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??

Felling hot @ Chilis

One thing that excites me this past few weeks is discovering good restaurants here in Al-Khobar/Damman/Dharan area. One good restaurant find is Chilis in Mall of Dharan.

Actually there's two Chilis branch located near to our place, the one is in Al-Khobar Corniche and the other one is in Mall of Dharan but we prefer the Mall of Dharan branch because of the ambiance and
its is convenitently located next to my..errr..our favorite mall also (i.e. IKEA).

Chilis restaurant is divided into two areas, the family and bachelor, as customary to Saudi's law, though we need to pass throught he family section before entering the bachelor's area.
Upon entrance, their gracious host welcomes you together with their servers who will take your orders. I find this very hospitable and feels like we're @ home. I remember experiencing this kind of kind gesture
when I ate in Kamayan/Dads/Saisaki in Glorietta together with Floro.

As for appetizers, I recomend the Garden fresh salad, with chicken and shrimps. It's not only healty but the servings is huge 4 persons can share on it.

Though Chris prefered eating Tostada as appetizers.

Though im not a big fan of chips/tacos I do recommend ordering this Tostada coz not only it has a superb creamy white sauce dip but also this is bottomless.

Yep. You can eat Tostada as many as you want and you can even take home your remaining Tostadas. Isn't it great?!

The Iced Tea beverages are to die for. I love the way that we have to add-up the syrup by ourselves. This is the best prepared iced tea that 've ever tasted (sorry tokyo tokyo, but your my second favorite iced tea parin dont worry!).
And one thing good about it is it is Bottomless also! Yahoo!

Bottomless iced tea = Frequent visit to the bathroom.
(btw, the bathroom is waayyy too far from the resto, so you'll better have an empty bladder upon entering and ordering bottomless drinks)

For Main Course we tried a variety of food in the Menu.

Flame Grilled Ribeye, with bones still on it, was a winner. I think it was 306 grams of pure beef meat, tenderly cooked and easily sliced. Best to eat while it's still hot.

I suggest you to dip it in a hot sauce, super good combination!!!

As for the side dish, they have a lot of side dishes to choose from like mash potato, buttered vegetables and steam brocolli. All of them taste good (tried them already) but im always been a mash potato lover and their version of it was delicious! Sorry brocolli, better luck next time =P.

As for dessert, the molten chocolate cake is a runaway winner. Actually the only reason I went to Chilis is to eat this delicious cake with ice cream on top. Its a combination of cold + hot dessert. Sure fire hit!

So if you're living near the vicinity of Mall of Dharan or in Al-Khobar Corniche, please do visit their restaurant and I assure you you'll enjoy every minute of dining out here.

What keeps me busy..

Aside from my hectic 7am-7pm work @ the office, I did give myself some much rewarded R & R every weekend. Besides swimming @ the beach (which will be done again this coming weekend) one way to relax is to raid the malls here in Al-Khobar and Dharan. Actually just doing some window shopping is kinda relaxing. Though sometimes it can be very tempting to buy especially when its on sale, just like this slender lamp from IKEA..

IKEA slender lamp

I keep on baggering my friend Charlie and Richard to go to SACO mall so i can buy those huge clothes hangeran, and after many cancelled trip we finally made it and i was very happy when we set foot on that store.

Before

After

You've probably think im a domesticated-kind-of-guy, nah, wish i could. I'm not good at designing homes nor pick the right duvet or punda for my pillows. And that's why i thank god i have friends who has a keen eye on this kind of things. Hahaha. User friendly!!

Another stash from IKEA

Another thing that keeps me busy this past few weeks is my collection of padala to Pinas. I've planned to send this things wayback January but unfortunately, due to unforseen events and gastos, only now I did manage to almost complete my balikbayan box to Pinas. Another trip this weekend and im done.

Tefal for Mom, her favorite brand

Almost full

All boxed up!

Oh, i did manage to buy myself a new phone coz the old one will be shipped together with the padala sa Pinas. Was very happy to buy this phone and special thanks to Chris for joining me in my phone-hunting @ King Khalid street.

Let's do the BBM!!

And finally, what keeps me insane this past few weeks was the pestering cockroaches inmy room. Gah, there's cockroach everywhere! Form kitchen sink to bathroom to my bed and even under the refrigerator. I did one very stupid thing last week though, i sprayed my room with baygon (i consumed 3 cans in one night) but it was nightime already, shempre i was tired so after 30 minutes i slept. Come morning time i felt horrible.

In short nasinghot ko ata lahat ng baygon sa kwarto.

Not a good idea noh?

And guess what, not all of them are killed.I didn't annihilate the entire cockroache population yet. Di bale, there's a second batch (but will definitely not on a weekday night).

My frenemy..baygon

Oh well, that's how i spend my days here in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, slightly boring pero im fine with it. Aba, till Decemeber pako dito so I should enjoy life here in the Kingdom. Diba?

Swimming in the beach...Al-Khobar style

We're lucky our place here in Al-Khobar is situated near the beach. It will only take an hour to drive to the different beaches of Al-Khobar. There are public beaches (with family and single section) and there are private villas or as i say termed it "private resorts".

Two weeks ago I got a chance to visit one of the "private resorts" here in Al-Khobar named Al-Baher Villas, and I must admit i was impressed.

Pool inviting us to swim on a cold night

Playground in the sands

We arrive @ Al-Baher 2:00 AM and it was the last cold blast that we've experienced and that's why we're not in the mood to swim in the pool nor the beach.

Jetty area @ early morning

After inspecting the whole place and interviewing the caretaker, I found out that the villa not only offer the pool and beach but they also have rooms where you can stay, mini-bar that can serve foods and beverages (no alcohol of course), a boat ride, sailing boat, and many more. Dang, if only i have lots of money I would definitely love to try the boating thing.

Sunrise in the beach



View of the beach from the jetty area

Neighboring villas, as chris would termed it "Malibu style houses"

And Adjie left his mark on the 

The villa is open for both family and bachelor and it is a great place to relax and unwind after a toxic weekdays @ work. At SR50 entrance fee, its a good catch. So what are you waiting for, let's go na!

So, if your wondering why im not blogging too much, its because my weekend are spent travelling and exploring this wonderful country of Suadi Arabia!

Hop to Hofuf and Judas Cave

I've heard a lot of things about Hofuf and it's famous tourist spot which is Judas cave. My immediate friends already went there last year, when i was still in Pinas, so that leaves me no chance to visit Judas Cave with them.
And last week my officemate invited me to join them to visist Hofuf and Judas cave, with contribution of 30 riyals for the car, i coudln't say no.

Sandstorm was at rage the day before our trip, and with zero visibility on the roads i though our trip would be cancelled the next day. Thank God the weather was cleared on the day of our trip and we've finally make our way to Hofuf.

The travel was a breeze, with less cars ont he road and no traffic. It only took us almost 1.5 hours to drive from Al-Khobar to Hofuf.

Upon arriving in Hofuf, we we're suppose to visit an old fort in the middle of the city, sadly it was closed (maybe because it was too early then). Though the fort is exactly the same as the one in Bahrain (Arad Fort) but this one is much smaller. Didn't took some pictures on it coz I haven't get over with the idea of taking-picture-in-public-and-the-police-might-take-you-away, hahaha! That's how paranoid I am.

Hofuf is know for its hundreds of dates farm. I think the place was the biggest oasis in Saudi Arabia. Oh how i missed the opportunity to visit the dates farm in Iran.My colleague's group who visited the dates farm even brought home some fresh dates, courtesy of the owner of the farm. I think he was happy to see foreigneners pass by his properties.

After 20 minutes of driving around Hofuf we've finally made our way to Judas Cave. Thought it was not as magnificent as the carved mountains of Iran nor as a organize tourist spot, every tourist would still be awed by the rock formations and designs that consist of Judas cave.

Our friend told us legend tells it that Judas went here after Jesus was arrested and crucified though there's no real basis about it.

Here are the pics around Judas cave, Enjoy!

Sign @ the entrance

Can you find the grafitti?

The not-so-long but winding road

Weird insects doing something nasty!

Towering wall of rocks

Rocks waiting to roll-over @ you!

Three fingers

Entrance to the cave

Towering Rockies

Oneof the passage inside the cave. Funny but many people including babies on stroller visit this area as well. The lights from the lamp and dim sunlight makes a dramatic efffect on the place.

Sunlight peeking in the rocks.

The only staircase that I found inside the cave.

Rock formation shape like a....????

View on half way to the top.

The highest peak is over there.

Entrance of the cave, view from the top.

Grand Canyon is that you?

The dates plantation in the horizon.

If you're a mountain trekker/rock formation lover/naturalist you'll definitely love the place! I did appreciate the place, eventhough i slipped twice when hiking the mountain and almost bang my camera when i made a duck walk just to enter a dead-end area. The hike to the top is the most exciting part of the trip coz the chance of accident is high, but the reward is worth it.

All in all, the trip was worth it. We enjoy the trip and surely, if God permits, I'll make a second trip to Hofuf, but next time i'll visit the dates palm.

Oh,  here's my solo shot shoots pala  from my camera. What yah think? LOL!
Walang basagan ng trip =P

HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE!