Dr. Myriam- The Dental Aesthetic Clinic

Tag: jeddah

My Lady no.6 : Nanay Aurea

Lopezena Fernando De Castro – age 65 years old.

Long name 🙂 we fondly call her “Nanay Aurea” , a mother of four and one of her daughter is my friend. The first time I met her was three months ago.., time passes by quickly and on Tuesday she will be going back to Philippines.

Me: Nanay Aurea How do you like your stay in Jeddah?

Nanay Aurea: (masaya naman pero nakakalungkot din, lahat sila nasa trabaho at school, nasanay akong kasama palagi ang aking asawa. Napakahirap mag -isa). happy but sad at the same time. It is hard to be alone.

Nanay Aurea husband had passed away recently (less than a year).

(Hindi ko akalain naganito pala rito sa Jeddah, maganda at tahimik naman)I didn’t expect Jeddah is a nice and quiet City.

She told me, she is worried about her daughter condition in Saudi Arabia but now she have seen Jeddah, her mind will be at peace for a while.

Nanay Aurea is a retired teacher and a dancer. She loves to teach her students and pushed them hard to attained perfection in their dancing stint. She has a charming smile and boast that if it wasn’t for her beauty and charm, her daughter will not look beautiful.

Kung ano ang puno iyun din ang bunga! 🙂 Trees bear the same fruit hahaha is this the right translation? I guess so! A coconut tree won’t bear a mango fruit! 🙂 right?

That goes to my mom too! Like mother like daughter, though I also would like to look like my handsome papa 🙂

Nanay Aurea is a well travelled lady too. She said ” Kahit pala walang pera may nararating din” Though I don’t have money I was able to travel. She has been to Europe and now Middle East, hopefully she can also go to USA ! One of her daughter is in Germany and she also has relatives in USA.

That I may quote..”Kung anu ang tinanim siya rin ang bunga” in short, Good deeds begets good deeds 🙂

I asked her, what advice she can give to us?

Save for the future, oh Nanay Aurea, you’re my idol, you can travel anywhere without spending any centavo, so why should I save? hahahaha joke!

Certainly! For young people , SAVE is the key word, no matter how great your situation at the moment, no matter how healthy you are, we will never know what the future will bring. If you save a little while enjoying the moment, when the hard times comes, you won’t be begging for others’help.

Nanay Aurea, thank you for the moment, though it was a short visit it was worth every penny 🙂 worth every moment,I miss my parents, your short visit filled up the missing puzzle in our life as an overseas worker.

Thank you Nanay Aurea and Happy trip!

Cheers,

Jamilamimi

April 4, 2015
How to celebrate 58th birthday- OFW style :-)

OFW – Overseas Filipino Workers, yes! we are outside our own country to earn a living which will give a better future to our children. I say a “better’ future because wherever you are, regardless whether you are outside or inside your own country there will always a future to look forward to..any one who would like to succeed will always find a way to reach their goal. Having an opportunity to work abroad is a big bonus in itself but it has also its own trade-off. for one..being away from the family is an enormous sacrifice each of us has to deal with.

and so, when times like this celebrating birthday, we find comfort being with our friends, crazy friends I may add 🙂 and friends who we considered as second family in a foreign land which sometimes we refer as our second home.

Saudi Arabia, Jeddah in particular is saturated of restaurants, malls and a few parks near the red sea or Jeddah Corniche. It is up to our budget where we can share the moments, what is important is the company ,the warmth of being with friends. I know, some of you who are reading this, knew our positions in the company but I say the same, we all have our own budget specially having University students back home is something we have to think about before spending hard-earned money to something we can do in all simplicity 🙂

Simplicities? I almost bit my tongue hahaha look at the menu! taken with my iPhone 4 🙂 budget, I told you so hehehe

and dessert?

and guess who is in budget too! Chilli’s, we asked for candle and birthday acapella song (they used to do) but nothing! so here’ the blowing of the invisible candle and we chant a few lines of “Happy birthday”

and the results after ? boom! all gone 🙂

After we filled our tummies ,it’s time to remove some of the calories we enjoyed, we walked along the Falasteen street walk towards the tallest fountain in the world – King Fahd’s Fountain, took sometime to get fresh air ironically, it was full of different smell from the crowds of different people plus the humidity of the sea. It was a different atmosphere and we’re lucky, there was some fire works too! What a way to celebrate my friend’s birthday, free fire works! 🙂

We walked until we reached Park hyatt Hotel, hmmm still on budget, no way to get in just for a cup of tea. Cross the streets into the Intercontinental Hotel, not a cup of coffee 🙂 no way! While we were crossing, I was full of joy and fear that the cars passing by won’t stop and crushed on to us.. I was raising my hand and shouting, oh please stop I still have two college students, not ready to get into accident. Of course, I am exaggerating, were all adults but being silly sometimes takes the worries away. 🙂

And so we continued walking trying to re-traced our way where we had our dinner, while walking we kind of dig our life, what is left for us? I am 56, my friend just turned 58, we will be in our sixties soon !..like our other friend who is now 62 and still working hard for the family. We were once a young family, living a good life (we still are) what I meant..we are all getting old and we barely save something for our own, the time when we can’t work anymore at least we should have something to spend for our daily living expenses, the time when we get sick. For sure, our children will help us but we can’t depend on that idea, we have to be ready with old age physically, mentally and financially 🙂

We all share the same sentiments, how long are we going to stay here? 4-5 years more? no one really knows! but when I was asked, Where are you going after Saudi Arabia? It’s an irony that I, a mother of two is the only provider in the family, my two sons are finishing College soon, they are both outside Philippines,I guess wherever they maybe, that’s where I am headed at.

For now, let’s find a place to sit down and have some tea! We ended our one hour and fifteen minutes walk with Krispy creme doughnuts and green tea!

and the night is over, another year has come and celebrated, tomorrow is another day! Tito Arlen my birthday wish for you is more power and good health!

Thank you Lord for all the blessings!

Cheers!

jamilamimi

March 27, 2015
Serenata “Opus 10” one word – Spectacular!

Challenging..blessed..grateful.. were the words to described the Serenata journey to 10th year according to Ms. Charo Hipos the chairperson and executive producer of Opus 10.

SERENATA is a non- stock,non-profit, cause oriented organisation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia founded in 2005 through the pioneering efforts of Ms. Sylvia de los Santos, Ms. Desil Manapat and Mr. Louis Bautista. Serenata hold annual benefit concert and to date, they have produced 29 scholars and 7 college graduates.

I have attended seven of their concerts and I was so eager to attend the eight concert but it didn’t coincide with my tight schedule and I was not lucky to find a ticket on the ninth and so when Ms. Lolit Cua invited me, I was jumping with joy (literally 🙂 ) and immediately blocked my schedule , for once, let me attend please!

https://jamilamimi.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/serenata-shines-at-seven/

And to echo the words of Ms. Charo, my attendance was also “Challenging” I have to make sure my patient’s schedule were all specially booked well in advance though dental treatment will always be challenging to finished on time 🙂 nevertheless, I did it! Unfortunately another mishap happened, my bank card was retained at the ATM machine and to talk to customer service was a menace at times (rolling my eyes..at all time!..this is KSA) Anyhow, I went home and hurriedly changed my clothes ,took a taxi and alas! I reached the alma mater of my chef Kevin, AISJ (American International School of Jeddah, hosted the event for the eight times).As I was waiting for my change, the blue guard came and reprimanded the taxi driver not to park (taxi cab was on the side before the gate entrance) , waving his hand on me to get into the car and let the taxi move OMG! don’t bark! only dogs do that!

Anyhow, after checking my ID and ticket, the receptions was like attending the Oscars! ,not that I attended it 🙂 but I like the photo shoot, the little poses hahaha. I was ushered to a special seat and I felt so “blessed” that actually I am in the “Opus 10″ concert. I will always be” grateful” to Ms. Lolit for the invitation. 🙂

Yes! SERENATA..I have only one word to describe the concert..SPECTACULAR!

And last but not the least, the special participation of Ms. Precy Ann Cua was stunning! not to mention she had undergone Oral Surgery twice before the concert 🙂 This soft-spoken lady holds a BS degree in Music (major in voice,minor in piano) at St. Scholastica’s College in Manila, Philippines. Bravo! (hats off)

And while I was enjoying the show, suddenly I can’t remember If I unplug my flat iron 😦 I was in a hurry so I was not sure and later it became so obvious that I didn’t..OMG! concert or fire? yeah you’re right, I’m on fire so I left the concert without seeing the String Orchestra. Grrrrr.

Beautybeyondfifty was so frustrated. ahh blame it to the age! hahaha

To the members and participants, parents, siblings, committees ,sponsors and guest a big THANK YOU and Congratulations!

Cheers!

Jamilamimi

March 2, 2015
Not all Honey are created Equal!

honeycomb

In search of Honey..my friends and I decided to visit old town Jeddah once again 🙂 We went early afternoon only to find out the place was packed with cars and people, it was hard to find a parking place. We have to move around twice before we discovered an old parking building. On top of the building we can see the “Bab Mecca” (Makkah Gate) and an old cemetery. creepy.. but not really, there was a lot of shoppers around the vicinity.

at the top of parking building

bab mecca (makkah gate)

an old cemetery

friday afternoon

Honey shops are all connected or next to each other, I wonder if everything they sell are real Honey. I was in disbelief when I saw all these containers, asking myself, are the Honey really pure? real? organic? The seller said mostly of the Honey are imported from Yemen, Afghanistan to Pakistan but some are locally made in Saudi Arabia.

name of the shop – Al Muharram

the ceilings looks like honeycomb 🙂

We tasted each one, how I wish I can really understand what he is saying, but from what I understood, there are many kinds of honey, the best and most expensive are Honey coming from Yemen.

made in Yemen

this honey is good for Diabetes

The taste and colours of Honey differs from each kind depending on what flowers visited by the bees.So, you see not all Honey are equal 🙂 I kept on tasting each one, trying hard to differentiate, as if I was having a liquid caramel on my palate or at times, it taste like medicine. Huh! this is fun 🙂 If you need to research more try this site http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/honey-varieties.html

warm water with a tbsp of Honey and lemon juice

Ladies, I heard a lot of stories about losing weight with the help of Honey-lemon cleansing tonic. I like to try it, this is why I got interested to find a real honey.It says, with an empty stomach before breakfast drink a glass of warm water with a tbsp of Honey and squeeze of lemon juice. With its anti oxidant and antibacterial property, Honey improves digestive system and helps to boots immunity system. It also soothes sore throat, because of the slight acidic pH level, it helps prevent the growth of bacteria. And if at night, you have trouble sleeping, a glass of hot milk with one teaspoon of Honey will help induce sleep.

each cost Sr 50 (USD 13)

How do you know a real Honey from an adulterated Honey anyway? Searching my friend google ,I gathered:

– pure Honey won’t solidify, meaning even if you put it in Freezer, it will stay liquid, hmm alright, let me try ..the result is..

it hardened but still I can see the clarity

– pure honey does not immediately dissolve in water.. let’s us try once more 🙂 Oh yeah it took awhile before it mixes with water.

Hmm so far so good 🙂

– pure honey when you put it in white paper, it doesn’t absorbed or leave a blot.

– pure honey, no ants hover around it..well, I guess the ants favours the taste of processed sugar than pure Honey, well, did I try this? yes! the ants stayed away from it. believe it or not 🙂

Well, this is only a test that I made at home to know if the Honey I got is pure! I am not really an expert on this matter. But to tell you the truth, I love the taste of the Honey I got! Next time, I’ll just go to the same seller.

yummy!

Does he sells only Honey? Nope, I saw Honey with nuts too, honey in honey comb and even organic soap. Oh! This organic soap is made from the Philippines, hurrah!

made in Philippines

After we drained ourselves with different kind of Honey , we decided to buy few of each kind in little cute containers. I wonder why they don’t repack it in a more sterile way? or it is better this way,so it looks more natural?

In the middle of the Honey shops, there are shops that sells colourful dresses, it was fun and fancy to roam around but at the same time, we also want to get out as fast as we can before the crowds swell!

Till next time ladies!

Cheers,

Jamilamimi

February 25, 2015
Old Jeddah and Old Me :-)

I always look forward for a day rest on weekend but when my friend says we have to go somewhere..GO! hahaha that’s me! My foot has an addiction to roam around anywhere!

As far as I know this is the second day of “Old Jeddah Festival” Jan.16,2015. Our car was parked about one kilometre away from the site.Downtown Jeddah (Balad) is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The festival is open for 10 days and its free entrance for everyone. The buildings were lit with different colors of light, there were guards, ushers and usherettes to guide which way to go.One thing missing were leaflets for guest like us, who can’t understand arabic, at least for us to know whose house, what stories behind the building,.. for us to better appreciate the history and reconnect the past to the present.

Jeddah wall

old building

Mostly of the building windows are adorned with wooden lattices. The place were full with local and expatriate people. It was hard for me to take a good shot, I was afraid to lose my valuables and be left by my friends. The hustle and bustle of the festival was overwhelming.

this man not only has a good smile but he showed us how the old houses were built.

weighing scale for his fruits

the stamp maker

halib maker (milk ice cream? )

yoghurt seller

clay maker

old currencies

the traditional dress

knife sharpening

weighing scale

Beautiful girls and ladies of the night ..of course the gentlemen too!

Colourful display of food,tea cup, materials and equipments.

Old Dental equipment and forceps 🙂

old mosque under construction

It was a Funfair evening which ended up into a stressful night for me. To make the story short, I sprained my foot (mid section) as I was moving the chair back to stand up, I guess I was not paying attention or it’s me.. my old “ME” so much of laughter and accidents do happen at times 😦 I am lucky my friends were all boys scout and girls scout. The first aid treatment was superb! I was able to walk and work the following morning 🙂

Thank you my friends!

Cheers,

jamilamimi

January 18, 2015
To you and yours..our Santa is made in Lebanon

Living in Jeddah for so many years, we got accustomed to not having our Christmas Eve like in Philippines. We tried to celebrate wherever and whenever we can. Last night was a blast! Our Santa is made directly from Lebanon 🙂

It’s nice being a kid ..sometimes 🙂

Merry Christmas Everyone!

After all the photo shoot, I was so hungry and I forgot to take a photo of our dinner, but I manage to take my cheesecake for the Christmas 🙂

Palabok

Our favourite dish from our very own Chef Kelly 🙂

potato salad

Turkey Lebanese style

Cute mat-mat, he was born in Jeddah, his first time to know Santa and got scared, however towards the end, he gave us awesome smile!

Our special guest, Nanay (mother of my Bff ), welcome to Jeddah!!

Thank you Santa Nabil, It was nice of you to make our Christmas this year a memorable one!

Cheers,

Jamilamimi

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December 25, 2014
Happy holiday Everyone!

Cheers,

jamilamimi

December 23, 2014
Home baked Cheesecake: Flavour #49 Basbousa Cheesecake

Countdown…1

Flavour # 49
Basbousa Cheesecake

B is for basbousa…no!!! B is for birthday, alright I know this post is so late, but it’s better to be late than never 🙂

You see the background? that’s where I want to celebrate my birthday …in my dreams 🙂

Anyhow, basbousa is a traditional arabic sweet made of semolina and soaked in sugar syrup. Almond and coconut is the usual mixture and I thought why not cheese? so, here’s another flavour I did on my 55th birthday . I did two version, one with the basbousa as a crust and one ,with a cream cheese as a filling.Both were delicious and heavy calories..omg!

Basbousa with cream cheese filling

Ingredients:

Basbousa:

1 cup semolina

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup melted butter

1 can condensed milk

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup water

1 (300G) philadelphia cream cheese

1 cup heavy cream

Syrup:

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp cornstarch and 1 cup cold water to mix

1 tbsp rose water

Direction:

Pre heat oven Gas mark#3

Combine melted butter,condensed milk and baking powder and stir well. Add semolina,almond meal and water, mix until well combined. Divide into three parts.

Meanwhile, cook the syrup ,mix all ingredients and bring it to boil until it thickens and set aside.

Mix cream cheese and heavy cream thoroughly until smooth and well combined.

Pour one part into the baking tin, add the cream cheese mixture and Pour the second part. Bake into the oven for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into triangular shape and pour all the sweet syrup.Chill before serving, top with pistachio or almond nuts.

I used the last 3rd part of the basbousa as a crust for my cheesecake. Great idea huh! two birds in one shot?

my 55th b-day cake

Ingredients:

Crust: basbousa

Filling:

3 pkg (300G) Philadelphia cream cheese

3/4 cup whipping cream

3/4 yogurt or sour cream

3/4 sugar

3 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1 tsp rose water

a pinch of salt

3 tbsp almond meal

Directions:

Pre heat oven Gas mark# 3

Beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed,add whipping cream and yogurt. Combined well until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add one egg at a time, mix thoroughly ,add a pinch of salt, almond meal and rose water together.

Pour into the prepared basbousa crust. Bake for 1 hour and 25 minutes. turn off the heat and leave the oven door open for another 30 minutes. Remove and cool at room temperature for about an hour. Chill for another 4 hours or overnight before topping and serving.

I used almond meal for topping

Yahoo! happy birthday to me 🙂

Cheers,

Jamilamimi

December 3, 2014
Wordless Wednesday :smiley moon

9:35 pm Nov.26,2014
Jeddah,KSA

November 26, 2014
Weekend At Rabigh -Saudi Arabia

I haven’t posted my Dubai trip last week yet, yes! I was out of Jeddah, KSA again..hurray! It is always a treat to be out of this shell, Oh how I wish it will be forever!

Anyhow, my friends and I were planing a weekend trip for a long time now, so even though I just came back from Dubai and needed a rest, I didn’t miss this happening! And I was right! This place is awesome as if we’re not in Saudi Arabia. And to be surrounded with friends is a bonus in itself!

We left Jeddah late at night and woke up early to catch the sunrise at the beach. I learned the coconut trees were taken from the Philippines, great!

The place is so serene, as if the place was reserve for us only. there was a couple of families fishing along the edge and a few women who are still wearing their abaya, strolling along the beach.

I was having headache all day and took medicine every 4 hrs., but still manage to enjoy the place and my friends company.

Thank you so much for the spectacular weekend! 🙂

Cheers,

Jamilamimi

November 22, 2014