Saudi Sexpat Stories: Tales from the Kingdom

Inspired by my favorite seminarian blogger Bro Utoy’s most recent “wolf-ish” entry, I, too, decided to momentarily let the “jologs” in me out of the closet to roam about freely in cyberspace…

Yes, it’s been nearly a month into our home leave here in Manila and apart from the “dreaded” medical procedures, you might be wondering what else have I been up to to while away my “precious” holiday time.

Like any other “Pinoy-tv-deprived” OFW spouse, I have been making good (?) use of my free time to surf the telly - and what interesting “finds” have I discovered! Let me share with you my top picks so far courtesy of (you guessed it) my other “family” - the “Kapamilya” station. Read ‘em and weep!

1. LOBO: I’d rather not elaborate too much on this.  After all, Bro Utoy already wrote such an “eloquent” piece about it… As I’ve said before, whatever it lacks in storyline, it more than makes up for in “star power” (hehehe) … especially with its much sought-after lead star, P (and it’s not Pilar Pilapil, huh!).
2. MY GIRL: Feel-good, teeny-bopper flicks like this always get me hooked - must be the “perpetual teenager” in me.  Never mind that it’s already a spin-off of a Koreanovela with the same title… Kim and Gerald - you’ve got a “fan” in me! :)  Now if someone would please pass the cornicks to max out the jolog-ish viewing experience…
3. GAME KA NA BA?: Game shows which challenge my trivia-laden brain are always a pleasure to watch.  Add to this the very entertaining way the show is hosted - by no less than the “Chairman” himself - and I find myself saying “Game Na!” many mornings over.  
4. THE SINGING BEE: Now this is the perfect show for those who couldn’t carry a tune yet are mindful of the correct lyrics of songs (like me!).  Though Buboy (uy, nickname basis pa - feeling close!) still has much room for improvement in terms of hosting skills, his appropriately-garbed yellow and black “Honey Bees” (the requisite back-up dancers in any Pinoy game show) as well as his “Band-ble Bees” (the band, ladies and gents!) definitely add a witty twist to this otherwise “blah” prime time offering.
5. WHEEL OF FORTUNE: Now, any true-blue kapamilya would never pass up a show with “Ate Kris”, right? If only for her “unique” hosting style, Krissy’s latest show is a definite must-see. Spin it, baby! You know the drill.

My only worry is that when we come back in-kingdom, I might have serious withdrawal symptoms from these new-found faves Hmmm… if only “someone” would hook us up to the TFC channel too (*hint, hint!*), I would truly be one “satisfied sexpat”.

Last weekend was particularly eventful for us.  We decided to check out the new water theme park in our neighboring kingdom, Bahrain - The Lost Paradise of Dilmun.

Impressive bovine structures greet us at the entrance of the park

Dilmun is actually one of the earliest civilizations in Bahrain.  They were believed to have been descended from the Greeks. We were fortunate to have visited the original site of the Dilmun ruins - a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site - during an earlier visit to Bahrain in October last year.

The attention to detail of the outer walls was a good sign - we weren‘t disappointed when we finally got inside!

What a welcome sight! A replica of an ancient Dilmun aqueduct

Highlights of our visit were the wave pool (apparently the largest in the Gulf region) , the Kids’ Rain Fortress (where the kids spent most of their time) and of course, the exciting water slides!  Too bad, though, that we weren’t able to take pictures of all the attractions we tried since it was quite difficult to bring our non-waterproof camera along while we were having so much fun in the water.

The Kids’ Rain Fortress aka The Water Temple - where we shared a lot of fun, BIG splashes!

Keith and I were so happy to have done something different and fun (for the kids, most especially) for a change.  Our weekend adventure was definitely one of our finer family bonding moments.

Our three blessings

Click here for more pictures.

While shopping for the boys’ science project materials last weekend in our favorite arts and crafts store, Al Zamil, I was pleasantly surprised to find these…

Whaddyaknow? After “desperately searching” in the nearly 2 years we have been living here, I finally was able to get hold of my first Saudi refrigerator magnets - yey! What’s more, I like them because they are distinctly Saudi - with the man in the traditional thobe and the woman garbed in the “controversial” burkah (head veil) and abaya (aka “black ninja outfit” ). 

You see, apart from the celadon elephants I fancy, Keith and I also collect refrigerator magnets as souvenirs from all the places we have been to.  So far, we have been successful in our “quest” (except for Japan - but that’s another story…). 

I am so pleased with my finds that I placed them right smack center with all the rest of their “friends”.

Hmmm… now if only any of you guys can tell me where to snag those “much-coveted” Japanese magnets (without actually having to go back to Japan), I’d be forever grateful - promise!

Just wanted to share this with you to end my posts for the month on a yummy (and decidedly more positive)note. 

Also, I didn’t want my monthly entry count to conclude at such an unlucky number as “13″ - especially since this month has not exactly been my favorite (with all its “sickness episodes ” and with the weather turning from comfortably cool to “typically desert” again)… Better keep all my bases covered to ward off all negativity.  Right, Weng?

I read somewhere that people celebrated “Fat Tuesday” in olden times to ensure that they were able to use up all their “lent-prohibited” kitchen supplies before actual fasting started on Holy Wednesday.  Suffice it to say that we were (unknowingly) sold on the idea when we, together with other kingdom-based friends, had our very own Fat Tuesday dinner here in the ”land of the sand”- at our newest delish find of a resto, the global restaurant-cafe, Casper and Gambini’s.

We first sampled C&G’s fare on a pre-Valentine’s date and have been hooked ever since.  The ambience is very cozy and classy in an understated manner, the service - friendly and efficient, and of course, the food - oh-so-generous portions and positively to-die-for taste!  Call me an April Fool but I wouldn’t mind doing a repeat of our Fat Tuesday fiasco really, really soon!

For starters: Delish bread basket with yummy spread “on the house”

Pear Iced Tea - both didn’t disappoint, thankfully!

Rafa, our very own “mac-and-cheese grinch”: Bawal humingi! Grrrr…

Believe me, underneath all that garnish and sides is a yummy grilled salmon fillet!

The only down side to the whole meal was this (Keith’s order): Chicken Teriyaki which turned out too spicy for his taste!

Everybody happy! (*Burp!*)

By special request, here’s a sample snap of Marga with one of her oh-so-many “Arab-mirers”, Eli, the Lebanese head waiter who “bribed” her with a shiny, red balloon

I usually give in to my “lazy bones” during the weekends especially where cooking is concerned.  I try and avoid kitchen duty as much as possible during this time but when I find that I really can’t (such as yesterday), I try and stick to simple, hassle-free meals.

Hmmm…a “soup and sandwich” early dinner seemed to fit the bill.  With leftover French onion soup in the fridge, all I had to do was make simple, filling sandwiches for Keith and the boys.  As I had just whipped up some chicken ala king as well, the rest should be easy, right?

I should’ve just sliced up some bread, topped it with the chicken ala king, popped it into the oven and voila - dinner is served!

Except that I decided to give it a little twist.  I thought it would be neat to stick to the French theme of my meal (my sister would have loved it - right, Rina? ) so I took out the box of voulavent cases (it sounded so fancy - I just had to try it!) from the freezer, brushed the pastry with a little eggwash on top, popped those babies into the oven and came up with this instead…

A dozen pieces of Chicken ala King Voulavent goodness!

Although I would’ve wanted the pastry to be more buttery than what came out, the flakiness and softness of the warm voulavents were just right - yum!

Go ahead, take a bite!

Thankfully, all of us enjoyed the meal (burp!) we just had to blurt out (don’t forget the nasal accent here), “Ooh-la-la, c’est bon!”

Check out our latest sinful indulgence…

It’s Jules Destrooper Chocolate Thins! It’s a 100g box of heavenly crispy baked candy biscuits richly coated in Belgian chocolate.  It comes in an assortment of dark, milk and white chocolate - truly a chocaholic’s dream-come-true! 

Keith discovered this a couple of weeks ago while we were grocery-shopping.  It was one of the specials then (buy one-take one) and he originally intended for these cookies to be a quick-fix for him in-between meals while at work.  Needless to say, the boxes never made it to his office - hahaha!

Although we are more conscious now of what we eat, we make it a point to give in to this indulgence once in a while (think extra minutes on the treadmill, people) as this is definitely such a treat after a meal.

What’s more, good news for those of you in the US and in the bigger countries in Europe and Asia, I just checked its site and they apparently take orders online and deliver straight to your doorstep! Great deal, huh? Too bad that they still do not have this service here in the Middle East (no fair - boohoohoo! ).

One thing’s for sure, though, this yummy treat will remain a staple in many of our grocery stops to come…

This post is two months+ overdue yet the foodie in me refuses to just let it go down our “food-trip history” without the rave it so deserves. 

Flashback to cool, scenic Tagaytay where we re-visited one of our absolute fave restos - The Verbena Restaurant in Discovery Country Suites.

I first sampled Verbena’s yummy cuisine in Mar 06 when my parents treated us there for lunch to celebrate their wedding anniversary.  I must say the 1.5 hour road trip from our house was well worth it as the place did not disappoint - cozy and elegant ambience matched with delish, to-die-for food.   Too bad, though, that Keith was already ”kingdom-based” during that time so we were not able to experience this gastronomic first together.

Fast forward to our two home leaves in 2007 where we always put a meal in Verbena in our list of “must dos”.  Given our crazy schedules whenever we are in Manila, though, we only had the chance to finally come back to the resto (and inn, incidentally, with seven classy themed suites for those who’d want to “relax to the max”) in Dec07 when Keith and I dropped by for a much-needed post-holiday date.

Needless to say, we were absolutely happy we did Here’s what we had that day…

Keith had “glamorized” Pork Humba, which, we figure, was not a popular choice as it has since been dropped from the menu

While I had Seared Chilean Sea Bass - a Verbena favorite

For dessert, we shared Bouchon’s Chocolate Marquise, a rich, chocolatey-pistachio-vanilla custard concoction which we regret not taking a photo of - it was so delicious it didn’t even stand a “photo op” chance! Keith and I “devoured” it the minute the waiter served it (talk about “takaw” moments!) - yum-o!

Posting this definitely got me thinking evil calorie-filled thoughts yet again… Oh well, August’s not that far off anyway - I will certainly make sure we make good on our Verbena visit by that time    

One of the unique presents we received last Christmas was this…

This is the first time I’ve ever seen a soft clock! It’s actually a beanie-bag type clock which runs on a single AA battery. What I like about it is that it’s particularly “Marga-friendly” - which means I won’t throw a fit if my little girl decides to hurl it across the room  Oh, did I mention that it also tells the correct time (so far!)? Neat, isn’t it?

Oh well, speaking of time, I better get lunch ready soon as my three hungry boys are arriving any minute now - oops!

Till my next (hopefully) more substantial post…

Call me naïve but when I saw this while shopping for Marga’s winter wear at M&S (taking advantage of the last days of the sale lang po!), I was thrilled! Admittedly, this is the first time I’ve seen anything like it. It’s a good thing that unlike other stores, the clothes you buy in M&S come with their own hangers.

Kudos go to the “great minds” behind this invention. For mommies like me with “oh-so-limited” storage space, this is truly a find!