Expat Life: BASHAWAT! (Aug. 17, 2020)

Come with me at Bashawat. Here you can buy anything from cat food, bedsheets, baby shampoo, plants, to kitchen wares. All Sr. 11:50 and below. August 17, 2020.

November Rain

It rained cats and dogs yesterday here in Jeddah, the first ever rain of the year. Everybody get so excited every time it rains here. You will see most of their videos and photos in social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Here's mine from Instagram.

A video posted by Pépe Cabréra (@cameranicabrera) on Nov 11, 2014 at 1:50pm PST

And here is the full video I uploaded from You Tube.

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.

Saudia Airline to Yanbu.

Prince Abdul Mohsin Bin Abdulaziz Airport of Yanbu.

When we arrived at the shop from the airport.

Checking in at the hotel.

Going to KFC for lunch before working.

At Heaven Juices on the 2nd day of our stay.

Fresh pomegranate juice and avocado shake at Heaven Juices.

Traditional lunch from a restaurant across the street.

With our shop staff in Yanbu.

View of the mannequins & street from the back of the window.

At the boarding gate to Jeddah.

Watch the Video!

It's Mine Fashion,

Omar ibn al-Khattab Street,

Yanbu, Saudi Arabia

Tel: +966143228390

 www.facebook.com/itsminesa

Bye Big Bike! (with Update)

"Darrajah" (Bicicleta) by Pepe Cabrera, January 7, 2010.

I just saw the Saudi Gazette news on the internet today about the world's largest bicycle here in Jeddah. The iconic landmark will soon be taken down to give way for a new overpass. In fact, there are yellow fences already in place around the roundabout where the big bike is located, as you can see in the photo below which I took a week ago.

Photo of the big bike with yellow fence around roundabout. September 10, 2013.

I often pass by this iconic structure for more than 10 years now, in fact my apartment is just a stone throw away from it. The bicycle is at a roundabout on Rawdah and Sitteen streets intersection. I hope the government would have a change of mind and at least transfer the bicycle to a new location here in Jeddah. It's a shame that they are demolishing this iconic landmark. Bye Big Bike!

"Dusk at Dawara Darrajah"  January 6, 2010.

Trivia: The Bike is 15 meters high and was created using scrap metal. It's  by Julio Lafuente, a Spanish artist.

Update - December 31, 2013

It seems like the big bike is here to stay after all, according to pictures which hang around the construction site like the one you see below. Great.

I took this photo of one of the pictures from inside my car.

Close up look shows the giant bike is incorporated in the final plan.

I Voted Today!

Finally, I was able to cast my vote today at the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah --  that quick as I was able to complete my list only the night before. I couldn't be more excited trooping down to the Consulate to exercise my right to vote, but upon seeing those compatriots camped outside of the Consulate under a scorching sun, that  to me was just heart-breaking. 

Outside of the Consulate premises, hordes of people huddled under shady spots, most of them holding papers or sort of forms in their hands. Some even struggled to fill out the forms against the wall, noticeably women while ferociously fanning themselves with improvised hard papers. Conspicuously around were Saudi policemen at the entrance, maintaining peace and order as those who wanted to avail of the amnesty have basically occupied the the right side leading to the entrance.

Few days ago I had already written down my voter's number culled from the Consulate website so that I don't need to look like a helpless neophyte with a puny brain to boot while desperately looking for my voter's number in the official list. Due to a few voter's turnout today, I was able to double check my name in the list, in fact I had it photographed as proof :)

What made me excited even more was the manner of voting, understandably I wouldn't be able to write down the names of my candidates, instead I would have to shade them. The fear of my votes not being counted because of botched shading took me 10 minutes to complete my ballot. I think if there was an award for having done a perfect shading, I should get it. :)

As the election personnel slid my ballot down the PCOS machine, I got nervous when it was spewed out, I thought it didn't get validated. Or perhaps the man was more nervous than me as he slid it down the wrong way. Then lo and behold the second time it was validated and confirmed with the machine screaming a big congratulations! Yes, my votes were counted finally! 

If you ask me who did I vote? I think that's pretty given :) I voted for God-fearing candidates who could make a difference in the lives of the Filipino people. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord! God bless the Philippines!

Basilio Pizza Cafe!

Every Sunday is our schedule for the mentoring with Ptr. S.Guinanao. We usually do it at SE2-J inside his room, but last Sunday we had a change of location that was to be a place in Sari, opposite Burger King and when we got to the place, he was already there with some people who I thought would also be part of our mentoring, but it turned out they were friends of Dr. Alex Tan, the Filipino consultant of the cafe. By the way, Dr. Alex Tan was the doctor of our Kuya Ferdie, who had a stroke a few weeks ago. He's already in the Philippines now. Praise the Lord!

Anyway, 'Basilio' opened a just a month ago. The place is small, but cute and cozy. Pastor S.Guinanao treated us with a thin crust pizza and green tea (we're supposed to order coffee but I told Kuya that we already had coffee earlier that night). As expected, the pizza with shrimp toppings was a real gastronomic delight. Thank you Lord for the pizza!

After devouring our pizza and tea, we're supposed to transfer to another location, but then we decided to continue our mentoring at the SE2-J instead. Below are some of the photos from Basilio. 

My New Driver's License

It was 2 days ago when it dawned on me that my driver's license was expiring, and sure enough the subsequent panic spoiled my composure when it has only less than 24 hours to exist legally. Finding myself jumping out of bed so early in years was the next and most appropriate thing to do. This time I had to leave my larger-than-amoeba Suzuki Alto behind, as trooping to the place where to renew my license could be a hellish experience considering the never-ending excavations in Jeddah's major thoroughfares. I also kept telling myself not to meltdown when confronted with a Guiness-worthy bureaucracy (heard a lot of them and experienced quite a lot too). Sure enough, better be prepared to learn how to read in Arabic as English is not a known thing in that part of the world; yes you had to pay 20 rials minimum to hire someone else to fill out your form.

At first I went to Dallah office where I first got my license only to be told that the renewal is being done another 2 or 3 blocks away in their Muror office. When I went in, there's no queue, in fact, there were hardly any people inside. I thought it would be difficult to renew a driver's license, but it was actually very easy.

I first have to pay SR.200 (a little over $50) through a bank ATM which is located outside their office, then stand in a queue to submit all the necessary papers. They only require a photo copy of my iqama, a passport size photo and my expired driver's license. After giving them my papers, they told me to wait. Unfortunately, their system was down, so I have to comeback in the afternoon. When I returned, I simply asked the person behind the counter about my license and showed my iqama and he simply reached out and gave it to me, just like that.

And so, I've got another 5 years of driving to do around Saudi Arabia, God willing. I thank God for his help. First for reminding me of my license, for the ease of the process of renewing my license and for my friend who helped me through all of these. Thank you Lord Jesus!

My Justin Ng's Photo Contest Entry

This is my entry on Justin Ng's Thousand Dollar International Photo Competition. October's theme is Sunrise/ Sunset. You can show your support by liking this photo on Facebook, click HERE. God bless!

A Graduation Party At Durat Al Arouz

A view of the beach from the balcony of our villa in Durat Al Arouz.

Last Thursday, March 31, 2011, was the graduation of TCI's 5th batch students. Being a former student myself, I was invited by the school staff at the graduation and the succeeding party at a resort, some 25kms. north of Jeddah. I felt bad not being able to attend the 5th batch's graduation which I heard was so successful, but of course I will not pass on a chance to have a real good time at their party. It's Thursday and it's time for a good time in Saudi Arabia!

If you've read my previous post about my batch's graduation and the party, I've made a mistake about the name of the resort where we had our party. I said there that the name of the place was 'Durat Al Arouz', where in fact it's 'La Fontaine' and it was just last Thursday that I've learned about the mistake. I've already corrected it. But anyway, this time the 5th batch's graduation party was actually held at (where else?) 'Durat Al Arouz'. The resort is just at the other side of 'La Fontaine'. It's much bigger, like a small community, it has a lot of villas inside, the place even has its own grocery store and I think it's much prettier than 'La Fontaine', although when it comes to the villas, I would probably choose those in 'La Fontaine' because of their sizes and their accessibility to the beach because of the stairs at the back. In Durat, only those on the ground floor are accessible, otherwise you have to go down the villa and have a long walk towards the back where the beach is located. 

Anyway, only 8 of us from batch 4 went to Durat Al Arouz, Marvin, Nelson, Emil, Khris, Jhun, Epie, Jane and I. For me, the party was not just a celebration of 5th batch finishing the short, yet memorable caregiving study, but it also served as a kind of  mini reunion for my batch. The last time I saw some of them was when my other classmate invited some of us to have a dinner at his home, a private graduation celebration of some sort, a week after our 'grand finale' (LOL!) in TCI. It was also great to see our instructors and some of the TCI staff there, especially Ma'am Silna and Ma'am Honey.

The place was in a celebratory mood when we arrived. There was a live band, some of the people who  were already there, were singing with the band, while others were dancing. I was amazed at how warm the reception to us was. Jason, one of the graduates, ushered me to the chair and gave me plastic plate right away so that we could eat while listening to the the live music. In fact, most of them were amazingly warm and friendly. 

We went walking outside to better know the place. I went wading by the shore and I saw a lot of those tiny sea creatures having their own night-out. I saw little fishes in schools, a small crab and a cuttlefish, it was amazing! Afterwards we went back to the villa and we 'tripped the light fantastic' for a moment. It was like being inside a discotheque, there were laser lights and the music was awesome.

When the morning came, some of us went swimming. The water was OK, but some were looking for waves because they felt like the water was too still, I mean not a ripple and that makes it feel so artificial to them. In a way it is artificial because I think the whole place was a reclamation site, even the sand is not natural, it's desert sand. There were no waves because the design of the beach is in a very small cove and waves from the sea can't get in. The only time the water moved, was when there were jet skis and motor boats around and of course when there were people swimming. 

I didn't stay that long in the water. It was already around 8 AM and I should get back home, I was thinking that I've been away for too long and that my cats were probably starving already. It was really fun being there. I was awake the whole time, never had a sleep, but it was all worth it, I got to know some of the people there and experienced a cool party in a wonderful resort. Thanks to the warm hospitality of the 5th batch students and the staff of TCI. Also I want to say  'thank you' to Venice for his generosity of sharing the 'you know what'.  Hereon, I'm looking forward to the graduation of 6th batch. 

Previous Post: Our Graduation Day!
Total Care International

Joel's Broken Humerus & My Broken Funny Bone?

The other day, my friend and I visited our common friend Joel, who was rushed to the hospital because of an accident in his jobsite. He fell down on an aluminum ladder and broke his upper right arm (humerus). Initially, I thought that he fell from the 1st floor of a mall and that his condition was far more serious than just a broken arm. I'm not saying that what happened to him was not serious, but I thought it's life threatening. Thank God that when we first visited him in the hospital, he was all smiling and well enough to explain to us what really happened.

Joel and I worked in the same company before as a visual merchandiser for different stores here in Jeddah. I first met him in Riyadh, but he was eventually transferred here in Jeddah in 2002 (I think) and that's when we became friends. He's a nice, kind and friendly person, the kind that we all look for in a friend and that's why upon learning that he had an accident, I immediately rushed to the hospital to see him.

I understand what he's going through. Most of us OFW's (Overseas Filipino Workers) especially those who are here in the middle east, we often get lonely because we don't have our families, or even  those friends we grew up with here with us. It's doubly hard because of the culture this country has, which is very different from what we've grown accustomed to back home. Although most of us here have medical insurance, getting sick or figuring in an accident is a big NO. Imagine yourself, a foreigner inside a hospital, in a foreign land with no loved ones there by your side to comfort you, I feel like crying just thinking about it.

But the good thing is that, we created some good friendships here, who are not just there in times of fun and parties, but also in times of troubles, a shoulder to cry on when we're on our lows. I don't want to be poetic here for the sake of this blog, but that's the truth. Sometimes we just have to do what's right, we should always be there for those who need our company, most especially for a friend. Now what kind of friend are you, knowing that your friend is in the hospital and then making excuses that you couldn't go there because you have a badminton game to attend to? Or that you're invited to a party and already promised that you will attend, yet on the next day you still didn't visit him, not even a phone call. Isn't that horrible? It sounded so much like someone I know. I'm angry right now! I need somebody to tickle my funny bone. Quick!

Joel had an Open Reduction & Internal Fixation (ORIF) operation on his broken humerus and is now recuperating at Dr. Soliman Fakeeh Hospital, bldg. 2, in room # 4111 (for those who still want to visit). His doctor said this afternoon that maybe he could go home tomorrow if things go well. About the title, I'm not sure if it  makes sense (especially the 'broken funny bone' part), or if it really mirrored the article, but one thing is for sure, it makes the readers curious about it. *The photo above is the actual x-ray result of Joel's broken 'humerus' bone.

Our Graduation Day

Last Thursday, January 13, 2011, was our graduation day for the Caregivers' program of TCI - Total Care International. It was an exciting and happy moment for us students because all our hard works for 6 months have finally paid off. The event was held at the IPSJ - International Philippine School Of Jeddah.

A day before the graduation, we decorated the venue, arranged the chairs and did the corsage, we also practised everything from the march, when to stand up, when and where to exit, etc. We had lots of funny moments there too, that's why most of us went home around 12 midnight already.

The Graduation Day

Our graduation was probably one of the most memorable moments I ever had in my entire life. One of the main reasons is that, I finished it. As I remember it correctly, the last time I'd finished something was when I  graduated  from high school, and then I usually just start things up and never finished anything after that, like college for example.

Anyway, our graduation had a lot of highlights, one of them would be, (and I would say the most memorable of all), the speech given by our classmate and a fellow blogger Nelson Bedayo, the top student in our class. It was both touching and inspiring, most of the people in the hall especially the graduates and the VIP's were all teary-eyed, I for one was just trying not to breakdown. He's probably not the most amazing speaker around, but it was his sincerity that penetrated our hearts. But it was no heavy speech at all as humor got its way into his speech to the applause of the audience.

Another highlight of our graduation was the video presentation of our class history, even though  the class of batch 4 only spanned for just 6 short months, it brought a lot of memories to us. The presentation showed most of our class activities, from our collage presentation to our nerve-wracking case presentation, it also showed some of our non-class activities like the time when we went to the corniche, our Christmas party and up to the most recent one when we ate at La Paz Restaurant. It brought smiles on our faces everytime we see ourselves in the monitor and then reminisced those times, (while Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" and Michael Bolton's "Go The Distance" played in the background).

And of course, the awarding of certificates and special awards. Each one of us was called to the stage from the one sitting infront all the way to the back, after that they called those among us who've got 100 % in the BCLS - Basic Cardiac Life Support test, and I'm glad to say that I'm included  in that list. Then they called the five outstanding students of our class, starting from top 5 to top 1, (Myline Llemit, Alfie Jamion, Ernesto Jayme Jr., Jasmin Abella and Nelson Bedayo), each of them received a certificate and the top 3 received medals. The best in the clinical area, Marvin Morales and Myline Llemit were also given certificates and  medals.

After the ceremony was the fun part. It's pictorial time. People would then crowd every corner for different poses, some onstage and others offstage. I think it took us an hour at least before it was all over. After that, most of us left in their own cars to celebrate our graduation in a resort called La Fontaine which is 25 km. north of Jeddah. And then it's party time!

La Fontaine

There were 5 of us in my tiny, white, sub-compact car who went to Durat - Nelson, Gerry, Emil, Jievson and I. On our way to La Fontaine, we decided to pull over  at a restaurant called Al Tazaj and had our fill there (knowing there was no food to feast on when we arrive). And then we snapped a few photos for souvenir. We really didn't know the way to the resort, but we always had our classmates who were already there to direct us the way. When we arrived, the place was huge and there were quite a few people already, some of them were singing the karaoke, some were chatting, and some were already wading in the beach. People there were already hungry when we arrived, because there were no food yet,  it would come a little bit later that night. Thank God for Al Tazaj, we didn't have to share the starving episode by the early birds.

We (the graduates), had a room assigned to us and so the guests and the faculty of TCI in another.  The privacy  afforded to us didn't come to waste as we bonded for the last time together with our beloved instructor Ms. Silna, Ms. Honey and Ms. Lyn. Although some of our batchmates were not able to attend, (some even came late at night due to work demands), we nonetheless had great fun, especially when Benjie got to pull his comical antics  down his sleeves, and we naturally exploded in laughter. What a funny guy he is! 

As expected,  our classmates  Jasmin, Marvin, Ernesto, and Epie came with the food later that night, (Jeddah downpour did play a memorable role in the starving episode). The kitchen was then crowded with volunteer chefs as most people took their hunger to singing karaoke, venting that digestive revolution to the unfortunate and over-abused pair of microphones. And when it was time to eat, you just have to understand the trails it left behind. And later, it didn't take long for everything to heat up, some of the graduates took it to the limit and did something that I can only describe as "sexy and funny", I will not say what it was they did, for safety reasons, everybody had a great laugh. It was a blast!  As that Shalamar's song goes, "gonna make this a night to remember...", and yes, we really made that night,  a night to remember indeed.

We never slept, I mean , we can't sleep. At around 3 or 4 AM, we went down by the beach and played  a game called 'Pinoy Henyo' with our instructor Ma'am Silna. Eventhough it was cold, it really didn't stop us from having fun. I will never forget that moment. It didn't take long and it started  to rain cats and dogs, the street infront of the villa was flooded. The rain continued untill morning, but at around 8 AM, the sky cleared up, some of us went to the beach to swim, the water was very cold. After less than an hour of swimming, we rinsed and then started to pack our things up to go back to Jeddah.

We decided to leave at around 10 AM. Without sleep, I felt like a zombie that morning. Our trip to Jeddah was long, I was afraid  that I might get into a sleeping mode while driving and that's a big no no. Because I was so sleepy and wanna jump in my bed as soon as possible, I forgot to say goodbye to some of the people there, (stupid me, but I know I've been forgiven), good thing is - Ma'am Silna had rushed to see us off and so we said our goodbyes.

To all my classmates,  instructors and TCI admins, I wanna say thank you, although not quite long, you guys have been part of one of the most happiest moments of my life. Never in my long stay in Saudi Arabia have I experienced real fun compared to this. I will never forget you all. And this is what I was saying before, I hate goodbyes and farewells. C'est la vie!

Other Photos Of Batch 4's Graduation Day!

It Rained Cats & Dogs!

This morning, I was awakened by the sound of thunder and the of rain's constant beating on my air conditioner outside. When I opened the window, it was heavily raining. I then hurried up to go outside the apartment to see what's going on out there, knowing that our street can easily be flooded with a mere drizzle. Rain is not that rare in Saudi Arabia, it happened many times before and much worse than this, but still it excites me to actually see rain falls down from the sky here in the desert, basically. Anyway, this is what I saw when I went outside - a filthy pond.

The street was flooded. I was afraid that the water might enter the muffler of my car, so I transferred it to an elevated place somewhere near the wall of our apartment. Now I'm just worried about the brakes. I hope they still work.

Rain, typhoon, hurricane, cyclone, whatever you want to call it, they don't bother me at all. They can never bother me - I'm from The Philippines - I'm used to it. This is nothing compared to what I've seen and experienced. It's just that I'm not in the Philippines. God, I wish the government of Saudi Arabia would construct a sewage system in the city, so that every time it rains, the water could flow freely and go somewhere else, instead of just waiting for it to slowly dry out.

I wish early morning tomorrow when we go to the hospital, the water would dissipate completely, (which I think is impossible). Ohh! I wish it would just literally rain cats and dogs in Jeddah.

Vote For My Photos On the National Geographic Channel Asia Photo Contest 2010!

Please vote for my photos on the National Geographic Channel Asia's Great Migrations photo contest on Facebook. You just have to 'LIKE' each photos, but before you can like them, you have to 'LIKE' the National Geographic Channel Asia page on Facebook first. As simple as that. Here are my entries, and please vote on all of them.

Title: The Cleaners

Category: Race To Survive

Location: Jeddah Saudi Arabia

Caption:  Photo taken at the paking of Andalus Mall, Jeddah, K.S.A. February 20, 2010.

VOTE

Title: Stray Cat On A Trash Bin

Category: Feast Or Famine

Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Caption: A Stray cat on a trash bin infront of my apartment.

VOTE

Title: Wanderlust

Category: Born To Move

Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Caption: Photo taken inside the detention cell in Jeddah, K.S.A. Nov. 7, 2009.

VOTE

Paquito Is Back From The Veterinary Clinic

Paquito is now home since Saturday from a 2-day sleepover in the veterinary clinic. The doctor made a minor operation on his back because he has infected wounds. It turns out that a huge parts of his skin was already dead, so the doctor had to drain the pus from the wound and cut the dead part of the skin off. The wound was caused by an attack of a very jealous cat more than a month ago. I initially thought that it will heal by itself, but intead, it went from bad to worse.

Searching for a vet here in Jeddah is not easy, and if ever you find one, it will definitely cost a lot because most of their clients are rich people who can afford to spend thousands for their pets, and I'm not one of them. So, after asking a lot of people if they know any veterinary clinic in Jeddah, I've found one that's just near my apartment in Faisaliah district, the Jeddah Veterinary Clinic.

The name of Paquito's doctor is Khumbulani T. Nyathi, he's South African. He obviously knows that I'm not one of those wealthy pet owners who frequent their clinic, and I think he gave us discount for Paquito's minor surgery. He initially said that I'll just pay SR. 345, I guess that was for the surgery and the consultation fee of SR.120, excluding the medicines. All in all I just paid SR.365.

Right now, Paquito is rerecuperating in our apartment. The doctor said that it's not necessary anymore to put an elizabethan collar on his neck, but I still put it to prevent him from scratching and licking his freshly stitched wound. I'm also giving him antibiotic 2 times a day for 7 days to prevent infections. I think he'll fully recover soon enough.

At A Wedding In Abhur!

Last Thursday, September 9, 2010 was the wedding of my classmate Rischel and her groom Jason. The wedding was held at a rented villa in Abhur, north of Jeddah. At first I was a little hesitant to attend the event because I thought the venue was too far and I didn't know how to get there, but then again I thought why not. I called my other classmate who wanted to come with us to the wedding reception. (at this time the wedding itself was already over).

Even though I didn't know the way, we just followed the street signs going to North Abhur, and called some of my classmates who were already there to guide us on our way to the venue. When we arrived, the place was full of people and I was amazed at how big the place was. There's a huge lawn and it has a swimming pool at the side of the 2 floor villa. When we went inside, I heard a loud music,  I saw a huge living room that was converted into a dance floor and there were lots of people dancing.

We went straight to a room which was reserved especially for TCI students, it has 3 single beds and 2 medium-sized cabinets. The other room opposite to our's was reserved for the staff of Cinnabon, where the karaoke was located, which we would later invade. After a while, we thought that it was time for us to eat, so we went to the buffet. Boy, the food was delicious, especially the one with the tofu in it. I love tofu! There were a lot more food on the buffet but I'm on a diet, so as much as I really wanted to eat, I just have to put a portion on my plate. Damn!

After a few hours, some of my classmates went to the dance floor and they 'tripped the light fantastic'. I did not know that they have such talent in the art of dancing. I was just there to take videos of  my classmates and the other guests while they were doing their thing, (which you will see in the video below). You see, I also wanted to dance, but my two left feet won't allow me to. LOL!

As  hours passed and the night slowly turned to dawn, we invaded the other room where the karaoke was, and we sang our heart out. I kept on telling my classmates that it would have been perfect if only we had booze, but of course we didn't have. Too bad, I was on a party mode. Nevertheless it didn't stop us from enjoying. I sang 'Bluer Than Blue' (as usual), but it was when we sang 'Living La Vida Loca' that it made us go crazy. We didn't need booze after all!

And when morning came, it was around 8 AM, and when most of the guests are gone, we decided to take a dip in the pool. It was fun, although it was morning, the water was not cold at all. I can't even remember how many somersaults I did, (joke). It didn't take long for my fingers to crinkle, I had enough of the water, my colleagues soon followed. After we had fun at the pool, we had breakfast. The people in charge of the reception really thought everything out. They brought out one after the other, different menus like papaitan, putong puti, boiled eggs, and sopas. It was great!

Just like Janet Jackson's song goes, funny how time flies when your're having fun..., Yup, It's time to leave! Unfortunately, my car can only occupy 5 including me, so 2 of my classmates had to ride a private bus  with the rest of the guests. It was a great experience, It was my first time to attend such an occasion and my first time also to go to Abhur. Thanks Jason and Rischel for a wonderful time, and congratulations!

¡SOY NEGRENSE!: Jason & Rischel's Eid Wedding In Obhur!