A Father from the dungeOn

By: Yanah Bautista

Taong 2008 nang makasalauha ko sa isang forum itong taong ito. What caught my attention eh ung manner nya ng pagreply sa mga kaforumers. Habang nagiinglisan ng bonggang-bongga ang mga forumers, sya talagang sinasagot nya in tagalog na sa pag-aakala ng iba eh walang sense, walang nutrients ang mga sagot nya but its the other way around. Nakilala siya maige sa Nonsense Thread sa BCO (Baguio City Online) Forum, na syang pinakamahabang thread sa nasabing forum na inabot ng 443pages up to this day. Nonsense Thread, iniisip nyo siguro na ang laman nung thread na ito ay kung ano ang titulo. Diyan kayo nagkakamali, laman nito ang samu't-saring mga topic na napapagdiskusyunan, napapagdebatehan ng mga intelektwal na tao na sa tingin ng iba ay walang kakwenta-kwenta. Hindi lang isa or dalawang pagkakabigan ang nabuo dito. Hindi mo na mabilang kung ilang ugnayan ang nabuo, ugnayang pinagtitibay ng mga salitang kaibigan, tiwala at kawanggawa. To others it may seem as really Nonsense but to those people na naging bahagi ng thread na yun, it meant a lot, Yun si CM.. sa totoo lang mukhang nonsense talaga yan. But you just really have to try talking to this guy... at intindihin mabuti ang mga sinasabi nya para masabi mong “punung-puno sya ng sustansya”.

Ang Tanging YaNAH Nyong Lahat!

Taong 2008, nung makasalubong ko sya sa isang forum, forum kung saan lahat ng klase ng tao ay makakasalumuha mo, forum kung saan halos lahat na yata ng dapat pag-usapan ay napagdiskusyunan...

Madalas sa isang bagay lamang kami nagtatalo, at ito ay usapang pag-ibig, pagmamahal, debateng magkaibigan lamang sabi nga ng iba, palitan ng kuro-kuro na para lang magkaklase at pagbabahagi ng kaalaman na para lang magkapatid upang ng sa gayon parehas kaming may matutunan. kaya sa bandang huli ang debate ay nauuwi sa biruan.

Alice in So Funnyland

For the uninitiated (like me), here's some info: a sardonyx is not a brand of canned tuna but is a gem stone regarded at one time as more precious than gold, silver, or sapphire. The word is derived from the Greek sard meaning "reddish brown," and onyx meaning "veined gem." In the old days, it is engraved with faces of heroes like Hercules and is used by Romans as talismans. It was once also believed to bring eloquence and valued by public speakers and orators.

Of the factoids I gathered about sardonyx, one that amused me the most is that the gemstone is said to help eliminate apathy, stress and neurological disorders.

I then whisphered to myself: Sardonyx exactly!

Why?

Because Sardonyx (not the gemstone but our PEBA 2009 Top 10 Winner who is in our Spotlight this issue) is all that: an eliminator of apathy, stress and worries. She is one of the funniest Pinoy bloggers I know and her blog Hulascoop one of the coolest. She never runs out of funny, witty posts. She's sometimes irreverent and subliminal but never ceases to bring laughter and happy tears in her every posts.



It is hence with honor that I present to you Alice Fajardo (aka Sardonyx aka Missy), the blogger behind Hulascoop and Travelog.

The following is an excerpt of our recent interview with her.

Why did you choose Hula Scoop as your blog's title?

I chose hulascoop because my blog’s theme is about “kalokohang hula” with “scoop” as the answer to my hula so I can… in some ways, instill Pinoy’s cultures, traits, traditions, literatures, places and other Pinoy’s stuff by bringing humor into it in “Tagalog” or Filipino. It’s supposed to be an everyday blog post about hula…it’s similar to daily horoscope, that’s why the “Hulascoop” title was created.

Actually I don’t believe in hula but I have a lot of relatives who are mostly “manghuhula/mangkukulam” hehehe and so my husband is teasing me that I’m one of them (which is actually not hehehe)….hula ko lang naman hahaha.

Why Sardonyx?

I’m tired of someone’s calling me “Alice” hahaha, ganun lang. Well, Sardonyx, is kind of a unique name for me, it is a gemstone’s name. “Sardonyx” was actually my group’s name during in high school. All our groups are named after gemstones. We picked sardonyx because it's odd, rare and never heard of. Since then, the name never left my mind. I re-used it when I joined a Pinoy forum online (forum that talks more about TFC’s teleseryes and other pinoy stuffs). I thought the only way to get attention from other members was to create a hula-scoop every week. Some members liked the idea and suggested that I write one daily. Whew! I did. Every day I had to come up with my hulascoop which are mostly spontaneous ideas. I derive ideas from various places: while riding a bus going to the office, or through conversations with friends, or via forums.

What is Travelog about?

My travel blog in Misawa, Japan which I've extended to other places since I’m no longer based in Japan now. (She's married to Arman who is a Pinoy senior non-commissioned officer at the US Air Force whose job entailed travelling to various places around the world).

My hubby is working now here in Washington State (not DC). We were first stationed in California, and then moved to Hawaii, then Japan and now here in Washington State. I'm an NPA (she says with a grin)...no permanent address.

How has blogging helped you personally?

It helped me be popular to some, a nobody to few, and a nobody to my friends. Hahaha.

Truthfully? Blogging has become my emotional outlet. It became a venue in expressing myself. I often use my life as the source of my hulascoop. If I’m stressed and alone at home, I blog and surf others’ blogs. Despite the so many household chores I have to do, I still manage to make blogs in between my chores and job.

I also got to know new friends from different parts of the world ;-) and hoping someday could meet in person.



When did you start blogging?

I started Travelog in October 2008 and Hulascoop in December 2008. It all started because of sheer boredom at home. I didn’t have a job for a year and the only way I can overcome boredom was to blog about it, my homesickness, my photos and share my collections of hulascoop. During my first year in the US I was able to create my first homepage because of boredom too and that time I was creating from scratch using basic HTML. With blogging I found it easier so I thought why not trying it. That gives birth to my incessant hulascoops.



In real life, is Alice a comic mom too?

I think so, it depends on my moods hahaha. Most of the time, I joke around and tease my children. The common interest we talk about now is “facebook”. That’s how we start the jokes and sometimes it ends up with the small fight over the little things about tagging photos (with my daughter, coz I keep on tagging her which she doesn’t like. Ang kulit kaya ng nanay niya no!



With my son (his name is Ammil), I get mad at him when he plays my restaurant city (ang babaw ko!). (The uninitiated me had to search what restaurant city is about. It's Facebook's simulation game where you manage your own restaurant -- I guess just like how you manage your own farmville, I suppose). But of course, we all know our boundaries. When it comes to the word “respect,” they really have to do that or else...alam nyo na...

Please tell me something about your family.

I have two children -- a daughter (Lei) who just turned 18 last October. She is starting college this winter at the University of Washington.

(Proudly, Alice narrated that her daughter graduated as salutatorian from high school. May pinagmanahan, I said. She also has a 9-year old son who is also smart, very friendly and talkative. He speaks Tagalog "with American accent", Alice confides).



As a mom, what fears do you have for your children?

My being away from them during their adolescent life especially now that my daughter is going to college. She may encounter a lot of temptations, peer pressure, problems, etc, or may imbibe bad environment/friends and so forth which may affect her relationship with us.

My son is “my boy” (she says this again with grin) and I fear that he may forget eating sinigang and fish and talong with bagoong/suka as sawsawan with his bare hands. Those are his favorite Pinoy food.

Kidding aside, I fear that when he grows up he may forget that he is still Pinoy at heart even though he’s an Amboy now. That’s why we make sure that he still speaks Tagalog even if it's baluktot. And I’m afraid that he may marry at an early age because he’s so friendly and bolero like his dad (rolls her eyes and adlibs that it's just a joke).

Overall, I fear that I may not be responsible enough to take care of them in a Christian way; that they may grow up without giving respect to us, their parents.

How has being abroad helped you personally?

Being abroad helped me become a stronger person. In my being alone with no relatives to turn and run to, I grew braver. Especially emotionally.

While abroad, I managed to transform myself. From “Alice” to “Sardonyx”. From being a serious person to someone who always smiles and always comically writes.

Family-wise, I also became more responsible and mature.

Christmas na. if you are to request santa a gift for yourself, what will it be?

A Santa suit? Hehe.

I wish Santa will buy me a new DSLR camera. Another hehe.

Seriously, I pray to God that I find a job soon. It’s been a year since I ranted in my PEBA 2009 blog entry about my being jobless. And now here I am again.

Then Santa can buy me the camera later.

Wish for your family.

I’m a simple person with a simple hope. Good health for all of us. And may our motto remain as: ” Family first before anything else”.

For the Philippines.

Increase in jobs opportunities for all Pinoys and decrease in graft and corruption (which I think is still impossible -- but doable).

For OFWs and Pinoy expats:

Good health and stronger family ties despite the distance between them. More remittances and balikbayan boxes to their relatives in the Philippines and may more Filipinos make known to the world what a great race we are.

You may leave the Philippines for good but do not leave the Filipino cultures behind you. You’re still Pinoy at heart! I heart you Pinoy Expats!!

For the PEBA 2010 entrants:

Congratulations to all who joined the PEBA 2010. For me, you are all winners. Be yourself, be proud to be you, be proud to your family and most of all be proud to be Pinoy! Keep on blogging!

For all OFW and Pinoy expat bloggers:

Keep on believing and improving yourself for the best and don’t forget to always “bring home the bacon” (with eggs pa ha! Sunny side up! hahaha). Keep on inspiring the Filipino people. Do not lose hope. Be steadfast always. Be proud because I’m proud of you all OFWs hehehe!

Written by Nebz Bandiez

► Read Sardonyx's Hulascoop blog as well as her Travelog blog.

► Interested in who else have we featured in our Spotlight Section before? Click this.

Bon fires without vanities

Boni Station is not just that station between Shaw Boulevard and Guadalupe. Boni Station is also that blog that won in PEBA 2009 Top 10 Blogs, penned by Bon Talampas Jr of Saudi Arabia. Bon is our featured blogger for this 8th Issue of The Kablogs Journal.



Bon is a Computer Engineer working as a support technical personnel for a leading health care company in the Middle East. He is based in Saudi Arabia. In the 'About Me' section of Bon's blog, he listed in unalphebetical order around 57 adjectives about him. I asked him to choose the best five. He says:

"Tough question but I have to say that Bon is happy, invincible, positive, simple, and reliable. I’m HAPPY with my family, with my friends around, and with everything I have now. I live each day with a SIMPLE and worry-free life which makes me INVINCIBLE. I always think POSITIVE otherwise I’ll be nothing. And am sure you find me RELIABLE that’s why you ask me this question."

Some trivia from and about Bon:
"When I was 8, I almost broke my left arm, the first time I was brought to a manghihilot."
He is afraid of eclipses and he has countless birthmarks in his body (totalling 97!).
He's a man of few words and he's also straightforward.
"Ask me anything", he said, and he'll give you the answer right away.

He is evidently an expressive writer. In his PEBA 2009 entry, he wrote a piece about his father Bon Sr (whom he also calls 'my friend') entitled 'In Memoriam'. His dad used to work in Saudi Arabia for 12 years. Thus, Saudi Arabia is already a familiar place for him -- its smell and the sadness that it envelops the every Filipinos that work there. He already recognizes its subtle nuances from his dad's version of Saudi. But only after he'd become a Saudi OFW did he understand his dad's sacrifices. "Hindi ko dati maintindihan ‘nun bakit pwede nama'ng hindi mag-abroad; pwede nama'ng sa pilipinas lang (ang tatay ko)."

"I’m really proud of my father. In everything I do for our family, I’m sure that I am making him happy and proud, too. Professing to the whole world of what he’s done for us is not as heartfelt as taking on the responsibilities of being a good provider and a friend to the rest of our family. I love you dad!"



The truth is: Bon never imagined working in Saudi like his dad did. As in life repeating in circles, he now works "almost in the same place" where his dad used to work. And Bon accepts it without a single remorse. Weariness, yes; but never a remorse. "Oftentimes I work at night shift which starts at 7pm and ends up at 7am, then I go to bed at 9am. My life here is totally different; I’m used to not seeing the sun most often. To make my life easy, I have to accept that this is just a part of my being an OFW, plus the thought of being well-compensated. I’ve been here for about three years now and looking for more years until I realize my dream".

To while away his time, he plays DOTA, he blogs and he takes photography, too. "Going to the gym regularly and sometimes malling with my home buddies also eat up some of my free days," says Bon.

He calls his job 'nice' which, in Middle East countries most often means it's not a hard labour and the compensations are more than enough. Apart from that, he also enjoys working with different nationalitiess, exploring the desert, and, believe it or not, "meeting camels" (he claims it with a loud laughter). "What I admire most about the Kingdom (of Saudi Arabia) is its culture especially its strong family morals". His list of Saudi downside includes "missing dinuguan", the remoteness of ever walking under the rain (Saudi can be rainless in a year, but in recent years have seen changes in weather), the traffic (which isn't as bad as in Manila but is definitely a nuisance). "The weather here is extremely hot and cold...and it simply implies miss ko na nga ang Pilipinas," concludes Bon.



The blogging bug bit him two years ago and the created for him an indelible mark. Humbly he said he's "not a good writer" (which I -- and the PEBA 2009 judges -- disagree). And where does he get his ideas of what to write about? He reads stories written by other people and he gets inspirations from them. When words start to overflow, there's no stopping Bon. If he's in a right mood, words flows seamlessly in his head and he weaves the words into magical sentences. "Never write when you’re not in your best mood; the thoughts will hardly come out. Write what’s inside, just plain words (nothing technical). Avoid cover-ups. Learn from your experiences and also from others. And lastly, write with a smile."

"It’s easy to be a good writer, as long as you have the quality of time to read and listen to others." He calls all his work 'a masterpiece' "no matter how big or simple it is". Rightly so, I believe.



His winning in PEBA 2009 "somehow boosted Bonistation in the blogosphere" he said. It inspired him to write more sensible articles and stories. For all PEBA 2010 nominees, he advises them to "be proud of your stories, stories with compassion that will surely rock hard everyone’s heart in the Blogosphere and in the whole world as well".

To his fellow OFWs, he leaves these words: Saludo ako sa inyo! Alam kong “lungkot” ang unang kalaban nating mga OFWs, but this can be easily overcome if we accept the reality that this is just a part of our being an OFW. Acceptance is the keyword. And let me share to you some inspiring lines about Being Happy: that we should focus on what we have, not on what we don’t have. Happiness doesn’t come from material things, happiness is found within. We have our family and friends around us, and with them, we should be happy."

► You can read Bon's blog here.

► You can also read our previously featured bloggers in our monthly Spotlight.

The Pope of Doha

And he's no ordinary pope.

George Babiano, better known as "The Pope" in the online community, hopes he's not using the pope's name in vain. After all, he just dreamed of becoming a priest and has always been fascinated with the Vicars of Christ. With this, he took the liberty of becoming popish and naming himself "The Pope." As life would have it, he did not become a priest but he's still a disciple, sowing seeds of kindness and faith everyday through Palipasan.

As a reader of Palipasan, I've been smitten with the subheading of the blog, "Aliwan ng Pagal na Isipan." If this description is not there, I would only adhere to the English translation of "palipasan" which is, can you guess?, "diversion" or "entertainment." And no more than that. But with the caption, the diversion becomes more of a comfort where tired minds and weary souls come to rest.


MEET THE POPE.

It's no wonder why Palipasan becomes a respite to all those who find and read it. It does not speak of the author's personal life. George makes it a point that the blog speaks about life, hope, and inspiration focusing on others - YOU, the Filipinos and the OFWs around the world. This makes Palipasan a true winner.

George, who hails from Paranaque City, grew up in Pasay City. Though he was educated in the slum areas, he nurtured a belief that life is beautiful. Indeed, it is.

Working as an aircraft statistician for a military organization in Doha, Qatar, he started blogging on January 2009 in an effort to combat boredom, depression, and perhaps insanity. From then on, his daily routine has dramatically changes. "Now, I have to allocate at least an hour each day to write, read, leave comments, and reply to other bloggers' emails. My email social activities has grown, having more friends to connect online," he said. He also acknowledges that his blog became a bridge to friendships. "Blogging is a dynamic and interactive activity; it is not just about writing and creativity,it is about sharing your thoughts and ideas, visiting blog sites, reading posts, and leaving marks and opinions. It is about connecting with people and building a community."

His effort and passion to blog paved a way for him to enter the Philippine Expats/OFWs Blog Awards 2009. He emerged victorious as Palipasan clinched the 6th place at the prestigious awards night. George shares, "The PEBA 2009 was a wonderful, memorable, and humble experience. It made me feel like a pro blogger when in fact I have a lot of things to learn considering that I was a newbie in the blogging world." Though judges and readers would probably have to disagree about the "newbie" part. He certainly writes like a pro!

George makes it a point to do his rounds on his favorite blogs. He lists his top three favorite OFW bloggers: "Kenji of Thoughtskoto, for his blogging advocacy in building a community of bloggers thus PEBA is born, CM of Dungeon Lord, a total blog addict whom I always admire his blogging charisma and Nebz of Isla de Nebz for his unique creativity and blogging style."


LOVE MAKES LIFE BEAUTIFUL.



CELEBRATING LIFE AND LOVE WITH HIS FAMILY

But more than being a blogger, George is a loving husband and a doting and responsible father. He's been an OFW for 19 years. Having lived most of his life in Qatar, George describes the country as his second home. "I was given the opportunity to bring my family here. My daughter finished her secondary education in Doha and my wife and son are currently employed as OFWs here." Of course, like most OFWs, he misses his relatives, his friends, and of course, the taste of authentic Filipino food.

He has this to say to his fellow OFWs. "Let us be proud of our race as Filipinos! With our talents, skills and determination, let us make our nation and our family proud of our global contribution in shaping the world."

So you see, when you park your browsers to Palipasan, you've arrived not just on a simple leisure park. You've reached an oasis where you'll learn that the best way to make it through life is to keep on learning, loving, and believing that indeed, life, no matter where it leads you, is always beautiful. Learn from the pope.

- Written by Janelle Vales



► Read The Pope's blog here.

► You can also read our other Spotlight feature here as well as those we've previously featured in our monthly Spotlight.

Tope on top

On Jan 31, 2009 Tope wrote: We express emotions through writing lalo na kung malayo ka sa mga kaibigan mo o sa mga taong nakakausap mo madalas at nahihingahan ng advices, opinions, thoughts, etc. We get contented of writing it and kasi minsan dumadating sa buhay ng tao na magiging mag isa ka na lang pala sa byahe ng buhay; mag-isang naglalakbay. And unknowingly, sa pag-e-express mo, sa pagsusulat mo, sa pag post ng emotion mo, you inspire people na nakakabasa nito. Astig noh! from simple expression at self contentment, nakaka inspire ka!

That, in gist, is what Christopher Luzana's blog TopExpress is about: Open. True. Very real. Always into 'changing for a better life and living'.

In 2009, he won 7th place in PEBA 2010 for his sometimes-too-serious-but-otherwise-very-light posts about life, relationships, his failures, his dreams, etc.


Tope at work...or at play?...

He is an OFW in Canada.

KBJ: Five adjectives that describe you.

Tope: I find it a hard time giving or thinking adjectives that best describes me. I usually asked friends to describe me the way they see me or knew me. Siguro masasabi ko lang, family oriented, matiyaga at mapangarap.


Tope and his siblings

Five things that your friends/family don't know about you.

If I tell it here then they would know it. :P

Your PEBA 2009 entry is about 'Pangarap' and it discusses about how you realized your dream for your mom. What about you? What is your dream for yourself, and how do you plan to achieve it?

I only have a simple dream for myself: it is to have a happy and loving family of my own, and have a successful life in the future.

How I am trying to achieve it? By simply sticking to what I want even before.

Keeping myself motivated and determined to achieve whatever I wanted in life. If in case nakakakalimot ako, I go back to the basics.

Narrate how you become an OFW.

It all started when my mom and I were talking under our mango tree one early morning. From the discussions about our life, the hardships we had, she cried and hugged me telling me how she wished she could utter the word, "hirap na ako... hirap na hirap na ako!".

Mula noon, hindi ako tumigil na maghanap ng trabaho palabas ng bansa para maibigay ang mga bagay na ipinagkait sa amin ng tadhana ng buhay.

Luckily, I got a job in Saudi after applying in 30 agencies in Manila. :D

Narrate how you landed in Saudi Arabia and then later in Canada.

It was 2004 when I got a job in Saudi as a Department Secretary sa isang Telecom company. Year after year and with God's grace, napo-promote ako siguro dahil na din sa determination at t'yaga ko sa work.

Siguro pangarap din ng nakararaming Pilipino na maranasan ang white Christmas o makaunta sa bansang may snow.

It was 2007 when I started passing resume's online and surfing the net. Luckily, it was 2008 when a friend of mine asked me to send my resume online to her boss and kaboooom! here I am! :D



Narrate to us your 24-hour day in Canada.

Hmmm... ang hirap naman! Hehe...

I work at the airport so my hours are flexible. Basta I always make sure na whenever I am working or not, I make sure na mag enjoy sa buhay.


Tope shoots photos, too.


Three of his works are shown here.

If ever I am off, you could just find me in the laundry room or the basement surfing the net. sometimes if we are off, then we go out and shop around. :D

Five things that you hate; five things that you like.

HATE:

yosi
bossy
nagger

LIKE

malambing
kikay
kwela

The brightest of your OFW life.

When I got my last promotion as a senior executive secretary. At nang mapagtapos ko 'ung sister ko sa college. NICE!!!!

The darkest of your OFW life.

Every Christmas season when I am away from them. :(

Tips to PEBA 2010 entrants.

Write through your heart.

Message to your fellow OFWs.

To my fellow PEBA-nians ahahha... being an OFW doesn't mean we are gold miners. Write to satisfy yourself and continue to be an inspiration to many. BEST OF LUCK guys!




► Tope writes here and he shoots photos too. You can enjoy his photographs through this link.

► You can also read our other Spotlight feature here as well as those we've previously featured in our monthly Spotlight.

A joy named Anna

Purely by fate: that our month's theme is about food and our Spotlight feature is someone who writes for a blog that has the word cake on the title. Well, 'keyk' to be exact.

Meet Ana, aka Enjoy, who pens PEBA 2009's award-winning blog, Enjoy...Life is a Piece of Keyk.

Her real name is Anna but her friends and family enjoyably call her Enjoy. She currently resides in Yishun, Singapore with her family.

She's witty. She's cool. You can easily sense it while reading through her posts (which for some reason she infrequently updates now). Motherhood, that's why. She's a full time housewife to her hubby Gard and a doting mother to lovely daughters, Jan and Lian.

She loves coffee and dark chocolate. "Kahit anong brand basta dark or bitter chocholate, solve na ko," says Enjoy. Ditto: Java Chip of Starbucks, Double Chocolate Frappé ng Mc Café, Chocolate Macadamia Nut of Gloria Jeans, pasta, caesar's salad, pizza, garlic bread, oatmeal, non-fat milk, gulay. She thumbs down ginisang munggo, apples, lansones and pears.

The following is our simple Q&A series for Enjoy who really spared us her time from her hectic schedule.

What is Anna's favorite dish?
I have no particular favorite dish. Basta I'm not a pork lover, meaning I can live without pork or can only eat pork dishes once a week. The rest of the week, dapat vegetables or fish dishes na.

What is your specialty?
Define specialty. :) Honestly, I don't know. Modesty aside, I consider myself multi-talented. I can cook, I can draw (see her self-portrait below - Nebz), I can sew. Noong bata pa ko, I script-write, I compose songs (pero personal lang), I play the guitar. I know a lot of things na alam kong kaya kong mag-excel but I cannot because I don't have focus; I have a hard time focusing on one project, which makes it difficult for me to distinguish kung ano ba talaga ang specialty ko.

What prompted you to blog?
Heartbreak and depression.

What, for you, is the most exciting part of your blogging experience?
Meeting intellectual and sensible online friends who share the same passion for blogging.

Five things/adjectives that most people don't know about Enjoy.
OC, emotional, weak, stupid and indispensable.

Describe your 24 hours.
I wake up as early as 5:30 AM to prepare breakfast for kids. When everybody's gone, I start to clean the house (almost every day... OC nga eh) and do my daily home chores. Since I just resigned from work, I have plenty of time na to look after my kids and to attend to my family's needs. I check my social networking pages in the afternoon, then cook/prepare dinner again; then bond with my family by watching teleserye/movies at night. 'Pag may extra time, I check my FB again :) Normally, that's how I spend my 24-hours.

How will Enjoy write her piece for PEBA 2010's theme? [She's no longer qualified to join so feel free to steal her ideas! - Nebz :-) ]
Siguro, just like most bloggers would do, I would narrate my husband's journey to providing our family a better life. We all had that dream for our family before we decided to work outside our country. Perhaps, what would make each story different from the other is the depth of each situation and how the people involve handle the effect of that situation.

Any tips to PEBA 2010 entrants?
Just write from the heart. It doesn't matter whether you write in Tagalog or English. What matters is how your piece could affect someone's life.

Message to your fellow OFW/expat bloggers.
Let's continue to dream big, not only for our family but also for our nation. Philippines is still a better place to retire to. We can change our lives and the future of our country wherever we are in world. God bless.

Quoted from her blog.
Maigsi lang ang panahon para magmukmok at palipasin ang bawat pagkakataon. Kaya kung ako s’yo, kindatan mo lang at ngitian ang life. After all, life is a piece of cake!

► Did you enjoy reading about Enjoy? Click this to read who else have we previously put on our Spotlight.

There's Something About Amy

There are bloggers who make us think with their witty, smart comments on political issues. There are bloggers who make us cry with their personal sentiments about life. There are bloggers who make us angry with their fearless attacks on the government or whatever it is that is bothering them. And then, there are bloggers who make us smile, or better yet, laugh with their funny anecdotes and "keeping it real" style of writing. Such is the case with Ms. Amy Menta, who is bringing us, for five years and counting, entries that are full of humor and fun (no dull moments!).

Bonjour, Madame Amalia!

Ms. Amalia Menta, or Amy to some friends, is your typical Overseas Filipino Worker. She went abroad in 1998 and she has not looked back since. Until now, she’s still living in France, her second home, and is now married to a Frenchman. She depicts her life as a non-stop soap opera. She seems like the rest of us, but upon reading her blog, you’ll realize that there’s something about Amy but je ne sais quoi. Let me help you with that “indescribable something” that distinguishes her and her blog from others.

Amy with her French husband, Michel.

Francesca in France is a blog that started with her online persona at the defunct Asawa forum. While creating her blog, Amy was watching Meryll Streep's Francesca in Bridges of Madison County. She felt the same sentiments of the character. From then on, Francesca in France went online and a cornucopia of tales and thoughts followed.

Probably, what sets her and her blog apart from the rest is the fancy country where she's currently living in. After all, isn't France the most romantic and fashionable country in the world? The country most of us dream of going to? This Bisaya-Ilonggo Pinay is living in Nice, France and her being a full-time personal assistant/housekeeper to a billionaire in Monaco, Monte Carlo, has its advantages... like having something to talk about in her blog.

Her blog, Francesca in France, has been online since January 2005. Her blog discusses her life filled with disasters (and sometimes success) and funny stories that are quite annoying sometimes but purely wholesome. There are no dirty topics on her blog. Her blog focuses on her work and how she deals with the French lifestyle. Her Butler stories, entries on her former co-worker, was such a hit that it catapulted Francesca in France into winning the best blog in Europe award at the 2008 and 2009 Pinoy OFWs/Expats Blog Awards. From an active forum-er to an award-winning blogger... bongga s'ya 'day!

Out on a road trip.

Blogging has taught Ms. Amalia patience. She said that she didn't realize that the world of blogging is that special and that it could change her life. She is now more "madaldal" and more creative. She has made friends all over the world. Also, she has shown France to a lot of us, who can only dream of visiting the fabled country some day. "France is a bit special. They do unimaginable things here. It is a free country; the church is separate from the state. The language is hard taking me five years to have the courage to speak it." Apparently, the French people have their quirks too. "They eat frogs and snails here too. They eat rotten cheese (with bacteria) and raw oysters." She suggests the following must-visit places in Paris: the Louvre Museum and Palais de Versailles, and in Nice: the perfumeries and wine factories. And it's also a must to ride the bullet trains.

Beautiful mother and daughter tandem.

Though she sees herself living in France for a long time, she still holds a special place for the Philippines in her heart. "I like to live in the Philippines if it is already secured and peaceful to live in. I think if the system of government in the Philippines is inviting, why not?" Having children who do not fail her expectations and remains obedient to her ("walang suwail") is what she considers as her greatest success so far. Her children are her joie de vivre. About Michel, her French husband, he is just an accessory into the picture, so he says.

Living larger than life.

To her fellow expat bloggers, she leaves this message: "Life abroad is not home sweet home like when we were in the Philippines. You must widen your horizon and explore. Get more experiences when it comes to the places you go to and people you meet. Blogging is therapeutic and you must not stop."

Indeed, bloggers must continue blogging and if you want a respite from the toxic, hectic schedule that is giving you a writer's block, heading to Francesca in France will make you laugh out loud and remind you that despite life's many struggles, it is still a great blessing to be in this journey. C'est la vie!

Fancy reading who else we've featured in our previous issues? Read them here.

Learning from and about Deth

Dodeth (or Deth for short) is supposed to be our featured blogger in our Issue 3 (with the theme 'learning') because of her photography blog. But due to time constraints, we didn't manage to get hold of her on time. And now we did. And now she's here.

Some facts about her: she's a Psychology graduate from FEU, she's as tall as Gloria Arroyo, she hates the smell of pineapple, she's from Batangas ('pero laking Recto'), her bestfriend's name is Jane.



Her original blog, Minddeth, contains heartwarming posts about her life. Deth says she doesn't write well but if you'll visit her blog in Blogger and her journal at multiply, you'll see how true she is in her writing -- may kurot, 'ika nga. (I personally find her story about her grandma whom she calls 'Anda' very sad and touching).

Below are 15 questions that Deth answered for us. If, after reading her here, you wish to know her a bit more, she willingly listed 25 things about her which, honestly, we find endearing.

Can you tell us about yourself?

Back in college a former classmate described me as “one kick-ass clever girl with a conviction more stable than a rock! all that in a cute petite package…” I think that pretty much defined who I really am as a person. I’m a 25 year-old Batanguena, now based in Singapore working in an industrial construction company.

A blogger and a shutterbug, an optimist who loves to flash her smile and cute dimples. And I’m still single (ahemmm! hehehe).

Describe your blog in a Twitter message way (140 characters).

A collection of stories and pictures as I venture on my dummy adventure in photography.

How long have you been blogging?

More than one year. In February 2009, I started a personal blog Minddeth but decided to open a new blog dedicated for a new found interest in photography which I started last April.

What prompted you to blog?

At first with my personal blog (Minddeth), it was more of a coping mechanism, moving on from a past heartbreak, adapting to my new environment and culture and being away from loved ones.

I regard my current photoblog as an expression of myself and hopefully I'd also manage to share knowledge to other people who may have the same interest as mine. My blog is geared towards inspiring others who are as totally clueless as I with the whole photography “thingy”. I'm a work in progress and whatever knowledge I learn of photography, I share it with my readers in my every posts.

What changed after you started blogging?

A lot! I used to view the internet space as just a white space. Now, I view it in a different perspective. Via blogging (and incessant interest in the internet), I met a lot of wonderful people who have changed me and lifted up my maturity into the next level.

What is your goal for your blog this year?

I would love my photoblog to be a really useful site for beginners like me, come up with basic lessons and techniques on improving photographs. I really hope I could do that.

How do you choose your photo subject for your blog?

Most of the time posted pics are those recently taken, or in relation to what I feel at the moment.

What is your favorite post? Why?

I guess my fave post would be the “Daddy Moment…” because it is one of my favorite shot so far. (Taken during one of Deth's street photography at Orchard Singapore).

I’m a daddy’s girl also and to witness such a happy moment between a father and a daughter mean so much to me.

What do you do when you're not blogging?

Besides photography I also do yoga and I also run in my free time. I already participated in two charity marathon events this year in Singapore, both in 6km category (Run for Water & JP Morgan Corporate Challenge).

I also love watching movie as long as may manlilibre (hehehe).

Who are your three favorite Filipino bloggers?

Wheew, that’s hard because I have favorites for every category (travel, food, movie reviews, spiritual, celebrity, etc etc). I’m a big fan of Bo Sanchez's “Soulfood”. I can read his blog over and over again. I love his humor and how he honestly speaks about his love of God without being preachy.

For a celebrity blogs, it’s a tie between Chico Garcia’s “Strange Fruit” and Bianca Gonzales “The Diary of a Supergirl Wannabe”. Both are very clever writers; you won’t feel they're writing as celebrities but as ordinary people who deals with ordinary things like we do.

And lastly Ms. Nortehanon’s “Go celebrate the gift of life”. She’s not just a blogger and a friend to me; she have also inspired me that really there is still HOPE and yes she did give me a go signal to celebrate the gift of life.

Oopps…I think I listed more than three. Hehehe.

How long have you been an OFW?

One and a half year.

Three things that miss most about the Philippines.

Family, food and beach!

How long are you planning to be an OFW?

Hmmm, I’m giving myself a limit of five years. Hopefully if P.Noy can make a difference with the economic situation in the Philippines, it can be earlier. We’ll never know…

What is your life's greatest success so far?

Would you believe by simply seeing my friends using the photos I took of them as their profile pictures in FB is good enough a success for me…(babaw :P).

But seriously as a Psychology graduate I love dealing with people. HR is a well suited career for me (as my former manager believed so), but when I arrived here in Singapore, that career just didn’t happen. I ended up with a post meant mostly for Engineers & Architects.

The words are marked in me: “Learning is an everyday experience…”.

I love learning. I like taking on challenges, and, thankfully most of the time, pass them with flying colors. In my recent work appraisal, I’m the only one “daw” who got an “outstanding” mark (or pwede ring binobola lang ako ng boss ko…hehehe).

Any message to fellow expat bloggers?

Explore… I know we all experience bad moments in our lives because we’re away from our family; away from our comfort zones. But this is the best time for an adventure. Explore the beauty of the country you’re in, learn their ways and cultures, share and appreciate that you’re blessed for being given such an opportunity. Let's learn from it.

And as they always say… keep blogging.

(Written by Nebz Bandiez)

► With her sister Nikki, Deth blogs at Dodeth Alvarez Vergara Photography. Their site offers not just wonderful photos but also valuable tips about photography. We also featured her other photoarts here in this issue.

► Did you enjoy this Spotlight article? Read who else have we featured in our previous issues.

Everyday is a brand new day for Phil

It was an uphill battle for Phil Saraspe when he first landed in Thailand. Phil writes, "Contrary to what I believed, seeking for a job has never been that easy in Thailand. I have encountered plenty of appalling incidents along the way...(and) my application in different schools (were) turned down for various reasons."

In one Sunday mass, he got acquainted with another Filipino who told him of a job vacancy as a teacher in one school in Samutsongkhram Province. After a series of interviews, he finally landed a job but it "was not the end of my battle but the beginning of my real journey as an OFW." He was assigned to teach seven-year-old children who "could hardly utter even simple greetings in English." That experience, Phil says, was really challenging. Eventually, the children's English proficiency improved and they even managed to win a national-level English contest through Phil's help. (I'm actually imagining those feel-good films about teachers: Stand and Deliver, Dead Poets Society, Mona Lisa Smiles, etc. - Nebz).

Phil continues: "In the end, I have understood the real value of teaching abroad from my young Thai students...I have seen how my passion and dedication changed the lives of my students. I realized that my decision to go abroad has never been in vain for I have harvested more than what I have expected... I (made a) difference in my students' lives, (and that's) more than what I really wanted."

Phil now teaches in Bangkok after a year and a half stint in Samutsongkhram leaving his first teaching stint with "sadness and pride."

For this Issue 3 of the Kablogs Journal, we are honored to feature Phil Saraspe, a high school Math teacher in Thailand. He is the writer behind Wits and Spirits, PEBA 2009's Top 3 Blog.

Here's the gist of our Q&A interview with Phil.

How do you find teaching as a profession?

Teaching as a profession is very challenging yet fulfilling. It is very challenging because you are in direct contact with people who are expecting something from you. As the students enter the classroom, they usually expect something from the teacher and the fact is they have different expectations. Some would like to learn something new, some would like to have someone to talk to, some would like to show what they’ve got and some do not exactly know what they’re doing or what they’re going to do inside the classroom. It is very challenging to meet all those expectations from your students and the fact that you need to help them to become what they want to become is more challenging. As a teacher, you could not just push your students to do what you want them to do without considering what they really want to do. When you would only push what you believe is right without considering the students’, your classroom would become a threat to your students and they would eventually become unmotivated to learn. That’s a disaster! That and many other aspects make teaching a really challenging profession.

However, with all those challenging tasks, teaching is no doubt a very fulfilling profession for me. Every day is a brand new day if you are a teacher. You would never exactly know what would happen the following day. Opportunities to learn are always coming into your way. I love when I get to learn something from my students and I love it more when students learn something new from me.

Teaching is not your first dream. Do you think your life would be a bit better had you been a political scientist, for example? (Phil dreamt too of becoming a journalist or a computer engineer - Nebz).

I don’t feel sorry for being a teacher because I would never be what I am today if did not become one. I actually ended up enrolling for computer engineering because of my high school friends but my passion actually is on language. In short, engineering was a socially motivated dream. Hehehe.

From my parents, I learned to become happy with what I have and make the most out of it. It would have taken more years if I pursued my dream to enroll for Mass Communication or Political Science. I came from a family whose income is not enough to send me to a private institution offering the courses I wanted. I was advised by my parents to take any feasible course and aim for a college degree then after that, when I start to earn I could pursue what I have dreamt of. I did exactly what they advised me although it was very difficult as I used to hate Math. But taking Secondary Education Major in Mathematics was the best thing that I could do during that time so with all forced enthusiasm, I enrolled in a course I never imagined taking and majored a subject I hated the most. However, such experience made me realize something: I learned that I could exactly be happy with what I have. It’s a matter of attitude. Now, I am happily teaching Mathematics to secondary students here in Thailand and I couldn't be any happier. It's inwardly fulfilling.

For now, I think I would be in the field of education that’s why I enrolled for a Master’s Degree in Education here in Thailand. I believe that nothing could be happier than the life that I have at present although I would still choose to be happy with what the future would offer.

How do you find Thailand as a workplace?

Conducive. The cost of living here is cheaper compared to Philippines so I don’t have to worry much about my budget and I am earning much better than what I used to earn in the Philippines. I also like their food. Thailand offers a huge variety of food in which most of them are authentically Thai while some are foreign-influenced. I also love their smile. Thai people love to smile. My students even smile at me when I scold them. They are respectful too of teachers. And the public service in Thailand especially to foreigners is really awesome.

What I don't like of Thailand is the communication gap. I am often informed on the eleventh hour or not informed at all about what’s going on at school. I am sometimes surprised when students do not come to my class the entire period because they have some activities in which I was not informed. I also don’t like it when I go buy a shirt and the saleslady would say “We don’t have big size” right before I could start choosing. It happened to me several times already. And the scorching heat of the sun during summer is unbearable too! Other than that, I love Thailand.

I am uncertain how long I will stay here. That could be two years or two days. What I am considering is my dream of becoming a university professor in the Philippines. I need to be more competent in order to attain that dream. What I am considering are the opportunities for professional development like graduate studies and professional conferences while not losing the opportunity to support my family. I would always consider the country where I can be professionally developed professionally and at the same time have the chance to help my family back home.

What is Phil Saraspe's dream?

I actually have lots of dreams which I identify as short term and long term. I dream of backpacking around Asia, writing my own book and a whole lot more. But ultimately, I dream of becoming a professor in one of the respected universities (like U.P.) in the Philippines and I know I still need to run miles to achieve that dream but I am optimistic that I would fulfill that before I retire. I just hope that I can keep myself focused in achieving that dream.

What is Phil like if he's not being a teacher?

I am a very outgoing person and I like a lot of activities especially outdoor ones. I dance like nobody’s watching when I am really into it. I go wild in a disco and that’s normal to me. Cooking fascinates me and I concoct my own recipe. I often change tracks/I am fickle (so do not wonder if I am very inclined into something today and enthusiastically do a very different one the following day). I am the only son among five siblings. I read a lot and it’s quite awkward to tell which one is my most favorite when in fact most if not all of them have entertained me and changed me in one way or another. I am a wide reader and I do not stick to one kind of book or reading. All reading materials could fascinate me depending on my mood and my favorite book also varies according to my mood.

What got Phil into blogging?

Language is my passion and politics is one of my interests. I got into blogging because I wanted to hone my skills and express myself. But before Wits and Spirits was formally coined, I just did blogging for the sake of doing it and to divert my attention when I feel too much homesickness. The topics of my blog are actually very diverse and I get into them randomly. I write what I want to write in that particular moment. I write my passion, my thought, my experience – anything that comes to my mind during a particular moment. I do not just blog about a particular topic because everybody is writing about it (although I feel motivated sometimes). My blog is very personal as the topics I come up usually are from my inner desire or shall I say, desperation. In short, I do not force myself to blog if I don’t feel like doing it. That is why I easily update my blog because almost everything there comes easily to me as I live day by day.

Of what he's written so far, what is Phil's most favorite?

Ohhh, I’ve got more than a hundred entries in my blog and I could hardly choose which one is my most favorite as I like them all. I usually delete a blog post after days or weeks when I realize that I do not like it. So, as long as the blog post is there, it’s my favorite. But I think those posts related to personal inspiration, family and teaching are near to my heart and my mind.

As an OFW, blogging helped me a lot in diverting my attention to something worthy instead of thinking much on my homesickness. It has also helped me connect with other OFWs. Blogging has actually expanded my network. As a teacher, in particular, blogging helps me convey to people that teaching is not actually a boring and tiring job. Through my blog, I attest to them that you could still live as a normal being even if you are a teacher and I discovered that students would love you more if they would learn that you are normal – you have life beneath those strict moves and loud voice in the classroom. For my students who discovered that I am blogging, they have learned that I also live a different life aside from the usual me who they see every day and they sometimes tell me, “Oh, Mr. Phil you like this, you do that…etc.” and I am surprised to learn that they knew them from my blog.

How has winning the PEBA 2009 changed your blogging?

First of all, I never expected that I would land in the top 10 (Honestly! It’s not a Janina San Miguel thing!). I joined not because I was confident to win but because I believed my blog was qualified and I have also noticed that I have got plenty of posts in my blog already but still I was not sure if someone really gets into them. Not only winning but joining PEBA 2009 helped me realize that there really are people who read my blog and follow my story. It’s very uplifting. I became more inspired to blog after winning PEBA 2009 and my advocacy to inspire people though blogging was made even stronger.

To his fellow expat bloggers, this is what Phil has to say: Continue pursuing your passion and inspiring others with your beautiful stories of virtuous attempt to fight against adversities of living/working in a land where you are indifferently different.

And to fellow OFW's: We might have experienced right now the comfort we never had when we were in the Philippines. We might have given our families the life we were not able to give when we were in the Philippines. With all those great things we have today but we never experienced in our country, do not forget that we are what we are right now because we are Filipinos.

Let’s keep the fight not only for ourselves and our families but for our beloved country as well.

Written by Nebz Bandiez

► Read our previous Spotlight articles.

Utsukushii Mommy EK

One can only dream of setting foot in the snowy land of cherry blossoms and unique, hi-tech gadgets. For one Filipina blogger, Japan is her second home; no problems whatsoever in arriving in the land of the rising sun. Spotlight has Spotted MOMMY EK, and we've been smitten ever since. Here's an interview with the beautiful Kristhel:

The mommy with a K!

1. Can you tell us about yourself?
I'm a mother of a 1-year-old boy and I'm currently residing in Nagano, Japan with my brother. I'm a God-fearing person who is afraid of breaking rules. I'm talkative when I'm with my friends and I can be the life of a party too. I'm makulit and childish sometimes but I can also be moody. I enjoy new experiences. I'm also a good listener. I always go for what I want, especially if it's something that will make me happy.

2. Describe your blog Mommy EK in a Twitter message way (140 characters).
My blog is my personal online diary. It talks about my life in Japan.

3. How long have you been blogging?
I've been blogging for a year now. I started on Valentine's Day in 2009.

4. Why did you blog?
I decided to start blogging because I didn't have a lot of friends back then and I always use the computer. I was also inspired by other bloggers because I read a lot of blogs since I got here.

5. What changed after you started blogging?
I have more online friends! :)

6. What is your goal for your blog this year?
I started a 365 project where I post any thing daily. That's for a year! They're mostly pictures from my everyday life here in Japan. I hope I can really finish it. Good luck to me!!!

Day 3 of 2010
With this fashionista mom's warm, bright smile, winter doesn't look so dull and bleak at all.

Day 11 of 2010
Mommy EK shares with us some chocolates from from Japan!

Day 56 of 2010
Mommy EK shows us gorgeous shoes for sale on her 56th post for her 365 project.

7. What topics interest your readers?
They like my posts about Japan: the food, places, and other things.

8. What is your favorite post? Why?
I like my posts on my trips to different places here in Japan. It's my first time to experience them. I also like my long posts because I put a lot of time and effort in writing them.

9. What do you do when you're not blogging?
Aside from work, I'm just always home, in front of my laptop. I also hang out with my friends.

10. Who are your 3 favorite Filipino bloggers?
Chuvaness, Daphne Osena-Paez, and Bianca Gonzales

11. How long have you been an OFW in Japan?
I first went here in May 2007 but I went back to the Philippines in December of the same year. I came back last October 2008. So I can say that maybe around 2 years.

12. 3 things that miss most about the Philippines.
The Philippine holidays, different restaurants with different cuisines, and basketball

13. How long are you planning to be an OFW? Do you plan to return to the Philippines for good?
I want to bring my husband and son here with me so I guess I might stay here for a long time but I think that every Filipino has plans of going back to the Philippines. Lahat, nag-iipon lang. I don't want to grow old in another country.

14. What is your life's greatest success so far?
Having my baby! Walang meaning and buhay ko dati nung wala pa s'ya.

15. Any message to fellow expat bloggers?
Enjoy blogging!

Interview conducted by The Pope
*Utsukushii means beautiful.

The Pink Tarha: Seriously, they're kikay

Saudi Arabia is not all mosques and minarets, vast deserts, and rugged mountains. It is not as backward as depicted by the Western media and as mistakenly construed by people who really haven't been to the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia is in fact, a thriving rich country with interesting places to visit, good restaurants to dine out, and yes, various huge malls to buy branded items from.

Quite similar, the lives of Filipino expats in Saudi Arabia are not all-dreary nor all-blue. Some Pinoys in Saudi (I included) cherish their existence in this so-called land of sun and sand (and the much overrated oil, of course!). One such positive-emanating blog is The Pink Tarha, a blog written by four 20-something, sassy Pinays about the what, when and where of all the good that is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Well-written and witty, it really reads like Riyadh's comprehensive, in-depth, been-there-done-that lifestyle guide for expats (men and women included; sassy or not!). The PT blog recently won the PEBA 2009 Top 2 Blog Awards and a lot more accolades from fellow bloggers.

Where it all started

They're officemates and friends (not necessarily in that order) who love shopping, or rather, enjoy the bonding moments that go with shopping. That was actually the eureka for the PT blog, where everything really began.

The ladies narrate, "It was a Saturday and we still had a hangover over the weekend, not from drinking, but from shopping. It was January and it was the middle of the year-end sale and we were all chatting about our shopping escapades when one of us suggested we blog about our purchases the same way fashion and beauty bloggers do. The big difference though is that we're blogging from Saudi Arabia. Ideas then flowed to incorporate how it is like living and working in the Kingdom as a Pinay."

One of the outtake photos they used for their first banner in silhouette (taken December 2008).
Shoegarfreeruby, Sundrenched, Maryhadalittlehump, and Eyecandy

They, in fact, wrote in their very first entry: "For what is left for us ladies to do here in this city but shop, eat, and shop some more? From the high-end to the ukay-ukay grounds, I guarantee you that the line 'Shop 'Til You Drop' totally applies in this area code. (What?! Did you actually think wearing the abaya and tarha can prevent us from looking fabulous and doing what we want?!)."

The title The Pink Tarha was a collaborative brainstorming effort among the four authors. (Tarha, known as hijab in Arabic, is the Tagalog slang term of the black veil used by women in Saudi Arabia).

"We have a dozen of initial titles to choose from but Pink Tarha wasn't one of them. There was Sunny Side Up, Desert Roses, Just Desert, etc. but none of them sound catchy enough. None of them could sum up the lives we are living and represent us. There were so many ideas until Mary came up with tarha. Then someone suggested we color it pink to become kikay."

Initially, their concept was just to narrate their shopping experiences, but soon realized that there are other things worth writing about apart from shopping and fashion, hence, the ladies decided to include their restaurant, food and travel experiences, too. The concept thus became "LIFESTYLE"... of Filipinas in Saudi Arabia. They added the word 'kikay' to animate the tone of their writing.

"We pledged to write the lighter side of living in the Kingdom because we know how Saudi Arabia is seen by the world. With its conservative culture and restricted society, it doesn’t really have a good reputation. The bad news is already being covered by other blogs and the newspapers so we don’t want to discuss ‘em further. We wanted to show a different perspective. And so there, we avoid topics such as politics, violence, crimes, etc. We want that after people read the Pink Tarha, they feel good and go on with their day with good vibes."

Meet the ladies

In their blog, they write as Shoegarfreeruby, Sundrenched, Eyecandy and Maryhadalittlehump. During the first year of the blog, the ladies wore blinders in all their photos for anonymity. Recently, they've decided to 'unveil' themselves to their readers.

Maryhadalittlehump, from Bulacan, is a hospital assistant and a self-confessed Koreanovela fanatic. "The last koreanovela that made me crazy was Boys Over Flowers. I even watched it thrice in Youtube! I slept at 3am just to see this koreanovela's ending. Even in my dreams, nakikita ko si Jun-Pyo!," says Mary. She dreams of visiting Wowowee and playing hep-hep-hurray 'to beat the amazonas'. She's also the most OC among the four. She would check their doors and windows and their gas stove in their house ten times in a single night to ensure that they're secured. Seriously.

Shoegarfreeruby, from Pampanga, is the group's 'ate' and the only married gal in the group. She works as an Editorial Assistant and she will kill for shoes (not literally). She wrote in her unveiling entry: "...my attachment to shoes bring back fond memories...I remember vividly how my husband’s red and grey Nike shoes looked like the first time I met him, or my favorite pair I wore almost everyday as a kid until they bore a hole and fell apart. If you’ll ask me to choose between shoes or travel, I’ll say shoes without hesitation." She plays drums and dreams of pursuing a career in dancing. Seriously.

Eyecandy, who grew up in Riyadh and studied college in Laguna, is a desktop publisher who has the prettiest and friendliest of smile among the group. "A smile is the universal symbol for peace, love and happiness and I think we should carry it and share it wherever we go." She's into "twirls of prose and heaps of histrionic endeavors" (she graduated from UPLB) and would lovingly live in a bookstore or library if she could. Seriously.

Sundrenched, from La Union, works as an editorial assistant and is the lead of the PT blog, a "persistent and sly editor-in-chief", as the other three PT ladies say (I: ditto!). She is a well-read gal saying that "reading has become my solitude when I went here (in Saudi)." She used to write for magazines in the Philippines, and is serving as the Kablogs Journal's managing editor (and also its brains and conceptualizer). She hates crowds and is easily embarrased when speaking in public. She's a pack rat and is perceived by friends as super conservative (earning her a tag as 'Mother Superior'). She confessed though that she's not; she just appears too serious sometimes.

The tie that binds them together

The posh Sundrenched, avant-garde Eyecandy, and classy Shoegarfreeruby.
Even if they like fashion, they also like wearing their abayas. They like living in Saudi Arabia.

The truth is, shopping and dining out are only secondary reasons why they stick together. The main force that truly binds the PT ladies is the fact that they are the second generation of overseas Filipino workers. They are children of fathers who were part of the early wave of migration during the 80s.

They were the children left behind who grew up in a different kind of home where "(our father's) absence reverberates in every corner of our houses and echoes in every hollow of our hearts". While the three ladies grew up in the Philippines (who only annually see their fathers for a duration of one month), Eyecandy, when she was six, migrated to Saudi Arabia with her OFW parents.

Says Eyecandy: "I can’t help but notice that most children who grew up abroad develop a sense of entitlement without a cause..." who never really learned the meaning of hardship and bereft of motivations to be more determined, street smart and/or thriftier.

Their childhood were therefore different from most of us.

"We felt like we never knew our fathers at all, and that they never knew us. We were aware though that our fathers were away to provide for us and there were some instances wherein we felt wealthy, one of the few middle-class families in our neighborhoods back then. We had the newest toys and we were happy but there was an indescribable empty feeling. We were well provided but we were incomplete."

Experience did teach them well. Like a circle coming in full cycle, they are now OFWs themselves who have really grown -- err, bloomed! -- where they are planted.

The Pink Tarha, simple ladies who love life!

They said: We salute our fellow OFWs for their sacrifices, and we are honored to be a part of this community now. We know that most of us, if only we have our choices, wouldn’t want to be in this situation but still we persist because of our families. Your sacrifices do not only help your families but help the nation as well. Mabuhay ang mga Pilipino sa buong mundo! Sumasaludo ang Pink Tarha sa inyo!

To end, I leave you with a line from one of their entries which, in capsule, truly speaks of the PT blog: "...even though Saudi Arabia is seen as a country of ironies, there's a lighter side to it. The Pink Tarha is convinced that although we can't change things, we can change our view of things. After all, even if Saudi Arabia is seen as the country for men, the PT ladies believe that "real men read pink!"

Indeed, we do.

Written by Nebz Bandiez.