Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Party Capital of the Middle East
Bahrain at night, view from Elite Tower rooftop
[Warning: Long kwento.]
Here's something interesting. Did you know that Bahrain is smaller than Singapore AND Saudi Arabia's airport? With this country being that small, I thought, OH CRAP, I'm definitely in big trouble. My social life is completely over. I'm living in some sleepy little desert town with no capacity for evening entertainment whatsoever. Thankfully, I was proven wrong.
I've had my chance to catch a glimpse of Bahrain's nightlife a couple of weeks ago with two oh-so-chic Fil-German girls who were here for vacation. Ryanne and Ani attend school at Hamburg (breeding ground of hotsy patutsy models, tara!!). I met them through my mom's friend whose husband works with my dad. Still with me? :p
I slept over their flat at Elite Tower (where I lost and found my CPR card) and had a girls night out. By "girls" I mean us three, and this incredibly gay pinoy named Eric who's been working at the Ritz-Carlton for a couple of years now. He (or she) knows his (or her) way around the local hotspots and is rubbing elbows, A.K.A. spanking tushies, with all the clubs' huge bouncers.
Before going out, we reaped our efforts of raiding the BMC the day before. The BMC is one of the only two places, aside from hotels and clubs, where liquor is sold. The other place is the Gulf Cellar where my loyal friend San Miguel can be purchased for a very, very cheap 3.000 dinars. Geez. Anyway, we quickly filled up and cleaned out Ryanne's cooler just as fast, with I-Miss-You-Boracay-Malibu Rum, bottles of Smirnoff Ice, bottles of Bacardi Breezers, and Vodka Twistee Shots (in strawberry, banana, and chocolate YUMMY!). The result? Cam-whoring, PLENTY of shrieking, and a pretty bad case of dance fever. See photos below.
Eric took us first to JJ Murphy's for more drinking. As if Ryanne's room wasn't enough. It's a fairly big pub that's usually packed with racist pigs. Pardon my bluntness, but I really hate how some people look down on Asian women. But bad crowd aside, in JJ's it's ladies night 6 nights a week, plus they were playin some old school alternative songs. You can never go wrong with less expensive (I refuse to use the word "cheap") booze and nice sing-able tunes. So we planted our brown-skinned butts smack at the bar and raised our glasses to good times.
To cure our burnin' dance "fevaaah" (say it with pizzaz baybeh), Eric took us around the corner to BJ's Nightclub where the party begins at midnight. Apparently it's the biggest place in town for shakin' your booty. It reminded me a lot of Embassy at the Fort, except yes, there's more space. I wish I could've taken pictures but this big guy with barrels for biceps told me it wasn't allowed. I went face-to-arms again with Mr. Muscles when he told me that I couldn't bring my drink to dance floor. Hmph, whatta bully. So I just resigned myself to the bar and enjoyed my enormous glass of jager and red bull. (It hits the spot I tell you).
We moved on to this placed called the "Coffee Shop" which looked a lot like Pep's. Remember our high school days at Pep's? :c) But we left right away because of the thick population of D.O.M.'s and call girls in skirts easily to be mistaken for thongs. That sight, my dears, most definitely signaled the end of our night. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
Ryanne and Ani are back in Deutschland now, hittin the books and slaving over rehearsals. Yes, they're theater people who are also suckers for singing Disney songs at the top of their lungs. Aw, love. I told them if ever they come visit the Philippines I'll make them gulp down Red Horse and Gin-bulag, bring them to the sands of Boracay, and show them Piolo's SanMig Coffee billboard because they crush him on TFC. :c)
I've had my chance to catch a glimpse of Bahrain's nightlife a couple of weeks ago with two oh-so-chic Fil-German girls who were here for vacation. Ryanne and Ani attend school at Hamburg (breeding ground of hotsy patutsy models, tara!!). I met them through my mom's friend whose husband works with my dad. Still with me? :p
I slept over their flat at Elite Tower (where I lost and found my CPR card) and had a girls night out. By "girls" I mean us three, and this incredibly gay pinoy named Eric who's been working at the Ritz-Carlton for a couple of years now. He (or she) knows his (or her) way around the local hotspots and is rubbing elbows, A.K.A. spanking tushies, with all the clubs' huge bouncers.
Before going out, we reaped our efforts of raiding the BMC the day before. The BMC is one of the only two places, aside from hotels and clubs, where liquor is sold. The other place is the Gulf Cellar where my loyal friend San Miguel can be purchased for a very, very cheap 3.000 dinars. Geez. Anyway, we quickly filled up and cleaned out Ryanne's cooler just as fast, with I-Miss-You-Boracay-Malibu Rum, bottles of Smirnoff Ice, bottles of Bacardi Breezers, and Vodka Twistee Shots (in strawberry, banana, and chocolate YUMMY!). The result? Cam-whoring, PLENTY of shrieking, and a pretty bad case of dance fever. See photos below.
Eric took us first to JJ Murphy's for more drinking. As if Ryanne's room wasn't enough. It's a fairly big pub that's usually packed with racist pigs. Pardon my bluntness, but I really hate how some people look down on Asian women. But bad crowd aside, in JJ's it's ladies night 6 nights a week, plus they were playin some old school alternative songs. You can never go wrong with less expensive (I refuse to use the word "cheap") booze and nice sing-able tunes. So we planted our brown-skinned butts smack at the bar and raised our glasses to good times.
To cure our burnin' dance "fevaaah" (say it with pizzaz baybeh), Eric took us around the corner to BJ's Nightclub where the party begins at midnight. Apparently it's the biggest place in town for shakin' your booty. It reminded me a lot of Embassy at the Fort, except yes, there's more space. I wish I could've taken pictures but this big guy with barrels for biceps told me it wasn't allowed. I went face-to-arms again with Mr. Muscles when he told me that I couldn't bring my drink to dance floor. Hmph, whatta bully. So I just resigned myself to the bar and enjoyed my enormous glass of jager and red bull. (It hits the spot I tell you).
We moved on to this placed called the "Coffee Shop" which looked a lot like Pep's. Remember our high school days at Pep's? :c) But we left right away because of the thick population of D.O.M.'s and call girls in skirts easily to be mistaken for thongs. That sight, my dears, most definitely signaled the end of our night. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
Ryanne and Ani are back in Deutschland now, hittin the books and slaving over rehearsals. Yes, they're theater people who are also suckers for singing Disney songs at the top of their lungs. Aw, love. I told them if ever they come visit the Philippines I'll make them gulp down Red Horse and Gin-bulag, bring them to the sands of Boracay, and show them Piolo's SanMig Coffee billboard because they crush him on TFC. :c)
For more pictures, check out my multiply.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Because I want everyone to know
This one's for my babe.
Happy Birthday! (Technically it's midnight there already)
I miss you.
Happy Birthday! (Technically it's midnight there already)
I miss you.
---
Clocks
force our nearness
into mere tokens
of memory.
Each tick effortlessly
echoes loneliness, yet
with clenched fists
we do not succumb
to seconds, minutes, hours.
We dare conquer
Time itself,
as punishment for its envy
when it stole from us
Our heaven.
force our nearness
into mere tokens
of memory.
Each tick effortlessly
echoes loneliness, yet
with clenched fists
we do not succumb
to seconds, minutes, hours.
We dare conquer
Time itself,
as punishment for its envy
when it stole from us
Our heaven.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Cookies and Camels
I baked semi-sweet oatmeal raisin cookies all by myself this morning. Me, bake? It happens once in a blue moon. Not to brag or anythin but...THEY ARE GOOOOOOD. Heehee :c) Hay, it's a good thing I never run out of things to amuse myself.
On a totally different note, guess what!!! Yesterday, I saw a HUGE herd of camels for the first time ever. Not in a farm, not in Hamed town, but they were grazing at this empty lot just around the corner! I made our driver stop in the middle of the highway so I could take a picture, because I promised. ;)
---
On a totally different note, guess what!!! Yesterday, I saw a HUGE herd of camels for the first time ever. Not in a farm, not in Hamed town, but they were grazing at this empty lot just around the corner! I made our driver stop in the middle of the highway so I could take a picture, because I promised. ;)
TA-DA! (Time to smoke 'em :p)
Sunday, August 6, 2006
*^&%$^%#!!!!!
The Bahrain CPR (Central Population Registry) card is the single, most important, most required document for anybody who lives here. I just got mine last week.
AndI LOST IT. *^&%$^%#!!!!!
YEHEEEES I found it na!! It fell out of my bag when I stayed over my friend's flat. Tsk tsk careless Kates. Hay grabe I thought I was gonna have a heart attack at 21. Feels good to breathe again. Haha thanks God.
And
YEHEEEES I found it na!! It fell out of my bag when I stayed over my friend's flat. Tsk tsk careless Kates. Hay grabe I thought I was gonna have a heart attack at 21. Feels good to breathe again. Haha thanks God.
Saturday, August 5, 2006
My crib, Some Bahrain sights, and Saturday Blues
As promised, I'm going to show you guys around our home away from home. Come on in! :c)
This villa was provided to us by SASREF (Saudi Aramco Shell Refinery Company), where my dad is assigned. I live here with my parents but my dad only stays with us during weekends. This place has an awful lot of space for just the 3 of us if you ask me. 3 bedrooms, 2 offices, 5 baths, pool house, pool. Some furniture and decors that we shipped from the Philippines haven't arrived yet so it looks a bit bare. Here you go:
As you enter, the living room is to your right. To your left, the dining area.
It might look familiar to some of you. ;)
Here's the view from our balcony (which, by the way, the pigeons have designated to be their toilet). The Mansoor Resort gym and tennis courts:
The Bahrain Mall. I usually go to Seef mall for shopping and movies, but I go here for the mailing post and some groceries.
The Pearl Monument. A gigantic work of art situated in a roundabout on the way to the city centre. You can't miss it.
Every sunset is different. A sunset is defined by how your senses are awakened and what it invokes in you. I stare at it and I am reminded of what HOME is like.
Not exactly a popular tourist spot, but I found this shed so cute. :c)
This is the kitchen. The venue for my desperate attempt(s) to cook. :c)
Out the kitchen door, you will see the pool house where our driver and house boy stays when they aren't with my dad in Saudi. Didn't take any pictures of that anymore, just imagine a rectangular white building. It's not like Ryan Atwood's the OC pool house. Hehe, let's go upstairs.
Right outside my room is the TV area, where my butt is glued to the couch most of the time. I spend the rest of the time being horizontal on this yellow polka-dotted thing:
Right outside my room is the TV area, where my butt is glued to the couch most of the time. I spend the rest of the time being horizontal on this yellow polka-dotted thing:
It might look familiar to some of you. ;)
Here's the view from our balcony (which, by the way, the pigeons have designated to be their toilet). The Mansoor Resort gym and tennis courts:
And here's the view from our roof top, where you can have the best experience of Bahrain's 45-degree (a lot cooler than usual) summer weather.
Now, on to my favorite place. The backyard!! :c)
Pretty nice, huh? Don't let the pictures fool you though. As I said in my previous post, I nicknamed this place "b-ville." B, not for my last name, not for Bahrain, but for Boot camp. I'm learning how to cook, clean (my sink tub & toilet), wash dishes, do the laundry, iron clothes, even accounting for food and groceries. I'm in the process of perfecting the art of what women do best. I think Oprah calls it "multi-tasking." So yeah, Kim's right. When I get back I'll be domesticated. HAHA, suuuure.
You guys, come visit me here aryt! ;)
You guys, come visit me here aryt! ;)
---
SOME BAHRAIN SIGHTS
I really haven't gotten around much but here are some local attractions I've come across:
I really haven't gotten around much but here are some local attractions I've come across:
The Bahrain Mall. I usually go to Seef mall for shopping and movies, but I go here for the mailing post and some groceries.
The Pearl Monument. A gigantic work of art situated in a roundabout on the way to the city centre. You can't miss it.
Every sunset is different. A sunset is defined by how your senses are awakened and what it invokes in you. I stare at it and I am reminded of what HOME is like.
Not exactly a popular tourist spot, but I found this shed so cute. :c)
Will share about my glimpse of the night life here soon!
---
Speaking of night life, I can't help but feel sad at the thought of missing out on so many things back home. You just can't ignore it sometimes. I mean, Saturday night ngayon dyan sa 'pinas. Everybody's out, having fun. About this time there, I'd probably be watchin a dibidi, soundtrippin, and havin a good cold one with my babe (and being suplada at Josh and helpin Chrissie with her amats haha kiddin!). Or drinking at Lee's or Nikki's, doin silly dance moves ("do the Bri!") and laughing non-stop with the Fuego gang. Or listening to Andy's kwentos and endlessly trippin on Chris. Or talking about dreams and catchin up with Kim and her dramatic life (still? :p). Or if there's transpo I'd be with the crazy usha gang or Ateneo peeps.
Saturday nights here are the same as Mondays because our weekends are Thursday-Friday. We even have Sunday mass during Friday. So now I get the Monday blues during Saturdays. Hay it's confusing. Saturday used to be my favorite day. I know I'll get used to it sooner or later pero minsan, kahit maliliit na bagay, nakakalungkot din. I deeply thank God for girly movies, this swimming pool, Ben & Jerry's, random texts from home, pinoy rock, and the Bahrain cellar. HAHA.
Saturday nights here are the same as Mondays because our weekends are Thursday-Friday. We even have Sunday mass during Friday. So now I get the Monday blues during Saturdays. Hay it's confusing. Saturday used to be my favorite day. I know I'll get used to it sooner or later pero minsan, kahit maliliit na bagay, nakakalungkot din. I deeply thank God for girly movies, this swimming pool, Ben & Jerry's, random texts from home, pinoy rock, and the Bahrain cellar. HAHA.
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