Pixels For Four

And so I missed blogging for months here. That's because I found another job which lets me work long hours, and sometimes on odd hours. If you were to ask me, I don't like that. Who would? But when you are an expat trying to seize the opportunity in a country where women don't have that much chance of being hired  - you would just take things as they are, and look at the brighter side of life. Aside from the long hours, the new job gives me stress. Stress I've never experienced in years. There was even a time an Indian colleague asked me to smile because he told me I haven't even projected a happy face that day. And in times like these, I'm famous for bingeing on food to relieve stress. I indulge in something sweet every time. It was for all these excuses that Fred gave in to my whim to try dip n dip in Riyadh Gallery. One of the things I learned in dining out: when you order, ask for the restaurant's specialty. That way, you wouldn't have any diff...

Whenever I chat with my friend based in Abu Dhabi, I always ask her what she will cook for an upcoming occasion, and she would promptly send snapshots of dishes I only dream of cooking. And when I posted the photo of my husband and me on my Facebook account, with a short "A trip to Almarai Dairy Farm" caption, she commented that she and her partner like Almarai products especially the yogurt and fresh milk. That's when I realized that although we're miles apart, my friend and I still have something in common: we enjoy the same brand of milk and juice drinks. Almarai products are also my family's favorite. My kids like Almarai Fresh Milk so much that they can finish a liter in less than three hours. F gulps down an Almarai yogurt before he eats breakfast every day. I like the skimmed milk and the orange-carrot juice drink. I'm loyal to its cheese product line. So when I heard the Almarai Dairy Farm and Factory visit from friends who have been there s...

If only I could freeze moments, I would freeze Sunday's 11th birthday celebration on the first Friday of this month and Gabby's 13th this coming Sunday. But I couldn't. Time seems to pass me by so quickly that I didn't even notice that just ten more days, it's already February. Speaking of something chilly, I presume that the 3°C last two Sundays ago would be this winter season's coldest. I really thought winter was over after that. So a few days ago, I didn't believe Fred when he advised me to still bring my jacket to work. I didn't follow him and even bragged of my layered outfit to protect me from the cold: an abaya over my usual office clothes and a tarha to cover my head. I was so wrong. Not only did the temperature dropped, it also rained! Being laughed at by our driver who donned an almost complete winter gear - a bonnet, a jacket, a pair of gloves, high socks and thick shoes, I walked to the parking lot shivering. What's worse than that...

Happy and blessed New Year to all! I was on the verge of ending this blog last year because my life as a working mom hinders me from posting as often as I want to but then I remember why I started Pixels for Four. I wanted to chronicle our stay here in Saudi Arabia as a family and someday look back to those moments with pride. So here I am. I don't have the almost mandatory year-ender post for bloggers because it would be unfair to post pictures of places I haven't fully told you about. Believe me, they are a handful. But what I have is still the desire to have our experiences archived like our trip to Baher Villas in Al Khobar which is the most popular post here. So let's add one to that archive. I know I already ended my Ilocos provinces posts. But I would deprive this blog another worthy post by excluding our stay in Hannah's Beach Resort. Though our stay was short and the rate we paid was too much for a night till afternoon the following day stay -  we had a g...