Back To My Cocoon

"Be well, do good work, and keep in touch." ~Garrison Keillor

The first month of 2011 is poised to bid adieu, astronomers even had laid-out another set of zodiac order that triggered commotion among its worshippers. A lot of things to blog about, but just couldn't get time to straddle between maintaining a weekly post and preparing for school activities. Obviously, this post signals the end of a rather busy time  that I almost forgot I have a home here and few frequent visitors excited to read my new post. And I'm not even in my element to write. I have for the time being forgotten that I also blog. I felt like I am a full-time student obsessed with homeworks and school activities. Now I'm back to old routine. No more school to anticipate every Friday. Somehow I'm feeling nostalgic.

At some point in our lives, we are told that to make it in life, you must go to college. In high school, my Chemistry teacher used to remind me that I should take up Chem. Eng in college. My Math teacher would advise me that Acccountancy suited me.  But what the heck? I ended up rather completing a Caregiving 6-month course. And of all places on earth - in Saudi Arabia. This is what I said in my speech on Thursday's graduation that barring title and prestige, this is the closest thing to a baccalaureate degree. No, I'm not in any way undermining my course in caregiving, I am in fact very proud of what I have achieved. I have, at some point in my life,  planned to get a course or training in computer, foreign languages and even welding, but this is the  one of which I was able to finish.

Six months ago, it didn't occur to me that I will be in for a fun ride that is caregiving. I thought what propelled me to enroll in this course was to break the monotonous routine that could gradually wear out this sedentary little thing called brain. This has been my frustration all my life - to get to school again and get good education.  And whether it is in Jeddah or somewhere else in Antarctica as long as there is an opportunity to learn, I won't surely let it pass. Secondary to my motivation, though figuring top in the list for many, was to use this course as springboard to get to Canada. But midway through the course, I found out that the units I earned in college were not enough as requisites for Canada. Initially I was saddened, but putting it in a proper perspective, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about. Putting aside conventional intentions, there are intangibles that weighed heavier to me after my completion of this course.

What first started as my sole reason why I enrolled in this course now plays second fiddle to what I primarily gained after graduation. To be honest, I certainly won't miss that much the long lectures in class  that start early morning compounded by a night without sleep. Instead of romancing my bed the entire time on my offdays, there I was, sleep-deprived and getting up so early to catch an early class like my life depended on it. Blame it on the kind of environment associated with petty restrictions  and devoid of recreation for which we've been used to, this one is as good as getting entertained while learning. One can't just resist bursting in laughter or better yet roll over at the bloopers. Thanks to the talent of our instructor/founder who is pretty aware that most of his students had not slept. Not that I am sending out a wrong message that fun is what I'm after for - it's only an icing on top of the precious knowledge that I gained. And that icing is one that I certainly miss the most.

Who could not miss the noise of the three bombs that sat next to each other at the back row? And the habit-forming giggling when Marvin gets to gargle his Visayan tirade? And Jane's sinister-looking lump of inquisitive eyes at first impression? No, she's a rather nice fellow and sincere and would remind you to lotion your arms when she finds them scaly. And Rischel's genuine laugh and effortless humor that tops her unrelenting Friday supply of hypertension-friendly Cinnabon to dump into our dilated intestines?  Benjie's Bengali-mode photo-habit that becomes a hallmark of bad dramatization of a screwed-up script  certainly is identifiable to Batch 4 wackiness and will also be missed. Hospital exposure too deserves volume of stories to write including  Jasmin's waistline-unfriendly mouth-watering menu of pancit in a basin. I hope I also get to write about that episode of the big toe souvenir from our diabetic patient. And Marvin's perineal care addiction that gave him downright nod for clinical excellence. :-)

Yes, it's quite a journey. What started off as mere routine-breaker has left indelible marks in my heart for a variety of reasons. From school activities,  Corniche escapades, bonding moments, and even sharing our answers during examinations, to our Christmas party until our graduation day and the succeeding Durrat episode. Though, I'm back to my familiar routine, I only have these memories to stay with me.  But I would say what happens in Durrat stays in Durrat :-) I will all miss you guys especially Ma'am Silna. If you noticed, I am not in the picture above, because I don't miss myself haha! Good luck and hope to see you soon!

Jason And Rischel's Eid Wedding In Obhur!

"There could be no better timing than holding it on the first day of Eid, when every soul is animated by the partying genes in them."

They say you don't reside in Jeddah if nary you've been to Obhur. Down to the advent of  genetic age, the right pronunciation remains debatable. Some say it is Abhur, but who cares anyway? The place is far from being abhorrent. It is famous for its long stretch of beaches and dotting private resorts that cater to exclusive parties and any kind of gatherings. Jeddah has been my abode for almost a tenth of the century, but never had I ventured  the place once. Well, the trend has seen its era broken  last Thursday. Not a coincidence, it was a wedding reception for one of our classmates at TCI. There could be no better timing than holding it on the first day of Eid, when every soul is animated by the partying genes in it.

Rischel the bride is one of our classmates at TCI. Her better-half is Jason. The couple finally had their moment after five years. The wedding reception was fabulous and well-organized. The venue was huge for a party, complete with rooms for 'special guests'. The dancefloor was more than enough  to handle loads of prowling party-hungry guests.

All my TCI classmates were invited, but only a handful came. The seven who got to attend were incidentally the most talented from the class (lol!) except for this one who doesn't glamorize squirming on the dance floor. ( Sorry absentees, you didn't get to show off your wares and so the talent-less label.) We consequently missed out on the program emceed by one of our classmates as an incentive for arriving late. First off, the wedded couple danced, paying tribute to tradition as guests and friends scrambled to steal the limelight, dear notes fluttering their way into the couples' dainty outfits. ( Not a bad idea though to defray a recession-plagued wedding outgoes.  I'm grabbing an FB pic of Benjie, a classmate donning a note on the couple; I'm just damn curious about the color,  he purposely had it taken blurrily, hmmm :-))

Blame it on the Saudi norm, the sight of men and women gyrating as if there's no tomorrow provided a bit of a shocker to me. I've never seen for the longest time men and women mopping around the floor together in an intensely libidinal passion. Normally, you don't get to see women disrobed  in a public place. And here you see order is restored. So, it was a real party atmosphere in every sense of the word. Disco lights elevated the reveling moods interrupted only by an occasional trip to the buffet table to refuel. Foods were sumptuous. Desserts were in abundance. If you came flauntingly in your scanty belly, well think again. You did not come to deprive yourself of the heavenly, after a month of conforming to the adoptive 'dawn till dusk' rituals. It would be a huge anomaly not indulging in as much as your tank can hold up. [Hey, before the glutton label comes up, we were discreetly refined! (bawi agad).]

What made us TCI students even more at home (apart from the food), the couple had assigned one private room exclusively for us. The room was spacious with three beds and the ambience was relaxing. Some unsuspecting guests did attempt a blind invasion, as many crammed through the aisles but were promptly fended off by the boldly-printed warning - FOR Total Care International Students Only. Understandably, guests came in multitudes that after a merciless ambush of the buffet table, they came in scrambling poaching for nests to 'de-stress'.

Fronting our  room was the singers' lounge. Those with vocal pipes to flaunt, get to show off their homesick-driven talents, and the 'wailing' souls did not appear to tire till the sun started to grumble. I had to be content with video-recording the exploits of my classmates of whom three are legitimate singers ( yes, they can carry a tune hence the label 'singers', joke only folks :-))  Khrisnan the humongous bundle of talent, (literally) wiped the crowd off their feet with his Mariah-ness belting prowess. Jhun, the 'kuya' of the group revved up the night with his flamboyant  rendition of big ballads. And Jay, whose singing style is more current crooned us with his mastery of America's materials. And one big revelation, Gerry got to wow us with the remnant of Comaneci's influence in him. :-)  It was no botched Swan Lake choreography, he just owned it, and the night too. That was very funny of him. He really stole the show!  Best buddies Emil and Benjie were the most camera-savvy. They were all over the lens, and inseparable too.

Time to grow fins and scales. It's splash time! The pool was rather suppressed and narrow, but enough to drown a dumb duck. It was less busy by then. The water was lukewarm. And photo ops too for those least concerned of their extra baggage! That's why some refused to shed their tops including me ha ha! Well, if it's public, anything of the ridiculous does not help one's self-esteem. Oh wait, perhaps that answers the riddle why Khrisnan refused to dip his integuments in the pool? (joke) Then customer traffic slightly became congested and so the group settled on the shallow part. Unable to hold lesson review as earlier planned, Jhun our group leader who happened to be a college lecturer randomly picked questions to throw at us. As expected, I did not answer anything. No time yet to browse my notes. I still maintain my penchant for cramming on the dead hours. Don't know why. :-) '

'Twas around eight or past when we decided our energies already drained in the pool. After rinsing, the group simultaneously suffered a post-bath syndrome. The remedy? A last trip to the buffet table where only cakes and sweets survived the gory frenzy earlier. The only suitable edible left was the 'papaitan' that tasted so good; the secret maybe is hidden  not on the condiments but from its oily soup that could drown your heart with fats. But then again, nothing is spared when you  too are in a frenzy to stuff your rioting parts. Sounds gruesome? Not at all, we still handled it with finesse befitting a guest. :-)

Time to pack up. Eyes turned anomalous red. The venue looked as though it just survived a great commotion. And there's not much we can do. Perched at the aisle leading to the door, Jason said his thank you's as we bade him. He has a kind heart. But the bride was nowhere to be found. She had to disappear early to report for duty, I heard. So, no reprieve for the chaos of the day at least to rest on her wedding day? Truly, Rischel is one strong pragmatic woman. Hats off to both of them.

As our tiny car can only seat five people (I mean leaner ones), I don't know how Khrisnan and Jhun managed to keep up with lean Gerry. Off to the winding Corniche road, we spotted yet again perfect photo material and raced towards it for pictorials. And down the steep-walled rocky beach, we ventured dipping and photo ops again! It's no longer fun when the sun threatens to burn your epidermis, and so home is the next thing in mind. One by one we dropped our loads to the delight of our tiny toy. Gerry was quick to get down to check his FB status ( I found out later). Khrisnan wasn't already talking when we dropped him, he could have fallen asleep by the alley, I'm afraid. Jhun was doubting if he would still be facebooking or not. And just yesterday, Benjie's shoutout was not cool, something scary happened to them on their way home? Will try to find out on Friday. On the positive, everyone had a blast. Food and fun, adventure and bonding moments, and another few days left before the holiday ends. Eid Mubarak to all!

Watch the video HERE!