Museum of Islamic Art

It was one Friday evening when finally I had set foot on the Museum of Islamic Art.

I’ve been urging Hamude to go with me but he would rather drag me to the mall or somewhere else.

After a few begging he had finally given in – thanks also to his friend’s wife who happened to work there for pushing him a little to go.

I am on the course of finding other things to do here in Doha aside from being a mall rat still and window shop and watch movies and other things that I can do inside a mall’s limits.

We arrived there at almost 30 minutes past 6 in the evening.

The cold breeze is still there but even so, some families, like us, had taken time to go out and check what’s in for us at the museum.

It reminded me of the movie “Night of the Museum”.

It may not have Dinosaur skeletons, fossils or remains but it was still quite a very good experience.

The landscape and architectural design of the museum’s façade is breath-taking.

We had taken the lift going to the 2nd floor.

There is a big fountain where photo ops would really look stunning – unfortunately our camera’s battery was already drained by the time we got there.

What we had seen are mostly antiques.

It ranged from chinas, kitchenwares, soldiers’ masks, even bathrobes, portraits, carpets, different sizes of Qur’an, etc.

You’ll find it amusing that those things exist and were set aside for us to see and admire.

If you have time, drop by the museum and you’ll discover more stuffs.

Believe me, it is indeed a simple way to exercise those brain cells up there.

Some snapshots below...

Ciao!

...a Golden Mask



...the Qur'an



... Qur'an's Cover

Back to Normal

At last, I had enough rest and sleep and was able to adjust to the time.

I was able to visit my relatives too.

My dad was always asking on when I will go to Manila.

The Barangay Elections will still be on the 25th of this month, so to save myself from the hassle of being stuck in traffic, I had decided to go there after All Saints/Souls Day so that I can maximize the travel.

My brother will be running for the elections as a Councilor for the Youth’s Sector, the Sangguniang Kabataan and for sure this week will be a busy week too.

I still need to drop by the Recruitment Agency to have my papers processed from their side instead of lining up in the POEA Office.

Some errands before the bazaar need to be attended to.

Hopefully, we can get the most out of it.

I am excited to see my friends from Globe Telecom and also about the bazaar.

Fun, laughter and more stories are ahead of me for sure!

It’s Raining!

Typhoon Juan had made himself noticed and felt in most of the provinces in the Northern Philippines.

Even so, we can feel him too in Batangas.

It was raining since the night before and the whole day today.

And the cold weather made me so sleepy.

I slept at around 11 AM and woke up at 3 PM just to pee and returned on my bed and got up at 8 PM.

My brothers said that it was a newly found hobby for me.

It maybe because of the time difference thus the sleepiness.

I was not able to visit my relatives just yet.

I was a little upset too as signal was very poor too.

I cannot make outgoing calls using my roaming phones so my boyfriend and I had no choice but chat via Facebook.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a sunny one.

Horror Night

I had brought my laptop and External Hard Drive with me.

My brothers and I had decided to watch Drag Me To Hell.

We were lying on the floor and after 15 minutes I can feel that I cannot hold my sleepiness anymore.

Jake, my 3rd brother said he will go to his room and sleep since he has exams the next morning.

Then, I cannot remember what happened and suddenly it was already 6 AM!

While having breakfast, Julius, our youngest brother was having fun of us.

Unfortunately, he is the only one who finished the movie.

The rest of us had dozed off.

Touch Down

After almost 8 hours of sitting on the plane, it’s time for Touch Down.

We could have landed 30 minutes earlier but since the weather is not good, we kept on rounding before we finally landed.

We have to fill up some forms for the Customs and Immigration.

I had waited for my bags for almost 30 minutes.

I had given all my strength on lifting them but thanks to my fellow Kuyas who had helped me.

There are banks inside so I had changed my US Dollars to Philippine Pesos from there.

I dropped by Duty Free again to grab more chocolates.

My cousin and my family picked me up.

We dropped by McDonalds to grab something to eat but I was shocked as the prices are almost tripled of what it used to be before I leave.

I had seen bunch of teen-agers who seemed to be celebrating a birthday and Wallah!

Now I can say things are not the same anymore. These kids are wearing make ups and are moving in a classier or sophisticated way.

Sigh.

After 2 hours, I was home finally.

Our house is still the same: the sofa that is older than me is still there; our dining table and the plastic trees are still around.

Our neighbor and cousins dropped by to say “Hi” and it was good to see that some things remained unchanged.

I was telling my cousin, Madz, that it seems like nothing had changed except for the sky-rocketing prices.

She said life is a little harder here nowadays and I had figured it out myself.

During my first day, I did not expect that I will spend that much.
Good thing I still have US Dollars left and some money still in my ATM.

Wheeeewww!

This is it!

After more than two years, I had gone home finally for my much awaited vacation.

I’ve been thinking to go earlier before but due to financial constraints, I decided to move it to a later date.

They say that it’s not a good time to go during this month as it will be raining but it’s fine.

My body is aching for the much awaited rest and “petiks” mode.

My boyfriend would like me to travel together with our friends but they will be leaving still on November.

I will travel alone so be it.

I was scared and hesitant in a way but still, it’s a challenge for me.

All my things are packed a day before and to be honest, I require a bigger bag but my concern is, I will not be able to carry them all. I did not bring many clothes and shoes as I want to buy some from Manila.

So the big day arrived.

My boyfriend and friends dropped me in the airport. He is a bit worried as it will be my first time to travel alone.

He and his best friend had carried my bags and helped me check in.

We just had coffee and then I headed inside and waited for the boarding time.

It was a peaceful flight even if we were behind by almost 30 minutes.

I took a connecting flight as I did not buy any chocolates, wine, coffee and cigarette as I was worried that I will exceed the required baggage limit.

So just in time, I had 30 minutes to spare. I arrived in Dubai at 2:30 am and need to board the plane by 3:30 am.

I headed to Duty Free and got all the stuffs I needed then I looked for the terminal.

It was a bit confusing but the good thing is there are arrows and guides to help the travelers in finding their designated gates.

It was also impressive how accommodating the Duty Free staffs are: they would ask you from which flight you came from and where you are going; the staff even mistaken me as an Airline Crew (hahaha) and they would even guide you on how to find your gate no.

I did not have a hard time in finding mine. I lined up and found many Filipinos waiting for boarding too. What I did not like was this group who kept on chatting almost the whole flight. There was this group of males who kept on asking for Heineken and cannot seem to contain the laughter amongst them. My tummy was hurting too as the breakfast served was a croissant and a glass of OJ. I had asked the Stewardess to hand me a cup of coffee instead.

I was supposed to sit on the windows side but due to the request of an old lady, I sat on the aisle.

I had slept on the first 4 hours of the flight and watched Glee, The Prince of Persia and The Green Zone until I landed in Manila.

Kabayan Ka Ba?...“Countless Ways of Being a True-Blooded Pinoy”

Read on and discover the Filipino spirit in YOU.

A Filipino…

1. Knows Jose Rizal and had visited Luneta

2. Is aware that the National Anthem is ‘Lupang Hinirang” and not “Bayang Magiliw”

3. Can recite the “Bahay Kubo” from the end to the start

4. Loves watching PBA and had watched a live game in Araneta Coliseum

5. Watches Manny Pacquiao’s matches

6. Eats Balot, Chicharon dipped in Vinegar, Fish and Squid Balls, Kwek Kwek, Isaw, Betamax, IUD, Calamares and other Street Foods

7. Loves to eat Ice Scramble, Cotton Candy, Dirty Ice Cream and Taho from Manong

8. Enjoys opening the Balikbayan Box from Nanay, Tatay or any relative from Abroad

9. Welcomes visitors at home and give them the homey feeling

10. Loves to socialize: party, eat and drink a little

11. Sings his heart out during Videoke Nights

12. Eats Pan de Sal with Dairy Cream or Anchor Butter with Hot Chocolate or Brewed Coffee for breakfast

13. Chows down Manggang Hilaw with Alamang/Bagoong during summer and Champorado and Tuyo during the rainy season

14. Loves watching drama-series and noon-time shows

15. If living abroad, would address a fellow Filipino as “Kabayan!”

16. Had ridden the jeepney, MRT or LRT

17. Had visited at least one of great places that we have like Palawan, Boracay, CamSur, Cebu, Bohol, Tagaytay, etc.

18. Loves to haggle in the market

19. Values education very well

20. Loves to text or send SMSs.

21. Is Shopaholic (in a way)

22. Still kisses the hand of the elders as a sign of respect.

23. Saves enough for the future.

24. Is Family Oriented

25. And lastly, Proud to be one.

The list goes on…Feel free to add more 

P.S.
My second Definitely Filipino Article.