked her if that was the answer I was waiting for and she nodded…

At that exact moment I was engulfed by unexplained bliss that I just hugged her instinctively. Oblivious to the rest of the world, I took her hand and gave it a light kiss. I thanked her for trusting and believing me and for loving me back. Today instantly became one of the happiest days of my life!

I have to give it to her, she has style. I never would have suspected that she’d do it like this. And I am very thankful it happened this way, for if not, it would not have been this special…

With Rachelle in my life, I truly feels like home…

Feels Like Home- Chantal Kreviazuk

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