Eid Mubarak!

Eid Mubarak! to all muslim brothers who are celebrating this time of the year. As my personal account and experience working and living with them, the Eid Al-Fitr is an occasion to celebrate the month-long sacrifices done during the holy month of Ramadan in Hijra Calendar. In this month, muslims do take the opportunity to do good deeds and experience the hunger of the poor people by not eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. By doing good deeds especially in the month of Ramadan they do believe that their effort will be rewarded double while the experience of restaining from eating will make one compassionate to others irregardless of social status.

During Eid Al-Fitr, all countries with islam believers are in a festive mood. It's a time for a reunion with relatives and friends with lots of foods. For girls and ladies, it's time to wear new colorful dresses while new traditional thobes for the male, young and old alike.

As an expatriate employee in Saudi Arabia for so many years now, I have had the opportunity to witness arab cultures in its simplest and grandest form. I have had the opportunity to understand their best and worst attitudes.

Being away from my mother country and family, I respect their cultures by simply following their do's and dont's with cautions, and they did so in return.

Happy EID MUBARAK to all of us!

Goodbye Billy!

You know how important you are to me. We met many years ago just in time for us to support each other in any other way we can. I can recall how happy I am that we have the same surname. I already have a cousin in Saudi Arabia, though, we can’t trace the roots, it’s enough for me that I have another cousin in your persona. We may not have seen each other daily but we saw to it that we talked on the phone to update each other during happy and sad times. We rejoice together in each others moment of happiness and we became shock absorber of each others burden.

It’s so sad that there will be no more continuation of this friendship. I know how strong your will to live on but your physical can’t handle the strenuous medication aside from financial stress.

I still have a lot of thoughts to say, but I just want to keep it buried in my heart and mind till the heartaches of your death fades and gone away.

Thank you for being my cousin, thank you for being a friend and thank you for touching a lot of people’s lives.

You are truly dear to us.

Goodbye Orville!