Starting Over

Two weeks ago, my cousin Arnie happily turned another year older and invited a few people to join him celebrate his natal day. Known for being quite a spontaneous person, he often arranges last-minute gatherings, and this occasion was clearly not his first attempt at stressing people with his late notice.

He phoned me hours before the unplanned party to invite me and hubby, and to make one request - he wanted a specific gift, and he wanted me to say yes to it. It would’ve been a lot easier had the gift been something inanimate but what he had asked was one of the most unexpected things I’d hear him say…he had asked me to patch up with my estranged buddy C during his party.

As soon as the line went dead, my palms started to sweat and my mind raced in lightning speed with dozens of questions and thoughts. I literally didn’t know what to say or do since it’ll be the first time in 2 years that I’d be meeting her face-to-face. The thought of that long period of time sans contact kept playing on and on in my mind. But my pride got the better of me so I decided not to plan anything since I still didn’t wanna make the first move. I left everything in fate’s hands and trooped to my cousin’s flat with a tinge of trepidation, and at the same time utter curiosity as to how the evening will progress.

On my way to the party, memories of how my friendship with C fell apart began to subconsciously flash in my mind. What happened 2 years ago was like a nightmare that I’ve always wished I’d never have to recall. We had a solid 10 years of friendship before our relationship faltered...and just because we had bottled up feelings and frustrations over each other in the past, we allowed our friendship to go down the drain in just a snap of a finger without the slightest thought of talking things through.
I lucidly remember how we were inseparable during college and how we kept the closeness rolling even after graduation. In all the years that we were in the best of terms, we patiently listened to one another’s worries & fears, mutually provided support in every career move we made, witnessed every heart break we faced, engrossed ourselves with meaningful conversations over coffee, and even excitedly giggled together like little kids as we boarded the plane bound to Dubai. Yes, we were there for each other during those times, and weird as it may seem, the very moment I stepped inside the building where the party was being held, I unashamedly admitted to myself that I did miss her and her company.
She was the first person I saw when I entered the hall, but I acted as if I didn’t see her and headed straight to where my hubby and friends were. I could sense that everyone in the room was feeling tensed, and I could almost hear what their minds were thinking. It was one of the most awkward situations I’ve been into, and it sucked!

Time ticked away while both of us pretended that tension wasn't building up inside the room. Bessie Beth, bless her, took matters into her own hands and initiated the talk. She took my hand and led me to the fire escape where C and I used to have our daily talks. It was the very place where we laughed and cried and vented out all our rants and shared unabashedly how scared we were of the uncertain future when we first came here to Dubai.

As soon as the door was shut, I bravely confronted her with an encouraging look on my face. Following my instincts to do the right thing, I gave her a warm, welcoming hug. I was tongue-tied when she apologized, and all I could say then was that I was sincerely glad the saga was finally over. My long lost friend was there, right in front of me, and you can just imagine what kind of relief it was when we stood there smiling as if nothing happened. For me, it was the perfect way to rekindle our friendship. In no less than an hour, we were chatting away like the way we used to, and shared the regret of missing out on a lot of things in the last couple of years that we weren't on speaking terms.

Looking back, I realized how much time we’ve wasted when we stupidly allowed our selfishness to tear us apart. But I've always believed that things happen for a reason. We've grown and matured while we were apart, and realized the kind of mistakes we've done to hurt each other. Yes, we got bumped and bruised but thankfully we weren’t damaged enough not to believe in starting over and having faith that our friendship can still be restored.

Ahoy Mateys! The Captain’s Turned One

A few weeks ago, we attended the 1st birthday bash of Klyde Hendrix Joachim – Hazel’s adorable son. The party was themed “Pirates & Hidden Treasures” and the kiddo was in his cute costume, complete with a pirate hat and sword. Although the beautifully decorated ballroom was huge, the place was filled with guests - young and old alike. Apart from the usual guest tables, there were some colorful small tables and chairs, as well, a bouncy castle to entertain the little tykes, a face painting corner and a cotton candy machine which bought smiles and sugar to the guests’ lips.

There were only a handful of children who attended but the party turned out to be fun as the hall was filled with adults who were kids at heart. the games prepared were amusing, and the crowd cheered when it was time for the not-so-young couples to play in one of the games. During dinner, a heart-warming slideshow presentation from Klyde's Dad & Mom was played, which left the viewers in awe.

Hazel, a very hands-on working mom, prepared months in advance for this celebration, and twisted my arm to be the emcee for the party. It was my first time to host a kiddie shindig in a huge pack, and I must admit that despite feeling a bit nervous then, hosting it was such a delight. The program went smoothly – thanks to the ever organized Mommy of the birthday boy who painstakingly put everything together.



Being a witness to the preparations that Hazel had done made me realize how much a parent can actually go for to make their child happy. It was like preparing for one’s own but double the effort to make it extra special and memorable. I guess nothing beats the feeling of fulfillment for something done out of love, especially for your own child. I just hope someday when it’s my turn to become a Mommy, my instincts will tell me what to do.

Having said that, I congratulate Hazel for a job well done...and of course, a toast to the good looking, future heartthrob birthday boy!

The Cutest Documentary Ever

I’ve been meaning to write about this documentary for weeks. But as usual, I got sidetracked, and completely forgot to finish writing about this film I’ve seen on DVD a few weeks ago. My life has been so full of happenings recently so it was a bit difficult for me to stay focused on one task while I juggle my time as a corporate slave by day and a full-time wife and home maker by night.

Well, enough about my not-so-interesting life. Let me get to the real story that I wanted to share with you. this is about an uber cool documentary of an ordinary guy from New Jersey named Brian Herzlinger, an aspiring movie maker who’s got this huge crush on Hollywood’s prettiest angel, Drew Barrymore, since 2nd Grade (that’s after watching E.T.) It all started when he won $1,100 on a game show, where ironically, the answer to the winning question was “Drew Barrymore”. He thought it must be fate so he decided to pursue one date with her – not expecting anything romantic out of it.

A guy who’s jobless, broke, and only armed with $1,100 in his pocket, Brian chased this lifelong dream. With full determination and with the help of his trusted friends, they formed the ‘Drew Crew’ and embarked on a once in a lifetime 30-day journey. Why 30 days you ask? Circuit City then had a 30-day return policy so that gave Brian an uninsured digital video camera he needed to make his docu film, which is his only ticket to get Drew’s attention -- thanks of course to the dependable credit card of his buddy.  The docu film, along with guts, will power, and prayer, will be sent to Drew using the force of the “6 degrees of separation”.

I thought it would be the usual boring documentary I’m used to but it’s totally not! It was hilarious and quite entertaining. It’s also an emotional film that captured the raw emotions of the people involved in completing it. The following are the highlights of the film that you should watch out for:

• Brian coaxing the ex-assistant of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Kerry David, who ended up being the Producer of the film. When she finally jumped onto the car, passion just fueled her and drove her to use all her connections just to make the project a success.
• Brian trying to shape up in order to be physically appealing when he finally meets his all-time biggest crush (I swear, this guy is sooo motivated!!)
• Brian convincing his Mom that what he’s doing is simply just fulfilling his two dreams: becoming a filmmaker and having a simple dinner with someone in the Hollywood industry who's so down-to-earth and normal as any other person in this world.
• Brian showing off his membership to the Drew Barrymore Club when he was in Gradeschool (aaawww…you’ve gotta see the pink envelope and the autographed picture!)
• Brian going into a number of arguments with his ex-girlfriend who flew into a jealous rage at the thought of Brian trying to have a relationship with Drew Barrymore (sounds like someone’s still hung up on our lead star! LOL!)
• Brian successfully gate crashing to the Charlie’s Angels Full Throttle party after its Premier and briefly meeting Drew for the first time. Take note of this: he was accompanied by the wives of his friends. Talk about full support and encouragement!
• Brian returning the videocam to Circuit City (this scene may require you to hold on to your tissues)

Actually, the comedy is packed with more highlights but these were just my personal favorites. there’s one more but it’s like giving away the full story so I’ll just keep it to myself for now.

Two things I learned from this film:
1.) Never let go of your dreams. Some people may brush you off and tell you it ain’t gonna happen sweetheart, but who the hell cares??  They’re your dreams and you have every right to reach for them. Do not settle for anything less if you know you can do something about fulfilling those aspirations that mean to you. The choice is always yours, and at the end of the day, you’re most likely to be the one who will feel the satisfaction upon achieving them. so do not stop believing...do not stop aiming for something. The day we stop growing is the day we stop dreaming.

2.) Treasure your friends and have faith in them. Those who are true to you will stick with you no matter what happens. True friends’ support could bring out the best in you because most of the time, your happiness and success mirror theirs. It’s always this way when what you have is solid and sincere.

I highly suggest you go watch this movie and be inspired. It's not only a funny movie but it's also creatively done, which made them earn 4 awards in various film festivals. Before you share this with anybody, be sure to keep these words of Drew Barrymore in mind, "if you don't take risks, you'll have a wasted soul."

Very well said.

P.S. Thanks to sweet Cherry Dimples for sharing this flick with me!