How To Spend New Year's in Saudi Arabia

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I spent my first New Year's Eve in the Philippines last 2007. Growing up, I had no recollection of playing with "lusis" or even seeing a "Sinturon Ni Hudas" tear itself apart, much less a "Goodbye, Philippines." Nevertheless, I grew up with a phobia for anything that explodes (Long story. Next time, I'll tell), so imagine my fright as I witnessed my fist ever New Year's Eve in my adult life outside Saudi soil. To say that I was freaked out, would be an understatement.

But you all know what it's like to spend New Year's in the Philippines, or in any other country for that matter. This entry is about how I spend the New Year's in this side of the world.

1. It's QUIET. If most Asians share the belief that making loud noises on New Year's Eve will ward off evil spirits/bad luck, then they might think that Saudi Arabia is just welcoming all of them in on New Year's night. But no, it's just that it's not celebrated here. Plain and simple. Saudi Arabia is set with the Hijra calendar and they celebrate their version of the New Year during the Eid -- so we expect noise and festivities by then. But on December 31st, expect a standstill--and the people you'll find walking around the neighborhood, nonchalant.

Though from personal experience, my brother and I would collect "mga takip ng kaldero" (cooking pan covers) minutes before midnight and bang them all for at least a minute after the clock strikes twelve (along with a high jump, in a superstitious hope of growing taller in the coming year). We do it locked in our rooms of course -- and this ladies and gentlemen, is our version of a "noisy" New Year.

2. No fireworks. No exploding items. Apart from Saudi Arabia not practicing New Year's like the rest of the world does (except China maybe), traditions known to us such as igniting a "pla-pla" or setting off "kwitis" is strictly prohibited. Heck, I don't think they even sell those here. Nevertheless, witnessing a fireworks display would be nice (they do some during Eid). What me and my family used to do would be to turn on CNN and watch the fireworks display from different parts of the world on TV. Kumusta naman diba? Yep, that's New Year's in KSA for me!

3. We eat. We have round things. We throw coins. Any New Year's tradition that we can do within the confines of our house is fine, as long as it's quiet and nothing has to explode (which is really quite remote if you think about it). Food is so abundant here that we can easily get our hands on any round-shaped fruit in the market. In my family, we'd have our aunts, uncles and their families over at our place (sometimes theirs) and just be together when the new year begins (taking photos with the round fruits before eating them). One fun thing my relatives also got to teach me about Filipino New Year's tradition while growing up was the throwing of coins in different parts of the house so as to invite good fortune in the family. However, this year, it looks like the collection of halalas is scarce. I mean, we hardly get our hands on any anymore...does that mean we might end up penniless this year? I hope not. :P

4. Roam the city. Go out of town. For other OFWs who may not have the luxury of having relatives here with them, they would usually opt to be out in the town, surrounding themselves with friends, or even strangers, just so they can veer away from the lonesome feeling in their housing units--especially in this cold weather. For the all-boys crew, weekend trips to nearby cities like Jeddah and AlKhobar are at a high too, just so they can do something "new" for the New Year. Meanwhile, most ladies opt to divert themselves to the mayhem of the Sale season inside shopping malls during this time of the year. The rationale: new year=new clothes/bags/shoes. ;)

So there you have it. It's not much, but that's the usually scenario whether we like it or not. We make do with what we can here in Riyadh. It may not be no Times Square event or a Sydney Opera House fireworks display, nevertheless, a new year IS a new year -- and how we welcome it doesn't come up to par to how we eventually make the most of it.

I say do away with the whole resolutions bit -- especially if it has proven ineffective for you in the past couple of years. Just DO what you have to do -- do whatever needs to be done to make life worth living. And I'm sure, you will not regret it.

May you all have a bountiful New Year!

xoxo

Cheers!

-ec-

RED-DY, RED-SET...GO!!!

This is the SALE Report live from Hayat and Sahara Mall as of 12PM this afternoon (Yes, we were at the mall that early on a Wednesday!). You must know by now, that RED is our second favorite color (Pink being the first :P).

It's officially the SALE SEASON PEOPLE!!!!

Stradivarius - for the Boho Chic

GAP - for classic picks.

Terranova - for all ze bagets and size 14 below. :P

Koton - for Women and Men.

Aldo - for more grown-up accessories.

Bershka - for the young and young at heart.

Nine West -- for those boots you've been wishing on!

...and......Za-raaaaaaa! (say it Oprah style!)

Other stores on sale but not pictured: New Look, Promod, MNG, Etam, Papaya, G2000, Guess, Replay, New Yorker, Urban Behavior, Splash, Centrepoint, Attitude and CityMax.

What are YOU waiting for!!!?

Season's Greetings!

This is perhaps a late, yet still, a heartfelt message from The Pink Tarha...

Share the gift of TIME. The gift of SERVICE. And the gift of LOVE.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!

A "Bazaar" Day of Fun!

TWO WEEKS AGO, I joined my mum and my two aunts to go to a "Christmas Bazaar" in one of the compounds here in Riyadh. For security purposes, I won't be able to name the place publicly, but let's just say that it is a very spacious, very open compound, wherein you would feel as if you weren't in Saudi Arabia at all. For me, it was a slice of "freedom." Even if I had to wake up as early as 6 am on a Friday morning to get to it. See entrance to this place is exclusive, and the security check is hard core. Gotta get there early.

The person who invited us to the bazaar is a friend of ours and I believe their compound holds this every year, with the proceeds of the entrance fee going to a charity. I wasn't sure what to expect or if I'd buy anything at all...I just came to spend the day with my family. But I ended up going home feeling wildly amused with myself. Towards the end of this write-up, you''ll know why.

When we got in, we were greeted by the numerous stalls lined up across the wide parking space. There were trinkets, jewelries, clothes, decor, furniture, books and lots of food! Most of the items were Chritmas-related -- as you know, we ARE in Saudi Arabia, and finding decent Christmas accents in commercial centers is a hoot -- so, my mum and my aunts went off to scavenge their way to some good finds. Meanwhile, my uncle and I, along with my second cousin, strolled along. Apart from the stalls, there was a jumbo-bouncy-castle thing where the kids could play, right in the middle of the grassed area. That's where all the kids went crazy for. On the side, there was a Seattle's Best booth which saved me from my groggy disposition. Not that hearing shrieking kids woke me up, no, not at all.

As the sun's rays grew stronger and with the help of caffeine, I began to mingle and small talk my way in and out of booths. I found some really funny greeting cards made in the UK, 3 for 10SR -- which was all I could afford with the money I had at the time. However, my mom and aunts found these items more to their liking:

Candy canes, snowflakes and snowman trimmings.

Santa hats, mittens and organic dog treats (upper left).

Now these are unique items, and they look like they can be family heirlooms!

I believe this is Santa's cousin, who is selling the merchandise.

I was pretty much food-tripping with my uncle, trying out grilled "Bratwursts" for the first time (they're huge, German sausages), homemade cupcakes from an Irish recipe, plus some regular Indian food -- the ones where you dip bread in curry sauce. Sorry, no pictures of that, we were too excited to eat it! :P

As I finished my hearty morning meal, I noticed a bunch of kids lining up by the Harley Davidson booth (they were selling apparel+accessories) and apparently, a bunch of biker boys were taking the kids for a ride around the parking lot for 5SR each. Something in me just clicked and I decided that I wanna have a go at it! So, there I was lined up with a bunch of eight-year-old-somethings, waiting for my turn. And what could make this imagery more ridiculous is that I had my mom right there beside me waiting in line -- coz I needed someone to take a picture of me while on the bike. Meanwhile, all these tweens were just on their own! Hahahaha! But at the time, I didn't care. I wanted an adventure!

So here I am:

A nice capture don't you think?

We rode in and out of the parking lot and since I was much older than the kids who usually ride it, the guy I was with went a little faster than usual. Which was great! It was a sunny, winter morning, and the breeze was flowing through my hair. Ahhh! It was such an exhilarating experience! Most especially because the week leading to that Friday has been very stressful for me, and venturing on that wild abandonment kinda brought me back to life, so to speak.

Call me "mababaw" or whatever, but the thing you should know about me is that I also don't know how to ride a bike. Much less a motorbike like a Harley Davidson. So for me to have experienced this, is kind of a big deal already. :)

We left the place at around noon, after watching a traditional Scottish dance performance. (Yes, t'was also my first time to see men in 'kilts').

On our way home, I can't help but feel like it was a one-day vacation away from the realities of my day-to-day life in Riyadh. I was full with all the food we tasted from different countries. The view was awesome, everyone appeared 'normal' - in normal clothes, and sometimes, not so normal (i.e. kilts). My aunts got some great Christmas stuff, AND I got to ride a Harley! :)

I guess one of the Pink Tarha mottos CAN really do me some good these days: "Do something new everyday." Feel free to use it yourself one of these days!

Cheers!

-EC-

A Letter From E

Dear Pink Tarha readers,

Hello all! How are you this cold, yet festive holiday season? :)

It's me Eyecandy holding the fort for the rest of The Pink Tarha Ladies. S is enjoying the of Quirino Highway as we speak, whilst R and M are quite preoccupied with their work and families. I, too, am juggling several activities with my two bare hands, however thanks to the recent (hyper)activity on our Facebook page, I was reminded that we have a blog with a steady following, and it would not do the readers justice to just stop writing about the beauty and wonders of living in Riyadh.

Having said that, please bear with me for the next month and a half as I try to uphold some Pink Tarha blog lovin.'

Meanwhile, in behalf of The Pink Tarha ladies, I would like to congratulate the recently concluded PEBA 2010 Awards Ceremonies. I personally watched it live via Ustream and we applaud all the efforts contributed by all bloggers and blog-lovers worldwide! Ain't that amazing?

So stay tuned dear readers as I churn my creative juices...


xoxo,
E