Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon

The day ended without fanfare. In the office, everything moved in its usual snail pace clock cycle. My boss hibernates in his office, while I kept my office locked and spend the rest of the day sleeping. Yep, you are right. I do sleep in the office, well... just like my boss. hehehehe. Then I went home at 4pm, an hour earlier than my schedule. I could have stayed longer but was the only one left in the entire building. Everyone has left since 2pm.

* * * * * * * * *

I pass by at the Akaria Mall to buy a large Camera Bag at Al Swalim. My old Safro is no longer enough for my ever increasing cameras & lenses.

On my way home, I saw this stunning view in the sky. It was 5:35pm and the sun has just set. Two bright and shining stars could be seen on top of the crescent moon. I was awestruck that I stop my car and took a picture of the sky... using my Sony Ericsson k800i Phone. Of course, the resulting picture was ugly so I rushed towards home, hoping I could still catch the spectacle when I arrive home.

And truly, I hurriedly pick up my camera, long lens, a tripod, and proceed to the rooftop of the our building. I tried capturing a beautiful picture but honestly.. I don't know how to set my camera right. Tsk tsk tsk... not my forte, I admit. All I could salvage was one ugly overexposed picture.

not forgotten

1:16am

An incoming SMS pop in my phone. I was quite surprise because the number is unknown +3462xxxxxxx. When I opened the message, it says "I just want to say Hello.. hopefully it will reach u to let u know.. you're not forgotten"

I tried calling the number, but nobody answered. Half an hour later, another SMS arrived from the same number with the message "Made a hot drink. my dreams always woke me up. You're in it. Sorry I can't take your call. Miss u more than u know".

Tsk tsk tsk.... I guess, I know who send this messages. Is it Autumn in Spain right now?, hmm.. I wonder.

Saudi Drivers - a 2nd look

If you heard my 4th Project Speech in Toastmasters, you would certainly remember that I called the drivers of Saudi Arabia as Kamikaze Drivers. I did expound the idea that here in Saudi, deceleration is an unknown word. You either stop or get bumped. Hehehe... of course, I was trying to hype up things. Not all driver are like that, but the majority of the brood, are! Nyahahahah.

Seriously, I admit I was mistaken with my judgement. I really thought that Saudis are the worst drivers in the world until I met the Egyptian drivers. Believe me, Saudis are just kittens compared to the Egyptians who are the monsters of the road.

That's why when my cabbie took me to the city at the speed of 110kph - the allowed speed limit, I yawned and start complaining that we were slow. He just look at me and explained "Yalah, mamnooh! Katir pulis henah" (It's forbidden and there's lot of police there)

On the afterthought, I do drive my car at 140-160kph along the Airport Expressway. I should qualify as a Kamikaze Driver too

Back to Riyadh

Landing at the King Khalid International Airport was a breeze. Everything was smooth except at the exit where the airport police would terrorize you by opening all pockets and compartments of your luggage. I know that these bullies are simply doing their idiotic routines - thanks to our fellow Pinoys who are fond of smuggling prohibited items that is why the are that suspect all of us.

I don't mind being frisk by police officers or my bags being scanned in the x-ray machines. What I don't like is their attitude of pulling out every suspected items in our luggage and in the end... only to realize that our personal effects are littering the place. Who want to display their undies for people to see?

They do this only to Filipinos, Bangladeshi, Indians, and Pakistanis. Fellow Arabs are often exempted. Not fair!

Gee, I hate this airport.

Khan al-Khalili

Finally, we took our last leg of the tour - the shopping spree.

I would not really consider it as shopping because there was no real shopping center in Cairo. The best they got was a department store with very limited items on display.

They do, however, had a lot of flea markets and hawkers for souvenir items. And Khan al-Khalili is the most famous. The market is situated in the Islamic Cairo area and was once the center of Turkish trading during the Ottoman period. It still retain most of its Turkish architectures and design but relatively the place is rotting. Aside from the small hawkers who crowds the small alleys, there was not much restoration conducted on the place. What a sad sight. Who would think that this was once the center of Turkish Bazaar in the entire northern Africa?

* * * * * * *

I bought some items though. I pick up a dozen of refrigerator magnets, a dozen key chains, and several sets of miniature pyramids and ceramic plates. I'll distribute the key chains as gifts to my friends, but for all the rest of the items... I will keep it as my own souvenir

Saqqara

I know that there are hundreds of Pyramids in Egypt with only few dozen that are of great importance. What I didn't know is.. the first pyramid is just in Saqqara, several miles away, and infact can be seen with the naked eye from Giza. That's why, I readily agreed when then the cabbie suggested to make a short visit to Saqqara. It was an hour rugged drive but it was worth it.

My first impression of the Step Pyramids of Djoser was not nice. It lacks the "grand" design of Cheops or Chephren, but as we tour along the Funerary Complex of Djoser I discovered and was amazed how beautifully and meticulously the site was designed. Our guide explained that Saqqara complex was the model of the Memphis Necropolis - the test site. Here, the great Imhotep - the first pyramid builder, started building mastabas which eventually lead to the building of the Djoser Step Pyramid. Without the experience in Saqqara, the ancient Egyptians would not be able to build the grand Memphis Necropolis.

On the lighter side... not only did I enjoy watching the pyramids, but I was also engrossed with watching beautiful caucasian tourist. Hehehe... I don't think, just watching tombs and stones would excite the hormones inside of me. Beautiful girls, would! Hyahahahaa

At Giza...., again

Day 7

Would it be nice to touch - at least one block of - the Great Pyramids with your bare hand? That's exactly the thought that was consuming me the whole day.

Remember, I told you about our ordeal few days ago where that bastard guide tricked us into the desert to see the view of the Pyramids kilometers away? This time, we learned our lesson. No more swindling guides and no more camel rides to the desert.

Before going out, we hired a responsible cabbie who assured us that there will be no extra fee and he will get us the base of the Pyramids. Indeed, he didn't disappoint us. He really brought us inside the Giza (Memphis) Necropolis complex.

Not only have I seen the Great Pyramid up close in its splendor, but I also got the chance to to climbed it and went inside the Pharoah's Tomb. Just don't ask if it was difficult, because it really was. The steps were too steep and the tunnel was barely enough for a big fat guy like me. It you are claustrophobic, you better not think of going inside the tomb. Just stay on the steps and enjoy watching other tourist. There's plenty of "pretty sights" out there. Hehehe

After climbing the Pyramid Cheops, we went to Chephren and then to Mykerinos. We also made a short trip to the West Ridge to view the entire Memphis Necropolis with the three Great Pyramids at the center. It was a marvelous sight. No words could describe the wonderful feeling I felt. And honestly, only in my dreams had I thought of watching this Ancient Wonder in full glory.

Hah! I could only exclaimed, "I made it".

lucky night

My friend woke me up at around 11pm. With the rest of our colleagues, she took me to a nearby Chinese Restaurant and bought me dinner. After that, we proceed to the hotel bar with the intent of drowning ourselves with beer. But the beer price was simply too prohibitive that we decided to move to the Casino, instead.

Casino? Hehehe... not my first time, though, but I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive of the idea.

I never like to gamble. Not even if the odds are tilted on my side. Much more if I felt I am destined to lose.

It's not that I am afraid of losing. It's just that I hate putting my self to incalculable situations. Blame it to my pragmatic philosophy, but I would rather had probability than a game of chance. (Hmm.., there are the same, aren't they?) But tonight, I made a bold step that drifts away from my comfort zone - I played with a game of chance.

I'll just watch, I told myself.

* * * * * * *

While my colleagues got entangled in the Black Jack tables, I settled on a nearby roulette. My friend stayed with me and gee... she knows how to play. We started the bet slowly at $5, then increment it to $25 and eventually stayed at $50 per game. It was exciting, I tell you. We would lose for 4 straight plays, win 2 straight, and then alternate win and lose. The adrenaline rush on my body was delirious, once the ball starts to fall from the roulette. I would hold my enthusiasm each time we win, but my friend?... duh... What do you expect from a blond Caucasian girl? Of course, she would simply let the emotion loose. I was ashamed, you know.

At the end of the night... err... end of the daybreak, I should say, we went out with a $700 win. Not bad, eh? But, this would be my last, and that is for sure.

back to Cairo

If only I had my way, I would spend two more days in Alexandria to shoot, visit historical sites, and watch beautiful Iscandariyyans than go back to the stinky Cairo. But I don't. No choice, I packed my things and prepares to leave to the Egyptian capital.

But hey, I didn't go without my last hurray. With my sweet (forked?) tongue, I convince my colleagues to visit Qaitbay again so we can buy some souvenirs. They readily agreed because those items are quite expensive in Cairo. I picked some items, but spend most of my time in photography. And though running short of time, I managed to get few good pictures of the seaside and the breakwater.

* * * * * * *

We arrived in Cairo at around 4pm. I still have time to roam around, but then... I loose my esteem when my colleagues all agreed to stay in the hotel. Duh! what a bunch of lazy fatso. They seems to enjoy the company of their "escorts" than explore the city.

Hehehe.. honestly, I felt lazy too especially when my "friend" comes out of the bathroom like the goddess Aphrodite. Just like my colleagues, I stayed in my room for the rest of the day. Nyahahhahaa

Montazah Park

After taking lunch at the San Stefano Mall, we went back to the hotel and rest. I was suppose to take a short nap but overslept and woke past 4pm. I was a bit worried because there are still many places that we're suppose to visit. I tried to catch up, but my buddy nailed the coffin when he declared the he was staying in the hotel.

Frustrated - that I would not get more pictures - I decided to go out alone. I didn't go that far. All I did was cross the street and went inside the Montaza Park. It was getting dark but that didn't stop my enthusiasm. I still took my camera and shot.... in a dark background and without a tripod. Handheld? Duh, I know this will not work but for a desperate shooter like me, blurred pictures is acceptable than no pictures at all.

Luckily, I found some stands where I could rest my camera for long exposure. In the end, I still got several beautiful night photos. Hehehe... my gamble pays off.

The Qaitbay Citadel

Day 5

The first order of the day: explore the city. I was confident that this would be a great day because I had a good sleep last night. Simply said, I am fully recharged and rearing to go. But... I don't know where. Hehehe... what a tourist I am! Don't know where to go and didn't research prior hand. Good thing, my buddy had a list of must-see places.

* * * * * * *

We hailed a taxi and asked the cabbie to bring us to Qaitbay Citadel. Learning from a bad experience in Cairo, I tried negotiating the taxi fare with the cabbie. The hotel guard informed me that taxi fare starts at 2 Egyptian pounds and then would increase per 100 meters distance. But gee... my colleagues was too eager to get to the place that she immediately set the price at 40 Egyptian pounds. We got robbed again, hah!

Anyway, I just ignore that hiccups and concentrate on the excitement at hand.

* * * * * * *

Qaitbay Citadel is one beautiful castle that looks exactly like a toy castle. Square, plain sides, few windows, and a emposing roof - a classic book definition of a castle. The main castle is surrounded with layers of fortifications and a beautiful lawn.

While roaming around the castle, I overheard a guide explaining the significance of the site. The guide said that this is the exact place of the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria of the Ancient times. Numerous restoration had been carried out until it eventually turned into a military fortress, and now a tourist spot.

Did I enjoy the tour? Definitely, yes! I took over 200 pictures and loittered the entire place for three hours. Tiring but was certainly fulfilling.

The Alexandria Corniche

What a beautiful beach front facing the Mediterranean Sea! Never in my life that I thought I would one day see the beautiful Alexandria Corniche with my naked eye. Hard to believe, but here I am and looking unto the beautiful scenery.

We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel Montaza which is found at the East end of the Corniche. I could not ask for more. The place was perfect, the service was good, and more importantly, I could shoot from the rooftop which is overlooking the length of the bay shore.

That night, we took a stroll along the Corniche. We enjoyed watching young people dating at the beach side and watching the traffic on the main road. It's funny that while we were observing Iscandariyyans, they too were looking at us. They seems to be curious with our color and racial features. And they greet us in Japanese or Koreans - thinking we are - and not Filipinos. Hah!

Why not Pinoy? The answer I guess, is because only a handful Filipino visits the place relative to other tourists.

* * * * * * *

We had a good night except for one incident at the KFC house. One guy picked my pocket and took 1000+ Egyptian Pounds. The pickpocket slit my side pocket open... well.. which is better than my putting an extra pocket on my belly. At least we were safe when we went back to the hotel.

Alexandria

When I was a kid, I used to play with my cousins & sisters a make believe Egyptian settings where my sister Stella plays Cleopatra, I forcefully volunteer to play Mark Anthony, and I always push my younger cousin Michael to play the villain Augustus. Oftentimes, this shoving and pushing ends up with a fight because nobody wanted to play the part of Augustus - whom we thought when we were kids - as ugly and bad! All the boys wants the Anthony part because we perceived him as the handsome and good guys.

My brushes with these memories always elicits smiles on my lips. And who would thought that one day, I'll be here in Alexandria. The very site of that little make-believe that we used to play when we were kids.

And you guess it right! I was ecstatic when we reached Iskandariyya (Arabic name of Alexandria) around 1pm. To my surprise, wow!!!! the city is clean. Far better than Cairo both in garbage and traffic management.

taking an MRT train

In consideration to my partner, I didn't stay long in the Corniche. We decided to move to the Giza Zoo but changed plans when the taxi driver informed that it was closed. We wanted to go the Egyptian Museum but was advised that it will close early due to Eid Holiday celebration. No choice, we decided to proceed to Cairo Opera house. But the house was close too. Finally, we ended up on a relaxing on a nearby park.

With still plenty of time to spend, we decided to take an adventure in the subway trains. We took the Metro Train from the Opera House Station and move up to the Giza Station. Not an eventful activity really, except for one mistake we made. We took the train coach intended for women. Hehehe... everyone in the coach was looking at us.

* * * * * *

After dinner - again at Pyramisu, we took a walk along Charles de Gaulle Street. A local informed us that there is a beer and liquor store near the Dokki Train Station. Indeed there were plenty of beer and wine. And to our surprise... each 500ml can of Heineken cost only 7 Egyptian Pounds - roughly 5 Saudi Riyal or 2 Singapore Dollar. Very cheap, eh!

We bought two dozen and drowned ourselves in the hotel. Hahahah...

street photography in cairo

We don't have a schedule for today.

What we did was take a short visit to a friend at Conrad Hotel, and then took a walk along the Nile River bank. We walked the lenght of the Corniche Al-Nil starting from Conrad Hotel down to the newly build Towers Plaza.

I don't know if my colleague enjoyed the stroll, but a street photographer like... it was exhilarating. I was an opportunity to take pictures of people up close without necessarily offending them. Most of my subjects were youngsters who gathered along the streets to celebrate the Eid Holidays.

Dressed with the colorful Muslim Egyptian clothes, my subjects were not only beautiful, but very receptive as well. Often, the subject themselves would call my attention asking me to take their picture. Huh! That was exciting, wasn't it?

The downside, though, was that some kids got too excited and they started coming too close to me. I was afraid that they may touch and inadvertently scratch my camera. In precaution, I maintained my distance by walking faster.

easy day

After a grueling day yesterday, we decided to take it easy today.

We woke up at around past 10am, took our breakfast after 11am, and then spend another two hours in the swimming pool. I was hoping that there will beautiful bodies lying on the pool side, but sad to say there were none.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed the pool of Sheraton Cairo Hotel.

* * * * * * * * * *

taking an old train

day 4

I was starting to get comfortable staying on a beautiful room in a 5-star hotel. That would be great, but what I was afraid... I might seek for it when I get back to Riyadh. Ugh, that would be another adjustment.

Anyway back to Egypt.

Having spent three exciting days in Cairo, we started packing our thing to moved to Alexandria. As per our itinerary, we will stay there for three days and two nights. And we will be taking train to get there.

Going by train? Howaahh! This would be exciting.

This would be my first time to take a ride on an old train - not a metro train that we used to commute daily in Singapore. This one is different. I am taking a train on the oldest railway system in Africa and the Middle East.

* * * * *

And how did it goes? Well... regretful, really. Sigh!

We went to the Old Cairo district, and we get inside into the old Cairo Train Station. I was expecting some beautiful old achitecture on the place but was readily disappointed to see dirty steel structures with no significant architectural details at all. The ceiling was pitch black because of century old soot and dust, and the foundation made up of poorly maintained concrete-reinforced steel slabs. And the the terminal itself - ugh! It was filty and with obnoxious smell. I almost vomit!

Garbage litters everywhere. New garbage, month-old garbage, rotten garbage, and decomposed garbage... name it, it's everywhere. And the local Egyptians seems not to care at all.

Why did I go to that place, in the first place? I should have taken a plane.

casino

11:00pm.

After taking more than 3 hours of nap, or should I say sleep, I woke up and get myself ready. We haven't taken our dinner yet. And tonight we want something oriental.

With my colleague Armin, we cross the street and headed towards Pyramisu for dinner. It was a non-eventful activity, nevertheless. We finish dinner after an hour and went back to the hotel immediately.

We thought of taking a stroll towards the 6th-of-October bridge but ruled it out thinking that would take another toll to our already weary knees. Hence we decided to just stay in the hotel and visit the casino instead. That's we did, actually.

The Sheraton Cairo Casino is quite nice. But compared to other casinos I've visited, this one is relatively small and not crowded. The setting actually made me hesitant to get in. I initially thought, this may be an exclusive casino but recanted when I saw the betting patterns on those who were in the table.

I didn't play. I am not a gamble and not a type of person who play with a game of chance. I do understand the game though, and knows how to play it. But putting a bet on the play? That is a big no no to me.

My colleague - Felix - on the other hand played. I know that this guy really plays in casinos even in the Philippines. And tonight was not his lucky day. he lost a hundred dollar in the slot machine. Hehehe... better luck next time.

* * * * * *

The feel of the casino brought back some memories to me. I remember a girl in St Catharines Canada who used to spend some of her weekends in the Casino and enjoys playing slot machines.

Tsk tsk tsk... I wonder, how is she right now?

at the egyptian museum

It was getting late in the afternoon. We left the Ibn Tulun mosque at around 4:15pm and decided to proceed to the Eqyptian Museum of Antiquities.

And finally after five hours of "sightless" visits to mosques and citadels, I saw some "food for the eyes". Hehehe... if you don't get what I was talking about, I will spell it out to you. There were so many beautiful ladies in the musuem and almost of them were Caucasians. And you guess it right, some of them were wearing skimpy shorts and flunging necklines (no bra?). Hehehe..

But that is not what we came here for, right? We want to see mummies not hot mommies. Nyahahaha.

Seriously, we went to the Egyptian Museum to see the famous King Tutankhamun and other royal mummies. And lo and behold, we we were amazed by the magnificent collections of the Egyptian Museum. The main hall of the 1st floor houses two great statue (I don't know who) and hundreds of stone carvings and relics. Further down several halls were various collections of vases, earthwares, weapons, and many more.

The second floor gather a more important collections of various royal items. There was specially temperature-controlled hall which houses several golden coffins belonging to paraohs and royal families. Of course, the most famous of them was King Tut. There were other royal mummies in there such Ramses III, Amenhotep and many more whom I cannot remember.

The museum was so large that I failed to visit all the halls and rooms. My estimates, you need at least three hours just to quick visit (walk-through) all the items on display. Sad to say, we only had 30 minutes left before the museum closing time. We came at 4:30 and closing time is 5:00pm.

Huh!, why didn't we go here directly instead of visiting those mosque? Darn that driver.

Anyway, I managed to take some pictures inside the museum. Hehehe... of course, it was forbidden to take pictures inside but for a 1-second photographer like me, that would not matter. Don't expect superb quality pictures though. I did set my camera to high ISO (low quality) so expect lots of digital noise in the pictures.

Outside, I did manage to take pictures of the museum, of myself, and... of beautiful ladies.

Not a bad after all. The 30-minutes museum visit was much more eventful than the 5-hours visit on the mosques.

more mosque

We didn't stay long in the blue mosque. There was nothing to see there, anyway. Besides, I was tired with all the walking and was experiencing heat burns on my face and arms.

Our guide brought us to the mosque of Ahmad Ibn Tulun. It was another large Samarran-style mosque, seated on a hill called Gebel Yashkur (The Hill of Thanksgiving"). Our guide proudly said (in broken English, of course) that this was the place where Noah's Ark came to rest after the Deluge - not Mount Ararat.

It was a fascinating local legend indeed. I would usually ignore him but not this time. Maybe because I was tired, that is why I stayed on the taxi and continue listening to him. I forego the idea of roaming around the mosque.

The guide shared more stories like how the soldiers of Napoleon Bonaparte tried to bring down the walls using cannons but failed. Several movies, he added, where shot here including a James Bond Movie. (It turns out true: The Spy Who Loves Me")

When my colleagues came back, I strongly suggest to cancel all the rest of mosque visit. I argued that there was no significant difference among the mosques (aside from its history), and once you saw one then you've seen them all.

They readily agreed.

the blue mosque

Next destination: the blue mosque

Blue Mosque! This must be another beautiful mosque, I thought. The title alone suggest something grand and unique among all other mosque. If you want to know what it is... read on. Ghehehe...

The ever optimistic driver brought us to the "innards" of Islamic Cairo. He drives us through very narrow alleys and very busy streets filled with sidewalk vendors and children running/playing with the passing cars. "Am I in Tondo Manila?", I thought. But honestly, our slums are no different from this place.

It did not come as a surprise when the driver stop on a small dilapidated building. It was barely a mosque. There was no roof (doom), only two wall sides, all arches are broken, and only a portion of the blue wall was kept intact. I guess, it's just a 4x6 meter wall with partially filled blue tiles.

One minaret is still standing, whom the guide eagerly offered for us to climb - to see the old Cairo! I readily replied, "No way!" My knees is not that strong anymore.

Aside from that minaret, the Blue Mosque is nothing but ruins of an old Mamluk-type mosque.

the Cairo Citadel

Next Stop: Citadel Mosque

"Ehh... what?", I exclaimed! Our guide - that same taxi driver who barely speaks English - repeated, "Citadel Mosque". Duh!

Based on my limited vocabulary, I know, a Citadel is a fortress often large enough to include castles, towns or a city. Mosque on the other hand is a house of worship for our Muslim brothers equivalent to churches of the Christians. Well, if what the guide is saying is right, then this must be a very humongous mosque.

It turns out... when we get there... that the place is an old fortress commonly known as the Citadel of Cairo. In history, this was called as the Saladin Citadel of Cairo and was fortified by an Ayyubid ruler during the 12th century. In present times, it contains the Military Museum, the Police Museum, the Al-Gawhara Palace, and three Mosque.

The huge Mosque of the Mohamed Ali towers above all the building in the Citadel. From afar, the defining dooms and twin minarets of the mosque overshadows all the other structures. No wonder, locals often confuses the Citadel and the Mosque as one.

Okay, the mosque is big. The architectural designs were great with lavish details and the cupola (ceiling) was simple awesome. You know, I did lay down on the carpeted floor just to see the entire ceiling at once. Most tourist did! And wow, the courtyard and pillars were covered with shiny alabaster. Our guide whispered, "those alabasters were taken from the great pyramids". I did not believe him, though.

The mosque is historically important as for Egypt as it contains that tomb of the founder of the present-day Egypt: Mohamed Ali Pasha.

After an hour of walking around, I realized that there are two other small mosque inside the Citadel. The mosque of Al-Nsir Muhammad and the mosque of Suleyman Pasha. Both mosque are often skipped by tourist because of their obscure locations. Well, I did visit both, and found nothing worth remembering.

Gee... I just exhausted myself.

old streets and garbage

I thought, walking along the old Cairo streets was a breeze. I was wrong!

Typical of an old - if not ancient - city, old Cairo is no exception to poor road networks, maze-like access to pathways, poor lighting and horrible garbage problem. And the obnoxious odor of the streets greeted me with fangs, right after I went out of the taxi.

Garbage were everywhere. I could find only a handful of garbage bins, and if there is one it is surely filled three times its capacity. I don't think there is a garbage collector in the city. Garbage in the streets have rotted, a tell tale sign that these were never collected for years.

If you think that this is a niche problem in the suburbs and in the old Cairo, think again. Even the upbeat Downtown Area (modern Cairo) has the same problems. Garbage both new and rotten, litters the streets. Even famous landmarks such as the "6th of October Bridge" were not spared with unmindful disposal of garbage.

Nevertheless, the River Nile was spared. I didn't see any floating garbage during our cruise yesterday.

So, you in Metro Manila. Be thankful that Bayani Fernando is doing his job. And he is doing it par excellence.

where they found baby moses

I now appreciate the significance of this place.

Walking furthermore, I got entangled with a bunch of French and Spanish tourist. Clueless of where I was going, I decided to follow the flock. In my mind, I could take a free orientation of the place by just listening to their tourist guides. The predicament though, the guides speaks in Spanish. Que Horror! hehehehe... Thanks to Spanish 1, 2, 3, & 4 classes way back in College, I still understand conversational Spanish. hahahaha...

I followed them as they entered a narrow and dark entrance leading to an semi-underground worship place. It was dimly lit, stone cold and filled with arid foul smell. I almost dediced to get out of the center until I heard the guide explain the significance of the area. "This is the oldest existing Jewish Synagogue in Egypt - the Ben Ezra Synagogue", the guide exclaimed.

What is Ben Ezra Synagogue, I thought?

Ben Ezra - also known as Geniza Synagogue - according to local tradition, was the site where the baby Moses was found by the Pharaoh's daughter. This place used to be a river swamp filled with reeds, and the favorite hang-out of the Pharaoh's royal families. The lot was purchased by Abraham bin Ezra of Jerusalem in the 9th century and then they built the existing synagogue.

Huh! That was a mouthful, isn't it? Forgive me. I am a history buff, hence I could not contain myself writing too much history in my blogs. hehehe

Back to reality. There I was sitting on a cold marble slab and was looking up on the ceiling wondering how magnificient it is. This place had been buried in the mud for hundred of years, yet it still retains majority of its architectural integrity and design.

With the history fact that Moses was "drawn" here, gee... it leaves me thinking, what it's like during the age of the pharaohs?

St George Church - an old greek church

Our taxi driver - who barely speaks English - brought us to the Old Cairo City. With much difficulty, he tried to explain that the place was the trading center of the city, a thousand years back. These are historical sites that are note visiting, he said.

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect. I was just wandering aimlessly on the alleys with a naive purpose of taking pictures of anything that interest my eyes. I did take pictures of the old streets, of people - mostly beautiful women, of architecture patterns, and of anything that attracts my attention.

And when bump onto the entrance of an old Church, I was surprised to learn that I have entered in the famous Greek Church of St George. They said, the Holy Family visited this place, thus the area carries not only historical memories but religious significance as well. Frankly, the place is far from it's glorious past. Poor maintenance and too many tourists contributed to the fast deterioration of the place.

Nevertheless, I do admire the fact that there are still faithfuls who regularly visits the place to pay their veneration of their patron saint. I went inside the convent and witness - first hand - how they perform Christian worships the Coptic's way. I took pictures, of course, but made sure that my flash gun is off to preclude unwelcome light burst.

Oh, I took a picture of the beautiful sculpture of St George and the Dragon at the the patio, on my way out. The sculture was full of details and surprisingly intact despite of age.

the next day

My first day in Egypt, I could conclude was eventful. I experienced what it was like to ride on Camel, wander into the desert for over an hour, and then watch the scenic Pyramids from a distance. For a noob like me, it was a satisfying experience.

Yesterday, the guides tried to convinced us to go back the next day (today). They tried to entice us, saying, the scenery of the Giza Necropolis would be much beautiful to behold when there is plenty of light. They even promise to lead us to some tombs where we could find real mummies and real helioglyps. Well, that if we come back and then get them as guides too.

But we didn't listen.

My sixth sense was tingling and I did feel that the guys were deliverately over charging us and were taking advantage of our generosity.

Hence today... no pyramids. We went out to see the old Cairo

light and sound show

We still have an hour extra before the gates will open. Hence, we decided to take our dinner on an Indian restaurant just across the gates.

The place was good. Our table was situated on the rooftop of the 4-storey building and from that vantage point, we could see the light & sound theater. The waiters told us that we need not go inside the gates because we can see the theater and we could also see and hear the show from the rooftop. All we need was oder some food so we will be allowed to stay.

The pyramids during the Light & Sounds Show

Indeed, the waiters were right. We watched the show from the rooftop and with a much better view of the show. More importantly, we save 75 pounds each for the entrance tickets.

I was also able to get some night shots of the lighted pyramids

Papyrus deal

An hour and half of camel ride made my legs numb. It took me awhile to fully recover my composure and made a straight walk. I believe, the horse back was far more comfortable. Just look at my colleague. He didn't experience any numbness on his feet.

While waiting for the taxi, the tour guide invited us to a nearby Papyrus Museum. The owners (and the guide) were very accomodating and even offered us free drinks. He then showed us his vast collection of papyrus paintings, papyrus hieroglyps, and papyrus artworks of varying sizes and colors.

There were all beautiful but I was taken aback when I saw the tag prices ranging from 300 pounds for the A4 size papyrus to as high as 3000 pound for the A1 size papyrus. I guess the guide saw our expressions, that he wisphered to us saying he will ask for special price and discount. Few minutes later, he came back and boasted that he manage to negotiate a 60% discount for every A3 size painting plus he will give us a free A4 painting for free. Now the prize is set 500 pounds - more of less a 100US$.

The deal sounds fantastic, but deep in my mind, I have doubts with the sincerity of the dealer. Call it hunch, but I could sense that he was taking advantage of us - big time! Yet, I still gave in.

You know why? My colleage took the bait and I followed suit. Hah! I know, this was a mistake but I just close my eyes and think that this is better than being robbed or mugged on the streets.

As consolation perhaps, the guide lead us to the gates of the pyramids. Indeed it was close. The guards, however, informed us that they will open at 7:30 pm for the light & sound show.

Giza

Later in the afternoon, we decided to take another trip. This time our destination was the Pyramids.

The simple thought of seeing the magnificent Great Pyramids of Giza was exhilarating. All I had in mind was to go there and see it. I didn't bother to search the Internet to check what to expect and didn't even ask the Sheraton concierge for information on how to get there. All we did was get a taxi and asked the driver to take us to the pyramids.

We easily agreed when the driver asked for 80 Egyptian pounds for a one way trip. That's cheap - just less than 20US$, I thought.

Excitement filled my heart when I first saw the apex of the pyramids from the distance. The driver - with very little English - tried to explain each pyramids. I didn't mind him though. I know, he was talking rubbish because he was mixing contemporary myth with factual information.

Few minutes later, I was surprised when the driver took us to a local Camel and Horse stable - and not on the gates to the pyramids. He quipped in broken English "pyramids closed, go desert, pyramids look, ride horse"

I looked at Armin and I could sense that he was not comfortable. But I insisted. We paid 80 pounds each for the camel and the horse (I took the camel) and paid another 300 pounds for the guides.

I was really happy and overwhelmed with the feeling of riding a camel. I didn't mind how bumpy it was. Seeing and riding a real camel, was a big experience that I would surely boast to my friends.

When the guide lead us to a desert hill overlooking the pyramids, we were already contented. "At last, I have seen the Great Pyramids", I shouted. We stayed for few minutes, took some pictures, then started moving back to the stable.

Nile River

Too much excitement perhaps, I woke up early - 6am to be exact - and hurried to the hotel balcony just to see how Cairo looks like in broad daylight. I was still groggy from the jet lag last night but it all disappear when I saw the beautiful Nile River just below our hotel room.

The view was spectacular. The large Nile river (where we are staying) is forked with an island and is littered with small boats and rowers. Four bridges connects the island and the river banks. Noticeable also, is the moderate traffic of cars and pedestrians crisscrossing these bridges.

We didn't waste time. Ater taking breakfast at the Sheraton Tea Garden, we took a stride on the Charles de Gaulle street. We treek along the street and ended up besides the Nile River bank.

The boat rides easily catched our attention. And without second thought, we talked to the caretaker to take up upstream of the Nile. He agreed for a fee of 100 Egyptian pounds each.

And yes... I experienced a simple "cruise" on the Nile River. Something that I would treasure for the rest of my life. A shadow of experience on what the Paraoahs did 5000 years ago.

For more pictures, please visit my website in PBase at Streets of Cairo or Egypt Landscapes. The same pix can be seen on my alternate site at Amazing Egypt although it is not arranged well.

my first step to africa

EgyptAir flight MS650 made a smooth landing on the Cairo International Airport runways at around 2am. Everything seems in order and we didn't encounter any inconvenience even at the immigration area. My colleague - Armin - bought few bottles of Black Label at the nearby duty free shop, and in less than thirty minutes, we were already on our way to the Sheraton Cairo hotel.

Our trip was relatively easy and there were no complications along the way. Except for the kamikaze driving style of the taxi driver, there is nothing I could complain of. And just when I thought that we made a mistake of choosing a taxi, I was surprise to see all Egyptian drivers do the same. Hah! Would you believe? Not only they do snake driving but the do a dangerous blind far-right U-turns.

I remember what my Egyptian friend used to tell me before "speed limit is a suggestion, road lane is decoration, and snake driving is a must". Now, I fully understand what he meant.

I would commend the taxi driver though, for bringing us to the Hotel safely.

that long?

Huh... I believe I woke up from a long slumber - ala sleeping beauty - and here I am, back to my blog again. I couldn't believe, I hibernated for more than 4 months? That long? Tsk.. tsk.. tsk..

Gee, I never thought I would be that busy least forget writing in my blog. Worry not, my friends. I'll try to make it up. Opss... I already promised to do that last April. hehehe.. This time, no slips. I'm pretty sure of it.

busy

The beauty of having good friends who reads your blog is that you have a built in alarm to remind you that you've been away too long. That's exactly what my friends from Singapore did. "Where did you go?", they asked.

Hmm... I didn't go that far. Aside from my trip in Bahrain, I did nothing special during the past two months. But I was buried with tons of work in the office and was too pre-occupied with my toastmasters' speeches.

But worry not my friends. I'll be back very soon. Once again, I will fill up the missing pages in my blog.

to seef mall

2pm...

The adrenaline was pumping my body as I endulge myself with photo spree. I was estatic. It was two years since I last watch an F1 race at Sepang. And now, I am back with a better camera and a better angle of view. hehehe...

I have taken over three thousands pictures, and I could have taken more had it not been of the hunger fangs that started to bite on my stomach. "I'll come back early tomorrow", I quipped. Then, I packed my things and slowly get back to my car on the way to Manama City.

According to my guide map, I could reached Manama at before 3pm. Well, I followed what was drawn on the map but unfortunately, I didn't realized that I was using an outdated one. With too much confusion on the landmarks and perhaps because of hunger, I eventually got lost and was running around in circles for over hour. Luckily, I found a Filipina who was kind enough and help me get my way to Seef Mall.

After a quick lunch, I drop by at the Canon shop to visit my friend Amira.

F1 Sakhir 2008

11:30am

The temptation to watch the F1 cars on action was so strong! I couldn't resist pulling my car towards the Grand Prix circuit race track instead of heading straight towards Manama. I was hungry but didn't mind it. My heart was filled with excitement just to see and hear the thunder of the F1 cars. And.. ahh!!! the radio station was broadcasting the event live, reinforcing my desire. "If only I could fly", I quipped.

At 12:17pm, I was standing at the University Grandstand S2. Finally!

Before me was an magnificent sight of the Sakhir race track and it was littered with beautiful screaming F1 cars.

Woaahh!!! What a wonderful feeling indeed. How I wish I could let you feel it too.

into the Kingdom of Bahrain

I reached the King Fahad Causeway at around 10:15am.

Not much people or car around, except for few cargo trucks and trailers along the restricted lanes. So I thought, this would be an easy one. But I was dead wrong. I didn't know that I still have to get a police clearance for my car. And unlucky I am maybe, I got entangle with a Saudi Checkpoint officer who had trouble speaking or understanding English. I have to wait for thirty minutes at the holding area before an English speaking guard explained the situation to me.

The officer was kind though. He gave me instructions on what to do, and then advised that I can obtain the missing papers at the nearby police stations. It didn't take that long before I finally made it to Bahrain borders. After the immigration at the Bahrain checkpoint, everything went on smooth.

Hheheheh! I was in Bahrain in no time.

morning at the corniche

4am

I have to struggle just to push my body towards the edge of the bed. Otherwise, I will continue sleeping until 7am. Last night was an ordeal. The aircon was too noisy and .. eww.. the bed was itchy! I guess, sleep started to kick in only after 2pm. That explain why I was so sleepy this morning. Hmm, why did I pick this hotel in the first place? Gee, this is what I get for trying to save few Riyals.

Nevertheless, I managed to drag this lazy & fat Nathaniel into the car before 5am. I reached the Corniche breakwater just few minutes before sunrise. I immediately set my gears towards the horizon facing the Persian Gulf. I know this place - been here 5 years ago - hence I know where to expect the sun would rise. I waited. Waited for few more minutes. But the sun simply didn't showed up. It was too cloudy and the visible arc only showed up when the sun was a fistful over the horizon.

Why did I think of taking sunrise pictures? huhuhu... I should have stayed in the hotel and sleep my butt until 8am. Anyway. I still manage to salvage some nice street photos along the breakwater. You may like to visit my website to view this pix.

http://www.pbase.com/nathan_amores/streets_al_khobar

Okay, alright. Here's once sample pix. The Corniche

in Khobar

I reached Al Khobar at around 12:45pm. Hungry and with an exploding bladder, I decided to make a U-turn along the city entrance and took a break at Carrefour. I got into the huge mall and not surpringly, only found a few dozens of shoppers. Well, if this beautiful mall is just in Singapore, I would expect it to be bursting with life and excitement. But then, this is Saudi Arabia.

Huh! I believe I need to readjust my expectations.

In fairness, Al Khobar is less restrictive than Riyadh. At the cafeteria, I saw families taking their lunch on open tables. They were actually sitting on areas designated as "Single's Section". And what is more surprising, I saw several Caucasians ladies taking their lunch at the same area without any male companion. This is a sight I could never see in Riyadh.

After two hours, I went back to the road and look for Daharan Mall. I need to book for my F1 Grand Prix ticket otherwise, I might miss a seat in the University Stadium. It didn't take me long to find the mall. It was a smaller mall but much cozier and more organized, not to mention there are more shoppers. And hey, I saw several ladies walking along the corridors without their Abaya dress! Most of them are expats, though I found few Arab looking girls too. I suspect these ladies are not Saudis at all.

I found the F1 Store across a painting gallery, and it was close. I was disheartened when the guards told me that they would open at 4pm. Gee, that would be an hour of waiting but I have not choice. I still have no ticket. I decided to cancel my plans for the sunset shoot at the causeway. Even if I can make on time at the causeway, I still have to find a hotel to stay in.

Bored, I crossed the walkway and get into the painting gallery. My objective was to study the landscape painting and get some idea how to do it in photography. I was browsing on some paintings when someone asked me a favor to take their picture using their Point-and-Shoot camera. When I saw who was speaking, howaaahhh!!!, I saw a smiling beautiful lady. Of course, I took their picture using their camera... and you guess it right. I also took their picture using my DSLR.

The ladies were receptive. They spoke good English and were literally open minded as they exchange conversation with a male stranger - me!

I learned that they were educated in UK which explains their natural skills in dealing with guys. I enjoyed talking to them. They were interested with my hobby and even entertained the idea of having a photo session with me. Before they left, they gave me their names and phone number. We set a tentative photo shoot this coming May. Here's the picture of the girl named Sausan.

8 o'clock in the evening

I decided to rest and forego night shooting at the Corniche. I was very tired and a good long rest was a welcome thought.

Zzzzzzhhhh....

camels

Two hours later...

The swarm of cars along the busy Damman Road has thinned out. You could count with your hand the number of cars along the long stretch of sun-baked four-lane expressway. No more buildings on the sideways except for small mud-brick shelters for shepherds.

It's a long and lonely road they may say, but for a first timer like me the desert dunes and herd of camels along the highway was a sight to behold. I even made a 30-minute stop just to take pictures of camel! hah! Querr? Nah, I was just curious and excited to see so many camels.

How do camel look like in the wild? Hmm... they look like... just like camels. Hehehe.. Kidding aside, they may look all the same from afar but upon closer inspection, you will easily distinguish one from another by the subtle difference in color and shape of the face. I didn't know this before, did I?

Two more stops, before I finally zoom down to Al Khobar. At an average running speed of 150kph, I arrived in Al Khobar in less than 4 hours, and that is including the three stops I made for the camel. Gee... I forgot one thing. I should have taken a portrait of myself with the camels. Wahahahaha...

Road Trip to Dammam

I woke up early today, err.., I should say I sleep less last night. On a regular weekend, you can expect to see me snooring on my bed until 10am. But today is different. I couldn't sleep well because there was too much adrenaline in my body and my heart was pumping with excitement. I will take my road trip today, hhehe.. and I am "sky"ted, really!

Two things preoccupied my mind. First, I am excited and at the same frightened with the thought of taking my first long distance drive alone. For the entire trip, that would be a whooping 1200 kilometers or more. Gee, I never tried driving more than 200 km in one setting, and now I am doing it in a foreign land and alone. Huwahhh! Second, I extremely excited of testing my new Canon 40D in Bahrain F1 Grand Prix. It's been quite some time since I last shoot for F1 races and I am half-hearted if I still have the skills to do it. You see after rotting for six months in Saudi Arabia, I had this strange feeling that I am loosing my touch with photography. Duh, I guess there only one way to find out. Test it!

I left Riyadh at around 9am.

I took the Dammam Road via Exit 8. Khurais Road would be a shorter way but I don't know what Exit to take. Anyway, both roads eventually leads to Al Khobar then Bahrain.

toast to the graduates

I excuse my self from work this afternoon, giving a lame excuse to my boss that I need to look for my lost Iqama ID. I actually lost my ID yesterday, which my collegues knew, but I didn't tell them that I found it this morning in my car. I used the lost card issue as an alibi so I get out of the office early.

And did you know where I go? Hehehehe... I went for a photo shoot.

Ranie called up yesterday and asked me if I could accomodate a photoshoot with the Top 2 Graduates of every Filipino Schools in Riyadh. Gee.. why would I say no? Of course, I was elated with the request. Hehehe.. It looks like, I am becoming the official photographer of SE Production.

I meet the graduates at the Future Generation School at around 2pm. There were 18 of them - the valedictorians and salutatorians of the 9 Filipino Schools in Riyadh. The siblings Kevin and Charmain of RIS were also there and were all smile upon seeing me.

Well, the photoshoot went fine. I took four 500w flood lights with me to illuminate the place, and Ranie on the other hand bring a nice backdrop to serve as a good background. I took several group shots then asked each of them for a portrait.

More photos in my site:

http://www.pbase.com/nathan_amores/grads_2008

SE productions photoshoot

I you recall, last month I was invited as one of the judges in the Search for Speaker of the Year at the Riyadh International School. Of the six judges, four came from the academe and only me and a guy named Ranie Mabasanta were from the corporate.

Ranie, I learned, is the current CEO and President of SE Production. They were in charge for all the social activities at the Philippine Embassy and the current copyright holder of the Ginoo & Binibining Pilipinas - KSA. They were also active in other beauty pageant and fashion shows here in Riyadh, though performed covertly and usually conducted at Expatriate Compounds where locals are restricted.

Today, Ranie gave a call and invited me to conduct a photo shoot session with the SE Production officers. The object was to capture a corporate picture that will use for a souvenir program and to be used for Saudi Gasette - a daily local newspaper.

The photo session was challenging. The location was poorly illuminated and flash photography simply doesn't help. I have to make use of my incandescent boom light just to give enough light for all the subject. I actually didn't like using the boom light because of the yellow color of the light, but I have no choice. Anyway, I can do white balance adjustment on the photos using PhotoShop.

And one thing more, we didn't have any backdrop. Gee.. I still have to manually edit the background and replace it with something else. Whew! That was really difficult.

Anyway, we manage to get some good shots.

my new baby

Finally! After waiting for 10 days, my new 'baby' has arrived.

The agent from Autostar gave me a ring at around 5pm today. He informed me that the plate number has arrived and the car is now ready for pickup. Without wasting any minute, I immediately went home and park my rented car. Then proceed to the car shop via taxi.

Indeed, the car was ready when I arrived. Hmm.. didn't I told you that I choose Hyundai Tucson SUV over Toyota Corolla sedan? I really love my new baby. Just one glitch though. It doesn't come on pink. Hehehe.. I was just kidding of course. I initially choose a red SUV but some muslim brothers strongly advice me to keep away from the red color. Red, according to their culture, is a sign of bad luck and oftentimes considered as haram (forbidden).

Well... I could have settled for metallic green but the stock will arrive in three to four months. No choice, I pick the Saraha Grey (smoke silver) over Artic Frost (light blue). And yes, you were right. I was smiling from ear to ear when I drove my car towards home. Ahh... my sweet new 'baby'.

sleepless

I know this feeling! Excitement over something that I really like of love. The last time I felt this way, was in 2006 when I first pick up my Digital SLR camera. I still remember how addict I was that there was nothing in my mind but pictures, camera and gears. And yes, I spend countless sleepless nights just to understand the technical intricacies of photography and at the same time learn Adobe Photoshop to enhance my work.

Now, I'm sleepless again and this has been ongoing for the past two weeks. I was restless not because of my camera nor because I was thinking of someone, but because I got too excited with my new car that even when I close my eyes I would imagine myself behind the steering wheel.

Nah! This is simply crazy. I need to go to sleep. Hmm.. where's my 'hammer'?

Toastmasters: Ice Breaker

My first speech for the Toastmasters Club
Basic Manual: Ice Breaker
Evaluator: ATM-G/CL Ditas Tiamzon

* * * * *

The Adventures of Jorge to Nathaniel

Introduction

I remember it vividly.

It was March 5, 1985, a day shy to be exact 23 years ago. I had this big predicament. I don’t have a JS Prom partner. I already approach a lady that morning, but was rejected on the simply grounds that I was not "cute" enough to merit as her consort. She said, "You are not tall, you're skinny and you belong to the bottom 10 of the graduating class."

That was hard and I took it seriously and when I saw my mom, I confronted her “Nay, bakit si tatay ang napili mo, di ka na naawa sa akin, kamukha nya ako”. Loose translation: “Mom why did you marry a gorilla, look at this monkey”?

My mom was shock of course. My father – I was afraid my father would punish me for insulting my mom and putting a bad light on our family name – simply said: "My son, the measure of a real man is defined not by his riches nor his achievements and certainly not his looks". "A real man is that person who has a large heart to understand what is right and what is wrong, and stand for it".

Hah big words, but that did not answered my problem. I don’t have a partner.

On the JS Prom night, I was surprised to realize that my partner was no other than the girl who rejected me – my Aphrodite, the apple of my eye. She was my first dance and my fist kiss.
I don’t how it happened but surely my father pulled some strings. My father was a soldier and the girl’s father was a soldier too.

Salutation

Fellow Toastmaster, guest, lady and gentlemen, good evening! Tonight I am going to bring you to my world of Jorge and his journey to Nathaniel. So sit back, relax, and fasten your seat belts. Let’s enjoy the ride.

Early Childhood

I spend my formative years in the military camps of Cotabato provinces. We chase amphibian tanks and slip on the firing range just to watch the 105 howitzer cannon bombardments. Unlike my sister, I was never good in class. And during report card submission, my father would simply say with a wink: "okay lang anak, memorize ko na grade mo – it’s straight 75 or 76". But I would gleefully cut him, "tay, may 78 ako".

My mom would just smile and she would gesture: Jorge in school (thumbs down), responsibility (thumbs up). She would tell to her friends that Jorge could take care of his sisters, do household chores, and she could leave the house with Jorge in charge and never worry a bit.

High School

Towards the end of elementary, I bribed my best friend – a son of a prominent family – to take his slot on the USAID scholarship. I don’t know if he was just naïve or I was a sweet talker that he agreed. And to my surprise, I passed the scholarship and was rewarded 4 years free tuition, allowances and uniforms.

I was a scholar! Hah, big deal! Let us see the whole picture. There were 120 freshman students – all scholars – and I was ranked 117th in the class. Not bad, I quipped, I can still beat 3 other boys.

To compensate for my perceived handicap I join extra curricular activities. I joined theater, dance troupe, baseball team, tae kwon do & aikido, became famous and have many friends.

Then one day my teacher Sister Norma Aleman told me: “Nathaniel, you are not an idiot. You just don’t know how to focus. Set your mind on your goals and put your heart on it then you’ll succeed.” She was the first person who called me Nathaniel – my second name, and first person who believes in me aside from my father. And those words leave a big print in my heart.

And on May 4, 1985, my father and I had a manly talk. He said “my son, I want you to get out of my wings and find yourself in the real world”. “Be a man, and be a strong man”. “Never look back, and make me proud”.

From Jorge to Nathaniel

That day, Nathaniel was born.

I created Nathaniel in the next six long years: number 4 in the dean’s list, student body president, joined LFS and lead a contingent during the siege to Malacanang on Feb 25, 1986. I almost got drunk with the power of fame had it not been with the intervention of a good friend Adora Lacson. She enlightened of what Nathaniel should be and gave me a poem IF by Rudyard Kipling that challenge Nathaniel to soar to greater heights.

I completed my BS Comp Sci, BS ECE, and not yet contented, took up MBA and joined the supervisory training program of Del Monte. I became a manager in a telecoms company, and I got my niche in the upper management when I was offered senior manager to manage 1500 agents for a call center.

I also took PhD just to please the “gods” of my workplace.

Return of Jorge

But one day, I look in the mirror and ask that gentleman in front of me “Are you happy? He didn’t answer

“Did you miss Jorge”, he blinks.

From that moment, I just realize, Jorge was knocking to get out. I was afraid. I don’t know him anymore, and he eventually got out.

In a blink of an eye, Jorge changed what Nathaniel built for twenty years.

I gave up my management career, went abroad and work as technical consultant where I was naturally good. Along the way, I pick up photography – mastered it, traveled to places and meet new people, and was truly happy.

Today, I am here in Riyadh. I met Ditas who opened the door for me to Toastmasters and Archie who lead me to get inside the door.

Riyadh is just a bus stop on this journey called life. The road ahead is still far and long with many bus stops to go, and I have many adventures yet to experience.

As I look back, I remember three people who made me what I am today: My father who told me the measurement of a man; Sister Norma Aleman who believes in Nathaniel; and Adora Lacson who told me that Nathaniel could soar to greater heights.

Closing

In parting my fellow Toastmasters, I want you to look at this gentleman speaking in front of you. Could you see the Nathaniel in him? Could you sense the Jorge in him?

I want you to look back onto yourselves. Is there anyone or someone knocking?

Back to you Toastmaster of the Evening!

competition time...

Together with TM Gerry, we arrived at IPSR early. We unload all the TM Materials from my car including a green plastic bag containing some microphone and I don't know. I didn't check what it contain inside. Minutes later, other TM arrived and the rest of the contestants.
While TM Ramed - the Chief Judge - was busy giving instructions to the segment players, I stayed on one corner trying to understand what I have just written hours ago. I am not good in memorizing lines, so I tried to group thoughts and visualize the script like a beautiful lady, err... what else could I compare?
* * * * * * *
The target speaker was TM Willy, who delivered his Speech number 6 with objectives on Vocal Variety. Generally, the speech started with a lamentation of a man for a departed love one. Then he moved the timetable to the past describing the two persona in the story. He made a distinctive progression on how the characters grow up, got separated, and got back together. He briefly segue into a happy mode, a drastic departure from the sad mood of the speech. Then went back to the sad mood, but he set the story on the lamentation of the man - the introduction! He concluded the speech with a challenge to the audience about finding/experiencing true love.
* * * * * * *

that girl named beth

Why do we dream of someone who existed during our past? And have you ever been visited by a recurring dream? Well I do! And it always involves someone who used to the "apple of my eye".

I've written about her before, si Bambeth. She keeps on appearing on my dreams for the past twenty years. The odd thing is that she never grows old (and me too) - we're still in our youthful years. Though the setting keeps changing and sometimes the some cast of characters in my dreams would be different, other than that it's all the same. I will be there, she will be there and we keep repeating the same lines to each other. Lines of love, lost love and love that never was. Lines like:

"Hi bambeth, how are you"

"Jorge, why didn't you tell me soon"

"I was afraid"

"Jorge you know that I did love you and you kept me waiting"

"I didn't know"

"I let you feel it, but you ignore me Jorge"


The only reason I could think of why this dream keeps on coming back is because I have not made a closure with her. Actually, I don't know what to close - hehehe - with her. Nevertheless, one of this days I am going to pay her a visit.

Ano kaya kasalanan ko?

Christian living

The sermon for today was strong. The pastor delivered a message that talks about Christian living and conviction and he further elaborate the topic by exploring the sinful life that the OFWs are walking. Everyone was dumbfounded. I know, each and everyone of us were guilty, and I am no exception. Some shed tears, some kept their silence but were very pensive, while others simply closed their eyes and prayed. Me, on the other end, stared on a blank wall as I tried to recall the transgressions and trespasses that I have committed. Oh! There are so many of them and it makes me shiver even on the sheer thought of possible retribution.

Staying clean and straight in Saudi Arabia is a tall order. Those strong ones who managed to stay pure all agrees that the secret was to keep their selves busy with sports, community service, or church activity. They reasoned that if you keep yourself idle, boredom will knock on your door and sin, no sooner, will knock too.

It is not a fail safe solution, argues the other side. They also tried to get into sports, was active in community service, and even participated on all church activities. Yet, they still fail. And they ask themselves.. why? but didn't get an answer.

As I have written yesterday, most of us - the OFWs - were infected by this "unnamed" disease. It is highly infectious and addictive. It gives a false sense of love, euphoric feeling of completeness, and a way to escape from the painful realities of our own lives. The way I see it, it is the most dangerous drug that our brethren have indulged. It will not only destroy those who takes it, but also the families and friends of the recipient.

As of now, the only "immunization" that I could think of is to bring the family here in the Kingdom. Other than that... prayers!

disease with no name

When we hear of stories about Pinoys who cheat from their wives, we usually ignore them and would sarcastically respond "sus, sino na lang ba'ng hindi?" But when we hear of Pinays who became unfaithful, we easily scorn and judge the woman as "malandi" (flirt). But have we really tried to fathom the main reason why people - regardless of gender - became unfaithful? Don't ask me. I don't know the answer.

If you remember, last Nov 19, I wrote about a taxi driver who shared with me about couples in Saudi that have respective families in the Philippines. I didn't write about this, but for the past 3 months I actually met more than a dozen "couplings" (couples with tempered/fake marriage papers). Not only that, I also met several dozens more lovers that were both married in the Philippines.

When I bluntly ask them why they do it? The simply said "we're only human and we found the love that was never given to us". Most men would answer that they were lonely and only need a warm body - something physical - but it got complicated along the way. Some men would pretend that they are single, fools a woman, falls in love / the woman get pregnant, and ends up with either fake marriage or converts to other religion. Others are candid enough to admit that they are just beefing up their machismo image.

Women on the other hand had more profound answers. They would elaborate the issues with their husband, financial difficulties, loneliness & boredom, got fooled by a sweet-speaking man, and peer pressure. Most of them admit that they were not happy with their marriage and now they found a second change to fulfill that missing part of their life. Some are still in the balance beam, trying to weight things whether to go back or continue. While there are few who are simply naive to believe that the man they are with right now would bring them to eureka.

I am not sure if I would be glad to those coupling who find happiness here, or I should pity those who were mired into this predicament because of complication, or should I knock on the coconuts of those naive girls and tell them to wake up. As I said before, I don't have the answer why this things happens.

Our anthropologist calls this "The Diaspora of the OFW", but I beg to disagree. I believe that this is a disease that inflected not only Filipinos but all other expatriates who stayed away from their families too long.

This is a disease with no name.

what defines a man

A friend told me, this morning, that I am a strong person.

Upon hearing those words, I simply burst unto laughter and then asked why she said so? She offered no explanation but tried to explain her conclusion based on what she "perceived" was true. Being a good friend, I bluntly told her that I am not what she thinks I am. Honestly, I said, I am just but a child wearing an armour who is waging battles in a war called life.

She was not convinced, of course, so I shared her my story about my high school days.

It was in my last year in High School when I run to a big predicament of finding a partner for our Seniors Prom night. I already approached one lady (whom I adored as my Aphrodite) but was rejected on the simply grounds that I was not "cute" enough to merit as her consort. That rejection was hard for me. I took it seriously and cried with a wounded heart. When I reached home, I saw my mother in the kitchen and with conviction, I stood besides her then uttered "Mama, why did you choose Papa? Hindi ka na naawa sa akin? I look like him!".

I was already late when I realize that I made a terrible bubo of myself. As my senses returned, I was gripping with shame and fear was all over me... thinking my father would surely punish me for insulting my mother and degrading my family name. But my fear was unfounded, though. When my father arrived, he held me in his arms and explained: "My son, the measure of a real man is defined not by his riches nor his achievements and certainly not his looks". "A real man is that person who has a large heart to understand what is right and what is wrong, and stand for it".

That was not actually helpful that time because my problem was to find a Seniors Prom partner - which he eventually found a solution. However, those words was etched in my mind and heart that until now, I still adhere to it.

I am as strong person? Nah... maybe, you can think that way, but I am not. All I have is an armor and my Creator who never fails to give energy to this shield that I am wearing.

suv or sedan?

After obtaining a driver's license, a "virus" infected me. That virus transformed this once sedate egg-headed monkey into a Google searching monster. And for these past few days, all I have been doing was browse in the Net and search for cars!

When was the last time I thought of cars? I could not remember. Well, except perhaps with Formula One racing cars which was my subject for photography, cars or its derivatives never appeal on me. It was never my habit to understand about cars, until now.

Gee... I entered unto this unfamiliar territory. I could not decide if I would buy it in cash or installment, or should I take a brand new car or a used one? And then lately, I was seduced by the thoughts of buying SUV instead of a sedan. A Hyundai Tucson looks very pretty and I could imagine myself oozing with pogi points behind the steering wheel. But a Toyota Corolla XLi would just be as nice at half the price, thus sparing me of emptying my pockets. I could save that extra cash for the rainy days! Right?

Ahhhhyaaa.... what to do, lah? (with Singaporean accent)

ksa driver's license

I got my first driver's license more than 10 years ago in the Philippines. That license landed on my hand because I traded a Ninoy Aquino (500 peso bill) in exchange for the plastic card. I was never proud having that license because I didn't earned it. I didn't have the required skill to drive a car and it took me years to master the skill of defensive driving in Manila.

This morning, I went to Dallah Driving School to apply for a driver's license. Armed with a "endorsement" letter from my boss, I look for certain guy named Hamed and asked him to facilitate my papers. The guy simply look on the signature on the paper, the started compiling forms. After asking me 5 sets of photos, he instructed me to proceed to the nearby clinic for my blood test. Thirty minutes later, I went back to him. He accompanied me to the driving instructor to verify my driving proficiency level.

The test was just a simply starting & stopping of the engine, and a simple back driving (backing). Of course, I easily pass the test.

An hour later, Hamed came back and brought me to the another Hall. There, I listened to the lecture regarding Traffic Rule & Regulation in the Kingdom. We were all asked to take the computerized exam afterwards - which I easily pass.

At 11:00am, I was already waiting for the Police Officer who will conduct my final driving test. I have in my hands a folder containing all my papers and exam result.

I expected a though final drive test. Last week, I prepared for uphill car start & the dreaded test parallel parking with only 18-inch clearance, but to my dismay all of this never come up in the final test. The police officer only listened to the engine during start up, and check my positions when I performed a backing. After that, he signed my papers and told me I passed.

I got my driver's license in a plastic card after three and half hour!

That was fast, everyone says, but I know I pulled if off because of the "endorsement" letter from my boss - who happens to be a top guy in the Interior. Hehehe... it's nice to know the right connection. Right?

ksa driver's license

I got my first driver's license more than 10 years ago in the Philippines. That license landed on my hand because I traded a Ninoy Aquino (500 peso bill) in exchange for the plastic card. I was never proud having that license because I didn't earned it. I didn't have the required skill to drive a cark and it took me years to master the skill of defensive driving in Manila.

This morning, I went to Dallah Driving School to apply for a driver's license. Armed with a "endorsement" letter from my boss, I look for certain guy named Hamed and asked him to facilitate my papers. The guy simply look on the signature on the paper, the started compiling forms. After asking me 5 sets of photos, he instructed me to proceed to the nearby clinic for my blood test. Thirty minutes later, I went back to him. He accompanied me to the driving instructor to verify my driving proficiency level.

The test was just a simply starting & stopping of the engine, and a simple back driving (backing). Of course, I easily pass the test.

An hour later, Hamed came back and brought me to the another Hall. There, I listened to the lecture regarding Traffic Rule & Regulation in the Kingdom. We were all asked to take the computerized exam afterwards - which I easily pass.

At 11:00am, I was already waiting for the Police Officer who will conduct my final driving test. I have in my hands a folder containing all my papers and exam result.

I expected a though final drive test. Last week, I prepared for uphill car start & the dreaded 18-inch clearance parallel parking but to my dismay, all of this never come up in the final test. The police officer only listened to the engine during start up, and check my positions when I performed a backing. After that, he signed my papers and told me I passed.
I got my driver's license in a plastic card after three and half hour!

That was fast, everyone says, but I know I pulled if off because of the "endorsement" letter from my boss - who happens to be a top guy in the Interior. Hehehe... it's nice to know the right connection. Right?

genesis

Just like all things, everyone has to start somewhere and I am not exception of that.

Officially, I am shifting to Blogger and will veer away from Friendster starting this day. This is first blog entry here in blogger.com and definitely not the last. All other entries written before today were exported/copied entries from Friendster.

I'm a blogger and I've been blogging for the past two years. And if you would like to know, I say that I've been writing a diary and a journal since 1983. Quite a long time, eh? hehehe... well, I just like to write about myself and my adventures in life.

So fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the ride of my adventure.

p.s.

All post written before today were compilation of previous post from my old blog

induction of officers

It looks like I am getting serious with the Toastmaster's Club.

This afternoon, I attended the Induction of Officers for the PICPA Riyadh Toastmasters Club at the Red Onion Restaurant in Olaya St. Since it was a formal party, I have no choice but to take out my one and only wearable tuxedo. I was doubtful at first that the tux would fit because I gained 35 lbs in the last 3 months, and my waist line have pole vaulted from size 34 to 38. (Argg!!!! What did I eat?) Moreover, after a little adjustment on the trousers, it finally fits.

The meeting was very cozy and "formal". The guys looks great and the few ladies that we have were just simply amazing. We have wonderful speakers

and the discussions were lively and exciting. Well, I volunteered to answer one of the table topics question and received a good response from the audience for a well-delivered message. But, I got slammed during the critique time for not answering the question. Hehehe.. I guess, I still need more training and practice in public speaking. That didn't bother me anyway. What was important was for me to develop confidence while standing in front of an audience on a formal setting.

And guess what? The addict in me never failed - I brought my camera with me and I shoot during the entire event. Can you imagine this egg headed monkey in tuxedo with a large camera on his hand? Hah! That's jorgy boy in action.

Unlike the previous meeting where I was quite aloft, this time I made sure that I got acquainted with all the members and visitors. I exchange pleasantries with the great speakers like Ron Jacobe and Ditas, and made tsika tsika with the visitors.

One person caught my attention - I learned that she used to work in Singapore. She was Vicky, the girlfriend of a Toastmaster colleague, who works in Apex Nursing home in Pasir Ris. You see, I know that nursing home very much because I often visit that place when I was in Singapore. That is why when I told her that I know the place, we got some common grounds to talk about. Huh! It reminds me of my "happy" days in Sg.

I went home driving a rented car... and without a license. hehehe... That was very brave of me.

silent mode

Today, a dear friend of mine, Anna from Singapore, send me a private message and asked why I kept a silent mode with my blogs for the past days. Her email was warm and sincere, and full of inspiring words that would surely lift any sunken spirit. I know why she send me that mail. Having known her for quite sometime, I was sure that she was thinking that I was in trouble or some kind of crossroad.

But no, I am not having any quandary of any kind. In fact, I am in my best shape (gee.. I gained 25 lbs for the last 3 months) and in the best of spirits (I am meeting people here.. ehem!). And more importantly, I can shoot in Riyadh. Halleluiah!!!! I have wedding shoots, fashion shoots, and my favorite portraiture.

Yep, I could be in trouble, I could consider that. But not because of people or work or family... but because of my photography. Hehehe. Didn't you know that I shoot that Fighter Planes last week? And tried to publish it in my blog, only to hide the entry later after a comment from a friend in UK? Tsk tsk tsk.. adik kase!

My friend maybe right, I just didn't know it yet. But who does? I don't know.

And just few minutes ago, I gave my friend a ring. I assured her that I am very much okay, alive and kicking. I thank her for the concern and for the thoughtfulness.

full throttle

I was making my rounds for practice driving in the vicinity of RKH Hospital when I noticed 7 red single engine planes flying on a V-formation. It catches my attention because these planes usually fly on single flights, but today they were flying in groups and they were performing some acrobatics. Hmm... this is a nice subject to shoot, I thought. Slowly, I turned back my car and headed towards home.

On the way, I was half-hearted to take photographs of the plane. I was divided whether to continue my practice driving or should I go home and take pictures? My reservation was grounded on the risk that taking photographs of any military installation or machines is strictly prohibited in the Kingdom. And when I was about to decide to continue my rounds, I heard a loud noise of jets passing over my head.

Whoaaah!!!! I saw two squadrons of F-15s in the sky flying in V-formation. A minute later, another two squadrons of F-18s made a low altitude pass in full throttle. Gee, the noise was so loud it triggers the alarms of all parked cars in the streets.

That's it.

I pumped the gas pedal and hurried towards home. I was no longer thinking of the risk, and everything in my head was my camera. In 5 minutes, I reached home.. hurriedly grab my Canon 20D then fitted a Canon 70-200 f/2.8 L IS and a circular polarizer, and run in the stairway toward the rooftop.

Standing at the rooftop, I could see the Air Control Tower of the nearby Air Base, and the planes were far in the horizon making a round-about for the second pass. The adrenaline was pumping in my body like crazy. The excitement of capturing a good pictures of the planes and the fear of being spotted by military authorities was making me nervous like a porcupine. Crazy thoughts were already filling my head. "What if they could see me through a satellite just like in the movies? Would they send me to jail?" Huwaaahhh!!! crazy, crazy and more crazy thoughts.

After thirty minutes of waiting, I saw the first squadron approaching the Air Base. I hid among the boxes making sure that I was out of sight from the Air Control Tower, and then lifted my camera and started shooting. I made a hundred shots in just a minute. I reviewed it and but not happy with the result because majority were either blur or with bad-composition.

Five minutes later, the second squadron made another pass and performed an awesome herbst maneuver (J-turn) just few hundred meters above the ground. I was dumbfounded. Though I've seen those maneuvers in the Discovery Channel, boy, this was real... and I saw it. Hehehehehe.

I took over 500 shots with 90% garbage rate. Many were blurred, under-exposed or over-exposed, and a few dozens that were quite acceptable. It might not be of publishing quality, but I just console myself of the fact that taking pictures of fighter planes in the Kingdom is already an achievement.

Oh.. did I endanger my self for writing this blog? I guess so. Hah! Addict kase sa photography eh.

Bahala na si Batman...

sub zero

Arrrr!!!! It's freezing cold out here today. Fog is everywhere with visibility of less than 2 miles, humidity is 36%, temperature is officially at 0 degree Celcius and feels like -3 deg when wind is factored in, and the wind chill temperature is -11deg, sun is out, and mid-day luminance is like sundown.

There was no snow, just a numbing cold breeze and nose bleed inducing dust. But it's too much to bear for this egg-headed monkey who grows up in a tropical jungle in Mindanao. And this is just the 2nd day. According to weather forecast, this trend would continue in the next 5 days.

Huhuhu... why I am here in Saudi? Remind me again, please!!!!

Toastmasters

It was in the year 1990 when I first heard about the Toastmasters Club, when I was taking my OJT at the Iligan Cement Corporation. I did not actually care of knowing what the club is all about because I was too preoccupied with an ordeal of completing my studies.

However, I do remember my former OJT manager uses me as target audience every Friday afternoon. He would ask me to count how many "err", "ahh", "umm" and any inappropriate interjection he made. It was no easy job - believe me. He was a boring speaker and he got this nasty accent and a foul diction that I have to hold my breath just to avoid a burst of laughter every time he made a bubo of himself. At the end of every practice session, I would gladly give him inaccurate but pleasing results just to make him feel good. In return, he would give me a lift on my way home. I guess, I really made him feel great that he gave me an excellent OJT evaluation. Self-serving, eh? hehehehe

The second time I heard of Toastmaster was last year when I met Ditas the principal of Riyadh International School. She invited me to join the club - of which I was excited really - but she failed to tag me along in their meetings. It was not until I met Ben Lee last December in the Philippine Embassy when I got a formal invitation to join the club. That was 13 December.

Then last week, I got a call from a guy named Archie who introduced himself as a Toastmasters member. He confirmed the invitation extended by Ben last year, and informed me of the date for the first meeting for the year - which is today.

Ben was the first people who meet me at the club. I also saw Ditas who was very happy to see me. She was very proud to present me in the club as a professional photographer. (Err.. that was actually "too good" to be true). I also meet the famous Ron Jacobe whom I just learned hails from Cagayan de Oro.

I have to be honest, I felt like I was on the tip of my toes during the whole proceedings. I was worried that I would run out of my English vocabulary or worse get black out when asked by the moderators. Oh, they have the Ah counter - which explains that task from OJT days - and a grammarian who checks the grammar and logic of your speech. Scary, is it not?

Well, to sum it up. My first meeting was very exciting. I volunteered during the table topics discussion and made a little impression among the members. I think I going to like this cub. I am sure that they help me improve my speaking skills and my listening attitude too.