LOVE and PEACE on Christmas!

Photo courtesy of www.quoteshunger.com

Christians around the world are celebrating and commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ today. It is noteworthy to say that we spread peace and love around the world and show our compassion to the poor, the neglected, people who suffered from the consequences of war, the continuous persecution of Christians around the world, the refugees and migrant people who are leaving their war torn countries to seek refuge to a safer and peaceful place.  We need to remember that Jesus Christ teachings is to spread love, first and foremost.  It is were we Christians had been indoctrinated to this teachings.  People need to understand that LOVE is what we need to have peace in this world, so we can experience the freedom from fear of violence, harmony together even with other religions.  I'm always praying for peace on earth, because we are watching everyday the horrors of wars and conflicts  of other nations, terrorism, the civil war in Syria and some parts of Africa.  I believe, we Christians need to set an example to the whole world that we are for peace and not for war. I wish all Christian nations a blessed and peaceful Christmas!

Miss Universe 2015 is Miss Philippines

Congratulations to our very own Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach for winning the title of Miss Universe 2015 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas last December 20, 2015.  No matter what happened during the announcement of the winner, she truly deserved to take the crown of Miss Universe!  It's her destiny to be Miss Universe because she is intelligent, articulate, beautiful, and humble. This is a wonderful gift to all our countrymen and all Filipinos around the world during this Christmas season.  Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Mabuhay ka Miss Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach!  You made us proud again!

Photo Courtesy of Miss Universe Organization

Photo courtesy of Miss Universe Organization

Photo courtesy of Miss Universe Organization

Celebration

What a wondeful day to start and celebrate my birthday!  Cold and breezy morning!  Thank God for the life you had given me.  Still going strong and healthy inspite of the tough times and challenges I had been through during 2015.  We still have 17 days to go to greet 2016!  I promise myself to bounce back this coming new year.  I would like to thank my family for all the support they had given me especially my mother, my sister, and my son who are always there through thick and thin.  They are my inspiration in my life.

      

Missing in December

After five years of going vacation every year in December, this is the first time I will skip to celebrate my Christmas and New Year. Actually,  I had my original plan to leave this December 5 but due to the long vacation extension of the Indian colleague in our department whom I'm relieving, I have to change my vacation plan early next year. I will be missing so much the camaraderie and spirit of Christmas season with my family and relatives this year.  For an OFW like me, Christmas and New Year is so special for me because this is the season I can enjoy my vacation with the family.  Bonding together like going to the mall, shopping together, eating and dining together in a special restaurant, and most of all celebrating Christmas together especially during Noche Buena and on the eve of the coming new year watching the fireworks outside our house are all the things I will be missing this year.  Anyway, I will just make up with my family during my vacation early next year.  But for sure, I will miss them so much.  I will try to make my Christmas happy here in the kingdom, alone. 

I will miss this one

This one

And the camaraderie

18 Years

I just celebrated my 18 years with the company.  Time flies so fast and eighteen years of hard work and dedication seems too short to think about.  Every year, whenever I reach another milestone of being an OFW or simply being an economic migrant, I always make sure to give myself a present, either a not so expensive item or an expensive one.  This year,  I bought a Philips DVD Soundmachine which can play DVD, VCD, MP3, WMA-CD, CD(RW) and Picture CD with FM stereo tuner. The item is a little bit pricy but I really enjoyed the quality of the sound and the design of the soundmachine is a class of its own. Furthermore it is portable.  Anyway, congratulations to myself. I thank God for all the blessings he had given me for all these years.

Yamaha Tricity Scooter

Photo Courtesy of Yamaha Motors

Yamaha Motor had introduced last year (2014) this very cool and classy scooter with three wheels called Tricity.  I had been longing to buy this scooter since I saw it in You Tube.  Philippine price for this Yamaha Tricity Scooter is around 146,000 pesos which is very affordable and economical.  I'm planning to buy this scooter next year during my vacation.  As a 125cc machine, the Tricity can be enjoyed even by inexperienced riders.  It was created by Mr.  Kazuhisa Takano, an engineer in Yamaha MotoGP racing division.

Stay Healthy, Eat Fruits Daily

The best way to stay healthy is to eat lots of fruits!  Hey, its October, Christmas is fast approaching.

Apples. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" as the saying goes. They are considered the top-ranked fruits for our health. Apples are a very good source of antioxidants.  There are numerous studies that an apple consumption everyday may decrease the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases.  Apples are also a good source of fiber called pectin and eating apples decreases the risk of stroke according to health studies. 

Bananas.  Actually, bananas are my favorite fruit.  Everyday, I bring 3 pieces of bananas in my work.  It is my everyday fruit because aside from its many health benefits, it is very affordable to buy. Bananas are high in antioxidants, and provides as a defence from free radicals and chronic diseases. It is very high in potassium and very low in salt. Before going to bed I eat one piece of banana because it protects me from nighttime leg cramps.  Overall, the potential health benefits of bananas are enormous, such as lowering the risks of blood pressure, asthma, and cancer.  They are also a very good source of Vitamin A, B6, C, Manganese, Dietary Fiber, Potassium, Magnesium, and Folate. 

Oranges.  Orange is a citrus fruit, therefore they are an excellent source of Vitamin C which is a powerful natural antioxidant.  They are also rich in dietary fiber, pectin.  According to health experts, one orange provides 130 percent of vitamin C which is needed for a day.

Avocados.  Avocado is considered by health experts and gurus as the most nutritious fruit in the world. The fruit is a great source of lutein, a carotenoid which works as anti-oxidant that helps protects against any eye disease.  Avocado is also a good source of potassium that helps control blood pressure, Vitamin B, C, and E that helps prevent infection and cancer.  They are also a good source of fiber.

Pears. Eating and consuming pears may help with weight loss and reduces the risk of developing cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Rest Mode

It's a different feeling if you have enough rest after you had ceased to do something. Take time to relax and slow down, it reduces stress.

iPad Mini

It's salary time and I was able to buy a new iPad mini (with Wi-Fi and cellular version) with 16GB RAM which is on sale at Lulu Hypermarket. The price is affordable which is 1299 riyals from the original 1699 riyals, so I was able to save 400 riyals on my wallet.  I decided to buy this iPad mini because I'm not satisfied with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 which I bought last May.  Although Tab 4 is really a fast and reliable tablet and fits at the back of my jeans pocket, the battery life is short which I need to charge everyday. Compared to iPad Mini's battery, it takes me 2 days of using it after I had to charge it.  This is really a plus and a big advantage when it comes to Apple products such as the iPhones and iPad. The battery life is long. Although this is the first version of the iPad mini which was launch last November 2012, it is popular to most of the expatriates here in Saudi Arabia because of its affordable price, and since the price of iPad Mini 3 is still very expensive, why not buy an iPad mini which comes with almost the same specs of the version 3.  The iPad Mini has a 5 megapixel primary and autofocus camera and a 1.2 megapixel secondary camera. Size is 7.9 inches with a 768 x 1024 pixels (~162 ppi pixel density). I was able to upgrade the operating system from iOS 6 to iOS 8.4 without a hitch. I bought also an iPad Mini Smart Case to protect the unit from scratches.

 

Me. I Am Mariah ... The Elusive Chanteuse

It's been a long time I haven't listen to Mariah Carey's music.  She is one of my favorite songstress with that five-octave vocal range. Although considered as one of the best selling music artists of all time,  her latest album "Me. I Am Mariah ... The Elusive Chanteuse" (released 2014) which I bought recently from Rotana was not that successful, selling only 58,000 copies on its first week of released in the US according to Billboard 200 Nielsen SoundScan and peaking only at No. 3. The album is considered an R&B one with a different kind of musical style incorporating hip hop, soul, and gospel.  After listening to the entire album on several occasion,  I believe this is one of the best album of Mariah Carey along with "The Emancipation of Mimi" and "Butterfly". My favorite songs in the album are "You're Mine (Eternal)", "Faded", "Supernatural", and "One More Try" (a cover of George Michael's song from the album Faith). It's worth listening to this album of Mariah Carey where her signature style of singing had never faded.  She is truly a diva and one of the successful singers in music history.

CD Cover of Me. I Am Mariah ... The Elusive Chanteuse

Guinness World Records - 2015 Edition

I went yesterday at Jarir Bookstore, Al-Khobar-Corniche to buy the latest edition of Guinness World Records 2015.  It's been a long time I haven't read a book and I believe its about time to go back to the basics, reading a worthwhile stuff during my free time. Guinness World Records is known as The Guinness Book of Records since its inception in 1955 through 1988.  It is a reference book published annually, listing world records for both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world. I already started reading it during my breaktime in the office.  So far,  I'm having this pleasure of reading this informative book.

The glossy front cover of the book

Inside pages of the book

Pizza Hut

Last night, two of my friends invited me for a dinner at Pizza Hut.  We had a grand time eating those two large pizza's, all by the three of us, huh. 

 

 

Ubos!

 

Eid Mubarak!

Today marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan which is commonly known as Eid Al-Fitr. For 30 days of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, refraining from food, drink, smoking, and sex.  It is holiday in Saudi Arabia for about 6 days and I'm wishing our Muslim brothers "Eid Mubarak" (a traditional greetings which means a blessed celebration).

 

 

 

Ramadan Kareem

I had been in Saudi Arabia for 23 years. During these years, I was one of the millions of OFW who respect and follow the rules of Saudi Arabia.  I had met and make friends with Saudis  especially to my colleagues and officemates in our company.  Saudis are friendly and kind people. Although we are different in our religion we always respect each others faith. One of the sacred month in Saudi Arabia is Ramadan, where our Muslim brothers and sisters observed the holy month with fasting practiced daily from sunrise to sunset.  Ramadan had started last June 18 and will probably end on July 17.  As a sign of respect to our Muslim brothers we always greet them Ramadan Kareem meaning a blessed Ramadan. In addition, non-Muslims are not allowed to eat, drink, or smoke in public as respect to the sacredness of Ramadan and the feelings of Muslims. During Ramadan, many people flock to hypermarkets, department stores, malls, and shops in the evening. Stores are open from 9PM up to 2AM. There are lots of sale items to offer from these malls, shops, and stores. Families are buying new clothes for their children, foods and groceries, some are buying new furniture, appliances, and personal gadgets. After Ramadan is Eid Al-Fitr, the religious holiday celebrated by the Muslims all over the world that marks the end of Ramadan. 

 

 

Tommy Hilfiger Cologne Spray

Since Ramadan had just started for the last two weeks, I'm again on a buying spree. Branded shops, hypermarkets, and supermarkets are offering discounts and sales on their products. Even perfume shops offers 50% discount on every cologne spray and perfumes.  I bought recently two 100 ml of one of my favorite cologne spray TOMMY on a 50% discount at Al-Ramaniyah Mall in Al-Khobar.  And everytime I used this cologne, my officemates keeps on asking what cologne I'm using because of its nice and aromatic smell.  Actually its a refreshing cologne as if you had just finished your shower!

 

 

Gold

All I ever wanted in my life is to have lots of gold.  Yes, gold jewelries.  I already both some of them since I was working in Riyadh way back 1992.  As years goes by, prices of gold had gone up. When I was in Riyadh it was only 36 riyals per gram, but now its already 190 riyals per gram at Al-Khobar gold souks.  I had this fetish of owning gold rings, bracelets, pendants, and necklaces.  I believe its a wise investment to own this precious metal  and I kept buying them whenever I had the financial capacity to do so.  Of all the precious metals, gold is the most popular as an investment and throughout history gold has been used as money.