Wordless Wednesday...

.....And the winner is....

Congratulations Manny Pacquiao!

Bunsoy

When I was  7, my Mama gave birth to a chinky eyed girl and she named that little girl Corinne Marie. I, on the other hand, was given the privilege to give her a nickname...hence, I called my little sister Coco. I remember when my Mama was still pregnant with our bunsoy how my sister, Minpi and I would often kneel down and pray that this time God gives us a baby brother. I guess Minpi and I were so bored that we needed a baby brother to put some life into our already growing family haha. So when Mama gave birth on November 16 some secret years ago and found out that she gave birth to a girl again, I remember getting mad at my Papa. I kept asking him why we had another girl when we prayed so hard to have a brother this time to which my father simply replied, "your sister is a gift from God, and only God knows what is best for our family." 

The first time I saw my sister, I got so excited, she had little hands and feet and she was so cute. Today I keep wondering what happened. hahaha just kidding Coco! All throughout the years, Coco remains to be the only sister I could not borrow clothes from when I was younger because she was always slim. Whereas I can always try my very best to fit into my other sister's clothes hehe. Now my bunsoy of a sister, is no longer that chinky eyed be-dimpled little girl that we can always manipulate hahaha and frighten out of her wits, no longer the little girl who would perform in front of the mirror when she thinks no one is looking. She is no longer the little girl who smelled bad after a weeklong vacation from the province (sorry I just had to say this!). And neither is she the little girl, who, we would hear muttering to herself pretending to be a movie star but rather someone who has built her own character, who has her own 7-year old kid but is still the same little girl who has captured our hearts when she was born. 

Happy Happy Birthday bunsoy! Remember Ate E is always here for you no matter where I am! I love you so much and your daughter Hope, too!

Eid Mubarak!

Hajj is yearly celebrated by Muslims all over the world, it is a pilgrimage to Mecca (most holy place in Islam) and is said to be one of the five pillars of Islam. For us Catholics, we celebrate Holy Week by purifying ourselves and follow certain practices until Easter.  They also do their own share of purification and it is a must that they should be in the state of Ihram before they trudge their way to the Holy City of Mecca. Ihram is the state of sacred purity that a follower must be in before performing the Hajj. 

On the other hand, i think it is also their way of celebrating new year or new life, correct me if am wrong. My husband and I went to the city to buy a couple of stuff at the Kadiwa. This is a small grocery store that most Filipinos frequent in Khobar as there are a lot of items from the Philippines that are sold here. And as we walked the streets I noticed that a lot of firecrackers were lined up and being sold, including stone-like scents. I don't know what these "stone-like scents" are called but will definitely ask my husband about it tomorrow :)

It's already 3:21 in the morning in this part of the world but before I doze off, I would like to greet all our Muslim brothers out there Eid Mubarak! 

Gerger

There is this one leafy veggie that I have began to like eating...and the locals call it Gerger. Back home gerger meant something else and, no offense meant, but am sure my gay friends would know what this means :) Gerger is also known as Arugula or Eruca Vesicaria. It is normally used in salads or eaten raw with Kabsa (Roast chicken served with Basmati rice). It has a peculiar taste which I find very pleasant. It tastes a bit like sesame seeds. I had a handful served along with fried fish over dinner this evening. I sprinkled my gerger salad with olive oil (which is quite inexpensive here). I made a mental note to squeeze a tad of lemon next time and fresh black pepper. And perhaps serve it with grapes and crumbled feta cheese. Yum!

To remove or not to remove....

A word of advice to friends and relatives please refrain from sharing this particular entry with my mother whose heart is not that strong to take any form of news about her grandchildren. Thank you.

Say "aah!"

My youngest son, since he was 2 years old, has been quite a snorer. My husband and I thought it was something   that he would outgrow. And several check-ups with different EENTs back home, advised us that his adenoids would still decrease as he grows older. Apparently, the Egyptian doctor who saw him yesterday thought otherwise. He said that if the size of my son's adenoids diminished in size, it would have done so by this time since he is already 5 years old. But according to the x-ray done on him, my son's adenoid has entirely blocked his nasal passage, reason why he breathes through his mouth. In addition to this, the doctor observed that even his tonsils has grown bigger than normal. Thus, he needs to go through a procedure called Adenotonsillectomy (a.k.a. T and A or Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy). The doctor assured us that it was a routine procedure and that we need not worry. However, I could not help but think if we would be given the same advise by his Pedia and the Eent's back home. 

Adenoids are soft bunch of tissues that protect children from getting sick; they function much the same way as tonsils by filtering out bacteria and viruses. My son's condition is called Adenoid Hypertrophy (Enlarged adenoid). I have read several articles regarding the removal of adenoids and it's effect on the child although the positive results outweigh the articles that says "no don't have them removed", I feel the need to know and feel confident that this would be the best option for my son. 

Abaya here Abaya there

Friends and relatives back in the Philippines who have seen my pictures wearing an abaya has often commented that I wear it like a pro (not like a pro=poquita but like a pro=as if i've been born wearing one, let's be clear about that haha). Most say I look more feminine... now sometimes this statement gets me thinking... back in the Philippines did I look more masculine than otherwise? But surely my husband would not have fallen in love with me if I did. Unless he like masculine-looking girls. hahaha sorry but the four walls of our room plus 3 kids trying to get my undivided attention all at the same time is driving me a little nuts. 

Wearing the abaya is quite complicated I thought it was just a matter of wearing it everytime we go out. Hence, when my husband took me out for the first time to buy my own abaya, I chose one with a pretty design. However, while recounting to him some trivial stuff that I have observed while hanging our just laundered clothes on the rooftop, my husband asked me whether I went out wearing my abaya. I recall feeling a bit cold when I said "no, I was wearing my sleeveless sundress" and he replied (complete with his scary wide eye look) "you should have worn your abaya because the locals can see you from their own buildings."  Oops okay I never thought about that.... I thought it was safe for me to go out in the open on our own rooftop without the abaya on. So...

Now everytime I need to go to the rooftop to hang our clothes, I need to wear the abaya, which is actually such a hassle. First, because the abaya I chose does not have any buttons in front so I have to wear it like a shirt (meaning through the wide neckline). Second, because I have to take it off again when I enter the laundry room lest I wet the hem of my black long gear :)  

Well, looking at the bright side at least I look more feminine and plus the great thing is I can hide my love handles. No one would ever guess how much "skin" I need to hide underneath. hahaha

Wordless Wednesday

either he feels cold or is playing pretend as a pilot while scratching his nose

my bunso finds out I was taking his picture

but he smiles for me anyway... i love this little boy so much :)