All Packed Up!

Less than 45 days nalang ang araw na i'll be staying here in KSA. As a kinaugalian na ng mga kababayang natin sa ibang bansa kapag pauwi ang isang pinoy hindi mawawala ang Balikbayan box!

Since October I was collecting this pasalubongs para sa family and friends and last week i sent all of them via air and sea cargo. Sa sobrang dami nia umabot ng apat na kahon na 60" x 60" ang kinailangan para maipadala lahat ng gamit ko =(. It translates also na mahal ang babayaran ko sa padala pero di bale, para naman sa family yun eh kaya sulit nari =D.

Shempre inunan ko sa listahan n g pasalubong eh yung para sa nagiisang cute na cute na baby namin sa bahay, at para sa kanya eh itong cute na cute na elepante na stuff toy from IKEA..

Mother and daugther Elephant (ang kyut diba?LoL!)

Nagpanick buying din ako ng mga duvet from Ikea, Unan at towels from SMAA. Advice ko sa mga friends ko dito sa Saudi, shop at SMAA, super mura ng mga gamit nila dun!

All vaccum-ed up!

I need to buy vaccum kasi hindi ko malalagay sa plastic yung mga unan na binili ko! Waaaa!

Hello BEAC & ALDO!

I higly recommend for those who are in Saudi also to visit IKEA, super sulit ang pamimili dun coz high standards na ang mga gamit pero affordable naman ang mga presyo.

A room carpet and some cheap glass

The ilawan at candelabras (wish ko lang hindi sha mabasag during transport!)

The decor balls (na pang christmas!!!)!

Another thing that i always bear in mind kapag magpapadala ng pasalubong is the sandamakmak na lotion, shampoo, sabon, and other groceries na wala sa Pinas! Tiyak masaya na naman si ama't ina nito! LoL!

Ang mga groceries kasama si starbucks Oman, Kuwait at Saudi Arabia!

Also bought this silver palted, heavy duty na lalagyan ng mga prutas..Im planning to give it as a Christmas gift.Pero kanino naman??

And here's another set of baso ulet...Ewan ko ba but i have this fascination with Baso...I really wish walang mababasag sa kanila pag napadala na sila sa Pina!!!

Another headache for me was this Vuvuzela which was a pasalubong by my close friend who happened to watch the World cup in South Africa last July. Sa sobrang haba nia I had a trouble on how to fit them in the box. Sana pala t-shirt nalang ang pasalubong ko para at least nasusuot pa vs. this vuvuzela! Hahahaha!

The Red one is mine, the black one is for Jasper

All in all, masaya naman pala ang pagiimpake, lalo na ngayon at papauwi na ako sa Pinas for good. I alaso miss blogging, so now quietly I'll open up again this blog para mai-dokumento ko naman ang mga nangyayari sa buhay buhay ko dito sa Saudi via this blog.

Para sa mga nakakabasa ng blog ko, thanks for dropping by and I promise mas magiging madalas na ang pagsusulat ko dito, ngayon pa na pauwi nako..hehehehe..

Peace yah all!

Ang blue na polo..bow..

Nitong mga nakaraang araw, tinamaan ako ng homesick.

Huwatt? Ako maho-homesick?! Parang isang himala na nangyari ito! Kasi ba naman kung kelan ang tagal ko na sa overseas ngayon pako tinamaan ng homesickness.

Inisip ko nitong mga nakaraang araw na baka puede magpa early demobilized ako dito sa saudi. Parang gusto kong umuwi sa darating na September sana.
Masaya siguro yun, baka masakasama pako sa RLTC ng Lingkod sa September, baka makakajoin ulit ako sa trcik or treat sa office sa darating na October, makakapunta ulit ako sa sementeryo/fiestahan sa November, at higit sa lahat maeexperience ko ulit ang christmas rush pagdating ng kapaskuhan!

But wait there's more! Miss ko narin ang mga kaibigan at pamilya ko sa Pinas. Miss ko na ang mga debate namin ng kapatid ko, miss ko narin makipaglaro sa mga pamangkin ko, miss ko na rin ang mga prayer meeting at fellowship sa Lingkod, miss ko narin magturo sa mga bata sa Tuloy, miss ko narin ang kulitan namin ni bestfriend. Hanubhayan, dami naman namiss!!

Kung kelan naman nagdesisyon nako na umuwi sa September saka ko naman nakita yung color blue ko na polo, and it all coming back to me now (insert memory lane song here)....

You see almost 8 years ago, right after college, nung panahong nag-aapply pako ng work, dalawa lang ang suot kong polo lagi. SM Menswear ang tatak nila pareho, yung isa is color blue, the other one is old rose.
Sa lahat ng mga interview at submission ng resume na pinuntahan ko parating ito lang ang suot ko kasi wala naman akong ibang formal wear. This polo symbolizes my struggles in finding work that time, never give up kahit na inabot nako ng bagyo sa isang examination ko sa cavite, o di kaya sobrang init naman habang nagiintay sa isang lumang factory sa liblib na lugar ng laguna. Kung noon na mahirap ang buhay dahil walang pera at sobrang hirap pa ang trabaho ay hindi ako bumigay ngayon pa kaya na im living the good life at ngayon pako bibitiw.

Then it struck me..shit..what the hell am i thinking!!!!

The reason im here is because my boss believes that I can do this job. The reason why im extended for anther 6 months is because my japanese boss trust me alone in this job. The reason im here is because i want to give the good life that my parents didn't experience before. The reason im here is because i can help further my community and my charitable institutions financially wise. The reason im here is that I prayed to God to be here.

Ang kapal pala ng mukha ko to just give up simply because I miss my life in Pinas.

Parang nasa kama na ako lilipat pa sa sahig.

Kung dati hirap na hirap akong maghanap ng work eh i never give up, ngayon pang ang dali-dali lang ng work eh ngayon pa ako susuko!! Di na oy!!!

Looking back at my polo again I made up my mind. Ok i'll finish my contract till December, and i'll make sure that ill give all my best in the remaining months of my stay here. Salamat sa mga alala na binigay ng simple at kupas kong polo, naliwanagan na ako na ang mga biyaya na ating nakakamit ngayon ay bunga ng pagsusumikap natin at higit sa lahat sa tulong ng maykapal.


postcript:
sa anim na taon kong pagtratrabaho, naka mahigit kumulang 75 formal clothes (polo at longsleeve) na ako. may mga pinaglumaan na akong pinamigay dahil hindi na kasya o di kaya ay kupas na. pero ang dalawang polo ko na ito ay kasama parin sa sinusuot ko. it is a reminder of where i came from at kung papanong struggles ang aking nagawa para lamang marating ang position ko ngayon.

The ultimate Bora experience, Paraw sailing, snorkeling, and sunburn! (Part 3)

The night before our last day in Bora, my cousin asked me if we want to do the Paraw sailing the next day. Actually we had other options like Parasailing, deep sea walking, jetski etc. but the Paraw really caught my attention. After asking my parents if they want to come to sail with us I immediately say yes tomy cousin.

It was a little bit gloomy on the day of our sail, lucky me, my skin wouldn't get burned during the sail. Ayos!



According to the manong who manned our boat, Lee paid them to advertise on their paraw. it's a big advertisement using the paraw coz many people will get to see your add even from the shore.

Kumpleto kami sa trip. Here am I together with Floro...



..And my parents with cousin Steven.

Feeling sailor si Floro =P

Except the leisurely boat trip another itinerary in lined is snorkeling on the other side of Boracay. I think the place is called crocodile island. The trip took us an hour but we never complain. Ang sarap kaya magrelaks whle sailing =D

Ganito ka linaw ang tubig sa boracay

After an hour of trip we finally made it to the snorkeling area. We brought alogn some bread to be fed with the fishes. In fairness maraming isda sa lugar and it's so fun to feed them. Kinakagat kasi ang kamay mo hahaha!

Happy faces snorkelers!

It was really a fun experience. I really hope to do it again in the near future. Maybe Palawan naman next year?

The ultimate Bora experience, the Shangri-la trip (part 2)

Salamat sa pinsan ko who was an engineer during the construction of Shangrila Boracay we've got a chance to visit the place while we're vacationing Bora.

The place is far from station 2, actually you need to ride a special trike going to this place (150 pesos ang special trip). It's far from the party scene of station 1,2 or 3 but the privacy and seclusion is perfect get-away sa mga tao who wants it.

Upon entering the place, the first you'll notice is marami silang ponds, fountains, and stuff like that sa reception area nila. Well actually its not only here but the whole place is full of this.


The reception area/ welcoming area is a huge palce, very cozy and mahangin (coz the place is located on top of a mountain, yes from mountain to sea shore sakop ng shangrila, ang laki diba?)

This is the view from the reception area. Tanaw na ang karagatan from up here.

Si Inay at Itay ay napagod sa kakaikot sa reception area and they try sitting on the salas in the area. The architecture of their reception area is somewhat mixed of balinese, chinese and thai. Their decorations are obviously very thai.

I want this rainspout in our house. Ang sosyal tignan ahahaha!

The long hallway of Shangrila, leading to the guest rooms.

And yet another water decorations.

This is the way to the swimming pool area

We've only visit this swimmi pool of Shang, and I must say i love it! I love the blue tiles they used on the pool. It's like swimming on a beach itself.

Near to the pool is the buggy station 2. Shangrila offers a transpo inside the resort for guest who are tired walking around the area. But if i we're they i don't mind walking around the place. Nakakarelax kaya maglakad sa super gandang lugar na ito =D.

Oh, eto sila Inay at itay trying the parasols at the pool area of the resort.

Guest can actually sit in one of the duyan under the coconut trees and have a relaxing day. Ang saya diba?

Another part of the resort is the Chi Spa village. Dito yung spa center ng resort.

That's the reception area, sitting near the koi at tilapis pond.

In fairness, mas madaming tilapia vs. koi!

During the construction of the resort, my cousin told me that they unearthened a lot of corals just like this one. Instead of throwing or crushing this corals, they preserved it and ginamit nilang decoration sa buong resort. Kaya they have a lot of these sa buong resort, ginawang decor, at least nakatipid pa sila =D.

The pool area of the spa. On the backdrop is a mountain where there's a lot of bats flying every afternoon. The resort preserved this bat sanctuary as well.

Hey hey hey! it's me and Floro @ the pool side!

These are the guest house on the backdrop.

They have infinity pool...Ilabit!!

Accordign to my cousin, the sand here are not as fine as the one located in station 1, it's more the same as the one in puka beach daw. Hindi sha masyadong pino but i dont mind, coz mas malinis naman sha compare sa beach sa station 1 and 2.

Hindi nakapagpigil si Floro and he actually dipped in the beach para magpapicture!

Lovely sand + lovely beach = heavenly feeling!

They also have this hang-out area/ chill-out place with aa good view of the beach. This is we're most of the people hang out especially during night time.

This pic was taken from the Jetty area of Shangrila (yes, they have their own jetty), the big buildings are the guest rooms while the smaller buildings are the villas (which is more expensive of course).

I would like to thank my cousin Steven for maiing my family trip to Shangrila possible. We had fun visiting the place and I hope that someday we will be able to check-in in their hotel. Maybe a honeymoon would be a perfect reason! Nyahahaha!

Thank you Shangri-la, magkikita parin tayo very soon!

The ultimate Bora experience (part 1)

Sa wakas, after weeks of planning and organizing this Boracay Trip, eh natuloy din kami!

I avail SEAIR's promo for the Boracay trip. I must admit, im very impressed with this airline. We depart Manila and Caticlan 20 minutes earlier! The best! I think
this is the advantege of being a small carrier airline. And ang sarap ng peanuts snacks nila aboard the plane. I love SEAIR!!!!

Upon arrival at Caticlan aiport, we went to Boracay Regency's welcome center and after a couple of minutes we're on our way to Boracay.
Pagdating sa Boracay, this is what me and Floro did...
Another good experience is Bora is our hotel, Boracay Regency, we've check-in early (kasi konti lang naman ang tao) and still have time to roam around Bora.
Without wasting a minute, we've walked from station 2 (were our hotel is located) to station 1.
At hinanap ko talaga ang famouslandmark ng Bora, which is the grotto..
Boracay's sand is awesome! It's the best sand i've ever seen. So pure and pino. panira lang durign that time na we we're there is the seaweeds. My cousin told me it's been here since Holy week pa daw. Hopefully when the rainy season starts in Boracay they will disappear na.

A lot of bench are scattered along the beach of Boracay, so me and Floro tried every one of them. Wala lang, trip trip lang =P.

We did Paraw sailing on our third day. Most of the pics are in my cousins cam.

This is our hotel. Love it!

Ang daming Koi (tama ba term ko?) fish.

We had our dinner in one of the buffet resto offered in the beach. Our resto even had a fire dance number. Sabi ni Floro he can do that also..Mweh?


A lot of ultimate boracay experience i will share with you in the next days. Hope you can visit Bora as well. It's fun to be there.

So, wazzup??!

Hello, hello! It's been almost a month since my last post here in blogspot. before you think that I already give up blogging eh sorry to disappoint you (hahaha as if some one really care). Im back with a vengeance.
Some of the reasons why i haven't blog for a long time kasi...

1. Im busy at work. Yes, work eats up most of my time nowadays. I've never been this busy since I was in Iran! Plus the fact that most of my officemate is more of a burden than help eh mas lalong tumatagal ang work.Hay, overworked but underpaid, so unfair. Buti pa yung arabo na walang ginagawa kungdi mag-internet, mag-tsaa at makipagkwentuhan malaki agn sinasahod compare to mine. Ano kaya if i changed my nationality??Hmmmm..NOT!

2. Farmville. Nakakatawa kasi pang bata lang ang laro pero you have to admit nakaka-adik maglaro ng farmville!Malapit nako sa level 50 (wohoo!) after ilang months ng paglalaro. By playing farmville angdami ko tuloy na meet na mga foreigners who became my neighbors sa farmville. Ang saya!

3. Vacation plans. Nakaka-stress din pala ang magplano ng bakasyon!Ang daming gustong makipag meet, nagyayaya gumala, mag-kape, etc. Di tulad ng nakarang bakasyon last December this time it would be organized para hindi magkagulo-gulo ang schedule. Buti nalang madali lang pala magpabook ng hotel sa boracay.Hahahaha! at least kahit papano ok na yung part ng vacation ko sa bora =D. Exciting!!!

4. Glee. Downloaded 18 episodes already and 3 albums.The show is so fun to watch!

So now, in two weeks time i'll be working real hard again to prepare for the upcoming vacation. hopefully can blog once in a while.

So, let's get it on!!!

The most exciting day of the year

Yey! Nakaboto nako sa Overseas Absentee Voting last Wednesday!
Wala pang 5 minutes tapos na ang botohan, thank god wala masyadong tao sa International Philippine School in Al-Khobar (or maybe because I was too early @ 5:00pm) but anyhow it was a breeze.
For all voters in AL-Khobar please see the memo below from the Philippine Embassy regarding the schedules of botohan =D.



Go out and vote guys!!

Eto Na!!!

I have this weird feeling something good is gonna happen starting tomorrow.

You see, last Thursday and Friday, while I was deep thinking about the status of my life, i've learned that the reason why my problem keep on coming back is because I actually didn't let them go yet.
They're like a cold flu on a chilly December morning. They keep on coming back...or should I say they actually didnt leave me pala!

Last night, after contemplating about it, I decided to finally let it go.

Yes, go na go na, goodbye, arivederci, sayonara, kudafes, paalam, babay....

This morning I woke up happy and cheerful. Baka side-effect yun ng pagpapaalam ko.
(Dapat pala matagal ko na pala ginawa yun!)

Sa pagkamatay ni Hesus sa krus, isinama na ko narin ang paglilibing sa mga kasalanan na aking nagawa. At sa kanyang muling pagkabuhay kasabay nito ang muling pagkabuhay ng inyong lingkod.

Mas matindi, mas matibay, mas matatag. Hindi na magpapadala sa mga masasamang impluwensya.

Salamat Panginoon sa mga pagsubok na iyong ibinigay. Dahil dito ay muling napatatag ang kalooban ng inyong abang lingkod.

Balik blog na ulit tayo!!!!


P.s.
I would like to say HAPPY EASTER to my avid readers na walang sawang nagbabasa ng mga makukulit na kwento ng aking buhay. Sa iyo Dong, Doc Rio, Lawstude, Mr. Charmed-life, at sa iyo Ms. Stress (you-know-who-you-are) maligayang pasko ng pagkabuhay. Salamat sa inyong suporta!!

Reflections on Holy Thursday

When Jesus had finished washing their feet, he put on his garments again, went back to the table and said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Master and Lord, and you are right, for so i am.
If I,then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, you also must wash one another's feet. I have just given you an example that as I have done, you also may do."


The gospel reading for today Holy Thursday is specially dedicated to the politicians who are running in this year's national election.

A genuine leader is a source of unity, not division..So leadership isn't about single person but person becoming one group.

I think most of our politicians now forgot the true meaning of public official. We are not here to serve you instead you are there to serve us. I pray that whoever get elected in this year's election may you find in your heart to truly serve our countrymen and not to serve for your own's sake.

Pinakita din dito ni Hesus kung papaano sha nagpakumbaba sa kanyang mga disciples at pinagsilbihan nya ito, kahit na alam nila na sha ang anak ng Diyos Ama. Kung ako siguro yung mga disciples na yon eh na-shock siguro ako. I mean he's the son of God but still he's cleaning our feet. This remarkable experience teaches us that we should be humble no matter how high our stature are and also we should serve our fellow men as well.

I do admire those people who serves the less fortunates like the orphanages, home for the aged, the prisons and what not. They are sharing their precious time to give this people reasons to celebrate life by attending to their needs whether physical or spiritual. Though it's tough to juggle our hectic schedules at work and this charity works but I believe, if we really find it in our hearts to serve, God WILL surely make a way.

Bless are this volunteers for their generous hearts to serve others.
Bless also the people who are being served by this volunteers, for they can share and lessen their pain and sufferings to them.
And most of all Thank you oh Lord God for giving us an example that we should serve others as well, just like what you did with your disciples.
AMEN.

Bonggang-bonggang pagmamahal kay Hesus

Nabasa nio ba yung Gospel reading today (John 12:1-1) para sa Lunes Santo?
Kung hindi eh kwento ko lang ng maiksi sa inyo.

Nagpunta si Hesus sa bahay ng magkakapatid na Martha. Maria at Lazarus(oo si Lazarus yung binuhay muli ni Hesus). Habang naghahanda ng hapunan si Martha sa kusina eh si Maria ay nilinis ang paa ni Hesus gamit ang sobrang mahal na pabango at ipinamunas pa nya ang kanyang buhok pra matuyo ang mga paa nito.

Parang hindi nagustuhan ni Hudas Iscariot ang ginawa ni Maria kaya tinanong nya ang Guro "sinayang lamang niya ang mahal na pabango. Kung ibinenta na lamang nya yon edi sana madami shang pera ngayon at itong pera na ito ay ipinamahagi nya sa mga mahihirap". Sabi sa ebanghelyo eh nasabi ito ni Hudas hindi dahil concerned sya sa mahihirap pero dahil sa corrupt at magnanakaw sha (guilty!)

Pero sabi ni Hesus, "hayaan mo shang gawin ang kanyang ginagawa hanggang sa aking kamatayan". (buti nga napahiya si hudas).

Ayun, share ko lang sa inyo ang aking personal reflection sa katauhan ni Maria at ni Hudas.

Si Maria, sa simula palang ay nakita na natin ang kanyang pagmamahal at dedikasyon sa ating Panginoon. Kung artista lang si Hesus eh sha na siguro ang pinaka-die hard fan nito, baka nga presidente pa sha ng fans club. Hindi lamang sha tagasunod ni Hesus bagkus ay isinasabuhay nya ang mga aral ni Hesus at ibinibigay nya ang nararapat na pagkilala sa kanya. Yung nangyaring paghuhugas ng mamahaling pabango eh pinapakita nito kung hanggang saan ang kayang ibigay ni Maria para kay Hesus. Kumbaga to the great extent na ito ng kanyang pagkilala.

Ipinapakita nito ang generosity ni Maria para kay Hesus. Dahil imbes na ibenta nya at kumita ng maraming salapi ay ibinahagi na lamang nya ang pabango kay Hesus.

At since wala naman si Hesus sa ating panahon ngayon eh ibaling nalang natin ang ating attensyon sa kapwa tao na nangangailangan ng tulong.

Remembe the famous quote: "Kung ano ang ginawa mo sa kapwa mo eh ginawa mo narin sa akin" - Hesus

Ano nga ba ang importante sa buhay mo ngayon na kaya mong i-share sa iba?

Kung mahalaga sayo ang oras, why not spend an hour doing volunteering works sa mga orphange, home for the aged or sa kulungan?
Kung mahalaga sayo ang pera, why not magbigay ka ng konting contribution duon sa mga nasunugan o di kaya ay apektado ng mga kalamidad o sa mga gawaing pang komunidad.
Kung mahalaga sayo ang pakikipag-usap, why not i-share mo naman ang iyong oras sa pakikinig sa mga kaibigang nalulungkot at gustong maglabas ng sama ng loob o di kaya sa mga nalulumbay at homesick na.
Kung mahalaga sayo ang internet, why not use it to spread the word of the lord, magbigay aliw sa ibang nakakabasa (wag naman puro emo o drama, pero shempre kanya-kanyang trip parin yun.suggestion lang naman ang sa akin), o di kaya ay kumustahin mo naman yung mga kaibigan mo na nasa disyerto at malay mo homesick na sha dun!

Ayun, so kay Hudas naman tayo, shall we (ang haba ng blog noh?pasensha na ha inspired lang kasi magsulat ngayon)

Kung si Maria eh saksakan ng generous sa pagmamahal kay Hesus eh ito namang si Hudas ay ganid na nilalang! Actually mukha shang pera (fyi:sha pala ang treasurer ni Hesus sa kanilang grupo). Hinid nakita ni Hudas ang pagpapahalagang ginawa ni Maria para kay Hesus, kaya nung nakita nya na sinasayang (kuno) ni Maria ang pabango eh nagreact ito. Kumbaga mas inisip pa nya ang kikitaing pera sa pagbebenta ng pabango kaysa sa pagkilala at pagpapahalaga na ginawa ni Maria. Nabulag na ng pagkaganid sa pera itong si Hudas kaya napakadali nyang itakwil si Hesus sa halagang 30 pilak.

Greediness leads to Selfishness. Selfishness leads to Envy. Envy leads to Pride.

(fyi ulit: pride is what keeps Satan in hell. His pride is so high that he doesnt want to ask forgiveness to God the Father for attempting to unseat him in heaven)

HALA! LAGOT!!

So ayun, sa mga taong greed sa buhay, sa work, sa mga kaibigan, sa pera, sa relationship, and what not, eh sana you may find in your heart to share what you have.

So, sino sa dalawa (kay Maria at Hudas) ang gusto mong maging??