Stories

And yes I am at home! It is almost one year and one month now that I have arrived from Saudi Arabia. And my life has never been so wonderful like this! Though I am still struggling to get a good offer from the many applications that I have, I can say that I have seen and really want to thank God by allowing me to see His grand purpose for me. I know I have not seen it fully but I know I am on that direction. This is really a blessing in disguise! I know that our Lord has the best plans for all of us. All we can do now is to wait. I have seen a very quotation about what is happening to me right now: it is something like this - God is not yet giving us what we asked  for because what He wants is to experience Him as of the moment. Thanks to my family and friends for keeping me sane is sometimes so harsh reality that I am  going through everyday. And let me share to you some of the memorable observations that I have in living for one year as doing nothing almost at all. 1. S...

I have watched last night a boring film yet so good. The title of the movie is “The Girl In The Book”. It is not so good but somehow get my soul hooked and think for a while that I must have a good reflection of what has happened this year. And eventually what to look up for in the coming year. This year 2015 marks some of the major losses in my life. My sister died as well as my second grandfather. It has left a huge emptiness in our hearts and I really do not know what to do in those times of shock and grief. However through times I am beginning to accept the reality that death is one of the pre-requisite of being alive. Everyone will die eventually. And so for this next year I will do my best here in abroad to have a good future. I will indulge myself in work since I really need it as a source of income as well as therapy to pass the time of grief and sorrows. I will do my best to help others in order to fulfill my dreams as well as theirs too. I will try to...

This may serve as an update(s). Yesterday I was talking to Harry via FB messenger ( only yesterday that we knew it could be used as voice call hahahaha!) and he was so very happy and so excited for his one-month (or longer for life?) in the Big Apple on December. I have seen his facebook status about conquering the City That Never Sleeps but quietly believed it until I spoke to him for confirmation. And he was into it. He told me that he just applied for a tourist visa to US and everything fell into places as God planned for him. He was given a 10 or 15 year multiple visa. Lucky him!  A few months ago when I was still struggling to adjust here in Dammam I got some friends to look into that will make my homesick-ness bearable. One of them was Cesar. He was my elementary classmate in Ilijan back then and a very good friend of mine. He said before that he will go back to the Philippines and will settle there for some reason. To have a baby. However after several months of sta...

Last year or two years ago  if I am not mistaken we have our "vitalization" in Pagsanjan Falls with my previous company. I remember that I have mentioned in my blog post here about the "bangkero" or boatman who almost carry us literally in their boat all the way to the wonderful site of the Pagsanjan Fall. And we have known that one of our bangkero is doing the same job for 27 or 37 years! Imagine that! And last night  I encountered another old man here in Saudi with the same story. While waiting for the realty agent ( we are looking for a new flat) in Manila Shopping Center in Seiko District, an old man approached us and asked if we want balot. I bought two pieces for 4 Saudi Riyals each. The old man was about 60 I guess and we were right because we had about 5 or 10 minutes conversations with him. He was 62 this year and he was from Rosario Batangas, a kababayan indeed! And not to our surprise he is now on his 23rd year here in Saudi Arabia. He is a simple manan...

After my barber shop session at the Salon de Manila near the Bamboo Kabayan Restaurant, I went to Jarir Bookstore and bought The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom ( where's the photo? - not yet ready!). And now it is there..

Some days are really just fun and exciting and some days are just normal and unexpected things happen. Sometimes we have to be prepared to all circumstances. We must be just like that wires and switch that anytime can be turned off or on depending on a situation in life. But is it really like that in real life? We hope so. A couple of nights ago we went to a hospital here in Dammam to see my friend and elementary classmate Gerry. We have to seek his assistance for a medical check-up of one of my fellow Filipino here in Dammam. Thanks God Gerry was there in that big Mouwasat Hospital. He was a supervisor of general services of that big government hospital here in our place. He almost ran the "show" for all the cleanliness and order of the whole hospital. It was so big we were lost in maze of hallways and floors. The medical check up did not last that long because Gerry made it clear that we will be prioritized. And he did. Then we went to his house just a walk away from...

Yesterday..after we had visited the cemetery in the morning we had watched Thor 2 late in the afternoon courtesy of my cousin Heidi! Thanks thanks! and later last night we had to visit my grandparents a few walk away from our home in Floral Garden. And Tintin bought those pizza! One thing we had noticed in the cemetery nowaday; lots were taking photos using mobile phone and SLR! and we are guilty of it too hahaha!

No smartphone? no laptop either? so you are stuck in a fastfood chain and you want to check yourself online..well Goto King has its answer..a new "space" is actually making its debut in every its every store..a cyberya..an internet rental computer which a stroke of a coin you can surf online..you can check yourself in every social media that you like..a convergence of cheap digital use and of course such not-so-expensive food at the Goto King..

Saturday and Sunday..my friend Richard (ins Singapore) is on a diet mode too..but he insisted on a day or two that he will eat as much as he can..he calls it "cheating day"..and I have my own version..Saturday in Bigg's Diner and Sunday in Goto King..such a relief after a five-day almost no-rice week..

Man of Steel. The remake. The reboot. Superman flies once again! Soaring up the sky! At last I have watched it yesterday..long lines? yap..with so many old people watching..must be father's day! And my friend Oliver who had just watched earlier got teary eyes upon watching..dramatic-action flick? maybe for the elements of "fatherhood" coming on the scenes.. And I have watched it..got some teary eyes moments when Superman himself was directed and guided by his two fathers in his quest for good and justice for all humanity.. A better watch..and one thing I have notice also was its "dark" theme all through-out the movie..but it was the best Superman I have watched for the longest time.. (photos from Google image)..Russel Crowe as his father in the Kryton planet while Kevin Costner as his earthly father..

This is not about PLDT's convergence marketing ads way back in the 90's ( I actually remember it hahaha!!) but this is how this coffee shop converged us last Wednesday in one place in one time. I had no intention of going for a cup of coffee but then my cousin Jephren ( my coffee buddy) texted me and if we can go for a drink that night. And I said yes. Then my office mate Harry also is in need of a shot of coffee that night. So we decided we could go together. And along the way I had met Jose, my high school classmate, and I invited him to join us. And so we were four with different backgrounds and ideas converged into two hours of non-stop exchanging of ideas. And it felt good to learn from different individuals who have diverse knowledge since we all came out from different schools and work. And then we have seen on the next table, our other officemates, the C&PR department, doing their usual get-together or somewhat a bonding for the group. A convergence. Imag...

Oftentimes when we go out and someone from the family does not make it for some reasons, we take out some food to bring them some happiness..and yesterday my Kuya with her cute daughter Dada visited us so we strolled around SM with some of my pamangkins..and Limuel aka Bambi was missing..He was at the Church doing some "altar boy" duties..and so with the pasalubong ng bayan Jollibee we came home with the right package..

 And our lunch is delighted by a delicious native chicken tinola courtesy of Sonny cooked by Japs.. And a couple of days ago I was the one who buy the chicken ( actually gave the money and Miel bought it) and we had enjoyed the hot delicious soup and the papaya and the whole tinola. And diet was shattered ( only that lunch) and my stomach was so full  I never had the chance to crave for the snack food.

"Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't.   You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted. Mitch Albom. Tuesdays With Morrie (Kindle Locations 334-336). Wheeler Publishing.  And I am reading from my PC an ebook. I thought that I will not fall into this trap but sometimes I have to go with the flow. I still prefer to read the print version but now I will give it a try the e-book reading. I will not definitely abandon the printed book I will just try this high-tech version of reading. Thanks to our IT, Leonard, for giving me tons of e-books, almost a thousand materials mostly fiction, bestseller books like this one, the book of Mitch Albom. Thanks also to Kindle ( the e-reader) and thanks to its PC version that I am able to read from my computer. Maybe I should buy a tablet, an ipad mini or a kindle its...

I could put this in the literary folio in our college's student paper in which we were part of it. Or maybe not. But this one speaks of the way how we deal with some "escapism" version of our adults life. Be it vices or whatever that made us escape the reality of our existence. But this one talks first of the "takasan" that we had last weekends. I should not used the word but it is appropriate I guess. We attended last Saturday to our dear friend Tina in the barangay fiesta in her native abode in Paharang. Almost every year since college we tried to go their residence in that time of the year. We found ourselves together again with Rudolf and Tina and sometimes with Paulyn, Mercy, Rommel or Aque, our fellow writers back in college, in that festivies in Tina's home. But this year it was only the two of us with Rudolf that joined Tina in the annual festival. As usual endless conversations filled our time as we ate our lunch with different delicious menus ...

And I have seen this wonderful picture of mine again and again. It will lead to you. Are you there at the end of the road? Or are you with me along the way? Am I on the right track? Am I lost? Or I just found you? Questions raising. Answers needing. I must know now. Or it might rain again.