One of My Favorites so far...

Hello everyone, I'm back!

It’s been a while since I came back from Bahrain but I haven’t posted anything yet for I’ve been too busy since I came back that I can’t find enough time to write.

I wasn’t able to visit the places that I initially intended to but I did have lots of fun with the company of friends.  This vacation actually became more like of  a Road Trip rather than the Outdoor Adventure that I have visualized.  Well, no surprise to that for Sir Big and I do love to travel in our car and the long drive is actually one of our bonding moments.

We started the ride early in the morning and here’s a shot I’ve taken while we were crossing the border:

The Road to Bahrain

We spent most of our time visiting friends and took advantage of the opportunity of having to see a movie in a big screen.  I was actually expecting that we get to watch “The Bourne Legacy” but unfortunately, it isn’t showing yet in Bahrain so we proceed onto watching “The Expendables 2” which we also have enjoyed watching.

Taken at City Centre Mall in Manama

The Atrium

However, Sir Bug and I weren’t able to feed our thirst for alcohol since the trip’s timing was within the Holy Month of Ramadan and most of the clubs and other night spots were closed at that time.  Nonetheless, we were able to satisfy our cravings for pork.  Yeah, we did pigged-out on pork out there.  Yum!

And of course, the picture-savvy I went on taking photos of the road and different sites that awe me.  Even this car wasn’t spared.  I feel like a stalker.  Lol!

Stalking an Orange Audi TT

And what’s the biggest deal in this trip?  Well, apart from the fact we were able to get a decent hotel room for a fairly good price, the hospitality that we received from friends did played a major role in saving our pockets from being drained.  Awesome isn’t it?

The Hotel Room

Pretty Nice Pool Ei?

I wish I could share everything one by one but I don’t have much time to write it all.  I need to go back working.  Bye for now!

One (1) more day at work and I am officially on a Week-long Holiday.  I just can’t wait to have a grab of those outdoor activities and visit those ancient, cultural, historical and other tourist and action spots in Bahrain. Will also take time to, once again, experience the night life with which we have been deprived of here.  I think this trip will definitely help in taking my mind off away from Trying to Conceive (TTC).  I am extremely excited.  

Bahrain, here we come!

December has really been a very hectic month for me.  I was so busy here and there with this and that that I didn't have much time to write.

Well...  On the other hand, there is actually nothing to write about for there has been not much development with regards to my journey to conception.

However, let me share some of the photos taken during our Christmas Eve Dinner. 

Enjoy!

Trying to Set the Mood!

I'm no good in Table Setting and Arrangements!

A view from below...

Oh pretty flowers!

What's Serving?

My Fruit Basket!

A Basket of Fruits with some Home-Made Muffins

For those who wanted to go vegan!

Not to forget about the Buttered Mixed Vegetables...

Oh Seafood Pasta!

Steamy Salmon

Not without the Steak!

Delightful Choco & Caramel Cake

Mini Mini Muffins

For some, our menus might not be that special but we all put our hearts into it and had so much fun while doing so.  Our dining table might not be as abundant as with the others but we celebrated the Christmas Eve full of love together with a close number of friends and relatives.

The preparations might be a little stressful for all of us since Christmas is a no special day here in the Middle East.  We all have to work until 5:00 PM and rush ourselves to make it on time.  No matter how stressful the preparations were, everything was worth it.  Our hearts were filled with joys and laughter - Enough to warm our hearts and for us to temporarily forget how far we are from home.  Everything was priceless...

Merry Christmas everyone!

Today, I am so thrilled to receive another award from EndoJoanna, a fellow Endo Sufferer who just undergone surgery last 15-November-2011 and is currently recuperating.  She is the brave, young woman behind Living With Endo and I am wishing her good luck as she move forward in her journey.  Please do find time to check her blog out.

Similar to the Liebster Blog Award, certain rules also applies in receiving this award:

• Thank the person who passed the award on to you.
• List 7 things that people may not know about you.
• Pass the award to 15 other bloggers and don't forget to notify them as well.

I must confess that thinking about those seven things to reveal about myself is never that easy.  I spent quite some time contemplating and here's what I came up with...

As a child, I think I was cute.  But you need not agree with me.  Here's a photo of mine when I was just one...  Lol!

I quit my job as a manager just to be with my dear husband whom, from this time forward, will be addressed to as Sir Bug.

I’m a sucker for Korean Dramas and 49 Days is among my favorites.  I cried a lot while watching it and I am pretty sure that I still will if I watch it again.

I really love the way Narcisa Malfoy pronounces Harry Potter’s death in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2 – “Dead!”

I love to eat and pig out!  I love to travel and explore different foods from different cultures.  One of my friends actually thinks that I have really weird taste buds.

A few years ago, an angry bird dropped its poop on my head while my brother and I were strolling down the mall – a very embarrassing moment indeed!

 

Red is my favorite color and it is my major preference in buying things.  This Red Slap Watch is one clear proof of my obsession.  I know this has nothing to do with red but I just love Slap Watch's Tagline – If it doesn’t say SLAP, it’s not a SLAP Watch!

So there goes the seven things that you may not know about me.

Now, what about the subject of passing the award to?

Alright!

Listed below are the 15 blogs that I have picked:

• BIAGO - Baby, If all Goes Optimally

• My Ordinary Miracles

• Hope Delayed

• Praying for a Pregnancy

• My Notes on TTC and Life

• My Infertility Road

• My Journey Through TTC... So Far

• Mummy, are there yet?

• A Blanket 2 Keep

• My Fertility Blog

• Bringing Home Baby

• Baby on my mind

• My Journey to Motherhood

• Our Wish

• Beckie's Infertility Journey

By the way, there's one blog that I really enjoy reading but did not include it in the list for the writer has been so open about almost everything that you'll easily felt connected to her.  I feel guilty ending this post without mentioning Mad Hatter of Late for a Very Important Pregnancy. She's been such an inspiration and I like her so much.

So ladies, please don't feel any pressure if you're way overswamped at the moment to participate. This is just for fun.  Let's take it lightly...

Lots of love and the best of luck to you all!

After three days of hunting Dr. ANB, I, finally, was able to catch up with him and obliged him to prepare an Operating Booking Form for my upcoming surgery.  However, I  must admit that hunting down someone like Dr. ANB whose schedule alone is as busy as a bee was never an easy job.  To add insult to the injury, the hunting was even tougher than I've expected since he is currently covering for Dr. HM.  Just my luck...

For the past three days, I spent at least an hour or so hanging out at the Fertility Clinic with the hope of having to be able to get a hold of the said doc.  My timings might have really been that bad during the first two days for I have never found a single piece nor a shadow of Dr. ANB.  Nonetheless, no matter how busy the nurses in the said clinic were running to and from one place to the other, I was very much entertained and lucky to have all their cooperation and support.  They were all very nice that they even tipped me the other details of Dr. ANB's schedule.


Persistence Overcomes Resistance!

A huge thanks to that philosophy that I was able to endure all the waitings.  I finally was able to seize Dr. ANB and convinced him to prepare the necessary papers.  I told him that I need a definite date for arrangements must be made with regards to my work schedule.  He was really so kind that he made me choose which of the upcoming Saturdays would I want the surgery to be scheduled.  I, of course, after having been able to check "my calendar of so-called social obligations", picked the 3rd Saturday for the Month of December thinking that it would be the most perfect time to be away from work...


Sick Leave On Christmas?

Well, I think it is now time to disclose to you guys that your Lady Bug here is an expatriate who is currently based in a country somewhere in Middle East where Christmases and New Years are treated like any ordinary days.  Here, we don't get to enjoy the same annual festive season that we used to enjoy way back home.  We get to work during Christmas Days!

As far as the surgery is concerned, I think that having the procedure done on 17-December-2011 will be an excellent timing for it shall provide me with a valid reason of taking a short break from work to celebrate a stress-free Christmas with friends and relatives -- Dr. ANB has indicated in the Approved Employee Elective Surgery Application Form that as part of my recovery, he is recommending that I undergo Five Days of Hospitalization and Fifteen Days of Sick Leave.  Just in time for the holidays...  Wow!

If my instincts serves me right, I really do feel that the upcoming surgery is one true blessing that I must be thankful of.  Jitters, of course, cannot be avoided but I am clinging more on hope and optimism.  I wanna stay as positive as I can and I really am hoping that this procedure will lead and advance me to the next level of my journey to conception...

Liebster is a German word which means "dearest" or "beloved".  It is also used to refer to as someone's "favorite" and the idea of the Liebster Blog Award is to bring attention to blogs with less than 200 followers that deserve more recognition and encouragement.

Today, I am much honored to have received two from Still Hoping of Hope Delayed and BW of Mummy, are we there yet?.  Two woman whom I admired so much because of their wits, courage and great faith.

Just as much as I wanted to keep the award for myself, there are certain rules that to be followed:

• Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.

• Reveal your top five picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

• Copy and paste the award on your blog.

• Hope that the people you've sent the award to forward it to their five favorite bloggers and keep    it going!

I guessed the rules are plain and simple that requires no further explanation.

I've been following and reading tons of blogs but I can only get to pick five and here they are:

• Jess of My Notes on TTC and Life.

• EndoJoanna of Living With Endo

• Amy and Robert of My Journey Through TTC... so far

• Allison of Praying for a Pregnancy

• myfertilityjourney of My Fertility Blog

So ladies, let's pay it forward and spread the love!

I've been spending quite some time tweaking my blog's layout.  I don't know what came into my mind that I feel like changing it.  My old layout's actually fine but there's just something that I am looking for which, up to this moment, I failed to determine what it is.

My blog's old desktop layout.  Shot taken from my computer.

I'm not sure if any of you have noticed that my blog's layout has changed for quite a number of times during the past 24 hours or so.  Well of course, you will only get to notice it if you regularly visit my blog...

My blog's fresh clean look.  Thanks to Webfolio!  Picture taken from my mobile phone.

Finally, I was able to find one template that suit me -- the Webfolio Theme by Site5.com.  It's a magazine style template that is widgets ready and lots of features built within it. It includes a slider gallery of posts, a search bar and comes with a full Blogger functionality.  But what I really love most about this template is it comes with a fresh clean look.

Okay, enough about the layout.

What about the topic of trying to conceive?

Of course, I have a little update to tell you guys...

After having been able to obtain the signatures of the appropriate authorities, my Employee Elective Surgery Application is now all set and ready to go.  I immediately paid Dr. ANB a visit to let him know of the good news but he was way too busy that he asked me to come back on Saturday for him to book me a schedule in the Operating Room.

Things may be moving on a bit slow but I'm glad everything's in the right track.  I surely would need lots and lots of love and prayers as I brave this part of my journey.  Lord, help me please...

Tres Onse or Three Eleven - That's how I'd like to call this day.  Not just because there are three elevens in the date (11-11-11) but also, this day marks our third year wedding anniversary.  Yep, that's right, we just turned three this November 11, 2011 and I just won't let this day pass me by without writing a little about it.

I had this smile on my face remembering how we planned our wedding to be witnessed only by a few people (only the closest of our friends and relatives) but ended up having at least thirty heads in our reception.  Whew, and that head count was confined only to the closest of the closest!  So, can you conclude how popular are we?  Just kidding...

Today, as we celebrate this special occasion, we, simple and private as we are, celebrated it with just a few number of people.  Three years have passed and still childless...  Ooopps, I'm just trying to sound sentimental!

Nevertheless, I thank God for blessing me with such a wonderful husband who's not just been playing as my partner in life but as my very best friend.  The only person who can make me laugh my heart out the way like no other person can do.  The only person whom I will spend the rest of my life with because together, hand-in-hand, we shall walk this journey through...