October 30, 2005

Girlfriends

We've been friends for more than ten years now. All girls who started out as lunch mates in highschoool. Then came college. Most of us went to the same university. Some went to neighboring universities and yet, we still found ourselves entwined in one way or another. Now we are scattered all over the globe. Some are climbing the corporate ladder. Others like me chose to be with the one we love and some managed to do and balance both poles. We've also gone through many birthday surprises, debuts, sleepovers, past boyfriends, petty and big fights.

Thanks to technology, I get to chat with some of them every now and then. These are my long lost girlfriends. I would never exchange all those years full of adventures, fun, and sometimes bland moments.

Recently, Pia got married in Manila to her long time boyfriend, Aldo. Since I am in Turkey, I only got to see the pictures of the wedding. Looking at it made me reminisce the good 'ol days. How we always tried to predict who was getting married first, who was to remain a "manang", and who will be the first to have a baby.I remember the days when J and Z would plan their guestlist for their future marriage to their prince charming (normally the current boytoy or crush) and their supposedly wedding gowns. There was also the time when the girls slept over my house and we decided to sneak out and take my dad's car with us only to go to a karaoke place in Timog and sing and dance the night away. We used to write small notes to each other all the time. Over here in Istanbul, I found this dark brown paper folded neatly and tucked in one of the pages of a dictionary. I opened it and realized it was a note written by C to me in college. The note was something about her asking if she could hitch a ride after class going to a retreat. Such a trivial note but it brought back lots of good memories.

Oh how time flies. We used to celebrate debuts and now it's all about weddings and baptism. Now, four of us are married. Two are planning their wedding this November and in January of 2006. One has a healthy baby boy. The rest are single but attached and some are single and looking. It will entail 4 airline tickets and quite a number of appointment cancellations to have a picture of us in complete attendance these days. No matter where we are though, how we have "tampuhans" and proud moments, I for one ,consider these girls as my girlfriends for keep.

Posted by duke at 10/30/2005 11:44:00 PM 20 comments

October 26, 2005

Iftar Dinner

October is an important month here in Istanbul. It's not Octoberfest as it is now in Deutschland but it's the Ramazan Period. This is my first time to experience Ramazan here. Basically, if you are Muslim and practice Ramazan you must fast ( meaning you're not supposed to eat,drink, and smoke anything) within a certain time. It starts at around 430 am until 6pm. The end of fasting for each day varies. The people who are fasting have the schedule of the ending. They also get reminded of the beginning of the fast in the early morning with a drum beat serving as a call to fast.

Ok. So what happens after fasting the whole day? Well, they then go to an Iftar (the breaking of the fast after the sunset) Dinner. I got invited to join an Iftar Dinner last Saturday.Majority of the people who were going are expatriates here in Istanbul. I didn't know any of them. I didn't even know the place and what kind of food they serve during Iftar. These reasons were enough for me to say ---> Sounds like a good plan! and so I went to the Iftar Dinner.

The place was in a Turkish Police Building.It was supposed to be a famous Iftar place for the high ranking government officials of Istanbul. I came just in time for the dinner to start. I met a Turkish couple, an American lady working in Istanbul, an Englishman who has been living in Turkey for 20 years and is a Muslim convert, a Dutchman married to a Polish girl, and a Swedish guy with Turkish roots. The Turkish couple were the ones who arranged the dinner and it was fantastic. It seemed like a normal turkish dinner with abundant food. I like the mezzes or the Turkish appetizers since they comprised of a platter of mini pizzas ( as call it since I can't remember their turkish names), cheese breads,tomatoes, some olives and Turkish charcuteries which was mainly sucuk ( looks a lot like salami but doesn't taste close to it).There was also this orange looking soup which I think had some lentils in it. It tasted a little bit like pumpkin soup but this was eaten with a few drops of lemon. The main course was a big slab of roasted lamb. This was a big problem to me since I do not eat lamb (I have nothing against it. I just don't eat it). Since I was invited, as a sign of gracious manners, I tried eating the lamb. It was not bad at all. Actually, it was really tender and juicy and it helped that I ate each piece with a slice of tomato. The dessert was called Gullaç. It was a layer of thin pastry sheets with milk and rosewater. I was not really a fan of this one since I am lactose intolerant but the taste of rosewater was interesting. Sweet and light. To finish the dinner, we all had Turkish Coffee. This coffee is not for the lighthearted. You need to get used to the taste to appreciate it. I can compare it to an espresso or a kapeng barako plus the "mud" or the residue of the grinded coffee beans.

The dinner lasted for 4-hours. I was happy with this since I eat slow. It was just right for my eating pace. Enjoying the company of new friends, four of us decided to go have a few beers at Taksim after dinner. We ended up meeting more people for drinks and my Iftar dinner turned into a night of drinking and dancing. Finally at 3 am I decided to raise the white flag and went home ahead of the rest. Now this coming weekend will be an interesting one again for me. After trying out the Iftar dinner, I am off to try and get myself acquainted with a couple of night spots here in Istanbul. Wish me luck. I hope I won't be raising my white flag as soon as last week...

*Gullaç photo is a snippet from ShowTVNet.

Posted by duke at 10/26/2005 04:15:00 PM 19 comments

October 25, 2005

At Random

I was tagged by Neng with this meme.
Here's the opening sentence on Rackyroad's site.

" 20 random facts about me then tag the same amount of people
as minutes it takes you to write the facts "

I don't want to complicate my life and contemplate what random facts are.Bottomline is, the next 20 items you will read are all about me. I guess I need to do this as fast as I can. So here goes.

1. I don't know my blood type and I always forget what it is.
2. I eat S-L-O-W. I am always the last one on the table to finish my food.
3. I don't have a driver's license and I can't drive a manual car( a driver or an automatic car please!).
4. I used to have a big crush on Steve of Voltes 5.
5. I am a gin and vodka person but I can live on beers as well.
6.I never cheated ( and don't plan to) in any of my relationship.
7. I cannot tell a lie ( I tried a couple of times but I ended up telling the truth).
8. I never had any( major or minor) operation in my life.
9. I hate being a creature of habit. I always want to do something different.
10. I collect ( and use) scented candles.
11. I have around 500 DVD collections.
12.In the name of fashion, I tortured my poor feet wearing pointed stilettos ( but I love them so much!).
13. I buy shoes that I like in the same style and different colors.
14. I used to laugh at people who mix their f' and p's.
example:
A: can you flease fass the pork!
B: Huh? What pork?
A: the pork! as in spoon and pork (nyahahahahaha!)
15. I do not have a premanent handwriting. People think I'm from a certain girls school in Manila when they see my penmanship but I am not. I'm from the other girls' school with the Benedictine nuns.
16. I'm claustrophobic.
17. I like events planning and throwing a surprise party for someone.
18. I never mix my passions and pleasures.
19. I wanted to dye my hair blue in college.
20. I believe in John 3:16.

So there. Now I pass the baton to the ff:

1. Meggyjelly - the wife of Mr. Marvin Agustin in the philippines ;)
2. Pia- the new Mrs. Rivera in Canada
3. Lars- the Wandergurl from Down Under.
4. Jayred - the Suisse Mrs. Pinay
5. Gracita - the bored engineer in Bahrain looking forward to her wedding day :D
6. Prettytin - the soon Birthday Girl.
7. Laineybaby - my Startlite friend in Manila ;)

Posted by duke at 10/25/2005 04:11:00 PM 16 comments

October 21, 2005

My Fat Cells and Winter

I finally packed up my summer clothes and prepared the heavy winter outfits. The weather here is just becoming chilly and whenever I go out, I can see people wearing leather jackets once again. This to me is a signal that I need to say TTFN ( tata for now) to my very casual slippers, sleeveless and the rest of my sunnier clothes. Incidentally, I also noticed that I am gaining weight. I've been eating lots of junk food recently because I was too lazy to cook and wash the dishes. I felt that my hands were getting dry from the very hot water I tend to use when washing. This is not good news. The weather doesn't help at all. I feel lethargic and lazy going out when I know that my face will be feeling the chill of winter. I couldn't even go to yoga class since I did not want to walk and freeze!

I decided to do a plan just so I wouldn't allow my fat cells to sleep and be stored as another adipose tissue. I needed to exercise more! Tennis was not an option since it started to rain the past days. Then I decided to go and continue my gym sessions but I got bored doing the same routine.While I was in the gym,I realized that the solution to my plan was actually right in front of me ---> Indoor Swimming! Yes, I have been trying to relieve my summer doing a couple of lapse in the heated pool for a week now. Then I go straight to the sauna just to feel the heat that I miss the most. (I'm such an island girl!)

I think I have found a way to awaken my fat cells in this sleepy winter months ahead. Now I just hope these little cheeky cells will cooperate and work its way out. Well, I guess that means I should start cooking again and stop eating all the junkies. Alright, I'm going back to my brocollis this weekend.

Have a good one y'all!

Posted by duke at 10/21/2005 01:08:00 AM 18 comments

October 18, 2005

I'm A Stage Wife (again!)

I just can't help it. If my husband was in a band, I would probably be a groupie ( hihihi). Well, it was always my plan to create a portfolio for dear husband's work but it never came together.

I was looking at some photos of his desserts and was inspired to create a photo blog for it. I couldn't put the ingredients though since I have no idea how he did those desserts at work. I just have all the pictures. I asked permission if I could make a photo blog with the pictures I have and my dear chef agreed. So now, feel free to take a look at some of my bébé's works here. There's more to come!

Enjoy!

Posted by duke at 10/18/2005 01:55:00 AM 16 comments

October 16, 2005

The Stork Has Arrived... with the H5N1 Virus

Last week, news came out that the deadly H5N1 virus found among birds has reached Turkey. Now, chicken and chicken eggs are scratched off my market list.I saw on CNN Turk the Prime Minister eating chicken with his cabinet members to prove that they are safe for consumption but then again, who would take the risk of buying them now? I know that most of the people who died from the bird flu had direct contact with the poultry but one can never be too complacent on these things.

Imagine how I felt when husband became very ill last week. He had high fever for three days. He did not want to eat any food. He has stomach cramps and sore throat. Then I hear on the news about the bird flu. It also did not help that my husband managed to make a lame joke that he probably has the avian disease (a very very bad joke!). I could not sleep properly the last couple of days until I finally was able to confirm with the doctor that it was not avian flu that was causing husband dear to be sick. After almost eight injections of antiobiotics, my other half got better. It turns our he had the flu combined with some viral thingamajig and swollen tonsils. I'm just glad he's better now and it wasn't THE flu.

On BBC, they reported that there might be a flu pandemic in the near future especially now that winter is around the corner. Oh my! What is happening to our world?I still dream of waking up to a clean, pollution less, and peaceful world. Well, maybe I am dreaming too much...

Now back to my marketlist. I don't eat lamb. Pork is not allowed here. Chicken is possibly cotaminated with the H5N1 virus. I am left with beef, fish, and vegetables. I can live with it but for the first time in my life, I feel sad knowing that a stork has arrived ---> carrying a deadly virus.

*Photo is a snippet from BBC News.

Posted by duke at 10/16/2005 09:05:00 PM 8 comments

October 12, 2005

My Distraction

I have three unfinished posts the past days and I just couldn't finish them. I easily get distracted and I venture on doing other things instead of finishing a task. I think I have the attention span of a 10-year old (please! let this not be the case!).When I put my mind into doing something, I give my full attention to it for about 8 minutes. After this, I become bored or agitated that I need to find something new to do. This is why it worked well for me in college to have different tests on different subjects on the same day. I like getting information in small doses. Some people can concentrate on a problem as long as it takes to arrive at a solution. I am the cheeky one , who will go for a drink and some snacks here and there while trying to find a solution. I am also the person who will listen to music while doing some research or reading information on the net. I like multi tasking. For me , it's a good feeling to be able to do as much tasks as I can in a little amount of time.

I guess, now you can picture my style when it comes to doing things that require utmost patient and concentration. I'm so bad at it that I lose over a 5-year old kid in a do-not-blink-your-eye contest (hihihi). Imagine my frustration and impatience in trying to get out of the crimson room. One part of me wants to be methodical and as thorough as Gil Grissom of CSI Las Vegas and the other part of me just wants to give up and get a nice slice of apple pie in the fridge. But then again, my pride prevailed. I just had to get out of that room and I did! After almost 2-hours!I just had to give myself a pat in the back for figuring it all out.

Now now, are you up for the challenge? If you need a distraction. You can go to the crimson room and try to get out of it. If you need some help, leave a comment . Enjoy! If you can't get enough of it,there are 2 more rooms to follow.

Posted by duke at 10/12/2005 01:52:00 PM 20 comments

October 07, 2005

We missed the bus

On my husband's one day off a week, we often plan to do something. Normally we go on touristic ventures and visit places we've never been to. Here in Istanbul, there's quite a lot of places to visit and it takes us forever to finish our "to see" list. This week, we planned to go to Rumeli Hisari. This is a fortress built in 1452 by Sultan Mehmet II. If you've watched Lord of The Rings, it looks like Helm's Deep with a view of the Bosphorus.

Being the backpacker that I am, I suggested to my husband that we take the bus to go there or the ferry for more adventure. The thing is, husband dearie is the total opposite of me when it comes to being "tourists". Comfort is always first in his list. He'd rather take the cab or taxi to get there so he can sit comfortably and we arrive faster. As for me, I don't find any excitement in taking a cab to get to a new place. I find excitement in finding out which transportation to take and figuring out how to get there with my limited knowledge of Turkish. For me, it's not just the place but the whole package.Now, I see how different we view things when it comes to this. He'd rather not waste his time getting lost in transit because the goal is to see Rumeli Hisari in the first place. As for me, I consider the means as part of the end!Oh well, seeing that I can take the bus on my own anytime anyway, I reluctantly agreed to do the 15 milyon cab ride from our place to Rumeli Hisari. Sure we got there faster and easier but the fortress is closed on the day we went. It's open everyday except for one day which is Wednesday and this is the day we chose to go. Obviously my other half was the one in charge of logistics and he said he did his part and checked on the net. Only thing is, he check on a site that is not updated!
Since it was also the start of Ramadan or Ramazan as they call it here, most of the shops and restaurants are closed. We then decided to go for a long walk until we reach the ferry terminal and catch a ride going back to our place by ferry. It was a romantic sidewalk journey with the cool breeze of fall and the occasional dodging of speeding vehicles on the street. To capture the

moment, I took some pictures along the way.

So, we missed the bus, took a cab ride and ended up walking to the ferry terminal. What happened when we arrived at the terminal? We missed the ferry and it was the one and only ferry to take. For the second time, I reluctantly agreed to take the cab home with my husband. In the near future, we will have this Rumeli Hisari visit complete with the bus ride!

Posted by duke at 10/07/2005 01:15:00 PM 17 comments

October 04, 2005

My New Found Friend...

Two weeks ago I met a new friend. Her name is Ellie. It all started when she rang the doorbell to our flat. She went inside and we had some chat then watched some DVDs. From then on, she comes everyday after lunch. This new found friendship came as a pleasant surprise to me. Then one day, she came in when I was having my lunch. I was eating chicken with leeks and buttered broccoli. She then invited herself in and ate lunch with me. She even finished half of the broccoli I was eating! It turns out, just like me, she loves this green vegetable! We had a fun afternoon just eating and watching one of my all time favorite Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast.

Last Saturday, Ellie had her birthday party over here in Istanbul. Before her party, she passed by my flat the minute she woke up and told me how excited she was. Then she saw my birthday gift and I had no choice but to give it to her in advance. She was smiling and said thank you then off she left to dress up for her party. I then went to change myself and went to her party thirty minutes after.

Then the party began and it was so much fun as Ellie turned three!

Posted by duke at 10/04/2005 01:59:00 PM 16 comments

October 03, 2005

Indulge me...on my football feelings

My mind has been wondering what will happen with football this week. I was watching the Chelsea- Liverpool game last night and I just couldn't help but blog about this.

So dear friends... indulge me in this little thing of fancy called football.

In the Premier League...

Chelsea beat Liverpool yesterday at 4-1 ( sorry Luke!).

Arsenal beat Birmingham at 1-0 ( whew! hooray!)

Chelsea is really becoming unstoppable. Sometimes I can't help but admire Frank Lampard and his team in having an unbeatable fete this season. My heart though is still for the gunners even if they aren't doing as good as Chelsea.

I'm getting scared for the Champions League. Lyon is good and Juventus just beat Inter..

Ahhh enough of this. I am becoming more like my husband worrying about football!

* photo is copyrighted by Getty Images for UEFA.com

Posted by duke at 10/03/2005 02:01:00 PM 11 comments

October 01, 2005

My Numa Numa Thoughts

The week came by so fast! Not that I had so many things to do but even for me, who have all the time in the world to spare...time flies fast! The whole week I had U2's "Stuck in A Moment" song in my head. I think it perfectly blends with the cloudy skies, the drizzle and the cool temperature over here. What is it with music and the weather anyway?

When you are in the beach, in my opinion, the best thing to play is Reggae. Something to the tune of Bob Marley and the Wailers or any Jamaican inspired music. When you are in the mall, it's all about standard pop music. Not so upbeat but just light music to provide as background I guess while shopping. Even an elevator has its own type of music. Elevator musics are normally the piano enhanced or some symphony in G, A or B minor or what have you's . Elevator music also translates to instrumental sounds. Why is this so? Is this purposely done to prevent people from singing along when inside the elevator?

Summer brings all kinds of music to my ears. I literally mean music genres like Rhythm and Blues or RnB, Hiphop, Dance ( ahhh all the Macarena, Spaghetti Songs, La Chupeta and the likes). There is this one particular summer dance song though that became my winter song. Everytime I hear it, I just can't help but smile and remember good winter memories watching Jean-Luc Reichmann of Attention à La Marche , Arthur of A Prendre Ou a Laisser on TF1 with family last year. Want to know the song? heck, it's not even in English, Tagalog or French. It's Romanian.

Click here and enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

P.S.

I recently shared my thoughts and fears on hamams, cutters,credit cards and churches in the Pinoyatbp website. Feel free to visit and read on!

Posted by duke at 10/01/2005 10:01:00 AM 8 comments

Confessions of an Expat's Wife