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Overspending? at Cavali Club in Dubai Trends on Twitter

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This photo has ignited fire as it has been making its rounds in Twitter and Facebook criticizing the $100,000.00 plus spent in partying at the high-end Cavali Club for “3 hours.” THIS PHOTO. I’m sure this is NOT unusual in Cavali and other posh Dubai night clubs.

“This is how they do it here.” “Very disturbing.” “Insensitive, when others are dying in hunger,” these are just some of the comments this photo has gained. We’ve seen the bad side… If the person has really loads of extra cash, I hope he can also spend this same amount or even more than this to support some humanitarian efforts. Who knows they do?

* How much tip was given to the servers then? Hmmm

Amateur Video of the Burj Al Arab 2012 New Year’s Fireworks

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My amateur shot at the fireworks.

Photos: Burj Al Arab 2012 New Year’s Eve Fireworks

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While majority of the crowd went to jampack Downtown Dubai to witness Burj Khalifa’s world-class fireworks, we decided to see the original landmark of Dubai – Burj Al Arab’s New Year’s Eve show. Burj Al Arab has one of the best fireworks display last night in Dubai. It lasted longer than Burj Khalifa’s. It was exactly a 15-minute dazzling show, with less gaps and all extravagant presentation. Our spot was a little bit out-of-angle, though we had a peek on the other 2 fireworks spots of Dubai, Atlantis and Burj Khalifa. Here are some photos my sister Kath took from the Jumeirah Open Beach shores… Happy New Year!

Dubai: Help Typhoon Victims in the Philippines

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The Filipino community in the UAE will be holding HAKBANG BUHAY 2012 – a charity walk for the benefit of typhoon Sendong/Washi victims.

When: Friday, 6th January 2012
Where: Safa Park, Dubai Gate 4 (7-11am)
Everyone is of course very welcome

Minimum donation is AED50. Donations in kind will not be accepted in the event as we are aiming to send the help through the quickest possible way – which is in cash.

This charity event is organized by the Philippine Business Council – Dubai, under the auspices of the UAE Red Crescent and the Islamic Affairs for Charitable Activities Department; Supported by the Philippine Consulate General – Dubai & Northern Emirates and the FILCOM – Dubai & Northern Emirates

All proceeds will be sent to the Philippine National Red Cross c/o UAE Red Crescent.

Hope to see you join us in this walk of life. Check Illustrado Magazine’s Facebook Page for further updates.

No Philippines Team on 23rd Dubai International Basketball Tournament?

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Smart Gilas – Philippines ended the 2011 Tournament as 1st Runner-up to Egypt

The annual Dubai International Basketball Invitational Tournament will start on 12th January until the 21st. Games will happen at Al Ahli Basketball Stadium in Dubai.

As of this writing, 10 teams from 6 countries have confirmed participation. They are:

Egypt: Al Gezira – Al Ittihad Alexandria
Syria: Al Jalaa Aleppo
UAE: UAE NT- Al Ahli Dubai
Kazakhstan: BK Almaty Alma-Ata
Iran: Zob Ahan Esfahan
Lebanon: Sagesse – Al Hekmeh Beirut-Anibal Zahle-Hoops Club.

Surprisingly, regular guest team and tough title contender, and the biggest crowd-drawer Philippines is not (yet) on the list. Smart Gilas, the Philippines national team who represented the country in the last 2 tournaments, has not been re-formed since most of the players have joined pro.

Powerade Tigers club in the PBA was invited and supposedly would fly in to represent Philippines since they have 2 of the most popular Gilas mainstays in their roster – JV Casio and Marcio Lassiter. But with their surprising upset of the top team in the league, they will be playing in the PBA semifinals which is aligned with the Dubai Invitationals.

The Stadium is always filled up to the rafters with basketball-crazy Pinoys when Philippines team is playing.

Could the absence of a Philippine basketball team this time means a drop in the crowd?

FlyDubai’s Non-Traditional In-Flight Safety Video

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The boring narratives will soon be gone. Airlines are surely reinventing how they present their in-flight safety instruction videos.  We’ve seen rapping flight crews, dancing stewardess, celebrities cameo on safety videos and more. FlyDubai, one of the best to offer budget flights teamed up with the producers of FREEJ, the Middle East’s first 3D animated series to come up with this comical, 3D presentation far from the sleepy traditional ones. Kids or adults will definitely keep their eyes glued in this 3-minute 40-seconds video on-board the Boeing 737-800. Great job guys! And great collaboration too. Freej compliments the simple yet animated colors of the FlyDubai brand.

Keep Fit Dubai

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What is dubbed as the “Largest Fitness Campaign” dedicated to healthy living under the slogan “Keep Fit Dubai” aims to gather proposals and solutions for a healthy and less-stressed lifestyle. The event will generate a movement that stimulates collective responsibility and action with the purpose of this event being to motivate & attract the whole community to adopt a healthy life style.

“The causes of health problems in this region both physical as well as mental are very much due to the lack of physical activity at nursery, school, work and home plus in-general poor eating habits.”

Mark your calendar folks:

Date: Friday 16th December 2011
Time: 3:30pm to 6:30 pm
Venue: Dubai Police Stadium, Al Wasl Road
Cost: FREE
This event is open to all age groups

There will be activities like dance routines of all kinds, sports & physical fitness routines, even flash mobs. Booths will be equipped with free BMI, Nutrition Counter, Free Assessments, Free Medical Check, Fun Challenges, Fitness Tests, Kung Fu, Tai Chi and Qigong lessons.

When there’s fun, of course there are giveaways as well. Spot prizes include iPad 2s and xBox, and more.

This event will be a great opportunity for all citizens to attend, interact and participate in the various fitness shows and competitions that will be available for you to enjoy.

Fore more info, check the website. Register at http://www.keepfitdubai.org to be eligible to win cool prizes. Like their Facebook Page or Follow Keep Fit Dubai on Twitter to be updated as well.

This event is organized by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sports and Physical Fitness Program, Dubai Police Sports Affairs Department.

Photos: Dubai Ballooning & Night Glow Lanterns Show

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The crowd was a bit frustrated that the 8 hot air balloons didn’t fly in the sky.  Well, the event was just ‘ballooning’ and the highlight was actually the Night Glow – where the crowd let loose hundreds of colourful floating lanterns into the dark sky (sold for AED10 each at the venue).

View More Photos on this Facebook Album.

40 Reasons, Big and Small, to Love UAE

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As we all join in celebrating the 40th National Day of UAE. Let me list down my 40 random reasons, big and small, to love the country:

  1. UAE bridges the gap between nations by being a venue for us, expats, to understand different cultures, traditions and beliefs
  2. UAE is still generally safe. I have a peace of mind whenever I roam in the country. There may be few cases of petty crimes but we hardly see them ourselves.
  3. UAE has balance of tourist attractions. Amazing futuristic cities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and unexpectedly great escapes in Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and the rest of the Emirates
  4. UAE welcomes Christians, other religions and their church in the country. There are at least 10 Christian / Catholic church in the country. Unlike other Islamic countries, Christmas is allowed to be celebrated here.
  5. There are no political circus in the UAE. No one talks about it (at least in my circles)
  6. It is generally clean and orderly here
  7. The country holds at least 10 world-records and still aiming for some. Just shows us how dedicated the nation is in providing top-of-the-world-class attractions, architecture and amenities.
  8. We can wear our casual attires outdoors – although I hate it when some go over-board
  9. There are a lot of green parks within the city – a good place for picnic, sports and kids playground.
  10. UAE have clean, white sand beaches – great water sports as well.
  11. All households are air-conditioned.
  12. It’s multicultural in the workplace. We discover a lot of things from our co-workers. We try to learn each other’s languages too.
  13. People’s level of passion about sports is ultimately high – especially football. There are world tournaments here as well like the Dubai Tennis Championship, Dubai World Cup, etc.
  14. Food is easier to buy – not that cheap, but more affordable against the monetary value.
  15. Apartment spaces are huge
  16. Public transportation are run by the government /semi-government alone; and now it is more orderly
  17. Shawarma stands are in every corner
  18. Desert safari and desert camping on pre-winter
  19. Amazing skydiving view on top of The Palm Jumeirah
  20. It has the only two 7-star hotels in the world – Burj Al Arab (Dubai) and Emirates Palace (Abu Dhabi)
  21. From time to time you can still encounter camels crossing on the road in front of you (near the deserts)
  22. There are loads of concerts of our favorite performers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai
  23. Iftar everywhere during Ramadan
  24. Dragonmart, Bur Dubai Creek, Karama and Satwa – places to find good bargains
  25. Big malls with great indoor parks and amusements like, Ski Dubai, Sega Republic, Kidzania, etc
  26. Stunning hotel exterior and interior designs
  27. Taking the Dubai Metro Ride
  28. Taking the water taxi (abra)
  29. Dhow Cruise at Dubai Creek and Dubai Marina
  30. Deep-see fishing on a yacht, while seeing the Dubai skyscrapers on the backdrop
  31. It’s TAX FREE here
  32. Gasoline / Petrol are really affordable
  33. Gold Souk for bargains and deals on gold and jewelries                                                                           
  34. There are various volunteer organizations and charities that give us opportunities to lend a hand within and outside the country
  35. Very patriotic and passionate celebration of the National Day
  36. There are sporting events/festivals for air (Al Ain/Dubai/Abu Dhabi Air Show), water (Sharjah Water Festival), and land (F1 Grand Prix, and more)
  37. Bars and Clubs are aplenty
  38. For non-muslims, there are pork products in select supermarkets and hotel restaurants
  39. There are more than 450,000 Filipinos in the country – and our favorite Filipino foods are available in many groceries and restaurants
  40. The social media online and offline communities and events are visibly active (Facebook Events, TwitUp, MeetUp, etc)

I’m happy to be living in this country I call my second home.  I’m sure there are more than 40 reasons. What’s yours?

Google’s Tribute to UAE’s 40th National Day

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The logo was Andrew Osama’s work – a 13 year old student from Abdel Jaleel Al Fahim School, who won in the My “UAE Doodle for Google” logo competition. The contest aimed at representing the culture, tradition and people of the Emirates. He bested 20,000 other entries from 30 different schools.

Happy National Day UAE! As my friend Olay says, Life begins at 40!

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