glad to be home

my flight back home was scheduled on the first day of ramadan.  in wikipedia, i read a good definition of the word ramadan as the name of the ninth month; the word itself is derived from an arabic word for intense heat, scorched ground, and shortness of rations. 

the first day of september was humid and when i was on my way to our base camp in khobar, the air conditioner of the land cruiser that i was riding with just suddenly did not work.  so, for the last seven hours of travel i was literally sweating like a pig.  i did opened the window, but the atmosphere itself was comparable as if you’re inside a turkish steam bath.

we made it at daylight in our base camp, by midday the personnel department informed us that we will not be able to make it for the flight for that day for there were problems with our exit visas.  which meant i lost a day in my short vacation, so i just went with other filipinos to khobar town and did some shopping rather than to fret about it.

we went to a place in khobar they call as the ‘filipino mall’.  they called it that way for 75% of the people visiting that mall were filipinos, funny thing is even the saudi’s and indians who sell their stuff knows how to speak filipino.  i was able to buy myself some cheap good quality running shoes and presents for my siblings and my friends.

the next day, i got my passport with exit visa and my flight ticket.  it took us about an hour and a half to reach bahrain airport and about nine hours by plane to manila.

as of now while typing this post, i am in my old small room i share with my youngest brother.  it’s very different here, i’m just so glad to be home.

the oc

this morning one of our assistant drillers, justin, unexpectedly asks me if i have ocd (obsessive compulsive disorder).  i told him why’d he asked and he replied that it’s because he noticed how i organize my stuff on my office desk.  well i have always been “neat” on my workspace, i do confess that i get upset when one of my pens or my post-its are missing, or the scissors or the stapler are not in the proper place where i left them to be..

when it comes to people with ocd, the brain gets hooked on a disturbing thought or idea and can’t let go.  because the troubling thoughts loop and malinger beyond the control of the patient, the condition has been compared to a case of “mental hiccups”.

in order to cope with these unwanted thoughts or “obsessions”, the patient often develop rituals or “compulsions” to minimize or alleviate the mental distress caused by the troubling thoughts.  however, these rituals are only temporary fixes and relief from the obsessions.

so, as I was on a “not that busy” mode this afternoon, i tried to browse subjects on the net regarding ocd.  i found a screening quiz about it and took it.  here was my result:

results of your obsessive compulsive disorder screening

you scored a total of 16 

if you scored 12 and up, then ocd is likely

if you scored 8 – 11, then ocd is probable

if you scored 0 -7, then ocd is unlikely

this is not meant as a diagnosis tool.

based upon your responses to this screening measure, you are most likely suffering from an obsessive compulsive disorder.  this is not a diagnosis, or a recommendation for treatment.  however, it would be advisable and likely beneficial for you to seek a professional diagnosis from a trained mental health professional in your community immediately.

that wasn’t a good result.  anyways, as long as my “ocd” does not interfere or hinder any of my usual daily activites – i think i’ll be okay.

oh, did i double locked my door?  i have to check that before hitting the sack..

hitler has risen

as much as possible, i never complain on stuff that i can manage to ignore.  i am not a whiner, but the situation right now makes my blood boil.

i will not put it into details but the company (saudi division) i’m working for is full of shit.  they are making it difficult for the people who works for them specifically for us third country nationals (that is how we are classified here), they do not make our lives easier, they are depriving us.  to sum it up, i am beginning to feel that adolf hitler has risen from the dead.  he is now our leader and he is changing everything for he thinks it is the right thing to do as he sees it. 

as jimmy, my rig manager, told me earlier as we were discussing about it, “just bend over.. and take it in the ass”.

i will need a tube of k-y for that.