Dear Makati Express

Dear Makati Express (also known as LBC express) Al-Khobar,

This is an open letter to you guys, management or personel, and you should read very carefully.

I've decided to sent my "gift" to my family this Christmas via your courier service. I must admit i was encourage by my respectable officemate to have my package delivered by you guys.

Without thinking, after i've bought my gift from the store i immediately told the salesman to have it delivered in Makati express office since it is much nearer compared to Sky Freight office.
And after waiting for 15 minutes outside your office (due to sala), i finally pay up and give you my package knowing and believing that it will arrive maximum of 50 days via sea freight in Las Pinas.

Today, i just think of google-ing your courier service and lo behold, you're not an affiliate of LBC express padala.Tsk tsk, you got me there ha, and also i found out a LOT of complaints about your service.
Package are being opened, binubutasan, or worst arrived in phils after 3 months or the box is gutay gutay na, which is totally un-acceptable for a box package. And since mine is only a tv with wooden crate i dont think it will
suffer the same fate as this guys had.

So, i have two directive to you:

1. Deliver my tv in one piece, without any damage.
2. Delivery it till jan.5 (this is my return date to ksa, meaning the package SHOULD be in phils coz its already exceed the maximum 50 days delivery).

Worst come to worst....
If my family receive a damage tv i promise to you, i'll make sure you're going down real hard.
If my package didn't arrive on time, i'll expedite you like you've never been expedited before. You're talking to a guy who succesfully tracked and expedite on time a 1000 meters 36" stainless steel pipe from antwerp belgium to assaluyeh iran. I'm that good.

So, i hope to receive the package this jan. 5 ok?

xoxo
pasaway ng al=khobar

Foreynjer!

Eksena sa Panasonic Showroom kagabi:

Pinoy Salesman: "Sir maybe you would like to buy this brand new Pnasominc SC-PT570. It's got blah..blah..blah..inglis..inglis..inglis..And it's very cheap if you buy..balah..blah..blah..inglish..

Ako: "Tsip, gagana ba to sa Pinas?"

Pinoy Salesman: "Ay, kabayan ka pala sir! nahirapan pako mag-english hehe."

Ako:"Oo naman, pinoy ako.mukha po ba akong foreigner?".

Pinoy Salesman: "Oo sir, kala ko nung pumasok kayo dito may pumasok na Lebanese. Mukha po kasi kayong Lebanese!".

Ako: (palakpak dalawang tenga)

Come to think of it, mukha nga akong Lebanese...

(minus the pointed nose, halos magkamukha nga kami*)





*ang kumontra walang pasalubong

Silencio!

I cannot remember when was the last time i've been tis quiet. Even when I had my tooth extract or when the brace is newly installed in my mouth, where it is really hard to talk, I still find myself engage in conversation even if its just a plain kwentuhan only. When i was in elementary and HS, im always in the noisy list of our class. As in consistent scholar ako in our noisy list! That's how noisy I am. Got also into trouble due to my tactless remarks on people, tsk tsk, sucha bad attitude for a man like me.

If im gonna summarize in hours all my verbal actions in one day siguro I just talked max of 1 hours a day. Let me see:

1. 5 minutes talking while on service bus going to office
2. 10 minutes entertaining phone calls
3. 2 minutes saying good morning in nihonggo, english and arabic
4. 20 minutes when walking from office till house
5. 5 minutes entertaining charlie's phone call

It's not that i've turned hermit here at the office, i still communicate with other people, that is thru emails, ym chats, facebook, twitter, text messages but the actual conversation is almost as nil! Thank god for close-up red hot hindi napapanis ang laway ko :D. My breath is still much more ok than my coutnerparts here (hehehehe! Thanks Doc Mayettes!). It's just that I've nothing else to talk to, except Charlie of course. I believe one of the reason why i survided living in iran for two years is that i have someone to talked to, may sense man o wla ang topic. I love talking to Jasper, who coincidentally is also my officemate at Phils an a very close friend of mine. We talked everything under the sun..showbiz, news, work, lovelife, personal stuff, etc. No topic is mundane to us. I remember i love engaging him into a debate wherein when i know im losing I just put my hands to my ear and say "lalallalala, i dont hear you" or sometimes i jus throw at him our gigantic pillow and in return he'll throw two gigantic pillow at me naman! From work till bedtime we always talk and talk and talk. And of course there is Ka Rene, our venerable master of Piping, he loves to talk as well,same as ours, and i love it when he's talking about the history of our company and our officemates (specially the juicy parts hehehe). And of course there is Charlie again, our 6:00-7:30pm chat time everyday we religiuosly followed, the people at warehouse wherein i spend my 3 hours just to chat (and work also), and the people at construction site where everydya is a chismisan day! In short I never ran out of someone to talk to and thats why I enjoyed every minute of staying there.

Fast forward..Saudi 2009..Now im stuck here with only charlie as constant kausap (bless him napapagtyagaan nya pa ko), and most of the time its all by myself (insert celine dion song here)!
Actually keeping my mouth shut for a while has its benefits naman. At least now before I talk iniisip ko muna ang sasabihin ko :D. It also lessen my unwittingly remarks on people, hahahaha!
Second, having a quiet life makes me think clearly and makes me focus more on important stuff. At least i have time for myself to reflect and discern about certain things in life. LIke for example, i finally realize that its about time to this certain activity while im here at abroad because I know no one will disturb me here. No pressure from the outside world hehehe.

On a sidenote, since this i my officially first time to live alone i gained a number of skills while im here like:

1. I know how to cook adobo, nilaga, spaghetti, sopas, mechado, fried chicken, potato with corned beef. And the list will continue as I stay here. I thank my friend tinerts for the recipe she send me :D.
2. Almost mastered the art of laundry. Still havent got the correct combination of how much powder to put in washing machine or how many hours should it soak and spin. Now i know that it's not right to put your clothes in the dryer for almost 2 hours for it will shrink your clothes! I had to learn this after2 pants and all my sando and office clothes shrunk! Wahahaha!
3. Grocery stuff is so easy now that we have a service that will bring and fetch us from the store.
4. Saving money. It's hard to go around in mall here in Al-Khobar because there are a lot of stores that sells nice stuff, at a reasonably price. But I always remind myself "House @ BF Homes, House @ BF Homes,"....
5. Knowing wher to buy cheap stuff, fresh meat and vegetables and fruits, and where are the SALE items!
6. WAlking fast than usual because its too damn hot to stay outdoors.
7. Eating with bare hands, just like the locals do..And have clean nails all the time.
8. Appreciate wowowee, eat bulaga (esp. the pinoy henyo), tayong dalawa, the wedding, SNN, tv patrol, 24 oras, only you.
9. Super appreciate simple "hi" at text messages, phone calls, emails from family and friends.
10. Pray the rosary everyday.

So as for me, it's 1 month down..5 to go (before vacation) !

Crazy week that was!

My life just get even more exciting after easter.

Easter Monday, was as dull as ever. Techincal Training in the morning then Specialization training in the afternoon.

Easter Tuesday was the day i receive the info that I'll be going to KSA to supervise (ahem!) the material engineering group.

Yey! I said to myself. Finally after 1 year it's finally come to realization. So much happy that i've invited a friend to meet me at Makati to celebrate (eating in Pao Chin is our way of celebration).
Easter Wednesday, still training day at the office. When i went to the gym to attend hip-hop class i was informed that there will be no class on that day to give way to indian/bollywood inspired dance.

Hmmm..sounds interesting. I decided to give it a try.

After20 minutes of being late, the girls finally starts preparing for the class. But when the other girl starts fixing her belly dance outfit with many burloloy na kumakalansing i've panicked and run out of the room! I dont wanna seen belly dancing in front of the camera (yes they have camera because it was sponsored by Women's health magazine), not in my dreams, and my AGL might kill me =D.

Easter Thursday, conflict of schedule with other friends in outreach program made me go to Makati last minute to attend a meeting and not attend the movie review in Tuloy. In fairness to me I always arrived early in my duties now hehehe. Meeting last till 11:30pm, sleepy and hungry after the closing prayer i immediately tok off and headed home.

Easter Friday was the most memorable one. I received a confirmation from my boss that i'll begoing to KSA and anytime soon i'll have to prepare my documents. Yey! After office hours, i arrived in the parking lot of Gold's gym in Alabang, and notice something was incorrect. There we're a bus parked in that area (where normally cars, SUV usually stays), and a lot of cars we're there (to think it's Friday, the parking should be spacious). And upon entrance to the Gym lo and behold, a shooting of Ai-Ai and Sharon's movie was underway and they we're filming right inside the Men's locker room. Luckily the director still allow us gym goers to stay in the locker room and change our clothes (well of course in the cubicle and not in the common area, dami kayang gays dun!) and even watched when the're shooting the movie. After gym I immediately proceed to our PM. The laptop that i've bring didnt read the powerpoint presentation of my friend, then after we made some adjustments the projector this time didn't work properly. Talk about malas.

Then after the PM we proceed to a fastfood in madrigal and after I attend a little meeting with a group of friends I decided to go home and guess what i've found out in my car....

MY SPARE TIRE WAS STOLEN!!!!

Panicked at first, I immediately checked the vicinity since it's only an hour that i've parked there. But alas there were no people around that i can claim as suspects.

Sad and disappointed with the fastfood security i went home.

Easter Saturday, father found out that it was stolen and instruct me to report it to the police. My stupid reply was "wala naman magagawa pulis, nanakaw na eh". And he even asked me to report it to the insurance agent in which i reply "di sakop yan ng insurance, gulong lang yan eh"

Stupid answers, now I just finished talking to the insurance agent and she assure me that stolen spare tires are covered by insurance.

Tomorrow ill prepare the documents and hopefully by Friday I can get my brand new tire =D.

oh btw, saturday i went to bilibid to do outreach then to a friends house to help her clean for a party then to videoke till late at night.

sunday was a whole day event in makati (we dance again for the second time in front of many people) and a stroll in market2x.

Talk about a hectic week

Persepolis Entrance, Welcome to the Gate of Nation

After spending about an hour in Nash-I-Rustam we finally went to our main itinerary, that is PERSEPOLIS.



























From the main highway, we need to travel 1.5 (or more) just to reach Persepolis. It's ok coz there's no traffic going to Persepolis, nor there are annoying travel guide who keep on pestering you to take their service.

Along the highway, we noticed the long stretch of lined big trees along the road and little irrigation/streams that flows to a small garden. According to our iranian friend, gardening is an old tradition of their race. So that explains why the Babylonians (neighbors of Persians) built a Hanging garden of Babylon.They simply love gardening.

We've stopped before heading to Persepolis to check the schedule of the restaurant we're going to eat for lunch. While they we're checking it, we busy ourselves by taking pictures and posing on the road.

(me,jasper,allan and kim--the young batch of tourist)




















(officemate at jhpil, jasper and ka gil)





















Before entering the complex we need to pay entrance fee and log our name in the tourist log sheet. Entrance fee is around three tomans, roughly 150+ pesos. Very cheap compare to the discoveries and learning you've get once you're inside the complex.

(from expats to tourist)




















Major road works we're being done on the entrance of Persepolis, only donkeys are allowed to pass through the rough road.

(DPWH is dat chu??)






















At last, finally, we can see already the entrance of Persepolis. Me and Jasper we're so excited we were left behind coz we're taking photos on every angle of the complex. Mind you we're still in the entrance and we can only see is a wide wall palang =P.























This area is called the "The Army Street", everybody will have to pass this area upon entering the palace. IT's 92 (length)x10(wide) meters that can accomodate even big animals (re:donkeys and camels) that need to be presented to the king during procession of gifts.























By the way, a short background about Persepolis, based on what i've seen and read about it. This magnificent ruins of Persepolis lie at the foot of Kouh-e Rahmat, or "Mountain of Mercy," in the plain of Marv Dasht about 850 kilometers south of the present capital city of Tehran and about 50 kilometers north of Shiraz.





















It was the seat of the Achaemenian Empire by King Darius I and his successors Xerxes. It was the grandest palace during those times and last for almost two centuries until it was destroyed and looted by Alexander the Great.





















Its majestic audience halls and residential palaces perished in flames when Alexander the Great conquered and looted Persepolis in 330 B.C. and, according to Plutarch, carried away its treasures on 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels.






















(i see you!)























(officemate/friend/tourist guide arash)





















After the Army street, you have to walk the majestic stairway of the terrace, simply called "Terrace Stairway". It's a two flights 111 steps, 10cm. high and 7cm wide.
The reason for this weird size of stairs is to allow the guest, specially those who wear magnificent and elaborate attire to cllimb the stairs without hassle.

(paupo po!)




































The two flights were evidently used by different groups of royal guests, the gift bearing delegations from the subjected nations climb up from one flight (on the right side actually), and the nobles of the empire used another flight (i.e. left side). As for us, we took the left side stairs.We're just following the instructions by King Darius as a sign of respect.

(class pic sa hagdan)





















The first that will greet you upstairs is the majestic Gate of Xerxes, most popularly known as 'The Gate of Nation", which was actually an additional structure built by Xerxes and not included in the original plan of King Darius.




















































The gate has two assyrianized man-bulls statue, which is the Persians are known for. It was a raelly impressive art work coz even the beard of the statue is carved with precision and detailed.



























(faceless winged bull)

























(front view ni assyrian man)





















(back view naman)




















(sir gil and the passage marker)





















(hundred columns area, from the passage way viewpoint)





















(northeast section of the hundred columns area from the passageway viewpoint)






















(the treasury section of the palace,southern portion of the palace)





















Till next issue guys!

The Sementeryo of the Royals, Nasqh-i-rustam

After roaming around the City of Shiraz I thought we we're on our way to Persepolis. Yehey! I said to myself, at last we're gonna be in Persepolis. But when the driver divert his driving on the left side of the road where the signboard clearly states that Persepolis was on the RIGHT side of the highway i knew something is wrong. Then i start asking the driver;

Me: "Akah, Persepolis Ras hi-way. We went Chap!?!"
Driver: "Mohandes, no problem, me go Chap very good place."
Me: "Persepolis beautiful, but this is no Persepolis?"
Driver: 'No problem, Ayish Mohandes"

(in short the driver told me to be still and be quite, he's in charge daw, though i doubt if that's the correct translation according to Allan)

(do you know where your going too)?




















Quite and still i was until we arrived in this so called very good place. We we're suprised because we we're brought to a mountain wall. Yikes, impatient I am i blurted "what are we gonna see here", but i didn't wait for an answer because I was
struck by what i've seen.

According to wikipedia (and other websites)Naqsh-i-Rustam is about 4.8 kilometers northwest of Persepolis in the mountain range of Husain Kuh. This is where Darius the Great and his successors had their monumental tombs carved into the cliff.





















And still according to another website, "Although Naqsh-i-Rustam had long been a sacred area (as the remains of a Pre-Achaemenid relief show), Darius the Great was the first to choose it as a burial place. His successors not only imitated his idea of a cliff tomb but also copied the layout of the tomb itself. The dramatic facade of the tomb is constructed like a cross. An entrance leads into the tomb chamber, cut deep into the rock. In the panel above this facade is a relief depicting the king standing on a three-stepped pedestal in front of an altar. His hand is raised in a gesture of worship. Above him floats the winged disk of Ahuramazda, god of the Zoroastrian religion. This scene is supported by throne bearers representing the twenty-eight nations of the empire. On the side panels are the king's weapon bearers and the Persian guards. The trilingual cuneiform inscriptions on three panels of the rock wall either enumerate the twenty-eight nations upholding the throne or glorify the king and his rule. Some traces of pigment found on the facade of the royal tombs suggest that all or most of the stone reliefs had been painted".





















Only the tomb of Darius I can be identified beyond doubt by inscriptions. The three other tombs at Naqsh-i Rustam are attributed to his immediate successors, Xerxes, Artaxerxes I, and Darius II. Other royal tombs of similar form, thought to be those of the later Achaemenids, were built at Persepolis itself, cut into the rock face of the Kuh-i Rahmat, overlooking the Terrace. The two complete tombs are assigned to Artaxerxes II and Artaxerxes III; an incomplete tomb was perhaps meant for the last Achaemenid king, Darius III. About 2 km south of Naqsh-i Rustam, on the south bank of the river Pulvar, are the remains of an unfinished freestanding structure, perhaps the base of a tomb intended for Cambyses II, modeled on the imposing tomb of his father, Cyrus the Great, at Pasargadae, up the Pulvar 43 km northeast of Pers






















Visiting the would be complete if you go inside the tomb but sad to say it's prohibited to go inside the tomb, plus the fact that there is no ladder to go inside the tomb. If you can see in the picture the small opening on the cliff is the entrance to the tomb. So we just content ourselves looking at it from afar.





















When we visit the place, it was around 11:00 am and there is no shade near the place. The only shade there is located at the entrance gate, thank God me and jasper bought a Cowboy hat to protect us from the sun. hehehehe.




















A school trip of girls we're with us when we're there, and the girls are from our place as well (in Assaluyeh), there nice and sweet, always waving at us foreigners (hehehe) but we didn't talk to them though.

After an hour of photoshoot and history lesson from our driver, finally we're on our way to Persepolis. I'm very glad we've visit this place coz it reminds me on how powerful the kings of Persia we're before. Imagine to carved a cliff for your tomb with your place. Now that's what I called extravagance at it's finest!

(overlooking the place)