THE X - SPOT: June 2014

Monday, June 23, 2014

It's The Thought That Counts

All along I've been saying I'm crazy about simple things -- much more if it is a gift, and nothing beats the thrill of unwrapping it.The object inside more often than not is immaterial, it is the thought knowing you are special to the gift giver, at least to prove a point, that really matters.

Needless to say, for the first time in my life I sent a gift via Fedex to the most thoughtful and sweetest friend I ever have who happens to be in France -- proof of which is the gift she sent me last February. These simple things I brought with me from my vacation in the Philippines may not be that storied of monumental proportion that deserved a trip across the Mediterranean but certainly they were well-thought of and heartfelt just as my intentions were.

One of the two items I sent her was a small rooster figurine (whose beak unfortunately got detached most likely due to careless handling) and the other was a tee shirt which I bought from a kiosk in a mall that sells Christian tee-shirts. Mind you, it was no ordinary t-shirt with the message emblazoned on it, "Jesus Heals". I have been praying for her because she has some sort of illness that I believe is nothing compared to the power of Jesus. Way to go little rooster and the T and my prayers for you my friend! (the photos below were proof they safely arrived, though not completely sans the little guy's beak. And the video I took in a shop where the T-shirt didn't escape me.)

"I am still wailing over my beak. Wonders how on earth people can be so careless and indifferent that reduced my life to being miserable. "The gesture though of my human tells me there is hope and she would do anything to make me whole again, literally, yehey!!"

"I'm still cute though sans my beak. I could only pray my twin back in the KSA gets a more humane treatment and does not lose his."

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Yanbu Shop Opening (May 28-29)

Just less than a week after I came back from vacation, I was up again for yet another tiring out-of-town trip further north in Yanbu in time for the re-opening of our new shop in that city. I don't usually fret over workload instead I got thrilled at the prospect of brushing off some cobwebs accumulated from a month-and-half vacation. There was no time slacking off as tons of work awaited us yet totally buoyed to visit the city after a long hiatus.

If my memory serves me right, our last visit to Yanbu was way back in 2009 when our store was still new and not really one of our top priorities to visit. Now, the once little store in the corner has more than doubled its size with an entirely modern design and fittings. So it was required of us to prepare the new store for its grand 'reopening'.

This was also the first time for us to take the plane to Yanbu. We usually rent a car or get someone to drive us to go there. Yanbu is approximately 470 kms. from Jeddah, so it's not near by any stretch of imagination, though you'll reach the place with eyes closed, they say, if not permanently closed :) There is only one road to take to get there, so the chances of one getting lost to Yanbu is nil, except if you ignored the massive street sign that welcomes you to Madinah, (a forbidden city for people like me) that branches out from the main road to your right. So, 3 hours maximum is all you get to expend on the road, that is if you feel you are 'king of the road' in an SUV, otherwise 4 hours is not bad if your rented sedan barely can keep its balance when ten-wheelers and bigger vehicles bully you to the edge of the road.

By contrast, commercial plane will be too slow if you don't get there in over 40 minutes, in fact a sports page of an English daily is all you need before you realize altitude is already plunging in haste for landing. You don't always experience being so wanted and adored all your life but at the airport, throngs of taxi driver are ready to lose reputation just to win you over at a bargain. Whoever has the lowest bid gets to carry your bag and head out to your location in a jiffy. Thankfully for us, our staff had been early at the airport and did the haggling.

It was so convenient for us because our shop is at the same building of the hotel where we stayed for the night. Kentucky and Hardees are just across the street so meals just come in handy. The bad thing is, going to the beach as earlier planned had to be scrapped due to time constraint. But no regret, the stay was all worth it. We completed our work earlier than our estimate so we had ample rest before we headed back to the airport. Overall, everything went smoothly except for some glitches when supposedly no one was to take us back to the airport due to lack of transportation facilities.

At the last minute though, one old Saudi emerged to our rescue but not after he got the fare safely tuck in his pocket. One of our staff went out of his way to find this guy for us. Again, the anxious episode did not end there when it was almost late for us to get a boarding pass. This fine old man seemingly oblivious of time subjected us yet again to a long wait while he haggled for four watermelons on the road that maybe he will gladly gift his waiting wife and children. And that wait seemed endless as we raced against time, battling well-guarded tantrums at bay. Patience is always a virtue, that I can vouch to, and we reached our destination on time. Indeed, all is well that ends well. Thank you Lord Jesus for our safety.