Surviving Saudi Arabia - Contemporary Life

Its been my 5th month in this place and somehow I got the hang of what I was facing with, the image became clear that dust fades away and wallah! all I can see is a dessert! what should you expect? silly me .. tsk tsk tsk ... well anyway I build up my patience and zipper my mouth for any complains on what my brain is shouting with and the result is pretty nice its like a strategy game complaining is a one way step that hinders once capability of seeing outside the box ...deep ha? hehehe well every men nor every woman are bound in each respective life to do something and while doing something a big stage of encounter is complaining oneself ... HA! who em I to speak about it ha tsk tsk tks looks whose talking while a month or two I was complaining about this hardship but make no mistake a man with a standing pride can rule the world hehehe I still will not take back my words of complaining in which it has its useful product ... all im talking about is when a human being have muster the art of complaining then that human is egoistic hehehehe oh oh oh someone got shot in the head ^_^ ... well anyway were just people who commit mistakes but the important thing is to make those mistakes right and simply the equation is that 1 mistake is equivalent to a specific figure of time that the verdict will figure out when to make it right, others take a whole lifetime to figure it out... therefore 1+1 = infinity ...

If life is a game we should play it well and there are two rules 1st is be smart and 2nd is to cheat it .... you should be laughing about it for ahahahaha .... reality bites hard ha! ... each rule has subcategory for example if you are the 1st rule Im sure you have a brain of a rocket scientist that calculated possible resolves of each encounters and if we are the rule number 2 which is cheat about it, one of the subtopic is "cheating is good if you are not caught" and also as I remember my professor said that cheating is an art! ahahaha now i understand why he said that XD ... so that's how each of us build our own contemporary life.. for those people who stands between rule number 1 and rule number 2 they are hybrids ahahaha XD but we all know that jack of all trades means he or she has no primary field of expertise hence many of us are these type a hybrid in which we level faster than the other 2 but when we arrive to a certain level we cant go on anymore for the requirement of each way is either be a rule number 1 or rule number 2.. and we are stuck in a pedestal so I shall not elaborate anymore because you know what I mean, if not go and figure it out a human being has a lifespan of at-least 50 years so do your math.

In this place the words like fun, pleasure and luxury comes with a nasty amount of price and I know for sure that its hard to spend this days and this times are tough that we do some drastic moves to survive that's common thing for us humans. Simply things that we failed to see when we are still in the warmth embrace of our homeland became quite formidable for this things are the only fun that didn't cost as even a 1 halal and that is have a nice conversation with one of our kababayan or sending once greeting along the road or even extending once hand of help to reach.. even a single cup noodles became quite delicious pared with a side dish of good fellow kababayan...

I re-evaluated my self that each respective brain has the power to alter your own decision. Simply before I complain things before my brain electric wave reach into decision stage and before it transfer to my mouth as words Ill create a new division its called department of re-evaluate or we normal people called it thinking twice or trice!.. A man or a woman who came out successfully from a hardship that didn't' bother to complain or just complain a little is a strong welded being that others failed to see.. take on the hardship and challenges minimizing our own complaining and we are bound to see a light... even god didn't complain about how sinner we are...

As I recall I still have 1 year 7 months 26 days 11 hours and 10 minutes left before freedom re-instate within me.

Surviving Saudi Arabia - Shared Happiness

Im already 4 months old at the moment and there are still downward situations in this place well I guess it cant be help at all. Ill try not to complain anymore and just make the best out of the things coming my way for that is how normal people usually do in which I am also. Well this month somehow blew a interesting breeze into my living lifestyle in here so I do have now a living lifestyle ey ^_^ . I've establish a close connection with my 2 Filipino friends who are staying a floor above me and decided to unite our powers to help each other and watch each others back, they decided to include me in there food planning in which we will be eating as one every lunch and dinner for us to save also isn't it nice ey! well who am I to refuse? I really appreciated there efforts to help me also in which I also give them free one-on-one tutorial in doing some 3-Dimensional drawing in Autocad that will help them someday in there future toil or one way or another. 

Eating alone by yourself is not enjoyable as it seems for I only eat less and yet when I am with a companion to eat with I can eat well or maybe due to some interesting talking laughing in which I almost forgot how it feels to have a good laugh with. On the other day Kuya Jo celebrated his B-day and his age is top secret he will carry this secret to his grave hahahaha, we celebrated his birthday by grilling a tilapya and cook other varieties of food. I like Kuya Jo's place its located in the roof top, well that's my dream to live with in a rooftop hehehehe I don't know why but I cant even understand my own-self in which I'm afraid of heights and yet its my dream to leave in a rooftop isn't it weird?.... ok back to the topic, we celebrated kuya Jo's Bday bash! ahahaha with a bursting laughter and I thought that Im the only one in this place that almost forget to have a good and heartily laughter and yet I was wrong as I gazed upon Kuya Jo's laughter and I said within me that Im not alone also ^_^... we talk a lot about there own respective experiences both bad and funny like telling there own tales and the rest is history... this tiny drop of happiness way back in the land of promise is now my big happiness and small things that I never notice its value became the useful things in this place in which happiness itself is limited.

God works in mysterious way sometimes for which one kababayan named Jerson enters our showroom asking for direction for he is looking for a establishment and he sees me. Even if Im new to this place I pretty well knew my surrounding blocks and also I knew where the place he is looking for so as a kind kababayan also I left my work and guide my fellow kababayan even go beyond distance to accompany him. We have a nice conversation and out of nowhere he invited me to attend a christian sevice in there church in which Ive been praying that hopefully I can go to church if there is one in this place and yet wahla! there is one person inviting me to go and I blurted of course!. Im happy that Ive got to hear the message of god once again and with fellow kababayan are with me also. Its really refreshing to see in your point of vision a lot of filipinos gathers together to celebrate god and have a heartily talk with one another. You cant blame me for Ive been living alone. 

After the service I feel light for the first time ever since I start living in this place and said that this place is not so bad after all ^_^ ... Bro. Jerson then tag me along to a Birthday party again in which a mix of feelings I felt, Im happy, nervous, shy and astonished by the sights of other people. I help my self only a piece of dessert due to fact that we already eaten way back in the church after the service. First it was a crowd of families and then a bunch of filipina ladies came in and I don't know maybe the law in this place already gets me that its illegal to look to the face of any woman and my physical reaction direct my vision to look at the floor and not there faces.... it takes me at-least 10 minutes before a hard realization hits me and said what the hell em I looking down this is a rented place and all are Filipinos why em I not looking at there faces so starting there I lavish each of there pretty faces and indulge myself to overwhelming satisfaction of visionary oases that will not occur to me everyday.... all of them are gorgeous I don't know if I lessen my standards but who cares!!! this ladies are worth dying for in this place hahahaha...

As I recall I still have 1 year 8 months 21 days and 13 hours left to my own freedom..

Surviving Saudi Arabia - Limited Rope

                Its been my 3^rd Month now in this place in which I see as a big bowl of sand heated inside an oven and a few more months that climate will change from hot to cold, the good thing is that I haven’t got sick yet nor get a fever out of this harsh condition, I think it’s because of the juices I drank each day, and take note Saudi juices are the best not the same as the ones sold in the Philippines it seems the texture and materials used is way much more different ok enough of the juice thing and also before I forgot even the soap here is different heheheh … where were we? Right the things worth living for hmmm ….. Ive just finish watching the movie fast five in which I really really do envy those cars, the cast, the sittings, the places and the over flowing cash and there’s a quote there stated by one of the cast “we only live once” and it hits me, we do live once got a lot of questions to answers and seeking for pleasures in life and what the hell em I doing in this place? Working more or less 10hours a day 6 days a week and even day off is useless in this place where will you go and enjoy life? I don’t think that the word pleasure exist in this place anyway… if only just only money doesn’t matter I loiter myself in any place I want to and enjoy life and yet reality bites yup it bites so hard that your screaming in pain not physically but emotionally suffocated. God have all the reasons and yet we can’t ask him directly we must find it ourselves and it takes time before we bump are heads up and a lot of daydreaming and self-thinking before we arrive at that stage so what age are we that time? 28? 35? Speaking of living only once ey…

                I over exaggeratedly misses the taste of beer and sitting beside the bar relaxing and enjoying every bottle of it and then walk around and do some sightseeing and the cold gentle breeze of the sea as the sound of waves wash away my uncertainty… my dream in life is to travel a lot more of those great places and yet I don’t have the expenses to do so I need to work my ass off before I achieve such dream so here’s the equation if I work my ass off it takes me 10 years without any vices and just save, so that will make me 36 years old that time! And I’m still single if I do so and if I’m going to marry and indulge in a family manner this traveling will be just a dust in the wind now tell me do we have the enough time to live our dreams? Fuck that living dreams and accept what future holds even if it disappoint us. Selfishness has its limits and I’ve seen where it headed to. I’ve been longing of a heartily laughter and a good conversation in which there are no boundaries of topics to discuss, I may be clamoring all of this details but I can’t help it I want a life full of enjoyments and so as anyone do but we have our own resolves in life in which we are tight-up in this round iron ball attached in one of our feet that moving to our own desires is hard enough to walk to. Complain as many as you can and don’t stop complaining about your own life and feel relieve after that for this dreams will be just a thing in the past and continue living up to the point that were old too old enough to think back do we enjoy life as it were supposed to? And then we lie to our own selves that yes we did.

                They say that life is a long way road but for me life is a long way road while looking down on road looking for any penny that we can find and lucky are those who walks in life in a road full of grasses while those who walks in a hot sand sweating to seek for an oases to rest. My only pleasure in here is to watch movies and web surfing for this small pleasure became big in this place this became my only refuge and gateway to excuse myself in this reality. There are good things also why I’m here as my dream to travel is starting but I never dream to start my travel in this place I want to travel where work and pleasure resides and yet those places exist in a place that is hard to enter. It’s a hard life really hard that I’ve been staring my own ceiling for minutes and became hours I’ve became a lazy monster wew it makes me tired maybe due to this drastic changes in my life from comfort of my own apartment down to this pace. I’ve been seeking a good time in which I have to gate crush upstairs to push myself to talk to my own kababayan good thing they are kind enough to accommodate and indulge to aid to my suffering, Friday is the only day I can do a good talk and share my technical knowledge to a fellow kababayan who eagerly wants to know 3D for others don’t want to teach him so I’ve ask why will you deprive someone who wants to learn? Is that jealousy or pure selfishness? But it has its advantages so in exchange for teaching him we just talk things after like sentiments in life for we already feel the burden of life, Im so afraid that every hours is a ticking time-bomb that will blow anytime and yet I keep on praying to god that he will make me strong, it’s hard to live in this place if you don’t have a hard and strong personality in which I do less and been always kind and just listen I want to exert myself and yet I can’t, no sounds came from my mouth and a void of sound encircle me.

                As I recall 1 year 9 months and 13 hours left for me to be free again.

Surviving Saudi Arabia - A Funny Scene in Souk

Today I’ve got to go beyond distance from my safe zone with me are my newly 2 found kababayan friends. They are going to souk (a arabic term for market) to buy fish and other cooking ingredients. I’m so excited that I’ve got to prepare early. The experience is nice! got to see a lot of stores that sells cheap stuff just don’t convert it to pesos hehehehe but here that is below the belt price. Got to buy fish, shrimps and vegies for the first time, oh boy I’ve get myself a magic sarap! that I haven’t seen for a month now hehehehe and got to get my favorite pancit canton. I’ve bought a lot like cheeze pemiento, sinigang mix, bulalo cup noodles, vitsen, knorr cubes, kangkong, squash (there squash looks funny actually it looks like a fruit with a funny fruit shape thing). The funny thing about the kabayan fish market is that the vendor’s are not Filipino but instead Indian nationals and make no mistake man they speak Filipino! ahahaha they will call you first "pare!" ahahahah I’ve got hit in the head what in the world they speak Filipino! ahahahaha I can’t hide to laugh and I’ve just stop myself after a brief second in burst of laughing. Indian ask me "magkano pare?" ahahaha I still can’t hide a grin in my face and I’ve just pointed in a bangus fish, They sell per kilo nor per piece and one piece is around 12 Riyals that will be 120+ in pesos. Indian ask again "Ilang peraso? slice pare?" I answer anim sadiq... I’ve got to buy also shrimps and they don’t sell 1/4 ok they only sell per kilo and 1/2 only no 1/4... sorry guys I’m the only one living here and I can’t eat a lot of shrimps so I thought that 1/4 is enough and the indian said no 1/4 while laughing at me tsk tsk tsk look at how karma turns back around and said "Kuripot ka pare" ahahahahahahahaha WTF!!! my god ahahahahahahahahah up to this point I can’t  stop laughing..  and get this a kilo of shrimps cost around 24 Riyals and half will be 12 Riyals tsk tsk tsk I will not convert it to pesos again or ill die in starvation in this place... good thing about them is that they are kind enough to add a small amount of shrimps in short dinagdagan ng kunti ^_^ sabay sabi ng kaibigan kong si Kuya Amir na mababait yan sila... Binibiro pa nga ng kaibigan ko ang mga indian sabay turo sa kahoy na isda at sabay tanong magkano kilo nyan? ahahahaha at saka tinuro nya rin ang aquarium na may mga isdang maliliit na magkano ang kilo rin ahahahahaha napatawa lang ang mga indian XD ... after that we just left behind the seafoods and tell the indian that we will be getting it afterwards, we will still buy some Filipino products.. in the baka,l there I see the filipino products that I never thought that I’ll be seeing again, magic sarap, knorr cubes, sinigang mix, cheese pimiento, noodles, cup noodles, pancit kanton, vitsen, daing, dried squid, sardines and other usual Filipino stuff. I’m so amaze that i can’t help my self-getting them hehehehe don’t laugh at me about this but as a typical first timer OFW you’ll just do the same as me hmmfff!!.. ahahahah.. then we get to the vegies stores there i saw some weird shape eggplant its either a short very round one or a thin small one hahaha wew, my kabayan friend told me that “in here I’m sure you’ll get fat same as we do... I look the same when I got here also thin as you do but now look at me”.. I’ve got to shop a lot of food and thank god I’ve got some helpful information about sending money way back in my homeland Philippines but still I need to wait for my iqama card in order to get myself sending some money to my family.

On our way back even though its 3 of us a Toyota Camry stops at our side and a local arab asking where are we going tsk tsk tsk namimick-up tong lokong to ah! namamakla ika ng kasama ko hahahahaha my friend told me if that happens to me when I’m alone just ignore it and put an angry face while staring at them...  Walking alone during night time at this place gives you creeps it happens usually in this place.. so for those newly one’s going here and you’re an adventurous person will i think you need to lessen those ranging hormones of yours and try to feel the surrounding’s first... don’t walk alone that’s the good thing to reconsider always.

But as of today Im happy to get my self some kababayan to talk to and somehow help you in giving bits and pieces of information. Sa uulitin ulit malapit ng matapos ang ramadan saan kaya ako mag eid nito wew....

Surviving Saudi Arabia - Turning Point

It’s been almost 2 months that I haven’t been able write again; it’s been a whirlwind of events in my life that even my own sane self can't handle.
Today I can't still believe that I’m in the land of sand and strange people, food, climate, culture, events, gestures and everything is strange.
As I recall my past month, I was in my homeland thinking of problem arises in my toil, debt and family. I am starting to lose one by one my online job even I anticipated it, it is still hard to get on that exact point of thinking that I’m about to lose the things that keeps me alive, then a call that changes my future, a work abroad, as of the moment who am I to refuse? I need a job to keep me going and as myself who likes challenges, I’m about to experience way beyond my expectation. I thought it will be a breeze to work abroad but damn! I am totally wrong way to wrong to expect things such as easy go lucky stuff.

I’ll go with a good part of traveling and unrevealing places that only I can heard of and see thru pictures. Given a chance to just stay for 4 hours at least in Hong Kong (just inside the airport) but inside the airport everything seems so wide and also expensive everything is in a luxurious manner. Many races are within the point of my vision enjoying their sightseeing, talking to their own respective colors, eating expensive food and sitting there enjoying their life by sipping a quarter whisky poured in a clear white glass with ice and came back to my sense, hows that for a life ey?.. On the way to the land of sands I’ve meet my fellow kababayan’s who are also seeking for greener pastures and all of them are been to the land I’m about to challenge. I envy them at first for they are already my seniors who know the dos and don’ts in that country, they speak the language and know how to survive in place where harsh climate exist. As they talk about
their experiences I’ve just listened, gathering information is a good way, I feel like a wallpaper somehow, and also before I forgot going to Hong Kong I feel asleep and that means I didn’t have a chance to eat food serving in Cathy Pacific to the passengers like me, therefor arriving in Hong Kong even do I am amaze by the structural majestic of their airport I can’t hide the reality that I do am hungry. With me and my fellow kababayan also felt hungry so we try to look for a place to eat.
Boom!! each store we check was a hell of an expensive one, well no wonder its inside the airport and take this a single burger yum cost around 17 USD! How’s that for a price? Even I can’t take it but due to the fact that I am hungry I’ll take it but the problem is with me the fellow kababayan can’t afford daw and I am too shy to get one also! It’s like patriotism takes along so I’ll just tag along with them to where they can get to stored there stomachs out. They all agreed to get a coffee instead, costing around 5 USD and decided to wait for our connecting flight and eat there instead.
Time flew so fast that 1 hour left before departure to Dubia and in the waiting area a lot more of kababayans been waiting also, sitting at ease talking with their experiences, most of them are bad ones actually so as a beginner I felt nervous as I still keep on listening to them. In there I meet Mr. Eduardo Basalo Lara a foreman in Dammam, I ask for guidance when we get there and replied to me positively that we will call my employer when we get there because Philippine cellphone simcard doesn’t work there and I feel somehow relieve, as what I’ve read in some forums our fellow kababayan’s will do help you and extend some kind of help in that land of uncertainty. As we board Cathy Pacific again I’ve seek my set and waited there for the plane to take off and travel another 7 hours from Hong Kong to Dubai and also the good part is services crew serves food!. I’m sure for others the taste of that food was great but for a newbie like me that was first time.. There will always be a first time so I’ve just eaten it without complain. As the plane started to take off I said this is it! this is the time for me to see for myself how it feels like to work abroad as a newly OFW. 7 hours of flight and all I can see is nothingness within this oval shape window of the plane so I’ve just listen to music and then somehow take a nap...
I’ve woke up before the plane landed in the land of Dubai to refuel and taking on other passengers. Some of my kababayan from the waiting area in Hong Kong slowly moves out on the plane and the number of my fellow OFW reduces to lesser number, I’m started to feel restless but I’m fighting it and be positive.

All passengers are aboard and the plane is at it tip top shape again to take on the last destination Bahrain.. so I visited Hong Kong, Dubai and Bahrain in just 1 day! ^_^ ... I’ve read somewhere that as a born Sagittarius loves to travel and experience challenges, well I think I’ll agree on that and it also stated that a Sagittarian’s doesn’t stay long in one places it moves out in short laagan! hahahah ... so after an hour we arrive at Bahrain International Airport and its already morning as the sun greeted me with more than a warm embrace but a sizzling hot one and I mean literally hot! The wind that is.. back in the NAIA international airport in the check in counter the lady staff said that from Bahrain we will take on a train going to Dammam.. so I taught that it is really a train but instead we take on a small medium bus. In the waiting area one of the staff there is a Filipina and said that we will pay a 20 Riyals for baggage fee something, good thing I’ve got 100 riyals in my wallet in case of emergency.. there were 6 of us left going to Dammam. One of them doesn’t have any money with him due to the fact that he already give it all as a placement fee back in the Philippines and thought that he will not be spending any amount going to his workplace. 20 Riyals to Philippine pesos that will be 240 pesos and good thing our kababayan staff said that she will take Pesos also but that doesn’t relieve one of a troubled kababayan of mine, he only have 140 pesos in his wallet so I extend a helping hand and give him 100 pesos out from my packet and said kabayan baka maka tulong wag mo ng bayaran kong saka sakali with a warm smile on my face... he’s face turns bright from a gloomy state and stated a lot of thanks to me... I feel somehow helpful and maybe that is a good sign that god will be with me always... from Bahrain to Dammam we will travel by land I mean by a long bridge... as we stop over for validating our passports and checking our papers I feel nervous that I might get some trouble in here if the staff didn’t like what I look like hahahah but I said who am I to be afraid off that all my papers are legal and I come clean also... so good thing nothing went wrong and goes smoothly, one of our kababayan got into trouble that his passport don’t have a Saudi ministry sticker and when he check it again it is in his other passport actually he got 5 Philippine old passport way back from 1982! how’s that as a veteran OFW?... so all of us went out good.. as we continue our travel to Dammam, all I can see is a blue waters and some Arabic writings besides the road... we arrive at Dammam in gulf hotel, the numbers of waiting kababayan arises again, they are waiting for their respective sundo for them to fetch them up.. as what Mr. Lara told me way back in Hong Kong that we will call our employer we really did call sir Manuel that I’ve arrive in Dammam in gulf hotel and said he is on his way there, it takes 2 1/2 hour travel from Hufof to Dammam... as the time pass by the number of my fellow kababayan reduces until up to the point that I am the only one left behind the 2 1/2 hour of waiting goes on for 4 hours and lastly sir Manuel arrive and saying that he is lost looking for gulf hotel and also said that the gulf hotel he went on is a different one... but good thing he arrives that’s what important at the moment... we talk a lot and asking question from sir Manuel and answered me also..
From the window all I can see is sands and mountain carved by the wind and time.. We arrive at my working place and meet Mr. Ashraf Sauqi the head manager and interior designer there we exchanges pleasantry and talk. They give me a nice place to stay in a room that I myself will be living for the next 2 years.. I unpack my things and rested from a long tiring travel and I’ll start working the other day.. as I went to bed i prayed sincerely to god...
As the day have passed from a mindset of easy going and I thought that work will be at ease went out an ecstatic turnover! and I was shock by the workload I’m about to face off.. Culture shock by the interior designs and from my experiences I didnt reach even a quarter from it and damn this is really hard... I got into work related problem that Mr Ashraf decided to teach me the technique and in exchange he will lower my salary due to the fact that I haven’t meet there expectation and I’ve decided to agree and I do need to study there ways and this doesn’t feels me down well somehow it really did but as a challenger as myself I take on this as a positive way to learn everything. Mr Asraf said that he will return my original salary when he thinks that I’m already capable enough to take on by myself and be an asset to this company which is Areeka Furniture and Paris Decoration.. Each day past by that it exhaust me from all this workload shock.. All things hits me really hard interior royalty like designs, culture, gesture, language!, food, climate, a broken work time, religious disadvantages, and almost everything.. Each day is a overload for my thoughts that all I can dream of is time off from work...
It’s almost a month now and I thank god that prayers do helps a lot and god really help me in due process and learning stages but still way to long to go and learn all of this .... I’ve also went to the capital city of Saudi Arabia the city of Riyadh! it was way to huge for me, we stay there for 3 days.. I think my thoughts reaches to its peak and I keep on praying, if I’m not mistaken I prayed a lot with in a day that I haven’t done when I was still in my comfort zone and this makes me closer to god... and at the moment I keep on praying and praying that everything will fall into place and ill do great! where I really want to.. I know someday this will turn out fine.. I’m still learning there language I’m having a way big problem with language instruction! it’s really hard, Mr. Ashraf talks broken English and the rest is Arabic... this are the things he keeps on saying .. i need original copy (it means he wants to print it.)

I say to you now (im talking to you)
My refuge is only the internet to connect me to my friends way back in the Philippines and also downloading movies.. but as the days goes by the internet connectivity fades away and I don’t know when will my neighbor will connect so I can connect also thru Wi-Fi.. my room which I see as comfort zone becomes my only prison cell that I’ve been joking to myself that I’m imprisoned for 2 years hahaha but this place becomes my sanctuary my room that separates me from my intellectual thoughts outside...
As of today I’m looking for an alternative to release this burden inside me my other part of my mind saying that I want to go back home and I’m already at the state of homesick ness I keep on counting how many months do I still needs to suffer but my other mind tells the other part to shut up! and just accept things god given to me.. every day I woke up I keep on praying for god will never abandon me in this forsaken land and no mischievous, unpleasant and all negative things shall fall upon my presence and so far I’m at ease ^_^... Now I feel how an OFW feels like and I can feel how those dad and mom working here feels like to be away from his, her son and daughter and working at least 2 years not seeing there mere presence.. How lucky I am that I came with myself only and nothing to think of major things as like those OFW .. One of my fellow worker a filipino said that they are working there asses off in this land and their children gone weary in the Philippines due to the fact of lesser presence from them and no one can discipline them ... and it hurts when their children said "saan ka ng mga panahong kaylangan kita" that shots you dead in a point blank range.. how’s that for mental and emotional baggage? It hurts like hell ey?
Writing these reliefs me from this load of emotions stored within this thin melded body of mine... and also I’m the only filipino that is here in our showroom and the rest of the filipinos are in our factory 30 minutes away from our showroom and I’ve been living in a floor that I’m also the only filipino living... how hard is that? ... so here ill stop for now and as I recall ... 1 year and 11 months left before I’ll be set free again ^_^….

My Mayor Inday Sara Duterte

I am not payed or anything to do this blog but I did it in my own accord to support the mayor that Ive casted my only vote which I believe she deserves it.

What can you say about the picture above? lovely isn't she? a model? can you believe that she can punch hard? well for those people who doesn't know this gorgeous lady above the picture, she is not a model or something but she is the powerful lady in Davao City the very first Lady mayor ever elected in the history of Davao. The daughter of my always Idol Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. This is just my own thoughts and opinion but I can sleep peacefully at night knowing that there is a Duterte running my beloved city of Davao wither it is the father, daughter or son as long as there is a Duterte's Blood running this city people will always shows support to them, Dabawenyos pretty knows how they handle this city and it works well actually.

I dont relly knew Mayor Inday Sara (that is Dabaweño's called her) but I cast my only vote on her and his father last election and by expressing my independence to vote to whom I vision to be able to lead this city of mine and my effort shows some very good results. Inday Sara really stand strong as what his father told, she is actually doing great! making a lot of mandated works to the city hall that makes city hall workers do there work efficiently and while poor people seek refuge to the local government she is there to assist personally. The good point of our mayor Inday is that she is shy in front of camera she is more in action than talk and thats why Dabaweños love about Duterte's they do the talk.

Last day June 29, 2011 around 10:00 pm a rain that reaches 8mm according to the rain gauge located in the Davao International Airport, it is way to far from the affected area and just imagine what will be the accurate reading in that specific area. Five Baranggay's is directly hit by the flush flood from Matina Crossing down to Bangkal District and there are other Baranggay's that are also experience flooding like Maa. Before that during afternoon (same day) around 3:30 in the afternoon a shocking news that a dump track looses its break coming from shrine village down to the Matina road intersection that ravages a bus, PUJ full of passengers and a taxi cab that loses life and if im not mistaken 3 to 4 life and many severely injured dabawenyos. Same day when a tyrant rain pours hard in the middle of the night at around 10:00 in the evening where families soundly asleep and never imagine that a catastrophe may occur in the spam of 3 hours 5 Baranggays suffer flash flood coming from one of the river here, if only just only this happen in a broad daylight damage can be minimal but like a thief in the night families are waken up feeling a wet sensation on there body and when they woke up the water level is unmeasurable and trap in there rooms. So far 30 people have died most of them are children and elderly people and 15 are still missing just imagine how our mayor will act unto this matter.

Mayor Inday Sara with no talk rush to aid the victims and allocated 50 million pesos for the affected families, thats what a government should be! while she is still helping those families in Matina another problems arises in Agdao district I knew she hasn't have enough rest accommodating the cries of his constituents begging for help and this problem sprout in a matter of minutes. There will be a demolition in Agdao and mayor Inday knew about it and have some verbal agreement and understanding on both sides. She really thought that everything will be going smoothly but everything changes in a spur of moment that she ask her housing personnel to ask just 2 hours extention and wait for her in Agdao before the demolition start due to the fact that she is still mending the families in matina.

Mayor Inday's request of 2 hours haven't given to her by the sheriff (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/20498/mayor-sara-duterte-smacks-the-sheriff) and resulted to a riot between police and shanties. The poor people is asking for there mayor for there mayor only understand the situation. Mayor Inday arrives at the scene while the heated moments are still on and single handedly stop the riot she is infused of such anger due to stress and problems her city is experiencing at the moment and she knew that this incident can be stop and put into peaceful manner but the sheriff didn't give her a favor for a pledge of only 2 hours span to talk to the people. Mayor Inday raised her voice not only to the police and also to her constituent of the wrong actions. The police told the mayor that the sheriff order to start the demolition and they are just doing there job.

The result of the riot is 1 wounded policeman hit by a arrow in the butt and some squatter resident before mayor arrives therefor imagine what if the mayor was late enough to come into the picture I'm sure there will be a bloodbath. Make no mistake our mayor is lawyer by profession and knows the law but when she called the sheriff all this legal and professionalism sane behavior vanish and she became enrage of anger that she hits the sheriff 4 times in the face yes in his face resulting to black-eye. We dabawenyos knew that what our beloved mayor did is lawfully wrong in any aspect and in any human perspective but our mayor stand on her ground and people of davao defend our mayor for she already did everything she can even beg the sheriff and have some understanding a day before and yet the sheriff didn't stand on what the agreement did. 

I will not explain further more for others to understand they only see the punching and not the story behind those punches and only a dabawenyos can attest why, its hard to explain she did what the nature calls and a swift action needed to put into actions.One thing is for sure I am proud Ive casted my vote on her. We dabawenyos knew that this is a test in her side and we all pray that everything will be just turn out fine.

To end this tell me who your mayor is and Ill tell you my mayor in bold letters "MAYOR INDAY SARAH DUTERTE"

Surviving Saudi Arabia - Contract Failure

June 20, 2011-Monday the day when I haven't had enough sleep due to insomnia of excitement, an overwhelming of emotion scorching within my core that lying in bed and closing your eyes cant lead you to nowhere. I decide to look at my luggage for final minute checking. All my bags are pack and hell yeah ready to go!. It was almost 7 years ago that I went to Manila the capital city of my country to compete for National Skills Competition and got lucky to bring the bacon back home and now Ill be going back there to test my fate and if I still have the luckiness within me.
My family really extend some effort and travel 8 hours from Cagayan de Oro just to send me off here in Davao City for departure, well 3 years is a long time we will not be seeing each other. My flight was schedule early in the morning need to go to the airport by 6am before checking in at 7am bound to Manila via Philippine Airlines (This was my first time inside Philippine Airlines most of my travel is by PhilAir and Cebu Pac).
Dressed to kill as I say with a fairly bad weather but this will not stop this undying will to continue being a OFW and widen my horizon.
We arrived at the Davao International Airport around 6:00 in the morning. With some full of love hugging and blessing from my parents and my sisters and brother was a good thing to bring in the land of uncertainty and wealth. Before entering in the departure area I held my last look at them in a distance and wave for the last time "see you after 3 years". As I enter the premises of the airport, lined up for checking in and getting a window side seat is a good deal. I had my self a cup coffee before boarding time arrives and drink it as a well bread class of ancient times.
Entering a spacious cabin of PAL and seeing those pretty flight stewardess was priceless. 1 hour and 48 minutes past like it was 5 minutes and I already arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Wow the NAIA got a fresh new look now, my eyes cant stop from looking everywhere lavishing each angle of architectural haven and interior extravagant and as a probinsyano I cant stop to act like one to be amaze just by walking in the isle to luggage waiting area.
8:46 in the morning and I was in Manila already, got my luggage and went straight to the Restroom(Need to dispose some intake liquid) good thing someone was already been waiting for me her name is Jobet a petite young woman standing around 4'10 or 5 flat and working in the agency that processed my papers as a filing clerk (thats what she told me). She brings me to the OFW Lounge to wait for a certain Maam Zeny for contract signing so Ive entered inside and see those OFW going somewhere around the world for work but as an old saying goes "Don't go with an empty stomach" so I ate but I cant fathom why my stomach can take enough (butterfly in the stomach i guess) so Ive just ate a Mami.
Waited....waited ..... waited ... 1 hour past ..... waited .... waited .... waited .... my cellphone rang its from Maam Zeny asking if I am at the NAIA and I said yes waiting for her, she answer that she is still preparing the documents.... waiting..... waiting... waiting.... 2 hours past.... waiting .....waiting .... waiting ...... to kill time ive just talk to those OFW who approaches me and have a conversation......3 hours past waiting.... waiting ... waiting.... waiting and my god Ive waited 7 hours before Ma'am Zeny arrived and from there a shift of inter-galactic fate spread.
My cellphone became unrest from calling my employer that I will not sign the contract brought by the agency due to some discrepancy that Ive seen. the Job Order - JO was a different one my supposed work designation will be Interior designer with a salary of $xxxx.xx but in the POEA paper was different it was Architectural something (I forgot the full detail) with a salary of $xxx.xx it was cut half! talking about numerical shock. From the other sheet of paper got my correct work status and my salary to be but Im still uncertain to signed it so due to some mental stress I didn't signed it and if I'm not mistaken a 4 hours of pure negotiation from the employer even come to the point to send me 1.3m pesos to pay the half of my 3 years worth of salary in the land of dessert I almost give in but my pride as a professional takes on the center stage. I came with the final decision to went back home in Davao and told my employer if they really want me they will do something and make it more clearer in my side IM NEW IN THIS TRADE FOR HEAVEN SAKE! Im toO vigilant on this, I don't want to be sulking my self for the rest of 3 years in the foreign land. My mind became blurry of emotional burden and decided to purchase a first flight in the morning bound to Davao via PhilAir. My flight was schedule 4:25am in the morning and that was the longest day of my life and remembered the movie "the terminal" by Tom Hupkins and Katherine Zetta Jones.
Sleeping in the cold ceramic tiles of NAIA is no joke been there for hours thinking of what my family will be feeling. Positive hopes perish like a winter wind and a total opposite behavior coated my being emitting a negative aura of gloominess...

Surviving Saudi Arabia - Leaving The Place called "Davao"

Last Saturday (June 18,2011) I receive a call that changes my future in a glance. A call coming from the people who assisted me to fasten my application due to the employers request and then Ma'am Diding called me and told me a good news.
Ma'am Diding: "Bert good news ok na lahat ng papeles mo at ok na din ang stamp sa visa mo aalis kana"
Me: "Talaga Ma'am! wow kelan po" (Thinking 2 weeks)
Ma'am Diding: "Sa lunes na!" (June 20,2011)
Me: "............. pag sure!"
Ma'am Diding: "ahahah uu totoo kaya mag prepare kana ... " .... toooott line disconnected.
Ive started to rattle and dont know what to do... First thing that came up my mind is to check my atm account..
and I only got a cold hard 2K pesos on it (how the hell should I went to Manila!)
Good thing my employer stand to our agreement that they will produce everything that I need so I may arrive there and start working ASAP!

Sunday came fast and I'm already looking at my baggage that Ill be carrying to the dessert land. I already bid farewell to my friends its better that way. I keep on thinking about our past the good memories and laugh we shared, and somehow I felt a pinch in my heart that Ill not be able to be apart of our annual tradition anymore due to the fact that Ill be working abroad.

Its not that easy to leave the place that I found peace and that is my beloved "Davao City" thinking about it I already spend 8 years of my life here! Ive tasted the best of what Davao may offer and I enjoy it in every day I live in this prestigious city. I thank God that he offers me the place that I can look back when I want to spend the rest of my life in this world but for today I will leave this great city and I hope Ill be returning back with the same beauty as today.

Ill be leaving Davao with good faith breaming with confidence that I can go beyond miles and showcase my skills to the foreign land and when they will asked me where do I came from? Ill smile first and answer "Davao". But before bidding farewell Ill thank this city of mine for making me the best of what I am today, Ill carry on the name of my city just as the same last 5 years ago when I won the 12th Philippines National Skills Competition and today Ill challenge the world itself.

Ill be back Davao make sure to welcome me when I came back after 3 years!

Surviving Saudi Arabia - First Time Abroad

Its been so many months that I haven't updated this blog but last week a wind of change blew unto my presence and open a new challenge in life and that is to become a new OFW! so from here on bare with me as I face new culture, new races, new style of living and new work environment. As of the moment all my bags are pack and equip't of undying patience and hope to seek greener pasture in the land of strangers where my belief in god will be put unto test.
This new series will be Labeled Surviving Saudi Arabia and dont tell my mother that ill be going to Al Hasa, Hufof, Saudi Arabia....