“If Only A Tricycle Can Drive Me Home This Christmas….”

This Christmas Eve, over a couple of million Filipinos work overseas defying the extreme biting weather, racial discrimination, abuse, violence, and loneliness. What makes it more difficult for most of these OFW’s is that they have to (not) celebrate the Christmas season away from home.

I could imagine a mother working as a domestic helper in the Middle East sobbing like a child as she misses her young kids. She’s dying to embrace their little bodies as she washes off the bodies of children she’s not even related to. How she wish she could prepare and serve the Noche Buena for them. But 12 midnight is her work’s rush hour, thousands of miles away from home.

Or an engineer father in Africa who has never been home for more than 2 years and has never even witnessed the birth of his first and only child. He only wishes to spend one day with his child and wife. Just today. Just for tonight. Continue reading “If Only A Tricycle Can Drive Me Home This Christmas….”

My First e-Passport Renewal Experience Overseas

I went early yesterday morning to Dammam to renew my passport through the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh’s “Embassy on Wheels” or the EOW program. Thanks to a colleague, who’s also a volunteer for the EOW, for giving me a lift to the Al Jazeera International School (Philippine School of Dammam).

I booked an appointment with the Embassy through their website way back in August. I was trying to get a booking for their September or October tour but the online appointment was already full so I had to settle for the December schedule.

So I advise the Filipinos in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia to book their renewal as early as 6 months prior to the expiration of their passports to avoid any problem.

Let me take you to a virtual tour on how the renewal process went on yesterday morning. Continue reading My First e-Passport Renewal Experience Overseas

Are You Geek?

Have you ever experienced getting squeezed between intellectual friends or acquaintances in one chatting occasion? Like you were in a middle of three English-speaking geeks talking about Star Trek and Harry Potter when in fact you still do not understand until now what those movies really are all about?

Continue reading Are You Geek?