A friend called  a week ago asking for any available Halloween costume I might have in our closet.  Her son should come in his best Halloween outfit not necessarily scary but was encouraged to be unique.  She told me that almost all children come in costumary cartoon characters outfits while the braver ones used scary masks and all sorts of spooky make-ups and they wanted to be different this time.   Well, since my children all all grown up, I had already given away all of their small clothes, all school  costumes- used for United Nations parade, Halloween, Nutrition month, their Santa outfits… what else?  So, I can only suggest (as if I am a fashion guru..lol) and we found a 1970s afro wig and told her that maybe she can have her son used it as Michael Jackson come to life and apply very pale make-up and touch of dark color to circle around the eyes.   That’s all I was able to suggest and hopefully  she liked it.    I  believe there are a lot of toys and novelty shops here that sell masks and wigs and you can be different in a way if you will be more creative.    Afterall, you will only be using it once a year and not necessarily you have to buy expensive outfits.

The next day when I reported to work,  the phone was busy with two of my officemates comparing notes about Halloween costumes they had prepared for their children and were excited too!

I mused and said to myself,   dare to be different… creativity is the key!

The culmination of a month long preparation for the Family Fun day happened yesterday at Philippine Embassy ground.

This morning, I woke up with sore legs which  I believe is  due to long hours of standing, walking and running because being one of the organizer of the event, we can’t afford to just sit down and watch the event unfolds.  It was a big event, very well attended despite of our initial worries that the weather might deter the families from coming.  It was still hot at 42 deg. Centigrade at noon and the children are expected to become uneasy.  However, we were glad that many families stayed till the end of the program braving the weather.   I bet, most of them applied a sunblock lotion before the day starts and re apply every now and then.   Admittedly, I was one of them who dreaded the after effect of long sun exposure.  So, I prepared a wide brimmed hat, a light weight jacket to cover my arms and applied sun block lotion plus a bag full of mineral water to help replenish lost fluids.   Believe me, since it is dry here, I hardly experience any sweat at all despite our vigorous movements of running, jumping.

People started to come as early as 8:00 a.m. and program started with parade of colors. After the usual opening remarks and pep talks, the  fun began at half past 9:00 am.   The mood was festive and exciting!  The children and adults alike enjoyed the games!

The kids enjoyed the game except this little boy..  I guess he was bored and sleepy!

Obviously, the adults had their share of fun!

We retired to bed that night exhausted but fulfilled because the event was fun filled and people  enjoyed bonding with old and new friends.  We were thankful that no casualties happened and the lucky ones went home with raffle draw prizes.

Success we may call it!

We belong to a Filipino community that is family oriented and Christ centered since 2002.  One of our project is the ANCOP (acronym for ANSWERING THE CRY OF THE POOR) aimed to help the needy especially our fellow Filipinos.  We conceived a Family Fun day and it was on the drawing board for more than a month. The plan is to organize a gathering aimed to bond a community of families thru prepared parlor games, board games and entertainments.

As the day of the event drew near, we exhausted all our efforts to come up with an activity that everybody will enjoy, thus we have successive meetings.   Final preparation was discussed the night before the big day!

The activity was set Friday, 01 October 2010 at Philippine Embassy quadrangle.

We are more than glad that we had already visited Hong Kong before the celebrated hostage drama happened in Manila.   This very unfortunate incident was broadcasted and criticized by millions of people.  The Hong Kong government warned their citizens from traveling to Manila!  And we Filipinos have this second thoughts of going this time because the “issues” are still hot.

As I mused about that news, I told my husband that it’s good last December we already had visited Disneyland.  Our family made few good side trips to Hongkong before but Disneyland was still non -existent so, when it was announced that it is already operational, the family planned to go again and my immediate family  especially my Mom whose been wishing to tour Hong Kong are included in the group tour.

We started mapping up our trip as early January 2009, purchased tickets  on line by mid-March and excitedly counted the days and months till the big day.  We came in 3 separate groups.    My husband , my youngest son and me travelled from Riyadh to Hongkong,  another batch; my sister and her family came all the way from Australia and the last batch of 8 people came from Manila.  So, we , the first 2 batches met them in the airport for a happy reunion in Hongkong.   Since, we  know more or less how to go about in that place, we acted as their tourist guide.  Hong Kong is a haven for tourist.

Going out in a big group is terrible but fun!  For first timers in Hong Kong like my Mom and my siblings along with my nephews and nieces,  they were in awe at the majestic view of Victoria Harbour especially at night.   We spent our whole day in Disneyland, next day, we went to Ocean Park, The Peak and many places that offered a lot of good memories.   We were impressed too with their  transport system especially the MTR (Hongkong train ) which is very quick and efficient.  The overall impression and the tour itself is very fulfilling.

Well for now, we just have to wait till the bitter memories died down.   We don’t have any immediate plans  of going back to Hong Kong.  We might as well  explore more our country -the Philippines.

It  promises beautiful sceneries as well.

Nowadays, more and more people are entertaining guests at home to save money.  Well, of course, it depends on the number of invitees.    It is a dilemma for any host/hostess if there will be an overflowing  friends and families and not enough space for everyone.  So, we should be very careful when planning for a party. 

One tried and tested solution is to put up a buffet table  in the center of the room where people can help themselves and will encourage more mingling amongst the guests and would allow the host/hostess to enjoy the party.   The ever dependable chafing disks will save you from all the troubles.   The food stays warm during the party-the source of the heat is that from the spirit lamp or gas flame beneath the metal dish. 

We attended the  Birthday celebration of a friend the other day and it was held in their flat.  The tables were elegantly decorated and my friend’s wife was saved from all the hassles because they ordered from a local caterer.  The food was tasteful and inviting that is why we were not able to resist the temptation to try almost all of them including the desserts.

Well, we jokingly are telling friends that we are on “see foods diet” we eat when we see food.   Oh well, tomorrow is another day- to start thinking of our diet.

A friend put up a contest for best baby name we could suggest to them.   Choosing a baby name is hard so they are asking help from us.   Maybe they are looking for something different but have not come across the right name and now our couple friend are  asking us to share the trouble of coming up with names.  Whew!  Tough job! 

Before, I also had the same dilemma giving my 3 children their names.  But I got the inspiration for my daughter’s name from combining the first name of me and my husband’s while for my 2 boys, we took the first name of his father and combined it with a foreign sounding name while the other one took his  from his maternal grandfather’s.  But all of their nicknames start with letter “K”.

 Baby book with list of possible baby names are abound or you may  get inspiration from your relatives, pop stars, Presidents, heroes, saints, cartoon characters, what have you.  If you want a unique name, go ahead.. just make sure that your child will not blame you later on for giving him/her that out of this world first name.

Barracky? Britney? Dyesebel?  Oh well, it’s good I am past that stage with babies!

Sandstorm is prevalent in Saudi Arabia and here in Riyadh, we had experienced one worst sandstorm last year.  It was scary because it was zero visibility and accidents left and right occured.  Fine dust parcticles are blown from the desserts to long distances and it signals the onset of dry and hot summer months.   We are already used to occassional sandstorms so we always have facemask handy because you can never tell when the dust will pollute your air.   You will get tired cleaning your house because dust accumulate fast and your laundry will be a casualty if you forget to store it away. 

Oh well, it is no longer an extraordinary occurence for us.  So, we are always ready!

Seeing the 2 year old son of our colleague who was in pain broke my heart.  The little boy was scalded with a boiling pot of hot coffee when he reached for it on the table.   His mom just went to the living room to answer a phone call and that unfortunate incident happened.  As he was rushed to the Emergency room of a nearby hospital, I can’t help but recall what happened to my daughter who fell from the top of a double deck bed in the dormitory.  It was a freak accident when the railing of her bed collapsed.  We can’t do anything but to pray for her because we are miles away from them.   Her older brother assisted her throughout her ordeal and it was  good that they have good presence of mind and never panicked at all. 

Sadly, she was rushed to a government hospital who turned her down because they told them that they don’t have available machine for CT scan.  As per my instructions, she needed to have a CT scan done because she fell head first and we were worried about of internal hemorrhage.   She was then referred to another government hospital and waited for an hour.  It’s a pity especially those patients who can’t afford private clinics or hospitals.  YOu are a patient so that means you need to be patient with poor service.  Kidding aside, when I heard that sad story, I told them that next time ( I hope there will be no more), go to a private hospital instead.  We are most willing to pay rather than getting shabby treatment from some staff who belittle people whom they believe can not pay.

So sad…

A get-together with my High school batchmates took us as far as Tagaytay City- 2 hours drive from Manila.   We wanted to get the feel of the cool weather in that hilly city so we trooped there for a change.We  particularly liked  the lunch served in a Spanish inspired restaurant and we enjoyed the  clear view of the Taal volcano from afar.  We had been talking about and were excited to see the well  known Zipline attraction which promises a rush of adrenaline to those who will dare tried the ride.  I’ve been telling my friends that I had this fear of heights and trying it is unthinkable.   Due to much prodding, I was challenged!  I haven’t made up my mind yet but a buddy had already purchased tickets for both us.  So, no more backing out!  OMG, while we are getting prepared and harness safely strapped around me, I can’t help but feel the loud pounding of my heart and my mind kept dictating that I have to speak out that I can’t do it! I wanted to run away in an instant but how can I?  I was tied up.  So, when they pushed us away, armed with prayers as we descend through the forest up to the other side and 300 feet off the ground, I  pretended that it is not scary.  In the long run,  I  enjoyed the experience of flying like Superman.  What I did was to look ahead, open my arms like flying wings and did not look a the bottom for the more it will scare me.    It was an exhillarating fun ride as we glided along a suspended steel cable and I will never forget the experience.  Whew!

I was perspiring all throughout when we reached the other side of the cliff bu at it was a relief that I made it… Yehey!  I was so proud to have conqured my fear!

Will I try it the next time around?  Nah!  Not anymore… I had tried it once… please no more….