New Year, 2010 - Be Better

People during the 30's, 40's and 50's thought that the year 2010 is a time flying cars, life on another planet, robots and all those science fiction things and stories.

Life may not be a what they expect it to be, and we're still far from those things.
Advancement in Science and Technology is more visible now than ever before, yes it's true, but have you noticed also that the more they invent the more reason they need to?

Like the more advance medicine is, the more deadly the diseases had become?

But there are things that no matter what Science and Technology try to create will never be explained.

Our lives. How we live it, how we treasure it, how we share it, how we value it, how we love, how we care, how we touch others and how we believe in God.

Life is simple, but people most often make it hard.
God simply breathe life into us, we try to breathe out of it.
Another year is coming, and here's the question, will I be better than last year?

Better person.
Better man.
Better son.
Better brother.
Better friend.
Better colleague.

Truth is, I am not sure, but another truth is that I will try my best.

Post Christmas Blues

Christmas, spent it with "family".
Lots of food, lots of laughters and lots of warm feelings.

We tried to make it merry as we remembered out loved ones back home.
There nothing like Christmas with the family, but an "extended" family is not bad either. I am grateful for the opportunity to have an extended family here for without them, I just don't know how will I be here in Riyadh!

Christmas is family, and there is a kind of family that grows from the heart. Call it close friends, but there are feelings that goes beyond friendship, when you go out of your way to lend a helping hand, to care, to look after, to confide, to cry with, to share the ups and downs, to be there for you especially when you are down and out,I say that's no longer friendship, that's family.

I am sentimental, simple things that touches my heart and emotions moved me, and I know how to give credit to those who deserved it. So the people I found here in Saudi, those few people, special people are not my friends.

They are not even close friends. They are my family, and it's the closest I can ever get to be with my "real" family back home.

And I love them.

Benjie, who is like a brother told me one of his blues, he told me that he is saddened by the friendships he builds here, just when he thought the friendship will go beyond Saudi, does not happen. He lost good friends once they leave the country.

He is also saddened by the people he calls friends but only there on good times or when they need him.
Or can't even tell him straight in the eye their true feelings.

Sad but true.

Still, I am lucky, knowing that I had these people in my life is worth more than the Vanity Mirror I got this Christmas (don't take it negatively Ivy, I love it!)

Were The World Mine

Were the world mine (Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream), this line from the famous playright echoes in my mind. A good title for a story I say.

It is also the title of the latest gay-themed movie I saw a few days ago, in which Shakespeare's masterpiece of a play was used as a backdrop for a simple love story.

Shallow that I am, I often fall for feel-good movies, especially romantic stories. Well, this movie for me is a good movie, with all it's dancing and singing, I got hooked on my seat and didn't stood up even to take a pee. I was all smiles at many scenes and I am memorizing the lyrics of the songs.

Although the usual young gay guy, being bullied at school, had a big crush on the rugby varsity jock, had a girl bestfriend and wishes to fall in love.

His wish turned out to be just an audition away he joined the school play. A staging of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream. The Literature teacher saw the potential and gave a book containing the lines and a recipe for a "love juice" in which the hapless guy concocted himself and voila! He makes most of his townsfolk gay by spraying them with it and make them fall in love with the same sex. Will he do it with his bigtime crush? Or will he let love takes its course?

The movie is fun and light, worth watching really. It leaves me lonely though at the end, for I felt I too deserve to be in love but it seemed love is so far away.

As Shakespeare says "O I am out of breath in this fond chase!
The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace."

Oh well.

Here's one of the scenes where the song Were The World Mine was sang.

Used and Loved

I often receive forwarded messages from friends and colleagues, mostly junk mails and sometimes something worth reading.

Here's one that caught my attention and come to think of it, so true!

Anger and Love have no limits;
choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely
life & remember this:
Things are to be used and people are to be loved.
The problem in today's world is
that people are used while things are loved.

Let's try always to keep this thought in mind:
Things are to be used,
People are to be loved.

Watch your thoughts; they become words..
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character;
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Two Weeks Before Christmas

Here in Riyadh, Christmas is celebrated similar to the olden times when Jews were once forbidden to held festivites pertaining to any Christian belief.

Anyone caught helding a feast would immediately be thrown into prison or worst executed by being live fed to the lions!

Although not that morbid, we can only get together quietly on the winter eve of Dec 24th inside hosted parties, celebrating the birth of our Lord with warm food that are a feast to one's pallate.

Being with friends who throughout the years had filled our days with everyday experiences that made living in Saudi Arabia less melancholic. Bonds renewed, friends turned to extended families, gift giving, having fun amidst a slight fear of being raided by the Moral Uphelders or Mutawas, but nevertheless once you see your friends, such fear would immediately vanish from your mind.

Two more weeks, winter is getting colder and colder day by day, and missing Christmas back home with our families were not that hard anymore.

Looking forward to another wonderful Christmas time in Saudi Arabia. I wonder where's my gift under Ivy's tree? Hmmm...

Weekend Treat

It had become a weekly lunch treat every Friday here in Riyadh with my favorite couple Ivy and Benjie.

What's so special? Aside from an afternoon of catching up on things, it was the menu for the day! Imagine yourself having these:



Crispy Fried Tilapia with Diced Tomatoes and Baby Onions in Soy Sauce, add to it Newly Cooked Rice! Winner!

How Benjie fried the Tilapia to a crisp is amazing! Ika nga, 'Sagad to the Bones!'
We Filipinos do love the simplest menu! Maybe because the experience were enhanced when we eat together with our family and friends with gusto!

Truly a treat in itself.

Yum yum!

Gold, Never Seen So Much!

There's a place here in Riyadh called Batha, a big area where all sorts of things can be bought, it's like our Divisoria, Baclaran and Quiapo combined!

But there's a small district named Dira'h where rows of stores sell gold, from earrings to bracelets, necklaces to anklets, to BELTS to HEAD DRESSES!



My friend Peter and I went there and I gasped from all the gold I saw!
I have never seen so much gold displayed without security! I joked with Peter that in our country these trinkets will never be displayed like this, these would be inside thick glasses with alarms and the large ones would be inside vaults!



Too bad I cannot take much pictures as it is "haram!" or not allowed. But I did caught some secretly. So here, enjoy all the glitter that are 18 to 25 karat gold!