The Pink Tarha Mornings: Blogging in Riyadh

Our first ever "morning" in The Pink Tarha Mornings series happened last September 20, 2012. It was a success! I'm not saying this just because we're the organizers but because our lovely participants said so. They gave us such good feedback I started to wonder if it might be because of the "Gorgeous" that we placed in their IDs. Haha. So here's a photo diary of what happened, serving also as an acknowledgment page for the people who helped us make this event possible ...

What a Pink Tarha ID looks like... pretty chic? :P

I designed most of the labels, tags, and signs that you'll see in the event. I had a theme in mind... something lovely, chic, and refreshing and what better way than use pink flowers right? Haha. I had a thing for cutting and pasting papers. This is like my very own craft project in school. Feeling student. :P I have to thank my father and brother for letting me print these labels and signs in their office printer (sssshhhhhh! don't tell!) and also to a friend who I bothered time and time again.

Gifts from Whites Pharmacy

Greenland and Cottage samples

It was a blessing that I met Mr. Turki, managing partner of Whites Pharmacy one day when I was visiting Nouf of Four Nail Spa and Salon (thanks, Nouf!). He introduced me to their marketing executive, Ms. Haifa, who was friendly and helpful. Long story short, they gave us samples of their products and we got enough to give away to our participants! Thank you, Mr. Turki, Ms. Haifa, and Whites Pharmacy! ;)

The making of a Pink Tarha folder kit

While Eyecandy and Sampaguita Pride were rehearsing and studying the presentation and lecture the night before The Pink Tarha Mornings, I was assembling the folder kit. What's inside this white folder? Apart from the fliers from Whites (on the left), there's a notebook and pen (not in photo) for the participants to use. Of course, the program, which come to think of it looked like a menu, hehe, is in front. And several blogging and photography prompts we got from the Internet that participants can use after the workshop.

You might wonder, when did The Pink Tarha Mornings begin? Ay, nung September 20 lang. Haha. Just kidding. I was hit by the idea one fine Thursday morning when my friends and I were having brunch in Tahlia St. I thought, why not have a small gathering of ladies on a Thursday morning and talk about one topic that is interesting to everyone present? Nothing grand, nothing fancy. Just a bunch of friends getting together for brunch and discussing something relevant, something different. (Para sa mga walang magawa? Bored? Stressed?)

I shared the vision to The Pink Tarha ladies and our friends. They were supportive but I was the one skeptical (weird huh). While the idea was novel, was it really possible in conservative Riyadh? Will there be ladies interested? I mean, who would be enthusiastic to come when most of the ladies here in Riyadh would probably have their own friends whom they go out with? Which restaurant will open their doors so early in the morning for us? A break (and rays of hope) came when we spoke with Sir Neil, Piatto's main marketing man. He was interested with the idea. I worked on a presentation during the Eid holiday (thanks to the prodding of friends) and when he and Piatto's management gave the go signal upon seeing it, I squealed in DELIGHT (okay, probably not 'squealed' but 'beamed')! This was truly happening!!! I guess the moment that that really sunk in was the time we were already talking about the final details with Sir Albert, Piatto's gracious manager. (To the management and staff of Piatto, thank you very much!)

We opened The Pink Tarha Mornings registration for the first workshop titled "Blogging in Riyadh" for 20 participants. I was nervous the first few minutes... "What if no one registered?!" But after a few hours, the slots got filled and we had a growing waiting list! Whoahhh! Almost all the participants, we noticed, were long time readers of the blog and our Facebook page. We recognized their names instantly!  And so everything quickly settled and we got to "work" on the event. Remember the first time in a long time that the PT ladies came together? It was a meeting regarding this event. 

And the day finally came...

WELCOME!!! R, SP, and I with our friend, Jamila

It didn't look like we crammed, yes? Because we didn't. Really. Hahaha. We arrived early in our venue, Piatto Italian Restaurant in Exit 5 and quickly decorated the place, rather sparsely, because the Piatto already looks good on its own. This is our registration desk, manned by Shoegarfreeruby and our friends. The ladies are required to sign. Required talaga?! Just so we can take note of those who were present, of course. Two out of the 20 participants weren't able to come but all in all, we were so happy with the turnout.

Shoegarfreeruby with our friends Grace, Jennie, and Jamila. Thanks, ladies! :)

IDs and kits ready!

The tables were bare but stands with quotes caught their attention.

We love Piatto's ambiance!

One reason that made us really thrilled to have Piatto Restaurant as The Morning's venue is its ambiance. We love the rustic yet bright interiors of the place complete with fountain and a sun roof. The sunshine streams inside the courtyard steadily creating a fresh, bright, sunny atmosphere that you can't get from any other restaurant in Riyadh. It's the nearest thing to being outdoors! 

Cielo and her sweet treats

Cielo Algaeed x The Pink Tarha Ladies

Who can't resist?

Cielo, whom we featured recently, was also one of our sponsors. She brought her bestsellers: cheesecakes, coconut macaroons, cookies, and chocolate cake. (Thanks, Cielo!) Everyone enjoyed her samplers! 

Have some Kitsch! :)

The Pink Tarha Ladies x Kitsch Cupcakes

Awesome Kitsch!

Pick your flavor!

We were also fortunate to have Kitsch Cupcakes that day. I thought they were giving away the small cupcakes and I was genuinely surprised when our friend, Jennie, who received the cupcakes arrived with boxes and boxes filled with their regular-sized cupcakes. Woah! Talk about being sweet! We love how they packaged each cupcake and how they instantly prettified our setup. (Thank you, Mr. Moustafa and to the staff of Kitsch Cupcakes Riyadh.) 

Home bakers we LOVE!

We also have home baker friends who sent in their bestsellers Ms. Meredith featured her delicious chocolate chip cookies while Ms. Shirley had her yummy chocolate cake and cheese cake. (Thank you, wonder women! ;)  

And what goes really, really well with pastries?

"Good things happen over coffee."

Coffee, tea, or water? Whatever you choose, Piatto has it! And even this...

More room for cookies eh?

And who better to enjoy these treats? Of course, aside from The Pink Tarha ladies and our friends, these are for our participants who arrived one-by-one before showtime the workshop starts! Wow, we really have the most beautiful readers huh? Seriously, why do we attract the pretty ones? Birds of the same feather flock together, yes? ;) And now, we go to the program proper...

And now we begin...

Eyecandy takes the "stage" to introduce The Pink Tarha.

And goes to the Writing discussion.

Some audience participation in here...

Sampaguita Pride, our teacher, goes on to discuss the "Quality of Writing."

Participants can freely have some coffee and pastries while they're listening.

And we go to the Photography session...

Participants are asked to take photos of their salads and bread. 

Eyecandy and Sampaguita Pride, the Toastmasters of the group, did a fine job in delivering the lectures. Good job, ladies! :)))

The brunch arrives!

Yes, that's brunch. That huge dish and we call it "brunch." Guess what's for lunch? Haha. I think I was still full until dinner when I finished my pasta. Most of the participants chose the cream-based pasta. Good choice! The staff of Piatto were efficient and very professional. They prepared the food ahead of time and were attentive to the needs of our participants. (Yes, even to my constant questions and requests... ang kulit ko lang! Haha!)

And so the lecture and the brunch ends around 1:00 in the afternoon. The participants took home more of the baked goodies and this...

A huge canvas bag we got from Camel Corner. Thanks for the discount Mr. Isam and Sam!

This served as souvenir, along with the certificate of participation designed by Eyecandy. We kind of rushed towards but overall, we had a fun morning. We also like to thank Mr. Ronald Blanco of Balitang Middle East for coming. And more thank yous are on the way...

To God Almighty, thank you for our talents and gifts and for this opportunity to share them. To my fellow Pink Tarha ladies, thank you very much for supporting my idea and vision. To our families and friends, thank you for helping us make this event possible. To our sponsors, thank you for being a part of this event and making it better. To our readers, thank you for inspiring us. 

And of course...

THANK YOU VERY MUCH to our GORGEOUS PARTICIPANTS!!! 

I may sound like I'm gushing too much in this entry... that's because I am. I still can't believe that we held the first Pink Tarha Morning and that we did all those. And that it was a success! For me, this is not just a simple event. This is not just my vision or dream coming true. It's a validation for The Pink Tarha that indeed, we're touching and inspiring lives in our simple ways. And we are GRATEFUL for the support, for the belief, for the overwhelming wonderful feedback.

We hope we can do this again next time. Yes? YES!!! ~ Sundrenched

For more photos, visit our Instagram {thepinktarha} or click here.

PS. To our participants, kindly send us photos that you took from the event. Pretty please? Especially the ones where you're there with us. :)