It's been more than a year since my last post.

I want to write again and  I'm planning to make a new blog. :)

Bringing the colors back! :)

For the past 5 months...

It has always been raining on me.

My Nephew's Dedication Day

Ako lang ang wala. :( And Ishii of course! =(
I made his invitation. :)

Why don't we give (more) love on Valentine's Day

Feb 14 is the start of Bahrain's Day of Rage. Of all the dates, bakit kaya naisipan nila ngayong araw? I just hope the situation won't get worse katulad ng nangyari sa Egypt.

Bahrainis, let's just love each other, please? Huwag tayong magsakitan. Napapag-usapan naman ang lahat.

And for our safety na din, no dinner date for us. But he arrived to my flat with a dozen of my most favorite doughnuts in the world! We just had our usual funny nonsense conversations over a cup of coffee. It was sweet. :)

Haha! I gave him the 2 round doughnuts and I ate the rest! Hmmmmmmmm...this is love!

Happy Puso everyone! :)

Ishii where are you?

Hi Ishii baby, anlaki laki mo na. Nagdaan ang binyag mo, ang 1st birthday mo, ang Pasko, ang bagong taon, ang 2nd birthday mo, at isa pa ulit na Pasko at bagong taon, di ka man lang namin nakita.

Ang ganda ganda mo baby. Kamukhang kamukha mo si Papa mo. Huli ka naming nakita nung 8 months ka, magkakasama pa tayo noon. Tapos bigla ka nalang inilayo. Noong ipinakita ka ulet sa amin, mahigit isang taon ka na. Akala ko makakasama ka na ulet namin, pero hindi pala. Hindi ko alam kung kelan ka ulet namin makikita. Ang saya saya ni Tita kase may nakita akong isang picture mo online.

Miss na miss ka na namin baby. Lalo na si Papa mo at saka si Lolo at Lola. Sana malaman mo na mahal na mahal ka namin. Magkakasama-sama ulet tayo baby, pangako namin yan sa'yo. Aayusin lahat ni Papa.

My super pretty neice, Ishii Louella Tubay.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Feeling blessed to have such a wonderful family and friends. You are my greatest gift. Wishing you all a safe, wonderful and magical holiday season! God bless you all! :)

Bahrain's Tree of Life

Saw you at last!The Tree of Life is a 400 year-old mesquite tree which lives in the middle of desert, miles away from other vegetation and with no apparent source of water. The mystery of the survival of the tree has made it a legend.

And by the way, I cut my hair short.
More photos from our Tree of Life experience soon! :)

Our 23rd :)

I'm glad that we are still laughing together. =)

Iba nga pala talaga...

Noong mga panahon na wala pa akong kabalak balak mangibang bansa, lagi kong naririnig sa mga balikbayan kong kakilala at kamag anak na iba daw talaga ang Pasko sa Pinas. Sa isip-isip ko dati, OA namang makapag-emote 'tong mga 'to. Parang di ko naman nakikita sa mga pictures na pinapadala nila noon kung gaano sila kasaya. Makikita mo sa mga larawan na hanggang gilagid ang mga ngiti nila habang nakasuot ng scarf at nakapwesto sa tabi ng christmas tree , sabay may hawak na red wine. Background pa nila ang bintana kung saan tanaw ang snow sa labas. White Christmas ika nga.

Pero syempre di naman ako ganun ka-epal. Naiintindihan ko sila. Masmasaya talaga kung kapiling mo ang pamilya at mga mahal sa buhay tuwing Kapaskuhan. Katulad ng pamilya namin na tuwing Pasko lang din nabubuo simula noong nagkolehiyo kaming magkakapatid at mag-feeling grown ups . At ang pinakapaborito naming lahat ay ang nakasanayan na naming pagpapakuha ng family picture sa araw ng Pasko, kung saan nakahilera kaming lahat na animo'y bibitayin. Minsan, kung magaling ang photographer, meron din namang blocking. Nakakatuwa kaseng balikan ang bawat larawan, lalo na nuong kamusmusan naming magkakapatid na suot suot ang mga bagong damit at sapatos. Pero ngayong nasa malayo na akong lugar at di pwedeng basta na lang sumakay ng Victory bus para makauwi, malamang, bungi na naman ang family picture namin ngayong taon.

Ang ewan pa no'n, andito ako sa isang bansa kung saan hindi talaga ipinagdiriwang ang Pasko. Kaninang umaga nga pagtingin ko sa kalendaryo nagulat ako kase December 6 na pala. Kung nasa Pinas ako sa mga panahong ito, malamang, nakikipagsisikan na ako sa Divisoria para kumpletuhin ang mga regalo ko sa dalawang dosena kong inaanak at mga kaibigang feeling inaanak hehe. Pero hindi ko namalayan na nagumpisa na ang Disyembre dito. Dahil maliban sa lamig ng simoy ng hangin, walang kasenya senyales dito na malapit na ang Pasko.

Ang dami ko tuloy nami-miss. Dito, kahit ulit-ulitin kong patugtugin ang mga christmas songs sa laptop, hindi ko maradaman yung spirit ng Christmas. Kase noong nasa atin ako, iba talaga ang feeling tuwing nakakarinig ako ng christmas songs. Ang saya. Parang may magic. Pero dito, hindi ko maipaliwanag pero iba nga talaga...Kahit pa merong nakabalandra na lettering ng "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" sa may sala ng flat namin (na 2 weeks na palang nakalagay doon at kanina ko lang napansin kung di pa ako napatulala), parang walang dating. Iba pa din talaga... At kahit pa siguro magsabit ako ng christmas balls sa tenga ko at leeg para gawing hikaw at pendant, di ko pa din mararamdaman na Pasko na.

Oh well hindi naman ako nage-emote dahil wala naman akong balak maging malungkot sa Pasko. Swerte nga kase tumapat ang 24 at 25 sa Biyernes at Sabado, mga araw na wala akong Pasok. Magse-celebrate pa din ako ng Pasko noh. Hehehe. Yun nga lang kasama ang mga bagong kaibigan at kakilala. Tapos, mag-skype nalang kami ng mahal kong pamilya. Reretokehen ko na lang din sa photoshop ang family picture namin ngayong taon para makasama ako.

Bukas nga pagising ko, susubukan ko na maradaman ang spirit ng Pasko. Baka sakaling magparamdam this time. Sabi nga ng matatanda, ang Pasko ay nasa puso. Hehehe.

Maligayang Pasko sa lahat!

Scene

500 Hundred Days of Summer

Summer: I woke up one morning and I just knew.
Tom: Knew what?
Summer: What I was never sure of with you.

My first 31 days in the Gulf

It’s been exactly a month now since I set foot in Bahrain and I haven't posted anything yet about the country! Wish I could have fed you with stories about how warm and nice are the people in this country, or something like wandering off into their desert land. Or at least I could have written here a narrative of my first encounter with real camels, but no: I've had to go to the office the morning after I arrived + I had to deal with tons of adjustments!!!(culture, society, and language - they all speak Arabic in the office, I cannot understand a word and I feel so left out) + homesickness + I've got to walk early in the morning to be in the office (riding a cab here is sooo expensive!), + I do all the laudry myself + I've had some psychosomatic illnesses (lack of appetite, insomia, chronic colds, dizziness, headaches) during my first week! LOL. I was exagerrating on this part, but I swear I did have a bit of each illnesses!

A big thanks to Dwight who taught me everything I need to learn in my first month of stay. You see, even way back in the Philippines, I'm a borderline retarded when it comes to being street-smart. I'm coward. I don't want to walk in streets alone. I am praning of getting lost in places and I'm the 'something-bad-might-happen-to-me' type of person. But he supported me all the way to make me feel everthing's fine. He even wakes up every morning before 7 just to fetch me in my flat and make hatid until I got familiar with my way to the office. He also assured me that this side of the world is a lot safer. wink* wink*

But I'm good now. Really. Happy monthsary to me and my new world Bahrain!

Picture taken an hour ago. Wala akong makitang kahit anung bagay o larawan dito na magpaparamdam sa akin na malapit nang magpasko maliban sa Christmas tree na binebenta sa loob ng malls. Tagal ko nang naghahanap, sa cup ng coffee lang pala ako makikita. Nami-miss ko na kase ang magagarang Christmas decors sa Ayala, mala-higanteng christmas tree ng MOA at Christmas carols na maririnig mo kahit anung oras sa kahit saang sulok ng Pilipinas. Hayyyy...a cup of coffee never fails to lift my spirit up. Cheers!

Baby talk. lol

It's funny how some of our Arabic clients know how to speak tagalog. This morning, I almost burst into laughter when one man came in front of me while I was sitting in the front desk and asked several Tagalog words...

Aynakuw? Ayos? Talagang talaga? Marunong Tagalog? Marami? Marunong Arabic? Magandang babae? Bahraini gwapo? May pera? Walang pera? Kumusta? Oki lang?

He was talking to me like a daddy to a baby in the crib, with his facial expressions encouraging me to laugh and speak up. I felt stupid at that moment but believe me, it was hilarious.

( T__T )

My heart is your piñata.

...

Love said to me,
there is nothing that is not me.
Be silent.

~Rumi

All Saints' Day

Saying a little prayer for my departed loved ones. Even if I wasn't able to offer them flowers, my prayers will surely reach them in heaven.

Yes, this is worth it.

Just before the plane landed, I felt a sudden rush of sadness. Seeing everything in pale colors of white, beige, and brown made me realize that this is not home...

So, this is Bahrain.

I welcomed the warm breeze on my skin as I rode the shuttle that would take us to the airport. The air smelled like that of a summer breeze with the hint of spices. No, I think it smelled of the sea breeze...or maybe it was the smell of the dessert. But I was too excited to think. I was about to see my love. I missed him so much.

That's when I realized that almost everyone in the shuttle were Filipinos. I smiled to myself and felt glad. Somehow, I felt that I was not afterall away from home.

When I saw the long line of people in the immigration lane, I almost wanted to cry. I couldn't wait to see him. That's when an arabic guy wearing an American suit gestured for me to go in the front line. At first I was confused because as much as I wanted to be served the first, it would be unfair for the rest of the people who came earlier than I am. But a Filipina working in the airport said, "Dito ka na sa una." Feeling embarrassed, I just looked down and did what she told me. Later on, I found out that here in Bahrain, women should always be the first in line.

It took me several minutes to get my 37 kilo-luggage. I had a really hard time getting off my luggage in the luggage carousel, but thanks to Kuya who helped me. Filipinos are genuinely helpful, I thought to myself. I walked as fast as I could to be in the waiting area. Walking in the narrow pathway, with glasses on sides, my eyes roamed around the whole place scanning every faces inside the small airport. A rush of fear creeped in me without seeing his face in the crowd. But when I looked in the doorway in front, my heart leaped with joy. There he was, standing, and wearing his familiar joyous smile.

I would never forget that very moment when we embraced. Every fear, every hesitations of being in a foreign land somehow eased away.

I know I am home.

At last.

I'm leaving. Imma follow my happiness.

I'm so far far away...Major major heartbreak :(

Happy Birthday Bebe!!!