Gastritis

I do have Gastritis. After paying 156 BD (1560SR) in Bahrain International Hospital to have another check-up, it was confirmed that I have Gastritis. It might have been brought up by stress (probably because of moving and finishing work in my current company), food (eating a lot of spicy foods), or improper diet (eating a lot of steaks, soda, greasy burgers and bratwursts). I also had a Barium Xray. The Barium should coat my stomach lining so that they can Xray it. Well, first, they asked me to take these small granules ( I think they're Bicarbonate of Soda) on my mouth and then wash it with the Barium fluid. The granules are like the popping-candies you buy on candy shops except that the reaction with the Barium isn't as pleasant. They fizzle a bit in your mouth and then gives out gas so you have to swallow the Barium and granules while your mouth becomes full of gas. And then you have to turn from side to side, around 360, 180 and so forth as they take the Xray. It lasted about 30 minutes. A call in the afternoon confirmed that it wasn't bacteria which was causing the gastritis. So it could be any of the mentioned above or it could be all. In any case, I need to go on a diet!

Xiane's upcoming Birthday

It is going to be Xiane's 2nd Birthday this Friday. Imagine, she's already 2 years old! She does act a lot more like a 2 1/2 year old kid though. She now knows her mom's favorite shows ("Mga Anghel na Walang Langit" and "Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin") and shouts "John Lloyd" like a fan wailing at her idol. She reads stories to her dolls with the books that her Mamita sent her. She goes "Na mi na mi nam Snow White...Na mi na mi nam Prince...Na mi na mi nam Horse". She's using the "Na mi na mi nam" as a filler and goes "aaaa" or "mmmm" as if she's thinking of her next sentence. Or she goes "Of course" or "and then" in between her story reading. She likes jumping on the bed, dancing like Belle (I'm the Beast) or Cinderella (I'm the Prince Charming) when I'm around, or acting like Snow White being kissed by his Prince. She tries to copy Barbie dancing the ballet. She always gets noticed when we go out. It might be because of her curly hair, or the whatever. One time, a Bahraini man who saw her at the Mall jokingly offered to "buy" her for 40,000 BD. No way! On small grocery shops, owners would offer her candies, fruits or crackers. People who see her tell us she's tall for her age. I do hope so. When we do our groceries, you would see kids who just follow their mom and dad or stay contented on the carts. Not Xiane. She'd try to go around, looking at the items, looking at people. On Friday, we're taking her to a Kid's Playground for her to enjoy her birthday. I don't really know the name of the place but will update you come next week. Her mom asked her yesterday what she wanted for her birthday and she said "blow". So we'll buy her a cake for her to blow on Friday!

Pop-ups and Linking

I just spent some time adding links to my blogs and placing a script for links to open up in a new window instead of "hijacking" my blog window.

The Smile

The Smile that could launch a thousand Ships

Xiane the Cat

Xiane the Cat

No Electricity in our Building

At about 11 PM last night, we suddenly found ourselves buying candles from a "cold" store near us. It was back to Philippines again! We lost electricity in our building and nearby buildings. People were frantically dialing the Ministry of Electricity to have them check on the problem. The thing with losing electricity in Bahrain, at summertime, is just that. Temperatures at night stay to about 25-30 degrees plus consider the humidity. We called the Ministry every 30 minutes to check if they had sent someone. "Inshallah" - God willing: this means that we may never know if they actually had sent someone or if we were waiting for Godot. By 2 PM, electricity came.. but happiness was short-lived as it died at about 4. Now Mavis was complaining and I was really sleepy. She called once more and got electricity back after 15 minutes. Then we lost it again and didn't get it back till 3 in the afternoon today. I better pay my electricity bill this week ;)

Pain!

I had to take myself to the Hospital the other day. I suddenly felt abdominal pains on my right side. The pain was tolerable but never having been able to feel that before, I decided to go the hospital to have it checked. I took 2 antacids at 2:00 PM, called the office to tell them I won't be coming back, tried to sleep it off but woke up still having the pain. I felt bloated but didn't throw up, though I tried to force myself to. By 5 PM, we were at the Emergency room of Bahrain Specialist Hospital, with the nurse getting blood samples onto three (3) vials and having an IV needle placed on my right hand. They suggested that an Ultrasound be done so I had to finish about 1000ml of water to get my kidneys full. Mavis and I were telling Xiane that they're going to check the baby twins in my tummy. He he he.

The doctor thought is was an inflamed appendix which is causing the pain but to be sure, he suggested that I undergo a CT Scan. As I was lying down on the CT Scan bed, I was hoping it wasn't appendicitis for they would surely cut me open and we'd miss Desperate Housewives, Lost and 2 more CSI's. We already missed the early Extreme Makeover and CSI at 7 as it was already about 8:30. They tried to pump some Iodine through the IV but was told that the needle was too small. Eventually, they felt that they didn't get a clear image of my body so they asked me to guzzle down 1500ML more of water and come back in 2 hours. Later did I find out that the water is actually mixed with Iodine. The iodine solution, also referred to as "contrast", makes the bowel show up more clearly on the CT images, so that it can be more easily differentiated from other organs in your abdomen. After 2 hours, we came back for my CT Scan. Another general surgeon came in to inspect me while I was on the CT Scan table. After sometime, he told me that he doesn't think that it was appendicitis as I would have not been able to move at all and the pain subsided instead of escalating. He was telling me that I should stay in the Hospital for the night for them to observe me but told them that I'd rather stay home and be more comfortable.

I still feel a bit uneasy at times and am feeling weak right now. Still, I don't know what happened nor what caused it and hopefully, I'll get better in the next few days. My doctor sister tells me that it might be Gastritis... need to research on that.

"Balikbayan Box"

We spent almost the whole day, friday, to pack some of our stuff to be sent to the Philippines and to Qatar. A week ago, Mavis was soooo excited at the thought of sending a "Balikbayan Box" to the Philippines. A "Balikbayan Box" is supposed to be a box filled with goodies and stuff that you send back home for your family and relatives. "Balik" means return, while "Bayan" means country. We usually bring our "pasalubong"/gifts to our families by placing them on our luggages when we come home. So this time, we we're going to shop and have them sent through cargo. The thought of family actually opening the box and trying to set aside items for their use is what makes us excited. I remember when dad sends/brings these boxes home. Everyone stands in front of the box being opened and tries to see if the item being lifted out of the box had their name on it. Or grabbed items that we want to claim. And the smell of the box is actually different. Intoxicating. He he he he. But it does smell different, i don't know why. Mavis and I had our budget to spend. So we went to Geant. It's actually a supermarket but sells items that you can possibly think of; electronics, perfume, clothes, shoes, gardening, etc. We went to buy them lotions, sandals, dishwashing liquid, chocolates, coffee, deodorant, some baby items... anything you can think of. I also packed my 5.1 Harman Kardon 3000 Audio Video Receiver for my dad-in-law. Have used that for about 3 years and it really is a great receiver but decided that it was time to part with it. My dad-in-law would really like it since he is into music and stuff, but I don't know if he's that audio-tech savvy enough to fix and make use of the receiver. Well, he is in Japan right now so we'll have to see when he comes back to the Philippines this October/November. Otherwise, he has to wait for me to come home to set it up for him. Then for my mom, we decided to send our 29" JVC flat TV home. We bought her a 21' inch flat TV last year and bought dad an Audio Component but decided to give her our TV since we just plan to buy a new one in Qatar. I just don't know if the TV cart that they have at home would be able to carry the weight of the TV. We even haven't told her yet of the TV! Last Saturday morning, Forex Cargo came to get the boxes. We sent a pair to Angeles and sent another to Baguio. Since we are shipping the items, it would take roughly a month before they reach their destinations. If only we could take photos of them while opening the boxes ;)

I'm married to someone named MAYIS

I am married to someone named MAYIS. When we moved to Bahrain, I was suddenly living with someone named MAYIS. Looking at her residence permit, it clearly says MAYIS. Her Medical card has MAYIS as the name. And now, her visa to Qatar states her name as MAYIS.

Darth Plagueis the Wise

My theory: It was said that Darth Plagueis was so powerful that he was able to manipulate the midichlorians and create life itself. Anakin on the other hand, was conceived without a father and was supposed to be the chosen one, the one who would bring balance to the force. Now, Darth Plagueis apprentice was Darth Sidious who eventually killed him. I think that Darth Plagueis foresaw his death to Darth Sidious and actually "created" Anakin to avenge his death. In so doing, moving past to Episode VI, it was actually Anakin/Darth Vader who killed Darth Sidious, avenged the death of Darth Plagueis, his creator, and eventually bringing out balance to the Force as prophesized.

The Final Exit

We went to Saudi yesterday to do our Final Exit, that means, our resident visas would be cancelled and we can never go back to Saudi again unless someone sponsors us. Paperwork was completed in the morning and we spent the day in Damman with friends. We had "Kare-Kare, a viand of beef tripe and ox's tail with peanut butter sauce, for lunch. Mavis and I were able to chat with Fe and Ranel, Xiane was able to play with Enzo and I also got to sleep after lunch. By 5:30 pm, we said our goodbyes and went to BabyShop in Khobar to buy Xiane some clothes and stuff then drove to the Saudi-Bahrain Causeway to get back to Bahrain. It was supposed to be an easy exit, but it wasn't to be. We got stopped on the Saudi Customs as the guy told us that we have to ride the bus to get out of Saudi? What? I was driving my car, now registered in Bahrain, and they want us to go back to Khobar, get on a bus to exit? This was their S.O.P. with regards to people exiting Saudi. I guess riding a Bus, typically a bus which takes you to the airport as you have a ticket back to your home country, ensures that you won't be staying in Bahrain without a valid resident Visa. I parked as told, my knees already getting weak, as I know this would be another one of those long battles. I asked the guy if I could talk to the Captain so I could explain to him my situation; I have a valid resident visa in Bahrain, my car is registered in Bahrain, and I can stay in Bahrain till 2007. He led me to the Captain and he spoke to the Captain in Arabic. The Captain said something and the guy I was talking to led me out and told me again, that I had to take the bus. I kept explaing to him the situation, which I don't think he actually understands as he spoke more Arabic and the only English words he spoke were "Bus", "Exit", and more "Bus". After 5 minutes of explaining and showing him the Bahrain visas, he decided to talk to another guy about it. I again, explained the same thing to the guy, over and over again, and I got the same response. So he took me inside to consult another guy and I had to explain the same thing again. This time, the guy understood the circumstances and talked to the Captain again. This time, the Captain agreed that we could go to Bahrain on my car. So I drove back to where you have to get the vehicle pass and then proceeded to the custom line for our passport check. Again, we were stopped, faced the same dillema and I had to go back inside the custom office to talk to the Captain again. It is really frustrating to explain things over and over again. I was escorted to the toll were we lined up and got our passports stamped. Whew. The whole ordeal took us about an hour. What can I say? I'm just glad that we're already here in Bahrain and that everything was resolved. ;)

Revenge of the Sith with Xiane

Do do do do do do do do do (Imagine Xiane singing Darth Vader's theme song) The plan was for me to watch Return of the Sith (RotS) on Friday next week while Mavis takes care of Xiane at home and Mavis watching the movie the next day while I look after Xiane in the Mall. Last Friday, we got to the Mall just to take Xiane out and let her see Darth Vader. Yup. A lifesize replica of Darth Vader was in Dana Mall, encased in plexiglass. Since Xiane came to know about Darth Vader through our DVDs (having all Starwars DVD's at home) and teaching her how to hum Darth Vader's theme song, she has been fascinated, albeit a bit scared, with him. That doesn't stop her from staring at the lifesize replica, humming his song and saying "dart vader","sword" (for his lightsaber) , "tormpooper" (for the other replica of the Stormtroopers which you can also fin in the Mall. So as Xiane was there, talking to Darth Vader, Mavis had an idea. She asked the ticketing people if we can take our almost 2 year old baby to watch Starwars. They said yes, we can. They were saying that other people even take their babies with them inside the cinema and it is not forbidden. With that, we immediately got two tickets (Xiane was free to enter) and prayed that Xiane wouldn't be too noisy while in the Cinema. we bought chips, popcorn and more chips to at least keep her entertained if she gets bored. She kept asking "wat dat" (what's that?) while pointing to the big screeen in front of us. Then the movie started. It was actually nerve wracking to watch the movie. Not because of the movie but because Xiane was there. Well, she was quiet most of the time, only when you get big scenes would you hear hear talk. It was good that some parts were quite loud to drown Xiane's voice while she kept saying "dart vader, "yoder" (for Yoda), "face" (closeup shots), "crying" (for the more dramatic scenes), "sword", etc... After about 3 hours, the movie ended. We survived our first movie in a cinema with Xiane! For those who were in the cinema that night, I can't help it, I am a Starwars fan and so is my toddler.

Lost!

We were looking for the Panasonic office last night to buy the GS400 that I ordered. I called a guy named Tanvir the other day ask where the offie is and he told me that it was just near the Gold City Building. I thought it would be easy to find since it's Panasonic and everybody knows Panasonic right? Mavis was trying to withdraw some cash while Xiane and I waited in the car. A few minutes pass, Mavis comes and says "Bad news". She apparently forgot her PIN number, tried it thrice, and never got to see her card again. I stepped down and tried to withdraw cash from the same ATM with my card. Voila! 500BD in just minutes. So off we went to Gold City. Parked in a tight space and walked towards Gold City. but where exactly? I forgot to note down the mobile no. of the guy I was talking to. We went walking around, asking for the Panasonic Office, got directed to a building, found Panasonic signages but not the office itself, walked back, asked some more and finally gave up after more than 30 minutes of walking around. Whew! and it was so hot and humid! Anyway, I called Tanvir again, asked for directions and got his mobile number. Hopefully, tonight, we'd get our hands on that elusive Video camera.

Resigning is not the easiest thing to do...

It all depends on where you're coming from and if legal circumstances doesn't prohibit you. I mean, if you are working for a really bad company, it is as easy as going to your Manager, giving him the resignation paper, walking out of the room with a smile on your face. But if you love your job, enjoy doing what you are doing, having fun at the same time, then it takes a lot of courage to walk into your Managers' office. I've been trying to hold it off for as long as I could but it needs to be done. I spent days and nights thinking of what to do, how would they react and how would I respond to their reactions, and if I'd come out of the Managers' office alive after I tell him and dissapoint him with my resignation. Not only that, my Direct Supervisor was in Rome, so it's either I wait for her to come back to Bahrain in a week's time or is it ethical enough to tell her by phone. Arrrgghhh! I talked to my Manager last Sunday and talked to my Direct Supervisor by phone yesterday. I came out alive. I did it. It is not easy, I tell you. Knowing that people expect something from you, that they depend on you and then tell them that you are leaving, is not easy especially if nothing is wrong with your job. But life is life, ces't la vie, life goes on, etc... My Manager even told me, if he found out that I didn't accept the job being offerd to me in Qatar, he'll fire me even. that made me feel a bit better, knowing that my Manager understands my situation and that he supports my decision somehow. Thanks. XXX

Qatar, here we come!

I decided not to post anything on my blog since the last time I updated it because of a reason. The title says it all. Qatar, here we come! I didn't want to spoil anything by blogging about the things that has been happening as it might affect the outcome of my resignation from my company and hiring from the new company I'm joining. I have been enjoying life in Bahrain, no doubt. I think you'll enjoy life anywhere else but Saudi. He he he. But really, when Mavis and I decided to move to Bahrain, it wasn't about the money. I was offered much less than what I was getting in Aramco. Aramco even upped the contract to increase the salary I was getting but I was already decided. We chose to go to Bahrain because we wanted to live a life with a bit of normalcy in a sense. Being an "open city", Bahrain actually gives you that feeling. We were able to take strolls outside the house, go to the mall and eat out without anybody staring at us, we can stay close with each other while walking, people are friendlier and a lot of them can speak English... all that stuff and more which you can't find in Saudi. Work is also great. The team is great! I've been the lead project leader for the upgrade of the company's internet site while also maintaining the current one. I have two (2) very competent guys in our team who needs little assistance with the jobs being delegated. Colleagues are great and Management has supported and listened to our needs since day 1. Then, I received an email and a phone call. I wasn't really that excited about it at first as I love my job and moving is very tiring. We've just been here for three (3) months. But Mavis pushed me to go have a look at it and see if it's something worth giving attention to. So off I went to Qatar, did medical exams and attended 7 interviews (more details in my next blog), all in one day! I got the offer, talked to Mavis about it, sat on it, slept on it, talked about it even more and decided. We are moving to Qatar. XXX

Video Camera

It's so difficult to decide what Video Camera I would buy. I've been holding it off since 2 years ago as I was hoping that a cheaper yet better option would pop up from manufacturers. Well, Panasonic came out with their "affordable" line of 3 CCD camcorders. On the top of the list is the PV-GS400. Next is the PV-GS250. The real difference between the two (2) is that the former takes better still shots than the latter. Plus the price of course. The GS400 runs to about US$1400 while the GS250 runs for about US$1000. Well, I've been researching again and found out the the Panasonic AG-DVC30 is a professional model with better CD than the 2. And it will set me back for US$1800. Why Panasonic? I think Sony is too hyped and high priced. JVC doesn't really put out excellent cameras. And Panasonic has been one to push the delivery of 3CCD cameras to the masses. The thing with me is that I'm an enthusiast in a sense. I do have a major in Film and Audio Visual Communication and my interest with film, be it moving or still, has never really faded. That is why I'm quite picky about this stuff. Anyway, since I'm in Bahrain, prices quoted above would be much higher here and that is also the reason why I was asking Ricardo to pick one up for me when he goes to the US next month. But that might not be possible for some reason. I already called Panasonic Bahrain and asked them of the availability of the AG-DVC30. I'm expecting a call from them today. Hopefully, the price comes close to the price in the US. Wish me luck. XXX

Monday Night

Mavis and I usually follow a schedule when it comes to televiewing. Our schedule would sometimes be so tight that you only have time to go and pee when the program finishes. The channels that we watch usually don't place commercials while the program is running. Monday is usually the tightest. You start off earlywith Extreme Makeover, then move to CSI: Las Vegas. After about 30 minutes, a movie is shown in another channel. However, Desperate Housewives begins in another channel followed by Lost. These two shows get the priority so we just forget about the movie being shown on the other channel. Then after Lost, we move back to the channel which showed the movie and wait for CSI:Manhattan/New York followed by CSI:Las Vegas. The other channel would be showing Band of Brothers but the CSIs are what we follow. Often times, I get to sleep before they finish as it would already be past midnight. And that is our monday night. This week though, they changed programming and would be moving Desperate Housewives and Lost for tomorrow. so we have about 2 hours of open time IF the movie they show on the other channel is not that good....(open a new browser window and researches...)... Murder by the Numbers. Sandra Bullock. Hmm..might be a good film. XXX

We lost!!!

Damn it! We lost at the Webbys! Anyway, it was a fun ride. Imagine all the people who visited the site (Pirates, Poets and Passion) and voted for us. Thanks! The guy who won for his site needs your help though. If you guys have mucho dinero... send him to the Webbys. I actually like his site. Basic HTML stuff, lots of creativity and imagination. Somehow, I knew that if we're to lose, it would be to him. Congratulations and goodluck on your campaign! XXX

No Flowers on our Anniversary

I asked our secretary a favor the other week as Mavis and I are to have our Wedding Anniversary. A bunch of flowers were supposed to be delivered to the Flat on May 5 to surprise my wife. It's been such a long time since I gave Mavis flowers and thought that at least, on our anniversary, I'd be able to give her flowers. As I was in the office the whole day, I was actually expecting her to call me once she gets the flowers as I know she'd be surprised. Well, the flowers never came. I arrived at the Flat at about 5:30 P.M. and was hoping they already arrived. They never did. I did tell her that I ordered the flowers for her and at least she appreciated that I did ;) XXX

No more Circuses, KFC and JLO

Mavis and I are never going to see animals in the circus again, eat at KFC nor buy any products from JLO again. And so should you! Go visit www.peta.org to find out how they treat the animals in circuses, or how suppliers of KFC brings you your finger-lickin good chicken, or how animals are stripped of their fur while danggling and still alive. I hate to be that graphic but sometimes it is what is needed to actually convince people to see. With regards to KFC and the likes, suppliers in the Middle East are quite different. For animals to be good for consumption, they must be "Halal" (lawful according to Islam) and slaughtered ( Zabihah) according to Islamic Rites. Well, it's not the religion issue which is the main concern but it is with regards to the way they have to slaughter the animals for consumption. In order to be suitable for consumption, the animal should be put down on the ground (or held it if it is small) and its throat should be slit with a very sharp knife to make sure that the 3 main blood vessels are cut. At least this ensures that the animal is going to die a short death and makes sure that the animal is really dead before anything is done to it ie. boiling, stripping or whatever. But though we're here in the Middle East, and suupliers are better than what they have in the US, eating at KFC here would mean supporting KFC itself. So Mavis and I decided not to eat KFC anymore. Go look at the videos in www.peta.org and decide for yourself. XXX