What if your 2 most special persons celebrate birthdays at the same time?

Call it coincidence; two persons, who are special to me, celebrate their birthday today….. No they are not twins.

Good thing that we are miles away or else I might find myself choosing the most special one to celebrate with.

I lost contact with Lester for several years since I left Manila in 1998 and never had the time to see him during my vacations. I’ve been hoping that someday, I may have the chance to contact him. Unexpectedly few months back, I was able to get in touch with him again.

“Sugar" is my special friend here in Riyadh for 5 years now. He left for vacation last October 13. I was supposed to go with him in Pampanga, but due to my prior work commitment and unavailability of flight booking, I defer my vacation until next year.

Well, good enough I postponed my vacation or else I have no option but to decide who to celebrate with.

To Lester:

Please promise me
that the "gift" I’ll give you . . .
is another beginning.


To "Sugar":

I don't have much to give you
in the way of material things.
But then, I have never been a material person . . .
so it wouldn't matter much anyway.

You have already captured a piece of my heart,
and you have captivated my soul.
The only thing left for me to present to you
is my very being . . . and I do that willingly,
happily, and most of all . . . lovingly.







Wealth is beyond Capital

The list of Arab billionaires, which I posted several days ago, reveals that there is gold in the desert.

It is really great to see so many billionaires here in the Middle East even though the world believes the Middle East is still backwarded in terms of development.
However, the wealth of an individual can be expanded out... as it relates to creativity, problem solving, and social enlightenment. How one applies their wealth is of critical importance.

After my Jordanian boss read the list I provided him, he told me that most of these information have been publicly leaked as a PR Stunt. Maybe to generate even more wealth, for the sake of making more money? Or to take action to empower others to follow their leadership model.

Film documents plight of Saudi families

The first documentary in Saudi, shoot over a year, exposes the extreme poverty and very impoverished conditions the offspring of those troubled Saudi families living abroad.

The documentary shows how Saudis get involved in wrong marriages through “marriage brokers” who arrange for their marriages. Women are also affected by the deals the brokers conduct which end up most of the time with a troubled marriage or a divorce.

The documentary reveals that 70% of Saudi families living abroad are the result of a mixed marriage between Saudis and locals of those countries. The other 30% of Saudi families are living there after there families migrated to those countries.

Some Saudis marry Arab women under weak forms of contractual bond while other marry women without getting prior-permission of the Ministry of Interior, which demands Saudis to obtain an official licence and approval when marrying abroad.

Most of these marriages are known as “Ourfi” marriages, which stands for acknowledged marriages.

But even if a marriage is legal there might be another problem in that many Saudis do not want to bring their foreign wives to the kingdom.

The US$289.4m floating palace



The owner of the world's most expensive yacht, which is currently being built in Genoa, Italy is keeping his identity firmly under wraps.

As much as its owner remains a mystery, so does the million-dollar yacht's name. Known simply as ‘Hull 6154', the boat will measure 438ft once it is completed in 2010.
It will have seven decks, two helicopter pads and storage space for a submarine. The boat will sleep a 60-strong crew as well as its passengers, who will be entertained in 15 state rooms, all of which will be fitted with the latest entertainment systems, gold and marble bathroom fittings and Jacuzzis. If the guests fancy leaving the boat for a spot of water activities, they can enjoy the boat's very own five jet-skis or two speed boats.

Saudis vent anger at gov't refusal to drop peg

Saudi Arabia's determination to maintain its riyal currency peg to the US dollar is provoking anger in internet forums, where Saudis can vent their frustrations with anonymity.

Saudi Arabia has resisted pressure among fellow Gulf Arab states to revalue the riyal or peg it to a basket of currencies, despite the dollar's precipitous fall on global markets.

The riyal's peg at 3.75 to the dollar is seen by economists as a factor behind a sharp rise in inflation this year that has hit ordinary Saudis while record oil prices have fattened government coffers to unprecedented levels.
It is serious when young people see money flowing to others and they get nothing….