Photos: Riyadh, Dammam & AlKhobar

Here are some of the pictures from our 5 day trip (store visit) in Riyadh, Dammam and Al khobar.

Thumbs Up: Philippines, Winner Of The You Tube Democracy Video Challenge

The Philippine entry was chosen as one of the winners of You Tube's Democracy Video Challange. More than 900 people from 95 countries competed for the grand prize. Watch the Philippines' entry, "Long Live The Fearless Man".

To watch the other winners, Click Here.

"The Kingdom In The Closet" by Nadya Labi

A friend of mine came across a 4 page article on The Atlantic Monthly (on-line) dated May 2007 and I want to share it with all of you. It is called "The Kingdom In the Closet" by Nadya Labi, about homosexuality in Saudi Arabia and her many interviews with different people.

Related: Saudi Gay Scene, In You Tube

Barking At The Wrong Tree? [The Hayden Kho Sex Scandal]

I think everybody is making a big mistake trying to pin down Dr.Hayden Kho in this sex scandal. Yes, he may not be innocent in this case, he was the one who took those sex videos without the consent of his partners, but he was not the one who uploaded them on the internet.

There are actually two issues here. First, him taking those videos without the consent of the women and second, the uploading of those videos on the net. To start with, there would have been no crime if nobody had seen them (the videos) or if nobody had uploaded them on the net. I believe he only took those videos for his own consumption and was not meant for anybody else to see.

This case is exactly the same as the sex scandal in Hongkong, where Ho Chun Sze, the man who was accused of stealing highly explicit photos from Edison Chen's laptop and spreading them on the net with profit in mind.

I think the investigation of this case (Hayden Kho sex scandal) should focus on the person who uploaded the video on the net and its master mind, the person who told Eric Chua to steal the sex videos. Dr. Vicky Belo should be present in this investigation, I believe she's an important person who can shed light to this scandal.

Related: You Tube

I'm Now On Twitter!

I am now on Twitter, Follow Me there!!!
At, Don Pepe 1972.

Photos from my vacation [April-May 2009].

Get some of the details about my vacation in the Philippines. Click the link below.

My Vacation series#1
My Vacation series#2
My Vacation series#3
My Vacation series#4

Charice's Final Performance in Italy "Listen"

For more on her performances in Italy, click HERE!

To go to her official website, click HERE!

Por fin... Vacaciones! Cavite Here I Come!!!

Yes!, Finally, on the 7th of April will be my flight back to the Philippines for my vacation after more than 2 years of working in Saudi Arabia. But now that that day approaches, I'm having mixed feelings about it, not the "I don't wanna go home anymore" - feeling, but the "What will I expect there" - kinda feeling and also, it makes me feel a little sad because of the passing of my Auntie (Sra. Estelita S. Cabrera vd. de Reyes) in San Diego (U.S.) due to Brain Aneurysm and I didn't even had a chance to say goodbye. We made a promise last year on the telephone that we will see each other one of these days. I haven't seen her for more than 13 years, the last time I saw her was in the States in the winter of 1996. It'll be sad to see again all the old familiar places back home where she and I used to go, the neighborhood where she used to live and well, the whole of Cavite City itself, reminds me of her and my "salad days" with her. I affectionately call her "Nanay Tita" . We were very close. God bless her soul.

And another thing is, aside from the fact that I will arrive there in the middle of the Semana Santa* (Holy week) celebration, seeing my children after more than 2 years will make me so emotional for sure, who will not be? I'm sure you know what I mean. Everything that I am doing right now is for them. And I can't believe it, my eldest daughter will be in college this coming school year, she will be taking up BSHRM (Hotel and Restaurant Management) at the age of 15. She graduated first honorable mention in high school, she should have been awarded Salutatorian but because she was a transferee, she didn't avail of it. About my other daughter, I'm equally proud of her, she may not have the highest grade in school but she pulled it through and I love her for that, for trying, even without someone to help her with school works (but all of that will soon change).

And oh yes, I hope I get along well with my parents during my 45 day vacation. Those of you who know my parents well, know what I'm talking about. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, it's just that, there are some issues between us that are not easy to talk about.

To all my friends, wait for me there in Noveleta and ready my bottle of San Miguel beer. To all my blogging brothers, I will try to post updates of my vacation as much as I could, if not, you'll hear it when i get back.

Cavite here I come!!!!

*Semana Santa - Sorry, but I find this holiday ever since I was a kid to be the most boring of all holidays because there's nothing to watch on television, especially the local channels ( thank God for cable televisions) and most of the establishments are all closed. This holiday is not for children. And I'm child at heart.

April Fool's Day: The Swiss Spaghetti Trees in 1957

Swiss Spaghetti trees

The BBC television programme Panorama ran a famous hoax in 1957, showing the Swiss harvesting spaghetti from trees. They had claimed that the despised pest, the spaghetti weevil, had been eradicated. According to the Museum of Hoaxes, "Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC diplomatically replied, 'place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.'" It was, in fact, filmed in St.Albans.

Link: Museum of Hoaxes' "Top April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time"
Source: Wikipedia and You Tube