This Lady Says

Going..Going.. Gone.

2009-10-16T15:10:00.001+03:00

Well, I guess this was coming. I’ve finally decided to shut down this blog. It was fun while it lasted, but I don’t see myself committed to it. And there’s no point, really, when you’re not blogging on a regular basis.

Thank you to those of you who emailed me or left comments asking about my absence. I was deliberating whether to blog again, but I’ve lost my mojo and it’s not coming back anytime soon.

I don’t want this blog to stay suspended in the Internet space, and I don’t want to quit without saying goodbye.

If, after all this time, there’s anyone left reading this.. well, I guess I should say thank you! I’m still going to be around of course, reading blogs (I’m addicted) and commenting (sometimes).

Big HUUGE hugs and kisses,

PS. I’m going to leave the blog up for a while and then I’ll delete it.

Image: [source]

The F-ing Weather!

2009-06-06T12:55:00.001+03:00

This is absolutely hilarious! I urge you to visit this site: TheFuckingWeather.com. It’s a weather site, where you basically get a weather forecast and the temperature in your area. It’s not as fancy as most of the well-known weather sites, but it’s pretty cool!

When I first heard about it (thank you WendyB) I thought “Think of all the obscenities it would say about our weather over here?” Well, there’s no need to say, I got my obscenities all right!

Check it out:

In the small print, it says “Do you have life insurance?” LOL.

WE DID IT!

2009-05-17T23:44:00.005+03:00

I tried to write this post many times. I'd write the first sentence. Then hit delete. I'd write another sentence. Then I'd delete it again. I'm trying so hard to say what's on my mind and what's in my heart. But words fail me..

With tears in my eyes, thoughts on my mind and the utmost joy in my heart, I'd like to thank each and every single person who voted yesterday. It's because of you that we were able to change more than 40% of the parliament members. We made four women members of the parliament. Not one, not two, but four!

I would sincerely like to thank each and every one of you. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the women especially. We make up 60% of Kuwait's population. We can change this country. Literally. And yesterday we did.

Though you and I may be different, and though we might share different opinions, we still participated in one of Kuwait's most important events. We took matters into our own hands and we went and ticked the names we wanted on the ballots. We did not give up, we did not despair. Although Kuwait experienced the lowest turnout of voters ever to take part in the elections, many of us still went there and did their duty.

We can't sit and home and complain about a situation and then refuse to take action when action is needed. We, the people, hold the votes in our hand. We have, and always will have, the power to change things. And when change is due, change must come.

And finally, change has come. It might be small to begin with, but gradually, things will change for the better. We can't expect whatever needs to be mended, to be fixed right away. With time, and with a lot of hard work, we will get there.

I love my country. It's not perfect. It might never be. But it's my country. It's given me so much, and I'm so glad that I never ever forget that. And I hope that as long as I live, I will be able to give back to Kuwait what it has given me.

I love you, Kuwait. Always and forever.

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE

2009-05-15T01:14:00.003+03:00

Hi everyone! I've been such a bad blogger, I completely forgot about blogging. Actually it's not that I forgot to blog, it's more like I didn't have time to blog. I don't even have time to read blogs. And I LOVE reading blogs! I've been so busy with a million things: Helping out in the election campaigns (which is so hectic) and I've also been busy with some family stuff.

Anyway, I'm here to say a public service announcement. From me to you. It's for all the Kuwaitis out there who read this blog or who might have stumbled here. I urge you please to vote on Saturday! It's been a rough year for us Kuwaitis. The political scene has been a disgrace. It's going to take some real men and women to clean up the mess that most of the MP's left us with this past year. I am so disappointed in our parliament these past few years. Most of the members were there for their own good, or for some hidden agendas. And those who were good, were so few, that they couldn't stand a chance against the corrupt majority.

We have a chance to change the parliament. Please don't say that no one can change it. It's we who have the upper hand, because we get to choose who sets foot in the National Assembly. Never underestimate the power of your vote. Every vote counts.

I don't want to bore you with all the stuff that I keep saying to people over and over and over.. But I will say this: PLEASE VOTE ON SATURDAY. And please vote wisely. Don't vote because this person is related to you, or that person seems nice, or this person did you a favor, and that person seems religious. Vote because this person is putting Kuwait first and foremost on his agenda. And because that person is thinking about you, your children and your family before they pass any law.

This is our country we're talking about. This is our life! Please please PLEASE vote on Saturday. VOTE FOR CHANGE. If America did it, don't you think we can too?

Here's to getting our old Kuwait back!

I'll be back soon. I'm going to take a break after the elections to get back to my regular schedule. And hopefully, I'll get back to posting like the old days.

Note to Hasan.B: You're right I haven't been so politically active on my blog because I've been neglecting it for so long. But I'm still active in real life :)

My Girl Friend

2009-04-17T02:07:00.001+03:00

Back when we were in school, one of my girl friends (not girlfriend) had her heart broken by a guy. No surprise there. BUT, then she decided to swear off guys and turn lesbian! What the hell?? Why??! Because of a stupid guy who said he likes you and then changed his mind? It’s not like dating a girl will guarantee you a heartbreak-free relationship!

As a matter of fact, I’d rather be asexual than homosexual. No offense to all you gays out there, but I can never ever be with a girl! I mean, girls are pretty, sweet, kind and nurturing. I should know, I am one after all! But man are ~~they~~ we unbelievably weird at times.

If I wanted to be with someone overanalyzing, overdramatic, and full of drama.. I’d date myself! Why would I want to go through double the PMS times, double the crying, and double the emotions!

I believe men and women were meant to be together for a reason. Men are simple (not simple-minded) and logical. We, on the other hand, are complicated and.. and.. complicated!

This is not to say that all guys are easy going. I knew a guy who was emotional, sensitive, and a think tank. He wanted to be with me. I wanted to RUN!

I mean, come on! I do like the opposite sex, but for God’s sake that person was the male version of ME!

This lady thinks that if there’s going to be one drama queen in the relationship, it’s gotta be her!

[Sorry if I’ve been blogging so randomly and not visiting your blogs more often than I usually do, but I’ve been busy job hunting. It sucks. Big time]

Hello

2009-04-13T13:34:00.001+03:00

My Name is L. And I am an Internet Addict.

My Mistake Is Your Lesson

2009-04-11T19:02:00.001+03:00

Do you believe in learning from other people’s mistakes? I know I do. My sister is a few years younger than me. I give her advice. A lot. Sometimes it might be too much (for her not for me). But I don’t think there such a thing as too much advice to dish out. There will never be enough advice floating around in the universe.

There are always lessons to be learned. My sister gets angry sometimes, and says that I’m negative, demeaning and controlling. But I’m only trying to help! I’ve always wished I had an older sister to tell me where the shortcuts are so I don’t have to take the long route. So I don’t slip on an icy path and fall.

I’ve been there and done that. I just want to spare her the trouble. A few years difference might not be much, but when she’s just past her teen years and I’m smack in the middle of my 20’s, that’s a lot of lessons learned, and a whole lotta wisdom gained.

Sure I want her to live her life and make her own choices. But there are some things that are just not worth doing. I’m saving her the energy (to go and do something less stupid I hope).

This lady believes that her mistakes can be your lessons learned. And vice versa, of course. How about you?

Crisis of Faith

2009-04-01T22:58:00.001+03:00

Do you ever get a crisis of faith? You know, as in you have some doubts about your faith, or start questioning your beliefs. I don't have these things regularly, but it’s just a habit of mine. I’m a thinker. I think A LOT. About big things, little things, nasty things, yummy things.. whatever. So, naturally, I think about religion. A LOT.

It is my utmost belief that religion is equal parts logic, and equal parts faith. I’m Muslim, but I don’t think I am considered a by-the-book Muslim. I believe in God and His prophet, I pray, I give out Zakat, I fast, I don’t drink, I don’t cheat, I don’t steal, I don’t engage in forbidden activities.

I’m no saint, though. Basically, I do what I believe and understand is good for me, and for society in general. Since we were in school, we were taught that religion is ‘fitra’, which is essentially your gut feeling or intuition. We’ve known, since we were at a very young age, that we can do things that hurt people. And we’re taught that some things are wrong and some are right. And THAT, to me, is religion. It’s a guideline that you follow, and attempt to gain peace in your life, and share goodness with others. We will always make mistakes, but some things cancel the others out. Like karma. What goes around, comes around.

I don’t care what religion you follow (even if it’s your own), but for the most part, the majority try to follow their instincts and what they believe is right – even though we all have our differences.

I’m tired of people dictating to me what they think is right, without even explaining it. Remember our religion classes at school? It was always do this, do that, but no explanation as to WHY. As I grew up, I started reading and listening to some religious scholars, and I’m not afraid to say that a lot of them were phony and baloney!

I’m proud to say that I’ve grown more spiritual as I grew up, and my heart is filled with faith and love. I don’t cover my hair, I don’t cover my body from head-to-toe, and I don’t pray more than I have to.

I don’t equate covering my hair to stealing. I don’t equate wearing short skirts to drinking. The damage done to others by drinking or stealing outdoes any damage done by showing my hair and wearing a short skirt. Actually, it doesn’t even compare!

In a movie I saw called Brick Lane, a Muslim Indian man says in a town meeting regarding religion, “My Islam is in here (pointing to his heart).” I think this is so true, and should be followed by everyone, regardless of their religion. Basically, it means that your religion should be in your heart, and not just on the outside. What is the point of me covering my hair, if my heart is filled with envy and greed and evil?

Anyway, I just wanted to get this off my chest. I feel much better now. I don’t want anyone to feel bad because someone is making them guilty about not doing a small thing. If you look closely, you might be doing some great things in life – helping the poor, visiting relatives, being there for your parents, being a good parent, and lots and lots more.

Maybe if we stopped looking at the tiny things in life, and focused more on the bigger picture, we would help ourselves a lot more.

That’s just a piece of wisdom from this lady. Hope it helps :)

Do You Know A Recycling Company?

2009-03-23T21:17:00.001+03:00

I need your help, people!

Do you know about anyone or any company that collects plastic for recycling? How about paper recycling? I need someone that can come and pick up the boxes.

If you do, can you please give me their contact info?

Thanks!

Blackberry

2009-03-23T14:49:00.001+03:00

Have you jumped the BB bandwagon?

I haven’t. Everyone around me has, but I’m hanging tough. I really don’t need it – I’m happy with my phone right now. It has an Internet service as well as countless others, it’s sleek and light, and I’m really quite content.

I asked all my friends why they bought it, and they said because everyone else has one. And of course because they get to use the free BB Messenger chatting thingy.

Although the BBM idea appeals to me, I’m still not really convinced I should get one. I’ve seen my friends huddled over their phones typing messages like they’re some kind of weird loners who are so into their gadgets. Really it’s so annoying! They hardly speak when we’re out, because they’re busy fiddling with it and instant messaging each other. I also saw a table of 6 guys at a restaurant who barely spoke a word to each other because they were all hunched over their BB’s. They looked like idiots!

I might go for it eventually, but I just want to know..

Is this Iady the only one out there who has not BB-ed yet?

Image [link]

The Year of Change

2009-03-18T00:32:00.001+03:00

I’ve been neglecting this blog. And it’s sad because I loved it so much. ‘Loved’ being the key word here. I don’t know if I love it as much as I used to. I thought about deleting it because I don’t want it to be just sitting there without any updates or anything. Like it was abandoned or something. I’m either going to have to post, or to delete the whole thing.

I have all these thoughts and ‘posts’ in my head, and I need to get them out but I just don’t have the time to do that! It’s crazy but before I started this blog, I would write things in my notebooks or scraps of paper and then transfer them to the computer. Now, I barely have the time to do that.. Awful!

Anyway, you know how everyone is going on about 2009 being the '”Year of Change”? Well, I’m starting to believe in it! So far, 3 months in, and I’m already feeling it.

I changed my hairdo.
I quit my job. It was horrendous!
I almost got engaged/married. Almost! (This is such a long story that it needs it’s own post)

For some of you, this may not be a big deal, but for me it is. I haven’t changed my hair for so long! So this is a giant leap for me. I quit my job during such a bad time in the economy, whereas everyone is hanging on to their jobs for dear life. But I just couldn’t do it anymore! Almost getting engaged is crazy for me because during the past couple of years I became marriage-phobic (if such a word exists). The mere mention of marriage to me would send my stomach into a lurch!

So there you go! 3 months in, 3 new things!

This lady is embracing 2009. How about you?

Hala February*

2009-01-31T17:03:00.006+03:00

If you live in Kuwait, did you see the opening of "Hala February"? Did you see it live or on TV?

I have only one word to describe it: CRAPTASTIC.

*A Kuwaiti festival which was once something to look forward to. This should not concern anyone living abroad. At all.

Recap

2009-01-25T14:04:00.001+03:00

Have you ever considered blogging to be a burden? As much as I used to love it, I have to say, it’s not the case anymore. It takes up SO MUCH of my time – not the blogging part, but catching up on other people’s blogs is so time consuming.
Has the economic condition affected your spending habits? I know it affected mine. I’m focused more on what I need rather than what I want. And as always, quality over everything.
How about Obama? Did you watch the live inauguration? It felt great to watch history in the making.. As cliché as that sounds..
Is there an easy way to lose weight? This cold weather is killing me! All I think about is food!
Did you see the Oscar nominations? I’m so excited! I was disappointed that some people weren’t nominated though..
How’s the New Year affecting you guys? Any resolutions? I don’t do resolutions, because frankly, a person can choose to change anytime. It doesn’t have to start on a specific day.
I WANT TO MOVE TO LONDON.

AUK CAR BOOT SALE

2009-01-09T23:49:00.007+03:00

Hi everyone!

Tomorrow, Saturday January 10, 2009 (technically it's today), is AUK's car boot sale. It's from 9 am to 5 pm. There will be lots of junk in people's trunks. Yeah, pun intended! It will be held at the American University of Kuwait's parking lot in Salmiya. Basically it's like a garage sale/flea market.

You can also find great stuff for your home at really cheap prices. You will also find clothing and electronics. I heard some people are going to be selling food too. I didn't get to go last year, but I'm definitely going to check it out tomorrow.

It's a great idea for getting rid of stuff you no longer need, while at the same time making a little bit of money. I think we need more flea markets and garage or yard sales in Kuwait. And I don't mean the weekly Friday Market (Soog il yim3a).

I will be on the hunt for some great bargains tomorrow.. and some yummy food too!

See ya!

*Oh and I know you've all been dying without my thought provoking and entertaining blog posts, but my computer is still sick :(

Crash and Burn

2008-12-30T17:20:00.004+03:00

It's official. My computer has crashed. I was playing games online when all of a sudden I hear a sound go "Bloop", and then the screen went black. Then the whole thing shut down and decided to not work.

I'm so glad I saved MOST of my folders on an external backup drive, but I had some important stuff that I wanted to save but forgot to.

I took it to the workshop to get it fixed and the technician said "he'll see what he can do". I think this is code for "This is a crappy situation." He said I should get a new one. Well, I should have a long time ago, but I was lazy, and now I'm bankrupt and in debt (damn credit cards).

I want it to work! It MUST work. This lady can't stand not having her old, faithful broken-down piece of metal. *sniff*

Married Men: PLEASE WEAR YOUR RINGS!

2008-12-21T15:54:00.001+03:00

If the title doesn't explain itself, allow me to elaborate. I am really tired of getting excited over a cute guy without knowing if he's married or not. I'm not going to delve into the subject of single or attached, it's kind of a gray area. Let's just say that checking out a married man is completely different from checking out an unwed attached guy.

For those of you who are not Kuwaiti, let me explain that most of the Kuwaiti men do not wear their wedding rings. When I asked some of my married male relatives why, they answered that it feels like they're wearing jewelry and that rings were made for women. Also, that wedding rings are not a Kuwaiti tradition, but more of a western tradition that got incorporated into ours. However, Kuwaiti married women almost always wear their wedding rings.

Anyway, it happens to my friends and I all the time. We're sitting at a restaurant or cafe or wherever, and a cute guy would be checking one of us out. Well, being the 'good girls' that we are, we don't do anything (except ask each other if he's still looking). Most of the time, it doesn't go anywhere. After we (or he) leave, nothing happens and you don't see the guy ever again. Other times, the guy might be waiting for you to reciprocate. But truthfully, how can you tell if he's single or not? Which brings me to another problem, which I'm going to talk about in another post, why are men not making the first move nowadays??

Back to the marriage thing, there's this one guy who ALWAYS stares at me and checks me out no matter how I look and thank God I have no interest in him whatsoever because I just found out I KNOW HIS WIFE. Now imagine if I had been excited by this, how would it feel to know that he's married? I would be hurt! Imagine if someone pursued a relationship with the idiot?? They would be crushed!

So finally, before this post gets too long, please help this poor single lady out, and make her road to couple-dom easier by wearing your freakin' wedding rings!

I'll Give It a Shot

2008-12-15T14:01:00.001+03:00

Ok so I thought I'd give this a shot again. And by 'this' I mean blogging. A lot of times, when I'm thinking about something, I say to myself "I've got to write about this." And then I'd get on my computer, write it, hit save and turn off the computer. I like to write, and I do almost everyday. But sometimes writing something and saving it isn't the same as letting other people read it. When others read what I write, even if its some random thought, it's like letting them into your personal space. And sometimes I need that. Because God knows my mind sometimes speaks to itself!

Anyway, some people emailed me while I was away (thank you guys it really meant a lot to me!) asking me if I'll come back to my blog, so I thought, "I must be doing something right if people - even if it's just a few- actually want me to write again!"

A couple of things that made me consider quitting:

Some people make it their soul mission to find out who a blogger is. If I'm writing with an alias, it means I don't want you to know! Being anonymous makes you write more freely. And if I can't get that, then what's the purpose of my blog?
Another thing is, I felt like blogging made me part of "a group". I don't really know why, but I just didn't want that. I have my own 'group' in real life, but blogging is the other side of me - the independent side. In some ways, blogging felt like we all had to stick together and say nice things about each other, kinda like a clique. And there was a lot of "You visit my blog and I'll visit yours". I want you to read this because you like my blog, and not for any other reason.
Sometimes controversy can get out of hand. If you're a constant reader here, you'll understand what I'm talking about. I actually enjoy controversy because it means that we all have our own thoughts and ideas and not afraid to speak our minds. But threatening, trash-talking and other things that I don't want to get into? That's just crazy! If I say something that makes you mad, then by all means GET MAD. But GET OVER IT. That's life!

Pheew! Now that's that over with.. I think I'm back. For now.

Not Definite. Still Maybe.

2008-12-12T14:01:00.001+03:00

I miss my blog. I've been missing it for a while now.

I took a break first, then during my break I decided I didn't wanna do it anymore. But now I miss it. I ~~read~~ lurk some of the new blogs out there and I reminisce about my (so-called) old days.

I heard some of the bloggers I used to know have stopped now. I don't know. Guess I'll have to find out.

There are many reasons I decided to stop. I'm not going into detail unless you really want to know.

Anyway, this is not a definite "I'm back". It depends on how I feel after I post this.

On Leave

2008-05-20T18:21:00.001+03:00

I'm tired. Exhausted. Emotionally and physically.

Thanks to those of you who emailed or commented asking about me. To keep this short. I'm taking a break.

I'll be back. I just don't know when. Maybe in a week. A month. A year. Maybe not that long.

Until next time, friends..

Image (link)

BomChickaWahwah..

2008-04-28T14:41:00.001+03:00

Am I the only one who doesn't understand this commercial?

Please explain.

Image (source)

Technical Help Please

2008-04-27T15:57:00.001+03:00

Can anybody recommend a good Internet Service Provider in Kuwait?

We're currently with UCC, previously QualityNet, and we're not too happy with our current provider. The connection freezes up a lot and often we're left with days of no service. Also, every time we call, they don't answer the Technical Support calls unless you call the Sales desk - who always answer the calls - and complain that the Tech people aren't answering.

So, any recommendations please? And some explaining as to why, would be excellent thanks.

My Reply

2008-04-26T10:43:00.001+03:00

Since it is going to take a long time to reply to each and every one who commented on this post, I decided to reply in a post, just to make some things clear.

Swair: please research your facts before you post an accusation like that..

I got a lot of comments stating the blogger credited PostSecret when she first started the Post.a.No.Secret blog. Well, I DID research the facts. Otherwise, I wouldn't write a post about it. It doesn't matter if you credit something if you're going to copy it, also with a very similar name. The idea of PostSecret is a good one, and really fun. But what I'm saying is, WHY COPY IT? I'm sure there are so many different spin-offs to that idea.

Delicately Realistic said: Thanks for bashing the memory of our old friend.

Why are people offended just because I dissed a blog for copying an idea? They're taking it personally and defending a blogger called Papillona, who is the one behind the blog.

Why?? This is not something personal! And I'm not bashing any 'memory'. The memories you had were related to her other blog. I did not insult her in any way, I only criticized this new blog, regardless of who created it.

When we create blogs, we have to prepare ourselves for criticism because we're putting ourselves out there. Do you think world famous artists weren't criticized at some point in their life? Does that make them any less loved? There are so many artists who credit other artists in influencing their work. But do they copy the original artist's style and work? No, they work FROM it.

I'm sure she was loved and has fans who were sad when she stopped blogging but this is a critique of the blog - and not the person or her personality.

Miyafushi said: I think you owe Papillona an apology.
Either way, just to let you know, you just dissed one of the first and most loved bloggers around.
Not good.
P.S. Is this post your equivalent of creative?

Again, why is this personal? Creating a blog that's an imitation of another and having someone not like it, does not mean that it makes that person less loved. It just makes them look less creative. This has nothing to do with her personality. I'm sure she's a great person who started the blog with good intentions.

The reason I wrote that post was because it really annoys me when in the Arab World, we have people who frequently copy ideas from others whereas they have SO MUCH CREATIVITY that if put to good use, they could come up with GENIUS ideas.

Repeat After Me: COPYCAT

2008-04-25T21:45:00.001+03:00

There's a reason why our part of the world are called followers and not leaders. It's because of people like this.

This is not meant to be a blog bashing post, but seriously? SERIOUSLY?

Ok, let me elaborate. There's a very POPULAR blog in the blogosphere called PostSecret. They're so popular they've even published books about it. Basically, readers and the public in general are invited to send postcards to PostSecret that state their deepest secret, and of course it's posted on the blog. The idea being that sometimes, you want to spill out your secret to the whole world, but you want to do it anonymously. And that's a fun and creative way to do it.

Now, what bothers me, is people who go and SHAMELESSLY AND BLATANTLY COPY the whole idea, and claim it as their own. Today, I found through Safat, a blog called Post.A.No.Secret.

The 'blogger' invites people to send images displaying their secrets to his/her email, where in turn he/she posts them on the blog. Ok, let's break this down shall we?

FIRST, Copycat's layout and black background, is the same as the original.

SECOND, the Original blog is called POSTSECRET, because of the POSTCARDS that people send to the blogger. At least have the decency to come up with another name!

THIRD, to protect the identity and anonymity of the sender, the postcards are MAILED (with no return address) and not emailed.

FOURTH, come up with your own God-damned freakin' idea!

So, again, if I bashed this blogger, I'm sorry, but he/she probably deserved it. PostSecret has had hundreds of millions of visitors since they started because of their originality and ingenuity.

Maybe if the copycat blogger channeled a little bit more creativity into his/her blog, they would probably have some more original content, and would spare us the shame of people claiming that Arabs/Kuwaitis are imitators.

Unfortunately..

Oh My God. Blogger's Block?

2008-04-25T20:59:00.001+03:00

Is it happening already? Do I have ~~writer's~~ blogger's block?

God, I don't know why, but the posts are just not. coming. out. I used to be able to write a trillion posts a day, due to the overflowing amount of thoughts in my head.

Could it be that I am *GASP* at a loss for words? Trust me, if you know me in real life, you will know that this DOES NOT HAPPEN. I am a woman of opinion, and I always have something to say.

I think it may be due to the fact that:

A. I discovered I am NOT workforce material.

B. I am turning into such a political freak it's scaring me.

C. I CAN'T WAIT for the elections. Seriously.

D. It's wedding season, and I need to be in better shape for all those dresses that I'm gonna be wearing.

E. I'm constantly thinking about the summer holidays, and how I'm not going to be able to travel with my family like I used to because I have a freakin' job and I can't take 3 month long vacations. *sob*

F. It could also be the fact that I am sooo behind on my emails and blog reading that I just want to delete everything and start from scratch.

I realize that I could go on until Z.. So I'm going to stop.

So please excuse the lack of posts. I know you're disappointed. Stop pulling your hair out and bawling like babies. Put the knives DOWN. You don't want to hurt yourselves (or me) now do you?

I need a solution. Any ideas, people?

Little Tidbit

2008-04-22T13:15:00.001+03:00

I realized that I missed a few people who were blog supporters and readers since I first started blogging, and because I was -and still am- reaaaally busy (you can't even imagine), I forgot to add them to my Blogroll.

I know it might not be important to some people, but it is to me because really this blog would NOT be here without your constant support, criticism and sarcasm. And maybe even jealousy due to my super success and (in the words of Miss Kimora Lee Simmons) fabulousity, not to mention the millions I'm making off these ads).

So I'd just like to say that I'm going to be adding people to my blogroll as I go along, and whenever I remember them..

Today I remembered Amuq8. He used to visit my blog a lot, and comment, etc etc.. And I just completely lost touch in between my busy-ness. So here's to you Mr. Amu. You probably don't even remember my blog, but thanks for supporting me in the beginning!

Well.. Well.. What Have We Here?

2008-04-19T11:26:00.001+03:00

I checked my blog today to find some interesting news. Apparently I've been added to Safat. I don't know when this happened, since I've applied ages ago (9 months to be precise). I might as well have given birth. But anyway.. thanks? I guess..

It's going to be kind of a new experience finding comments from new visitors. Just like the days when I first started blogging and I found a myriad of new visitors every day.

I'd like to give a big hug and huge thanks to those who stood by my side all this time, through the good, the bad and the ugly. I hope I made your time just as enjoyable as you have made mine (you better be nodding your heads). I really REALLY couldn't have done it without you.

And to all the new visitors.. Umm.. welcome?

I hope you enjoy your time here, because this is truly one of the best blogs out there. This blog is a drug. You will become addicted. You will come back. Many, many times.

You've been warned.

Interesting..

2008-04-18T15:23:00.001+03:00

In continuation of my previous post, I thought I'd post this tidbit regarding some statistics related to my blog.

According to my Sitemeter statistics, the majority of my readers visit my blog between 12 am and 3 am Kuwait time.

What am I? Porn??

If this is you, visitor, you better have a good explanation for this! Because I will not, I repeat NOT, be the mistress in this blogging relationship.

You better make time for me during your 'supposedly' busy day. Don't blame it on being swamped at the office because we all know you do most of your web surfing over there. And don't go making excuses about the time difference, because I KNOW 90% of my readers live here.

This Lady has a boat and she's not afraid of using it, because there are PLENTY of blogging fish in the sea. Hmph.

Search Queries That Get You Here

2008-04-14T18:25:00.001+03:00

I'm going to add this feature to my blog. Ever since I added sitemeter to my blog, I (naturally) get statistics regarding my site. One of the cool things about it, is you get to know how people came found your site, (through other sites/blogs or through search engines) and what they searched for.

Some people searched for the weirdest things! And what's even more funny, is how the search engines decided that my blog fit that search query so well.

@hotmail.com safat 2008

Is this an address search? An email search? Why is there a year involved?

Girl on girl action (22 times and counting)

Poor guys (or girls) must be really disappointed.

Rubbing shaking fat off

Apparently Google heard that I was on a diet.

I have been waiting for you since to contact me for your Confirm able Bank Draft

This is from a Japanese search engine. This was typed in the search engine box when I got there. Creepy! They might as well have said "I'm watching you".

Transparent Bra

Ok that's justifiable. I have a post with that title.

Cruella DeVille Hair

Obviously Google thinks its funny to send Cruella seekers my way. I have 3 grey hairs and you have to rub it in??

Girls funny stories about bras

I'm assuming this is a guy because we girls are tormented by bras, and rarely find them funny. To him I say: Try attaching two heavy sacks to your chest and hold them together with a strap and two strings. How funny is it now? Not so much, right? What's that you say? Backache? Yeah I thought so.

الناس صنفان موتى في حياتهم

Translation: There are two types of people. Dead when they are alive.. (incomplete sentence)

I shudder to think WHY they were directed to my site. WHY??

Bottomless Girl

As opposed to a topless girl? Jerk. Sleaze-bag. Or maybe they were looking for a girl with literally no bottom. Poor thing..

Lady on girl

That would be illegal wouldn't it?

Image (link)

I HATE MY JOB

2008-04-13T18:25:00.001+03:00

The title says it all.

The Office

2008-04-09T21:37:00.001+03:00

The Cubicle Cult. "Get me outta heeeere.."

Yeah, no not the show. My office. The place where I work. Which is not as hilarious as the original The Office (both the U.K and U.S versions). It's not even mildly hilarious. To be honest, if it weren't for the $$$$, I would be outta there in a nanosecond.

I have to include you guys into the wonderful snoozefest of a world that I call my work. From this day on, I'm going to call it The Job or The Office.

Ok, so I work in this place. So far, it has been boring. I doze off during meetings. I check my emails, read blogs and surf the web during work. I then stopped reading blogs and logging into my account because of The Snoop and The Ghost (see below).

My department is made up of cubicles. Lots and lots of them. You have a better chance of finding me in Alice in Wonderland's Maze than trying to reach my cubicle at work. My cubicle makes me feel like a lab rat. The department is full of men. Plenty of sleaze bags. No good-looking guys. Whatever shall I do! *Sobbing*

Unfortunately, I feel I have to introduce you to the cast of The Office. Some of them will be permanent fixtures, others will make appearances. And some of them are just extras on the set - you see them, but you don't hear them.

The Snoop/ The Know-It-All: She likes to know everything about anything and anyone. She also knows what shoe size you wear, reader. Yes, even you Grey. And Wendy - all the way in NY. She creeps up on me and always looks at what is on my screen. She's also the office know-it-all. She knows the ins and outs and everything in between. She likes to remind you that she knows everything.

The Diva: I've heard that she makes a big deal out of everything. Drama Queen, if you will. Haven't seen anything yet. Can't wait for the dramz!

The Friendly: Friendly. Helps a lot.

The Indian Guy: He's the office number geek accountant. He works hard for his money. He has a really thick accent. Often, I don't understand what he says. He's nice.

The Ghost: He's the boss. He has no footsteps. He makes no sound. He appears suddenly behind your desk. *Shudder*

The Coffee Guy: He could be my best friend. He understands my (coffee) needs + moods. He gets me coffee without me even asking. He knows I'm watching my weight, and always gets me green tea and/or sugar free coffee. Aaww!

Extras: The Kuwaiti Guy, The Mom, The Workaholic, The Other Kuwaiti Guy, Another Kuwaiti Guy, The Sleaze, The Other Sleaze, Even More Sleazes, The Egyptian Girl. Other Indian Guy.

Pic Source (link)

You Asked, I Answered

2008-04-07T21:01:00.000+03:00

So, my lovely readers/lurkers/stalkers/friends, this is the moment you've all been waiting for.. The answers to your intruding questions and more questions. I answered each and every single one of them honestly and without holding back. (Thank you N. for the majority of questions :p)

And you know what? I discovered that behind this screen/blog, I'm not as shy as I am in real life. Does this mean I should wear a mask when I go out? Just a thought. Enjoy!

Chika: If you were invited to attend the bloggers meeting, knowing that females will be attending, will you show up?!

I want to meet my blogger friends, so I might. I don't mind if there are guys there either. Unless I decide to stay Anon, in which case I won't. But I will RSVP!

Hasan.b: Who will you vote for in the upcoming elections? The 4 people that you will vote for with their names please!

For now, I'm leaning towards:

Adel Al-Sarawi, Mohammed Al-Mulla, Naji Al-Abdulhadi, Ahmed Al-Mulaifi.

They're all subject to change, except for Al-Sarawi. He gets my vote definitely!

Peaceful Mind: How many times have you fallen in love?

Zero. Which is a bit sad really. But considering that I'm single, it's probably a good thing because I would have been heartbroken had I been in love. I don't believe in the saying "Its better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" because I've seen friends who were in love and lost their mates, and they were crushed. It sucked big time. So none for me thanks. I DO want to be in love, but I want to be swept off my feet. Literally and metaphorically. Haven't met a person who did that.. yet..

N.: Where's the post about work? Is it so blah that it doesn't deserve a post?

It's coming up. I wrote it, I just always forget to publish it because something more important comes along.

Grey: Why the name 'this lady says'?

I dont know actually. Its the 2nd name I came up with. I can't remember the first name I came up with. 'This Lady Says' was befitting for me because I always have something to say, and because I'm a lady (I think?)..

N.: What's your type of guy?

GORGEOUS! Tall, dark hair, boyish features (no cutie baby or girly faced ones for me). NOT HAIRY. Ew. I dont care if he's thin or chubby, but NOT FAT. It's a matter of perspective, really. The guys I think are hot, are usually ones my friends think are not. So.. I don't know. I dont like huge noses. Crooked or imperfect is fine. Just not a big ass shnoz. And I don't like short or white guys either. I like my men to have a bit of color. No ghostly pale ones thankyouverymuch.(Sorry if I offended anyone)

N.: What is the worst thing that you've done?

I was a bully in Middle School, and probably during High School as well. I wasn't THE bully, but I did bully or make fun of some of the 'nerds' and 'weirdos' at school. And I remember really well that they didnt have any friends, and they always sat alone during lunch breaks. Whenever I remember some of the things I did, and whenever I remember those people, I feel like the worst creature on earth. I wrote about it, but I didnt publish the post. I dont know why.

N.: If social norms and such didn't hold you back, what would be the wildest thing you'd do?

Probably live abroad in a big glam city like New York or London. I would probably have a boy toy or live in boyfriend or some kind of "male" species lying around the house. I would live a jetsetter's life, assuming that I had the money. Hmm.. I dont know if that's wild enough, because I'm a pretty laid back person.

Shoush: Any love/crushes lately? If so, what's the story (in detail :P)?

I crush 600 times per minute. I forget a crush every time I find a new one. I wish I could say that one of them developed into love, but sadly no. I feel like a 12 year old because I still CANNOT get out of the crush phase DAMMIT! Why did you have to remind me??? (To know the types of guys I crush on, refer to N.'s 'type of guy' question above)

eshda3wa: Ever went on a blind date or met with a stranger?

I met with an Internet friend once when I was a teenager. She was really sweet and funny online, but in real life she was a bit weird and she knew a lot of guys - if you know what I mean. And she was not my type.

Dee: Out of curiosity, did you ever watch porn?

You said the magic word, curiosity. I'm not ashamed of saying yes I did, purely out of curiosity. And I was really young too! To say that it grossed/freaked me out would be an understatement. I also wondered why it was that only the women were fully nude, but the men weren't, their privates were always concealed. I still don't know why. I still get the odd funny/dirty email forwards from my funny/dirty friend, and I still freak out all the time. My (future) husband will have to deal with his wife's issues!

N.: Ever wanted to be a guy? if yes, then for what reason?

Yes. For all of the reasons possible. For a more elaborate intellectual answer, read here. And for all the obvious dirty/pervy reasons, read any guy's brain!

N.: Do you consider yourself normal?

Sometimes I think I'm the weirdest person in the world.. until I find someone who thinks the same way I do about a specific silly/weird topic. Then I think I'm not. But overall, I don't think I'm 'the norm' at all. I'm as different as they come.

Big Pearls: Have you ever been in love?

See above for answer.

Oranjina Fadidra: What's your deepest darkest secret that you always try to hide?

I actually don't have one. My life is an open book. I try to be secretive sometimes, but it just doesnt work! Maybe I dont have one because I never did something reaaaally bad either. I'm trying to remember but every secret of mine, there's at least one person that knows about it.

Oh, and if I had one, I would definitely not say it! There's always a chance of my 'identity' being found out..

Four Me: What is your biggest regret?

Oooh plenty! Mostly they're education choices, like "Why didn't I study at that college?" or "Why didn't I study that major instead of this one?".. Probably my biggest regret is being sort of a mean girl in school, and maybe turning down a few guys that could have been 'The One'. I don't know I'm trying to think about THE BIGGEST regret, but I'm not getting any.. Just a few small ones.

g and I: What's your favorite blog?

I'm being absolutely honest. My Blogging Familia (see right) are my favorites. I make it a point to read them before anything else. I didn't have a Blogroll before because I read so many blogs, but now I decided to add one that includes my top faves. The ones I always navigate to first and foremost, and the ones who have read my blog from the beginning..

marzouq: Have you ever flapped (slapped?) someone really really hard?

No. I have zero muscle strength, so even if I tried my hand would fall off. I might have slapped my bro when we used to fight during our pre-teen years but I can't remember.

zed: Are you making money from these ads?

Yes I am, but very very little. My ads are getting better thank God! I get some banks and Wataniya ads and other more appropriate ones than the "Online Dating Singles" ones. And you don't get a check until you reach $100, which I'm still not even close to. But anyway, it doesn't hurt to try! (Just in case I get kicked out of my job)

ms.d: What movie star do people say you resemble?

Angelina Jolie. LOL. I don't know I've been told I look like more than one actress/singer/etc, but I will refrain from saying just so you don't get any false images in your head (and no not all of them are hot). I will say that I'm always told I resemble some of the more ethnic stars.

ms.d: Do you know how to draw/paint?

Yes I do, its one of my hobbies.

ms.d: Do you eat kidneys/livers/tongues?

Eew! NO. Never. I hate them. I tried but it tasted like blood, so NO.

ms.d: Are you an accountant?

NO. I hate accounting. I DO know how to manage my money, but I choose to spend it hahaha. No really, I do have some savings "7ag il yom il aswad" Hahaha. Translation: For the black day. If you need any help, seriously I can help.

And that's it! I had fun! Really I never knew an 'interview' could be this enjoyable. Sorry I had to make you wait, but I hope it's worth it. Cheers!

Last Chance..

2008-04-04T17:48:00.001+03:00

Hey dudes and dudettes,

This is your last chance to ask me any nosey and completely inappropriate questions this weekend. I compiled all of the questions into a nice neat little questionnaire. So far, I've answered all of the questions you asked.

If there are any more people out there, or if the ones who already asked would like to ask another one, feel free to do that (I'm scratching the "only one question" part).

My next post will be posted on Sunday.

Have a nice weekend!

Laptop Choice - Help Needed

2008-04-01T11:45:00.005+03:00

No this is not my laptop, but it might as well be. Source gaygamer.net

I need a new laptop. Mine is literally hanging on by a wire. The screen decides to flop down when it gets tired. I get all types of pop ups and errors and it freezes a lot. I'm also pretty sure there's a cockroach inside trying to get out because it makes the weirdest internal noises. It could substitute for a heater during the winter season because there's something wrong with the fan and it gets insanely hot. The fan can also substitute for an airplane engine due to its loud noise. It also shakes when the weather is cold. I think its part human. Was once drowned by yoghurt. Sometimes used as a tray (when extremely-bright-maid decided to put a cup of tea or coffee on top, as well as the odd bowl of cereal).

Remind me why I'm getting a new one? This ones a keeper! It's multi-purpose! Actually its been through a lot and it deserves to have some rest. I'm keeping it as a substitute/side computer thing.

Also its too heavy for me now (for more on my health issues go here) and I've had it for a while now - 5 years maybe. I don't know what to get. I thought I'll ask some of my more tech enthusiastic bloggers (Read: Marzouq et al.).

Here are some of my criteria:

It has to be a laptop. No desktops.
Not heavy. I want to carry it around.
No tiny screens. I have poor eyesight.
No unknown brands.
Good screen - visual quality.
Sleek and chic looking.
I'm not too keen on a Mac. I'm loyal to Windows.
Something of good quality and available in Kuwait.
No extremely high prices and complicated ones. I'm no Bill Gates.

Recommendations please.

What Do You Want To Know?

2008-04-01T00:04:00.001+03:00

I saw this on someone's blog recently. Sorry I can't give them the credit because i ~~can't bother to check~~ cant remember.

Since I love my blogging familia so much, I decided to do a fun thing. I will allow each person to ask me one question only. It can be anything you've been wondering about. It can be something private. It can be something silly. It can be ANYTHING. I will answer as honestly as I can. If I feel some of them are innappropriate, I will ignore them, but try anyway :P

On another note, do you get the feeling that you know a blogger so well, you might as well be friends in real life? There are so many i want to meet, and I'm kinda scared that if I ever see them, they won't look like what I imagined, and everything will be ruined! Hahaha I know I'm weird.

But seriously, I would love to meet each and every single one of you people on the right (My Blogroll) and more if possible! Most of you were with there for me ever since I started blogging, and some of you I just added recently.

So anyway. Shoot. I'll collect all the q's and post them (with everybody's name), so you'll know who asked the silly or pervy ones :p

The Banner

2008-03-31T18:54:00.001+03:00

See the banner to your right? The one that says VOTE 2008. I made it to show my support for the elections.

If you want to show your support as well, you can right-click, save it and add it to your blog.

EVERY. VOTE. COUNTS.

2008-03-30T18:08:00.000+03:00

I want to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about the upcoming elections. Many of you are probably sick to death of political talk and whatnot, but really i have to do this. this is something i'm passionate about. Not politics, but MY COUNTRY. The goings on in Kuwait is not something i can just watch without doing anything about. the least i can do is talk to people about it, write about it, and choose to act upon it.

I think that the parliamentary elections are SO important, i cant even describe it in one post. Voting for candidates is CRUCIAL! These people are the legislatures of our country. they MAKE the laws. They are the voice of the public because they were nominated by the public, and voted for by the public. THEY ARE THE PUBLIC.

They are the crew of a ship called Kuwait. They will lead us to our destination or they can get lost on their way. If they work together cooperatively, they will acheive goals. If they dont, then we'll all die in the storm.

What they do and say affects US. Every single one of us! How can we just sit by and let the elections come and go without doing anything about it?

I know many Kuwaitis were dissapointed by the majority of the previous members. I know they failed us in more ways than one. I know that. And this is why we should do our part and vote for the ones we think deserve it!

If you're not happy with the returning candidates, then don't vote for them! Vote for someone new and fresh. Go to their rallies. Listen to them talk. Hear what they have to say. Don't let anyone's opinions change what you feel. If you feel that someone is deserving, then go ahead. Give them your vote.

And please PLEASE do not vote for someone just because they are a relative, friend, acquaintance, part of your tribe, have a certain religious belief, Sunni, Shiite, man, woman. Vote for them because they DESERVE IT and because THEY'RE GOOD. No not good. GREAT.

I will vote for someone who I believe takes a stand. I will be religiously blind. I will not vote based on math'hab (Sunni vs. Shiite). I will not vote based on tribe. I think that's ridiculous. I will be gender blind. I will vote for the better person. Not the better sex. I am a woman. But if i feel that a male candidate is more deserving, then he will get my vote. I will use my brain and that part called logic, to see who is more deserving in my mind.

The candidates. You, voters, can make or break that person. Dont think that you cant do anything. I remember the last elections, and some people won with a difference of TENS of votes. Its that close.

A few other bloggers already wrote about this topic. I can only remember Baroque, and she makes a good point.

However, to reply to Baroque and others who are just as pessimistic as her, I'd like to tell them that if they dont want a certain candidate to win then they should use their vote to help someone else they think is more deserving. And believe me there are so many who are deserving. Hear them out. They need you and you need them.

The future is literally in OUR HANDS. Just a few checks on that peice of paper, and dropping it into the ballot is all it takes. A few seconds thats all. And YOU can change OUR FUTURE.

EVERY. VOTE. COUNTS.

USE IT. AND USE IT WELL.

More Radio Stations, Please

2008-03-29T12:51:00.000+03:00

The title says it. But I also need to repeat it. WE NEED MORE RADIO STATIONS IN KUWAIT. If not, then at least some GOOD MUSIC for God's sake!

You're probably thinking, "T.L, what the hell? Who listens to the radio here anymore?" And to answer that, I'll say, "Of course I don't listen to the awful Kuwaiti radio stations, but this is what forced me to.."

My iPod's battery ran out last week ( I know, last week). Well I'm a lazy ~~cow~~ cat sometimes and I'm superbusy all the time, so in turn, I forgot to recharge my iPod. Also, I only listen to music in the car (or in parties) because when I'm with people, or when I'm doing some kind of work, I like to focus. Another thing, I have a car but I don't go driving a lot because my only outings are to specific destinations and back. Therefore, limited music time.

Aaaanyway, forgot to recharge iPod, blah blah blah.. So I got in the car Thursday and was about to turn on the iPod, when I remembered it was dead. So I turned on the radio instead. And what I got was a load of crap.

To summarize:

88.8 Marina FM- I loved them to death. Funny DJ's, always have something to talk about. I LOVE DGHAISHEM. HE. ROCKS. Funniest guy on Radio. Ever.

However, the morning DJ's are annoying. Noura and someone else. They have the most awkward dialogue and can't put a sentence together to save their life. For example, DJ Unknown in the morning show was reading a newspaper snippet about a girl who was born with two heads. And he said, "Oh now everyone will call her TWO FACED and FOUR EYES." WHO SAYS THAT???? The poor girl has another head sticking out of her neck! Ya think she's gonna have a hard time?

Also, increasingly sappy music almost all the time. At least its the best of the bunch.

92.5 Easy FM- Jazz or classic music I think. Do they still call it 'Easy FM'? Anyway, not my type. Don't listen to it.

95.7 Sawa- Ho-hum. Its ok. No DJ's, just music and brief news report. They like to repeat the same songs as well.

99.7 Super Station RKFM - Please God, tell me that they're kidding when they call it the SUPER station! Did anybody notice that they always play "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy and Monica?? Someone on that station has some issues. I swear every freakin time I turn on that station, it has that same cheesy 90's overplayed song! Its not even a classic! Jeez! Plus endless 90's songs like 'Barbie Girl' WTF? etc. PLEASE UPDATE YOUR DJ'S.

And how about that Latina Mina ? She's annoying. Overdoing and promoting her latinolicious self. Sorry. And your show is 'The Drive Back', its not the 'Salsa Show' so why do you play it all the time? The percentage of Latinos in Kuwait is probably equal to the percentage of Russians here. She has a better chance of becoming popular if she played some Indian or Pilipino.

103.7 (The Arabic Music one)- NO COMMENT. Actually I do want to comment. The fact that I don't even know the station's name says it all. Your callers are annoying. They sound like ignorant male chauvinists who blatantly say they're ditching work and are hungry for machboos*, or baby-voiced women/girls/ladies who call to say they have nothing to say. "Emm.. madri shagool.." Translation: "Um.. I don't know what to say" THEN DONT CALL, IDIOT!

How about their horrible choice in music? Unknown musicians? Check. Sappy crappy voice/lyrics songs? Check. Repeat above choices? Check and Check.

107.9 - (Not sure about the station #) The American radio station that transmits from the US I think? VOA - Voice of America? Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I'll catch a nice set of songs. Otherwise, its jazz, or introduction to the English language. Snooze.

97.5 - Arabic Talk radio, which if I need to hear voices, I'll listen to. Sometimes they have good topics.

There's also the Koran station which I don't listen to because I don't like the reader's voice and because I like to listen to music in the car.

In the end, I decided to turn off that shizz and listen to the floating concert of thoughts in my head. Much more entertaining.

*Kuwaiti dish - rice piled high + meat or chicken thrown on top. Delicious.

How To Beat Time

2008-03-22T11:29:00.000+03:00

(And other funky tips)

A lot of times I find myself with little time on my hands, but enough to do something with it. So I decide to check out the blogs I usually read. If I have more time, I’ll check out others as well.

Due to the insufficient amount of time on hand, and the growing amount of favorites, it’s too much of a hassle for me to check each and every blog by clicking on Favorites.

And then there was light.

And there was Google Reader.

It is the BEST! It’s like your own personal Blog Aggregate. Hah! Take that Kuwait-Blogs-Aggregate-who-still-did-not-add-me-after-6+ months.

You enter the blogs that you want, and every time someone updates a post, it will show that Blog’s name with a number between brackets next to it, telling you the number of posts you haven’t read yet.
It even updates as you are reading, so no need to refresh the site or anything.
Added bonus: It doesn’t need installation. Just login and get going. Can be accessed anywhere.

Oh Google guy! Marry me! Make me the most efficient (and happiest) woman alive!

Next up: Del.icio.us

It bookmarks sites, posts, articles and whatever else you find on the Internet. Before I started using this, I used to copy and paste the posts I liked, or saved pictures directly to my computer. I created folders within folders to organize all the files and photos. But with Del.icio.us, you can save them without the hassle. This is done in 2 ways:

Involves installing a toolbar to your browser, and then every time you want to save something you like, you click on “Post to Del.icio.us” and then edit the details whenever you want. The toolbar is installed only on your computer.
Works by copying the link and posting it to your Del.icio.us page, in which case you should always leave another browser page open to your Del.icio.us account. Useful for office computers when you can’t download anything.

Added bonus: can be accessed anywhere and there’s no risk of losing your bookmarks thru lets say a computer crash. Neat, huh?

Stay tuned for more tips from the ever so kind and generous and gorgeous This Lady.

Celebrate

2008-03-16T17:33:00.000+03:00

I am officially E.M.P.L.O.Y.E.D

I Realized..

2008-03-12T18:27:00.000+03:00

That my biggest fear..

Is Fear itself.

The Reason(s) I Was Away

2008-03-09T23:16:00.001+03:00

I love my blog. I didn’t think there was ever a time that I was intentionally going to be away from it, or to stop blogging. Ever. It is such a writing/venting outlet for me, to say things that I want to say, express my thoughts, my anger, my humor (yes, I think I'm funny), my mind in general.

Well, the past month was a really hectic one for me. I was running around doing all sorts of things people-who-want-to-earn-a-living have to do. They’re so many, and I need to explain them, but that would take a month, so I’ll just list them and briefly elaborate.

· I was applying for jobs. Overdosed on CV’s, phone calls, paperwork, the whole deal. Hated it.

· Doing house chores/errands because my parents think its ok to treat their kids like oompa loompas. Love/Hate.

· Gazillion social obligations that I had to do because I’m Kuwait’s Paris Hilton. Love/Hate.

· Trying to organize my hobbies & side projects to fit into my socialite life. Hate.

· Attempting a new, healthy balanced diet & exercise regimen. Unsuccesful. Hate.

· Keeping track of my numerous emails which I realized are too many for 1 human being (where the hell did they come from??) Love/Hate.

· Wanted to take a break from my life before I start work. Love it.

· Traveled for a little more than a week to Dubai. Loved it! (More on that in later posts)

I'm so worried that when I start working I'm going to have to reduce performing one or more of the above tasks. How can you bloggers do this? Blogging frequently, I mean. Gold stars to all of you!

At this rate, I'm going to have to marry a blogger, get him to write about ME, and thus provide more time for ME.

Which brings me to this point. I don't have a lot of ME time. Really, I need it.. Hmm.. maybe during the summer when the social scene is quiet and my family travels abroad. Quiet time for MEEE..!

And finally..

To all of you readers/friends/fans/stalkers, thank you so much for asking about me via this blog, thru email and the letters flooding our house's mailbox. It means a hell of a lot to me to know that my writing actually appeals to some people. Stalkers: not THAT kind of appeal.

Who knew, right?

Thanks and big hugs and kisses go out to you all. Buy my album – it’s dropping next week.

A Beautiful Mind

2008-03-07T00:55:00.001+03:00

A Tribute to Dr. Ahmed Al-Rubei

1949 - 2008

Yesterday, Kuwait lost one of its most respected and influential men, Dr. Ahmed Al-Rubei, Harvard Graduate, Professor of Philosophy at Kuwait University, former Member of Parliament and former Minister of Education, in addition to being a well known political activist.

I am extremely proud to call this man a Kuwaiti. He was known for his golden tongue, his beautiful mind and his uninhibited prose. A man whose speech was never devoid of meaning. A man whose work was in constant evolution. A man whose heart belonged to this country. A man whose patriotism knew no ends. A man who never stopped believing in this country. A man who never stopped believing in the power of the youth.

I was fortunate to have seen Dr. Al-Rubei on several occasions; in several lectures in universities; political rallies; and TV appearances. I am not exaggerating when I say the man’s speech delivery was mesmerizing. He had a way of convincing you in more ways than one that what he was saying was right. Not in a sly way. But in a truly logical way.

A model of modesty, I will never forget when a student asked him in a lecture at Kuwait University “What will you do if you are not elected as an MP again?” and he answered simply and honestly “I will go back to the chalk and the chalkboard (el 6abasheer wil saboora) of course!”. I remember thinking to myself, “An MP and former Minister declaring ever so simply that he will go back to his days of teaching! How very humble!” How many people would say that, let alone do that, honestly? Very few, I tell you. Very few.

Your actions and movements towards the development of Kuwait will never be forgotten. Your sacrifices and your constant efforts to make this country grow stronger and more united will never be in vain. Rest assured, Dr. Al-Rubei, they were never in vain.

My only consolation to your family, Mr. Al-Rubei, and to the rest of the country, is not to mourn a beautiful life for ending, but to celebrate this life for having achieved so much, and giving so much, in this brief period of time. Others may live longer than you, but they will never achieve the tiniest fraction of what you have done.

You will be remembered in history as an activist who never stopped giving, and who never gave up. You will be remembered by young people like me, as a father figure who never stopped guiding us. You will be remembered by your friends as a loyal brother with the most motivating discussions. You will be remembered by your family as a loving husband, father, and brother.

Words are not enough, sir, to describe you. To say you have a beautiful mind is not enough. To say you led a remarkable life is not enough. To say you are the epitome of patriotism is not enough. I hope the world never stops producing more Ahmed Al-Rubei’s. Of that, we can never have enough.

You will be missed, Dr. Al-Rubei, but never forgotten. Never forgotten.

Yours truly,

A daughter. A sister. A student. An activist.

A patriot.

Just. Like. You.

The Reply

2008-02-19T00:15:00.006+03:00

After my two previous posts The Patriot and The Audacity , I got some pretty interesting comments (and one hate mail). I decided to reply to the comments in a whole post because replying to each individual will result in an extreeeemely long comment.

First off, to clear some things:

In The Audacity post when I said I’d rather be an Isreali than a Hezbollah member, yes I meant it, and still do. To me, it’s much worse for people of the same religion killing each other, than for people of opposite religions to do that (at least each one of them has a completely different faith). I don’t encourage any kind of hate, especially religion, but when it comes to choose, I’d choose the lesser of the two evils.

For Shosho who asked if they found out who hijacked the Jabriyah plane. The whole world knew ever since the event happened that Meghniyeh (and Hezbollah) were behind the hijacking of the plane because there were hundreds of witnesses on board who attested to that fact.

Anonymous, who are you kidding when you said that Hezbollah is protecting Lebanon from Israel? They’re Iranians who were smuggled into Lebanon during the civil war and took place there. They’re not even original Lebanese. Their whole beliefs and ideologies were the product of Khomeini, leader of the Iranian revolution.

Israel was Lebanon’s neighbor since the beginning of those countries’ existence, and they had their fair share of conflicts, but definitely not as much as now. Now tell me why is it that Hezbollah decided to change its goals, deciding to become protectors of Lebanon? Maybe to give a more legitimate reason for their existence in Lebanon? Wasn’t that also Syria’s reason for staying in Lebanon? To protect it?

I can’t see how Lebanon has been protected, because you can’t turn a blind eye to what’s happening there these past few years. Now tell me, where are those great protectors of yours? Lebanon sure could use them at this time, don’t you think?

Other points I’d like to add:

You don’t have to defend Hezbollah if you’re a Shiite, they’re not prophets, and they’re humans like you and me. Just like you don’t have to defend Taliban if you’re a Sunni. They’re both groups of individuals who I believe made really bad choices in life.

Some MP’s in Kuwait decided to ignore the public’s feelings and hold a funeral/ceremony for that murderer. This hurts.

Shosho also said, not all Shiites are loyal to Iran. You’re absolutely right. I know so many prominent Kuwaiti families who have been in Kuwait for as long as anyone can remember. The Behbehani’s, Marafie’s and so many more families, many of whom have never even seen Iran. I know for a fact that the majority, if not all, of Kuwait’s oldest Shi’a families have loyalties that are rooted to the grounds of this country.

It really gives me immense pride and pleasure to see so many of you ‘patriots’ coming forward and not afraid to reply to my posts or say ‘We’re with you’ and ‘You’re right’..

Most of us were too young to remember details of the Iraqi Invasion in Kuwait, but my parents always tell me that it was at that time that people really knew they were one community with one loyalty and one faith.

I urge people and encourage them to forget these little differences. I’m Sunni and you’re Shi’a. So what? I’m Bedouin and you’re Hathari? So what? I’m liberal and you’re conservative? Again so what?

I’m a Kuwaiti. You’re a Kuwaiti. That’s all that matters.

Note: If any of my friends have been missing me visiting their blogs these past couple of weeks, I've been really busy applying for jobs, and doing interviews and stuff. I'm going to be away for a week during the vacation. So I'll see you when I get back inshallah. I can't wait to see what you've all been up to!

The Audacity

2008-02-15T00:39:00.004+03:00

The audacity of some people. The mother-effing audacity!

We were watching the news today after lunch and they put clips of the events taking place in two different parts of Lebanon.

In Beirut, crowds of people gathered to listen to Lebanese MP’s in a political rally, and remember the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Al-Hareeri, on February 14, 3 years ago.

In the Southern part of Lebanon, it was something so unbelievable. It was like Iran inhabited Lebanon! They were mourning the death of Imad ‘Gone to Hell’ Meghniyeh. They had soldiers and a military parade and flags and the whole shebang. And you know what the sheer audacity of the event was? That IRAN sent its MINISTER OF EXTERIOR AFFAIRS to speak on behalf of President Ahmedi Nejjad.

The man was a famous terrorist, and yet you choose to acknowledge him in front of the whole world. Says a lot doesn’t it? And just to send another message to the world, the guy started talking Farsi. It’s Lebanon for God’s sake, why are they talking Farsi (Iran’s mother tongue)? If you love him so much, why not hold the funeral in your country?

Then Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah leader, started rambling about how Meghniyeh was a martyr, and yada yada yadaa.. And then of course he rambled on about Israel, and how they were responsible for Meghniyeh’s death, and that this was an ‘Open War’. Who are you to declare war on a country????? You’re not the president!! You are a leader of a group of people who inhabit the South. That’s it. Not even Iran is stupid enough to say that. They just feed you the bait and you take it like a hungry fish.

Well, you know what? I’d rather be an Israeli, than be a Hezbollah member. Matter of fact, I LIKE them. Because they’re beating the crap out of you, and you deserve it. And because unlike you, they never hurt us innocent Kuwaitis. You talk about how they kill Muslims, well SO DO YOU. They monopolize other countries? SO DO YOU. They want to take over the world? OH, MAN. SO. DO. YOU.

I think that’s enough. I’d just like to add that even with all this bad news, today brought a new sense of happiness, or comfort at least to two Kuwaiti families, and the rest of the country as well. The families of the two men, Khalid Ayoub and Abdullah Al-Khaldi, who were killed on board the Kuwait Airways “Jabriyah” plane that was hijacked by Meghniyeh and other Hizbollah criminals.

What happened to them was something tragic of course and it must have been torture for their families to know that the killer was still at large. Although their sons will never come back, I wish the families peace and solace in the news that their sons’ murderer was gone for good.

Rest in peace Khalid and Abdullah. Rest in peace.

The Patriot

2008-02-13T23:55:00.001+03:00

I’m feeling patriotic today. Actually not today. Everyday.

I love my country. I love this freakin’ land! I love it! I adore it! I would die for it! Yes I would!

I was born and raised here. My parents were born and raised here. Their parents were born and raised here. And their grandparents were born and raised here. Their great grandparents were born and raised here... And well, you get the picture.

I don’t just love it because it’s my home. I love it because it has been good to me and everyone else. The majority of Kuwaitis live a well-off life compared to the rest of the world. Where else can you get free healthcare, free education (from kindergarten to university), free housing, and so much more? It’s a place where everybody knows everybody else. And even though we’re not without faults, we’re still a pretty good place.

But you know what really guts me? What kills me? What makes me want to punch someone so hard they would end up in a coma for the rest of their life? (Yeah, it’s that serious to me)

It’s when people live off this land that has been nothing but good to them, only to reap the benefits and not give back anything to this country.

The men in my family refused to leave Kuwait during the Iraqi Invasion in 1990, and spent 7 months battling terror and pollution and simply stayed put in the land that made them who they are. They lived without their families, electricity, cars and the food that they were used to, while others fled the country without looking back.

Before you attack me, I know that not everyone who fled was a coward because some didn’t want to leave their families alone abroad. I know. I’m talking about the others. They know who they are. The ones who packed up and left, thinking this country is not coming back.

How about those politicians, ministers, government authorities who think that just because Kuwait is a rich country, then it’s ok to stuff some of its money into their pockets? Their bank accounts are so full of 000’s from all the embezzlement; they must need accountants (plural) to do their bookkeeping for them.

Then we have those evil EVIL politicians who claim they want to benefit the country by forcing us to abide by non-existing Islamic laws, whereas we all know that they hide behind a curtain they call Islam, only to monopolize people into thinking they’re right so that they can become filthy rich and powerful. God, how I hate you idiots!! I hope you burn in hell for all of the problems you’ve caused this country.

And today, I heard the most audacious thing ever. Iranian politicians and Hezbollah members in the Middle East (INCLUDING KUWAIT – please don’t tell me we don’t have Hezbollah members here) mourning the death of one of their commanders, Imad Meghniyeh. The man famous for hijacking planes, kidnapping westerners, terrorist attacks on embassies, and so much more. A MURDERER. He was one of the people responsible for the hijacking of Kuwait Airways in the 1980’s. And please no one tell me that Hezbollah were not responsible. They were. He’s guilty, they’re guilty and you damn well know it. And I think I know why you might be defending him.

I could go on and on and on… but I won’t. I’m too tired. I just have this to say:

To all you people who call yourselves Kuwaitis, but your true loyalty lies in countries not too far away. To all you leeches who suck the blood out of this country and then leave it and go when you have nothing more to take. To all you idiots who don’t know what you’ve got until you lose it. I hope the day comes when this country exposes you for what you are, you filthy maggots. I hope you rot in hell, and while you’re there, I hope you see us true patriots in Heaven, looking down at you and not having an ounce of sympathy for you and all your maggot friends.

I’m done.

A Sad Post..

2008-02-09T01:56:00.000+03:00

I'm feeling especially sad today..

My teenage cousin was just diagnosed with Cancer. The doctors say it's in Stage 4. I've always heard this term. "Stage 4". But I never really knew what it meant. I searched online and to put it simply, it's the most dangerous type because it means the cancer has progressed far along in the body. As some people put it, "There is no Stage 5".

It hurts so bad to know what my cousin is going through. She's really young, she didn't finish school yet and she has her whole life ahead of her. And she now has to endure all the pain and suffering from this disease, not to mention the rough times she will have from the chemotherapy. She's going to be treated outside of Kuwait, so there's the added pain of being away from home.

I wish her all the best. I wish there was some way me, or anybody else can help her. The only thing we can do is pray for her, and be as positive as we can.

Please, please pray for her, people. She really needs it.

My Darling Government

2008-02-05T14:18:00.000+03:00

Ok. I am pissed!! No actually I’m seething! I’m seeing red. There’s smoke coming out of my ears and nose. I feel like crying. Our darling and very clever government announced today that it is initiating a program to monitor Kuwaiti political websites and blogs.

Al Watan Newspaper reported today that Minister Abdullah Al-Muhailbi said that the government will propose a law to the Parliament that will enable them to monitor all Kuwaiti political websites and blogs. This is to promote and ensure the well being of the Kuwaiti society by preventing the establishment of rumors, political and otherwise, and decreasing the exchange of misleading information as well as minimizing public indecency.

You can read the whole article here (in Arabic – sorry)

The Minister goes on to say that this proposition will not affect the law of freedom of speech; instead, the law only aims to protect the society and its values. Those who will not abide by the ‘law’ will be punished (of course).

What a load of crap! By monitoring our writing, you’re trying to limit us from saying what we feel like saying! What? We shouldn’t speak our mind?? We shouldn’t criticize? Stop sticking your heads in the sand and face up to the fact that no society is without its fair share of sins and corruption. Don’t lie to the world and act as if we’re perfect.

The internet is free grounds. We should be able to say what we like without anyone interfering. If I like something, I’m going to say it, whether it’s considered ‘immoral’ or against my culture’s values. And if I don’t like something I’m going to say it too!

And frankly, dear government, I do not like you right now.

Oh, I forgot to add that by ‘monitoring’ there will be restrictions for the writers because the Minister said that those who will not abide by the ‘law’ will be punished. Of course! How could we think otherwise?

I’m so sad. That’s our government for you. One step forward, 10 steps back.

Boycotting Starbucks

2008-02-04T14:18:00.000+03:00

What is up with Starbucks hiking up their prices in Kuwait? I haven't been to Starbucks in a while, but today I just got slapped in the face when I ordered a (small) latte, cheese sandwich and a skinny blueberry muffin (which tastes like sugared cardboard by the way). I took out 3 KD (approx. $11 - American reader) and the barrista said "4.750 KD, ma'm" (17$).

*Blink. Blink* Whaaaaaat??

Remind me again what I ordered?? There is absolutely no reason why the prices are this high!
Everyone knows that a teabag costs you less than 10 cents from the poor tea-leaf pickers from Sri Lanka or some other poor undeveloped country. Oh, so the coffee is more expensive? 30 cents for a shot, and I think I'm overrating it, too. You also employ cheap labor like Philipino and Indian barristas. You don't want to give higher wages. That's why you stopped employing Lebanese workers.

Starbucks-Kuwait people, if you want customers to make Starbucks a daily routine, why don't you try attracting them? Don't assume that this country is full of money and is therefore willing to spend so much on a measly cup of coffee. My Nescafe at home does the job just as well, if not better. I can add cocoa powder, vanilla or cinnamon, and I don't have to go bankrupt. So there!

You can call me cheap if you want to, but I'd rather save 90KD a month and buy something useful, than waste it on money moochers like Starbucks.

This lady is boycotting Starbucks. Until further notice.

Lady Mary Jones Thinks I'm Stupid

2008-01-28T20:10:00.000+03:00

I received this very funny email from Lady Mary Jones. Well, I guess she thought I was an actual "Lady" and wanted to scam some money from me. But Gmail is a smart motherplucker, and knew that Lady Mary's scam email, was in fact SPAM, and that's where it was delivered. Only to be flushed out of my email in one click.Spam Mail can be so funny sometimes, and since I was bored, I decided to read the 'interesting' ones for some giggles.

"Lady Mary Jones maryjones@yahoo.co.uk

Hello!

I have been waiting for you since to contact me for your Confirm able Bank Draft of $800.000.00 United States Dollars, but I did not hear from you since that time. Then I went and deposited the Draft with FEDEX EXPRESS DELIVERY, West Africa, I travelled out of the country for a Months Course and I will not come back till end of January. What you have to do now is to contact the FEDEX EXPRESS DELIVERY as soon as possible to know when they will deliver your package to you because of the expiring date. For your information,I have paid for the delivering Charges, Insurance premium and Clearance Certificate Fee of the Cheque showing that it is not a Drug Money or meant to sponsor Terrorist attack in your Country. Again, I would have paid for the security keeping fee but they said no because they don't know when you will contact them and in case of demurrage.You have to contact the FEDEX EXPRESS INTERNATIONAL with the following information

First name:
Last Name:
Telephone/Fax number:
Nationality:
Age:
Occupation:
address:

CLAIMS AGENT: MR Terry Smith
Email
Address:fedex007@live.com
Telephone:+2348054998544

there and know when it will get to your address. Let me repeat again, try to contact them as soon as you receive this mail to avoid any further delay and remember to pay them their Security Keeping fee of $250.00 US Dollars for their immediate action.

You should also let me know through email as soon as you receive your Draft.

Yours Faithfully,

Mrs.mary jones "

Tsk, tsk, Lady Mary. You could have come up with a better story than that! You're a freakin' lady for that matter. Use your women's intuition. I could come up with 100 better scams. But I don't kiss and tell.. *wink*

Souq Al-Mubarakiya

2008-01-27T14:38:00.000+03:00

Yesterday, I went with my family to Souq (also written as Souk) Al-Mubarakiya. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's an old Kuwaiti market that sells all sorts of traditional clothes, accessories, homewares, kitchenware, and some other stuff too. There are fruit stalls and a (very stinky) fish market as well. There are also some out of place modern stores like phone shops and electronics, but the majority is antique/vintage or just plain traditional. It helps that the architecture and decor of the place is old fashioned.

Anyway, we had a lot of fun and lots of laughs and lots of pictures.. Despite the creepos who were ogling and following us around until I threatened (by telling my mom, knowing they would hear me) to take their pictures and give them to the police. We also bought some unnecessary items but who could resist the dirt-cheap prices! There were a lot of great things, but you know me, I have to put the interesting - funny - ones here, which are items from a "Women's Stall".

Bad Hair Day? Extensions aplenty! Blondies don't worry, there's something for you too.

Highlighted hair? Here's a ponytail for you.

I can has eye infection?

There are lots of colors to choose from. I love how someone just abused that turquoise shade.

For those days when you just 'lost' it, take a long hot shower with 'Virginity Soap'. Might I remind you that it's 'Women*Special'. Tough luck, men.

And just for giggles: visit Kuwaiti Ruin Home for 'entics' and Remaining Pieces. Umm.. okaay? I think they mean Kuwaiti Home for Antiques and Ruins. Close enough.

Excellent Blog Award

2008-01-25T01:58:00.000+03:00

I know that it's an honor to be nominated. But it's a hell of an honor to WIN!!

My lovely blogger friend Grey, such a sweetheart, was awarded the Excellent Blog Award. He then passed this award on to a couple of other bloggers. I'm not going to list them because it's MY DAY. MINE MINE MINE!

You can check the list of Grey's winners here. I guess its customary to pass this on to others. Dammit. I'll do this later. In the meantime, it's time to PAAARTAAY!

Thanks for this, dude. You really lifted my spirits ;)

Technical Stuff

2008-01-25T00:52:00.000+03:00

How annoying is this stupid blogger bar up on top? Since Blogger.com decided to add Arabic, Hebrew and Persian to their list of language preferences, everytime I visit my blog or if someone visits mine, they get the black bar on top (where you can sign in) in Arabic.

Just because I live in Kuwait does not mean that I prefer that bar to be in Arabic. They're not doing me any favor there. Does anyone know how to solve this thing? Do you see it in Arabic or English?

Oh and if you're feeling depressed, the ads above might be of some help to you since they seem to have caught up on my last topic (my Heath Ledger post).

Mourning Heath, Myself and Everyone Else

2008-01-24T02:57:00.000+03:00

I’m crying so hard I can’t help it. I can’t help but feel sorry for the poor guy. His life must have been torture if he had to resort to drowning his sorrows in antidepressants and sleeping pills. Being a celebrity is a double-edged sword. If it doesn’t kill you, you’re going to kill someone with it. (I don’t mean that literally of course. Metaphorically)

Deep down, I don’t think he committed suicide. I believe it was an accidental overdose, since the guy was embedded in so much work and The New York Times interviewed him recently and he said that he doesn’t sleep because he has so much work to do, and he’s been prescribed sleeping aids. The guy probably mixed prescription meds with other illegal drugs (if he had any).

Making excuses doesn’t help anything, I know. What’s done is done. But it just really gets to me when I hear or read about stories like this. The man was in his prime! He was riding the highest wave of his career. He has a 2 year old baby! He was a brilliant actor!

This is not the first and definitely not the last Hollywood death of this type. As the cover reads (above) “A Gifted Young Star, A Tragic Old Story”. But I hate it when young people die from the stupidest causes. No matter how depressed you are, or how happy you are, you shouldn’t take things for granted! You think that by ending your life, or giving up that you’re doing something good. But no! You’re hurting people in the process. And those who think they are having fun and enjoying life probably think they can avoid death, but NO! THEY CAN’T! WE CAN’T! IT’S UNAVOIDABLE!

It’s so tragic that Heath, like so many other young stars before him, had to leave the world this way. I am a firm believer in God’s will. I believe everything happens for a reason. We might not know why he left this world so soon, but there is an explanation for everything. Time only can tell. But no matter what I believe in, pain is pain. Time only can heal it. Time.

Is it weird that every time somebody dies I worry if they’re going to go to Hell? Its weird right? It freaks me out too. Is it sad that I cry every time I hear about a young/youngish person’s death? Is it bad that I sometimes get angry at God for taking away these precious lives? I feel like s**t for even thinking that. But again, I can’t help it.

Please, people, think about every action you take. Live life to its fullest. But not it’s craziest/dumbest. We’re all going to die one day. But if I’m going to die, I’d prefer dying peacefully and without causing pain for my family and loved ones and cause them to think “What if..?” their whole lives.

I’m feeling so depressed. I’ve been crying for hours. I think I’m crazy because I’m crying over someone I don’t even know. Isn't the cover (above) just gorgeous? I'm rambling.

It doesn’t help that my blog ads are promoting help for Arthritis and Abdominal Aortic Aneurisms (whatever the hell that is).

Image via perezhilton.com

24 Going on 60

2008-01-21T14:53:00.000+03:00

I’ve been having some knee pains lately. I cant bend one of my knees, it hurts like hell. So I went to the doctor to get it checked. He performed some tests like bending and pulling my legs. Then he decided I should get X-rays as well. I brought back the X-rays, he hung them up on the ‘lighted board’ thing and stood there shaking his head and “Tsk-Tsk”-ing. I felt my heart sink, I thought there was a tumor or something!

He turned around and gave me a frown. I fake-smiled. It turns out that my knee pain is due to the loss of cartilage and fluid in my knees. Something that happens to OLDER people. He said it happens to people in their 60’s, and that it shouldn’t happen to someone my age at all! He gave me medication to help maintain what I have left, and possibly grow more of it. He also said I need physiotherapy and that I should exercise (which I rarely do) and not gain any weight because its bad for the knees.

I wanted to cry! I have 60 year old knees! Not only that, but I am a candidate for Rheumatism and Arthritis too.

To add to that, I have poor eyesight and I need to get Lasic surgery because my eyesight keeps declining due to some weird type of stigmatism. I keep procrastinating the day of the surgery because I’m too lazy, and I’ll miss my computer :(

Another lovely Oldie feature I have is my wonderful gastrointestinal problems. I always suffer from heartburn. I can’t eat onion or garlic because it does wonders for my stomach. My stomach also reacts according to my mood. When I’m sad or stressed, my stomach gets bloated like I’m pregnant. I need to do a gastroscopy and colonoscopy, the latter now way - I don’t want them to stick a tube up my butt, so PASS.

That’s it ladies and gentlemen. This is a small peek into the wonderful healthiness that is me!

Next up: Menopause and in not time at all, NO TEETH!

Image via worldwaronecolorphotos.com

Just Because I'm Nice

2008-01-18T20:01:00.000+03:00

I read an article in a magazine about a girl who made millions off her blog. Why? Well, for one thing she had great content and many readers. But how did she make all that money, you ask? She added the Google Adsense feature to her blog. Simply put, Adsense allows ads to appear on your site or blog, and every time someone clicks on the ad, you get a certain percentage, and I think that for every 1000 clicks, you get paid as well.

Anyhoo, I thought, wow! What a great way to make money! By just blabbing to your ‘imaginary’ cyber friends/readers, you can make mega-bucks online! I thought the Adsense thing was probably complex and hard to use. But I decided to give it a try.

It worked! I have ads on my blog now. And. They. Suck.

All I get is stupid ads about meeting ‘Sexy Arabs’ or ‘Meet Single Muslims’. How tacky! How not me! And definitely not for my blog! I reported it, and we’ll see how it goes. In the meantime, if you see those stupid-ass things, please don’t judge me. But if you wanna click on them, be my guest. You don’t want to be single forever, now do you?

Even though that part sucked, there is a nice feature. It’s that search thingy on the top, right below the header. It’s basically the same Google search engine as in the Google site, and it has an internal search as well. If you want to search for something I wrote in this blog, type it in the Search bar, choose ‘thisladysays.blogspot.com’ and click Search. It works. It’s fab!

I just checked my Adsense account to see how much I’ve made this week. I made $0.01. That’s one cent! Wahahahaha..

At this rate, this lady will make $1 after 100 days. Bill Gates is probably going green with envy.

Copycat

2008-01-16T00:16:00.000+03:00

One of the most annoying things on THIS PLANET is a Copycat. I can’t stand them. I can’t look at them. I want to scream at them. Seriously, they just annoy the living crap out of me! Ugh!!

I was a victim of piracy. Yes I shall call it piracy. When you copy something without the consent of someone else, it is called piracy. I should get a copyright on the stuff I do. It’s just crazy! I’m going to refer to the copied one as “The Original” and the copier as “Copycat”.

My aunt once told me that one of the best compliments a person can get is when they are copied. I see the logic in that. But come on! Can’t the girl tell me that I look nice and move on? She has to copy my look/make up/bag/whatever??

Once a seriously deranged girl admitted to me that she tried to imitate my voice + way of talking. Umm... okaaay... I have a kind of unique way of talking. It’s not an accent or anything like that. just that my voice or way of talking is “unique”. But so is everyone else! Some people may like it, others hate it.

Another time, in college, I was wearing an outfit one day, and the next day a Copycat friend wore the EXACT SAME THING, down to the shoes! It happened so many times, I can’t even remember.

I have a great group of friends. I love them to death. I adore them. However, there are some individuals who just love to copy. If they see a handbag they like, they’ll run out and buy THE EXACT SAME ONE. It takes all the fun out of your purchase! I love you guys, and I want you to have the best, but it’s not fun when you copy each other. It doesn’t happen to me only, it happens to many others.

My other friends are really great when it comes to something they like. If they like something me or any of the other girls have, they’ll ask about it, and say “Is it ok with you if I get the same?” I do that as well. But that’s usually regarding a lipstick or a blush or a pair of shoes.

With other people, it’s not just about the clothes or accessories. If The Original likes to cut her hair short, the Copycat will always cut her hair short. But if Original decided to grow her hair, then so will Copycat. Copycat also copies Original’s behavior and eating habits! When Original diets, you can be sure Copycat will do the same.

I know a Copycat who copied Original’s babies’ names!! She also goes to stores and asks them what Original bought, and she’ll buy the same. She also bought the same king-size bed that Original bought for her bedroom. Talk about creepy!

Another Copycat asked Original’s friends what car Original drives. They told her Original drives a sports car, but now she usually has her driver take her everywhere. Copycat went so far as to demand that her husband get her a driver and a car. Then she coaxed her dad into buying her a sports car. And now she parks the sports car in the garage, and has her driver take her everywhere. This is an extreme psycho case. If I was Original, I would get a restraining order. NOW!

Ekh. I’m sick of talking about those crazy psychopaths. Just one word of advice to all you Copycats out there: GET A FREAKIN’ LIFE, WILL YOU?? You're acting like the scary psycho from Single White Female.

One of the best things in life is being original.

Trust this lady. She knows what she’s talking about. *wink*

Image via www.swapmeetdave.com

You Lurker!

2008-01-13T13:15:00.000+03:00

Yesterday I read one of the funniest posts by Wendy Brandes. I'm not going to talk in great detail about it, because you should read it yourself here. By the way, Wendy, if for some unknown reason, your jewellery business doesn't do as well as you hope, you have a great career ahead of you as a comedy writer, stand up comedian.. or Coco's personal assistant.

However, I finally found a name for something that I do a lot of, which is reading blogs and not commenting on them, and the owner of the blog you're reading has no idea you exist. You're kind of like a stalker, only you don't have bad intentions (I hope), so therefore you are a "lurker".

If you like something that was said in a blog, comment on it! A simple "You're right" would suffice. You don't have to delve into a long discussion about it.

This brings me to another topic, which I was going to post about later, but what the hell. What is it with bloggers these days? I noticed that if I didn't comment on a specific blog for a while, that person would stop commenting on mine. Is it a case of "you comment on my blog and I'll comment on yours" kind of thing? I mean, I read blogs because they interest me, not because that blogger commented on my posts and therefore I should do the same to theirs!

So if you're a frequent reader of this blog, you're not forced to comment unless you really want to. I hope that you're reading this blog because you enjoy it, and not because I read your blog and commented on one of your posts. But since you're a frequent reader, this means that you LIKE WHAT I WRITE.

Pheeew... So glad to get that off my chest.

Oh and another thing, I'm kind of getting tired of thinking of good clinchers to add at the end of each post. You know the "This lady thinks blah blah blah"? So I'll only do it when I have a good line to write.

George Is In The Building!

2008-01-11T16:25:00.000+03:00

George Bush and Condoleezza Rice have just arrived in Kuwait.

Welcome, guys. I know you have a busy schedule, but maybe if you're not toooo busy, maybe you wanna stop by this lady's house for some coffee maybe? No? How about a cup tea? Glass of water? Anything?

Anything??

Happy Islamic New Year!!

2008-01-11T01:00:00.000+03:00

www.mycen.com.my/sightings_pics/moonrise.jpg

Did you know that today was the Islamic (Hijjri) New Year? I'm asking anybody who is Muslim - or anybody who lives in Kuwait for that matter.. Or even if you're non-Muslim and live out of Kuwait!

I'm embarassed to say that I just remembered that today was our (Muslim) New Year. I'm so ashamed I don't know about it, but I do know about other important global dates and historic dates of other countries. I know when France's independence day is, but I don't know when the Islamic New Year is.

It doesn't help that the Hijjri Calendar is based on the lunar system. Which means that the date changes (moves forward) every year. And it doesn't help that the media over here focuses so much on the Gregorian New Year (January 1st), and celebrates it on T.V's, radios, and everything else, but there's barely a mention of the Hijjri New Year.

Oh well, God willing, next year I'll remember it.

This lady wishes you all a great weekend and a very happy new year :)

Car Boot Sale at AUK

2008-01-10T14:58:00.000+03:00

Just in case the poster is not too clear, the American University of Kuwait is having a Car Boot Sale on January 12, 2008. From 11 am - 4 pm.

This event is brought to you by the good guys of AUK's Marketing Club.

It's going to take place at the university's parking lot where participants reserve single parking spaces. They can either park their cars and sell things from their car trunks (hence the name!) or they can put tables in the parking space and sell things.

You can find:

Electronics & Home appliances
Home accessories
Books
Food/Baked Goods
Clothes & Accessories (Designer Labels & Vintage finds, people!)

And much, much more!

This lady will be there, and so should you!

Wannabe Photographer

2008-01-08T23:34:00.000+03:00

Pic: www.joplinglobeonline.com

If you have been a frequent reader of my blog, you will know that I only recently got a digital camera. Since then, I have been click click clicking anything and everything. Some of my photos are rubbish. But some are surprisingly pretty.

I've been taking photos of people, objects, nature and whatever else I find. I've tampered with my trusty Sony digital thingy, used all the options/features on it, so much that I think I qualify for a more professional camera now.

I was recommended a Canon SLR digital camera. Any other ideas?

All About Me (First Tag Ever)

2008-01-06T16:34:00.000+03:00

It's my first tag!! Wohoooooow.. Thanks Grey!

*Do your closest friends have any nicknames for you? Yup. Many. But I can’t say them because then it’s obvious who I am ;)

*What would your ex-(boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse) say about you in one sentence? I don’t have one. But I like to think that if I did, they would still be crying over me.

*What is the greatest achievement of your life so far? I finished high school and college and I still have my sanity! And with honors too! I sound like a nerd, but I don’t care. School is a jungle!

*How should people think of sex in this, the 21st century? It should be intimate, passionate an monogamous! I repeat INTIMATE. Not something you should share with strangers verbally, physically or thru VIDEO!

*Where would you live if anywhere was possible? London. Or Paris. Any developed European city. I prefer London though.

*Is there a sex toy that you would endorse? NO. Sex should be with people.

*Is there a religion that's fulfilling for you and/or the masses? Yes, Islam, and it saddens me to know that many people have the wrong understanding of it.

*What inspires awe in your life's experience? When I achieve something I never ever thought I could do. It brings tears to my eyes! I’m so proud of myself!

*What was/is your best pick-up line? I don’t do pick-up lines. I receive them.

*What and when is the most potent emotion you've ever experienced and why? Depression. It was a result of someone’s death. It seriously almost killed me to know that someone I loved so much is gone and will never come back.

*On what occasions do you act self-absorbed or just plain selfish? I don’t remember actually. I wish I can say I’m never selfish, but that’s not true. I can say I don’t like it when people take my things. I don’t like to share my precious possessions! I’ll buy you another one, but don’t take mine!

*If someone assigned you a quest, or if you decided your own, what would you be looking to find? I don't do quests. I like them in movies or books only.
*If you had to choose between them, would you live in Hollywood, Washington D.C. or New York, and why? Hollywood baby! I wouldn’t mind New York either.

*Who or what makes you feel "whole”? When members of my family say or make me feel that they’re proud of me. It’s a great feeling.

*Where is your greatest opportunity for change? I think when it comes to my health. There are some major things to tackle!

*What do you consider to be the greatest opportunity for humankind? Learning to live in peace. The opportunity is there. But everyone thinks it’s too hard. It’s not actually. And many people are too selfish too. If animals can learn to live in harmony, why cant we?

*What surprises you about getting older? I always think I’m enjoying it, until I remember how fun it was when I was younger.

*What or who makes you feel younger or rejuvenated? The elder ladies in my family. They always make me feel like a baby!

*Where or when do you feel most alone? When nobody agrees with me, and I’m mad at myself and at the world, and I just want to curl up in bed and cry (which I do). That’s mostly PMS talking. Hate it!

*Where or how is society most ripe for change? When it reaches such a down low and people are sick and tired of it.

*Do you think of yourself as attractive to the opposite sex? Yes, I do. Call me vain, I don’t care. I beleive I'm attractive to women too!

*When or where do you feel the most free? During holidays when I have absolutely nothing to do!

*What is the greatest memory of your life to date? I always remember my high school graduation. It was an amazing day.

*Where and when did you find out who you really are? When I was 12 and my parents told me that I was adopted. No kidding, hehehe. Everyday I learn something new about myself. So there’s no specific place and time.

*How and when do you collect your thoughts and why? In the bathroom. Either in the shower or on the you-know-what. It’s so peaceful and quiet. Also, at night, in bed, before I go to sleep.

*If someone told you when and where you would die, what would you do immediately after being told? I would cry, because I always feel that I’m going to live forever!

*What are the best parts of being in love? Ask me again, when I actually experience it.

*What's your favorite libation (a drink offered to a god)? I would offer pomegranate (Rumman) juice. Cause it’s full of antioxidants and it’s yummy!

*What "life philosophies" have you adopted since you've become an adult? Plan for the future, but not too much. Because life is full of wonderful surprises ;) Parents are not always right, and high heels make all your outfits look better.

*How would you like to be remembered? This Lady: A great daughter, sister, wife, mother (inshallah), and an unconditional humanitarian. May she rest in peace.

I Tag Libitina, Fayoora, Mirim, WendyB

2008: The Year of Change

2008-01-05T17:24:00.000+03:00

I shall call it, The Year of Change.

Yes, people, you heard me. 2008, God willing, will be a year of change for me.

I want to change a few things this year. No, this is not a resolution. I don’t do resolutions. Resolutions are promises you make to yourself before a New Year approaches. I don’t like them because if I don’t achieve the stuff on my list, then I’ll feel bad. And I have yet to meet a single person who accomplished ALL of their lengthy and beforehand prepared resolutions.

What I am saying, however, is that I shall try to make some changes this year, whenever they come to mind. I will try not to procrastinate, because I have a long to-do list that keeps on growing because I always delay. If I am successful, then hooray! If not, then no big deal. At least I tried.

So here’s a (glass of water) toast. To the Year of Change!

*echoes: To the Year of Change*

This lady is clink-clink clinking her glass.

Goodbye 2007, Hello 2008

2008-01-04T20:15:00.000+03:00

Happy New Year everyone!

It’s been a few days since I last posted, but I wanted to take some time off to think a little, and just chill during this holiday.

I have so much to be thankful for. I’ve been healthy, happy and blessed the past year. There were some ups and downs, but that’s life of course. We can’t expect to be happy all the time can we? What we can do, however, is to train ourselves to be happy after we experience sadness. This is a rundown of some of the good things I did. Check it out below.

In 2007:

I made some great friends who I will remember my whole life.
I resolved some issues I had with an old friend.
I traveled alone for work for the first time in my life!
I strengthened my relationship with my family.
I make it a point to put family before anything else.
I started this blog! Yaaay!
I started writing again.
I started working on my very own business project.
I jumped into the dark part of the ocean!
I sped so fast on a jet ski and it felt good!
I sped in my car to 150 km/per hour for the first time in my life.
I finally got myself a digital camera. (I know what you’re thinking)
I read a lot of books.
I joined Facebook.
I learned how to make myself happy! Think positive everyone!
I overcame so many fears (the dark is one of them)
I grew herbs in the garden.

So, yeah. Last year was pretty good. Inshallah, God willing, this coming year will be just as good, if not better.

And on this happy note, I’d like to say

Goodbye 2007.. and Hello 2008..

See You Next Year!

2007-12-31T12:15:00.000+03:00

I hope 2007 was a great year for all of you. And if it wasn't, may the coming year be full of wonderful surprises and blessings and all of that good stuff!

I wish you all the best, friends! I hope you guys have a blast tonight (figure of speech, y'all - don't take it literally)! Don't do anything too wild!

In the meantime, I will be celebrating the New Year with my parents, in the living room, sitting on the couch, watching TV, and probably dozing off before the New Year clocks in.

Wohoooooooooooooow!

This lady wishes you all a very exciting, surprising, wonderfully bloggy,

Happy New Year!

2008, here we come!

All I Wanted For Christmas Was..

2007-12-30T18:48:00.001+03:00

Why me, Santa? Why??

PORN?!?!

Hahahahaha.. Waaaaaahahahaha.. I can't stop laughing! Check this out:

A young girl from Tennessee opened her Christmas present from Santa, only to find that he brought her an mp3 video player.... full of PORN! The girl cried and said "Why would Santa do this to me?"

Unbeknownst to the girl, her parents bought it from a Walmart in Sparta, Tennessee, assuming of course that it was brand new. But in actual fact, it was a returned mp3 player that the previous owner had filled with very graphic porn.

Walmart said that their returns policy requires electronic items to be sent back to the manufacturer, and not to be put back on sale again.

Poor girl, to have her innocence "stolen like that", said her dad. I can only imagine her horror!

Walmart and their stupid return policy ruined Christmas! *sob*

Source: msn.com Pic: jupiterimages.com

Keira Knightley

2007-12-29T13:34:00.000+03:00

This girl annoys me. Seriously, I can't stand her in movies. It's bad enough that she has to pout her way through hours of precious movie-time, but now I have to see her pout on the covers of my favorite magazines.

I have a problem with pouting (this topic alone deserves a whole new post). I shall only say this for now - I HATE IT. It's fake and it's noticeable! Don't think I can't tell! Because I can!

So anyway, back to Keira. I don't like it when she smiles (or laughs). She scrunches her nose in this weird way. And her teeth and mouth look very strange.

Another problem I have with Keira, is that the girl loves to flaunt her nakedness! This is just annoying. What’s there to flaunt? Girlfriend, you are skinnylicious. No curves, no nothing!

She says, “People ask me to pose naked and I just say yes. I find it vaguely liberating. I hope I don’t become a nudist, but I’m definitely on my way.”

Check out some of her shots.

This lady is not impressed.

The face of Coco Mademoiselle (Chanel) perfume - 2007.

With Tom Ford and Scarlett Johannson, Vanity Fair Feb 2006 cover.

Cover of Interview magazine - December 07/January 08 issue

Sources: madmoizelle.com, dailymail.co.uk, imnotobsessed.com

R.I.P - Benazir Bhutto

2007-12-28T00:15:00.001+03:00

Benazir Bhutto

1953-2007

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan. First woman to be elected as a head of a Muslim state.

Its a sad day for democracy. It really is. It's a shame people have to resort to killing off opponents because they can't handle outcomes other than what they want.

Democracy accounts for the majority's vote. Even if we don't get what we like, we have to accept it. That's democracy.

Unfortunately, in most Muslim states, they just can't accept this fact.

Its a shame really. Such a shame.

Pic: http://patdollard.com

Bad Monkey!

2007-12-26T13:18:00.000+03:00

Whaaat?? What'd I do??

Did anyone hear about this??

And I quote:

" ‘Indecent’ monkey confiscated: The Ministry of Commerce shut down a shop in Mubarakiya for putting a monkey on display, reports Al-Watan daily. The monkey allegedly caused inconvenience to passersby and was known to be doing indecent acts. The monkey was handed over to the zoo. "

Wahahahahaha! This is the funniest peice of news ever!

What do you think he (I'm assuming its a he, of course!) was doing?

Hahaha.. This lady wants to buy him!

He would give Mommy a heart attack!

Source: http://www.arabtimesonline.com

Pic: www.artificialduck.com

Decisions Decisions!

2007-12-26T11:22:00.001+03:00

As you may have established by now, this lady is unemployed. And she needs a job. Like now! But I'm a tad too lazy to work.

All my friends have regular stable jobs, so there's no point in staying at home in the mornings, because there's no one to go out with. Except for my mom, but that's another story.

So anyway, I submitted my resume to a company without any optimism on my part. I always thought that you had to almost beg for the job, by calling the company, showing extra interest, and perking up your resume. Well, I didn't do that. I submitted a toned-down one-page C.V. I gave them my number (even though it was on the C.V) and left. And guess what?

They called! I got a call the next day, asking me for a quick random interview. I went, chatted with them and left feeling ok. I was surprisingly relaxed. I guess that when you don't have high expectations, you don't put pressure on yourself.

Anyway, I got a call a couple of days ago from someone in the company saying they were really impressed (who? me??), and that there are 3 departments who want to have me! *Blink, Blink*

So here's where the pressure kicks in. I have to choose between the 3! I asked around, and here's a simple breakdown.

Dept 1: Strict boss (i.e no slacking), interesting work, good team.
Dept 2: Friendly boss, kinda ok work, non-existent team (i.e need staff now!).
Dept 3: Ok/Nice boss, kinda ok work, fun team (i.e lots of fun colleagues).

What to do? What to doooooo??

This lady needs the $$$. But can't make a decision..

P.S Did I mention they want a decision by the end of this week? Like, tomorrow!?!
P.S.S Does being a Libra (think: scale) have anything to do with this?

We Wish You A Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T18:39:00.000+03:00

December 23, 2007

An American woman has stabbed her husband with a kitchen knife in an argument that started when she accused him of opening a Christmas present early.

Misty Johnson, a 34 year old American woman from Wyoming was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and battery, a felony, and misdemeanor domestic battery after she stabbed her husband in the chest with a kitchen knife.

The reason? An argument that started with him opening a Christmas present early!

I don’t know if I should laugh or cry about this! (I’m laughing by the way)

Her husband, Shawn Fay Johnson, aged 34, called the police to report the incident, saying that his wife had stabbed him. He was treated at a hospital for from the chest wound. He told the authorities that his wife started arguing with him after he opened a Christmas present.

The argument heated up and led to other topics, because Misty soon accused her husband of having an affair and then decided to stab him.

Police Detective David Thompson did not know what the present was, or if it was intended for the husband (Shawn).

Misty and Shawn were married in September.

LOL! Where’s your ‘Christmas Spirit’ Misty??

Source: smh.com.au

Pic: www.keeyit.com

Monster-In-Law

2007-12-25T00:48:00.000+03:00

Hahahaha this is sooo funny!! I hope my future mother in law doesn't turn out like this!

This lady received this in an email forward. So I hope nobody gets all copyright on her.

Btw, does anyone remember a movie from the 90's called 'Monster In Law'? It was creepy!

Correction: The movie I meant was Serial Mom (1994), whereas Monster-In-Law was released in 2005.

I LOVE THE WEATHER!!

2007-12-23T15:47:00.001+03:00

I LOVE THIS WEATHER!

IT MAKES ME WANNA SING!

I LOVE THIS WEATHER!

IT'S TIME FOR A FLING!

How do you like my poetry? Lovely isn't it? I wanted something that rhymes with sing and couldn't remember anything except fling.

Anyhooo.. Isn't the weather amazing??? For those of you who aren't lucky enough to be in Kuwait at the moment, the temperature is approximately 13 degrees Celcius during the day, and 4 degrees Celcius at night.

The sky is the loveliest blue, and the weather is crisp and cool. The sun is shining. I can't see a single cloud in the sky. It makes me want to stay out in the garden, drink some tea, play with the dogs and watch the cars go by..

This lady is in serenity..

El7imdillah ya rab 3ala hal ni3ma.. Allahuma zeed oo barik.. Ameen..
(Thank You God for all of your blessings.. God grant us more of Your blessings. Amen.)

Eediyahs..

2007-12-23T00:04:00.000+03:00

I don’t want to give out 3eediyas!

For all my international readers (they’re probably only 3 anyway), a 3eediya – pronounced eediyah – is money given to children during the Islamic Eid celebrations. It is a Kuwaiti tradition (I don’t know if its done anywhere else) where adults give out money to children, teenagers, and sometimes 20-somethings like me.

It can differ from household to household. For example, in my family, my mother, aunts and older cousins, all have kids, but they still receive eediyahs from their parents. Other families give money to children and teenagers only. Usually, when a person becomes employed (and over 23 mostly), they stop receiving eediyahs and instead start giving out eediyahs to the kids, like nieces and nephews, or young cousins.

The amount of money given also differs from person to person, mostly depending on your income, and your generosity. From what I’ve seen, the average given to children is KD10 (approx USD 30) and to teenagers KD20, and closer relatives usually give more, while non-relatives may give less. Some rich cheapskates give less too. Grandparents and parents usually give MORE!!

Efff… I swerved way off-topic. But you deserve it, international readers! All 3 of you!!

So anyway, I don’t want to give out eediyahs. I’m still young, fabulous, and broke. I need someone to give MEEEE eediyahs. Not me give THEM!! I need the money, I’m too old to ask my parents all the time (although age never stops me hehehe).

Before you get the wrong idea, I’m not a cheapo. I’m really generous. No really I AM!! I swear! It’s just that giving out eediyahs makes me feel old. And I don’t need that kind of drama right now. I noticed that many adults stopped giving me some $$$ because I’m too old for it I guess. Although I believe there is no such thing as being too old for money!! I also noticed that many kid relatives started congratulating me on Eid, whereas they used to ignore me before. I think it’s because they noticed I’m an adult now and they think I’m going to give them money. Hah! Fat chance.

This lady is beginning to dread Eid. It’s so awkward for her now!

My Eid

2007-12-21T23:22:00.000+03:00

Our Eid Traditions

Once upon a time, we (the family) decided to make it an Eid tradition to have a breakfast feast early morning of the first day of Eid. This tradition lasted only once and failed to be repeated. So breakfast now constitutes of fitting mouthfuls of food and drink into our mouths in the midst of all the screaming, make-up, dressing and more.

One of the reasons we stopped our “tradition” is because we wake up late. Every year, my sisters and I threaten each other that we won’t help each other with make-up, dressing, hair, etc, etc unless supposed “late sleepers” wakes up early. Of course, threatening doesn’t work, and we all rush through things every time. We still follow the same tradition of wearing a brand new never-worn outfit for the first day of Eid.

Typical First Day of Eid

We’re supposed to wake up at 8, be done at 9, and start our rounds by 9:30. We’re forced to visit gazillion family members because many of them we see only twice a year. However, half of us wake up at 10, fight, argue, get dressed, discover that our outfits/hair/accessories do not look like what we intended them to be. Change hairdo, lessen makeup, and then give up trying.

If you think the girls in our family are psycho, you should see the guys! My brothers wake up later than we girls do, then fight over who gets to shave first, and who is hogging the bathroom longer (For some reason, before they built our house, my parents thought that two boys sharing a bathroom is much less drama than two girls sharing a bathroom. They were wrong.) After that, they complain that their dishdashas aren’t ready yet, or their qitra’s are not ironed to perfection, and start shouting at us girls that we’re making them late. Another tradition we managed to keep is that we visit our relatives altogether. My dad goes out on his own time, and my mom leaves at 8:00 am to prepare things at my grandma’s house because it’s an open house and she receives visitors until nighttime.

After going to all our relatives, congratulating them, making awkward conversation, being forced to eat different sweets and drink tea or coffee, our stomachs are bloated but grumbling for some real food. By that time its 2:00 pm, where have our lunch (or some may call a feast!) at my grandparent’s house. After lunch, we kick off our heels, and just lay down on the sofas breathing out a looooooooong sigh of relief.

The worst part of the day is over, and now we have the rest of the day to ourselves. We continue our day staying with our grandma and continuing to receive visitors. But at least by this time, we’re relaxed and staying in one place, not running around like headless chickens!

By nighttime, exhaustion kicks in, and I just flop down on the bed with a big smile on my face. Aaaaah my lovely bed!

So that’s it. That’s our Eid. That’s why I’m not fond of it.

Come to think of it. That’s what I love about Eid after all!

All the craziness is just part of our unique and dysfunctional family celebration! I can’t wait when we all get married and have kids and include them into this lovely, yet wild, tradition!

Note: I do realize that I didn’t write anything about eediyahs! This post is too long anyway. I’ll save it for another one.

Heaven and My Little Cousin

2007-12-21T12:11:00.001+03:00

The cutest conversation between me and my 4 year old cousin.

Cousin: Do you love God?

Me: Of course I do! Do you?

Cousin: Yes! Because He gives me eeeeeeeeeverything! He gave me my eyes, my nose, my ears, my mouth, my chocolates, my toys. Eeeeeeeeverything!

Me: Yes He did. He gave me everything too.

Cousin: Why does God live in Heaven?

Me: Because Heaven is very nice! It's so beautiful and big. And its up in the sky!

Cousin: Can we visit Heaven for the vacation? (He's on his Winter Break now)

Me: No. We can only go there when we die.

Cousin: Like our grandfather?

Me: Yes, like him.

Cousin: Is there a big slide in Heaven? Can I go on it?

Me: Yes you can, because in Heaven you can't fall and get hurt.

Cousin: YES!! And can I eat AAAAAAAAALLL the chocolate in the world?

Me: Yes because you can't get a tummy ache.

Cousin: But what if I want to throw up?

Me: You can't. Because in Heaven you don't throw up.

Cousin: But what if I do?? Will God bring me a bin to throw up in?

I couldn't help laughing!! Kids can be so innocent!!

Safat.kuwaitblogs.com

2007-12-20T00:27:00.000+03:00

I don't get it. I really don't. I don't understand what it should take for me to be on the list at the Kuwait Blogs website (see title)!

When I first joined the blogosphere, I wrote what I wanted and then waited.. hmmm ok now when do the comments start pouring in?

My friend (who first taught me how to blog) said "You need to comment on other people's blogs, so they can visit yours. And apply your blog to the Kuwait Blogs site." So I did that. The site's 2 requirements were: 1. "Must be from or about Kuwait" (I'm assuming this is the blog or the writer) and 2. "Must have at least 3 posts spanning the current month". I waited for about a month.. nothing. I think that during that month, my posts were not related to Kuwait, but I definitely was a Kuwaiti, so since I posted more since then, I decided to send another request. Both times I received an email notification that they received my request, but the second time, they said (and I quote) "Also please do not send multiple requests to add your blog. We received it the first time and will process it in due time. Sending multiple requests will delay your process."

So I waited.. and waited.. and waaaited.. nothing! That was in August, this is December! I've long stopped checking the Blog Aggregate site to see if I'm in or not. But today, I was reminded after I read Shosho's post (http://shayouma.com/2007/12/19/thank-you-nibaq/). My hyperlink thingy is not working so I have to paste links the old way.

I don't really mind that I haven't been listed. Because since then, I've visited countless blogs, both Kuwaiti and International, and gathered a collection of favorites. I've also managed to secure quite a handful of frequent readers! Yaaay! Good job right? It's just that curiosity is a nagging mother blogger! I simply want to know whyyyyy?? There isn't even a comments or contact us thingy!

And also, I've seen and checked most of the listed blogs there, and many of them have been dormant for months and some for over a year! Why are they still there? I don't know what sort of organizational system they have going on over there but anyway..

Just wanted to vent. Had a fun Eid!

This lady wishes you all a good night :)

...The Results Are In!

2007-12-18T13:47:00.001+03:00

"They Loooooooooooooove Meeee!!"

Ok, maybe not all of them.. Grrr..

Even though I think blog rating is wrong and meaningless, curiosity got the best of me (as well as my Copycat Syndrome - when I copied Grey's idea of a blog-rating poll).

Since I'm a relatively new blogger, I wanted to see what people thought about this blog. I allowed people to rate me from 1-5 stars. Zero is out of the question.

The poll closed yesterday, and I put the results into a chart (see above).

46 % of my readers think very highly of me. As do I, my dears, as do I :)

27 % of my readers think I'm cool. You just had to put 4 stars right? Too cheap to add another one?

15 % of my readers (or not?) think I'm ok. No comment here.

12% of worthless visitors decided I'm not worth it. Beware my wrath, you goodfornothings. Don't let me catch you over here.

The moral of this post is that rating is over-rated. After all, isn't the purpose of blogs to say whatever you want without having people judge you? It doesn't matter what others think, it only matters what YOU think of yourself!

And this lady thinks she rocks!

Where For Art Thou??

2007-12-17T22:58:00.000+03:00

http://www.barrowstreettheatre.com/i/wo-gone-missing.gif

I read a lot of blogs. Too many, actually.

I have a list of favorite blogs that I try to check on a daily basis. I look forward to reading what these people (who have become like part of my family) write and what they've done, and so on.. It really makes my day! Many times, I'd rather stay at home and blog about (reading and blogging) than go out.

So anyway, it really angers me and saddens me when I click on one of these links only to find out that this person's "blog/page has been deleted".

At first I get shocked, then there's disbelief *Click. Click. Click*, then there's sadness. "Where are you, blogger???? Where did you goo?? Don't leave meee!! I need you!!!!"

And finally comes anger. "Grrrrrrr.. I don't need you, idiots. You can remove your blogs all you want. I have lots more to entertain me. You can go to hell for all I care"

But actually I do care! I'm so attached to these people that it breaks my heart when they leave without so much as a goodbye! *sniff*

One of the latest bloggers to go MIA, only to reappear privately, was Shoosha. I was stricken when she left! I loved that little minx! But thank God she returned. Pheeew! Saved me from some drama.

Other bloggers who pulled the plug on their blogs are Cixousian Panic. Anybody know where she went? Chronicles of Random's blog is still there, but she hasn't written for one month and 2 days. Yes, I count. And many more that I can't remember. Why do bloggers dissapear all of a sudden. Why??

So anyway, just a word of advice, Don't you dare do that to me, bloggers! Don't even think about it!

But if you do, save this little lady some tears, and give her some prior notice ok?

Ho Ho Ho?

2007-12-16T14:12:00.000+03:00

Naughty Santa from www.istockphoto.com

My friend is on vacation in Europe. Grrr.. Lucky *Beep* (Don't be mad, baby, I still love you)

Anyway, so we all know that Christmas is approaching, and Europe is full of gorgeous festivities at this time. And in the spirit of things, H, my friend, decided she wanted to see Santa Claus, since she hasn't seen him for so long..

Well, the bimbo sent me a text saying, "Hey! I just took a picture with Santa and I sat on his lap! It was so much fun!" She said it so innocently I just couldn't help laughing!

Umm.. a 23 year old girl sitting on Santa's lap.

Are you thinking what this lady is thinking?

Me thinks Santa got what he wanted!

Bottomless Pit!

2007-12-15T02:13:00.000+03:00

Skinny version of me courtesy of www.fotosearch.com/comp/unn/unn347/woman-in-h

I feel like a bottomless pit. I've gotten so fat I can't even remember what I looked like 1 year ago!

I may not be considered "fat" in the real sense of the word (but definitely in Hollywood), but I'm getting close. I've let myself eat too freely during the past months (which to my horror added up to a whole year!!), that now I'm so afraid to weigh myself. My scale is missing - or maybe it just ran away out of fear of being squashed.

All in all, last time I checked, I've gained approximately 8 kilos *sobbing*, and I'm sure I've added more but since my scale is MIA, I'll have to guess. My jeans and pants don't fit anymore. They don't pass my enormous thighs. I've grown a butt that I didn't know I could have. My tummy sticks out so proudly like a kangaroo pouch. My face became rounder and more cheek-y. Even my rings don't fit on my fingers now!

The only positives are that my arms are not fatter, and my face looks younger and more plump. Also, my *ahem* boobs grew a size, but look nicer than they did before.

These days I'm surviving on wearing track suits and/or dresses. Tracksuits are easy to wear, and dresses hide all the atrocities. So I'm on a diet now. Atkins to be precise. I like it and it likes me. So far, so good. I like protein and my body needs it because I'm pretty sure I overdosed on carbs. I don't eat junk food, but I eat everything else. The past few months witnessed an overeating pig that gorged on sugars, carbs and lots and loooots of chocolate!!

Since it's my fault that I became a bottomless pit, I have to endure the severe withdrawal symptoms of not having my daily breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks of chocolate, chocolate and cake. Is there a Gluttons Anonymous - as in Alcoholics Anonymous? I might have to start it.

This lady has to fit into a new dress by Wednesday (for Eid). Pray for me, will you?

Girl on Girl Action?

2007-12-12T21:34:00.000+03:00

This question is for all my guy readers out there. Or anyone else who stumbled here either by sheer luck or by mistake. Lesbians please refrain from commenting because this question is addressed to straight men only and will answer one of the most important questions that has been nagging me forever.

Why do men like girl on girl action??
Do all men feel that way??
Why is it that this is such a recent development in sexual fantasies? I never heard about this 6 or 7 years ago.
Doesn't it make you feel sick? I mean, I know that most girls (if not all) are not attracted to man on man action!! Eeew! Its like watching gay porn. Turn off for straight people, I'm sure.

Do this lady a favor and answer pleeease ;)

Shake it Off..

2007-12-09T13:44:00.000+03:00

Image from www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/753/270687.JPG

I was just watching our dogs take a "shower" in the garden. Soaked in water, they looked so funny, wet and skinny, compared to the huge fluffy things things that they are.

I was laughing and watching them from a few metres away because I didn't want to get soaked. All of a sudden, one of the pair decided to involve me in the action, running up to me, and trying to jump on me, while also rubbing his fur on my legs.

Then he moved back a metre, and started shaking all the water off! ON ME!! I was screaming and laughing at the same time because the little genius knew I didn't want any water on me, but it was just his way of having some mischevious fun! Then he simply left and continued his bath.

Wouldn't it be fun if we could just shake things off?

Not just the water after a shower.

But everything else.

This lady would love to just shake it off.

Elizabeth

2007-12-06T00:11:00.000+03:00

picture courtesy of viewlondon.co.uk

Spanish Ambassador:

"There is a wind coming that will sweep away your pride."

Queen Elizabeth I:

"I too can command the wind, sir! I have a hurricane in me that will strip Spain bare if you dare to try me!"

My favorite two quotes from the movie Elizabeth: the Golden Age. This movie is full of brilliant ones, even though the film itself was a tad dissapointing.

Transparent Bra Straps!

2007-12-05T01:52:00.000+03:00

Pic courtesy of Nordstrom.com

This post is dedicated to all the girls who wear this, all the guys who have girls that wear this, and all the people who have to suffer from watching this.

It’s when girls wear those transparent bra straps and clasps, thinking that they won't show when in actual fact; they're as obvious as the sun!

Honey, it’s transparent NOT INVISIBLE!!

Some of them may be called invisible, but trust me they're not. If I can see them (I have poor eyesight) then everyone else can. I'm assuming you're wearing them because you're against "obvious" bra straps showing. Well, hate to break it to you, but they still show.

When you wear them with strapless dresses or tube tops, THEY SHOW.
When you wear them with one-shoulder dresses/tops, THEY SHOW.
When you wear them with backless dresses/tops, THEY SHOW.
When you wear them with wide neck tops, THEY ALSO SHOW.

THEY SHOW THEY SHOW THEY SHOW!!!

For goodness sakes, ladies, take a look in the mirror!! See what I mean?

Buy yourselves a good solid strapless bra and skip the invisible-ness.

This lady is saying this for your own good, darlings!! I might even throw in a voucher or two.

Dilemma

2007-12-02T22:55:00.000+03:00

I'm stuck in a rut, I must say. I have to make a decision. Like, now!

Okay maybe not now, but soon. Maybe you guys can help me out. Maybe I should start a new poll.

Anyway, here it is. I want to continue my studies and do my masters degree. Only thing is, I want to do it abroad. My parents are okay with it, always have been (about studying abroad). But my friends are discouraging me, and with good reason too.

I'm not too worried about my future "marriage life" because I beleive in fate, and if it happens, then it'll happen. If it won't, then it won't. But they all tell me that if I do, then I'll ruin all my chances because by the time I get back, I'll be a) older, and b) people will forget about me! What the hell?? I don't care if they forget about me! As long as I do what I wanna do right?

But somewhere, deep down, it kind of got to me. What if I do ruin my chances? I mean, even though my parents are open-minded, they still won't let me marry anyone except a Kuwaiti. But the more important issue is that, I've lived abroad before, and I know its really hard to adapt to life in Kuwait after life outside. So I'm worried that if I do it, it'll be really hard for me to come back, especially since I'm older and more mature and more aware and appreciative of life in foreign countries. I might decide to stay there! And I know that would be hard for my family to accept.

On the other hand, if anybody knows of some available bachelors working abroad... *hint hint* Can we say, hook me up??

This lady doesn't know what to dooooooo!!

Acne

2007-12-01T20:43:00.001+03:00

Picture: library.thinkquest.org/11960/media/acne.gif

Comedian on David Letterman:

"My wife uses birth control that also clears acne. Coincidentally, when I was a teenager, acne was my form of birth control."

LOOOL that cracked me up!

Hahahaha..

Acne.

This lady thanks God she never had (or has) it. *touches wood*

Scratch, Scratch

2007-11-30T02:53:00.000+03:00

You know the feeling when there's something that itches you, and you want to scratch it but you don't?

But then when you do..

Aaaaaaah.. It feels gooooooood.. Pure ecstasy!!

I don't care what anybody says - or thinks.. Scratching is fun! (Ignore the red marks that appear later)

No matter where, no matter how..

This lady is scratch scratch scrrrrrrrratching..

New Face of Davidoff's Cool Water

2007-11-24T01:58:00.000+03:00

And the new face of Davidoff's Cool Water fragrance is.........

drrrrrrrr.. *drum roll*

Josh Holloway!!! (Sawyer from Lost)

Finally! Someone realized that that face - and body - needs to be plastered on every wall, billboard, sign, magazine, newspaper, bedroom, shower.. Ooops I think I said too much.

ENJOY..

(Pics courtesy of - Oh who cares! - google images)

Wooow! Is it hot in here?

This lady needs some water to cool her off!! Pun intended.

Technical Help Please

2007-11-23T02:28:00.000+03:00

Hellooo..

Dearest frequent, occasional, and those who gave me a 1-star-rating readers (yeah, you gave me 1 star and yet ur still here.. hmmm i wonder why?).

Anyway, I have a technical issue. I need some help pleaaase.

Whenever I try to type anything in any search bar or the bars where you type in your email address or login names, etc, I always get a list of previous searches, email addresses, login names or even names I searched for in Facebook!

Well, this is quite embarassing, and not to mention not too discreet! Whenever anyone types the letter "t", my "this lady" login appears, and hello? I'm supposed to be anonymous!

So anyway, do you know how to turn this off or delete it?

This lady is mucho grateful.

Cruella DeVille

2007-11-20T02:55:00.000+03:00

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

*SOBBING*

Ok.. Wait.. *sniffles and sips water* Deep breath.. Seriously I just had one of the first and worst experiences ever..

I was sitting reading blogs, commenting and checking emails, when my hair tumbled into my face and my hair clip disappeared into the messy blob that I call my hair. I got up, went to the mirror to fix my hair into its infamous hairdo...

As I was pulling it up, I caught sight of a shimmery thing in my hair. Thinking that it was a string from a shirt I was wearing, I tugged at it only to discover that it was stuck to my head. It was a hair. A SILVER HAIR!!!!! *GASP!!!*

WHAT THE HELL?? Shinoo hathaaaaaa??? I ran into the bathroom to look into my magnifying mirror, and there it was!

I have a white/silver hair on my side part!!!! Ok.. I needed to calm down. So I decided to either pull it off or hide it behind a lock of hair. Just as I was finding something to do with it, what do I find? ANOTHER ONE!! This time I was one breath away from a panic attack.. I frantically searched my head for other invaders.. didn't find any THANK GOD. (After I was done my hair looked like Bob Marley's - R.I.P)

I cursed a bit.. then came to my senses (yeh. right) said "il7emdellah at least I'm not going bald.." but seriously, when did this happen??? Overnight? Damn those stupid grey-hair genes.

I am devastated! I'm 23!! What next? Hip replacement??

This lady is afraid she'll wake up in two weeks time looking like Cruella DeVille.. *sobbing*

This Lady the Junkie

2007-11-19T18:11:00.000+03:00

Is this normal? I feel like I'm in high school again when I was stuck to my desk chair, and addicted to the internet. I feel like my dad is going to cut off the internet any day now!

I am a blog junkie! I read blogs about everyone and everything. From celebrities, moustaches (don't ask), fashion, to regular citizens' blogs such as YOURS (the people reading this blog). Yes you are regular, admit it. If animals blogged, I'd probably be reading those too..

I'm beginning to have a hard time adjusting my eyes to look at things around me because they're so used to squinting at the screen ( I have poor eyesight and I refuse to wear glasses, actually not refuse, bes I can't be bothered to make new ones after the old ones fell and got crunched under my car's tires.. long story)

So anyway.. I don't know what's happening to me. I'm a relatively new blogger, but I'm a veteran reader! Everyone who sees me and my computer laughs because they say I look like a cross between the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Amy Winehouse.. especially if u see my lovely home hairdo.. Its a lazy attempt to move my hair away from my face. And as long as it stays up, then I don't care what it looks like..

I have become a blog junkie! After I devour every latest post on Safat.kuwaitblogs.com, I read some great blogs not on the Kuwait Aggregate site (SUCH AS MINE). Then I surf the net for more material. My Internet Favorites list has grown so long..

Anywaaay.. I'm beginning to blog more, if you haven't noticed, since I don't have a regular job. God help me!

This lady is probably on her way to Blog Rehab. Which explains her Amy Winehouse hairdo.

What Do You Think?

2007-11-18T02:10:00.000+03:00

So what do you think?

Noticed anything new? Yes, on this blog. Move your eyes to the left. Sorry i mean right! Slowly... Slowly...

Yes! There it is!

My first poll ever to appear on this blog. Yaaaay! It's my pleasure to add a new "element" to my blog. I know the question is not unique or genuine (I copied it - or stole the idea - from Grey's blog who I hope doesn't mind!!!) *angelic smile*.. But please be as honest as you can.

I won't change my writing because that's who I am, but if there's anything that bothers you, or if there's something that you like to read more about, tell me about it! Thru comments or email.

This lady is really grateful.

Note: You'll notice that you have the choice of voting between a 1 star and a 5 star. (1 being the lowest, and 5 being the highest score) I didn't add a zero because that's unnecesary. I have feelings you know!

** Update: someone had the indecency to give me a 1 star!! GASP!! The audacity! I think i might have to change my ratings to be from 3 - 5 stars! Not even 2! Heehee..

Pretending..

2007-11-15T16:56:00.001+03:00

I can't I can't I can't! I caaaaaaaaaaaan't!!

I can't do this anymore! I just don't know how to pretend! Ma3arif ajamil!

You know when there's someone that just annoys the hell out of you, and you have to keep yourself calm and collected, whereas you just want to grab the nearest heavy object and smash it on their head?? They're really nice but I can't stand them! And when there's someone you just hate, talking to you, and you're practically seething and you want to bite their head off and watch the blood flow (violent I know!), but instead you have to give a fake smile and pretend you're into the conversation. I just can't do that!

I'm the type of person whose feelings just jump out of her face! If I don't like you, it's gonna show! No matter how hard I try.. I just can't.. I can't mask my feelings! Hard as I try to suppress them, they just show.. *SOB*

Seriously, people do it all the time. Why can't I?? I'm respective of others, I'm kind and thoughtful, and I try to like people as much as I can. But it's just that there are some people who I just can't stand! (Mayenbal3ooon! Yig3idoon 3ala chabdi!) And when I'm around them, friends tell me "Oh, Lady, its obvious you hate her/he annoys you/you were practically sleeping" and so on..

I try to ignore these people, or act as if I didn't see them. But I feel guilty later on. I just want to scream "Get away from me! I can't stand you! I don't like you and I don't hate you, but you're bordering on the hate side at the moment.. So let's keep it neutral ok??"

Please God, forgive me!!

This lady is suffering. No more pretending. Pleaaaaase.. HELP!!

Forgive and Forget?

2007-11-14T14:14:00.000+03:00

People tell me I’m too nice sometimes. Actually maybe most of the time. I’m not saying I’m an angel or anything like that. I just forgive a lot. Even if people did really mean things or they hurt me so bad. I forgive them eventually. I know I’ll never forget what they did to me. But I forgive them anyway.

And when I see these people, and sit with them and talk to them. It’s like nothing bad ever happened between us. It’s like what happened was just a dream or a really, really distant memory that might have happened or might have not.

I just realized that we feel most hurt by the people we love and care about. I never cried or lost sleep over an acquaintance or over someone I barely even knew. Because I couldn’t care less about these people.

I cried and cried and cried... I got depressed and got over it... I got mad, angry, and then calmed myself down. Over who? Over the people that I care for so much. I would give them anything if they asked me. I would give my life to them if they needed it.

Time heals all wounds, I know. I don’t think there are wounds that are left open. In time, they’ll go away. But maybe there’s a scar left to remind you. And that’s what I have in my heart. Just scars, never wounds.

Just reminders. But never resentment.

This lady thinks she’s too forgiving. Dammit.

Street Entertainment

2007-11-08T14:18:00.000+03:00

I was walking along a popular market in London, and I passed a guy standing on the sidewalk, wearing a very silly costume, holding a kid’s guitar, and miming along to a song playing on his very small and crackly stereo.

People were laughing and clapping along. I stopped to watch, but he was so unentertaining that I just thought, “Why on earth are they clapping and throwing him money?” I just want to throw him off the street!

But then I saw it. He had a cardboard sign leaning against the wall. It read (in horrible handwriting), something along the lines of “keeping street entertainment alive”

And I stood there for a couple of minutes, staring at him and his sign. I walked away and continued to think about it to this day. It really got me thinking. I finally figured out (after many months!) that even though the guy was incredibly unentertaining, and somewhat annoying, he was fighting for a cause. Say what? Yes a cause! And a good one too! He might have needed the money, sure. But that doesn’t prevent us from knowing that the guy had a point. That poor silly guy was actually doing us a favor. Yes, US!

Can you imagine the world without street entertainment? Imagine walking along busy streets without someone singing, performing magic tricks, miming, dancing, juggling, etc, etc. Instead, you'll find hundreds of people, bustling about, doing random chores without a smile on their faces.

Can you remember when we were kids and we stood watching those street entertainers make us laugh, even though they were sweating like pigs, fatigued and probably had dozens of blisters on their feet? I want my kids to have that. The ability to watch random performers do what they do, making my kids laugh, and then take pictures with them. Because that type of fun is priceless, and you can never get it at any store or on the internet!

Entertainment doesn’t have to cost a penny! It can be free and fun, and you should be able to find it (or them), right there on the nearest street. Playing a song. Juggling some stuff. Performing tricks.

And if you see them, throw in a coin. Or two.

Just like I do.

‘Cause this lady is keeping street entertainment alive!

Give me SPARTA!

2007-11-06T02:17:00.000+03:00

I had a date last night. It was amaaaaaaazing!

I had a date with the most attractive men you could ever find. I was in the arms of the some of the strongest men in history. Aaah, 300 of the most strapping, handsome, sturdy, striking, muscular, brawny men I have ever met.

Yes, you heard me. 300! Three hundred of history’s most dashing, exquisite breed of males.

Before you think I’m a tramp, let me make things clear. I was watching the movie 300. I trapped myself in my room last night, locked the doors, turned off the lights, and played the movie. I might as well have been watching a romantic movie because I was enthralled! I was imagining myself in the arms of that gorgeously macho army. I was hanging on to every word, shout, movement they performed. I think I was drooling as well (couldn’t tell from the dark).

Oh how I wish I was born at another period in time. I want to be a Spartan. I WANT I WANT I WANT! I remember studying about them in school and how the men there underwent strict measures of discipline and fighting techniques. Why can’t they do this here? Ha?? Why?? It’s very important that men learn how to fight and become strong soldiers! (Not to mention become incredibly gorgeous)

All we had was “tajneed” (short period of mandatory army training for men) and they went and took that away, thank you very much! Dammit!

There’s just something about angry, shouting, strong men that just does it for me. When I see a man like that, instead of being scared, I go weak in the knees! It’s not the muscle or the look. It’s the feeling that this guy can protect me no matter what.

I think I’m going to start a Spartan School for Men.

This lady says God knows we need it!

(pics courtesy of imdb.com)

Like A Boy

2007-11-01T15:48:00.000+03:00

What if I..

Had a thing on the side?

Made you cry?

Would the rules change up?

Or would they still apply?

If I played you like a toy?

Sometimes I wish I could act like a boy..

This isn’t a love post. It’s just that this song (Like a Boy by Ciara) says so much.

I get tired sometimes. It’s really tough being a girl. Especially in this part of the world. We get to worry so much. About family, friends, colleagues, even strangers. It’s not just that we’re born with it (sensitivity, I mean). We’re raised and forced to feel for others. Even if we don’t want to, we just do.

Seriously I get so jealous of guys sometimes. They don’t know how lucky they are. I don’t mean to put you down, boys. I know that you have your share of problems as well. But I wish we could reverse our roles for a while. If you think you have a lot of responsibilities on your shoulders, think again.

I can’t travel with friends (but I’m allowed to study abroad).
I can’t drive a motorcycle (not even a scooter).
I can’t stay out really late at diwaniyas.
I can’t wear shorts (let’s leave religion aside this time).
I can’t have a boyfriend (yes, I mean it!)
I have to wait for a husband.
The list is endless..

All our lives, we have to live it not only for ourselves, but for others as well. We could presume a “to hell with it” attitude, but it’s easier said than done. I could care less what people think about me, but I would definitely tweak my habits just a bit if it will make my loved ones happier. I will turn down a career prospect outside of Kuwait if it makes my family happy. I will turn down a demanding job if it will make my (future) husband and kids more content. I will come home earlier than my supposedly late curfew to make my brother’s life easier. I will go to that wedding even if I’m bored to death because I have to. I will do those things. Because it’s “expected”.

Feminism aside, I don’t think it’s demeaning to me if I have to rearrange my priorities and lessen some of my habits just to make someone’s life easier. It’s just that it’s hard sometimes, when you are expected to do that, when it’s ALWAYS YOU who does that. Whereas your brother who is just as smart, just as loving, and just as kind, will not do that because its not expected of him. And I don’t blame him.

I’m sure many of you girls out there feel the same way. And as much as we hate to admit it, a lot of times, we do conform to many of society’s stupid stupid STUPID views.

Sometimes this lady wishes she could act like a boy..

Then she could get away with a lot of things.

FIFA Kicks Kuwait

2007-10-30T18:41:00.000+03:00

FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) has officially banned Kuwait from all international football competitions until further notice. This is due to governmental interference in the affairs of the Kuwait Football Associationaction, which is an action "contrary to the road map established by FIFA and the AFC".

Fifa spokesman John Schumacher announced today that “This means that the Kuwait FA and all its members, clubs and players, are suspended from international competition beginning today and until further notice.”

To all the people who participated and contributed to this brilliant, magnificent and astounding achievement:

Congratulations and Thank You!

You’ve made us proud.

You stupid, ignorant, pathetic, hapless, sad, waste-of-oxygen, sorry excuses for human beings.

Mars Uses Animal Products

2007-10-26T17:40:00.000+03:00

I recently received an email titled: Mars Uses Animal Substances in Products. I almost deleted the email, thinking that it was the usual unreliable type of news that so many of us receive in our Inboxes daily, especially concerning American products.

Curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to read it. Luckily there was a link to the message, and although the link sent me to a not-so-recent article, it was still reliable (BBC NEWS) and full of facts.

The article dates to the 14th of May 2007, and it describes how Masterfoods (the company behind the ever popular Mars, Snickers, Maltesers, Bounty, Minstrels and many more) has decided to switch a key ingredient, vegetarian whey, to a non-vegetarian one, more specifically called rennet.

Rennet is a substance extracted from the inner stomach lining of young calves. This had vegetarians and animal rights activists everywhere in a dilemma. I, myself, who is not a vegetarian, am slightly apalled. In our constant efforts to promote health and environmental awareness in this day and age, Masterfoods suddenly decides to switch to a new strategy without a decent explanation.

Why did they choose to make the switch? I have no idea. Probably more cost-efficient. But definitely not a health-conscious or animal-friendly decision. Why do we need to poke around into a calve's stomach for a chemical that we can find in vegetarian form (like whey)?

This change was made in May, which means that all the above mentioned chocs have been altered since then. Noticed a change in taste? I haven't. So why change it then??

This doesn't mean that this lady will stop gobbling her Snickers on her next sugar craving binge.

But she'll probably think twice about it.