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How did I become part of a TV series

Ion
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How did I become part of a TV series

I had a Q and A with TFC couple of months back, about my participation in their first-ever digital miniseries, Hinahanap-Hanap Kita, or HHK.

Here’s how it goes:

Q. Paano na-cast sa HHK?

As a blogger, I’ve been working with ABSCBN Middle East for the past few years by blogging about their events, products, and celebrity shows in Dubai. So when they needed a vlogger role, they considered me and asked if I’m interested to be part of something special and a “FIRST” for TFC. How can I say no? It was an instant yes for me.

Q. Paano mo pinaghandaan and character role mo? May similarities ba ang character mo sa HHK sa totoong buhay?

I play myself in HHK so there’s not too much of immersing into another character. However, I had struggled to put myself in that little scene with Helen (Maja Salvador) who is burdened with her missing husband. I was overwhelmed and starstruck so much that I wasn’t able to show the right emotions. We did about three to four takes each script, though I would have loved to try another sana. 😍 But it’s alright.

Similarities – yes. BoyDubai has become somehow an icon to some people who need emotional, social, vocational and even financial help. A few people recognize the blog as a channel to seek much needed financial assistance. NOT that I am giving them money – but I help them write their stories to send to top news agencies in the region for publishing – especially those looking for donors to aid in the staggering medical bills. I’m just very grateful that my platform became useful to our kababayans even in this regard.

There are also readers from different nationalities who send me messages or call me to seek further advice on their own life situations which I may have written about.

Q. Paano ka nakarelate sa character mo sa HHK?

My vlog, Walk-in with Boy Dubai, is about encouraging the viewers with various inspiring stories of my guests.  So having someone like Helen in a vlog feels like I’m just doing my typical content, with just an added public service element (the panawagan).

Q. Bilang isang cast sa HHK, ano yung most challenging part?

Acting next to Maja – no practice, no drills kasi. 😊As I’ve said, starstruck ako eh. And the fan in me didn’t help to loosen myself up for the scenes. Even though it was just like doing my usual thing, may kaba habang dinedeliver ko yung lines ko with Maja beside me.

Q. Paano nabago ng HHK ang buhay mo?

Well, it gave me an opportunity to somehow do an “acting” (which is one of my childhood dreams). Even though it was just a token role, I really appreciate how detail-oriented the director and the production was. For direk Dado and his crew, there’s no such thing as a small role. They want everything done with precision.

And the production team also inspired me from the days they’re doing their research in the city. They traveled to Dubai and went to all the places to study the location, the people and the stories of the people who will be portrayed in the project. Goes to show how focused and committed they are to deliver a genuinely beautiful craft.

Q. Ano bang natutunan mo sa character mo sa HHK?

It became an affirmation that my blog/vlog, despite not having a huge following, serves a great purpose. We don’t know how much impact we could give even to ONE PERSON by doing something useful for them – just like the role I played with Helen.

Maja Salvador came back to Dubai 6 months after the shoot for the premier.

Q. Ano dapat abangan o subaybayan sa HHK?

Filipinos all over the world would see how Filipinos are segmented in Dubai. The miniseries has done a great job in portraying it. Kudos to the research team again. It’s a light feel-good miniseries that will surely give the audience some laughter and good tears at the same time.

Also, see Dubai from a different perspective while maintaining a realistic depiction of life here. You’ll be proud to see how Filipinos thrive to live and contribute to this beautiful city.

Here’s my behind the scene vlog:


Thank you ABS-CBN and TFC for this amazing opportunity.

You can still watch the 8-episode series via TFC.tv.

What I love about flights

Ion
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What I love about flights

People from all walks of life, of different backgrounds, of different passport privileges, come together on board for one purpose – to get to one destination. Passengers may prefer economy, business, and first-class and get different services.

But everyone goes through the same flight, the same turbulence, the same fate.

People can’t be late or they’ll miss the flight.
Everyone’s limited to certain baggage and has to leave them where they belong, carrying only a much lighter load to their seats.
Before the journey begins, the passengers are informed of safety and precautions in case something goes wrong in the flight.We put all our trust and confidence in the pilot.

BXD.

How one Facebook post lead to creation of Dubai’s newest content platform

Ion
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How one Facebook post lead to creation of Dubai’s newest content platform

One morning, I posted this on Facebook:

We’re looking for bloggers / aspiring bloggers who have the dream to make it big in writing. If you’re interested and you are driven by purpose, please send a message and let’s make it more meaningful from there.

I got 43 quick messages on my inbox and 41 comments on the post – many from UAE and some from all over the world. Next time I know, I completely shifted my focus replying to the messages one by one.

It was very encouraging, to say the least, that such a number of people would step up for that kind of “call.” Many of them have really great perspective and it’s just a matter of finding the right platform and network of people to share those insights with.

I arranged a meeting with many of them over coffee, and each meeting was exciting. I shared the idea with my friend, Lance of Dublog, and asked him if we could do this. It’s a YES for him – without inhibitions.

With the help of Lance, Jeff, Rod and Oliver, we put the context of BXD in better shape.

After a few weeks, we had our first physical meetup as a group. What was previously a strange mix of people instantly became a tribe – embracing each other’s differences and celebrating similarities instead.

So what is BXD?

BXD is not just another website. We are a network of content co-creators committed to informing, inspiring, involving, and empowering the glocal communities through stories shaped in a meaningful perspective and encouraging context.

We envision through this platform that people will be reminded of how great life is no matter what. We will write blogs, make videos and sound off on podcasts to make it known, repeatedly.

Our Values

We are Passion & Purpose-driven people willing to start conversations.

We live with full joy today while aspiring to change the world tomorrow.

We love God and we love others, and so we encourage one another and build each other up.

We believe in co-creation and collaboration. We grow together

We simplify work. We deliver value.

We embrace diversity. We seek similarities over differences.

We prioritize family over work and advocacy.

What we gonna do?

You’re probably thinking there’s already an information overload in the world and here’s another one to adding that.

Well, more than the info overload, we have people suffering from INFOBESITY to reach out to. Infobesity or infoxication refers to the difficulty of a person in understanding an issue and making decisions that can be caused by the presence of too much information.

There’s indeed so much content in the digital world. We’re here to channel you through a meaningful perspective about them. We’re about presenting the “WHAT THE F***” into “WHAT THE FUN;” the fear of missing out (FOMO) into the joy of missing out (JOMO).

We’re not looking for millions of likes, but millions of magic moments through uplifting content.

“Adding value to others is the surest way to add value to our own lives.” – John Maxwell

What we’re not doing?

We’re not touching anything that will divide the society and are detrimental to any culture like gossips, biased political stands, scams, easy-money schemes, pseudosciences, complaints, rants, sexism, offensive humor, attacks to any religion and ethnicity – any negativity.

However, we may pick one of these and look at it at a deeper perspective – giving you a different lens to look at things.

What matters

We’ll keep highlighting the brighter side of things in all we are about to do. It’s the BXDs that matter. Those Blissful Xperiences Daily; or Being Xceptional Daily; or having a Blessed Xtraordinary Day.

On behalf of our dynamic team, I welcome you to BXD, now.

An open letter to PBA about Arwind Santos’ recent racial antics

Ion
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An open letter to PBA about Arwind Santos’ recent racial antics

Dear PBA (and Arwind),

NLEX is set to play Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel in Dubai this October. The upcoming pair of games in the spanking new Coca-cola Arena promises to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, basketball show ever to be played in the region.You are inviting the Filipino community to come in droves not only to cheer for their favorite teams and players but also to show this part of the world the brand of basketball we have and how the sport runs deep in our blood.

I just want to remind you that many Filipinos overseas are still enduring many forms of discrimination, and the recent racial antics of Arwind Santos, and his unapologetic tirade, just add a bad taste to the already bitter pill.

Racism is a never-ending topic of interest in cosmopolitan cities like Dubai.

Several Filipino communities overseas are standing up in strength for our kababayans who experience discrimination because of the color of our skin. These advocate groups actually embody your slogan, “Laban kung laban.”

The least we expect from a PBA spectacle in Dubai is to fan the flames even more.

Sports is a mirror of life. We learn strategies through basketball. Kids pick up a lot of values from their favorite players.

While many of us are expecting heavier consequences from the league, I respect the penalties meted on him – Php 200,000 fine, 100 hours of community service and seminars and counseling on equality and racial discrimination.

Taunting may not appear as serious as punching a player. But physical assault, emotional assault, and mental assault are all, well, ASSAULTS.

Between today and your October games in Dubai, I am hoping you don’t miss on the opportunity to educate your audience that such racism has no place in sports, much more in our lives. I hope you’d keep us updated about Arwind’s progress on those seminars and counseling and community service.

To Arwind, what you’ve done is bigger than basketball. You have a very good monicker, Spiderman – “With great power comes great responsibility.” No matter how high the stakes are, choose to be a champion of that responsibility than a champ for stupidity.

To the public, let’s forgive Arwind. Move on. We all have been immature at some point in our lives too.
THIS IS WHY WE WATCH.

Arwind does the Spiderman dunk | Photo by ABS CBN (Richard Esguerra)

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Top photo by Brandon Nickerson from Pexels

It rained on our Disneyland parade

Ion
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It rained on our Disneyland parade

We stayed at Disney Explorer Lodge in Disneyland Hong Kong for 4 days and 3 nights in July.

It was raining intermittently. We are aware of the rainy season but the forecast when we booked the trip says otherwise.

We were not able to do all the activities we planned to. We spent quite long hours sheltering from the rains rather than going for rides. We were not able to explore quite a number of areas at the park. Many outdoor shows were canceled. Literally, it rained on the (Disney) parade.

We had to cut our Day 2 trip shorter to keep the kids safe from getting sick. Going back to Dubai healthy is the priority.

So what to do when such things beyond our control happen?

1. Take a deep breath

Breathe in, breathe out. Not sigh. Just deep breathing. It helps the body and mind to relax even in the middle of chaos. It breaks the emotions. It tells the brain to calm down allowing us to think better options and make smarter choices.

So on our first day at the park, we knew it won’t be the best decision to go back to the hotel at just around midday – although our instinct tells us to do so. We thought of Aya, whom we had this trip dedicated to celebrating her 7th birthday. We sat down longer at a food court to relax and make up our mind. We ended up with a better plan – stay at the park and settle for the indoor shows only (so few of them). If the weather improves towards the night we’ll stay for the main attraction of the evening – the light show parade.

2. Focus on what you can control

Let imagination reign over worry. You can only do this when you focus on things you can control.

I thought we won’t be able to go on the second day because the rains were so intense since morning. Eventually, we hopped on the bus around lunchtime bringing with us Plan A (for fairweather) and Plan B (for a rainy day) in mind.

We were able to do more this time until the heavy rain poured down again. I was soaking wet at one point running in between shelters. Crowded inside a merchandise shop, at just around 5pm, we decided to call it a day.

Plan B, although a less exciting option, doesn’t necessarily have to be less enjoyable. We imagined fun things to do inside the hotel. After all, it’s a Disney-themed hotel. We looked at it as a good break from the physical stress of the travel. We ended up taking more family pictures, checking out a kids activity that night, shopping for some merch, and having a proper dining experience.

When we refocus our energy on things we can control, it gives us more comfort without compromise.

3. Be graceful in defeat

In sports, you win some, you lose some. You could lose your first game and be on a winning streak next.

This Disneyland trip is the first for the family. There will definitely be more of this in the future.  We have no reason to feel bad over things we weren’t able to tick off from the list. The fun overshadows the disappointments. We are thankful to able to experience this.

So we happily accepted that our game plan came up short, while already setting our sight to the next family adventures.

4. Always look at the bright side

It’s the journey, not the destination. Cliche as it may sound, we can pick up a lot of positives looking at how we deal with the experience in this journey.

Our daughter had a magical experience strolling at the park in her princess costume and accessories. She had great encounters with her favorite Disney princesses and characters. Best of all, she had a memorable 7th birthday celebration for mix reasons.

No one got sick.

Thank God we made it through the rain. We were able to show teamwork, leadership, and followership. No tempers flying, no bickering. There were down moments of course but those moments became our opportunities to lift each other up and pray. There was always a proper conversation between me and the wife. I love how we grow every time we go through circumstances like this. I always find joy with Raqz every time we have “What do you think?” moments (Proverbs 5:18-19).

As we made our way back to the bus terminal to the hotel, we are literally a picture of contented family dancing in the rain.

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If there’s one thing from this trip that took me time to get over, it’s our planned family vlog that had to be called off. Haha.

A time to stop praying

Ion
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A time to stop praying

Four hours before our flight, Savin, our 6-month boy, has no visa yet.

Several unforeseen events that I have no control of lead to significant delays on his visa application.

Twenty days away from our flight, I was told that everything will be alright and the visa can be finished ahead of time.

I did my research just to prepare a Plan B for the worse case. Indeed I learned there is another option for our baby to exit the country, using an “exit permit.”

A week to go before our flight, there was still no news about the visa. So I suggested to the person managing it to consider Plan B.

Four days passed, I sensed the need to personally do the process myself in Abu Dhabi (because my residence visa is issued by Abu Dhabi) otherwise, it will just be another case of pray and “bahala na si Lord.”

We cannot re-book our travel because there is a special occasion planned to be celebrated upon our arrival in Manila. Also, it will create a painful domino effect on our hotel bookings in Subic and in Hong Kong – which means paying a whole lot of rebooking or cancellation fees.

“Panic” and prayer

Dependency on God is not a question in our household.  Instead of worrying, we pray. We’ve been praying about the visa all the time.

But I told myself I need to stop praying and start doing necessary actions so I can see how God answers my prayer. What I really meant to say was, I need to stop praying so I can channel my mind in thinking of ways to address my situation.

It’s not a panic attack. I remained still.

Being still, and knowing that God is in control doesn’t mean we just have to sit back and wait for the answer. Being still means having that inner peace, that no matter what happens, we understand that God’s ways are better than our ways.

Being still allows us to see things from a higher perspective. Calmness helps in thinking of more positive ways to address the issue, in which we won’t be able to do when we’re in a panic.

I believe, whenever we present our prayers and petitions to God, he gives us options in return. It is up to us to choose what “Call to action” to take.

The bible says…

“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” – James 4:17

So I decided to go to Abu Dhabi

I drove 340 kilometers back and forth for 3 days, until the day of our flight. There was an emotional tug-of-war inside me throughout the whole ordeal. I would feel disappointed with every rejection, but I was quick to compose myself back.

One time I will be told to bring another document. When I return, another doc will be asked. I don’t have all those docs because some processes are still ongoing at that time, and I am not a P.R.O.

It was 45 degrees as I walk in and out of the immigration, typing centers, and post office, only to be told “InshAllah” – in which I actually believe in as well.

My faith remains strong and I always recognize that ‘God’s will‘ will be done at all times. While God wants us to pray without ceasing, I believe He also wants us to do something about our situation.

I did not claim that God will allow the visa to be released. In fact, I was calmly preparing myself for acceptance in case the visa won’t finish on time. It helps a lot that my wife gives me constant encouragement that God’s plan will eventually prevail – be it favorable for us or not – we need to joyfully accept it and find out what God wants to impress in our hearts. She keeps reminding me that God’s timing is perfect.

The outcome

The day of our flight – I reached Abu Dhabi 30 minutes before 8, anticipating to get it done at the earliest. Frustration has set on me when I was told to go back at 2pm for an unknown reason. Our flight is scheduled at 5:15 in the afternoon.

That means we’re not flying.

I was frustrated but my mind was still working for solutions while also accepting that we might not fly at all. My wife and I were already looking for the next available flights (which was not too easy at a peak season).

Good thing, our company driver who was with me that day, was all-willing to help me get this done ‘whatever it takes.’

We bounced from one typing center to another to get the visa electronically approved. We got the approval at 12:45. We quickly returned to the immigration and lo, we were allowed to get in.

We got the visa stamped by 1pm. It pays to have a company that shares a “never say die” attitude.

I drove as fast as I can (to the maximum limit) to reach home and make it at least an hour before the schedule.

Because of what happened, we haven’t had packed our travel bags well ahead of time. Thank God for our friends, Ever and Mags for making themselves available to help my wife in preparing our stuff.

I reached home at 3pm. God is faithful.

We made it!

Being proactive always helps

Had I just kept praying and not done anything, I would end up “just being told” sorry for it is what it is. I would end up having real frustration. There are no results to celebrate. There won’t be this opportunity to share yet another story of God’s grace.

Steven R. Covey said, “proactive people carry their own weather with them.” True enough, there’s always time to pray, and time to act.

My child speaks more English less Tagalog

Ion
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My child speaks more English less Tagalog

We always get those nosebleed jokes.

My daughter’s first language is English. Not a few people asked us why we didn’t train her to speak Tagalog, our mother tongue. Some even bashed us for not doing so.

We did not intentionally plan to teach her to speak English. It just happened. At the time she started talking, we were unconsciously talking to her in English, reading her English books, while also allowing her to watch ‘Early Learning Videos’ – which are all English.

I mean, how do you do “Close-Open” or Wheels on the Bus or peek-a-boo in Tagalog?

She showed early signs of a really good comprehension of the language. And we realized she responds better when we use English. By age 4, she’s already conversational at it.

We were easily encouraged to keep it that way. For a family living overseas, mingling with various nationalities, and probably staying here for the long run, I think we have a valid reason.

Does it make her less Filipino?

First, it is highly unfair to measure kids by anything. They are kids for a reason.

Aside from place of birth, nationality is largely defined by race and ethnicity in which language is a big attribute. I think, speaking less Tagalog just makes her, “less Tagalog,” but still 100% Filipino.

Does it matter?

We’re not really bothered. We want her to also learn Tagalog. I think being bilingual is beautiful and smart. It was just a matter of prioritizing her love language over land language.

When she’s about 5, we started talking Tagalog more often. It was a struggle in the beginning. Slowly but surely she’s getting the context of what we’re trying to say, until one day, she showed great desire to learn and adapt Tagalog at a higher level.

One way we thought could help us in this regard is to put her in a Filipino school. It wasn’t a breeze though. She became more confused and impatient struggling to understand grammatical elements like panghalip, pantangi, pambalana, panaguri, I mean c’mon! The pressure from the academe didn’t help much.

Despite the stutters, her desire to learn the language remains high. She practices with us every day. She loves to sing Tagalog songs too. She admires kids who speak fluent Filipino. For her, mastering Tagalog is a prestige – a high contrast to our childhood wherein we thought kids who speak English were elite. Today, she celebrates with joy every time she completes a sentence.

Today, if you talk to her in basic Tagalog, she will understand and might eventually respond to you in Tagalog as well.

I’m proud she is delighted to embrace the language. For me, it doesn’t really matter what language you started them into. When they grow in a language of love, learning the vernacular is just a matter of time.

I called 999 Emergency in Dubai and the response was amazing

Ion
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I called 999 Emergency in Dubai and the response was amazing

The other night, we dialed 999 for an ambulance and they reached us in less than 5 minutes.

Sunday – As I left the coffee shop, I knew something was wrong on my back or hip. I was limping on my way to the car park. I drove fine but again started limping as I get out of the car.

When I reached home, the pain grew intensely that I had to hold on to the walls every time I walk. I took Brufen pain killer then laid down to get rested.

We’re supposed to go to Sharjah for my mom’s birthday dinner but because of what happened, my parents decided to come over instead.

I was stiffed. I tried to stand up very carefully but every move I make triggers a sparkling pain somewhere in my hip. I managed to take a couple of steps, but the next one had me screaming in pain while my whole weight fell in my dad’s arms. I was grimacing while trying to find the best spot to drop my body into. Raqz was so worried but she’s trying to keep everyone calm. She’s also on high alert that our hospital bag got packed in no time. Aya was crying all along.

I called 999. The answer was quick. They asked 2 questions – (1) What happened, (2) Where is my location. In less than 5 minutes, 2 respondents came. They gave me first aid – injected a pain killer, applied an ice bag on the area, and had me do some back and leg flexing. The pain subsided though I remain immobile.

They didn’t bring me to the hospital but encouraged us to go when I feel a lot better, for proper medical investigation.

I didn’t know that calling for emergency / first aid services in Dubai is free. They just scanned my Emirates ID and that’s it. Amazing.

An hour later, Papa brought us to the Emergency Room of City Hospital. We waited for 1.5 hours to get attended by the doctor on duty.

I called 999 again to ask for the name of the pain killer given to me earlier – so as not to overdose. Just as I thought, they have it already recorded in the system.

So I was given a series of new pain killers in the hospital. The last one, morphine made my body numb and knocked me down to sleep for a while. I woke up dizzy but with less pain. Then we head back home (2am).

Seven hours later, we went back to the hospital to see an Orthopedic. No MRIs yet. I was asked to do more body stretching and observe how the pain develops. It may just be another case of a back spasm.

Thankfully, my parents were with us the whole time. Mama looked after Aya at home while Papa drove us to the hospital back and forth.

I can’t remember any stressful activity I did in the recent past, and that could just be the culprit – not being physically active. So I committed to begin with the stretching, and slowly get back to walking, running, cycling and basketball eventually.

This on the table, when I reached home, is the sweet ending of the story:

Inasal, becoming the national food of Philippines

Ion
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Inasal, becoming the national food of Philippines
Move over Adobo. A friend recently asked me if Chicken Inasal is the national food of the Philippines. Can’t blame him.In just less than a year, there is a massive surge of Inasal restaurants in Dubai that in one location, at least 2 outlets exist. In Deira alone, there are about 5 of them. They spread much quicker than how Jollibee, a Filipino food icon, opened their branches here in UAE.

Some local food chains like Taza added ‘Inasal’ to their menu just to keep up with the Filipino market.

To this day, Inasal is one of the most well-loved grilled chicken dishes in the Philippines. Known to have originated from Bacolod, a good Chicken Inasal recipe makes use of native vinegar, calamansi (Philippine lemon), ginger, lemongrass, and brown sugar, among others, for its unique marinade. It is then grilled over coal while basted with spice-infused annato oil. You might say it’s just another chicken barbecue, but Inasal’s unique smoky aroma and a blend of herbs is an entirely different flavor.

With its global surge, no doubt Inasal joins Adobo on top of the list of signature dishes of the Philippines.

Search for Forky of Toy Story launched in DXB

Ion
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Search for Forky of Toy Story launched in DXB

Traveling kids and parents alike would be delighted as the Search for ‘Forky,’ the unlikely hero from Disney and Pixar’s latest film Toy Story 4, is on.

All throughout July at DXB, Toy Story 4 activity stations will be dotted around each of the airports four concourses where some of the 8 million expected summer passengers will be shown how to transform recyclable materials into toys by making their own Forky.

There will also be a hunt to find Forky and win a magical trip to Paris via AirFrance with theme park tickets (umm, Disneyland?).

All you have to do is take a photo with Forky and upload on Instagram, tag @DXB and add the hashtag #FindForkyDXB.

Now that’s a brilliant way to spend waiting time before boarding.

This initiative is made possible by Dubai Airports in cooperation with Disney Middle East to raise awareness of recycling and the need to eliminate single-use plastic.

Last month, DXB announced their intention to eliminate single-use plastics from all customer areas in the two airports.

 Further educational activations and initiatives will be supported over the coming months as Dubai Airports’ food, beverage and retail outlets reduce and ultimately eliminate single-use plastics.

Visit DXB website for more info.

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*Photo from DXB Instagram

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