of golds and diamonds

While checking in at the airline counter last week pauwi ng Pinas, may nakasabay akong isang Kabayan na sa tingin ko ay nasa past 50 na ang edad. Then napansin ko na may kasama syang little boy na mukhang 5 years old. Naisip ko apo. O baka naman kako anak na bunso.

Since pareho kami ng flight, nakita ko ulit si Manong sa departure lounge. This time, kasama na ang buong pamilya. Mukhang anak nga ang little boy. Kasama ang isang little girl pa na siguro mga 3 years old. At ang babaeng kasama na obviously ay misis, definitely looks a good 20 years younger than him.

What’s the big deal? Sa una wala. Hindi naman bago yong sitwasyon nila. Libo or milyon naman siguro ang kaso na tulad nilang mas matanda ng di hamak si mister kay misis. But Manong reminds me of one colleague na alam na alam ko ang istorya. Lolo na talaga sya dahil bago pa sya mag-abroad ay meron na syang mga apo. Pero pag nakita mo sya ngayon, ang misis nya ay parang anak nya lang. Same situation nitong kasabay ko sa flight.

Kaya tumakbo na naman ang utak kong walang magawa habang naghihintay ng tawag ng boarding for the flight. Kung hindi kayo pareho ng sitwasyon ng kakilala ko, sorry Manong. Hindi na kita idadamay dito sa sinasabi ko. But you provided a springboard para makabuo na naman ako ng isang mahaba-habang blog.

Kung OFW ka sa Saudi (at syempre sa ibang bansa din), you would agree with me na maraming kaso na ng ganyan. In fact, it’s one of the risks families of overseas workers are facing. Yong masira ang pamilya dahil si mister na nag-aabroad, nakakita ng ibang babae. And decided to start another family. Kaya ang original na pamilya sa Pinas, naiwang devastated. Sa pamilya ko mismo, merong mga kasong ganyan. Meron akong isang pinsan na iniwan ng mister dahil may nakilalang babae sa Saudi. Lately, ito namang isang pamangkin ko.

The stories run along a single pattern. Matagal hindi umuuwi si mister. Porke ayaw pauwiin ng employer. Porke hindi pinapasweldo. Porke walang pamasahe. Noong una, regularly nagpapadala ng pera. Then dumalang ng dumalang hanggang tuluyan nang walang tinatanggap na sustento si misis. Then the wife will eventually find out na ganon nga, she lost her husband to someone she’d curse under her breath and call a bitch.

Needless to say, nasisira ang pamilya dahil sa pangagaliwa ni mister. Para sa misis, ang sakit ng ganon. But on top of the pain, mas malala ang nagiging epekto sa mga anak. Nakaka-awa ang mga bata, lalo yong mga wala pang muwang, na makitang nasisira ang pamilya nila. Na bigla na lang mawawalan ng Tatay. Akala nila nasa Saudi lang. Yon pala nandyan lang sa tabi-tabi. At magugulat na lang silang meron silang kapatid pero iba ang Nanay.

Pero syempre hindi lahat ng kasalanan pwede nating ibunton lahat kay lalake. Meron ding ilang kaso na kaya nagloko si mister ay dahil may problema rin kay misis. Baka sumobrang demanding sa pera. Naging gastador. Nagkulang sa pagmamahal kay mister. O sya mismo ay nagloko at naglaro ng apoy na ibang klaseng sunog ang dala habang kayod-kalabaw si mister sa Saudi.

But in majority of the cases, plain and simple pagtataksil ang ginawa ni lalake. Ang unang-unang rason, nakakita ng mas maganda o mas bata sa Saudi. Kung dalaga ang nakuha ni mister, isang pamilya lang ang masisira. At hindi ko sasabihing masisira ang buhay ni dalaga dahil I’m sure alam nyang may asawa ang lalake. Wag syang sisigaw ng ‘niloko mo ako’ dahil para kang natulog sa pancitan kung naniwala pa syang binata ang nanliligaw sa kanya eh sa itsura pa lang tatlong dosena na ang pinapakaing anak. Besides, madaling mag-background check kung kailangan.

Kung may asawa din ang nahagip ni mister, grabe na yon. Dalawang pamilya ang masisira. Ilang mga anak ang magiging pasaway. Madadagdagan ang mga kabataang nagdo-droga. Or nabubuntis na teenagers. At buti sana kung yong mga asa-asawa nila pwedeng magkasundo na sila na rin lang ang magsama. Parang exchange gift.

Sa mga ganitong kaso, ang laging idadahilan yong kalungkutan sa Saudi. Porke sobrang homesick. Kaya ng may makitang nagpa-charming, na-excite. Parang naging 16-year old na noon lang nakaranas ng first love. Hindi na nag-isip. Hindi na naalala ang mga pamilyang iniwan sa Pinas. Basta mairaos ang init ng katawan sige, go.

Buti sana kung iraraos lang ang tawag ng kalamnan. Eh ang masakit, lumalalim pa ang relasyon. Because they assume the role of husband and wife. Bahay-bahayan matured version. Sosyal pa ang venue dahil Saudi. Kakaunti ang makakakilala sa kanila at makakapagsumbong sa ginagawa nilang laro sa baga.

Buti nga lately ang gobyerno ng Saudi ay nag-luwag na sa patakaran tungkol sa family status. We now see a lot of OFWs bringing in their ‘real’ families over. This way, napi-prevent ang mga hindi magagandang pangyayari.

Although mas marami pa rin ang nagre-rely sa tawag sa phone or chatting dahil hindi sila pwedeng magdala ng pamilya dito. Technology has certainly made it a lot easier for OFWs nowadays. Di tulad nong unang panahon na magaantay ka ng snail mail na darating buwan-buwan or linggo-linggo kung masipag sumulat ang misis mo. Ngayon, text or call pwede mong gawin anytime. At syempre ang webcam chat where you can see your wife and kids pati na kapitbahay mo, kasama na si kumpare.

But if that technology can be your best friend, it could be your foe as well. Dahil nga maluwag na ang means of communication ngayon, ayan na naman, may nauuso na namang hiwalayan dahil si mister, may na-meet sa chatroom na mas maganda at mas sexy. Nagpakita ng boobs. Nabaliw si mister. Iniwan si misis at mga anak. Back to square one na naman tayo!

Segue lang ha pero sorry guys but I’ve got no love for web-based romance. I can’t understand the fact that people can create and build a relationship just through webcam. Or chatting. Or even texting. Really guys, kung ang pag-ibig ay ganyan kadali nang makita, I guess you have to stand back and think a thousand times what kind of relationship that is.

Balik tayo sa main story nitong blog ko. Hindi ako moralista. Sakay ko at naiintindihan ko ang hirap ng malayo sa pamilya. Ang magtiis sa malalamig na gabing kahit patong-patong ang comforter mo eh hindi ka makatulog. Alam kong maraming emotionally weak na tao, kahit sa mga lalaking barumbado at basagulero ang dating. You’re looking and longing for the caring and the love ng isang nagmamahal sa inyo. Kaya kung hindi maiwasan, di sige. Kaso lang, play your cards well.

Pag dumating yong time na nararamdaman ninyong in love na kayo sa ka-date nyong nurse sa Kadiwa tuwing shopping day, close your eyes and think back to the day na una kayong umalis ng Pinas. Alalahanin ninyo yong mga hitsura ng mga anak ninyong umaasang gaganda ang future nila sa pag-aabroad mo. Remember the look in your wife's eyes na umaasang gaganda ang buhay ninyo dahil sa pagsasakripisyong ginagawa ninyo.

Whatever you have in your had right now, sobrang ganda, sobrang seksi, sobrang puti, sobrang galing, sobrang sarap… it wasn’t what you’re looking for kaya ka nag-Saudi. Swerte lang na nakita mo sya. Pwede mong damputin dahil nakita mo. But don’t let it derail your focus. Hindi worth sirain ang pamilyang pinag-sikapan mong pagandahin ang buhay dahil lang sa isang maling pag-ibig (naks!). You might think it’s gold you found. But the real diamonds are waiting for you back home.

holiday mode

It’s the start of a week-long holiday with the kingdom celebrating this year’s Hajj holidays. Actually mahaba-haba sanang holiday ito para sa akin coz it started last Thursday/Friday which is our regular weekend plus the 5 day-holiday and the weekend after that. 9 days sana ulit akong babad sa kama para matulog, with mornings actually starting at mid-day. Gigising lang kung nagrereklamo ang bituka for having missed breakfast. Minsan pati lunch.

But here I am, tied up to my work station, cursing the system for yawning and crawling while I was pummeling it with my uploads that was the reason why I was here in the first place. Damn system! Looks like he’s on a holiday mode too! Grrr… hindi ka pwedeng mag-holiday no. Gumising ako ng maaga para pumasok kaya hala, mag-trabaho kaaaaa!!!

Actually I’ve stayed away from work during holidays for the last 3 or 4 years now. Most of the adiks would say it’s ‘sayang’ coz work during these days is paid double. But I have my reasons. May malalim na hindi ko pwedeng i-share dito. Yong mababaw na reasons na lang like yon nga, mas gusto kong i-enjoy ang kawalan ng ginagawa kahit 9 days lang at naka-tambay sa kwarto ko. Or mag-lakwatsa paminsan-minsan kung saan maisipan. In short, gusto kong i-exercise yong katamaran ko sa mga ganitong araw.

But sometime last week nilapitan ako ng boss ko. Porke kailangan matapos ang ganito, ang ganyan. At lumalabas na kung hindi ako papasok this week, I’ll be in a hell hole after the holidays. As in maraming bida ang sisigaw at magwawala dahil hindi natapos ang ganito at ganyan. They sure will breath fire on somebody’s neck. And it will be nobody else’s neck but mine.

O sya hala, di sige pumasok. Kahit masira ang panata ko sa mga ganitong panahon. Kahit sabihin ng mga adik na bigla akong naghirap kaya pinatulan ko na rin ang overtime pay. Totoo naman. Hehehe.

Ang usapan namin ng amo, 3 days ang ipapasok ko out of the 5-day holiday. Ibig sabihin I have until Monday to finish all the stuff that was supposed to be ready by Saturday next week. Pero may pahabol naman sya na kung hindi raw matapos, pwede pa akong mag-work even beyond the agreed 3-days. I-inform ko lang daw sya. Kung ikaw naman siguro ang sabihan ng ganon at nag-inarte ka pa, wala ka nang budhi. The message is loud and clear: tapusin ang dapat tapusin!

Kaya lang, at the rate the system is doing his part, mukhang aabutin pa nga ako ng Tuesday nito. Sana naman wag nang umabot ng Wednesday. Kahit 1 day na lang, I just have to experience Hajj holiday for myself this year. Kaya hala kang sistema ka! Trabahoooo! (kung pwede lang gamitan ng latigo ito! Hmmpffttt!)

chaaaarrrge!!!!

Isa sa mga balitang abroad ng abante ngayon ay tungkol sa mga kabayan nating nasa Dubai na baon daw sa utang sa dahil sa kanilang mga credit card  (http://www.abante.com.ph/issue/nov0510/abroad01.htm).

Actually that’s not a surprise. Having seen life in Dubai when I was there for a 1-week training, medyo nagulat din ako sa taas ng bilihin. Alam naman natin na nagra-rank na ang Dubai among the most expensive cities in the world. At kung isa kang OFW sa lugar na yon, you gotta have a salary comparatively higher than in Saudi dahil nga sa cost of living. At kahit super laki ng sweldo mo doon, you have to watch your spending closely kung ayaw mong kapusin at mabaon sa utang.

Hindi lang kasi basic cost of living ang mataas doon. To make matters worse, Dubai is an open society as far as foreigners are concerned. Most of the restrictions imposed against expats in Saudi don’t apply there. Kung kaming mga nasa Saudi ay nagtitiis sa kung ano-anong ‘safe’ activities during weekends, our kabayans in Dubai enjoy a wide variety of option for entertaining themselves. They have movie houses showing the latest blockbusters. They have bars where you can hang-out after work, kahit pa araw-araw. At halos linggo-linggo ay may mga concert ng mga well-known musical artists na kung doon ako naka-base ay siguradong linggo-linggo din akong gumagastos sa concert tickets.

Kaya nasabi kong na-appreciate ko ang sitwasyon ko dito sa Saudi. Dahil kung ako rin ay sa Dubai nagta-trabaho (or anywhere else na maraming options for gimik), baka nabaon na rin ako sa credit card tulad ng mga kabayan natin na nandon sa news. In fact, nandito na nga ako sa Saudi pero grabe pa rin ang inabot kong utang, how much more kung nasa ibang lugar ako na maraming pwedeng pagka-gastusan.

Just last week, naisipan kong gumawa ng excel sheet where I tabulated all of my on-line payments. And it was a shock to find out na ang nai-bayad ko na sa aking Visa card, for the last three years up to this month’s payment, ay umabot sa SR 65,000++. Well, get a forex table and do your math. Aba eh pambili na ng isang 2010 Honda Civic ni Maccoy yon ah! Jeezzzz! Saan napunta yon? I cannot recall charging a major major (pahiram, Venus!) purchase sa aking Visa Card.

Isang beses lang akong nag-CA sa aking Visa nong na-ospital ang mother dear ko for two weeks na sumira sa budget ko. I had to cough up the rest of the bill na hindi kinaya ng PhilHealth. But that was a meager SR 3k.

Then epiphany hit me like a 2000 kw thunderbolt. Na-realize kong ano bang inaangal ko eh inabuso ko naman talaga ang Visa card ko. I was inflicted with the spending fever which sent me to a buying frenzy of several electronic items. Charged ang 8GB I-pod ko na binigay ko lang naman sa isang pamangkin ko dahil hindi ko ma-appreciate. Pati ang PSP Madden limited edition na binenta ko rin naman dahil hindi ko rin ma-appreciate. And for two years, nagpapalit ako ng laptop almost every quarter of the year. Bumili, este umutang, din ako ng ilang jewelries, including my long-time dream na Tag. At ang mga dinner ko of T-Bone steaks and yummy Makis, karamihan charge din. So ano’ng inaangal ko!?

Kaya hindi nagtagal yong shock na naramdaman ko. Napalitan agad ng dismay. At syempre, ng pagsisisi dahil hindi ko na naman na-kontrol ang sarili ko sa pag-gastos. Looking back, I must have looked like Andres Bonifacio’s monument every time na papasok ako ng isang commercial establishment. But if Andres is holding a ‘tabak’, ako, yong Visa ko ang hawak ko. At kung ‘sugod mga kapatid’ ang sinisigaw ni Gat Andres, ako, ‘CHARGE’!

Buti na lang medyo naging firm ako sa aking sarili nitong mga nakaraang buwan. Medyo madalang ko nang istorbohin ang Visa card ko. In fact, nong Wednesday night na sumugod kami ng ilang ka-adik sa mega sale ng Extra (one of the more popular electronics store here) , I learned na kaya ko naman palang mag-pigil. Muntik na akong bumili nong 10 inch digital photo frame. But when I found out na hindi yon kasama sa sale and the SR 599 tag price isn’t reduced, binitiwan ko. Na-tempt din ako don sa 42” Samsung LCD Tv na gusto kong bilhin matagal na pero napigil ko rin ang sarili ko. Kaya lumabas ako ng store na walang damage at buong ningning kong tinawanan ang aking mga kasama na may 2 or 3 bags na bitbit. Yeahh! Will power!

Kinaya kong mag-kuripot mainly because ini-enjoy ko yong feeling na kakaunti na ang binubuno ko sa aking Visa. For the longest time, double digit lagi ang nasa statement of account ko buwan-buwan. But starting last month, nag-single digit na sya. And my last payment brought it down to SR 5k. Isa o dalawang sweldo pa, matatapos na ang long-standing battle ko against my Visa. And when that time comes, I think hindi na mauulit na maging alipin ako ng credit card ko. I’ve learned my lesson.

Ok.  I'll admit naka-tago yong crossed fingers ko sa likod when I said that.  Kasi sinabi ko na rin yan noong nabaon ako sa utang sa Visa at Master Cards ko when I was working in Makati almost a decade ago.  Ang lapit kasi namin sa Glorietta kaya para din akong Andres Bonifacio nong mga panahon na yon.

Good thing nga, nandito ako sa Saudi. So shaking off the spending fever can be easy. Eh pano na lang kung marami ngang gimikan sa paligid? Siguro hindi na ako nakaahon sa utang ko. That is why super-relate ako sa kwento ng mga kabayan natin sa Dubai. Tutulungan naman daw sila ng gobyerno. Pero ang tulong, bibigyan lang sila ng training about literacy on spending. At yong literacy na yon, nakuha ko na dahil ngayon I can say I’ve learned my lesson.

Quite expensive learning experience kaya hindi ko agad-agad malilimutan. With my strong resolve, kakayanin ko nang hindi sumigaw ng CHARGE. Except when I’m dining in my favorite Soul Kitchen! Hahaha!

back to work... jeezz

Whoa! Nine days gone in a zap? Tapos na agad ang bakasyon ko! After officially screwing my circadian rhythm, kailangan ko na namang gumising ng maaga bukas coz back to work na ulit? Darn! Bitin pa kaya ako.

I could do more marathon snoozing hanggang 1pm. Tipid non huh, skip ng breakfast pati lunch. Sarap magbabad sa kama at bumangon kung kelan lang talaga ayaw nang paawat ang reklamo ng tyan ko. Makakagiling lang ng pagkain ang bituka ko at 2 or 3 pm. At kahit ano lang ang mahagilap ko sa ref pwede na.

Ano bang nagawa ko nong 9 days? Wala. Except for an unplanned dinner kagabi with a couple of friends sa Applebees, it was an uneventful holiday. Nasa bahay lang. Happily slouched on my couch in my tattered pambahay. At syempre, bawing-bawi sa sa internet fee kasi babad na babad on-line.

Found a few albums from free sites na matagal ko nang gustong hanapin. Like Carly Simon, The Motels, Fleetwood Mac and my long-time fave The Boomtown Rats. Kakasing-along ko sa I Don’t Like Mondays di ko alam tapos na pala yong tambak kong plantsahin.

Of course I’ve watched a few movies na sinipag pa akong i-review dito sa DS. At syempre, sinipag naman akong mag-post para hindi naman ako totally out of touch sa mga adiks.

At least nakapag-organize ako ng mga gamit ko. I’ve sorted things inside my closet na matagal-tagal na ring parang hinalong nilugaw. Pati mga electronic files ko naayos ko rin. Sinumpong din ako minsan ng konting sipag that’s why I managed to do some cleaning. Major major effort na yon huh.

Well, I hope makatulog ako ng maaga ngayon or else pahirapan na naman ito bukas. But I doubt it. 11pm na pero buhay na buhay pa rin ako. Hmmm… mag-extend na lang kaya ako ng leave? Let’s see….

alarm clock-free mornings

It’s the first day of my 9-day vacation. Eid al-Fitr na kasi bukas (that’s the end of Ramadan) kaya next week wala akong pasok. 5 days off from work plus the two weekends kaya ang haba ng bakasyon ko. It’s something I always look forward to every year.

Some of my friends will have a day or two of duty. Yong iba todo-diretso ang pasok kaya ang dami nilang overtime pay come payroll. But for me, wala lang. I’ll spend the whole holidays doing what I like most – nothing!

As usual tutulog na naman ako kung kailan ko gusto. Pag ganitong mga araw, bakasyon din ang alarm clocks ko kaya gigising lang pag nagrereklamo na ang tyan for having missed breakfast, sometime even lunch. At least nage-effort akong gumising minsan pag 9am na coz that’s the only time I can watch my favorite Jeopardy in MBC4.

Most of the time, I’d most likely be online reading even the silliest news report from Yahoo or Philstar. I’ll also be playing my yahoo games over and over kahit ilang beses ko nang natapos ang expert level ng Build-a-Lot pati Ranch Rush which is actually better version of Facebook’s Farmville.

Nakakatamad kasing maglalabas kasi up until now mainit pa rin ang panahon. Di tulad nong mga dating holidays na medyo malamig na ang hangin. Or should I say dahil tumama na ngayon na September ang Eid holidays. Unlike two years ago na early December ito kaya babad ako sa kama noon dahil start na kasi ang winter.

So I’d probably be watching movies or tv, bahala na whatever caught my fancy. I might go to Khobar to see some friends. Hindi ko lang inugali na mag-lakwatsa farther than Khobar like most people I know na tumatawid ng Bahrain or Dubai kung hindi rin lang sila umuuwi ng Pinas. Laking gastos kasi non and I’m too stingy for that! Hehehe.

Besides, I never run out of things to do kahit nasa bahay lang ako. Baka maisipan ko na namang mag-rearrange ng room o kaya mag-general cleaning. But it all depends kung susumpungin ako ng sipag! Hahaha! And oh, hopefully makapag-blog din ako ng medyo marami. Again, sana sipagin ako. Hehehe.

Meantime, happy holidays sa mga tulad kong walang pasok. Enjoy lang po kayo. At sa mga may pasok naman, well good for you. Tulungan ko na lang kayong mag-bilang ng overtime nyo pagdating ng payroll!

apdeyt-apdeyt!!!

Last Wednesday I had no choice but to comply with the latest requirement from the bank where I do the transfers of my hard-earned money to the Philippines. The bank is now implementing a new procedure where they will ask for more explicit information about your work in the Kingdom as well as your details back in whatever country you’re sending your money to. Hindi ka pwedeng mag-transact hangga’t hindi ka magpapa-update nong info mo.

Actually second attempt ko na yon. The first time I went there a couple of days before, noon ko lang nalaman yong update-update na yon. But because I wasn’t pressed to send money that time, inurungan ko yong mahabang pila. Nakita ko kasi kung gaano kabagal yong proseso.

But after receiving SOS messages from a couple of my self-imposed responsibilities back home, kailangan ko na talagang magpadala ng pera.  Kaya napilitan akong bumalik nong Wednesday. Buti na lang maaga akong nagpunta, wala pang 10 yong nauna sa akin sa pila. Despite that, inabot pa rin ako ng more than one hour doon pa lang sa updating part.

Mainly because si kabayang bank officer na gumagawa nong update is frustratingly slow. Sa dami ng details na ipapasok nya sa account mo like your current salary, company address, home address and phone number in Phils etc, gusto ko nang agawin yong keyboard para mapabilis yong pagta-type. Aside from that, dalawang beses sya tatayo per client kaya aabutin ka talaga ng indulto.

Una, lalabas sya ng office nya dala ang Iqama mo (residence permit) to ask one of the arabic staff outside to read/interpret your sponsor’s name and your position (which is actually the position stated in your visa when you entered Saudi Arabia).

After that, babalik sya para i-type yong info na nakuha nya. And he’s one of the slowest typist I’ve ever seen dahil parang hinahanap bawat letter na pipindutin (parang hindi normal for an office staff, much more a bank employee yong bagal nya sa keyboard! O baka dahil medyo maedad na si kabayan). Nakakatawa pa coz he mumbles as he was typing, parang kinakausap yong monitor. Kaya may tinatanong na pala sa akin, hindi ako sumasagot dahil akala ko yong monitor pa rin nya ang kausap. Hahahaa!

After entering the details, ire-review nya yong buong 4 or 5 pages yata ng data sheet. Saka nya ipi-print. And then he'll get up from his chair again to fetch the printed document coz the printer is located somewhere outside his office! Nak nangggg!!!! Anyways, natapos din kahit paano.

Ang paliwanag ng mga kabayan natin sa bangko, requirement daw ito ng Saudi government. Hindi na raw pwede yong mga information na nakalagay na dati sa database nila dahil kulang-kulang. Kaya ngayon, kino-kopya talaga lahat ng details na nasa residence permit unlike before na kung ano-ano lang ang information na ibigay mo pwede na.

I understood it better when I was watching the news that night. Talaga palang hindi lang yong bangko na yon, in fact, hindi lang banks in KSA ang nagi-implement nito. Worldwide requirement na pala ito coz even in Europe, they will be implementing in August. Ang pagkakaintindi ko sa report, banks are obliged to supply data to the US government whenever requested to.  Epekto yata ito nong anti-terrorism campaign. They wanted better traceability of bank transactions dahil sa mga dubious bank transfers daw kaya nakakalusot ang funding para sa mga terrorist groups.

That is why this updated information will be visible to authorities should they decide to scrutinize your transactions for whatever reason they deem necessary.  It looks like banking giants in Geneva, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg and other countries known for it's bank secrecy policies will soon be saying goodbye to their reputation.

Kaya pala sabi ulit ni kabayan sa bangko, one effect of this updated info is the powers given to the police to investigate anomalous bank transactions. And by anomalous they mean transactions para sa mga questionable beneficiaries as well as those involving unusually large amount of money. Ah well, I'm sure hindi ako kasama don dahil wala akong questionable beneficiaries aside from the 14 names listed under my account na napag-diskitahan ni kabayan kaya pinagde-delete yong mga inactive na beneficiaries.  And yes, kakapiranggot naman ang padala ko kaya siguradong hindi naman ako pag-aaksayahan ng panahon ng kung sino.

To view Euronews’ report, click here…. http://www.euronews.net/2010/07/08/eu-s-new-bank-data-sharing-deal-with-us/

hofuf trip - the finale (finally!)

as promised, here's the last installment of the hofuf trip (can't believe it's been a week already, time really flies huh).  here are a few pics of the day we enjoyed at the resort tucked in the midst of the lush greenery of dates trees. 

that's the main hall where we shared bonding moments and some noise that must have rocked that usually tranquil place

this fireplace greets you as soon as you enter the main hall.  it must be a welcoming sight had it been winter.  but on a scorching day like this, nobody paid attention to it except sofie and valerie who put paper strips in it and must have wanted to see that fire place cracking

to the left is the expanse of the sitting area and to the right is the kitchen.  the door leads to the outdoor sitting areas

and this is the pool area

where mommies and kids can't wait to jump in and cool off

but alas! the daddies and titos are already crowding it like eager beavers

matt, macoy, alec (blurred) and chuck cooling it off on the children's corner... 

who soon grew tired of the warm pool water and played like little boys in this fountain.  they say the water here is a lot cooler.  but soon realized it's because it's just the same water coming back again and again.  hmmm... interesting what that water is bringing back continuously to these guys! (a little weewee perhaps! hahahha) 

the hunks - hofuf version.  jeezz... these guys can put ch2's hunks to shame! hehehe (hoy mga koya, huminga kayoooo!!! hehehe). l-r: marvin, chuck, maccoy, matt and the seriously projecting ren!

after everybody's off the pool, we had our favorite game - pinoy henyo (obvious ba that we're eb lovers and kapuso by heart? hahaha).  that's ricky trying to figure out the mystery word with weng doing the 'oo, hindi, pwede'

shiela found 'bakulaw' really challenging. she came close with orangutan where ren said 'papangitin mo pa' and we had a big laugh.  that's game master ega who's doing all the works from keeping the time and holding up the mystery word.  nakakangawit yon huh.

i always love ren when doing this game.  you gotta listen to the clues he's deliberately giving out! madaya! hahahhihi

here's my team mate chuck guessing the mystery word 'facebook' which gave us the win.  we got 2 out of 2 coz i also got 'i-pad'.  buti na lang it sounded exactly the same as 'i-pod' which was my guess!  i heard somebody said 'anong spelling'... wala sa rules yon ah! hahaha!

baby valerie : why are they laughing like fools and enjoying that silly game.  i'm hungry already! hmmm this popcorn really tastes yummy.  i wonder if this is the bit that fell on the floor and i stepped upon! hihihi

so it's lunch time with the gang who ravaged the tasteless food (we didn't have salt and it's a long way off to any store) like it was the most delicious lunch in the world.  gutom lahat eh!

ricky and weng and maccoy and pops enjoying the  scrambled egg sans salt and broasted chicken (again!)

by 3pm we're out of this place and heading back to jubail (khobar for ren and maccoy).  exhausted but with smiles on our faces, it will be long before we can wear off the enjoyment we had over these two joyful days.  but now we have a real challenge ahead of us - topping his weekend the next time we go on a trip.  and oh boy, that's gonna be a hard one. 

more on hofuf trip

at the risk of me being indulgent, let me share a few more pics of the hofuf trip we had last weekend.  there's just a lot of good pics not to share so please bear with me :) i promise this is gonna be the (second to the  last ... ehemm... hihihi) posting i'll ever make about this weekend!  with thanks to macoy and ega whose pics are a lot better than mine, here's the continuation of the hofuf story on pics

still on day 1, this is the pic i didn't have during the last posting - the exteriors of the traditional house where we camped out for the first day.  good thing the lichauco family fancied striking a pose beside the decorative well!

and that was the dinner we had at around 10pm on thursday night - grilled fish, broasted chicken (from some chicken house, so obvious!) and rice while the sinigang na hipon and the yummy veggie salad is yet to appear on the table.  and i think you can easily guess - we ate with our bare hands.  soaped and washed of course!

this is an open-air traditional sitting area near the farm entrance.  we really didn't have the opportunity to use it coz of the scorching temperature during the day.

that's why i had the photo op right in there the following morning!

ok, so we're now on day 2 (friday)...

daddy ren, mommy shiela, kuya vince and bunso valerie for a family pic with a curious donkey in the background...

right... it's not the donkey who's curious - it's us! hahahaa... 

after the donkey has had enough of us, we set out to change location.  this time, it's another farm according to our host.  but it turned out to be a resort that's being let to us for free coz the owner is a good friend of our host.  ain't we lucky!

the place offers a spacious parking area accommodating all the 4 cars we used

on a hot summer day like this, a simple fountain looks so refreshing

shiela, pops and weng enjoying one of the outdoor sitting areas, smiling and posing with their grapes.  com'on ladies, i'm sure you're screaming 'it's sooo hottt'  inside and you're dying to get off those abayas already!!!

while we opted for a covered sitting area with the more modern sofa.  and yup, guarding that fussball table in case someone is bold enough to play and forget the sweltering heat 

oh well, kids will play no matter what...  that's alec and vince slamming it out in a heated game... dunno who won... all i know is that macoy and chuck is already egging the kids to get off of it so they can play... hehehe

this pic was taken from the parking area and that arched walkway leads to the inner section of the place where there are some more sitting areas - open air and airconditioned, a garden, fountain, grill area and water closet.

to the left of that walkway is a playground where sofie was giggly excited trying out the swing

and had a spin with tita pops and kuya alec...  they're spinning a bit fast - look at sofie's pony tail and how she held on to tito macoy!

and there's the three kids enjoying the rocking rodeo ride (or whatever it's called).

in my next (and last, i promise!) posting, i'll share the pics of our activities in this place.  hope you can suspend that boredom until i'm done with that one! hahahah!

hofuf trip - day 1

as i said in my last post, here's the story of the al-hasa trip we made last weekend, told in pictures.

so yon nga, we spent wednesday night in khobar (mark and ren's apartments) to get a headstart early thursday morning.  pero hindi pa rin nakaalis ng maaga coz everybody lacked sleep from the chikahan and bonding activities that kept us up until around 1 or 2 am.  what activities?  ahhh... watching tv! hehehe...  anyways, we took off from khobar at around 8:30am and after more than an hour on the highway, we reached al-hasa.  pic above was taken while we were waiting for our host to fetch us from the meeting point. matt's preparing his camera and gears while ega (can you see him?) is just getting out of his car. 

matt's passengers tito bong, marvin, alec and marco (or whatever can be seen from his head... hehehe) didn't want to get out of the car coz of the heat.  it's only 10am and i think it's already past 40deg!

mommy weng keeping sofie cool inside their car

after our host fetched us from the meeting point, we were whisked away into his farm.  the trip is all too exciting, what with that small feeder road that looks like you're being led away far from civilation.  but after a few minutes, alas, there it was! a cool, quiet and welcoming farm draped with the comforting green of the dates trees. in this pic, tito b strikes a pose along the pathway that leads to the farther side of the farm

i took this pic from the point where i took tito b's pic above.  this time i'm facing the entrance with marvin's back, matt teaching marco how to use the high-tech camera, john chilling out beside a decorative well while ega (that far again!?) is just making his way through the gates.  just beside the well is the saudi traditional house which we used as our base.  while on the other side (where matt has his back turned) is the indoor pool

there's a small playground for the kids

and that's the pool just starting to fill up

husband and wife (ricky and weng) getting a crash course on dates production from our host

and here's our lunch just about to be devoured by the hungry weekenders  (i guess you'll understand why i don't have pics of the actual lunch...hehehe)

ricky relaxing inside the traditional saudi house where we spent most of the afternoon waiting for the sun to go down before we head off to jebel gara.  this room, by the way, looked like a refugee camp during the night.  we all slept here - laxamana family included.  though the cariaga family (na humabol at around 1pm dahil nagagalit si vince for being left behind by the troops) as well as the lichauco family opted for a bit of privacy on the other room (where we had our lunch)

maccoy and pops minus alec na ayaw magdidikit sa mom and dad nya dahil busy sa kaka-explore nong farm!

ahhh.. finally here's a closer look at ega!

the two missus minus the abaya

maccoy:  hirap, naiipit ang tyan ko

me:  ako rin! hahaha!

sinong nagpa-iyak kay sofie!!???  hehehe.. this little girl is still cuteness delight kahit umiiyak.  she knows i'm taking a pic kaya she's peeking with one eye through the gaps of her fingers! hahaha! 

after the jebel gara trip and a quick trip to the fish market/grocery store for dinner, it's time for me to take a dip in that oh-so relaxing pool.  we then had our late dinner (almost 10pm) then off to bed for the next day's activities.  pics of that second day following... soon!