BLESSINGS

As the end of the month approaches me with a monster mask on, I desperately try to look for money. Salary day is 48 hours away, and my hands are itching to touch a decent hundred dirham bill.

I’ve had an empty pocket for more than a week now and managed to survive.
Several good fellas fed me and entertained me and kept me company.

Sunday I had dinner with some friends in Bur Dubai and they took care of the bill as usual. Really nice Chinese food. Peking duck, nicely cooked prawns and dumplings, and of course, chardonnay.

Monday I went to a birthday party and ate pork and cake and drank Jack Daniels with gulaman, and Miss Maribel and I christened it and named it gulaman JACK! We als omade friends with the ducks nad the rabbits in Hayder's frontyard. Hi dur, pets of Hayder!

Tuesday I was invited to the launching of a mobile phone. I went with Ria, who happily picked me up in Media City. The wine was ok, the salmon was great, the hotel was perfect. I didn't get a free mobile phone, but I'm not complaining. It was at the Ritz Carlton, it was free, and the speech by the country manager was very short.

Wednesday I met with Mother Galo for coffee in Burjuman. We exchanged heart-warming stories and I felt really good about being able to share part of me with him --- uncensored, shameless, nothing but the raw truth. Plus we couldn’t help but stare at this young guy who looked like Diego Luna in Y Tu Mama Tambien. The sexy thing about him was he was awfully young --- he had a business math book and he and his friends were laughing and checking out body building supplements inside the nearby health store. I'm freaking 24 and I hate it. He must have been 19.

Thursday we had the BOD meeting at Gold Fork and Obet shared his food with me. It was fabulous. Then we went to the new Chikka Grill, and Mother Galo bought me a Breezer and we had fun just dancing. I was wearing my shittiest top that night but didn’t care. Went home with Ria.

Friday was desert safari day. It was a project of UPAA and we succeeded in raising enough funds for the scholarship program --- we reached our target this year. And we had sooo much fun! We went up and down the sand dunes and we went on a short camel ride, and the camel pissed on me, and then I wore a dish dash (Arabic dress for men) and had my picture taken with Sherry, who wore an abaya (Arabic dress for women), and then I had a huge and delectable Arabic meal --- lots of potatoes and corn and chicken and lamb and samosa and hummus. Tea time was great --- the belly dancer, who I could have sworn had a perfect body and great skin, entertained us. Ava, the cute three-year-old was sitting on my lap and later on we found ourselves dancing.
Then Sherry and I just HAD to go to Hibiki to sing a couple of songs. The bar’s mood was very depressing. A few people at a few tables, not much to drink because there was not much to spend. I sang a couple of melodramatic songs and drank only two bullfrogs. (It takes three to really get me on a roll.) At around 2 AM Sherry’s boyfriend Rami and his drunk friend Fadi followed and they insisted (like pointed a gun at us and threatened to blow our brains out) on paying for our drinks. So it was another unexpected treat!

Saturday (yesterday) was equally fun! I met up with Mother Galo, Anthon, Xernes, Ernest and Sherry in Deira City Center and we had a fun time in Noodlehouse, where we talked about gay stuff --- how gay guys fall in love and how they have sex and how they fight fairly in relationships. And of course we all agreed that men are bastards. The straight ones. Then we went window shopping and had tea and I went home at midnight and had a short chat with Craig (and a glass of his wine) before going to bed.

For seven whole days I was literally penniless, and then some people just stepped up and helped me and fed me, as if the hand of God pushed them to take my hand and lead me to wherever food was. Unbelievable what the Filipino community can do. They can feed me and more importantly, keep me company even when I’m broke.