Bahraini Love

Life of an expat in Saudi Arabia can be stressful. He spends the whole day working his tail off and goes home after. There is not much spots in the kingdom where he can fill his leisure time, especially during long holidays. Most of the expats opt to spend a short vacay at the neighboring countries.

This year, Eid Al-Udha holidays lasted for 10 days. Having wanted to unwind, we thought of breathing some fresh air from a never-seen environment. We had 3 choices; Dubai, Qatar, or Bahrain. We've been to Dubai when I was still in high school. Qatar is closer to KSA than Bahrain. But we ended up voyaging to the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The moment I set my foot down to the island country, I took off my abaya. Oh how my skin missed the kiss of the sun! I kid you not. I felt like all burden and stress in me evanesced. I am certain my companions felt the same way.

We stayed at Al Manzil Suites. It was a prepossessing lodging.

First day was a mere city tour. We took a stroll around the city. The island is known to be small but it appears to be very ample due to the number of unoccupied lots. We had lunch at City Center Bahrain and watched "Into the Storm" in the movie theatre. We had a grocery at the Danube as well.

Tito Sonny would like to satisfy his long-drawn-out craving for pork, so we looked for "Bahay Kubo" the next day. It is a Filipino restaurant recommended by fellows who have been to and who live in there. They serve delish dishes! Afterwards, we headed to Souq Market which is super crowded. We transferred hurriedly to the nearest park. It is an amusement park nearby bay port. We stayed by the bay. The wind eased the high temperature letting us enjoy the beautiful view of the floating yatchs and the next city from afar. Our last stop for the day was the Bahrain National Museum, where you could have a view of their history. The part of the place that I enjoyed the most was, of course, the shore. But wait! We went bar hopping when the clock struck 12.

We were supposed to return to Riyadh on the third day. However, my parents and Tito Sonny found a great pleasure in Bahrain. Hence, the 1-day extension. We transferred to another hotel which is in the midst of the city, Windsor Hotel. The day was not perfectly spent. We spent the whole morning til afternoon at the immigration office to clarify if we could extend. Last destitation should've been a zoo. But we lost track that caused exhaustion, so we went back to the hotel.

The next day, which was our last day as well, we just ate lunch at Chili's with gusto. We could not go to another tourist spot for we had to return to Riyadh.

Bahraini allayed the stress in us!

You will be missed, Bapang Ding!

This is a place for my egocentrism. Dramas can be seen, but I never thought I would be posting a eulogy kind. I don't expect anyone to read this. A special person deserves a space on my blogspot.

An uncle of mine died on November 6, 2014 at the age of 64 due to cardiac arrest. We called him "Bapang Ding". He was the husband of my mom's sister, Nanang Ising (Auntie Ising), the eldest among the siblings. When our grandparents had to spread their wings above, Bapang Ding and Nanang Ising assumed the duties.

Bapang Ding was a caring husband and a good provider. During a family get-together, the elders looked back to the time when Bapang Ding was in 20's and could trek back and forth between Pampanga and Manila with a bicycle for work every day. Just to earn a living! Don't worry! I had the same thought as yours. But according to them, it's true. Well, I could still remember him and my cousin who went to Manila using a motor bicycle one time. Unfortunately, that was the reason a tremendous arthritis afflicted him.

Lately, we've been calling our relatives back in the Philippines a lot to be updated. My cousin said there are many people who offer condolences and sympathy. It goes to show that my uncle did touch many lives.

His loss left us feeling sick at heart. Seeing the bright side in this is our last option. Our family needs to have in mind that Bapang Ding is now happier with his creator up above. Our solitary worry now is my aunt. You know, this couple was really in love with each other. No one could separate them. When all their children got married, they were always next to each other. They had been going to the market and church together. They had been doing the laundry and been cooking together. So when he breathed his last, the words she voiced were "Paano na kaya ako nito?” It made my heart melt.

"Bapang Ding, thank you for all the memories. Thank you for having taken care of us. We will miss your funny dance moves, your jokes, and everything about you. Do not worry for we will take care of Nanang Ising and love her even more. We will see you soon. We love you."

Riyadh Idol - Kids 2014

Riyadh City gave the limelight to those kids with magnificent talent on October 31, 2014.

FMJ Productions organized and Healing Hands FOundations endorsed the event, Riyadh Idol Kids 2014. And again, I was lucky to have been the master of ceremony

There were 7 kids who competed under junior category and 5 kids for the senior category. I tell you, all of them were like adults as they sang their piece. "Small but terrible" phrase perfectly fits them. They were little kids but with big powerful voices. Each contestant had his/her own way of projecting and rendering his/her song.

The champion for Junior category is a little girl named Sarah. Her winning piece is Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On". Whereas, a little man named Kenneth bagged the 1st prize. His winning piece is "All of Me" by John Legend. For those who deeply know me, yes! It moved me to tears. Haha!

What I found amazing about this event was the support of people for each other. Notice the event itself. It has been supported by many sponsors like Cebu Pacific, Jarir Bookstore, Jollibee, Outback, and several organizations. Goosebumps is what I got when friends/families/fans cheered for the contestants as they waved their banners. And of course, the never-ending support of my parents and sister. :)

By the way, the gown that I wore during the event is a creation of Jonas Presas. What a glamorous gown! However, I had to wear a white undergarment to conceal the cleavage. Hihi! Exposing too much skin will give my parents a heart attack. Lol!