A Journey of Enduring Love

“Hearts united in pain and sorrow

           will not be separated by joy and happiness.

                    Bonds that  are woven in sadness

                            are stronger than the ties of joy and pleasure.

                                  Love that is washed by tears

                                             will remain eternally pure and beautiful.”

This mystic poem of Kahlil Gibran written in  the 18^th century traced the journey of enduring love even in the midst of relationship crises in our present day. The kind of union instituted by God in the beginning is now marred by the material world and the rat race of life. However, I had two rare finds out there in that barren land - the love of Edwin and Sylvia, Ravi and Jonalyn.

Edwin is an engineer by profession and an employee of one of the prestigious  government agencies in the Philippines (DPWH). A soft spoken man, very patient, sincere with his dealings and through his eyes, true love from his soul  to his wife couldn’t be hidden. I thought he was a very silent man, but in our small group he bared his soul. His family loved travel. They made it a point to take their children along with them in their tour of the country. They preferred  travel than building a luxurious house. He has a sense of humor too. He made a pact with his children not to sell the property across the street when they’re gone. When pressed why? He retorted, because they do not belong to us!

Sylvia, a business woman looked like an actress or a pampered rich. During our tete-a-tete while waiting for our flight I learned from her that she hated boredom doing nothing. She used to sell dried fish, cooked boxes of spaghetti and delivered them to her husband’s officemates. Then she was into selling used clothing, investing in Mary Kay beauty products and Herbal food supplements. Her husband at first didn’t like the idea but found himself helping  Sylvia after his office hours. Sylvia couldn’t keep quiet if she spotted problems in our travel. She was so courageous and outspoken. One couldn’t believe  that all these traits  were bundled inside an attractive package, a  young pretty face and flawless skin.

Opposite poles attract. Engineers know this. When they attract  they are glued. Edwin and Sylvia were married for 19 years and with the kind of union of opposites their love would  see them through all barriers for many more years to come.

       “It is a perfect understanding

                Between a man and woman...And it happens

                       In the blinking of an eye. This affinity

                            Is born in a single moment and is greater

                                Than all other affinities, this spiritual

                                                       conversion we call: Love.”

The love of Ravi and Jonalyn knew no land nor creed. Jonalyn was my former student in high school 20 years ago. I didn’t see her after graduation and 20 years after we met in Facebook. Upon knowing I was in Dubai that date she and her  classmate, Rosanna went to my hotel one Friday afternoon to meet their long lost teacher. I was honored by their presence especially so that Jon’s husband was with them. Ravi, that was his name was holding their son who according to him was most awaited. It was gifted to them after 6 years  of marriage.

Ravi was a Precision Engineer at Multi Technologies FZE in Dubai. He has classic  facial features of an Indian. He was as tall as any Filipino, dark and handsome. He obliged to drive us to IBM Batuta as suggested by Jon. It was a long drive but I was not oblivious of time because Ravi was so entertaining and very  intelligent. From our exchange of ideas what stuck most in my mind was his statement that his creed was not a religion but a way of life. One has to do things the right way even if no one was looking. It would be a healthy feeling  to know that one respected others rights. Ravi was a principled man as gleaned from his  ideas. I was happy to know that my former student was married to  this  loving man and highly spiritual.

Jonalyn was a naïve lady the last time I knew her...But now she has transformed into a responsible lady, a wife and mother. She still carried with her the Filipino trait of being true to one’s husband. Since she married Ravi, she chose to stay home and be there for her husband to go home to. She embraced her husbands way of life and there was no doubt that the affinity between them was a “spiritual conversion called Love”. They have been married for seven years now but with the kind of chemistry in their union, love would triumph until the “eyes grow dim and the head with its silver linings”.

Edwin and Sylvia, Ravi and Jonalyn have given us a specimen of real love. Two engineers as head of each family with equally supportive wives have chosen the right course although “oftentimes painful and difficult path”  as they would journey on but --- “you cannot reach dawn unless you travel the dark of night.”    

The author of this blog has been with her husband for 42 years and had just celebrated their anniversary a few days ago 

The Mosque, The Safari and The Royal Ball

The awesome mosque, the daring safari and the lovely royal ball - these three spots of interest topped my wonderful experience in Dubai. A man made city where high rise buildings mushroomed in a short span of time. Home of the Firsts in the world. The world's tallest building, the grandest mosque, the biggest mall, the most expensive hotel and the first palm-shaped island reclaimed from the sea. But wait, I’m not writing a travelogue but of people in the company where I invested who made this tour of the golden city possible and memorable. I likened them to the beautiful sights and experiences I encountered.

The CEO and the Mosque

The architecture of Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi is one of the largest mosques in the world. It has a capacity of 41,000 worshippers. It features 82 domes, over 1,000 columns, 24 carat gold-gilded chandeliers and the world's largest hand-knitted carpet. The main prayer room hall is adorned by one of the world's largest chandeliers - 10 meters in diameter, 15 meters in height and weighing twelve tons.

With this exciting information given to us, who would like to miss such grandeur? Not one in the group, because all of us donned the required dress code and joined the throng in entering the mosque.

Doc Sam Ramos, our CEO stirred the same excitement among investors every time his visit in every CHIC center was announced. He had awesome supporters from CHIC   Philippines to Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait where he visited often. 

Everyone just wanted to meet him. He could motivate leaders to work hard when business was at a standstill. Being temperate himself he could unite competing investors to form a team and work for a common good. He is not the world's first but he is a gem of a man. He has the warmth of a friend, the sincerity of a leader and the creativity of an artist.

In this particular summit, together with his supporters in UAE and Manila, he set the tone of the event to the medieval period in Shangri-La Hotel because according to him, he wanted the moment to be remembered for once in our lifetime. His creativity was at work, his warmth exuded where ever we went and his sincerity could not be questioned. Like the Mosque, he is awesome yet humble.

The Financial Anchor and the Safari

A parade of 4x4 land cruisers was waiting for more or less 30 participants after our sumptuous buffet lunch at Atlantis Palm hotel. Five to six people were assigned each car for a reckless desert safari adventure. Once inside the car, the driver advised us to fasten our seatbelts tight, showed us where to pull out plastic bags if we wanted to throw up our heavy lunch before it was digested and suggested that we got ready both body and soul for a roller coaster ride in the sand dunes of that limitless and desolate desert. At first our cry was cultured and refined. But when the car zoomed up the dunes like mad and suddenly dove down the cliff or sometimes raced tilting on the side of the hilly sand, our shouts went wilder and wilder. Inside the air-conditioned car, some of us were sweating. Then we stopped for some pictures of the desert sunset. Thinking that was the end of the safari we heaved a sigh of thanks. But when the driver announced, “More Safari ", some commented, "Again?!” 

However, after the end of the grueling ride we experienced the Arabian welcome of unlimited refreshments and some entertainment of camel riding, henna painting and the exotic performance of the traditional belly dancers followed by a sumptuous dinner.

Mam Cora de Vera, the company's financial anchor is a daring and brave figure behind the scene. She can entrust an investor with millions worth of products for the latter to start business with. No matter what roller coaster ride in business an investor would go through in the process as long as she/he can return what is due to the company, at the end of the day a reward would be given for hard work. It may be a car, a house and lot and mind you, lots of travel here and abroad. Like the Safari, Mam Cora is brave, venturesome yet fun loving financial anchor of CHIC.

The Royal Ball

One by one men and women came donned in medieval attire. Is this the period of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn or of royalties before them? But I observed that there was a click here and a click there and presto - beautiful pictures were taken. I learned that medieval pictures were taken if subjects posed for days before a painter who could paint the portrait. Looking at those lovely ladies and handsome knights sans shining armor, I was in a dreamland of castle halls or palaces where gentlemen and ladies were cumbersomely dressed up for a royal ball.

Just then the voice of the emcee (master of ceremonies) bellowed in clear, flawless English welcoming all participants from different CHIC (Classique Herbs International Company) centers. It was then I awoke from my stupor for I saw reality - the Royal Ball, flagship of the 2013 CHIC summit at Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai.

The Emcee was a host par excellence. Mam Ardy as we fondly called her crafted the proceedings of the program in perfect order. Despite some unrehearsed parts she was able to make adlibs to the delight of the listeners. She moved about the stage with such familiarity as that of the owner. She was not nailed on the podium as traditional emcees were but marched with élan across the aisle looking at both sides of the room, creating a feeling that not one was left out on that affair. In fact she knew practically every delegate and guest for she commended each one for their contribution to the summit. The finale which she created was unexpected albeit, impressive. Presenting, Mam Ardy Batoy an Emcee of global stature!

These three - the Mosque, the Safari and the Royal ball may differ in tone yet woven by a single thread named

S U C C E S S.