Ramadan Company Outing

Just recently I attended an outing sponsored by our company – Malath Insurance held at one of our colleague’s owned straha (September 2, 2009). It was attended with various people from different departments of the company. The event is set to start at 9pm but there were only a few people then. I went there along with my officemates and we invited some of our closest friends to attend and celebrate with us. While waiting for others to come before finally starting the program, we acquainted ourselves with some of the employees we haven’t seen for quite sometime.

After few minutes the program started and there was some kind of a motivational talk and career-boost presentation by one of my bosses. It was followed with a raffle draw and a lot of prizes are at stake then but there was never a single chance that my name was drawn to win any of the prizes or at least the major prize – Bravia TV. Anyway, there was no regret and I am still happy because I got a personalized T-shirt and a mug with my picture on it which was presented to me during the presentation.

We, Marlon, John, Marz and friends of ours Mark, Nestor, Lance and Ronald who went with us in our company outing, perked up the night and we played various games, like volleyball and other games which are known only to our homeland. Our officemates who got to see us were amazed and they enjoyed as well watching us.

We totally enjoyed the outing which obviously shows on the pictures I have posted here and its really good to have an event like this where we could get the chance to know other staff of the company as well as wind down ourselves from stress after months of continuous work.

For special friends of ours, thank you for coming with us.

Ghelay's Bday-Bash

Last few days ago (August 30) I attended Gelay’s Bday held at Pedro’s Restaurant – Takashushi; and we had a simple and sumptuous dinner celebration including some of our closest friends.

Happy bday Ghelay and thanks for the wonderful friendships with you.

Purview of Ramadan

It’s Ramadan Month and it is the ninth month of the Muslim Calendar. It is the holiest month of the year according to Islam, and is without doubt described by many Muslims as the hardest month of the year.

It is during this month that Muslims fast and lasts the entire month. It is the time when Muslims concentrate on their faith and spend less time on the concerns of their everyday lives. It is a time of worship and contemplation and strict restraints are placed on their daily lives.

They are not allowed to eat or drink during the daylight hours. Smoking and sexual relations are also forbidden during fasting. The fast is resumed the next morning and one may eat and drink at any time during the night until you can plainly distinguish a white thread from a black thread by the daylight, then keep the fast until night.

We, the non - Muslims pay full respect on what they used to practice and avert ourselves from doing wanton acts which maybe offensive on their Islam beliefs. They abstain themselves from any form of earthly pleasures, vices and curbing evil intentions and desires regarded as an act of obedience and a way to repent their sins and cleanse their souls. I have taken some excerpts as shown below which may be helpful for us to widen our understanding on what Ramadan constitutes:

* Abstaining from just food, drink, smoking, and sex. This is the basic level, which is ok but doesn’t carry with it much reward or benefit or purification.

* In addition to lying, backbiting, fighting, cursing…etc. In this level, the eyes abstain from looking at what is forbidden to look at (e.g., the private parts of a non-related man or woman), the ears abstain from what is forbidden to hear (e.g., eavesdropping, gossip, backbiting), the hands abstain from the forbidden (e.g., taking bribes, taking another’s possessions without permission, hitting someone unjustly), and the feet abstain from walking to where it is forbidden to walk (like bars). This is the second broad level, and carries with it a greater magnitude of resultant purity and sublimity. Most Muslims fall in this level or the previous one.

* Doing all of the above, in addition to maintaining a meditative or contemplative state of mind, in such a way that the heart and intellect “fast” from thinking of or reflecting upon anything besides God Himself. This is the level reached and occupied by saints.

During Ramadan, the office hours starts at 10am and ends at 4pm. The stores, malls and restaurants are close and it opens in the evening till 3am. Few days to go we will have 10days Eid vacation and we've got more time to visit friends, relatives, love ones and other places that we haven't seen.

In this most sacred month, Muslims feel the peace that comes from spiritual devotion as well as kinship with fellow believers and for us who are not Muslims it’s a perfect time for us to contemplate and rebirth our relationships to God.

Loving You is Lasting

Time is fleeting. There is nothing perpetual in this world and everything has its end. Important persons in our lives which we dearly and deeply love may pass in various ways. Others will leave in search for happiness, luck and good future. Some will depart ways by breaking the bonding to realize their worth and finally seek what they’re heart longs for. And what’s more distressing and heartbreaking to know if somebody has to leave because of unbearable sickness which you knew eventually will lead to someone’s death. Some easily accepts the reality of death but for others it is an infuriating subject to talk about for a reason that they’re simply not prepared or has not completed yet their purpose in life. It is also because the inevitability and finality of death was one of the more disturbing of many troubling questions which is quite hard to accept.

Much of the pain of death for the living comes from a sense of loss. Death is undoubtedly a subject which I avert to share my points of view in a discussion. Losing my loving sister because of her stage 4 lung cancer is absolutely a setback to my family more so to her young kids. When I had my vacation to Philippines it was she that I long for to see. When I saw my sis I hug her tight and my tears begun to fall on her shoulder because of years that were physically afar. My tears fell continuously as I was staring at her fragile body which was consummated by her terminal cancer. I have witnessed her courage in fighting to survive from cancer for the sake of her young handsome kids. Though she was in inexplicable anguish pain, she never showed to us her fragility in dealing with her disease but rather she was so determined to surpass her ordeal and be with her kids till they finally fulfill their dreams.

I never had a pinch of regret when I spent most of my vacation in the hospital to look after my sister and deferred leisure which I could have enjoyed as a treat to myself after years of being afar from my family. But the thought of that never crossed my mind for my foremost priority then is to spend my time and attend to her medical needs. Gone are the days, her condition became serious which was manifested with the losing of hair and intermittent seizure. Days passed we’re becoming afraid that she might not surpass her depressing predicament but we the spectators of her condition are in denial that she’ll be able to recuperate and regain her hopes to live a longer life.

Time has come that I need to go back abroad and it was indeed a saddening moment to leave my sister. Before I bid my goodbye, I whispered to her how much that I love her and promised that I would take good care of her children and exceed the love she had shown to them as a single mother. I should have not leaved her. I should have stayed till her last breath. My conscience keeps haunting me. Until now I couldn’t accept the fact that she has passed away and I won’t have a sister that I could count on.

I have realized that we should not wait for a serious situation comes in to express our love. Say I love you as often as you could and show it by means of doing good deeds to your family, to your love one and to the special persons closest to us.

The passing of my sister marks an end to all the possibilities both for us and for the departed that might have been realized by a longer life. I have realized that I must recognize that we have no measure by which we can judge whether it was better for her to have lived a longer or that matter a shorter life.

Today, August 29 is her birthday and i know that its quite different for my family especially to her kids to celebrate my sister's bday withouth her real presence. Despite of that, members of my family remembered this special occasion and prepared native delicacies as she always wanted to have during her bday.

Wherever she was now, I would like to let her know that I LOVE HER SO MUCH and MY LOVE WILL NEVER FADE AND IT WILL FOREVER BE LASTING.

My Eid Vacation

Last few weeks ago was such a great experience for me. I got to have a furlough of 10 days after 8 months of working incessantly and I owe it from the Eid vacation here in Riyadh. Since I don’t want to consume my vacation just staying in the villa Peggy, Marlon and I have decided to go to Al Khobar to visit Peggy’s long time friend (wAX) and meet my brother as well in Dammam. After going with ice in the Airport for his exit, we packed our things and travelled early morning to Khobar with some of Peggy’s acquaintances (Ian and Fe) by cab and we took the long journey going khobar for approximately 4 hours. Honestly, I am thrilled because it’s my first time to get out of Riyadh though still in Saudi. When I got there, I was amazed with the place. I felt like I was in a different country. The atmosphere, the surroundings, the environment, the people had an astonishing impact on me. I don’t know for those who visited khobar first time if they had the same feeling like me care koh. From there we were picked up by Wax with his friend and stayed in his humble abode for couple of days. My first few days in Khobar, I noticed that it’s quite different than Riyadh. Khobar is a bit lenient and people could interact with foreign people as freely as they want to. I couldn’t really explicate how I felt those days in Khobar, as far as I know I LOVE THE PLACE, and I’m overwhelming with joy.

There is so much to explore in Khobar, and since were there, we took the opportunity to visit some of its attractive places. We went to Corniche, its like Roxas Boulevard, had coffee in the Starbucks, and plunge ourselves into the clear water of Half Moon beach, got to visit a well known place in Khobar, Ramaniah Mall- a counterpart of Batha or Electronic Center, Rasheed Mall and the most interesting one, we drove along the King Fahad Causeway the longest bridge in SA a bridge connecting Khobar and the island of Bahrain. It’s a long bridge sa gitna ng dagat. Got to meet different people and faces, have new circle of friends and most importantly we had the chance to know each other well and become better friends.

Let me take this opportunity to thank wax for being hospitable during our stay in his accommodation, for being our tourist guide and for his very supportive friend who took us in different places with his car and without peggy we wont be able to get there. Thanks

Love Entails....

Never invest yourself in anything so deeply that its failure could cost you your happiness"

Anyone who has gone through the agony of losing someone he/she loves so much will still wish against all odds to have that love back again. But, sometimes a love lost is a love gone forever. No amount of hope can bring to life a relationship that just died a natural death. Set yourself free. Let your heart spread its wings and fly. Remember, it may rain for 40 days and 40 nights, but still will not rain forever. One day the pouring rain will stop and there will be plenty of branches where you can find rest. One of these is where you will build your nest and start over again. It's never too late. Remember, you may find love and lose it but,

"WHEN LOVE DIES, YOU NEVER HAVE TO DIE WITH IT".

Remember that you cannot be a redeemer all your life. The best way to weigh a relationship is out in the test of fire. You cannot be a swooner of your mistakes forever. Remember, we all fail and make wrong decisions but our blunders are meant not to bury us deep in misery but to teach us the valued lessons of life. Loving is always a learning process. With love, we learn how to care and sacrifice. We learn to share and reachout. We learn to be unselfish and give more than we can. And when everything doesn't end well, we learn how it feels to fall, we strive to get back on our feet and move on. This is where we learn that "Life doesn't end where our heartaches begin".

THERE IS NO FUTURE IN A RELATIONSHIP OF LIES AND SELFISHNESS.

It's true, there's life in love. But, there can still be life even after losing love if you leave the past behind and let your heart heal and give you the chance to find yourself again. The success of a relationship lies not only in the beauty of its beginning but in its consistency. Make a choice not on impulse but a decision based on a healthy balance of mind and heart. Let us always remember that

"HAPPINESS IS NOT A MATTER OF DESTINY BUT A MATTER OF CHOICE".

There comes a time in our lives when we chance upon someone so nice and beautiful and we just find ourselves getting so intensely attracted to that person. This feeling soon becomes part of our everyday lives and eventually consumes our thoughts and actions. The saddest part of it is when we begin to realize that this person feels nothing more for us than friendship. We start our desperate attempt to get noticed and be closer but in the end our efforts are still unrewarded and we end up being sorry for ourselves.

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO FORGET SOMEONE YOU LOVE. WHAT YOU NEED TO LEARN IS HOW TO ACCEPT THE VERDICT OF REALITY WITHOUT BEING BITTER OR SORRY FOR YOURSELF. YOU WOULD BE BETTER OFF GIVING THAT DEDICATION AND LOVE TO SOMEONE MORE DESERVING".

Don't let your heart run your life, be sensible and let your mind speak for itself. Listen not only to your feelings but to reason as well. Always remember that if you lose someone today, it means that someone better is coming tomorrow."

IF YOU LOSE LOVE, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU HAVE FAILED IN LOVE. CRY IF YOU HAVE TO, BUT MAKE SURE THAT TEAR WASHES AWAY THE HURT AND THE BITTERNESS THAT THE PAST LEFT YOU WITH. LET GO OF YESTERDAY AND LOVE WILL FIND ITS WAY BACK TO YOU".

And when it does, pray that it may be the love that will stay and last a lifetime. A woman on the rebound could easily fall for sweeping emotions and be made to falsely believe that she finally stumbled upon the right man when what she just found is only someone to cover up for the love she lost. A man who makes promises with words and not with actions may never live up to fulfill them.

"IT'S TRUE THAT LOVE CAN WAIT FOREVER BUT IT IS CRAZY TO STUBBORNLY HOPE FOR SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T EVEN CARE OR UNDERSTAND HOW WE FEEL".

Loving someone is never a sin. It is what people do out of love that sometimes makes it all wrong. The selfish desire to want that person is what makes it a sin. Don't think only of your feelings for real love doesn't have a place for selfish people. When there is love, there is always sacrifice. When we love someone, we NEVER easily GIVE UP on that person. Even if we get hurt badly we always try to find a way to ease the pain and learn to understand and forgive. Loving too much doesn't hurt. It is when we expect this love to be reciprocated that we begin to seek approval and acceptance of the things we have done and when we are taken for granted and rejected, we curse the very same love that we once freely and happily offered.

"DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME WAITING FOR SOMEONE WHO NEVER REALLY CARED ABOUT HOW YOU WOULD HAVE FELT. OPEN YOUR HEART AGAIN AND GIVE YOURSELF THE CHANCE TO FIND THE MAN WHO WOULD MAKE LOVING WORTH THE PAIN AND THE SACRIFICE.

Just like anything else, our love grows weak and extent. Beyond that, it withers without any hope of recovery and soon dies". God wakes us up in the midst of a storm to teach us a lesson. He takes away people we love, so we can learn to value love itself. He makes us cry so hard so we can see clearly when we open our eyes. He makes us bitter so we can realize that there is no genuine happiness if we think only of our needs and not of others. Relationships built on jealousy and selfishness is doomed from the very beginning. The hardest part of losing love is letting go and moving on. Most of us cry endlessly over things that could have been but never will be." God allows us to experience pain to make us stronger and better persons. He will see us through the most trying and difficult times in our lives and only if we put our trust in Him we can learn to find joy in our tears and happiness in our sorrows". In many failed relationships, separation comes as the inevitable choice but moving on always proves to be twice as difficult as letting go. Sometimes, the end of a relationship is imposed on us, but our choice to hold on is always beyond the control of circumstances. Letting go is a decision that can never be dictated on us. It is a resolve we make ourselves. Acceptance is the key to a new beginning and time is the healer of all wounds. Even if the storm casts its fearful shadow, there will always be light after our darkness and lonely moments. There is always a hope for those who believe. There is always a chance for those who try. "Losing someone we may not be a loss at all but a blessing because someone even more is yet to come". There is nothing wrong in expressing our feelings to someone we love, but "we must always be sensitive to the signals that tell us when to rationalize and be sensible." There comes a time in our lives when we would fall for someone who wouldn't be as interested as we are because his attention is focused on someone else. There are many times when we love but don't get loved in return. There are times when the sign ahead says stop but we still stubbornly head on. We would say our love is unconditional, but if it really is, then we should never feel bad. But why do we get frustrated when love turns sour? Because we still subconsciously seek acceptance and assurance from the people we care about. Being in love can be the most wonderful thing we could experience but if the feeling begins to consume our whole beings, then we have to stop and let our minds and not our hearts dictate our actions. Only when we learn to accept our fate and understand the meaning of our failures we can truly go on with life without having to look back and cry over the things that could have been but will never be...