I'M ADDICTED TO FACEBOOK

Yes, I have to admit it. I am addicted to Facebook; not to Facebook itself, but to its applications such as Farm Town, Pet Society and Restaurant City. I just can't fight the urge of achieving a higher level and improving my site. I hate it, just hate it. It kills most of my time after work. Arrgggh!!!!

But what can I do? Instead of me studying, I am always glued to my laptop. Hate it, absolutely hate it! I think this is ludacris.

I think I should start resisting the temptation that Facebook offers.

This is what they call, "will power."

ON FATHER'S DAY

Dear Papa,

I want you to know that I will always be your little girl, though I already have my own little one. I still remember those times when you would come home for vacation from the ship that you were working with. Those were the times that I wasn't able to recognize that you are my father. I guess it's because you've been away for quite some time. Now I realized how painful my reaction towards you was and I want to say sorry for that.

I used to be so envious of my friends who always had their fathers with them, especially on special occasions because you were not. I didn't even know how hard was it for you to leave your family behind and be onshore for almost a year just to provide for our needs. Never did I say thank you for that.

Then came the time when you decided that you want to stop working. I didn't know why you had to stop where in fact I was still studying college and would be having more expenses for my studies than before. Afterwards, you suffered a heart attack, not once, not twice, but thrice, all in the same year, and we were thankful to God that you survived all those. Then we knew why you had to stop.

Papa, I want to thank you for being the wonderful person that you are, for being the best father and a good provider. I want to say sorry for all the shorcomings that I had and will have and for all the selfish acts I had shown.

Pa, there's always a special place for you in my heart, and each day that passes I am more grateful and proud just to call you my father. Thank you Papa for listening, caring, giving and sharing but most of all for loving us and being just the humble you.

I love you Papa and Happy Father's Day.

DEAR MCXENE

Dear Mcxene,

Hi baby.

I'm writing today to thank you, for giving me the best two years I've ever had in my life.

Today marks the second year when I went under the knife, felt the pain while being incised, transfered from one bed to another without any help 30 minutes postoperatively, and first saw my bundle of joy, Mcxene Leigh. She was just a tiny angel then weighing 3.5 kg and 55 cm in length.

I was full of fear before I gave birth to you, thinking if I would be worthy enough to be called a mother because I did not know anything about being one. But when you came along, my motherly instincts just came out naturally. I didn't know why, didn't know how... it just did. Two years of sleepless nights and restless days just to give you all the attention that you need and deserve and those two years that you have been with me have been the most wonderful. You have taught me how to appreciate those simple joys of life, to be thankful for everyday and have given me the strength to face each and every challenge especially when it concerns your welfare.
Those two years made me realize the reason why I was born, and that's to give birth to an angel, and that angel is you.

I love you my daughter.

Love,

Mommy

ON REMINISCING SAUDI ARABIA

During our breaktime, my colleague and I are talking about our experiences when we were still working in Saudi Arabia.

It was funny because our experiences were almost the same.

We both know that we have the vegetable of life in Saudi Arabia, and it's the ordinary lettuce. We call this as such because in Saudi, we have very limited ingredients whenever we cook something. We do not have kangkong, pechay, ampalaya leaves, or even the chow-chow (chayote) there. So be it sinigang, nilaga, monggo, tinolo, whatever dish you have in mind that you have to put some veggies on, I am 100% sure that lettuce will be a one of the ingredients.

Love life, oh yes. We all have one don't we? Both of us were in a relationship when we left the Philippines to Saudi Arabia. It's not just a simple relationship because both were already counting the years. Yet when we arrived in Saudi, both of our partners betrayed us and dated someone else. Typical ain't it?

And as we were both young back then, after the breakup along came other suitors. I really don't understand why old people in Saudi (particularly our Kabayans) are very judgmental when it comes to relationship. If they will see you going out will someone, they will brand you as a flirt, malandi, or BI! It's as if you're not allowed to date someone because they won't like it. I don't if they were envious because you still have a life while they don't, or is it because they didn't want to see someone else happy? What's worse is that you'll be the talk of the town for the next couple of months if you're seeing someone.

Last but not the least, we talked about the simplicity of Saudi life. Saudi, as we all know, is a conservative country. Even the facilities are very limited especially if you are living in the province, like we did. Weekends in Saudi are simple. Friends will usually go to a park (of course with a married couple so that it'll be safe for men and women to mingle) and have a picnic and that's it. We also talked about the never-ending birthday and maasalama parties that we have to attend even if we didn't know the celebrant.

We shared a good life talking about this and realized that we almost had the same experiences in Saudi Arabia; some were good and some were not, but one thing is for sure, and that is the lessons that we have learned from our experience there that helped us to be what we are right now.