The Pink Tarha For You 1/2

I was tearing up on the third response (and the first one was the test response I did which just said "test")... that's the effect of your replies to The Pink Tarha's Fifth Anniversary Ultimate Giveaway survey to me. I honestly have to refrain from reading further because I was still at work. That's a problem not only because crying out of nowhere will elicit weird stares in my direction but also... what am I doing reading non-work stuff during working hours?! Haha! Anyway, I settled not to read the responses sheet until the contest time expires (12 midnight of January 24). But then again, I don't exactly have the EQ to stop myself (I swear I have EQ most of the time, please don't judge). And what do I read next? 

I didn't see the name of the commenter immediately so this weird comment baffled me at first: 

"OMG! G R R R... I lurveee this blog! Nyahaha! Anyway, this blog is so madaya. Bakit di ako pwedeng sumali sa contest na ito eh reader din naman ako?! At Riyadhizen din naman ako?! Paki-explain? Love you. Wahahaha! :)"
[Translation: Oh my god! Grrr! I love this blog! Nyahaha! Anyway, this blog is so unfair. Why can't I join in this contest?! I'm a reader and I'm also a Riyadhizen! Please explain. Love you.] 

I swear I blinked a couple of times before it dawned on me to look at the name of the sender. It said "brother/driver/bodyguard of Sundrenched." I laughed out loud! Okay, so this is my younger brother commenting about The Pink Tarha (because the older one is on vacation)... finally! I knew he was such a fan. Haha! He definitely serves as my driver and bodyguard sometimes when I had to go to an obscure store or restaurant looking for whatever. 

I posted The Pink Tarha Ultimate Giveaway in my personal Facebook page and mentioned there that my brothers can't join because well, they're family and most contests don't let their first degree family members join so I had to prohibit them. Not that I think they would actually join but oh well. It's so funny. By the way, the brother wants to read all about the lugaw (congee) in Batha and the suman (rice cake) in Batha and Suleimania. He wants me to do a review! Hahaha! Thanks, bro! I can always share with you my Entertainer coupons because you won the sweetest comment, hahahaha!

So the questions in the survey were: What do you think of The Pink Tarha and our social media sites? What do you want to read next in The Pink Tarha? What can you suggest to make The Pink Tarha better?

I simply asked you, our readers, to write them in creative, unique, and substantial manners. I obviously made the judging difficult for me because what am I basing my decision with? I didn't have a criteria on the selection of winners. Well, you all know that The Pink Tarha is personal for me. The other ladies are always saying that The Pink Tarha is Sundrenched's baby. It's true. So I decided to go with gut feel. I decided to read the answers and the ones that struck me most will be the winners. 

I had to give the second runner-up award to Hygeia Abellanosa because she did not only give the longest answer, she gave one of the most substantial one. 

“I remembered back then, during the very first time I bumped into your blog, I was searching into how and where I can send money back home. I found myself reading the article from this eye-catching blog. I didn’t even notice that I spent so much time reading your other articles. I became one of your avid fans, to the point of stalking Eyecandy when I saw her in Panda before. LOL! My search for Enjaz and Telemoney had somehow led me to a great and inspiring blog which made my stay in Riyadh a whole lot different.” 

You think that’s long enough? There was more!!! Well, I couldn’t put everything in here but Hygeia went on describing who the The Pink Tarha is for her (statements in clauses are mine, because I couldn't help making side comments, really, haha!): a. Living GPS (that’s my mad direction skillzzz!), b. Crafty Cultivators (I knew many people love Sharpies!), c. Shopping Mamarazzis (I thought she was referring to us as “mama” [mothers] already, good thing she cleared it up or else… haha!), d. Pig-Out Hunters (did she just say pig this time?! LOL), and e. Ready Jet Set Go!!! (She likes our vacation entries, I like them too.)

Every title was explained well. She also wants to read a lot of future topics. Her suggestions include monthly meet-ups with The Pink Tarha ladies, an event in the Philippine Embassy, trainings and tie-ups with sponsors, and a blog magazine. Wooow, we’d love to but you all know that The Pink Tarha is not our day job right? Hahaha! Some of you share her suggestions. More events, more workshops, more contests… We want them all too! We will try our best to do some of your suggested happenings this year. *cross fingers* 

First runner up Mohammed Ameenuddin won me with his poem. I mean, it’s a stanza but it’s a stanza written by a man so it’s a winner in my books already. Effort! Here are his four lines for us: 

"Pink Tarha, you girls are really best in the desert land
With your blog, I barely feel the boring heated sand
Knowledgeable, interesting you bring a lot of smiles
I am sure you guys will move ahead a million miles" 

See, it's so simple but I asked for a unique feedback right? This one is the most unique. ;) I just wished he used "girls" instead of "guys" but oh well, we're cool. We're good. LOL. He wants the Pink Tarha to organize women meetings because he believes that our amount of experience would help women, especially the new ones. Again, why not? We will try our best, promise! ;) 

And the ULTIMATE WINNER’s answer really got to me. It shed some light on what The Pink Tarha is now to others, how some people are really taking our suggestions at heart and living it. It’s interesting when people just say we’ve inspired and influenced them in their shopping and traveling choices. It’s much more amazing when it comes to life choices. 

Ammarah Zafar shared this: 

“I accidentally stumbled upon The Pink Tarha blog while researching online about Riyadh, the day I found out about my husband being offered a job in Riyadh. My first reaction to the offer was “no thank you!” I did not want to move to a veiled society where I had no information about anything. When I started reading your blog, it helped me calm down and I realized maybe it wasn’t such a bad place. I remember that was in 2012, I immediately emailed the link to my husband who was at work in Lahore, Pakistan. I think we read your entire blog that night. It’s one of the deciding factors for me to finally say yes to the move.  

And even now that I’ve been here for 7 months, The Pink Tarha is my comfort zone. I know it sounds funny but every time I’m down or depressed (which happens way too often in Riyadh), I read your blog and your Facebook page. It cheers me up and helps me plan things. It reminds me that this place has a life too and it’s not too bad. I’ve written to you a few times for advice and information. Thank you so much for just being you. And thank you for helping people like me who feel a bond with you in a faraway land.” 

Wooow, just wow. When we wrote our first blog post back in January 2009, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. And now here we are… influencing and inspiring others huh? It’s amazing and interesting to know that we’ve become a part of someone's deciding factor in going to Saudi Arabia. It shows me how far the blog has come in the five years that we’ve been online. It’s also scary, of course. To influence people on their decisions, especially ones that involve moving to Saudi Arabia. I remember one time when we received an email from a Moroccan lady asking us if we think marrying her Saudi boyfriend is a good decision, I got anxious. What will our reply be? It’s like holding one’s life, one’s future in our hands. And the funny thing? We don’t even know her personally and she’s a thousand miles away from us. 

The aim of The Pink Tarha is to inspire others with our writings.We want to provide as much value as we can. And also, to bring to light the good things in living in Saudi Arabia. Like what I wrote in our anniversary post, Riyadh is not exactly the best place to be in but we're already here so let's make the most out of it. 

We’re being surprised at how much our words are lifting and helping them. Truly, sharing our stories and experiences with each other helps us feel less alone in this land faraway from home. 

The rest of the comments were very enlightening too (and I'll write part 2, promise!). I must admit, sometimes, writing for the blog gets repetitive and tiring but getting your comments boosts my confidence and motivates me to write again, and again, and again. Our readers are awesome!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!!! This blog is no longer just our diary. It’s yours too. You’ll always find an online home with us. Cheers to more years of sharing and inspiring each other! :) ~ Sundrenched

PS. Our anniversary cake is from Nadia Tariq of Bakefresh, the first homebaker in Riyadh we featured in the blog in 2009. I sent her the idea that I had and she created this beautiful, beautiful cake! Look at the amazing details here:

The first one are real flowers, the inspiration of the anniversary cake. 

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. :)