Saudi Sexpat Stories: Tales from the Kingdom

Mga pangakong hinayag sa harap ng dambana

Kalakip ang basbas mula sa itaas

Dalawang nilalang pinagbuklod sa isa

Magkatuwang harapin, hirap man o ginhawa

Mga pangakong hinayag sa harap ng dambana

Pinakadalisay na sagisag ng pagiging isa.

Kuha ito ng aming mga “personalized marriage vows”. Mabuti na lamang at nahagilap ko ang kopya ng aming “Wedding Liturgy” sa baul! Sa awa ng Diyos, nagagampanan pa rin naman naming mag-asawa ang mga pangakong binitawan ilang taon na rin ang nakararaan.

Sa aking mga kaibigang litratista, ipagpaumanhin sana ninyo kung hindi ako masyadong makadalaw sa mga lahok ninyo sa loob ng dalawang buwan at kalahati dahil hindi ko masigurado kung gaano kadali akong makakahagilap ng kompyuter habang nagbabakasyon.   Habang binabasa ninyo ito, tiyak na nasa himpapawid na ako kasama ang mga supling patungong “inang bayan”. Hinihingi ko ang inyong mga dasal para sa isang maluwalhating paglalakbay at masayang pagdating sa Pilipinas.  Maraming salamat!

Yup, in exactly 2 days, the kids and I will be in the “beloved motherland” once more to spend their summer break from school - a GLORIOUS two months and a half of “abaya-free” existence - woohoo!!!

Sadly though, this also means that I would most probably lie low from my blogging presence during this time to let “real life” unfold more fully.

To all my pals in the blogosphere, I will definitely be back! And when I do, I promise to fill you in on all the “juicy” bits from our Pinas holiday…

Till then, please pray for a safe, uneventful and hassle-free flight tomorrow evening… and please do me a favor and keep my hubby, Leap of Faith,  ”entertained” by your “cyber-presence” during the time we are away.

Goodbye for now and here’s looking forward to my tons of “bloggables” when I return.

I suppose Thesserie wanted to speed up my recovery process (after the dreaded UTI episode early this month) by sending me this fun tag. The meme is about revealing your “big screen or boob tube HDs” (hidden desires, or “artista crushes” in simple terms - as if you didn’t know!) to the rest of the blogging world.  Don’t get me wrong, though, this is an entirely WHOLESOME tag so I made sure not to reveal too much… hehehe

First, the ground rules: Although I leave it to you as to how you intend to present your ”revelations”, please make sure to incorporate these two rules into your blog:

1. Post pictures (We all want to see what the “hotness” is all about!); and
2. Keep the linky link alive! (TIP:  highlight the text which has links, right click and choose View Selection Source and just copy the HTML). Link the post where you wrote about the topic so women can find more drool-worthy men (you might need to publish and then edit the entry first, though).

Okay, now let’s get down to business… At the risk of the “scarlet letter” being emblazoned on all my articles of clothing after my jealous sensitive hubby reads this, may I present to you (drumroll please) - MY PERSONAL PICKS.  Ladies, feel free to take a J-A-B at ‘em too!

J - JENSEN ACKLES.  I first caught sight of Jensen in the hit series, “Supernatural”, and have been a fan of his character ever since - street smart (sometimes callous) yet ever charming.  That he just absolutely adores his brother and would do anything to protect him is also one of the endearing traits of his character, Dean Winchester. Get a load of this…

A-AMERICAN IDOL HOST, RYAN SEACREST. I’ve always found good conversational skills, wry wit and a cool sense of humor very attractive in a guy… From the countless AI episodes I’ve watched, I guess Ryan Seacrest fits the bill and definitely gets my vote for having these traits!

B - BEN AFFLECK. After the “controversial” Ben and Jimmy video Meeya posted recently, I actually had second thoughts about including Ben in my final list - hahaha! Form eventually won over substance in this case though… thus, Ben is in the final cut.  After all, how can you not include someone who, despite being such a big star, can still make a fool of himself and enjoy it!

That’s about it! Hope a lot of my (cyber)gal pals didn’t get a major dose of eye strain from the free eye candy I just gave away here. 

Before I go, here’s the “Linky Link”: 1. Aggie 2. Thea 3. Litzie 4. Joy 5. Jane 6.Jesse 7. Shiela 8. Kap Vanidosa Marie 9. Vanidosa Marie 10. Thesserie 11. Pinky … just add yours next

Rina, Tin, Linnor, Grey and Leweiss - consider yourselves tagged!

Nell tagged me with this one a couple of weeks ago.  Again, wanting to end this blogging month on a positive note, I decided to complete this tag today, the last day of May… how’s that for psyching oneself? June is just around the corner - keep those positive vibes coming!

Here are the simple instructions: Link to the person who tagged you and then post the rules on your blog. Answer the questions and tag seven (7) random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. Let these random people know that they are tagged by leaving comments on their blog. And last, let your tagger know when your entry is up.

A period of time in your life when you felt protected. I guess this would be during my wedding day.  The realization of having Keith ”officially” by my side come hell or high water was indeed very comforting and made me feel very safe and protected.

A period of time in your life when you felt unprotected. Hmmm…. probably when my brother and I were left in Manila to handle our household affairs pretty much by ourselves (since our parents and our two younger siblings had to relocate abroad due to our dad’s expat career).  It just felt so overwhelming to suddenly have to think about responsibilities you never even imagined before - house repairs, bickering househelp, relatives asking for financial assistance… name it, we probably had to hack it! Looking back, though, I believe this experience was a very good training ground for us for our eventual “leap” into married life.

The first time you discovered power.  This came early on for me as I was the “panganay” (eldest) in our family - eldest child, eldest apo (grandchild) on the mother side and eldest granddaughter on the paternal side! Though I enjoyed being the “ate” and all the intrinsic “perks” that went with it, I also realized that with this “position of influence” also came greater responsibility.

A person whose life has affected you the most. I have always looked up to my father for taking the “straight and narrow” and for having succeeded - both in the paths of his family life and in his professional career.  His dedication and hard work coupled with a genuine compassion for those in need are traits I will always strive to achieve in my own life.  Throw in his firm belief in God’s providence and crazy sense of humor and the resulting “blend” is nearly perfect!

A book that has affected you the most. “The Gift of Acabar” by Og Mandino for its very philosophical yet real take on life. 

A piece of music or song that affected you the most. I am not much of a musical person but I have always been partial to “old” songs (think Michael Buble, people!) and to inspirational songs with “touching” (aka senti) lyrics.

A movie or film that affected you the most. “Awakenings” starring Robert Di Nero.  It tells of how a mentally ill patient was able to “reclaim” some semblance of normalcy (life as we know it) after being treated with an experimental drug only to fall into the same darkness and despair he was once in after the drug was not able to sustain its “miraculous effects”.   Having an uncle who has practically been institutionalized because of bipolar disorder, I can very well share in the hope this film has sparked - that, eventually, a permanent cure may be found for all the people (and their families) suffering because of this disease.

Well, whaddyaknow? I made it through!

I hope Nell doesn’t mind if I put a certain twist to his tag - instead of “naming” seven specific people, I’m inviting all those who love Michael Buble songs to do this tag as well.

Here’s to a  ”jolly June” ahead!

Sa ihip ng hangin matutong makibagay

Tulad ng pagsaliw sa awit ng buhay

Bawat unos ay may aral na hatid

Hagupit ng bagyo may nais ipabatid

Kapag hangi’y humupa at lahat ay nanahimik

Doon matatanto ang nasa puso’t isip

Sa pagsubok ba’y nalugmok at sumuko?

O tulad ng mga puno

Nanatiling matatag, nakatayo at buo?

Ito’y kuha sa Pangulasian Beach, El Nido, Palawan, Pilipinas, noong Disyembre 2007.  Ang Pangulasian ay isa sa mga isla sa Coron na dinalaw namin ng kami’y mag-”island hopping” mula sa Miniloc Resort, kung saan ipinagdiwang namin ng aking kabiyak ang sampung taong anibersaryo bilang mag-asawa.

Still woozy from the heady and exhilirating experience that was Dubai. Planed in three days ago yet I still feel that the time we spent there has been oh-too-short - waahh! God willing, there would be a next time so we could hopefully have the chance to explore this marvelous city in a more in-depth manner.

Dubai is what I can describe as a “superlative” city.  Almost everything in it seems to adopt the theme “big, bigger, better and best” - from the tallest “unofficial” (since it is still a work in progress) skyscraper in the world, the Burj Dubai, to the only indoor ski park in the world, Ski Dubai, to the only 7-star hotel in the world, the Burj Al Arab, as well as its more than 50 grandiose shopping malls - the place just seems to scream “Notice Me!” to everyone who visits it.  Seeing the seemingly endless development in the area (our tour book says that 15% of the world’s cranes are situated in Dubai owing to its infrastructure boom), I really found it amazing that this was a mere sleepy fishing and diving village 30+ years ago.  In fact, as a country, the UAE (of which Dubai is one of the seven emirates) is fairly young - having been formed only in 1971. While I am in awe at the progress it has made since its “birth”, I also feel a tinge of sadness that our very own country, the Philippines, despite its very talented workforce and abundant natural resources, still remains in ”perpetual development” and has yet to make its mark as one of the world’s stronger economies.

It was a good thing that we decided to book the “Hop-On, Hop-Off” bus tour (similar to the one they have in London) so we at least got to see some of the highlights of the city such as these:

 The world-famous Burj Al Arab. Some trivia - did you know that people are not permitted to take the right side (in this picture) of the building? Why? Because it appears that in the middle of this great monument to Arabic culture, which is predominantly Moslem, is a cross!  Yes, a cross right smack in the middle of the Burj Al Arab! If that’s not the height of irony, I don’t know what is…

 A reconstructed Arabian village with its distinct wind towers - a primitive form of air conditioning

 The Egyptian-inspired Wafi Mall which boasts of nearly 350 stores, restaurants, bars, a spa and leisure club

The awe-inspiring pyramid-shaped, stained glass roof of the Wafi Mall 

 The Grand Dome of the Mall of the Emirates - the largest mall outside of North America with an area equivalent to 73 football stadiums!

At the viewing gallery of Ski Dubai - we didn’t want to brave the sub-zero temperature inside since Keith and I were afraid of the children getting sick due to the drastic change in temperature 

 Since we weren’t able to avail of our free Dhow (traditional Arabic sailing vessel) cruise, we settled for the “mini-dhow cruise” above at the Dubai Festival City

 One of the many mosques in Dubai

The magnificent traditional Arabic architecture of the Souq Madinat Jumeirah

The kids also had a special treat since we were able to catch Disney’s Mickey’s Magic Show during its last remaining runs in Dubai.  Apparently, this was the first time Disney launched these types of shows worldwide so we were really lucky to have experienced one of its debut performances.

Lastly, on our final night in the city, we also got the chance to have dinner and exchange pleasantries with fellow ME bloggers Grey, Chung and their partners, at Japengo, the outdoor Japanese resto at the fab Madinat Jumeirah.  Thanks a lot, guys! We really enjoyed your company!

Blogging pals unite! With Grey, Chung and Papa Harvey Not in photo: “Papa Oscar”, Grey’s better half

As a whole, we were absolutely “dazzled and delighted” by Dubai.  It was indeed a blessing to be able to take this trip with the whole family since, as mentioned in my earlier blog, it was also a joint birthday celebration of sorts for Keith and Marga. What’s even cooler is that, as Keith realized, this was the first time ever that he got to celebrate his birthday in three kingdoms - Dubai (the UAE), Bahrain (where we landed en route to “our” kingdom), and Saudi Arabia! If only for this, I bet this is definitely one birthday that will stay with him for a very long time.

So long, Dubai, we shall surely look forward to the next “Marhaba”…

PS For more photos, click here.

Marahil, ang pinakahuling bagay na maiisip nating makita sa disyerto ay tubig, hindi ba? Kapag nabanggit ang disyerto, dali-daling sumasagi sa isip ng marami sa atin ay matinding init at walang katapusang buhangin. 

Ganito rin ang akala ko noon bago kami pansamantalang namalagi dito sa Gitnang Silangan halos dalawang taon na rin ang nakalilipas. 

Di ko sukat akalain na sa disyertong aming ginagalawan, sagana din pala ang tubig!

Ayaw ninyong maniwala?  Tignan ninyo ang mga ito… 

Mistulang “oasis“, di ba?  Patunay lamang na maraming akala ay naghihintay lamang na pabulaanan kapag dumating ang takdang panahon.

Kuha ang mga ito sa isang “water park” sa kapitbahay na kaharian ng Bahrain, ang “Lost Paradise of Dilmun”.  Gaya ng nabanggit ko sa naunang katha ko (SSS #100: Wet and Wonderful!), isang napakagandang sorpresa ito para sa amin, lalung-lalo na para sa aming mga anak.

Yes, I am happy to confirm that all the “kinks” have been thankfully ironed out and we are definitely all set for “D”-Day! Yahoo!

“D”, as you may already have read from Keith’s earlier blog, stands for Dubai, the “fastest growing cosmopolitan city here in the Middle East”.  Aside from the glorious sights and experiences Dubai has to offer, we are also looking forward to our EB with our two equally “dazzling” UAE-based blogging pals - Grey and Chung. 

With the all too familiar song “…all my bags are packed…I’m ready to go” ringing more loudly in my head as our holiday draws nearer, I ask for your prayers (and all the “positive vibes” that you can conjure up) so that all will really be well for this family trip - you know, no sickness or hassles or whatever of this sort.  After all, this is also our way of celebrating Keith’s and Marga’s upcoming birthdays (which, incidentally, are only 10 days apart) so we really intend to make this one holiday we will remember for quite a while.

I promise to post pictures as soon as I can so you guys can also join in on the fun.

Till then, hasta la vista, babies!

PS At sa lahat ng aking mga pinagkakautangan (ng “tag” lang naman ), I ask for your patience and understanding.  With everything that’s been going on (and with our Manila home leave hanging above my head as well), there might be an expected “slow-down” in my “churn rate”, so to speak…

Umaapoy ang kalangitan

Sa mga huling sinag ng Haring Araw

Bago siya magbigay-daan sa kadiliman ng gabi

Animo’y sinasabi

Kalungkutan at kadiliman pansamantala lamang

at tiyak na papawiin ng kasiyahan at kaliwanagan

ng isang bagong umaga.

Ito’y kuha sa Aramco Beach, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, noong Nobyembre 2007, kung saan naanyayahan kaming mag-anak at ilang kaibigan na dumalo sa isang munting salu-salo para sa nalalapit na kapaskuhan. 

Or… “Your Baby’s Favorite Toy(s)” - another fun tag I got from “Mega-Marikit Mom”, Tin.

Here are the rules:

Post a photo of your baby with her first ever favorite/comfort toy. Write some details of your fondest memory of your baby and her toy.  This will make a good memento when your baby grows up!

Before passing this on to six (or more) mommies, don’t forget to add the link to your site/s at the end of the page. Surely, many moms (and dads!) would love to see those wonderful posts of yours! ;) 

I unfortunately wasn’t able to take any photos of Marga with her favorite toy when she was much younger. Call me a “narcissist mom” but most of Marga’s baby shots are either “solos” or those with me or hubby only - hahaha!

Anyway, I put up these two “newer” pics of Marga during her usual playtime at home.

“She doesn’t want to drink mimi!”, she says. 

“Mimi” is Marga’s term for milk.  Here, you see her trying (in vain) to bottle feed her little doggie.  Around her are her other Littlest Pet Shop (LPS) toys. I just love her facial expression in this shot - classic “reklamadora” - like me!

She soon tires of her LPS pals and turns her attention to these two other “playmates”…

I just looove Bear-Bear and Kapo!

“Bear-Bear” is a hand-me-down Funshine Care Bear from one of her kuyas while “Kapo” (the pink monkey) was given to Marga when she was born by one of my mom’s dear friends, Tita Dolly Rodriguez.  At her age, Marga is already doing “pretend play” where she becomes the “mommy” while her stuffed toys become her “babies”.  It’s amazing to see her doing this kind of imaginative play since I get to observe her doing all the “mommy stuff” I do - like giving milk, putting a blankie (blanket) over her toys and telling me to shush because her “babies” are sleeping - cute! Just proves that kids her age are absolute SPONGES!

I’m sure a lot of us parents share this secret wish: if only these moments could last forever… (*sigh!*)

Lastly, as I don’t know enough moms with little kids and babies, I’m making this an “open” tag - meaning, any one who reads this post and gets the “urge” to do this tag can do so (c’mon, don’t be shy, guys… we’re definitely looking forward to seeing your posts on your own kids’ fave toys soon!)

Till then, enjoy those precious play times while they last!